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Le Tour 2011.

D

demorier

Charter Member
Watched stage 1 last night. Contador and at least 1 of the Schlek brothers got nailed about 9km from home in the middle of the crash...and then another at about 4km to go....put those 2 top contenders about 1'20" behind the winner. Played into the favour of our man Evans.

Early days yet...lots can happen.
 
Andy got lucky, so did Levi Leipheimer. Both were stall in the crash 2 K from the finish and the ruling is that any group wreck inside 3 K gets the same time as the bunch group, so both only lost 6-seconds to Gilbert.

Garmin-Cervelo look to be already on top in the TTT.

Caz
 
Since it is only the first stage anything can happen. I would expect Contador to win it again this year, although it does look like there are a lot of good contenders. I actually wanted Andy Schlek to win last year, but that wound up not being the case. Just have to wait and see what the next few stages bring.
 
Well, it is not likely Contador is going to gain any of the 1:40+ he is behind the leading contenders until the mountains next week. And his SAXO Bank team is not the same with over half of the original team splintering over to the Schleck brothers Leopard-Trek team. So Contador is without any good team as the Team Time Trial revealed today. He will have to be at his very best, ecause there are at least three teams that are going to attack him in the mountains, BMC, Leopard-Trek, and Radio Shack.

Contador has his work cut out this tour and if he does catch up and eventually win, he will truly prove the champion he is.

Caz
 
Can't believe they are still stuffing about and still have not finalised a ruling on Contador's positive drug test about a month after last years tour....stupidity.
 
1'40" is not much in the mointains and I have seen Contador doing quite impressive things already this year. In my opinion Evans is the best follower and might have the best cards now.....

However it promises to be an interesting Tour again!

Huub
 
As far as I can make out both Schlek brothers are still quite close to the leading times....could be there year when they reach the mountains.

I thought they were going to do away with the radios on the riders this year.???
 
Andy and Frank are both just 4-seconds in arrears after the TTT and Stage 3. Andy got lucky on Monday, he was caught up in the second accident before the finish. But it was inside the 3K ruling, so he only lost 6-seconds. Contador's incident happened 5K from the finish, so he had to suffer the loss of the full time. Today is a steeper and longer mountain top finish, so the 3K rule is nil, as it always is on mountain finishes.

It is raining on the tour today, which is set to start in about an hour. Knowing how the first week of the tour is, I expect many crashes in the wet. I wouldn't mind seeing either Andy or Frank in Yellow, but Adny's TT ability is coming along better and Frank just cannot TT, so Andy is the choice. I would like to see them get back at both Contador and Saxo Bank at the same time. But being an American, you know I am pulling for Levi and The Shack. Cadel and BMC (an American team) would be my second choice, I have always liked Cadel, he's one gritty bloke.

Caz
 
huub vink said:
1'40" is not much in the mointains and I have seen Contador doing quite impressive things already this year. In my opinion Evans is the best follower and might have the best cards now.....

However it promises to be an interesting Tour again!

Huub
Click to expand...

Not much when one has a team behind him, but Saxo Bank is not the same Saxo Bank team of the past. Gone are the Schlecks, Cancellara, and my favorite cyclist Jens Voight. And three teams are out to circle Contador and tire him: Radio Shack, Leopared-Trek, and BMC. Alberto Contador is a hunted man and after last years high jinks when Andy threw his chain, no one is going to give Contador a second chance should he have a mechanical or an accident. They will instantly attack and make up as much time as they can on Contodor, regards of how far into the stage race they are.

This will be a closely contested Tour and I predict that Alberto Contador will not even make the podium!

Caz
 
Hooray for Cadel!! :applause::applause::applause:

But Contador put out a flyer that he is going to attack on the climbs. Thor rode a magnificent ride to hold his yellow, I reckon for the next three days at least.

Caz
 
I can see how the riders manage a so called 'natural break', in others words a p*** stop. But how do the riders manage things when they really need a number 2 during a race ???

Real crashaton during the Wednesday stage.
 
It has been an unreal first week in the tour. Ferry, it does look that way. But the true heads of state are still together. What a move by Thomas Voeckler today. I knew he would ride into yellow when the leading five got a seven minute advantage. I told the two people watching the tour with me that the break will make it today. I think if there were any fairness, Flecha and Hoogerland should have been given the same time as Sandy Cesar, the third place rider in the breakaway. What a stupid driver of that media car!

Now the race is now set for Thursday, when the true heads of state will attack the Col du Tormelet and finish atop Luz-Ardiden. Voeckler will kiss his yellow goodby and one of the Schlecks, Contador, Cadel Evens, or possibly Andres Kloden will wear the famed jersey. What a tour for Phillippe Gilbert, he has the Jens Voight spirit, my kind of bike racer. If only he could climb the high cols.

It has been and most interesting and devastating Tour de France, with four of the eighteen abandoned riders being team leaders; Brajkovic, Wiggins, Van Der Broeck, and Vinokourov. I need a rest day as much as the racers. :guinness:

Caz
 
Just hope for the sake of the spectators everywhere (and riders of course) that no more of the top contenders gets wiped out...kind of like to see them battle it out to the finish.
 
Who's going to get impatient first and try busting away amongst the top contenders. Just been sitting there eyeing each other off trying to stay out of trouble.

Big mountains coming soon.
 
Dreadful weather in the south of France today, frog strangling rain in some areas. Yet there were no crashes, hooray. As usual, Cavendish at his trade. But I am reckoning Mark would be lost without the other Mark, Renshaw. What a lead out man, Cavendish sure missed him yesterday.

Tomorrow the mountains, the Tourmalet will separate the field but not the leaders of the pack, that will be decided on Luz-Ardiden. I think Leopard-Trek and BMC may test Saxobank tomorrow, Radio Shack still have Kloden, but he is on his own, the team is fragmented.

Phillippe Gilbert has been nothing short of magnificent in supplying us with a modern day Sean Kelly. But today he saw his green jersey switch shoulders over to Mark Cavendish, with Rojas moving up to second, 2 points behind Cavendish. But he, above all other riders, save maybe Jonny Hoogerland, has inspired me in this year's tour. I expect Jonny will see his polka dots disappear tomorrow, but what a freshman tour and courageous ride he has done the past two days, since that idiot in the media car sent him flying into the barbed wire.

I took a Tour de Sweat this morning, 25 miles (2 on single-track off road), temperature 79 F at start, 83 F at finish, humidity 95%. I reached cap saturation by 10 miles! I was totally drenched in sweat by return; glad I opted to take two water bottles this AM.

Caz
 
You're a lot fitter man than me these days C...more power to you.

Over this way we are getting the last 2 and a half hours of racing live from about 10:30pm each night. Finding it difficult to stay awake for the live broadcast in the early hours.

Mountains tonight...gotta stay awake for that.
 
Cazzie said:
I took a Tour de Sweat this morning, 25 miles (2 on single-track off road), temperature 79 F at start, 83 F at finish, humidity 95%. I reached cap saturation by 10 miles! I was totally drenched in sweat by return; glad I opted to take two water bottles this AM.

Caz
Click to expand...

This is why I like cycling here. I did about 39 miles this morning but the temperature was in the mid 60's the whole time.
 
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