Ahhhh, now this year's TDF is getting more interesting!

[Roy E. Munson]

Tour of Germany (GER 2.2), Stage 1, Karlsruhe-Karlsruhe, 23km ITT
1. Michael Rich (G), Gerolsteiner 27 minutes, 20 seconds
2. Jan Ullrich (G), T-Mobile +0:24
3. Uwe Peschel (G), Gerolsteiner +0:29
4. Daniel Becke (G), Illes Balears +0:33
5. Sebastian Lang (G), Gerolsteiner +0:35

[Dr. Doofus]

The Doc and I were just about to post on this, Roy...we like that Guy Who Looks Like Fat Jan, Only Skinnier...he knows how to get himself ready for the Tour, but keeps coming up just a bit short...here's hoping that G.W.L.L.F.J.O.S. comes to the Tour in great form but comes up just short of Lance's mark, again...the Doc wants LA to win six, and then Cunego wins the next three...and Jan retires to open a Zuckertorte Haus back in Rostock, gains 200 pounds, rides his Singer down to the pub where he swills free brews and tells everyone stories about how he almost won the big one five times....

[Climb01742]

the yo-yoing that jan does with his fitness and weight can't be good for his performance. its my totally uninformed guess that one reason why he comes up short in the three weeks of the tour is that his "curve" leading to the tour is so steep, his body is kinda beaten up to get to his peak. training and weight are adaptive. jan seems to force his body to try to adapt in a pretty short time frame. at some point in the three weeks in july, his body cracks.

ps: how tense are saeco team dinners these days, uh? yikes.

[shaq-d]

...and Jan retires to open a Zuckertorte Haus back in Rostock, gains 200 pounds, rides his Singer down to the pub where he swills free brews and tells everyone stories about how he almost won the big one five times....

and how he did, in fact, win the tour :)

sd

[Johny]

Very serious indeed...

http://www.cyclingnews.com/photos.php?id=photos/2004/may04/germany/stage1/ger-cycling-ullrich-53

[BumbleBeeDave]

Yes he did, in fact, win the Tour. And that’s more than anyone on THIS forum can say for themselves. But unless he wins it AGAIN nobody is ever going to remember that. He will always be the “Guy Who Looks Like Fat Jan, Only Skinnier Who Always Finished Second To Lance.” . . .

Perhaps he and Laurent Fignon can start a club. Nobody ever seems to remember that HE won the Tour TWICE. He is always remembered as “The Guy Who Lost To Lemond By Eight Seconds.”

For all of Jan’s second places, he is still an incredible athlete and, from what I have seen of him in video interviews, a calm and self-effacing guy who I would love to have a beer with at Owner’s Weekend . . .

BBDave

[Kevin]

BBDave,

I have won several Tours. I won the Tour of Donuts, the Tour of Pizza, and the Tour of Ice Cream. By the way, Jan finished second in all of those events as well.

Kevin

[BumbleBeeDave]

Why are you wasting time here? Don’t you have some widows and/or orphans to turn out on the street or something? ;) ;) ;)

BBDave

[Kevin]

BBDave,

My office called, and while the message was confusing, I received a phone call from either your mortgage company, your landlord or your ex-wife. Maybe it was all three. Do you want me to hang out on the forum or return the telephone call?

Kevin

[gt6267a]

Kevin,

I will challenge your victory in the Tour of Ice Cream. I injured my knee 2 weeks ago and have not been on my bike. I am consoling myself with Ice cream. It's like I'm in training. I'll take any challengers in the Ice Cream world.

-K

[Kevin]

K,

I'll take that challenge. Here is the course, you take Jim Dandy Lane to the Banana Split, take the left fork and go to Pizza Hut, do a donut in the parking lot, and drag yourself down to Dairy Queen, then you follow the hot light to Krispy Kreme. If you get lost, just follow Sandy. He does this Time Trial every morning, afternoon and evening.

Kevin

[gt6267a]

Kevin,

I know the Hot Light from my time in Atlanta at Georgia Tech. While we do have KK donuts in the area, I don't know of a store in Philly.

As the USPRO cycling championships are here, I will take all challengers at Scoops (local ice cream shop. my favorite flavor is the peanut butter ripple, but they have many other fine flavors) any time day or night during bike week. If we need to do some cross-training, I mean eating, there is an excellent cheesesteak place(Mama's on Belmont Ave. As far as I am concerned, they have the best cheesesteak in Philly) not far from where I live.

-K