vandaag in het Nieuwsblad :
,,Volgend jaar haalt Tom een nog hoger niveau''
Inspanningsfysioloog Peter Hespel verklaart wetenschappelijk het goddelijke fenomeen Boonen
Ere wie ere toekomt. Precies een jaar geleden liet inspanningsfysioloog Peter Hespel in zijn lessen aan de KU Leuven noteren dat Tom Boonen in 2005 van de ene overwinning naar de andere zou spurten. Omdat hij de bom van Balen de juiste pillen had voorgeschreven? Natuurlijk niet. Wel omdat hij al jaren de trainingsschema's van Boonen opstelt en één van de belangrijkste schakels vormt in de succesformule van ploegleider Lefevere. Niemand kent het lichaam van Tornado Tom beter dan Hespel. Zelfs moeder Agnes of vriendin Lore niet. Met ons ontleedt de Leuvense professor het meest begeerlijke lijf van Vlaanderen. En omdat we toch tussen Kerst en nieuwjaar zitten: ,,Tom heeft een groot hart.''
Hartslag
,,De maximale hartslag van Boonen ligt rond de 195 slagen per minuut. Dat is geen referentie. Bij u en ik is dat misschien ook zo. Wel kan het hart van een topatleet als Boonen per hartslag veel meer bloed uitpompen, wat een sporthart wordt genoemd. De gemiddelde hartslag van een gewone burger in rust is 60 à 80 slagen per minuut. Van Tom Boonen ligt dat net boven de 40. Ook dat is normaal. De gemiddelde renner heeft in rust een hartslag rond de 45 slagen per minuut.''
Hart
,,Het uithoudingsvermogen wordt grotendeels bepaald door de kwaliteit van het hart. Zoals je weet, is het hart erg genetisch bepaald. Je wordt niét geboren met een sporthart, maar wel met een hart dat al dan niet gevoelig is voor sportprikkels. Als je daar jaren intensief op traint, dan krijg je een zogenaamd sporthart. De vader van Tom Boonen is nooit een toprenner geweest, maar als hij op dezelfde manier getraind had, was hij misschien een even grote kampioen geweest. Misschien, want voor hetzelfde geld is dat niet zo. Of hij heeft het hart van zijn moeder mee.''
Hersenen
,,Toen Tom Boonen voor het eerst bij me kwam voor een test, als laatstejaarsbelofte, straalde hij al een ongelooflijke persoonlijkheid en heel veel zelfvertrouwen uit. Hij stelt realistische doelstellingen voorop maar zegt ook tegen de voltallige pers dat hij wereldkampioen kan worden. Dat beweren is één ding, maar hij doet het nog ook, juist omdat hij erg realistisch is. Op dit moment snelt hij van de ene trofee-uitreiking naar de andere, maar vorige week heb ik hem op stage bezig gezien en het is onvoorstelbaar hoe professioneel hij in deze periode van het jaar bezig is. Volgend seizoen haalt hij hetzelfde, zoniet een nog hoger niveau. Zijn basisuithouding is alvast dezelfde als vorig jaar. Hij heeft verschrikkelijk veel koersdoorzicht. Hij wist in de Ronde van Vlaanderen op het juiste moment dat hij moest aanvallen, dat hij beter niet met de rest naar de meet ging. Hij zal dat meer en meer nodig hebben, want als hij mee is in een ontsnapping, zullen zich altijd coalities tegen hem vormen. Aan de andere kant: hij is goed omringd. Als je mannen als Nick Nuyens en Paolo Bettini in de finale voor jou kan laten rijden, mag je niet klagen.''
Longinhoud
,,Zijn longinhoud heeft de normale grootte van een topatleet: 6,5 à 7 liter. Atleten scheppen daarover graag tegen elkaar op. Zo van: 'Ik heb zeven liter en jij maar zes.' Alleen, dat is niet prestatiebepalend. Het maakt geen enkel verschil. Atleten gebruiken zelfs tijdens maximale inspanning hun volledige longcapaciteit niet. Uitzonderlijk is dat Tom bij maximale inspanning 200 liter per minuut kan inademen. Dat is één van de hoogste waarden die we ooit gemeten hebben. De meeste atleten halen maximum 170 à 180 liter per minuut. Nu, ook dat zorgt er niet voor dat Tom de atleet is die hij is. Als hij maximum 180 liter had kunnen inademen, had hij zeker dezelfde resultaten afgeleverd.''
