old tour de france videos on youtube and Lance
Posted: Wed Jan 04, 2017 11:36 am
hi
here are some words on old youtube videos. should anyone reply to this bunch of relatively unfocussed comment, pls, let's all take it easy and please let's stick to the past. 1999-2002.
anyway, i've been doing alot of training on kickr and this has led to me watching an enormous number of hours of old bike races on youtube.
currently fascinated by the videos available for tour de france from 1999 thru to ? (up to 2002 so far). format is a whole year is presented via four to five 2 hour videos.
phil liggett and paul sherwen narrate the whole lot (really just a boxed up summary of their tv work). interesting thing is they've touched it up with some hindsight narrative (i.e. post the finish they've added comment) and they totally focus on the mountains. sprint stages are generally given short shrift.
anyway as i watch in 2002 is unfolding and we've just had ventoux and armstrong's second place. 58 mins even though he really only got going after a beloki attack at around chalet reynard.
and phil and paul will not stop banging on about lance's cadence. and they way they describe it, destroying a bunch of spanish climbers is as simple as pedalling faster. they constantly say that lance got the tip from miguel indurain. and that he's practices and practised and tested and tested. and here he is, with his cadence (up to 100 they say), and he is unstoppable (and he really is).
anyway i'm a huge fan of cycling history via the prism of ped's. i enjoy memoir and ped's a key feature of many a memoir. and so initially i was looking at lance (and most of the rest of the field) thinking "wow, EPO is one hell of a drug".
but now of course we have much talk about motors. and the 60 min doco set for jan 28th. and specifically the comment from the guy who allegedly designed/implemented some of first motors that "easy to catch motor doping, look for the high cadence, look for the weird times". i'm unsure as to why this correlation would exist although i imagine it has to do with disguising the motor input. better disguised when you pedal at a high cadence (smoother). (might just be expert trolling though)
i have already heard it insinuated that this doco might imply something about Lance. basis of argument seems to be, why would US show like 60 mins pick up story unless it was about a huge public figure like lance.
but i'm watching these videos, watching lance bang in fastest time ever up mt ventoux in 2002 (58 mins or so (now near 56 by mayo from 2004 is record)), watching him pedalling faster than everyone, listening to paul and phil convince themselves how legit this all is. (he trains for it all year, he lost 20 pounds due to chemo but kept the power etc etc)
when i first started watching the videos i thought "this guy is a champion". "yes he won on ped's, but everyone else was on ped's too". "still a stone cold performer".
but what if he did all of that plus stuck a motor in there? part of me would be like "who cares" but part of me would have my mind blown i think. the thing is, it actually makes more sense, is more likely, than him just being such a fantastic athlete plus ped user.
another comment on twitter (a quote from a cyclist peer of lance's) "he's not that great a climber, he surges with 5 km's to go and then fades in the death". lance himself persists, as he murders all from 1999 to 2002 with saying "oh shucks, i ain't no climber, i just pedal real fast is all". maybe he just couldn't claim it with a straight face. the accolade of being called a climber. but he could somehow justify everything else.
who knows. great videos though. highly recommended for training and entertainment.
here are some words on old youtube videos. should anyone reply to this bunch of relatively unfocussed comment, pls, let's all take it easy and please let's stick to the past. 1999-2002.
anyway, i've been doing alot of training on kickr and this has led to me watching an enormous number of hours of old bike races on youtube.
currently fascinated by the videos available for tour de france from 1999 thru to ? (up to 2002 so far). format is a whole year is presented via four to five 2 hour videos.
phil liggett and paul sherwen narrate the whole lot (really just a boxed up summary of their tv work). interesting thing is they've touched it up with some hindsight narrative (i.e. post the finish they've added comment) and they totally focus on the mountains. sprint stages are generally given short shrift.
anyway as i watch in 2002 is unfolding and we've just had ventoux and armstrong's second place. 58 mins even though he really only got going after a beloki attack at around chalet reynard.
and phil and paul will not stop banging on about lance's cadence. and they way they describe it, destroying a bunch of spanish climbers is as simple as pedalling faster. they constantly say that lance got the tip from miguel indurain. and that he's practices and practised and tested and tested. and here he is, with his cadence (up to 100 they say), and he is unstoppable (and he really is).
anyway i'm a huge fan of cycling history via the prism of ped's. i enjoy memoir and ped's a key feature of many a memoir. and so initially i was looking at lance (and most of the rest of the field) thinking "wow, EPO is one hell of a drug".
but now of course we have much talk about motors. and the 60 min doco set for jan 28th. and specifically the comment from the guy who allegedly designed/implemented some of first motors that "easy to catch motor doping, look for the high cadence, look for the weird times". i'm unsure as to why this correlation would exist although i imagine it has to do with disguising the motor input. better disguised when you pedal at a high cadence (smoother). (might just be expert trolling though)
i have already heard it insinuated that this doco might imply something about Lance. basis of argument seems to be, why would US show like 60 mins pick up story unless it was about a huge public figure like lance.
but i'm watching these videos, watching lance bang in fastest time ever up mt ventoux in 2002 (58 mins or so (now near 56 by mayo from 2004 is record)), watching him pedalling faster than everyone, listening to paul and phil convince themselves how legit this all is. (he trains for it all year, he lost 20 pounds due to chemo but kept the power etc etc)
when i first started watching the videos i thought "this guy is a champion". "yes he won on ped's, but everyone else was on ped's too". "still a stone cold performer".
but what if he did all of that plus stuck a motor in there? part of me would be like "who cares" but part of me would have my mind blown i think. the thing is, it actually makes more sense, is more likely, than him just being such a fantastic athlete plus ped user.
another comment on twitter (a quote from a cyclist peer of lance's) "he's not that great a climber, he surges with 5 km's to go and then fades in the death". lance himself persists, as he murders all from 1999 to 2002 with saying "oh shucks, i ain't no climber, i just pedal real fast is all". maybe he just couldn't claim it with a straight face. the accolade of being called a climber. but he could somehow justify everything else.
who knows. great videos though. highly recommended for training and entertainment.