Cycling's on a Slow Death March: Greg Lemond

[Jeremy]

One more thing, you wouldn't happen to have gone by the name "TalkingParrot" before, would you, SpeedyPete?

[DeliriousPete]

Jeremy wrote:

<quoted text>
I am saying this because the teams are making a turn around. The top teams like Columbia, Astana, Slipstream, and Saxo Bank are going beyond the requirements to prove that they are not doping past any doubt. I hear all these naysayers say that the sport is dead, but then I see massive crowds in Barcelona! Not only that, but this Tour is yet to have a boring moment, although Jim "Porn-stache" Rome would have you believe otherwise.
We start off with a great TT in Monaco, Cavendish wins 2 straight stages, Thomas Voeckler rises again to win in a breakaway (I'M SURE YOUR COUNTRY'S PROUD RAYMOND! WOOOO!!!), and Thor Hushovd moves on to win Tour win #7.
Oh, and there's that little mountain stage on friday that will decide which of the Four Horsemen of Astana will reign supreme. Will it be Lance, Alberto, Andreas, or Levi? Can Vandevelde come back from his Giro injury to win it all? How many more moments of pure gold will come from the microphone of Phil Liggett?
This tour is fantastic not just for Lance. If this Tour ends up going clean, it will be a massive middle finger in the face of the cynics who wrote this race off years ago.

Jeremy, I thank you, sir. This is the most sane, positive, uplifting and well written post which has appeared here for months!!!
I sincerely hope and trust that things will go as well as you see it. And I agree, up till yesterday I've also enjoyed the Tour a lot.
I do talk a lot of nonsense here on the forum but that is only done to annoy the posters who do not have the insight which you and I have.
I wish you a fabulous Tour!!!
Regards
Pieter

[DeliriousPete]

Jeremy wrote:

One more thing, you wouldn't happen to have gone by the name "TalkingParrot" before, would you, SpeedyPete?

Nope. I'm Pieter Claassen aka as SpeedyPete.

[DeliriousPete]

Please note, all posters.

Pieter Claassen, also known as SpeedyPete, has been renamed by MOEP.

In future Pieter will be known as DeliriousPete and will remain known as such until further notice.

By Order
King Harry IV

[My Opinion_El Paso_Texas]

DeliriousPete wrote:

Please note, all posters.
Pieter Claassen, also known as SpeedyPete, has been renamed by MOEP.
In future Pieter will be known as DeliriousPete and will remain known as such until further notice.
By Order
King Harry IV

Sad that you have to behave like Chris Pieter. But, have it your way.

As for the Talking Parrot, I do believe that he and you are one and the same Pieter!

[My Opinion_El Paso_Texas]

Jeremy wrote:

<quoted text>
I am saying this because the teams are making a turn around. The top teams like Columbia, Astana, Slipstream, and Saxo Bank are going beyond the requirements to prove that they are not doping past any doubt. I hear all these naysayers say that the sport is dead, but then I see massive crowds in Barcelona! Not only that, but this Tour is yet to have a boring moment, although Jim "Porn-stache" Rome would have you believe otherwise.
We start off with a great TT in Monaco, Cavendish wins 2 straight stages, Thomas Voeckler rises again to win in a breakaway (I'M SURE YOUR COUNTRY'S PROUD RAYMOND! WOOOO!!!), and Thor Hushovd moves on to win Tour win #7.
Oh, and there's that little mountain stage on friday that will decide which of the Four Horsemen of Astana will reign supreme. Will it be Lance, Alberto, Andreas, or Levi? Can Vandevelde come back from his Giro injury to win it all? How many more moments of pure gold will come from the microphone of Phil Liggett?
This tour is fantastic not just for Lance. If this Tour ends up going clean, it will be a massive middle finger in the face of the cynics who wrote this race off years ago.

Well said Jeremy and you pointed out some very good points.

Cheers

[DeliriousPete]

My Opinion_El Paso_Texas wrote:

<quoted text>
Sad that you have to behave like Chris Pieter. But, have it your way.
As for the Talking Parrot, I do believe that he and you are one and the same Pieter!

Harry, what gives you the right to call me delirious? I'm not one of your patients.

And why, if you don't like someone, do you expect other people also not to like that person?

You see Harry, as long as someone agrees with you, it's OK but when that same person disagrees with you, it's not OK anymore.

