From Velonews:

As for Armstrong, who won here in 2002, the 32-year-old American said he had allowed Basso to win the stage because he is trying to help the Italian's mother in her fight against cancer.


Click image to enlarge
by Casey B. Gibson


Ullrich had a surprisingly poor day today


"He's a hell of a good guy," Armstrong said. "We've been friends for a long time, and off the bike we're trying to work a little bit on his mom's situation, to try and see if she can win the fight against cancer.

"It's pretty special for me to have been out there with him, and the past week we haven't spoken about the race, we've spoken about his mom. It was a pleasure for me to let him (Basso) win, and he deserved to win. He was super strong."

I'm not sure Armstrong could have beat him if they had raced the finale b/c he certainly looked more knackered than Basso. But it appeared to me pretty clear that they had agreed Basso would win before the finish. He didn't really sprint and saluted a bit early with never a glance back to see if Armstrong was trying to come around him.

From Velonews:

As for Armstrong, who won here in 2002, the 32-year-old American said he had allowed Basso to win the stage because he is trying to help the Italian's mother in her fight against cancer.


Click image to enlarge
by Casey B. Gibson


Ullrich had a surprisingly poor day today


"He's a hell of a good guy," Armstrong said. "We've been friends for a long time, and off the bike we're trying to work a little bit on his mom's situation, to try and see if she can win the fight against cancer.

"It's pretty special for me to have been out there with him, and the past week we haven't spoken about the race, we've spoken about his mom. It was a pleasure for me to let him (Basso) win, and he deserved to win. He was super strong."


Im not sure if Armstrong could have won if it came down to it either, as he expended a lot of energy putting time into everyone else and he did look more wiped out than Basso at the finish. As for the remarks he made.... I am surprised (as a "Lance fan" which seems to be a bad thing around here at times) to find myself thinking why even mention that you let him win the stage and just let the actions and events speak for themselves.

Yeah, that does seem odd. If he did something magnanimous as he says he did, why not just do it and let it be between the two of them? I actually didn't think he had enough to come around Basso.

Judging from what i saw on TV, i dont think Lance could have taken this guy at the line. He seemed all smiles while Lance looked in pain.

Judging from what i saw on TV, i dont think Lance could have taken this guy at the line. He seemed all smiles while Lance looked in pain.

Yeah, I don't think LA meant he could have nipped him at the line but LA could probably have gone harder earlier in the climb and dropped Basso, had he really wanted the stage. My guess is that LA didn't want to use too much energy today so he'd have enough in the tank for tomorrow...he probably told Basso as much, and said this is your stage to lose...I'm not going to try to outsprint you for the line.

Judging from what i saw on TV, i dont think Lance could have taken this guy at the line. He seemed all smiles while Lance looked in pain.


Lance did not try his best to win the stage. Lance wanted maximum time so he pulled Basso all the way to the finish line. He could have:
- played strategy with Basso and start drafting with 1k to go.
- he could have sprinted or try to go around him at the line.

He clearly did neither. He serves both his interests to gain time and give the win to Basso by not contesting. Would he have won if he tried? Maybe, maybe not. He didn't try though and that seemed like a nice gesture.

Basso might end up #2 on the GC so hopefully it doesn't come back to bite him.

francois

I dont think the question is whether Lance could have won but rather why did he need to say that he gave him the win. He could have said he didnt want to contend...but he said that he GAVE HIM THE WIN because of his mother. Is he trying to give Basso's mother a heart attack?

I dont think the question is whether Lance could have won but rather why did he need to say that he gave him the win.

Because he is Lance. Any other behavior would be out of character. Kind of why I suffer from Lance burnout sometimes.

francois

It looked to me that Lance had enough to take the win at the top, and I suspect he did in fact give it to Basso, but I also think it should have been kept between him and Basso. If it was in fact a gift to cheer up a person who was fighting cancer, then it was a very selfless and classy thing to do, but to take public credit for it after the fact seems to cheapen the gift IMHO. Puzzling.:confused:

It looked to me that Lance had enough to take the win at the top, and I suspect he did in fact give it to Basso, but I also think it should have been kept between him and Basso. If it was in fact a gift to cheer up a person who was fighting cancer, then it was a very selfless and classy thing to do, but to take public credit for it after the fact seems to cheapen the gift IMHO. Puzzling.:confused:

I agree with all these comments, and I'm not sure he had enough to go around Basso. I like to give benefit of doubt, so I wonder if by speaking up he's merely promoting cancer cure causes.

