Last TDF winner to flat?

On Mon, 23 Jun 2008 22:57:42 -0600, wrote:

Did Armstrong have flat tires in the Tour de France?

If not, how far back do we have to go to find a TDF winner who had a
flat tire?

I'm sure that some RBT posters who know the answers, but I drew a
complete blank.

Cheers,

Carl Fogel

After the 2002 TDF, an interviewer asked Armstrong:

"You've had a lot of good luck. In four years just this one crash, and
one flat tire. How big a part does luck play in it?"
http://www.dailypeloton.com/displayarticle.asp?pk=1375

So only one flat in his first four Tour wins (through 2002), during
the final stage in 1999, with at least one more in 2004 stage 13.

Cheers,

Carl Fogel

On Jun 24, 11:58*pm, wrote:

As for using Google Groups, no apologies are needed.

I miss PINE but I am just too lazy to switch to something different
for the 2 or three newsgroups that I follow nowadays.

Armstrong did appear to have amazing luck but one wonders how much is
luck and how much was preparation and having everything geared to
working on his behalf.

Or perhaps there is something to aging tubbies in a root cellar for a
decade.... Naahhhh.

Mark

On 2008-06-24 08:12:28 +0200, "Mike Jacoubowsky"
said:

Carl: Lance was one of the most incredibly-lucky cyclists ever. He didn't
get flats, period.

Bull****. Of course i did get flats, he just didn't flat on important
moments and hardly ever complained about his flats.

I recall at least two flats.

2007 last stage, before entering Champ Elyse.
2004 Bourg D'Orsaint a few km before the ascent to Alpe D'Huez.


--
mvh. Morten Reippuert Knudsen

"Besides, if you can't get a decent kernal panic
or two in a month, what's the point of living?"

| Carl: Lance was one of the most incredibly-lucky cyclists ever. He
didn't
| get flats, period.
|
| Bull****. Of course i did get flats, he just didn't flat on important
| moments and hardly ever complained about his flats.
|
| I recall at least two flats.
|
| 2007 last stage, before entering Champ Elyse.
| 2004 Bourg D'Orsaint a few km before the ascent to Alpe D'Huez.

The 2004 flat... was it during the warm-up, or was it the team car that had
the flat? Details of that stage can be found here-
http://velonews.com/article/6631

--Mike-- Chain Reaction Bicycles
www.ChainReactionBicycles.com

On Sat, 28 Jun 2008 21:43:07 -0700, "Mike Jacoubowsky"
wrote:

| Carl: Lance was one of the most incredibly-lucky cyclists ever. He
didn't
| get flats, period.
|
| Bull****. Of course i did get flats, he just didn't flat on important
| moments and hardly ever complained about his flats.
|
| I recall at least two flats.
|
| 2007 last stage, before entering Champ Elyse.
| 2004 Bourg D'Orsaint a few km before the ascent to Alpe D'Huez.

The 2004 flat... was it during the warm-up, or was it the team car that had
the flat? Details of that stage can be found here-
http://velonews.com/article/6631

--Mike-- Chain Reaction Bicycles
www.ChainReactionBicycles.com

Dear Mike,

Details of the 2004 flat, previously posted:

"Lance Armstrong (U.S. Postal Service) has won Stage 13 of the Tour de
France [July 17, 2004]. The five-time defending champion outsprinted
Ivan Basso (CSC) to win the mountainous, 205.5-km ride from Lannemezan
to Plateau de Beille in 6:04:38. . . ."

"Armstrong punctured on the descent of the Port de Lers. U.S. Postal
Service slowed the pursuit to allow the defending champion to get back
on and then resumed the torture."
http://www.roadcycling.com/cgi-bin/a...view.cgi/4/730

A photo:

http://www.chicagotribune.com/la-071...18253.photo#23

Cheers,

Carl Fogel

On Sat, 28 Jun 2008 10:24:05 +0200, Morten Reippuert Knudsen
wrote:

On 2008-06-24 08:12:28 +0200, "Mike Jacoubowsky"
said:

Carl: Lance was one of the most incredibly-lucky cyclists ever. He didn't
get flats, period.

Bull****. Of course i did get flats, he just didn't flat on important
moments and hardly ever complained about his flats.

I recall at least two flats.

2007 last stage, before entering Champ Elyse.
2004 Bourg D'Orsaint a few km before the ascent to Alpe D'Huez.

Dear Morten,

Er, Lance Armstrong had a flat tire in the last stage of the _2007_
Tour de France?

Possibly you were thinking of the flat already mentioned in the final
stage of the 1999 TDF?

Cheers,

Carl Fogel

In article ,
says...


