So Armstrong Wins # 7 Tour de France ..........
 

an amazing feat :thumbsup Congrats to the guy :thumbsup :thumbsup
http://edition.cnn.com/2005/SPORT/07...our/index.html

Whos the next cycling star?

Cant see any current riders winning more than one TDF

yep, congrats to him.. good decision of him to stop with a 7th victory, instead of trying to go for an 8th win and maybe get beaten..

:)

So what are everyones predictions for next year?

Valverde, Basso & Vinokourov are the people to watch out for, MAYBE Ullrich also..

I predict he'll be back next year

Congrations are more than called for. He won the tour de france and banged Sheryl Crow throughout the whole race!

I can see Basso winning some, Valverde is def. a star for the future..

Cadel Evans is also capable of going for the victory I think, same for Vinokourov, if he improves his skills in the mountains!

Oh and Popovitsj is gonna be a great rider in a few years

The next star....Basso....and he might develop into a new boss of the race.

But, of course its much more open next year....Vinokourov, Valverde, Popovych, Ullrich, Klöden, Landis, Mancebo, Rasmussen, Karpets...there´s alot of guys who´ll probably show up for the first stage with huge ambitions....

I´m hoping for Vino - he´s the most entertaining rider....but my bet would go to Basso.

Ah, finally another person who has a clue about the tour!

Kloden needs to improve, he was very weak this year.. Mancebo isn't capable to make a difference in the mountains and the time trial, Rasmussen isn't good enough in the real mountain stages, and his time trials are not that good..

I agree about Basso, Vino, Valverde, Popovitsj, Landis and Karpets!

How did Basso fare in the time trial stages? Armstrong gained a lot in those.....

Being good in the mountains is important but u need more..especially a dedicated team behind you.

Lance you are a true hero and inspiration to millions. Congratulations to you!

Basso could very well have 5 under his belt if it weren't for LA.
I'd say Basso next year but watch out for Vinokourov, Valverde, Ullrich and don't count out Popovych, winner of the white jersey.
I'd say McEwen also has a chance.

2006 TDF is going to be fantastic...

What does he get? I think around $500K for winning, But I know that around 1999 TREK signed him and they had around $50mil in revenue. This recent year they had around $550 mil in revenue. I am sure he is making millions in sponsorships, I am curious as to how much.

Yup - those 6 will be competitors....
I´m afraid we cant rule out Ullrich though - however much i´d like to, I resent his defensive style - but next year he looks like the stronger one for the time trials, and he was actually overall in the top 3-4 in the mountains.

Basso has improved his timetrials ALOT, and it may very well be sufficient, given that he´s stronger than Ullrich - and all others this year apart from Armstrong in the mountains.

Klöden was strangely weak this year, but if he´s back in the shape he was in last year - then he might be a challenger....Same goes for a couple of others like Heras, Beloki etc...doubt they´ll be back with a blast though.

I agree on Mancebo, he doesnt look like a winner, but if Illes Balears has him and Valverde next year as well, they´ll have some good room for tactical maneuvres to bring the stronger one of the 2 on podium. My bet is that´ll be Valverde, but Mancebo does quite well on time trials, and it takes a bit to break him in the mountains - he´s not entirely out of the game.

Rasmussen, had to mention my favourite. I think he´ll focus on the spotted jersey and do his wild rides in the mountains...but he aint gonna make the podium.

I'm sure another American will show up and start a winning streak.

Basso is a good time trial rider :2 cents:

what a guy.

he deserves it

Yep, I guess Ullrich will be the strongest in the time trials for now, but he's a bit weaker in the mountains..

Mancebo did a superb time trial yesterday, but normally he isn't that good, and he's usually not the one attacking in the mountains.. He's riding for Quick-Step next year btw, so he'll be separated from Valverde..

I think Heras is a bit too old and not good enough in the mountains.. and Beloki.. yeah.. well, I remember he used to give Armstrong a very hard time, but that was before his fall.. he has a lot of training to do!

:uhoh :uhoh

News Update: The Tour de France has been renamed and will be from this day forth be called the Tour de Lance. :thumbsup

Not positive on this but I think I heard that Lance gives all of the prize money from winning the race to his teammates.

They help him win - he gets the glory and endorcements - it's appropriate to do just that!

think basso and ulrich will exchange a few wins...we'll never in our lifetime see a 7time striaght winner though

Wins tour 7 times and then retires :thumbsup

It´s a tradition that the winner shares all the prize money with his hardworking teammates - and Lance has most certainly been doing that as well all 7 years. Everything else would´ve been a big story - and a scandal the sceptical french media would thrive on.

might be a black guy win next time

yeah right...

most of his income is sponsorships I would think :2 cents:

Good for him but it gets boring watching the same guy win all the time.It`s like F1...why the fuck would I want to watch that? To see who comes in second?
It looks like this year the new rules are hurting Schumacher though.

Congrats to him. I think it will be his last pro race.

Lance is a true champion.. I have much respect for him, he is an inspiration :)

Great achievment by Lance

An outstanding athlete :thumbsup
I'll certainly miss seeing him in future tours :(

Anya

Congrats and sad to see him go, but hes going out on top.

He was awesome, good to see he is one of the few people that knows when to stop

Viva Texas!

...congrats to Austin's finest.

It is.. read the thread you fucking klikrevenue sigwhore