Toekomstperspectief
,,Als hij zich voortaan zou richten op uithouding tijdens het klimmen in plaats van op explosiviteit, zoals Lance Armstrong, dan bestaat de kans dat hij over drie à vier jaar de Tour de France wint. Met zijn lichaam is dat mogelijk, al weet je dat nooit helemaal zeker. Alleen moeten we ons de vraag stellen of dat wel de goede keuze is. Als we in Vlaanderen iemand hebben die nog vier of vijf jaar kan meedingen naar winst in de Ronde van Vlaanderen, Parijs-Roubaix en Luik-Bastenaken-Luik, laat ons daar dan gelukkig mee zijn. Waarom moeten we hem omtunen tot een ronderenner, zonder de zekerheid dat het ook lukt? De Ronde van Vlaanderen winnen is toch ook geen schande, niet?''
Spierkracht
,,Met alle renners doen we op de rollen dezelfde test. Ze beginnen 100 Watt te trappen, al is dat voor hen in de boter draaien. Elke acht minuten komt daar 40 Watt bij. Tom houdt dat vol tot 460 Watt na anderhalf uur. Dat betekent dat hij daarvoor al acht minuten 420 Watt en daarvoor acht minuten 380 Watt heeft gedraaid. Je moet dat eens proberen op je hometrainer. Wij hebben dat hier nog nooit gezien. Museeuw was een fantastisch atleet, maar puur fysiek is Tom een groter talent. Om dat te kunnen heb je een grote spiermassa in de benen nodig. Maar niet alleen daar. Je moet het bekken ook stabiel op het zadel kunnen houden. Daarvoor heb je sterke rug- en buikspieren nodig. Op foto's van Tom in bloot bovenlijf zie je dat hij een totaalatleet is. Dat verklaart ook waarom hij 90 à 95 omwentelingen per minuut op de kasseien van Parijs-Roubaix kan draaien, terwijl zijn lichaam nauwelijks beweegt.''
Verzuringsgraad
Toms verzuringsgraad ligt uitzonderlijk hoog. Vaak zie je renners met een groot uithoudingsvermogen, maar met minder weerstand. Dat gecombineerd met zijn kracht op de fiets zorgt ervoor dat hij bij een trapfrequentie van 110 toeren per minuut tot 1600 Watt kan trappen. Vier keer meer dan zijn basisvermogen. Dat is enorm. Daardoor heeft hij al verschillende keren een fietskader aan flarden gereden. Herinner u die rit in de Tour de France waarbij in volle finale zijn ketting van het tandwiel vloog. Ook dat is geen toeval.''
Amclassic-fan versus Belgen
Ik heb dat artikel gisteren ook gelezen in Het Volk... Stond uitgespreid over 2 volle pagina's met een gigantische foto van Boonen.
Allemaal leuk, maar veel spectaculairs zegt Hespel toch niet. Beetje jammer van die paginaruimte terwijl hij maar zo weinig echte data geeft.
Allemaal leuk, maar veel spectaculairs zegt Hespel toch niet. Beetje jammer van die paginaruimte terwijl hij maar zo weinig echte data geeft.
www.pieterdeneve.com | Facebook: www.facebook.com/pieterdeneve
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intersantos
- Forum-lid
- Berichten: 1313
- Lid geworden op: 12 mei 2005 21:24
Quoten: Origineel geplaatst door intersantos op 29 December 2005
En weer heeft België een nieuwe god........
k Vond dat woordje gisterenmorgen ook al zo belachelijk!
En weer heeft België een nieuwe god........
k Vond dat woordje gisterenmorgen ook al zo belachelijk!
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Quoten: Origineel geplaatst door C a s r a n op 29 December 2005
Quoten: Origineel geplaatst door intersantos op 29 December 2005
En weer heeft België een nieuwe god........
k Vond dat woordje gisterenmorgen ook al zo belachelijk!
