That was a complete mess. I didn't expect Lotto to lead McEwan out because they never need to but where were Credit Agricole, CSC and Quick-Step for Hushovd, O'Grady and Boonen respectively? Hope Hushovd recovers from his injury though so we can rectify the situation in the coming week. Mind you, I do prefer the mountains I have to say.
Tour de France
- Thread starter grimble
- Start date
Sigmund Fraud
893 all the way.
...breaks self imposed exile coz its the TdF
Sorry but this is bollocks.
Drugs aren't the difference between winning and losing. Can drugs tell you when to join a breakaway? Make an attack? At what point on a hors categorie ascent to put the power down?
Drugs won't get you through 40,000km of training in all weathers or help you descend at 80mph or avoid accidents in the peloton. Sure, drugs make a massive difference in how much power you can kick out and crucially, how fast you can recover from the enormous stresses a grand tour will place on your body...but procycling (and amateur racing for that matter) is as much a game of chess as it is a weight lifting contest.
We're talking about 200 of the strongest cyclists in the world who are all genetically scarcely breathing the same air as the rest of us...these people are already doing the superhuman, feed them EPO, HGH and swap their blood and they can do the impossible.
But then we're talking about a race that was founded on the impossible, the very nature of which is to be intollerable: the tour's founder, Henri Desgrange stated that the perfect tour de france route would leave only one man standing. This is a race whose first edition in 1903 started with a 440km overnight stage from Paris to Lyon on fixed gear bikes FFS!
I used to dream that somebody had won the tour clean but now I don't doubt that every one of my heroes - Merckx, Hinault, LeMond, Roche, Pantani had some chemical assistance. In fact I don't believe its possible to win the tour clean and it probably never was.
Days like last friday are like your mum and dad sitting you down and telling you santa claus is a lie...only you kind of knew he was deep down. We've has Hamilton, Millar, Heras and now Basso and Ullrich...the sport is a sick fucking joke and no mistake and you can blame the riders, the team bosses and the UCI but we should also take the blame for being saps for decades and lapping up this fucking circus like a bunch of cretins.
And I'm as guilty as anyone.
grimble said:
Sorry but this is bollocks.
Drugs aren't the difference between winning and losing. Can drugs tell you when to join a breakaway? Make an attack? At what point on a hors categorie ascent to put the power down?
Drugs won't get you through 40,000km of training in all weathers or help you descend at 80mph or avoid accidents in the peloton. Sure, drugs make a massive difference in how much power you can kick out and crucially, how fast you can recover from the enormous stresses a grand tour will place on your body...but procycling (and amateur racing for that matter) is as much a game of chess as it is a weight lifting contest.
We're talking about 200 of the strongest cyclists in the world who are all genetically scarcely breathing the same air as the rest of us...these people are already doing the superhuman, feed them EPO, HGH and swap their blood and they can do the impossible.
But then we're talking about a race that was founded on the impossible, the very nature of which is to be intollerable: the tour's founder, Henri Desgrange stated that the perfect tour de france route would leave only one man standing. This is a race whose first edition in 1903 started with a 440km overnight stage from Paris to Lyon on fixed gear bikes FFS!
I used to dream that somebody had won the tour clean but now I don't doubt that every one of my heroes - Merckx, Hinault, LeMond, Roche, Pantani had some chemical assistance. In fact I don't believe its possible to win the tour clean and it probably never was.
Days like last friday are like your mum and dad sitting you down and telling you santa claus is a lie...only you kind of knew he was deep down. We've has Hamilton, Millar, Heras and now Basso and Ullrich...the sport is a sick fucking joke and no mistake and you can blame the riders, the team bosses and the UCI but we should also take the blame for being saps for decades and lapping up this fucking circus like a bunch of cretins.
And I'm as guilty as anyone.
At last, into the mountains and a decent stage yesterday, with Leipheimer and Evans (both in my fantasy TdF team) finally getting some points on the board for me. Mayo disappointing once again, which is a shame as have always rated him, and thought his form was better this year.
Playing my jokers on my French riders for today's stage - Bastille day is worth a shot of EPO to any Frenchman...
