The official Le Tour thread...spoilers may be in here - Page 5

Quote:

Originally Posted by newfydog 

Yesterday was a great stage.  We spotted my niece standing by the road.  She is working on an archaeological site and the tour came right by them.

 

 

We tasted a Crematte de Limoux side my side with a Blanquette de Limoux and the Crematte won fair and square.  The Blanquette got dumped over the free range chicken and cooked.  I would like to do the same with the "Pistolero".

 

Free-Range Chicken with Champagne (from The French Vineyard Table, page 38)

That had to be a thrill.

We are tracking the exploits of close friends who are touring and pre-riding the stages.  I’m carefully reviewing VS Tour Tracker to spot them as we read of their exploits on FB.  Betsy and I have 5 year goal to be there doing same…sampling what you’re cooking btw... 

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rossi Smash 

Here we go again.......

I know…and it’s moving past its once novel entertainment for me.    Sure it’s tempting to engage...however unfair.  I’ll spot another 25 years worth of experience then bump this for a fair discord  

Quote:

Originally Posted by DonDenver 

Quote:

That had to be a thrill.

 

We are tracking the exploits of close friends who are touring and pre-riding the stages.  I’m carefully reviewing VS Tour Tracker to spot them as we read of their exploits on FB.  Betsy and I have 5 year goal to be there doing same…sampling what you’re cooking btw... 

 

I know…and it’s moving past its once novel entertainment for me.    Sure it’s tempting to engage...however unfair.  I’ll spot another 25 years worth of BIAS then bump this for a fair discord  

 

Fixed it for you.

SRAM sure has won a lot of races this year. Don't know what the bias is.
 

Quote:

Originally Posted by ecimmortal 

 

Fixed it for you.

 

SRAM sure has won a lot of races this year. Don't know what the bias is.
 

put any kit (read pay them) under enough of the best riders on the planet and you'll get those wins.....

don't think this somehow equates to it proving it is superior to other gear however

From velonews  (I think):

Cervélo team owner Gerard Vroomen had this to say on Twitter: “Contador just gained a great chance to win, but he lost the chance to win greatly.”

And Garmin-Transitions’ Robbie Hunter, said this on Twitter: “If Contador had waited he would have won the heart of the world. Like this he got a yellow jersey on his back, but it’s always gonna be a (question mark).”

It will be very hard (if he wins) for Contador to say he won because he is the best rider on the tour this year.  I'm pretty much unimpressed.  It makes me think that if Contador had dropped his chain, he would have grabbed the nearest competitor, knocked him off his bike, and stole the bike.

Twitter is for twits.

It's funny. A sport that most fans believe everyone involved is cheating. Taking advantage of another rider's technical error is considered unethical. OK. Whatever. The white boy fucked up. Get over it.

Here's a Tour Trivia story I'll put in for Rossi.

You might have seen the big murals of great cyclists on todays stage.  Paul Sherwin said he'd seen them six times this tour.

Back in May we were mountain biking through the tiny French town of Aureille, when a guy came running up to me.  I was wearing an old Trek-US Postal jersey, and he said he had a petit museum of cycling, and he needed my jersey.  Would I trade it for a French one?

He brought us into his house, and I could not believe what I found.  He and his wife have no room to live, but they have a heck of a cycling collection.

They are artists, and paint cyclists.

We swapped jerseys and emails.  When I got home, I sent him a Motorola team jersey which had belonged to Steve Larsen.  He right away recognised it a the jersey of Armstrongs team the year he won the worlds, and Hampstem won on Alpe d'Huez.  In return, he sent me a pile of old bike magazines.

Quote:

Originally Posted by ecimmortal 

Fixed it for you.

 

SRAM sure has won a lot of races this year. Don't know what the bias is.
 