Van mij mag Tom vandaag nog zijn inburgeringscursus in Holland afleggen.
Hij rijd trouwens op een of ander aftands wit zadel met potnagels dat uit de jaren 60 lijkt te komen. Iemand een idee ?
Quoten: Origineel geplaatst door intersantos op 29 December 2005
En weer heeft België een nieuwe god........
k Vond dat woordje gisterenmorgen ook al zo belachelijk!
Van mij mag Tom vandaag nog zijn inburgeringscursus in Holland afleggen.
Hij rijd trouwens op een of ander aftands wit zadel met potnagels dat uit de jaren 60 lijkt te komen. Iemand een idee ?
van een beetje wind is nog niemand kapot gegaan.....
A cyclist for all seasons
Samuel Abt International Herald Tribune
THURSDAY, DECEMBER 29, 2005
PARIS The next question is from a Mr. Lance Armstrong of Austin, Texas: "I hear rumors that, once again, I have finished second in the voting for the IHT man of the year in bicycle racing. Last year, I lost out to a corpse; who is it this time, a spectator?
"When somebody wins the Tour de France, the world's toughest athletic competition, for the seventh consecutive year, you'd think he would cop this award, too. What gives?"
Answer: Steady there, champ. It's true that the title last year went to the deceased Emile Brichard, a 104-year-old Belgian who succumbed to the pressure of countless interviews when he turned out to be the oldest Tour de France former rider. He gave his all to the sport and the jury felt he fully deserved the honor.
Among the living, however, you were a mighty close second place, Mr. Armstrong. Besides, the diamond-and-ruby-encrusted IHT belt that comes with the award isn't all that valuable. Knock off a few zeroes and, when it was sold by his heirs, Brichard's belt brought almost nothing on eBay.
It is true, Mr. Armstrong, that you had a magnificent ride in the Tour de France, ending your career with an easy triumph.
The record you set - two victories more than any other rider in the century-old history of the Tour - will not be broken anytime soon, or at least not for the next seven years.
But the Tour de France is just - if that is the word - a three-week race in July.
Where were you otherwise during the season? Nowhere. All spring you showed no more life than Brichard did.
n the other hand, look at what Tom Boonen did.
The Belgian, who turned a mere 25 in October, won the Tour of Flanders in April with a decisive attack that left him alone by 35 seconds at the finish line. A week after that one-day classic, he finished first in Paris-Roubaix, beating two rivals in a sprint on the track at the end of the cobblestoned slog.
Victories in those two esteemed races in the same year are not unprecedented, but they don't occur all that often either.
Boonen had an otherwise quiet spring, then won two sprint stages in the Tour de France before he had to quit the race because of injuries in crashes.
In September, the Belgian emerged from a crowd near the finish of the world championship road race in Madrid and sped across the line the winner by a bicycle length.
Over a full season, two of the monuments of bicycle racing and the rainbow jersey of the world champion add up to a triumph that overshadows Armstrong's.
The international jury for the Vélo d'Or, the Golden Bicycle award that is given by the French magazine Vélo to the top rider of the year, agrees. Boonen accumulated 84 points, with Armstrong the runner-up at 65 points.
The Belgian, who rides for the Quick Step team from his homeland, paid tribute to Armstrong when he accepted the award.
"These last few years, it's been very difficult to do better than Armstrong," he said. "He's been untouchable. But I think I've also raised the bar pretty high. It's also a victory for all classics riders, who are sometimes forgotten when the Tour de France comes around.
"This award will be a lesson to some riders, who base their season on July, that there's life outside the Tour."
PARIS The next question is from a Mr. Lance Armstrong of Austin, Texas: "I hear rumors that, once again, I have finished second in the voting for the IHT man of the year in bicycle racing. Last year, I lost out to a corpse; who is it this time, a spectator?
"When somebody wins the Tour de France, the world's toughest athletic competition, for the seventh consecutive year, you'd think he would cop this award, too. What gives?"