Slightly off topic - anyone ride the Etape de(du?) Tour this year? Looked like a total sod, finishing with the 21 switchbacks of Alpe D'Huez... Had two mates do it, one got swept at about the halfway point, the other made it in 9 hours.
Playing my jokers on my French riders for today's stage - Bastille day is worth a shot of EPO to any Frenchman...
Slightly off topic - anyone ride the Etape de(du?) Tour this year? Looked like a total sod, finishing with the 21 switchbacks of Alpe D'Huez... Had two mates do it, one got swept at about the halfway point, the other made it in 9 hours.
Ouch, they finished with Alpe D'Huez? Bastards. That's got to hurt.
Yesterday was a great stage. Different from previous years in that we didn't see how the favourites were doing, rather we saw who the favourites were. Landis looked very strong, although his team less so for when the inevitable attacks happen in the Alps. Leipheimer's surely out of it after his TT nightmare. Evans might have a bit left, but Kloden looks a bit dejected. Menchov could be an outside bet with Rasmussen powering him up the mountains.
Yesterday was a great stage. Different from previous years in that we didn't see how the favourites were doing, rather we saw who the favourites were. Landis looked very strong, although his team less so for when the inevitable attacks happen in the Alps. Leipheimer's surely out of it after his TT nightmare. Evans might have a bit left, but Kloden looks a bit dejected. Menchov could be an outside bet with Rasmussen powering him up the mountains.
ScallyWag II
New Member
stavros said:
i think they said the biggest one was 1975/6? imo todays was allowed because phonak aren't so strong so they don't want to be defending the yellow jersey if they don't have to. landis is only a minute and twenty odd seconds down so he's well within reach of getting it back again in the alps
Oh yeah, there's no point in Phonak, T:Mobile, Rabobank, etc busting a gut to catch breakaways who they know are going to bonk like there's no tomorrow when they get to the Alpes. I think Menchov might be one to watch because he can use Rasmussen to pace him up the earlier climbs before he's let go.
mtbskalover
drive,ski,drive,ski
bring on 2morrow, i cant wait, its getting more exciting day by day.
i havent been able to much watch as i have been mountain biking in morzine for near 2 weeks so only caught glimpses when in bars.
but it seems so open so far.
oh and the crashes yesturday.OUCH! get some body armour...
have you all seen the google earth thing you can get off the tour website, plus you can follow a rider each day to check out there heart rate, speed, etc, like in the Giro'
i havent been able to much watch as i have been mountain biking in morzine for near 2 weeks so only caught glimpses when in bars.
but it seems so open so far.
oh and the crashes yesturday.OUCH! get some body armour...
have you all seen the google earth thing you can get off the tour website, plus you can follow a rider each day to check out there heart rate, speed, etc, like in the Giro'
ScallyWag II
New Member
Hmmm, getting interesting today...looks like Landis has cracked on the final climb! Rasmussen looks to have secured the KOM jersey and the stage in another epic ride.
ScallyWag II
New Member
g force said:Wow...Landis has totally blown itRasmussen was awesome, but then he always is!
Sastre looking good, Kloden too.
He was away with two others from the 10k point then on his own for much of it...bloody hell that's a ride and a half, in a Chiapucchi (sp?) and Sesstrierre stylee
looking forward to the highlights tonight
That was a bonking of astronomic proportions. The day before Landis looked very Big Mig-ish being able to live with whatever was thrown at him and today he just blew. His lack of interview suggested something is very wrong.
Tomorrow's the last day the climbers can really attack so I'm expecting to see Menchov and Evans bust a gut. That said we've got the long TT on Saturday.