Whoa Trigger; before you “fix” anything of mine at least notice the sarcasm and wink emoticons used insofar as SRAM post.  There is no bias with respect to component groups; the joke is…there is for some.  Frankly, only a Fred thinks component groups win races or for that matter the brand of bicycle does.  Pro’s ride what is sponsored.  You ride what is sold to you.

Fun fact:  Out of the 22 teams in this year’s TdF the component groups used are…

Campagnolo 8 teams

Shimano 7 teams

SRAM 7 teams*

*please note that these teams will fail  

Quote:

Originally Posted by BushwackerinPA 

.........

 

Curious have you spent real time working on and riding on the SRAM stuff? because if not your opinion doenst matter. 

 

youd be hard pressed to find a non sponsored racer who has used different grouppos not riding SRAM.

Quote:

Originally Posted by DonDenver 

........

 

Fun fact:  Out of the 22 teams in this year’s TdF the component groups used are…

Campagnolo 8 teams

Shimano 7 teams

SRAM 7 teams*

 

*please note that these teams will fail  

 

And it also looks like 2/3rds of the peleton are doing it for fun.

Quote:

Originally Posted by weems 

It will be very hard (if he wins) for Contador to say he won because he is the best rider on the tour this year.  I'm pretty much unimpressed.  It makes me think that if Contador had dropped his chain, he would have grabbed the nearest competitor, knocked him off his bike, and stole the bike.

Let's wait till Saturday, when he will beat Schleck for 2mins. Will these few second count then? Oh yes I agree... it would be all different otherwise ;) Personally I don't see problem with this what Contador did. Saxo did same in 3rd stage, when half of peloton was on ground and Cancellara attacked and dragged Schleck infront of everyone. Stage 2 might look like fair thing to do, but for real, it was Saxo tactic again. Cancellara closed race so both Schlecks could catch up group. Now when Contador didn't wait for Schleck it's all wrong. Well it's racing. If you don't know how to change gears, it's your problem. Besides... Schleck attacked when he saw Contador was closed in middle of group. Fair? ;)
 

Here's Zinn's theory on what happened to Schleck - http://velonews.competitor.com/2010/07/news/technical-qa-with-lennard-zinn-why-did-schlecks-chain-come-off_130090

My theory, he borrowed Cancellara's motor and it locked up causing his chain to fall off. If you put on your tin foil hat and watch the video in super slo-mo you can see how he moves his fingers just so before the failure.

If you thought Schleck's "stomach was full of anger", how about Roche? http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/roche-furious-at-gadret-for-not-helping-with-tyre

Quote:

Originally Posted by epic 

If you thought Schleck's "stomach was full of anger", how about Roche? http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/roche-furious-at-gadret-for-not-helping-with-tyre

I particularly liked that read epic.  At first humorous it does remind me that there is always an individual be it a teammate, co-worker or for that matter family member that will run contrary to plan…and often at the most critical of moments.

Roche did well not to ultimately make him the last issue letting his team manager sort things out:

 “Although I wanted to smash his head in, and had visions of a baldy French climber exiting through the windscreen, I let Vincent do his job as team manager and said nothing.”

_____

I was surprised with my excitement finding LAnce today in the breakaway today even though I’m tired of LA Nation and the looming Trials that won't be preceded with “Time” but could end with such . 

Nevertheless while age has handicapped him like a brake pad brushing a rim all day there was an instant when I thought [hoped] he could have broke left and pulled off a 'Cav-like' sprint to the finish.  Nice work Lance and thanks for leading out all the American talent that’s been on your wheel   

http://www.bicycling.com/tour-de-france/tour-features/saying-no-sag-wagon

awesome story 

That's an amazing story, Josh.  Gotta love that spirit.

Mike

Jens Voigt = 

A good story from '89. This could never happen today.

Picture this:  Jens is screaming down a mountain, runs off the road, and crashes into Bob Peters skiing the last patch of July snow.

I don't know who would come out on top, but I fear the collision would mark the end of the world as we know it.