Answer: Steady there, champ. It's true that the title last year went to the deceased Emile Brichard, a 104-year-old Belgian who succumbed to the pressure of countless interviews when he turned out to be the oldest Tour de France former rider. He gave his all to the sport and the jury felt he fully deserved the honor.
Among the living, however, you were a mighty close second place, Mr. Armstrong. Besides, the diamond-and-ruby-encrusted IHT belt that comes with the award isn't all that valuable. Knock off a few zeroes and, when it was sold by his heirs, Brichard's belt brought almost nothing on eBay.
It is true, Mr. Armstrong, that you had a magnificent ride in the Tour de France, ending your career with an easy triumph.
The record you set - two victories more than any other rider in the century-old history of the Tour - will not be broken anytime soon, or at least not for the next seven years.
But the Tour de France is just - if that is the word - a three-week race in July.
Where were you otherwise during the season? Nowhere. All spring you showed no more life than Brichard did.
n the other hand, look at what Tom Boonen did.
The Belgian, who turned a mere 25 in October, won the Tour of Flanders in April with a decisive attack that left him alone by 35 seconds at the finish line. A week after that one-day classic, he finished first in Paris-Roubaix, beating two rivals in a sprint on the track at the end of the cobblestoned slog.
Victories in those two esteemed races in the same year are not unprecedented, but they don't occur all that often either.
Boonen had an otherwise quiet spring, then won two sprint stages in the Tour de France before he had to quit the race because of injuries in crashes.
In September, the Belgian emerged from a crowd near the finish of the world championship road race in Madrid and sped across the line the winner by a bicycle length.
Over a full season, two of the monuments of bicycle racing and the rainbow jersey of the world champion add up to a triumph that overshadows Armstrong's.
The international jury for the Vélo d'Or, the Golden Bicycle award that is given by the French magazine Vélo to the top rider of the year, agrees. Boonen accumulated 84 points, with Armstrong the runner-up at 65 points.
The Belgian, who rides for the Quick Step team from his homeland, paid tribute to Armstrong when he accepted the award.
"These last few years, it's been very difficult to do better than Armstrong," he said. "He's been untouchable. But I think I've also raised the bar pretty high. It's also a victory for all classics riders, who are sometimes forgotten when the Tour de France comes around.
"This award will be a lesson to some riders, who base their season on July, that there's life outside the Tour."
PARIS The next question is from a Mr. Lance Armstrong of Austin, Texas: "I hear rumors that, once again, I have finished second in the voting for the IHT man of the year in bicycle racing. Last year, I lost out to a corpse; who is it this time, a spectator?
"When somebody wins the Tour de France, the world's toughest athletic competition, for the seventh consecutive year, you'd think he would cop this award, too. What gives?"
Answer: Steady there, champ. It's true that the title last year went to the deceased Emile Brichard, a 104-year-old Belgian who succumbed to the pressure of countless interviews when he turned out to be the oldest Tour de France former rider. He gave his all to the sport and the jury felt he fully deserved the honor.
Among the living, however, you were a mighty close second place, Mr. Armstrong. Besides, the diamond-and-ruby-encrusted IHT belt that comes with the award isn't all that valuable. Knock off a few zeroes and, when it was sold by his heirs, Brichard's belt brought almost nothing on eBay.
It is true, Mr. Armstrong, that you had a magnificent ride in the Tour de France, ending your career with an easy triumph.
The record you set - two victories more than any other rider in the century-old history of the Tour - will not be broken anytime soon, or at least not for the next seven years.
But the Tour de France is just - if that is the word - a three-week race in July.
Where were you otherwise during the season? Nowhere. All spring you showed no more life than Brichard did.
n the other hand, look at what Tom Boonen did.
The Belgian, who turned a mere 25 in October, won the Tour of Flanders in April with a decisive attack that left him alone by 35 seconds at the finish line. A week after that one-day classic, he finished first in Paris-Roubaix, beating two rivals in a sprint on the track at the end of the cobblestoned slog.
Victories in those two esteemed races in the same year are not unprecedented, but they don't occur all that often either.
