Good Luck to Greg!
Live Clean and Have A Good Vibe!Keep cycling!
P.S: To those who thinks negative of Greg ...Screw YOu
We all read hat Greg was training great and feeling confident about this time
last year. However, it seems his best results in the Tour have come after
lousy early seasons. We'll see!
****Dave Clary/Corpus Christi, Tx (dcl...@tenet.edu)
I'd tend to agree with Roger. But when does a Euro pro do intensity training?
The season starts in February (GL and others are in Mexico doing the Ruta for
training right now), and the schedule is so full that most of the days not
racing are spent recovering during the racing season (isn't a typical Euro pro's
schedule about 150 races per year?).
Also, from our San Diego reports, it appears that most of the pros there are
doing long endurance rides, haven't heard any tales of intensity workouts.
So is all of a pro's intensity done by racing? Bruce?
--
***********************************************************************
* Brad Anders * "Now we can talk to cheese, anywhere in the *
* ban...@netcom.com * world, regardless of their foreign tongues" *
***********************************************************************
I read the article in Velo-News too and reached the opposite
conclusion. Lactate threshold training, intervals in Dec. ... This
doesn't bode well for Greg's '94 season.
Roger Marquis
I have had the opportunity(if you call coughing up a lung and seeing God
an opportunity) to train with a number of European based professionals
for a number of trade teams(one just left the Bay Area after attending
Coach Hildenbrand's three-day intensive training camp).
Here is what I have observed.
Professional races are so much longer than amateur races that it is hard to
try and make some sort of connection between them in terms of training
programs. The pros sit in the saddle for 5-7 hours in the average race,
which is way above the average for an amateur.
A lot of the early season training is based on the fact that it is
necessary to just be able to ride for 5-7 hours and feel OK. That
means endurance rides of low to moderate intensity. You can't do 6 hour
rides every day so every few days there is a lower hourly day that
may only last 2 hours, but may include some short intervals(3-5 minutes)
for power(big ring, hard efforts) 5-10 repititions of the interval.
During the season, the pros are racing so much that up until the Tour
de France, the racing is the training and when not racing, the pros
just go a moderte pace, rides may be 2-5 hours depending on when the
last race was and when the next one begins. Recovery is really the key
here.
Near the end of the season and around World Championship time, the frequency
of racing decreases so a few more training days are devoted to specialized
training such as intervals.
I hope this helps,
Bruce Hildenbrand
Alan
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>> Professional races are so much longer than amateur races that it is hard to
>> try and make some sort of connection between them in terms of training
>> programs. The pros sit in the saddle for 5-7 hours in the average race,
>> which is way above the average for an amateur.
>> A lot of the early season training is based on the fact that it is
>> necessary to just be able to ride for 5-7 hours and feel OK. That
>> means endurance rides of low to moderate intensity. You can't do 6 hour
>> rides every day so every few days there is a lower hourly day that
>> may only last 2 hours, but may include some short intervals(3-5 minutes)
>> for power(big ring, hard efforts) 5-10 repititions of the interval.
>> During the season, the pros are racing so much that up until the Tour
>> de France, the racing is the training and when not racing, the pros
>> just go a moderte pace, rides may be 2-5 hours depending on when the
>> last race was and when the next one begins. Recovery is really the key
>> here.
I think that Bruce has it right. During the off season for the last
couple years, including this winter, a number of local riders have
been training with a (now) european pro. This guy never does
intervals and always goes for these long spins, 4-6 hours. Even as an
amateur in Europe he trained this way. Its kind of weird when we are
all lifting weights and starting to do intervals and he's just doing
these long rides. The difference is that in a week he's going to be
doing some pretty impressive stage races in Europe and we will still
be doing our intervals, and soon a few crits. When you do 150+ tough
races a year, you have all the intensity training one can handle.
Its a totally different style and level of racing compared to U.S.
amateur racing, and I thing that the training almost has to be
different.
-Darrell Davis
I think three (or was it four) TdF wins and a world championship makes
LeMond a "great" cyclist no matter how he does this year.