Now, I like Raymond, Zen, Gus, Ali, Jon, Chris and yourself. And I like a lot of other posters as well. It is not for YOU to put me in a certain category or camp. I will decide about that myself.

As for the TdF everyone on this forum knows that I'm a mountain biker and not a roady. So I agree that I do not see road racing the same as you or other posters.

I don't want to be drawn into a verbal battle with you on this forum or anywhere else. I give my views and if you do not agree, it's up to you. I will not comment on what you say any longer.

And as far as Chris is concerned, I like him and his lovely wife very much. There is a small chance that I may go visit England next year. If I do, I will go out of my way to meet them personally.

[DeliriousPete]

My Opinion_El Paso_Texas wrote:

<quoted text>
As for the Talking Parrot, I do believe that he and you are one and the same Pieter!

OK, if I'm the Talking Parrot then you are Father Christmas! OK?

[My Opinion_El Paso_Texas]

DeliriousPete wrote:

<quoted text>
Harry, what gives you the right to call me delirious? I'm not one of your patients.

When you make the comments about a person that you've made about Lance Armstrong and you do not have the facts to back yourself up with, than I believe that the "Shoe Fits" you well Pieter.

Reason that I made reference to the Floyd Landis case in comparison to Lance Armstrong.

DeliriousPete wrote:

<quoted text>And why, if you don't like someone, do you expect other people also not to like that person?

I have never tried making someone else do my bidding or think like I do. And your statement here is quite dishonest at best Pieter.

But, evidently you respect and advocate for such behavior as the person you're referencing to!

DeliriousPete wrote:

<quoted text>
You see Harry, as long as someone agrees with you, it's OK but when that same person disagrees with you, it's not OK anymore.

I have never had a problem with anyone disaggreeing with me here or any where else Pieter and I'm getting quite bored with your dishonesty.

It wasn't hard to realize that you most likely got you opinion about Lance Armstrong from various cycling forums, rather than research that issue for yourself.

That case just happens to be quite similar with the Floyd Landis case and you had plenty of people discussing it and explaining it for you here.

Be honest Pieter, I didn't get the feeling that you researched the Floyd landis case on your own time any more than you did about Lance Armstrong.

DeliriousPete wrote:

<quoted text>
Now, I like Raymond, Zen, Gus, Ali, Jon, Chris and yourself. And I like a lot of other posters as well. It is not for YOU to put me in a certain category or camp. I will decide about that myself.
As for the TdF everyone on this forum knows that I'm a mountain biker and not a roady. So I agree that I do not see road racing the same as you or other posters.

I don't put people in any camp or any category Pieter. You did that all on your own.

When I feel that anyone makes false statements about another person, it's my right to call them on it.

If you remember Pieter, another poster called you a liar in this forum a short time ago and I called them on it by stating that I had never seen you tell any lies during the past three years interacting with you in this forum.

So Pieter, I'll return the ball to you now. Is it only good when I agree with you or when I defend you against another poster who attacks you?

Because when I call you on being disengenious with another person than that isn't okay with you!

Repsect and communication is a two way street that needs to take place between all people on this planet.

DeliriousPete wrote:

<quoted text>
I don't want to be drawn into a verbal battle with you on this forum or anywhere else. I give my views and if you do not agree, it's up to you. I will not comment on what you say any longer.
And as far as Chris is concerned, I like him and his lovely wife very much. There is a small chance that I may go visit England next year. If I do, I will go out of my way to meet them personally.

I'm not running a social calender here Pieter, so I'm not really interested in who you like or who you're going to visit in the future.

I am glad for you and hope you have a great visit with Chris and family if it takes place.

I'm only interested in honest discussion and interaction with honest people.

I'm sad that you feel that my involvement here was attacking you. Be quite assured Pieter that I wasn't attacking you here. But, I will call you or anyone else on barring false wittness against another.

Cheers Amigo

[Jeremy]

Whoa, I fired off the shot heard round the cycling forum!

I had no idea that the question about the Talking Parrot that I made towards Pete would start this up. I only asked about the nametag because I noticed that Pete, like the Parrot, was from Johannesburg. It was a question made in a lighthearted mood, and now this has arisen!*Hides under the desk*

Anyway, thank you for the warm reception. It's always nice to find that on a forum.