Hey Mike - found a nice little hill by UNM called "Ridge Street."

I'd be honored to gift you that one some time. ;)

Yeah, my first thought.

Hey Mike - found a nice little hill by UNM called "Ridge Street."

I'd be honored to gift you that one some time. ;)

OK, make it Monday, EPO del. due here tomorrow.

Once again Lance proves what an arrogant and self centred person he is... saying he 'gifted' the stage for someone's mother... thats probably the lowest he has stooped. he tried and could not nip Basso at the line. you could see how easy Basso matched his riding on the slopes and how comfortable he was compared to Lance. and then he says he'allowed' Basso the stage win.. wow, what a generous yank he is.....

My guess is that LA didn't want to use too much energy today so he'd have enough in the tank for tomorrow...he probably told Basso as much, and said this is your stage to lose...I'm not going to try to outsprint you for the line.

That could have been the case, but he "gave" The Pirate the Ventoux before too, and Pantani beat him on the next day's mt. stage. Or were both of those stages just cinema?

Yeah, LA is so totally unbeatable that he can just choose where and when he's going to hand someone a win or points. Give it a break, Lance. We all know you're such a humanitarian wonder-boy.

Stage 16 & 17 still loom.

That could have been the case, but he "gave" The Pirate the Ventoux before too, and Pantani beat him on the next day's mt. stage. Or were both of those stages just cinema?

Yeah, LA is so totally unbeatable that he can just choose where and when he's going to hand someone a win or points. Give it a break, Lance. We all know your such a humanitarian.

Stage 16 & 17 still looms.


IF he was actually sincere, why blow his horn like he did and exclaim to the whole world? he just took away any glory and acheivement from his 'friend' Basso... what an amazingly arrogant and insensitive ass

Well that's what I'm saying - I think LA is full of prunes on this one. (And we all know what happens when you eat too many prunes!)

Well that's what I'm saying - I think LA is full of prunes on this one. (And we all know what happens when you eat too many prunes!)

And the difference between Texan boy and past champions too. Indurain gifted many stages on his quest for overall victory, such as the famous Liege stage of 1995 where Bruyneel won after drafting Mig all the way. Did Indurain show off? Did he mouth off his rivals or make such public humiliating statements? In fact, did Greg himself make such pitiful statements when he gifted stages? Poor form from the man who could have been great, but instead just a person obsessed with his image and making a record.... And yet, he has his rabid defenders and loyal followers who follow him like Christ on the bike, no matter what he does or say. I wont be suprised to find people here defending his drug use if ever caught or even implicated...

Lance should gift L'alpe De Heuz to Tyler for poor dog Tugboat while he being so generous.

IF he was actually sincere, why blow his horn like he did and exclaim to the whole world? he just took away any glory and acheivement from his 'friend' Basso... what an amazingly arrogant and insensitive ass

Agreed, but no need to swear. It should have been private, between the two of them. Let Basso's mother die happy if she does not win her battle. Weird stuff.

I'll say that I would like to hear Bassos side of the story on this one.

From Velonews:

As for Armstrong, who won here in 2002, the 32-year-old American said he had allowed Basso to win the stage because he is trying to help the Italian's mother in her fight against cancer.


Click image to enlarge
by Casey B. Gibson


Ullrich had a surprisingly poor day today


"He's a hell of a good guy," Armstrong said. "We've been friends for a long time, and off the bike we're trying to work a little bit on his mom's situation, to try and see if she can win the fight against cancer.

"It's pretty special for me to have been out there with him, and the past week we haven't spoken about the race, we've spoken about his mom. It was a pleasure for me to let him (Basso) win, and he deserved to win. He was super strong."

I was just looking at cyclingnews and they have an entirely different quote - I wonder how often and which of these internet "news agencys" are somewhat "loose" with thier quote interpretations - Just wondering - I have no idea which one if either are accurate

I admit I was shocked when I read that quote from VeloNews. This is what Eurosport quoted him as saying:

Lance Armstrong (USA / US POSTAL) 2nd on stage

"Ivan deserved to win the stage. He's a hell of a good guy and was super strong on the final climb."

"He and I have been friends for a long time. Now off the bike we're working on his mom's situation to see if she can win the fight against cancer."

"It was special for me to be out there with him. In the last week we haven't talked about the race but talked about his mom."