-------------
Dick Anderson
Minneapolis
Plus the fact that 2 of the TdF wins and 1 of the WC's and the TduPont wins
all came AFTER he was shot and nearly killed ...
--
Steven L. Sheffield All opinions are mine and mine alone.
If you choose to agree, then go ahead.
Internet: biki...@netcom.com If not, then it's your loss.
US Mail: Winterland Productions
100 Harrison Street Cars suck. Ride a bike.
San Francisco, CA 94105
Voice: (415) 597-9877
My sentiments exactly! The "what have you done for me lately" syndrome can be
quite aggravating.
BTW: Glad to see your name on a "from" line, Steve. Looking forward to some
more outstanding race reporting!
****Dave Clary/Corpus Christi, Tx
>
>
>Just my two-penn'orth.
>
>Steve
No flame, but...
Whatever Greg does this season, whatever Greg does next season, whatever Greg
did last season or the season before changes nothing. Greg Lemond is one of
cycling's heros. Greg Lemond has paid his dues in the saddle and has become a
legend. That can never be taken away from him.
When does he become an embarassment? The two aren't mutually exclusive,
you know.
Bob Schwartz
bsch...@cray.com
>When does he become an embarassment? The two aren't mutually exclusive,
I think you mean "When *did* he become an embarassment?"
He IS great and always WILL BE GREAT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
There, I feel better now................................
tho
ps: this does sound convincing. Wouldn't stop me from watching Mr. Lemond
next TdF, though. Phil Liggett only interviews English speaking people :-)
This is something that always puzzled me. It seems like there
are very strong emotions involved whenever the name Greg Lemond
comes up. Somebody will defend him to the death, and some others
will try as best to knock him down. What is so special? How
come racing enthusiasts get so uptight about this guy? Why don't
(didn't) they do the same with, say, Roche, Fignon or Bugno?
What's goin on? What I am missing from this equation?
tho
Yes! Greg LeMond has made a tremendous impact on the sport of cycling in the
US and is(was) a great rider to boot!
Bruce Hildenbrand
FLAME ON!!!
I agree. How long is the GREAT GREG going to get pharted out of the back
of the peloton? It seems he has tried every winter training method there
is and yet he gets behind in every race he enters - it seems - and quits.
I hope that the hard core Lemond fans forgive me but here he is quiting
the tour of Mexico. This is just MHO.
FLAME OFF!!!
Manuel Solis
> |>
> |>
> |> >When does he become an embarassment? The two aren't mutually exclusive,
> |>
> |> I think you mean "When *did* he become an embarassment?"
> |> T
> |>
> |> --
> |> Tony Cunningham, Insignia Solutions Ltd. t...@ed.ac.uk or t...@insignia.co.uk
> |> This explains a lot about me. I thought it was the heavy drinking, the
> |> late hours, the barking mad women, the lying around in bed reading novels and
> |> eating Nescafe out of a jar with the spoon. But it's because of the Mac.
> ^
> You forgot to mention delusions about pro cycling.
Whose delusions are we discussing here, yours or Greg's ? The man was undoubtedly
one of the top 4 or 5, none of whom really dominated, since the time of Hinault.
Consider former TdF winners Fignon, Delgado and Roche. All have recognised the
decline of their powers with the years, and have earned respect in the role
of elder statesman. Fignon and Roche have now retired.
Conversely, each winter we hear of Lemond's revolutionary new training programme,
and as the days lengthen into summer we see a grovelling withdrawal from a major
tour. A million wishes from a public more interested in a sporting victory by
a U.S. national than in the sport itself, won't make it any different. What they
can only do is make the guy a paying proposition for a pro team, despite his
inability to perform. He's either deluded or in it for the money, and either
way it's embarrassing.
---Alan
>... It seems like there are very strong emotions involved whenever the
>name Greg Lemond comes up. Somebody will .....
>...What is so special? How come racing enthusiasts get so uptight about
>....Why don't (didn't) they do the same with, say, Roche, Fignon or Bugno?