On 2008-06-24 08:12:28 +0200, "Mike Jacoubowsky"
said:

Carl: Lance was one of the most incredibly-lucky cyclists ever. He didn't
get flats, period.

Bull****. Of course i did get flats, he just didn't flat on important
moments and hardly ever complained about his flats.

I recall at least two flats.

2007 last stage, before entering Champ Elyse.
2004 Bourg D'Orsaint a few km before the ascent to Alpe D'Huez.


--
mvh. Morten Reippuert Knudsen

"Besides, if you can't get a decent kernal panic
or two in a month, what's the point of living?"

With pro class mechanics following in a team car that can change a rear
wheel in 15 seconds or so, what difference does a flat make? I had heard he
used some type of tubulars from a guy in France that aged them for several
years, supposedly made them more pliant and puncture resistant.

On Sat, 28 Jun 2008 22:17:00 -0700, RS wrote:

In article ,
says...


On 2008-06-24 08:12:28 +0200, "Mike Jacoubowsky"
said:

Carl: Lance was one of the most incredibly-lucky cyclists ever. He didn't
get flats, period.

Bull****. Of course i did get flats, he just didn't flat on important
moments and hardly ever complained about his flats.

I recall at least two flats.

2007 last stage, before entering Champ Elyse.
2004 Bourg D'Orsaint a few km before the ascent to Alpe D'Huez.


--
mvh. Morten Reippuert Knudsen

"Besides, if you can't get a decent kernal panic
or two in a month, what's the point of living?"

With pro class mechanics following in a team car that can change a rear
wheel in 15 seconds or so, what difference does a flat make? I had heard he
used some type of tubulars from a guy in France that aged them for several
years, supposedly made them more pliant and puncture resistant.

Dear RS,

What difference does a flat make?

Well, in the 2004 Tour de France . . .

"Stage 4: The Team Time Trial"

"The team time trial is one of the hardest events in cycling, and one
of Lance’s favorites. The entire nine-man team rides together, sharing
the work of completing 64.5 kilometers as fast as they can. It has to
be a collective effort because the team’s time is taken when the fifth
rider crosses the finish line."

"The conditions were horrendous, with pelting rain and driving wind.
There were numerous crashes and flat tires; Tyler Hamilton’s team left
four men behind with flat tires and rode the final third of the race
with just five men. Armstrong and company put in a masterful
performance to win the stage by over a minute, but a new rule wiped
away most of their winning margin."
http://www.roadcycling.com/cgi-bin/a...view.cgi/4/705

In other words, the flats would have mattered, but a TDF rule wiped
out most of Armstrong's gain.

Hamilton's team chose narrower tires than Armstrong's team, hoping for
a slight speed increase. Instead, they had four flats in 40 miles.
(Some accounts say only three.)

***

As for the "aged" tubulars, normal rubber only hardens with age, so
it's strange to claim that a rubber tire slowly becomes simultaneously
softer and yet harder to puncture.

There is the special case of natural latex inner tubes, which are
thought to resist impact punctures better than butyl tubes because the
softer latex squishes instead of splitting under impact.

Cheers,

Carl Fogel

In article ,
says...


On Sat, 28 Jun 2008 22:17:00 -0700, RS wrote:

In article ,
says...


On 2008-06-24 08:12:28 +0200, "Mike Jacoubowsky"
said:

Carl: Lance was one of the most incredibly-lucky cyclists ever. He didn't
get flats, period.

Bull****. Of course i did get flats, he just didn't flat on important
moments and hardly ever complained about his flats.

I recall at least two flats.

2007 last stage, before entering Champ Elyse.
2004 Bourg D'Orsaint a few km before the ascent to Alpe D'Huez.


--
mvh. Morten Reippuert Knudsen

"Besides, if you can't get a decent kernal panic
or two in a month, what's the point of living?"

With pro class mechanics following in a team car that can change a rear
wheel in 15 seconds or so, what difference does a flat make? I had heard he
used some type of tubulars from a guy in France that aged them for several
years, supposedly made them more pliant and puncture resistant.

Dear RS,

What difference does a flat make?

Well, in the 2004 Tour de France . . .

"Stage 4: The Team Time Trial"

"The team time trial is one of the hardest events in cycling, and one
of Lance’s favorites. The entire nine-man team rides together, sharing
the work of completing 64.5 kilometers as fast as they can. It has to
be a collective effort because the team’s time is taken when the fifth
rider crosses the finish line."

"The conditions were horrendous, with pelting rain and driving wind.
There were numerous crashes and flat tires; Tyler Hamilton’s team left
four men behind with flat tires and rode the final third of the race
with just five men. Armstrong and company put in a masterful
performance to win the stage by over a minute, but a new rule wiped
away most of their winning margin."
http://www.roadcycling.com/cgi-bin/a...view.cgi/4/705

In other words, the flats would have mattered, but a TDF rule wiped
out most of Armstrong's gain.