Boonen had an otherwise quiet spring, then won two sprint stages in the Tour de France before he had to quit the race because of injuries in crashes.
In September, the Belgian emerged from a crowd near the finish of the world championship road race in Madrid and sped across the line the winner by a bicycle length.
Over a full season, two of the monuments of bicycle racing and the rainbow jersey of the world champion add up to a triumph that overshadows Armstrong's.
The international jury for the Vélo d'Or, the Golden Bicycle award that is given by the French magazine Vélo to the top rider of the year, agrees. Boonen accumulated 84 points, with Armstrong the runner-up at 65 points.
The Belgian, who rides for the Quick Step team from his homeland, paid tribute to Armstrong when he accepted the award.
"These last few years, it's been very difficult to do better than Armstrong," he said. "He's been untouchable. But I think I've also raised the bar pretty high. It's also a victory for all classics riders, who are sometimes forgotten when the Tour de France comes around.
"This award will be a lesson to some riders, who base their season on July, that there's life outside the Tour."
PARIS The next question is from a Mr. Lance Armstrong of Austin, Texas: "I hear rumors that, once again, I have finished second in the voting for the IHT man of the year in bicycle racing. Last year, I lost out to a corpse; who is it this time, a spectator?
"When somebody wins the Tour de France, the world's toughest athletic competition, for the seventh consecutive year, you'd think he would cop this award, too. What gives?"
Answer: Steady there, champ. It's true that the title last year went to the deceased Emile Brichard, a 104-year-old Belgian who succumbed to the pressure of countless interviews when he turned out to be the oldest Tour de France former rider. He gave his all to the sport and the jury felt he fully deserved the honor.
Among the living, however, you were a mighty close second place, Mr. Armstrong. Besides, the diamond-and-ruby-encrusted IHT belt that comes with the award isn't all that valuable. Knock off a few zeroes and, when it was sold by his heirs, Brichard's belt brought almost nothing on eBay.
It is true, Mr. Armstrong, that you had a magnificent ride in the Tour de France, ending your career with an easy triumph.
The record you set - two victories more than any other rider in the century-old history of the Tour - will not be broken anytime soon, or at least not for the next seven years.
But the Tour de France is just - if that is the word - a three-week race in July.
Where were you otherwise during the season? Nowhere. All spring you showed no more life than Brichard did.
n the other hand, look at what Tom Boonen did.
The Belgian, who turned a mere 25 in October, won the Tour of Flanders in April with a decisive attack that left him alone by 35 seconds at the finish line. A week after that one-day classic, he finished first in Paris-Roubaix, beating two rivals in a sprint on the track at the end of the cobblestoned slog.
Victories in those two esteemed races in the same year are not unprecedented, but they don't occur all that often either.
Boonen had an otherwise quiet spring, then won two sprint stages in the Tour de France before he had to quit the race because of injuries in crashes.
In September, the Belgian emerged from a crowd near the finish of the world championship road race in Madrid and sped across the line the winner by a bicycle length.
Over a full season, two of the monuments of bicycle racing and the rainbow jersey of the world champion add up to a triumph that overshadows Armstrong's.
The international jury for the Vélo d'Or, the Golden Bicycle award that is given by the French magazine Vélo to the top rider of the year, agrees. Boonen accumulated 84 points, with Armstrong the runner-up at 65 points.
The Belgian, who rides for the Quick Step team from his homeland, paid tribute to Armstrong when he accepted the award.
"These last few years, it's been very difficult to do better than Armstrong," he said. "He's been untouchable. But I think I've also raised the bar pretty high. It's also a victory for all classics riders, who are sometimes forgotten when the Tour de France comes around.
"This award will be a lesson to some riders, who base their season on July, that there's life outside the Tour."
Samuel Abt International Herald Tribune
THURSDAY, DECEMBER 29, 2005
PARIS The next question is from a Mr. Lance Armstrong of Austin, Texas: "I hear rumors that, once again, I have finished second in the voting for the IHT man of the year in bicycle racing. Last year, I lost out to a corpse; who is it this time, a spectator?