[My Opinion_El Paso_Texas]

Jeremy wrote:

Whoa, I fired off the shot heard round the cycling forum!
I had no idea that the question about the Talking Parrot that I made towards Pete would start this up. I only asked about the nametag because I noticed that Pete, like the Parrot, was from Johannesburg. It was a question made in a lighthearted mood, and now this has arisen!*Hides under the desk*
Anyway, thank you for the warm reception. It's always nice to find that on a forum.

Not too worry Jeremy, your question about the Parrot had nothing to do with my post above.

But, your perspective about the TDF was right on.

It was nice seeing a breakaway not being caught back up by the peleton and seeing another French rider win the stage along with a young Italian rider going into the Yellow Jersey.

Levi Leipheimer stated that Alberto Contador took it upon himself when he attacked and rode off. That was a great surprise and spicy of this young Spanish rider.

Bernard Hinault was correct in his predictions of the French riders this year.

Cheers All

[DeliriousPete]

Jeremy wrote:

Whoa, I fired off the shot heard round the cycling forum!
I had no idea that the question about the Talking Parrot that I made towards Pete would start this up. I only asked about the nametag because I noticed that Pete, like the Parrot, was from Johannesburg. It was a question made in a lighthearted mood, and now this has arisen!*Hides under the desk*
Anyway, thank you for the warm reception. It's always nice to find that on a forum.

Hi Jeremy, Topix has put me in the wrong place! I live near Cape Town, 1,500km away from Jo'burg and, hopefully, the Talking Parrot.

I sincerely enjoy your input and the remark about the TP did not stir at all. Please don't go and hide now!!

[SpeedyPete]

I've been let off the hook, so I'm sane again. Will do my next mtb event on the 1st of August.

[My Opinion_El Paso_TX]

SpeedyPete wrote:

I've been let off the hook, so I'm sane again. Will do my next mtb event on the 1st of August.

No one ever said that you were insane in the first place Pieter.

You only gave yourself away as being disengenious. Reason why Gus and I called you on it.

[ZENmud]

It's nice to have Jeremy's voice added to our distilled 'swill', sort of a 'Cycling Intello Sangria...':-)

Jeremy you're very right-on... I wrote somewhere here a week ago, that this Tour presented the first instance of my agreeing with Christian Prudhomme about damn-near anything...

Beware the stage into Colmar, with the Cols Platzerwasel/Firstplan, there will be a surprise there...

I needed a rest day myself, after watching Tourmalet with non-race fans...(a French woman and her American BF)

"why is Lance letting those two get away?"
"Why why why this that and the other thing?"

(was as bad as taking a European to their first pro (football, baseball) game and trying to explain it all...)

heh heh

ZENup

[Jeremy]

ZENmud wrote:

It's nice to have Jeremy's voice added to our distilled 'swill', sort of a 'Cycling Intello Sangria...':-)
Jeremy you're very right-on... I wrote somewhere here a week ago, that this Tour presented the first instance of my agreeing with Christian Prudhomme about damn-near anything...
Beware the stage into Colmar, with the Cols Platzerwasel/Firstplan, there will be a surprise there...
I needed a rest day myself, after watching Tourmalet with non-race fans...(a French woman and her American BF)
"why is Lance letting those two get away?"
"Why why why this that and the other thing?"
(was as bad as taking a European to their first pro (football, baseball) game and trying to explain it all...)
heh heh
ZENup

Mmmm... sangria.*drools*

Just wanted a Homer Simpson moment.

Actually, Zen, I look forward to having newbies watch the Tour. When I first started watching, it was difficult to really get into it, especially on flat stages where nothing happens until the last 10-15 km, but once you get the strategies (THANK YOU PHIL, PAUL, AND BOBKE!) it becomes interesting. It's the same with NASCAR. If you don't get the strategies, it just looks like a bunch of cars going around a loop again and again.

I hear some worthless radio hosts on Jim Rome is Burning saying how it's "pathetic" that "it takes a 37 year old to come back to make the sport exciting, and they don't even have competition for him? The sport is DEAD." Yeah. Meanwhile, J.A. Adande, Woody Paige, and Mike Wilbon are talking about the Contador move on stage 7 and how he is Lance's biggest competition. And Kevin Blackistone becomes the first mainstream reporter to mention Sastre, Evans, and the Schlecks, and team strategies in his analysis.

Moral: Sportswriters are educated people who look at the sport before they make a comment about it, while radio hosts are just idiot hacks. All you have to do to get a sports radio host is to pick out a meathead sports fan that talks out of his ass and give him a microphone.