Greg is different from most other riders for a number of reasons. I am not
qualified to go into it fully (perhaps someone else can take this on?) but
here are a few pointers which spring to my mind;
1 Greg is an American (i.e. a USA bloke) who can cut it in Europe - and how!
2 Greg was not 'just another winner'. Controversy, hype, etc make him stick
out from the other 'multiple winners'
3 The sympathy (respect) factor after his hunting accident.
Perhaps someone could recommend a good book which expounds why Lemond is
special?
Steve
>Consider former TdF winners Fignon, Delgado and Roche. All have recognised the
>decline of their powers with the years, and have earned respect in the role
>of elder statesman. Fignon and Roche have now retired.
I think that Fignon, Delgado and Roche are riders whose careers are comparable
to LeMond's. However, if it hadn't been for his hunting accident, and then
his appendicitis, he may have been in the ranks of Hinault, Anquiteul(sp?)
and maybe even Mercxx. Remember, one year, LeMond was held back by his
coach when LeMond thought he could have beaten Hinault. That would have
subtracted one TdF victory from Hinault, and added for LeMond.
Ignoring conjecture over what might have been, and despite LeMond's
embarrassing failures in recent years, I don't think anyone would
argue that LeMond is not the greatest cyclist to come out of the
United States up until this time.
These of course are only my opinions.
-------------
Dick Anderson
Minneapolis
There's one group, however, who are glad for what LeMond has done for cycling.
Before Greg, all but the very top few riders made paltry sums for their
efforts. LeMond changed that.
****Dave Clary/Corpus Christi, Tx
Marc Lee
HP San Diego
ma...@hpsanaeo.nsr.hp.com
I think the difference is that people aren't writing into the newsgroup
raving about how great (as an example) Fignon IS NOW, as opposed to
how great Fignon WAS. He certainly was in the past, and is not now, except
in the historical sense. The same, IMHO, is true of Lemond. Anyone who
has won three TdFs is without question one of the cycling greats, but they are
not all current great cyclists. Perhaps people are just argueing over
symantics.
Mark Flynn
Liquid Crystal Institute and Department of Physics
Kent State University
fl...@scorpio.kent.edu
Lemond's victory in the road race is quite impressive. He gets away with
two laps to go (9 miles per lap) with Argentin and Ruperez, Lemond launching
the attack on the main climb, leaving Roche, Fignon, and Phil Anderson
behind. His final attack on Ruperez was impressive, quickly putting 15
seconds on him on the same climb on the last lap. His final victory was
by over a minute. He was only 22 years old.
That was 1983, a long time ago. Most of the riders you see at the front
are long gone. The others like Roche, Fignon, are recently retired, and
Argentin, near the end of his career. The Lemond of today looks so much older
and battle-worn than the young racer I saw in the tape. He may no longer be
the rider who won two World Championship road races, or three Tour de
France's, but there was a time when only those without a real appreciation
for cycling could deny his talent.
--
****************************************
* Brad Anders * Sunnyvale, CA *
* ban...@netcom.com * *
****************************************
Oh, I don't know about embarrassing re in it for the money. We have to
make a livin' somehow, and finding as good a niche as he has woulnd't be
bad.
At any rate, from my new understanding of the situation, thanx to the net.,
I figure that he's an advertisement for his sponsor. As long as he has
enough fan interested in him, he earned his money. He doesn't have to
win, or do well. He just need people to be interested in what he's gonna
do next year. As such, he's a success.
tho
Bob
--
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
I think if this newsgroup was made up of more Irish, French and
Italians, you would see more defense of these great riders.
Also, Greg LeMond is responsible for putting US cycling on the
map, something that cannot be said for the Roche, Fignon or Bugno
(let's see somebody say something bad about Coppi or Anquetil).
Bob Schwartz makes a good point that there is a time to call it
quits and retire with your head held high. It might be time
for Greg LeMond to be assessing his great career.
Bruce
ps - I hate to say this, but I think it all boils down to money
for Greg LeMond. When nobody will meet his salary demands, he
will call it quits.