"When somebody wins the Tour de France, the world's toughest athletic competition, for the seventh consecutive year, you'd think he would cop this award, too. What gives?"
Answer: Steady there, champ. It's true that the title last year went to the deceased Emile Brichard, a 104-year-old Belgian who succumbed to the pressure of countless interviews when he turned out to be the oldest Tour de France former rider. He gave his all to the sport and the jury felt he fully deserved the honor.
Among the living, however, you were a mighty close second place, Mr. Armstrong. Besides, the diamond-and-ruby-encrusted IHT belt that comes with the award isn't all that valuable. Knock off a few zeroes and, when it was sold by his heirs, Brichard's belt brought almost nothing on eBay.
It is true, Mr. Armstrong, that you had a magnificent ride in the Tour de France, ending your career with an easy triumph.
The record you set - two victories more than any other rider in the century-old history of the Tour - will not be broken anytime soon, or at least not for the next seven years.
But the Tour de France is just - if that is the word - a three-week race in July.
Where were you otherwise during the season? Nowhere. All spring you showed no more life than Brichard did.
n the other hand, look at what Tom Boonen did.
The Belgian, who turned a mere 25 in October, won the Tour of Flanders in April with a decisive attack that left him alone by 35 seconds at the finish line. A week after that one-day classic, he finished first in Paris-Roubaix, beating two rivals in a sprint on the track at the end of the cobblestoned slog.
Victories in those two esteemed races in the same year are not unprecedented, but they don't occur all that often either.
Boonen had an otherwise quiet spring, then won two sprint stages in the Tour de France before he had to quit the race because of injuries in crashes.
In September, the Belgian emerged from a crowd near the finish of the world championship road race in Madrid and sped across the line the winner by a bicycle length.
Over a full season, two of the monuments of bicycle racing and the rainbow jersey of the world champion add up to a triumph that overshadows Armstrong's.
The international jury for the Vélo d'Or, the Golden Bicycle award that is given by the French magazine Vélo to the top rider of the year, agrees. Boonen accumulated 84 points, with Armstrong the runner-up at 65 points.
The Belgian, who rides for the Quick Step team from his homeland, paid tribute to Armstrong when he accepted the award.
"These last few years, it's been very difficult to do better than Armstrong," he said. "He's been untouchable. But I think I've also raised the bar pretty high. It's also a victory for all classics riders, who are sometimes forgotten when the Tour de France comes around.
"This award will be a lesson to some riders, who base their season on July, that there's life outside the Tour."
PARIS The next question is from a Mr. Lance Armstrong of Austin, Texas: "I hear rumors that, once again, I have finished second in the voting for the IHT man of the year in bicycle racing. Last year, I lost out to a corpse; who is it this time, a spectator?
"When somebody wins the Tour de France, the world's toughest athletic competition, for the seventh consecutive year, you'd think he would cop this award, too. What gives?"
Answer: Steady there, champ. It's true that the title last year went to the deceased Emile Brichard, a 104-year-old Belgian who succumbed to the pressure of countless interviews when he turned out to be the oldest Tour de France former rider. He gave his all to the sport and the jury felt he fully deserved the honor.
Among the living, however, you were a mighty close second place, Mr. Armstrong. Besides, the diamond-and-ruby-encrusted IHT belt that comes with the award isn't all that valuable. Knock off a few zeroes and, when it was sold by his heirs, Brichard's belt brought almost nothing on eBay.
It is true, Mr. Armstrong, that you had a magnificent ride in the Tour de France, ending your career with an easy triumph.
The record you set - two victories more than any other rider in the century-old history of the Tour - will not be broken anytime soon, or at least not for the next seven years.
But the Tour de France is just - if that is the word - a three-week race in July.
Where were you otherwise during the season? Nowhere. All spring you showed no more life than Brichard did.
n the other hand, look at what Tom Boonen did.
The Belgian, who turned a mere 25 in October, won the Tour of Flanders in April with a decisive attack that left him alone by 35 seconds at the finish line. A week after that one-day classic, he finished first in Paris-Roubaix, beating two rivals in a sprint on the track at the end of the cobblestoned slog.
