Le Tour de France

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Is anyone else watching the centenaire Tour? There have been some spectacular crashes on the first three days. Having had a fractured clavicle, I can't imagine how Tyler Hamilton is going to be able to continue once they hit the mountains.

Go Posties!

 

They apparently destroyed people in the recent team trials so much so that the top 8 spots now belong to USPS riders. From my limited understanding, spotting Lance a minute before the mountains isn't exactly what the competition wanted.

I understand that Simoni was being touted as Lance's main competition but is over 3 minutes behind at the moment in 106th place. Others are saying Ullrich has the potential to make it close but he's a head case so you can't tell what he's going to do.

That's all I know,

[ July 10, 2003, 00:42: Message edited by: Laches ]

 

I'm trying to watch it. It may sound silly, but I haven't got that much sparetime to watch TV.

BTW cycling is great

 

I'm sorry but IMHO tour de france =

 

I've been following the live action online while at the office, the catching the prime-time coverage at home. Knowing yesterday's result in advance didn't take any of the edge off of watching it on TV. The Posties conducted a master class in how to execute a team time trial!

My son loves to see all the bicycles, and especially the motorcycles that accompany the peloton!

 

I cannot wait for the mountains stages ! Lance is unbelievable, though, so I cannot see how anybody could beat him. But, the Tour is still long...
As an aside note, I think it is a shame that Cipollini didn't get invited. Like him or hate him, he is still the world champion, and should belong there !

 

Lance takes the yellow jersey and finishes 3rd in Alpe D'Huez stage more than 6 minutes ahead of Vinrique who was in yellow. Beloki is 32 seconds behind. Ullrich lost 1'24" today.

 

The one I can't believe is Tyler Hamilton - less than two minutes off, with a double fractured collarbone! Amazing.

Too bad (but not unexpected) Petacchi abandoned yesterday. With him around, I wasn't missing Cipollini in the slightest.

 

I was wondering why it was so quiet in the streets overhere. Now i know..... all Dutchies went to the Alp D'huez and had a big party on the mountaintop. The whole place was crawling with drunken nutters in orange.

 

A side benefit of the Tour: my 3 year old son has mastered pedaling in one day! He loves to watch the race.

 

I'm boycotting France.

Thank God that Charles Dickens was a Londonite in '59. I almost had to go back to gems.

Rally, through a few other subtle clues, I take it you were a biker, at some point or another. Could you hack it? Not necessarily timewise, but just the whole course?

Wicked.

 

Hamilton is really giving a lesson to many so-called champions...
I am really sorry for Petacchi, but this guy already won 6 stages at the Giro d'Italia (where he tackled most of the mountains, before taking a fall that cost him 40 days off the bike...). Plus of all the races he competed in this year, out of the 20 stages that ended in a sprint, he won 16. Sort of unbelievable, IMO.
I just say it because I do not think he should be compared to Cipollini (not yet at least... )

 

@ejsmith: If only! The best we've ever done is 500 miles in a week, although we have done some HC climbs. Given 6 months of training and three months to complete the course as a tour we'd probably be able to do it, but there'd be no racing involved.

 

Well, it's game over for Beloki. What a way to leave the Tour. If i'm not mistaken he has broken bones on three different places.

 

Stupid protesters blocked the course today. Silly farmers. They caused Armstrong to be stuck for 20 minutes or so. Luckily the other leaders were in the pack too.

Here is what is ridiculous though: it was ruled a "normal race incident." That is so stupid I don't know where to begin. A bunch of people running out into the middle of the road and forcing you to stop is 'normal' for the Tour? If so those people need to get their act together because if it is normal it shouldn't be.

Edit- anyone see Armstrong swerve off the road and the pic of him with his head on the same level when he had to avoid Beloki? Tres cool.

 

Actually, the peloton was already 20+ minutes down from the breakaway and the protestors cost them only 1 minute 30. Even counting that delay, no one in the breakaway group was even close to Armstrong or Vinokourov. Still, it was a pretty boneheaded call by the officials.

Considering that, Lance should consider himself lucky that he wasn't penalized for his cyclocross manuver yesterday. It was one slick piece of cycling.

What bad luck for Beloki! I hope that crash doesn't cost him his career.

 

From what I've read, and I've no knowledge about cycling, the breakaway group broke away real early in the race and the leaders along with Lance let em because they weren't a real threat to them. The implication was though that without the protesters the group with Lance would've reeled em back in throughout the race.

I was also under the impression from the articles and quotes I read that there wasn't much of chance that Lance would be penalized for cutting through the field since 1) it wasn't intentional, 2) it didn't save him any time. That was from some official or another. Of course, he could've been the guy to decide that protesters in the road is 'normal' too so he could be a bit screwy.

 

Of course they couldn't penalize him, he even took the risk of a flat tire when he manouvered through that field. To be honest, i didn't think his bicycle would come out in one piece, it was quite a bumpy ride. But he really didn't have any other choice than to go in that direction.

It would have been very suspicious if Armstrong was penalized for that imo.

 

After two relatively dull stages, it's finally time trial day! What a performance by Ullrich - I can't wait to see tonight's TV coverage. Looks like there will be a real race over the next week after all.

 

Stick a fork in Lance he is done. Unless, it is a psychological ploy he is using to lull his competitors. However, I do not think so.