richsaint said:Oi! Racing at the velodrome is not boring
I am sure that some people find it as interesting as the tennis at this time of year...
The 2005 Tour de France thread!
- Thread starter Sigmund Fraud
- Start date
I am sure that some people find it as interesting as the tennis at this time of year...
EatMoreChips
Fate Amenable To Change
g force said:
I just got a bit of a shock from the official website, when clicking on 'Withdrawals', it says 'No Longer Riding - All the riders in the race'.
Just a bit of dodgy website design or translation though...Anyway, one day to go. Je suis dead excited.
Bugger. I walked down to my newagent this morning to try and find a guide to the TdF but to no avail. Loads of golf and car magazines but fuck all cycling ones. Ok I left it late but I'm still disappointed. Also two weeks ago there was a whole supplement in my parents' paper on a load of people twatting a ball back and forth in South West London but only about a quarter of a page on the TdF today. Bastards.
Sigmund Fraud
893 all the way.
Ullrich over a minute down on GC already - wtf was all that about then? 
Vino is 50 odd seconds behind Armstrong. If I were Godefroot I'd make Vino my undisputed no.1 now and use pieman as super domestique.
bonkers
Vino is 50 odd seconds behind Armstrong. If I were Godefroot I'd make Vino my undisputed no.1 now and use pieman as super domestique.
bonkers
Sigmund Fraud said:
It kind of does to dear old Loki, as he clearly doesn't seem to understand that other than the cycling the Tour de France is in many ways just that, a superbly scenic and breathtaking journey through the many impressive sights of the country.
A bit more visual variation than a bloody cricket field for five days somewhat.
Anyway, what neighbouring country is the tour route venturing into this year?
Sigmund Fraud
893 all the way.
poului said:
Stages 7 and 8 stray into Germany - Luneville to Karlsuhe on Friday and Pforzheim to Gerardmer on Saturday according to my wallchart
Sigmund Fraud said:Stages 7 and 8 stray into Germany - Luneville to Karlsuhe on Friday and Pforzheim to Gerardmer on Saturday according to my wallchart
Super.
I remember one year in the early 90s when they went into Spain and I was on holiday in one of the towns en route - was one cool experience for a kid.
g force
Affects Shatner's Basoon
What the hell was Ullrich doing Must be a real blow to see Lance power past him and get a minute on him and Basso already.
I agree that Vinko has to be the #1 in T-Mobile and use Jan to try and wear Lance out on the bigger climbs, which should suit his team mate.
Must be a real blow to see Lance power past him and get a minute on him and Basso already.I agree that Vinko has to be the #1 in T-Mobile and use Jan to try and wear Lance out on the bigger climbs, which should suit his team mate.
I think having a time trial that long as the first stage has killed the excitement off a bit, at least for the first few days. With the time gaps being so big already we won't be treated to the battle for the yellow jersey that goes on between the sprinters in the early stages, which is a shame.
Still, it was good to see Tom Boonen getting one over on that nasty little toe-rag McEwan yesterday.
Still, it was good to see Tom Boonen getting one over on that nasty little toe-rag McEwan yesterday.
g force
Affects Shatner's Basoon
Absolutely - go Boonen Would make my tour if he beat McEwan!
I think you're right on the stage order...I think a lot of people will think it's over for Ullrich (me included) after his training crash and now this. T-obile have to use Jan as support for Vinko alongside Kloden if they want to stand a chance.
But even Godefroot seems to have given up hope...after two stages!
Would make my tour if he beat McEwan!I think you're right on the stage order...I think a lot of people will think it's over for Ullrich (me included) after his training crash and now this. T-obile have to use Jan as support for Vinko alongside Kloden if they want to stand a chance.
But even Godefroot seems to have given up hope...after two stages!
g force said:T-obile have to use Jan as support for Vinko alongside Kloden if they want to stand a chance.
But even Godefroot seems to have given up hope...after two stages!
I don't get that. Armstrong took nearly a minute out of everyone (except Zabriskie, the interviewers dream
). Ullrich only lost 10 seconds to Vinokourov, and is still in eighth place, so why is he suddenly being written off, even as team leader? Two days into a three week race!Most of the riders going for GC won't even hit peak form for another week and a half so I think there will still be something good to come from him.
