[RetroG]

Nooooo!!!! He has proven to many that he is one of the best ever. But, to many more, they still have their doubts. So hit the classics next Spring!! Kick some Euro a$$ and then head down to Italy for the Giro. Win that and then race the TdF. It would be interesting to see the results. That is a lot to ask of any man. But for LA, it is the next frontier. 7 alone just wouldn't be enough. Go Big.

 

[Trevor!]

Per cyclingnews:

At his appearance at the Prague criterium, part of the post-Tour de France circuit, Lance Armstrong let it be known that an attempt for a seventh victory in the Tour is a real possibility for next year. Armstrong has not said for certain whether or not he will return to the Tour in 2005, but as he became the first six-time winner of the event this year he did reaffirm his love for the race and his feeling that skipping the Tour would be hard to fathom.

Armstrong will head the newly dubbed Discovery Channel cycling team next year, which takes over for the US Postal Service team he has guided to Tour victories since 1999. He and directeur sportif Johan Bruyneel have not made concrete plans for the racing program, particularly in light of the new UCI Pro Tour regulations requiring the team to compete in all three grand tours and the other Pro Tour events.

"I'll decide fairly soon, but right now there's no firm plan," Armstrong told the press before the Prague criterium. "My time is limited, but I suspect that, maybe, I'll do one more if things go well."

Armstrong also paid a visit to a local hospital in Prague to brighten the day of young cancer patients. The Tour yellow jersey he wore in the criterium was to be auctioned off with all proceeds going to the Motol hospital's cancer ward, along with 6% of the betting funds from the race.

 

[Evel Knievel]

Lance said he would skip next year if he could but doubted if his new sponser ( Discovery Channel ) would go for that. That he wolud be committed to do whatever events DC wanted.

IMO Lance wants to win every other big event at least once. Put the think tank to work and figure what it would take to win the others (Giro , Veluta ). He knows you can't try to win'em all in one year with out burning out. So go for the other wins while hes on top and everyone else scrambles for the TdF win.

Lance draws ratings no matter what its good TV. Maybe now we will get full coverage of the other tours.

 

[sstaurus]

At least with the Discovery Channel I could watch some TdF coverage next year! OLN is too expensive for us school-dwellers...

 

[CanadianHooligan]

Id really like to see him go for a 7th,hes obviously one of the greatest atheletes of our time and would probaby be the greatest with a 7th(he might already be)..

 

[Trevor!]

I figure it would be good to see him do it yet again. Whilst I was not his biggest fan, he proved yet again this year that he is just too good when it comes to the tour.

I think, however when Lance retires from Le Tour racing that the race could be interesting. Perhaps some new faces will be atop the podium.

 

[roadiegonebad]

At least with the Discovery Channel I could watch some TdF coverage next year! OLN is too expensive for us school-dwellers...

I doubt that OLN is giving up the tour coverage.

 

[Evel Knievel]

I doubt that OLN is giving up the tour coverage.

Its not that they give up the tour. It's they are out bid in the right to broadcast it.

Every 5 or so years , Monday night football sets records in broadcast rights contract money. Then NBA finals or Olymipics break that record and so on.

 

[roadiegonebad]

Its not that they give up the tour. It's they are out bid in the right to broadcast it.

Every 5 or so years , Monday night football sets records in broadcast rights contract money. Then NBA finals or Olymipics break that record and so on.

Let me rephrase that then... I doubt you see tour coverage on Discovery Channel, Discovery Times/Kids/Health, Animal Planet, Travel Channel, etc. etc. etc. Just because they are the team's title sponsor doesn't mean they will carry the tour broadcast.

 

[Evel Knievel]

Let me rephrase that then... I doubt you see tour coverage on Discovery Channel, Discovery Times/Kids/Health, Animal Planet, Travel Channel, etc. etc. etc. Just because they are the team's title sponsor doesn't mean they will carry the tour broadcast.

In a free market it could be anywhere. I think it was ABC that showed the '84 tour. I'm not saying they got it. I have just not heard OLN say they have the rights next year.

Discovery Channel gets free advertising if some other network airs it.

 

[troy]

Nooooo!!!! He has proven to many that he is one of the best ever. But, to many more, they still have their doubts. So hit the classics next Spring!! Kick some Euro a$$ and then head down to Italy for the Giro. Win that and then race the TdF. It would be interesting to see the results. That is a lot to ask of any man. But for LA, it is the next frontier. 7 alone just wouldn't be enough. Go Big.

I actually like this approach. Lance could probably dominate the Tour next year as well if he continues to make it the one and only focus of his season. I would prefer to see him race in more events even if that means not winning a 7th Tour. At some point it's going to become boring for him and us viewers. He's so focused on one race that it's no wonder he wins it every year.

Not that he needs any validation on his career but I'd love to see him race and win some of the spring classics and the Giro or Vuelta.