"Isidor Gunsberg" wrote in message
om...
David Ryan wrote in message
...
Isidor Gunsberg wrote:

Unlike Merckx, Armstrong only races flat out on just a few stages.
A time trial is definitely one of them.

He needs to win a stage in the Pyrenees, since otherwise he
faces the prospect of winning the TDF, yet without winning a single
stage.

According to letour.com:

2003 not ranked
o Wore the yellow jersey
o 1 stage victory : Stage 4 : JOINVILLE - SAINT-DIZIER

(the TTT)

Thanks for sharing. I thought that it was rather obvious, and
hence, could be left unwritten, that a win in a Team Time Trial (TTT)
stage does not accrue much glory to the Individual racer. Wins in
Individual Time Trials (ITTs) have the greatest prestige, followed by
wins in the major mountain stages, followed by wins in the more
glamorous of the sprint (flat) stages. The key is that while one's
team can provide assistance (except in the ITTs), a stage win
manifests a significant level of achievement by the rider who must
ultimately make a substantial individual effort.

Of course, it is expected that on newsgroups one will encounter
some nitpicking by the occasional pedant, although I'm not inclined to
stoop to such pedantry myself.

So congratulations: Technically, you are correct.

I actually agree that with regard to the pressure of the GC winner to win a
stage, the TTT does not really satisfy the desire to shoe oneself as the
strongest rider.

I do not agree that an ITT is more important than a mountain stage. They are
probably equally prestigious.