> This is something that always puzzled me. It seems like there
> are very strong emotions involved whenever the name Greg Lemond
> comes up. Somebody will defend him to the death, and some others
> will try as best to knock him down. What is so special? How
> come racing enthusiasts get so uptight about this guy? Why don't
> (didn't) they do the same with, say, Roche, Fignon or Bugno?
>
> What's goin on? What I am missing from this equation?
It's all emotional, Tho. Don't even try to understand. The other riders you
mention are not from the US, so don't receive near as much scrutiny here. I
understand that Larry (Fignon) IS a very controversial figure among French
fans, with rabid supporters and detractors over there, as Greg has in his
native country.
Dave Hayes
It is interesting to see Greg Lemond still trying to get back to some
past performances. Some other riders did quit rapidly, like Fignon and
Hinault. Yet, Greg Lemond offers an alternative view: he still likes pro
racing.
Mario
You missed my point, Aaron. How many Americans have done well in Europe?
>>2 Greg was not 'just another winner'. Controversy, hype, etc make him stick
>>out from the other 'multiple winners'
>every tour winner had it, you seem to have a very selective memory.
I was thinking along the lines of cash. Lemond's attitude to money -
affecting most of the pro Peloton singled him out.
>>3 The sympathy (respect) factor after his hunting accident.
>again, every winner had injuries. hinault, fignon, roche all had
>knee operations.
Indeed, but Greg nearly killing himself in a non-cycling incident is another
ball game, attracting much more news coverage/discussion.
Please note that my post is an attempt to explain why Greg has attracted (and
still attracts) a seemingly disproportionate amount of coverage and _not_ to
justify why I think he is/was/wasn't great. There is a big difference.
Steve
This just goes to show you how poor or misinformation can lead to
the wrong impression. I have talked to many people involved in
that ill-fated climb to Luz Ardiden in the 1985 Tour de France
and here is what I believe is the true story.
Hinault had been dropped on the preceding climb(east side of the
Col du Tourmalet). LeMond was following Stephen Roche(not Urs
Zimmermann as was erroneously reported above) who was in third
place overall. Because Roche was a threat, LeMond had to follow
him as LeMond was in second place overall and if Hinault really
did crack, it would have been suicide for his team(La Vie Claire)
to lose the yellow jersey just because LeMond had to wait for Hinault.
As long as LeMond rode next to Roche, neither would gain time on the
other that the status quo woould be preserved. Therefore, it was
Hinault's job to respond to Roche's attack, LeMond was just along
for the ride. Hinault had his chief lieutenant, Nikki Ruttimann
to pace him on the climbs, it was not LeMond's job to do this.
So, really the burden of responsibility to keep the yellow jersey
was on Hinault, not LeMond.
The Big Problem Arises:
The reason that LeMond got upset about the situation was that
he received some very bogus interval times from a long time
friend, Kent Gordis, who was in the CBS TV truck that was
following LeMond up the climb to Luz Ardiden. The gap
between LeMond and Hinault never reached more than about
2 minutes, but on several occasions, Kent mistakenly told
LeMond that the gap was at 3 minutes 30 seconds which would
have made LeMond the overall leader of the Tour on the road
and would seriuosly have jepordized Hinault's placing to
Roche as well(I believe Roche was about 5 minutes back on
overall GC).
This of course, made LeMond question the team orders and he
became upset. After the stage, when he learned about the
bogus interval times and the actual time splits were revealed,
he apologized to Hinault for his behaviour.
There is an important point that is somewhat difficult to
understand here. LeMond still believes that he sacrificed
his chances to win the 1985 Tour because he could have gone
faster up the climb of Luz Ardiden and not just pace Roche.
I believe this is why he has said in print that he sacrifed
himself for the Hinault's win. The reason he was upset at
Luz Ardiden was because he felt the victory had been taken
away from him by team orders. When he learned that the team
orders were correct, given the actual time interval, he apologized
for his behavouir. There really is a difference here, I hope
neeters can see this.
Bruce Hildenbrand
Well ,Greg LeMond just comes and goes ,I guess different people react
differently to his actions.Roche ,bugno and Fignon won consistently at the peak
of their careers ,whereas Greg just win a big race every now and then.