Or maybe I'm just being naively optimistic
Sigmund Fraud
893 all the way.
richsaint said:I don't get that. Armstrong took nearly a minute out of everyone (except Zabriskie, the interviewers dream
Well you're right to point out the margin of Armstrongs dominance - its just that Ullrich on his day is as good if not almost as good as Armstrong over a TT, so I'm quite suprised that he's over a minute down...but then almost everyone is
. I get the feeling that Vino rode as well as he could but Ullrich is way below his peak.I reckon Armstrong eased off a bit so he wouldn't have to carry the yellow the whole way to Paris. At least the next ITT isn't till the penultimate day but the TTT is sure to increase his margin over everyone again.
g force
Affects Shatner's Basoon
richsaint said:I don't get that. Armstrong took nearly a minute out of everyone (except Zabriskie, the interviewers dream
Most of the riders going for GC won't even hit peak form for another week and a half so I think there will still be something good to come from him.
Or maybe I'm just being naively optimistic
Yeah maybe, but he's meant to be the team leader and his body language suggested he'd rather be anywhere than on the tour - thaty's not good for T-Mobile. It's not an impossible gap to close of course, but to me Lance seems to be easing himself in and Jan seems to be flagging. I'm not sure that mentally he's got enough to crack Lance.
I think I was just clutching at straws in the vain hope that he is going to challenge Armstrong, he really has been the eternal second the last few years and he deserves another win. And out of all the challengers he seems to have the most character.
I really don't want to see Armstrong win another one. It's not that I don't like him, it's just that his winning seven on the trot puts him that much further ahead or Merckx, Hinault, Coppi etc in the greatest Tour rider ever stakes. He is the greatest tour rider ever in terms of wins but it's hard to really get behind him as a rider when he only pops up in June and then finishes his season at the end of July.
But this has been done to death, I'll stop my rant now
I really don't want to see Armstrong win another one. It's not that I don't like him, it's just that his winning seven on the trot puts him that much further ahead or Merckx, Hinault, Coppi etc in the greatest Tour rider ever stakes. He is the greatest tour rider ever in terms of wins but it's hard to really get behind him as a rider when he only pops up in June and then finishes his season at the end of July.
But this has been done to death, I'll stop my rant now
Sigmund Fraud
893 all the way.
richsaint said:
He'll never be as good as those three in the eyes of most who follow the sport. Particularly Merckx, whose Palmares will never be matched.
fen_boy
Exits gracefully.
McEwan has been disqualified from the stage - from www.letour.fr
"The rider who crossed the line in third place in stage three has been relegated by the race jury. Robbie McEwen hindered the line of Stuart O’Grady in the final meters of the stage."
"The rider who crossed the line in third place in stage three has been relegated by the race jury. Robbie McEwen hindered the line of Stuart O’Grady in the final meters of the stage."
Sigmund Fraud
893 all the way.
Boonen is having some year isn't he?
Great to see McEwan disqualified too
Great to see McEwan disqualified too
Nigel Irritable
Five, Ten, Fifteen Years
Why does everyone seem to hate McEwan?
Nigel Irritable
Five, Ten, Fifteen Years
richsaint said:Well, apart from him being a nasty, arrogant, vicious, dangerous little shit, I don't know really
But does it come out of some specific incident or is it just that he is an arsehole?
Sigmund Fraud
893 all the way.
Nigel Irritable said:
I just watched the bunch sprint on itv2. McEwans behaviour was apalling, trying to elbow and headbutt O'Grady into surrendering 2nd spot. Thats about the worst I've ever seen with my own eyes but he has a long history of dangerous moves in the last 200m. The other Aussie riders hate him...allegedly. I'd love to see him pull a move like that on Backstedt...
But Boonens sprint was masterful. He waited and waited before choosing his moment perfectly and outdragging the rest. The new Sean Kelly? I can't remember what his climbing form is like, hopefully he will get over the top before R McE though. I've got a funny feeling Boonen will take the worlds this year as well.
Nigel Irritable said:
Basically he's an arsehole
Examples:
Leaning over a still unconscious Rene Haselbacher and launching a volley of abuse at him for a crash in the final km of a tour stage that prety much decimated the field (most likely caused by McEwan with his habit of pushing, shoving, rubbing shoulders, headbutting, and trying to force his way through gaps that just aren't there).
Another volley of abuse aimed at a young kid who pinched the water bottle from his bike after the prologue in last years tour.
Todays headbutting incident.
His general arogant whining and complaining whenever he loses. It's always someone elses fault.
etc
As you can tell, I really like him.
Sigmund Fraud
893 all the way.
richsaint said:
yeah, it was 1985 when I first noticed Kelly as a climber - he was second over the top when Roche won his first stage for an Irish 1-2.
richsaint said:
Having watched Boonen on the podium yesterday I may have to revise that. He's a big fella isn't he? Whilst I think he'll always be good on the power climbs in the classics and hilly stages, I don't think we will ever see him lugging that big frame over the mountains with the leaders.
The new Museeuw maybe.
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