Hamilton's team chose narrower tires than Armstrong's team, hoping for
a slight speed increase. Instead, they had four flats in 40 miles.
(Some accounts say only three.)

***

As for the "aged" tubulars, normal rubber only hardens with age, so
it's strange to claim that a rubber tire slowly becomes simultaneously
softer and yet harder to puncture.

There is the special case of natural latex inner tubes, which are
thought to resist impact punctures better than butyl tubes because the
softer latex squishes instead of splitting under impact.

Cheers,

Carl Fogel
That was an exciting Tour, let's hope this year's approaches that. On the aged
tubulars I came across this, and there's probably more if you google. I don't
know if it works, I personally only use clinchers. And think my Tour De France
hopes are long gone as if they ever existed.

http://forums.roadbikereview.com/arc...p/t-35152.html

On Sun, 29 Jun 2008 05:08:03 -0700, RS wrote:

In article ,
says...


On Sat, 28 Jun 2008 22:17:00 -0700, RS wrote:

In article ,
says...


On 2008-06-24 08:12:28 +0200, "Mike Jacoubowsky"
said:

Carl: Lance was one of the most incredibly-lucky cyclists ever. He didn't
get flats, period.

Bull****. Of course i did get flats, he just didn't flat on important
moments and hardly ever complained about his flats.

I recall at least two flats.

2007 last stage, before entering Champ Elyse.
2004 Bourg D'Orsaint a few km before the ascent to Alpe D'Huez.


--
mvh. Morten Reippuert Knudsen

"Besides, if you can't get a decent kernal panic
or two in a month, what's the point of living?"

With pro class mechanics following in a team car that can change a rear
wheel in 15 seconds or so, what difference does a flat make? I had heard he
used some type of tubulars from a guy in France that aged them for several
years, supposedly made them more pliant and puncture resistant.

Dear RS,

What difference does a flat make?

Well, in the 2004 Tour de France . . .

"Stage 4: The Team Time Trial"

"The team time trial is one of the hardest events in cycling, and one
of Lance’s favorites. The entire nine-man team rides together, sharing
the work of completing 64.5 kilometers as fast as they can. It has to
be a collective effort because the team’s time is taken when the fifth
rider crosses the finish line."

"The conditions were horrendous, with pelting rain and driving wind.
There were numerous crashes and flat tires; Tyler Hamilton’s team left
four men behind with flat tires and rode the final third of the race
with just five men. Armstrong and company put in a masterful
performance to win the stage by over a minute, but a new rule wiped
away most of their winning margin."
http://www.roadcycling.com/cgi-bin/a...view.cgi/4/705

In other words, the flats would have mattered, but a TDF rule wiped
out most of Armstrong's gain.

Hamilton's team chose narrower tires than Armstrong's team, hoping for
a slight speed increase. Instead, they had four flats in 40 miles.
(Some accounts say only three.)

***

As for the "aged" tubulars, normal rubber only hardens with age, so
it's strange to claim that a rubber tire slowly becomes simultaneously
softer and yet harder to puncture.

There is the special case of natural latex inner tubes, which are
thought to resist impact punctures better than butyl tubes because the
softer latex squishes instead of splitting under impact.

Cheers,

Carl Fogel
That was an exciting Tour, let's hope this year's approaches that. On the aged
tubulars I came across this, and there's probably more if you google. I don't
know if it works, I personally only use clinchers. And think my Tour De France
hopes are long gone as if they ever existed.

http://forums.roadbikereview.com/arc...p/t-35152.html

Dear RS,

Yes, that's the familiar claim that storing tubulars for months (or
years) in dark basements somehow improves them.

Unfortunately, rubber and glue only harden with age.

That leaves tubular-aging enthusiasts with vague but hopeful theories
about silk casings somehow improving with age.

Storing rubber tires in cold, dark places is known to _slow_ the
deterioration of rubber. Stick 'em in a refrigerator in sealed plastic
bags to slow chemical reactions (cold), eliminate UV light (dark), and
reduce exposure to ozone (sealed bag).

But none of that improves the rubber--it just helps to preserve it.

If tubulars improved because they sat in the dark in a basement, we
should expect northern riders to notice a strange improvement when
they take their bikes out of storage every spring.

(Let's hope that comment doesn't lead a lot of innocent tubular owners
to anticipate a huge improvement around April 1st, 2009.)

The theory of aging tubulars bears a strong similarity to the notion
that wearing copper bracelets reduces joint inflammation in that it
has no explanation and no data.

Cheers,

Carl Fogel