How is it that Lance Armstrong was able to beat his rivals for 7 consecutive years?
If your answer is "hard work", do you think other riders just sit on their butts, and hope for the best? If your answer is his physical talent (ie VO2 Max., Heart Rate, etc), do you really think he's the only cyclist with raw physical talent?
2007-02-26 03:48:49 · 7 answers · asked by Anonymous in Sports ➔ Cycling
he used better dope!
2007-02-26 03:57:40 · answer #1 · answered by JP1000 2 · 1⤊ 4⤋
No it wasn't raw talent. It's called "peaking". It's how Lance trained. He trained to peak during the 3 weeks of the TdF. And it is proven that his VO2 was well above average(see link below). I would also say comparing him to the above riders, it was also timing. Pantani was nearing the end of cycling career. Ullrich was his only rival but not as strong in the mountains. Joseba Beloki while placing in three TdF's only contending Armstrong before falling in '03 and really hasn't been the same since. Santiago Botero while a great rider not a real contender for the TdF. Now had Armstrong continued to race, a rising star in Ivan Basso would have proven a real challenge to an aging Armstrong probably dethroning him. If you are alluding to some other reason why Armstrong won the Tour 7 straight times, then no answer will suffice. But even if Armstrong was doping, to win the Tour 7 straight times is lucky - very lucky considering how long the season is and the risk of falling and being injured - ask Valverde.
2007-02-26 16:38:06 · answer #2 · answered by Brzo Biciklo 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
He's not the only cyclist with talent, but probably the only one for awhile that will exploit it the way that he did. Also, its a combination of talent, hard training, nutrition, sleep/rest, being at your peak, and sheer stubborness to give in.
There have been plenty of other dominant cyclists that have done much more than lance when we look at the big picture.
if you'd like, read up on Eddy Merckxx, Fausto Coppi and others.
These guys not only dominated the TdF, but before that won several other races, spring classics and other championships. Lance prepared himself to peak for the tour de france only.
Sure, Lance's feat can be looked at as dominance of one event, but anyone that has gotten themselves into good athletic shape knows that its much harder to maintain that edge for the total year. I'm not trying to take anything away from Lance's feat, but to simply point out that there have been many other dominant cyclists that use hard work and physical talent to win some consecutive events.
2007-02-26 20:39:47 · answer #3 · answered by borracho111 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Maybe Pantani et al stopped using the banned substance months before each staging of Tour de France to avoid detection. Thereby reducing the effectiveness of the drugs.
2007-02-26 12:05:28 · answer #4 · answered by Super_Noypi 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋
have you seen the way the guy trained??? he would literally train going up hill on a constant basis. LOTS OF HILLS. Hills are great for building your strength and stamina. For speed, well, stamina plus speed work does wonders. He is naturally built for cycling too. I think it does play a role in how fast he can develop in training but not in the overall outcome of if he had not trained as hard as he did.
2007-02-28 12:33:16 · answer #5 · answered by vail2073 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
How many times has this been answered?!
Read "It's Not About the Bike" already.
2007-02-26 13:50:04 · answer #6 · answered by Madrider 4 · 1⤊ 2⤋
Read his book:"It's Not About the Bike." You might learn something...
2007-02-26 15:19:29 · answer #7 · answered by Vinegar Taster 7 · 1⤊ 2⤋