Even if you put racers first (personally, I agree with Sheldon), what happened to the 20+ guys between Eddy and Lance? Lance can claim to be the most successful rider in the history of the Tour the France, but in the list of all-time greats, he wouldn't crack the top 20, due to his almost total lack of significant results beyond the Tour, a world championship and one major classic. Sure, 6 Tours, the Worlds,and a classic make him a great rider, but al least a couple of dozen riders have a more impressive palmres, including Coppi, Binda, Bartali. Gimondi, Hinault, Anquetil, Maes, Kelly, Bobet, and many more. If you awarded lifetime points based on current point values of the races and best estimates of now-defunct ones, Lance probably wouldn't even rank in the top 50. Now, I think he could have been higher had he ridden more races, but he didn't, and even with a much wider program, I don't think he would have been top 10. Infatuation with the hero of the moment and our American chauvinism aside, Lance is a really ourstanding one-trick pony, but a one-trick pony all the same.
Regards,
Jerry Moos Houston, TX
Dan Christopherson <danlchris@hotmail.com> wrote:
Sheldon "Priorities" Brown wrote:
>Touring cyclists are nearly the pinnacle of the
>cycling pyramid, just below commuters and way
>above mere racers!
(With all due respect to Sheldon), The Cycling Pyramid:
1. Eddy Merckx 2. Lance Armstrong 3. Sheldon Brown 4. Racers 5. Commuters 6. Tourists
Dan "Competition is the Cutting Edge" Christopherson Lopez Island WA