I NEEDED to say that to someone, and now that this forum has welcomed me in, I can do that, so thanks, Zen.

[ZENmud]

Hi Jeremy,

I should be asleep :-)

There was a blurb on Swiss TV about Andy Schleck (my personal choice for the future... he's from >>>>> over there in Luxembourg), who claimed that he with his brother are a 'match' for Lance and Alberto (smile: may be true if Lance and Alberto fight like two dogs tied together...).

I'm away, not in on the US coverage and generally am known here for taking a dim view of media-sports coverage, especially biking, because it all comes from L'EQUIPE/AFP (Agence France Presse)...

I write an anti-doping blog "WADAwatch" :-)

It's nearly dormant, as I haven't figured out a paying NGO model to build up from it... and the latest entries (the very recent one is rare- in French: all others in ENG) concern rumours of a doping-complacency put into format this year, at ASO-L'EQUIPE, in order to reap Huge fees on brokering French Olympics coverage in 2014...(I'm still tracking that one down)...

But get your social obligations out of the way before Friday! I've volunteered to cat-sit a friend's house next weekend, so it may screw up my annual biking 'Pilgrimage' to Tour-stops: this year I could be at Verbier, Grand St Bernard and Annecy with 'medium efforts'...

ZENzzzZzzzz

[My Opinion_El Paso_Texas]

Jeremy wrote:

<quoted text>
Mmmm... sangria.*drools*
Just wanted a Homer Simpson moment.
Actually, Zen, I look forward to having newbies watch the Tour. When I first started watching, it was difficult to really get into it, especially on flat stages where nothing happens until the last 10-15 km, but once you get the strategies (THANK YOU PHIL, PAUL, AND BOBKE!) it becomes interesting. It's the same with NASCAR. If you don't get the strategies, it just looks like a bunch of cars going around a loop again and again.
I hear some worthless radio hosts on Jim Rome is Burning saying how it's "pathetic" that "it takes a 37 year old to come back to make the sport exciting, and they don't even have competition for him? The sport is DEAD." Yeah. Meanwhile, J.A. Adande, Woody Paige, and Mike Wilbon are talking about the Contador move on stage 7 and how he is Lance's biggest competition. And Kevin Blackistone becomes the first mainstream reporter to mention Sastre, Evans, and the Schlecks, and team strategies in his analysis.
Moral: Sportswriters are educated people who look at the sport before they make a comment about it, while radio hosts are just idiot hacks. All you have to do to get a sports radio host is to pick out a meathead sports fan that talks out of his ass and give him a microphone.
I NEEDED to say that to someone, and now that this forum has welcomed me in, I can do that, so thanks, Zen.

Now that's refreshing to hear someone tell it like it is!

Cheers to a guy who's willing to learn!!!

[My Opinion_El Paso_Texas]

ZENmud wrote:

Hi Jeremy,
I should be asleep :-)
There was a blurb on Swiss TV about Andy Schleck (my personal choice for the future... he's from >>>>> over there in Luxembourg), who claimed that he with his brother are a 'match' for Lance and Alberto (smile: may be true if Lance and Alberto fight like two dogs tied together...).
I'm away, not in on the US coverage and generally am known here for taking a dim view of media-sports coverage, especially biking, because it all comes from L'EQUIPE/AFP (Agence France Presse)...
I write an anti-doping blog "WADAwatch" :-)
It's nearly dormant, as I haven't figured out a paying NGO model to build up from it... and the latest entries (the very recent one is rare- in French: all others in ENG) concern rumours of a doping-complacency put into format this year, at ASO-L'EQUIPE, in order to reap Huge fees on brokering French Olympics coverage in 2014...(I'm still tracking that one down)...
But get your social obligations out of the way before Friday! I've volunteered to cat-sit a friend's house next weekend, so it may screw up my annual biking 'Pilgrimage' to Tour-stops: this year I could be at Verbier, Grand St Bernard and Annecy with 'medium efforts'...
ZENzzzZzzzz

Sounds like some French tricks are coming up!

[SpeedyPete]

After lots and lots of rain, today a bit of watery sunshine, so I took to the road. The out run was nice and fast, going downwind but, oh sh-t, the homerun was terrible. Straight into the wind. I was honestly wishing for some ACJ to help me cope.
But, as always, I enjoyed being out there and I'm looking forward to some gravel travel soon.