Victories in those two esteemed races in the same year are not unprecedented, but they don't occur all that often either.
Boonen had an otherwise quiet spring, then won two sprint stages in the Tour de France before he had to quit the race because of injuries in crashes.
In September, the Belgian emerged from a crowd near the finish of the world championship road race in Madrid and sped across the line the winner by a bicycle length.
Over a full season, two of the monuments of bicycle racing and the rainbow jersey of the world champion add up to a triumph that overshadows Armstrong's.
The international jury for the Vélo d'Or, the Golden Bicycle award that is given by the French magazine Vélo to the top rider of the year, agrees. Boonen accumulated 84 points, with Armstrong the runner-up at 65 points.
The Belgian, who rides for the Quick Step team from his homeland, paid tribute to Armstrong when he accepted the award.
"These last few years, it's been very difficult to do better than Armstrong," he said. "He's been untouchable. But I think I've also raised the bar pretty high. It's also a victory for all classics riders, who are sometimes forgotten when the Tour de France comes around.
"This award will be a lesson to some riders, who base their season on July, that there's life outside the Tour."
PARIS The next question is from a Mr. Lance Armstrong of Austin, Texas: "I hear rumors that, once again, I have finished second in the voting for the IHT man of the year in bicycle racing. Last year, I lost out to a corpse; who is it this time, a spectator?
"When somebody wins the Tour de France, the world's toughest athletic competition, for the seventh consecutive year, you'd think he would cop this award, too. What gives?"
Answer: Steady there, champ. It's true that the title last year went to the deceased Emile Brichard, a 104-year-old Belgian who succumbed to the pressure of countless interviews when he turned out to be the oldest Tour de France former rider. He gave his all to the sport and the jury felt he fully deserved the honor.
Among the living, however, you were a mighty close second place, Mr. Armstrong. Besides, the diamond-and-ruby-encrusted IHT belt that comes with the award isn't all that valuable. Knock off a few zeroes and, when it was sold by his heirs, Brichard's belt brought almost nothing on eBay.
It is true, Mr. Armstrong, that you had a magnificent ride in the Tour de France, ending your career with an easy triumph.
The record you set - two victories more than any other rider in the century-old history of the Tour - will not be broken anytime soon, or at least not for the next seven years.
But the Tour de France is just - if that is the word - a three-week race in July.
Where were you otherwise during the season? Nowhere. All spring you showed no more life than Brichard did.
n the other hand, look at what Tom Boonen did.
The Belgian, who turned a mere 25 in October, won the Tour of Flanders in April with a decisive attack that left him alone by 35 seconds at the finish line. A week after that one-day classic, he finished first in Paris-Roubaix, beating two rivals in a sprint on the track at the end of the cobblestoned slog.
Victories in those two esteemed races in the same year are not unprecedented, but they don't occur all that often either.
Boonen had an otherwise quiet spring, then won two sprint stages in the Tour de France before he had to quit the race because of injuries in crashes.
In September, the Belgian emerged from a crowd near the finish of the world championship road race in Madrid and sped across the line the winner by a bicycle length.
Over a full season, two of the monuments of bicycle racing and the rainbow jersey of the world champion add up to a triumph that overshadows Armstrong's.
The international jury for the Vélo d'Or, the Golden Bicycle award that is given by the French magazine Vélo to the top rider of the year, agrees. Boonen accumulated 84 points, with Armstrong the runner-up at 65 points.
The Belgian, who rides for the Quick Step team from his homeland, paid tribute to Armstrong when he accepted the award.
"These last few years, it's been very difficult to do better than Armstrong," he said. "He's been untouchable. But I think I've also raised the bar pretty high. It's also a victory for all classics riders, who are sometimes forgotten when the Tour de France comes around.
"This award will be a lesson to some riders, who base their season on July, that there's life outside the Tour."
PARIS The next question is from a Mr. Lance Armstrong of Austin, Texas: "I hear rumors that, once again, I have finished second in the voting for the IHT man of the year in bicycle racing. Last year, I lost out to a corpse; who is it this time, a spectator?
