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Reactions to Landis’s Launch
Stage 17 may put Landis among Tour greats
Acclaim was universal for Floyd Landis and his heroic attack across the final hard climbs in the 2006 Tour de France. Everyone agreed it was something unseen in recent Tour history. Here’s a sampling of what some of the key players thought:
Juan Fernandez, sport director Phonak
“What he did today was make everyone stand on the edge of their seats because it was a tremendous, tremendous demonstration. He knew he wanted to try from the first climb and give everything. If they caught on the Joux-Plane, so be it, but he dared to do something others would be afraid to try. He was riding with anger, frustration, looking for explanations on how he could lose the yellow jersey. He didn’t want to throw the towel and nothing less. Now he’s back with options to win. I’ve never seen the Tour de France so exciting ever.”
Oscar Pereiro, race leader
“I thought Landis was eliminated and after his big demonstration, he now has the Tour de France in his hands,” he told Spanish radio. “Normally, he will win the Tour in the time trial. The maillot jaune inspired me today to keep fighting and my team did a great job, but Landis was spectacular today. This has been one of the most incredible days in cycling.”
Greg LeMond, Three-time winner of the Tour de France
"This was easily the best day I've seen in cycling in years... maybe ever. This is the sort of ride done by a Merckx or a Hinault. I sure never did anything like that. These past two days - yesterday's big loss, coupled with today's heroic ride - puts him up there with the real heroes of the Tour.Seeing him up on the podium today was a real joy... he was genuinely happy and you almost felt like you were up there with him. This Tour may go down as one of the greatest ever. Look at what's happened over these past three weeks. The racing is as good as it gets... the furthest thing from a foregone conclusion that one could hope for. This is bike racing!"
Pat McQuaid, UCI president
“It was one of the most epic days of cycling I have ever seen in the Tour de France. To comeback from where he was yesterday was amazing. No matter what anyone says, everyone will say that Floyd deserves this win. This has been an amazing Tour. It’s great for cycling.”
Jonathan Vaughters, ex-pro
“It’s the most amazing thing I’ve ever seen in 20 years of cycling… It's hard to explain just how much character it takes for a guy to come back from something like yesterday and then do this. You just don't see that... ever. Can you think of a comparable performance? This will go down as one of the greatest rides in the history of the Tour."The thing about this Tour is that it underscores the trials and tribulations of actually being human. You see Pereiro go from a disastrous day in the Pyrenees... he loses almost half-an-hour, gains it back with a big break - some say a tactical mistake - and may lose it again in the final time trial to a guy who lost 10 minutes one day and then fights back with an amazing 150-kilometer solo ride the next! You couldn't script a better Tour.”
Bjarne Riis, Team CSC team manager
My favorite now for victory is Landis. What he did today was beautiful. It was a ride like a champion. What he did today was impressive. It was a nice move and he deserves it. I thought he could win the stage, but not with six minutes. I hope Carlos can take second place now. I expected T-Mobile to take control of the stage earlier. We didn’t have the team to work on the climbs, that’s why we waited until the Colombiere. He was strong, no doubt about it. Carlos is not a fast, fast downhiller, but I think he defended himself okay. Carlos did a good attack. We still have chances for the yellow jersey, but the best chances are for Landis. It’s been a very interesting Tour.”
Michael Rogers, T-Mobile rider
”Who expected for Floyd to do that today, the race has just been turned on its side every day,” he told Eurosport. “I think it's a good race for the viewers, but not for the riders (laughing). You can't plan these stages, like I said you just have to get through it the best you can.. It must be hard to rebound like he did, congratulations, wow that was a super ride.”
Bernard Hinault, five-time Tour champion
”He is just showing that he’s a real soldier,” Hinault told race organizer ASO. “I still believe that he was hunger-flat on the final climb of the 16th stage. His attack can work. He has the keys to the race lead now because he’s forcing the others to attack and only then will we know what will happen to the other title hopefuls. “I’m a big fan of Floyd today because I like the way he races. He’s got an aggressive streak. He’s just saying, ‘I was bad yesterday but I’m the best and I’ll prove that today’. It can work, it’s like a Hinault Coup.”
Paul Sherwen, OLN announcer
“I tried to think about when I have seen a ride like that before. People were quick to say Claudio Chiappucci in 1992 into Sestrieres, but he hadn’t lost 10 minutes the day before, he hadn’t seen himself lose the yellow jersey. While that was a great escapade, it wasn’t a magnificent escapade like we saw today. He must have known how tired everyone else was. No one could really chase him, they had two teams chasing him down, they only pulled back two-and-a-half minutes. When he started the final climb, he didn’t lose anything.”
Casey Gibson, CBG Photo
"Wow... again."Sources, VeloNews unless otherwise noted