Quote:

Originally Posted by newfydog 

Picture this:  Jens is screaming down a mountain, runs off the road, and crashes into Bob Peters skiing the last patch of July snow.

 

I don't know who would come out on top, but I fear the collision would mark the end of the world as we know it.

Jens doesnt get road rash, the road gets Jens rash.

Quote:

Originally Posted by BushwackerinPA 

Jens doesnt get road rash, the road gets Jens rash.

umm wasn't that in post 135, just above this?
 

Quote:

Originally Posted by newfydog 

Picture this:  Jens is screaming down a mountain, runs off the road, and crashes into Bob Peters skiing the last patch of July snow.

 

I don't know who would come out on top, but I fear the collision would mark the end of the world as we know it.

something like this....

Quote:

Originally Posted by newfydog 

umm wasn't that in post 135, just above this?
 

oh wow, posted with out reading everyone posts...yes it is.

Now Col du Tourmalet and 11.6 mile segment @ ave. gradient of 7.5%

Go Andy…bank 98 seconds and pray for AC TT fail

AS   AC

            PAIN 

As Chris Walken would say...

   "Wowee Wow Wow Wow!!"

What a battle to the top!

Quote:

Originally Posted by jc-ski 

As Chris Walken would say...

 

   "Wowee Wow Wow Wow!!"

 

What a battle to the top!

 

 

Worst.....tour.....ever.

Good thing I have my fond memories of the Giro to get me by till the start of the Vuelta.

The Queen stage of the tour looked more like the drunken prom queen. Thoroughly...Meh.
 

Quote:

Originally Posted by jc-ski 

As Chris Walken would say...

 

   "Wowee Wow Wow Wow!!"

 

What a battle to the top!

 

Great race!  I’m right there with you. 

 

Those that know how special you have to be too separate from top tier racers on a climb like that appreciate being able to watch the final shoulder to shoulder battle on this particular Col.

 

I knew immediately we were in for a treat when watching Cancellara dig deep pushing his big body at limit taking his turn pulling that line.

 

Certainly the best of class was sorted out riding up that hellish wall.

 

Surprise for me; I did not anticipate AC showing such class for the AS stage.  AC…tour King and sportsmen of the year? 

 

Quote:

Originally Posted by UGASkiDawg 

I love the Giro but this the greatest bicycle race on earth by a large margin. 

 

Yes the Giro, a couple of classics and even the Tour of California is gaining ground for me.  But TdF is King.  What a year with some new talent and some 30+’s surprising.  And wtf?  Canada?!  Are you kidding me?  And finally host France has some stages to cheer for.  Fun ride so far this tour.   

Quote:

Originally Posted by UGASkiDawg 

+1

 

 

Andy did his best and it wasn't good enough.....the rivalry between these two will be EPIC over the next few years!


 

 

Yeah watching inferior riders in inferior shape is always the best

 

I love the Giro but this the greatest bicycle race on earth by a large margin. 

 

I'm a cycling fan, not a TdF fan. I don't think the field in the Giro was inferior at all. It was full of people who actually race all year round. Racer's who want to win all the time, not just pussyfoot around in events like the ToC, and only really target 1 race a year.

There was no battle today on the queen stage of the Tourmalet. Andy Schleck gave up, and was content to take second in the tour and the gift of the stage victory. After the race AC threw a big wink to AS. I saw it twice on eurosport. The Tour was decided in a gentemans agreement midway up the Tourmalet, not in an all out battle to see who was better. AS was not even remotely worried about Contador pipping him at the line.

 

By his own admission he's done now, but LA obviously still has some top tier cycling chops. Can't help but wonder if he hadn't had that disastrous first Sunday, which effectively knocked him out of the running, is there any chance in Hell he would've been able to hang with AC/AS and make this a three-way competition?

I know he had another year tick by, but he also had that year to focus and train thoroughly, and I had really been looking forward to seeing if he could still give the younguns a run for their money.

What do you think?