Tomorrow's the last day the climbers can really attack so I'm expecting to see Menchov and Evans bust a gut. That said we've got the long TT on Saturday.
twistedAM
Left Of The Dial
wish i had a telly!!
landis now 8.35 ahead of the peleton which makes him virtual yellow
kloden'stemmate is with him and kloden has Guerini and Rogers with him but isn't moving...seems to be around 50 klicks betwen the Colobiere and the final (HC) climb of the day but surely the yellow jersey group can;t make much of a dent
meanwhile i had to chuckle at Hinault commenting on Landis's ride as doing 'a Hinault coup"
landis now 8.35 ahead of the peleton which makes him virtual yellow
kloden'stemmate is with him and kloden has Guerini and Rogers with him but isn't moving...seems to be around 50 klicks betwen the Colobiere and the final (HC) climb of the day but surely the yellow jersey group can;t make much of a dent
meanwhile i had to chuckle at Hinault commenting on Landis's ride as doing 'a Hinault coup"
ScallyWag II
New Member
If Landis pulls this off it has to be one of the best come backs ever seen? 9 minutes ahead with 45k to go...amazing
Sigmund Fraud
893 all the way.
twisted said:
I think he's referring to his epic ride in the 1980 Liege-Bastogne-Liege, where 'The Badger' rode through the snow and ice to finish 10 minutes ahead of the no.2 placed man...and to this day has no feeling in two fingers on his left hand as a result
as for Landis, this ranks as one of the greatest ever rides in the tour, incredible; I've never seen anyone claw back as much time as that on the yellow jersey in a single day. Landis is the best time trialler left in the race so 30 seconds is nothing to claw back...chapeau
Bit surprised Millar had a go today. Thought he might save it all for the TT tomorrow. I still expect Landis to do it, and if so this will be both strangest and best TdF I can remember despite losing Ulrich, Basso, Vino and Valverde either before we started or near the beginning.
rubbershoes
not the only raver in the village
Sigmund Fraud said:as for Landis, this ranks as one of the greatest ever rides in the tour, incredible; I've never seen anyone claw back as much time as that on the yellow jersey in a single day. Landis is the best time trialler left in the race so 30 seconds is nothing to claw back...chapeau
without wishing to take anything away from landis' achievement , the other teams fucked it up. if the CEI and CSC bosses had started the chase earlier, landis wiouldn't have got so much tiome
he's going to win overall but i was rather hoping it would be someone else
ScallyWag II
New Member
the other teams did fuck up a bit, but it's refreshing to not have any one dominant team like Discovery were over the last few years. maybe the teams this year just aren't strong enough? and the heat must be a factor, i reckon Riiss et al were banking on Landis blowing up again.
anyway, looking forward to today's TT. it's certainly been the most exciting tour for a long while. if i could write the script for today, it would go something like Landis having a bit of a mare with a few punctures so narrowly doesn't get the win, by a few seconds. Pereiro rides out of his skin and is only a few seconds back. Kloden wins and has a very small margin...nicely setting up a very unusual proper race into Paris, with three, four or even five riders in contention.
Probably won't happen though, and imo it will be a deserved win by Landis if he does it imo, after Thursday's ride.
anyway, looking forward to today's TT. it's certainly been the most exciting tour for a long while. if i could write the script for today, it would go something like Landis having a bit of a mare with a few punctures so narrowly doesn't get the win, by a few seconds. Pereiro rides out of his skin and is only a few seconds back. Kloden wins and has a very small margin...nicely setting up a very unusual proper race into Paris, with three, four or even five riders in contention.
Probably won't happen though, and imo it will be a deserved win by Landis if he does it imo, after Thursday's ride.
It look like Floyd Landis has all but sealed Le Tour 2006 after finishing 3rd in the last time-trial of the race. He was 30 seconds behind Pereiro and after the time trial going into stage 19, but he's got a 59 second lead going into the final stage.
Serhiy Honchar won stage 19 and winning his second time trial win.
Landis regains the yellow jersey
Serhiy Honchar won stage 19 and winning his second time trial win.
Landis regains the yellow jersey
Honchar really should learn to climb because he sure as hell can time trial.
Tip for aspiring American cyclists; get a career and possibly life-threatening injury or medical condition and you will be almost guaranteed to win the TdF. LeMond's gun shot wounds, Armstrong's testicular cancer, and now Landis' three-year old dodgy hip. I tip Stephen Hawking to win next year (he's got an American accent).
Tip for aspiring American cyclists; get a career and possibly life-threatening injury or medical condition and you will be almost guaranteed to win the TdF. LeMond's gun shot wounds, Armstrong's testicular cancer, and now Landis' three-year old dodgy hip. I tip Stephen Hawking to win next year (he's got an American accent).
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