"It was a pleasure for me that I didn't win"



Gee.....that certainly puts Lance in a whole different light now doesnt it? I thought it very strange that he would say something like in the VeloNews article.

And Basso was quoted by Eurosport as well:

"I had not won a race for a long time but there always comes a day in a rider's life when something changes. A day when everything clicks into place nicely. Today [Friday] was my day."

After climbing off the stage's podium, Basso dedicated his performance to two women in his life: His mother, who is currently in hospital battling cancer, and his daughter.

"She's one and half years old now but I have not had the chance to dedicate a victory to her yet," said the Italian, euphoric after ending his victory drought.

While Basso admitted his Tour de France stock is on the upshot, the CSC team leader still picks five-time Tour de France Lance Armstrong for the overall win.

"From what we've seen so far, there's no question: Lance is obviously the strongest."

But did Eurosport just leave out the "nasty" part of what LA said??

Dunno,

Velonews says he said "It was a pleasure for me to let him (Basso) win"
EuroSport says he said " It was a pleasure for me that I didn't win

?

Interesting, cj. Wonder who's reporting accurately? :confused:

Dunno,

Velonews says he said "It was a pleasure for me to let him (Basso) win"
EuroSport says he said " It was a pleasure for me that I didn't win

?

Which is more likely: Velonews disguising the fact that <b>Lance got beaten</b>, or Eurosport portraying Lance in a positive light?

I don't know the answer to that. But it's pretty clear what happened. Not only was Basso clearly fresher than Lance, but Lance tried to come around him at the line. When he jumped, you can see his leg give out, and he sat back down. I think he rode up the Tourmalet with everything he had in him. Ligget was clearly surprised that Basso was able to hang with him. In the past, nobody has been able to keep up with LA in full cry on the final climb.

This Tour isn't over yet.

--Shannon

Word!

By Stephen Farrand

LA MONGIE, France (Reuters) - Lance Armstrong said he was happy for Ivan Basso after the Italian crossed the line first at the 12th stage finish at La Mongie on Friday.
The American five-times winner trailed just a bike length behind Basso to take the Tour de France by the scruff of the neck -- but his thoughts were with Basso whose mother is suffering with cancer.
"Ivan deserved to win the stage. He's a hell of a good guy and was super strong on the final climb," said Armstrong.
"He and I have been friends for a long time. Now off the bike we're working on his mum's situation to see if she can win the fight against cancer.
"It was special for me to be out there with him. In the last week we haven't talked about the race but talked about his mum. It was a pleasure for me that I didn't win."
Armstrong did not look as strong as usual on the climb to the finish and admitted he always suffers on the steep slopes of La Mongie.
"I don't have a great relationship with this mountain. I don't know why but I always suffer here," said Armstrong who jumped into second place overall, a little more than five minutes behind Frenchman Thomas Voeckler.

Funny how it's EXACTLY what Eurosport had. Hmmm. I smell another conspiracy. I wonder if they made up the quote about not being strong on this mountain. No, wait, I saw Lance say EXACTLY that on OLN post-race. Still, I bet Reuters and Eurosport dispose of his syringes for him.

Sarcasm aside, it seems strange that velonews would just out and out misquote him. Maybe a different interview? Maybe the reporter got it wrong? Maybe they translated his French interview incorrectly? I don't think they're out to get Lance, hell, their Tour edition cover is basically his mug. Not even a bike in sight. I think when you get a long way from home, things can get a bit mixed up.

... or the National Enquirer/Sun gossip superpages?

Armstrong has been quoted, but none of us were there to hear the tone of his voice or even the actual words he spoke. Was he being a self-involved pr!ck? Maybe. But also maybe not.

gossipgossipgossipgossip. This isn't a posh gardening society or quilting bee.

Well, I'd be more willing to believe Phil & Paul's take on what was said and done, because today during Stage 13 they said they didn't think LA gave the Stage 12 win to IB. With the collective years of experience those 2 have, they certainly have an eye for what's what in a race.

I also don't think either would be bold enough to come out with their opinions on world-wide TV like that if they were just looking to bash LA or anyone else.

Whether he wins his #6 or not, I've lost a lot of respect for him.

Well after watching the 13th stage this morning, I can say with confidence that Lance did let him win, although he may have been out of line for making it public, but even I knew Lance let him win as I watched, so why not say so anyway?

He shouted words of encouragement to Basso all the way up the last climb, then zipped up his jersey, and sprinted to the stage victory. He likes Basso enough to give him a stage, but not enough to give him Le Tour.