"When somebody wins the Tour de France, the world's toughest athletic competition, for the seventh consecutive year, you'd think he would cop this award, too. What gives?"
Answer: Steady there, champ. It's true that the title last year went to the deceased Emile Brichard, a 104-year-old Belgian who succumbed to the pressure of countless interviews when he turned out to be the oldest Tour de France former rider. He gave his all to the sport and the jury felt he fully deserved the honor.
Among the living, however, you were a mighty close second place, Mr. Armstrong. Besides, the diamond-and-ruby-encrusted IHT belt that comes with the award isn't all that valuable. Knock off a few zeroes and, when it was sold by his heirs, Brichard's belt brought almost nothing on eBay.
It is true, Mr. Armstrong, that you had a magnificent ride in the Tour de France, ending your career with an easy triumph.
The record you set - two victories more than any other rider in the century-old history of the Tour - will not be broken anytime soon, or at least not for the next seven years.
But the Tour de France is just - if that is the word - a three-week race in July.
Where were you otherwise during the season? Nowhere. All spring you showed no more life than Brichard did.
n the other hand, look at what Tom Boonen did.
The Belgian, who turned a mere 25 in October, won the Tour of Flanders in April with a decisive attack that left him alone by 35 seconds at the finish line. A week after that one-day classic, he finished first in Paris-Roubaix, beating two rivals in a sprint on the track at the end of the cobblestoned slog.
Victories in those two esteemed races in the same year are not unprecedented, but they don't occur all that often either.
Boonen had an otherwise quiet spring, then won two sprint stages in the Tour de France before he had to quit the race because of injuries in crashes.
In September, the Belgian emerged from a crowd near the finish of the world championship road race in Madrid and sped across the line the winner by a bicycle length.
Over a full season, two of the monuments of bicycle racing and the rainbow jersey of the world champion add up to a triumph that overshadows Armstrong's.
The international jury for the Vélo d'Or, the Golden Bicycle award that is given by the French magazine Vélo to the top rider of the year, agrees. Boonen accumulated 84 points, with Armstrong the runner-up at 65 points.
The Belgian, who rides for the Quick Step team from his homeland, paid tribute to Armstrong when he accepted the award.
"These last few years, it's been very difficult to do better than Armstrong," he said. "He's been untouchable. But I think I've also raised the bar pretty high. It's also a victory for all classics riders, who are sometimes forgotten when the Tour de France comes around.
"This award will be a lesson to some riders, who base their season on July, that there's life outside the Tour."
Quote: Origineel geplaatst door ponsteen op 30 December 2005
Ik dacht: ik begin er toch maar aan, maar wat een lap tekst zeg . Gelukkig heb je maar liefst 4 keer dezelfde tekst geplakt. Valt dat nou niet op wanneer je het terugleest?
Teruglezen? Wazdah? Sorry..
Ik dacht: ik begin er toch maar aan, maar wat een lap tekst zeg . Gelukkig heb je maar liefst 4 keer dezelfde tekst geplakt. Valt dat nou niet op wanneer je het terugleest?
Teruglezen? Wazdah? Sorry..
Boonen heeft elke wedstrijd sinds het WK gewonnen, het zijn er maar drie, mar het is toch indrukwekkend me dunkt....
In Qatar mogen zabel en Hunter nu al twee keer de achterkant van zijn kostuumpje bewonderen, wat doet hij dat toch ongelooflijk goed he?
http://www.vrtnieuws.net/nieuwsnet_mast ... ndex.shtml
In Qatar mogen zabel en Hunter nu al twee keer de achterkant van zijn kostuumpje bewonderen, wat doet hij dat toch ongelooflijk goed he?
http://www.vrtnieuws.net/nieuwsnet_mast ... ndex.shtml
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amclassic-fan
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- Lid geworden op: 23 jun 2004 17:56
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amclassic-fan
30 jan 2006 18:12
Qatar is echt niet al te serieus hoor. En tegenstand heeft ie ook niet. Want Zabel is al lang niet meer zo snel als de absolute topsprinters en Hunter is ook helemaal geen topsprinter.
‘Whatever you do, those other fuckers are doing more.’
