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Another hard one to call. Sandy maybe?
Some useful links:
http://live.cyclingnews.com/
http://gaps.letour.fr/us.php
http://data.srmlive.de/TDF/
not Andy Schleck
Cunego has been very quiet...??
i reckon evans ftw (but what do i know 🙂
Schlecks have to show themselves today.
Depends how gets in the break away. Maybe Thor again?
Final descent looks a cracker. Looked like bits of Surrey but on steroids.
at the moment my money is on cadel rather than the shreks - if he had a brother he would be unbeatable
Basso to make up a lot of time here.. it's his kinda stage.
if cadel had a brother - would the brother be the cheerful one?
Have there ever been pro cycling identical twins?
yes, but we've never seen them because they swap each day 😉
yes, but we've never seen them because they swap each day
Each doing a 1.5 weeks tour should make it a fair bit easier.
Half way through every stage, gives up, gets in the back of the team car, then instantly gets back out "feeling much better".
Triplets would be even better..
yeh - just like with the schlecksif cadel had a brother - would the brother be the cheerful one?
would like to see Jeremy Roy win a stage - at some poit in the furure
p.s just say his name in a french accent and it will be fine!
Have there ever been pro cycling identical twins?
Tyler Hamilton has a twin, but it's dead and inside him. Or something like that. It's true though.
hoogerland is feeling better then
Eff me, that's fast descending 😯
would love to do a descent that goes on for 50 😯 😀 minutes!
would love to do a descent that goes on for 50 minutes!
It's getting on for 35 miles that (with a bit of a blip in it) - gives some idea of the speed they're doing! The descent off the Galibier tomorrow should be good too, that's VERY fast.
The scary things are when you go to the mountains, do a climb in 2 hours which they do in 1 hour, and then the descent takes you 25 minutes, and they take about 10 minutes..
What's going on? I can't log into Eurosport player 🙁
That road is narrow, looks like someone's driveway.
Chavanel 😀
Chavanel
Boassen Hagen!
FTFY. 😉
Cuddle is looking so strong this year. Granted, Bertie is handicapped by being held up by that crash on Stage 1, but Cuddle must be feeling this could be his year.
Boasson Hagen! 🙂
Blimey, that's one dark narrow climb!
Here we go! Bertie's attacking! 😀
Voeckler's still in there 🙂
That descent is VERY technical.
/waits for the complaints from Schleck...
Foot out, flat out, just doesn't quite look as stylish on a road bike.
I love how the motorbike is having to give it the beans to keep up 🙂
LOL @ rider going into someones garden.
LOL
What's that lad doing? Visiting friends? 😯 Wrong way son!
Hehe.. fast and loose!
Have these guys never ridden this descent before? 😯
It's like they're doing it blindfolded...
that's scaring the crap out of me just watching on the TV!
Oops.. the same corner claims Voeckler... damn..
Hahaha! That's good drop-off technique.
Nice drop off tommy v
Great win by EBH but this descent is SO exciting!
Come on Tommy!
Bertie's going like a nutter!
Oh 'ello! Voeckler's decided to visit some mates too! Top skilz dem! 😀
Well that was interesting.
Boooo they didn't manage to bin the Schlecks....good day though, tomorrow and Friday are going to be super!
Incredible riding by Voeckler to only lose 26" with 2 very near misses on that descent.
The Schlecks/Evans etc also did well to get back up to Contador. What a cracking final run!
If I ever get to see the TdF, I'm taking some "huck to flat" and "do a whip" signs.
Bertie must be rattled, he's speaking English - hadn't realised he could.
Loved that descent...guessing all the armchair pros from todays other TdF thread might be changing their viewpoints on the Shlecks descending skills now...
Great stuff. Car park excursions especially!
1. VOECKLER Thomas 73h 23' 49"
2. EVANS Cadel + 01' 18"
3. SCHLECK Frank + 01' 22"
4. SCHLECK Andy + 02' 36"
5. SANCHEZ Samuel + 02' 59"
6. CONTADOR Alberto + 03' 15"
It's all about Evans.
Voeckler representing Team Europcarpark
Schlecks didn't descend massively well today, Contador got away from the Schlecks and others in group TT'd together to pull it back in. A Schleck had coughed he doesn't like DH not ARM chair cyclists criticizing he is just whining himself.
Are you defending the arm chair cyclists?
Oggles 😆
I think Bertie will be the kingmaker this year. He's back on fire now, and it'll be all about who can stay with him. He's going to have to take risks now to try to claw back whatever he can, and that will create havoc. And isn't he pretty good at the Time Trial?
I'd love to see Voeckler go all the way, but it does seem that it's Cuddle's to lose, at this stage really.
Not defending arm chair cyclists but it was clear that Contador dropped Schlecks on the descent it wasn't down to Schlecks good descending skills.
How much of a serious contender is Evans this year? Would love to see him win it overall, bit of a hero of mine 😀
They managed to go down the descent quick enough to not lose enough time so that they couldn't keep up. It was a very good descent for them.
It's in the bag for Evans, he's going all the way.
Bertie must be rattled, he's speaking English - hadn't realised he could.
He writes in English too, and better than some on here. 😆
So what was the point of Contador's epic descent if Schlecks catch them on the line having pootled down the hill like a middle-aged Mtber from the UK?
So what was the point of Contador's epic descent if Schlecks catch them on the line having pootled down the hill like a middle-aged Mtber from the UK?
Hindsight is wonderful thing isn't it.
You might equally ask what was the point of any of his attacks on the climb.
Jedi! Nip over and tell them about countersteering, will you?
Schlecks were in a bigger group therefore easier to TT it in to the finish. Contador and Sanchez on their own were never going to win that one. Besides, it was only a 5km descent, time gaps aren't going to be massive - Voeckler left the road twice and he still only lost 26" to Evans/Schlecks/Contador.
brilliant descent! sanchez getting all endo
So what was the point of Contador's epic descent if Schlecks catch them on the line having pootled down the hill like a middle-aged Mtber from the UK?
The point would have been to get a gap, maybe force one of the GC contenders to make mistake which Voeckler did. Sanchez and Contador descended very, very well and they certainly looked to have got the gap at the bottom of the hill. What didn't work in AC/SS favour was that the group behind got organised and rode an TTT to the finish to close the gap.
AC has to try and take time at every opportunity, some will work some won't and it's quite possible that he may even lose time by overcooking it at some point. But he has to try.
aracer - Member
You might equally ask what was the point of any of his attacks on the climb.
Ok, I will...what was the point of any of Contadors attacks on the climb?
And 2 other points: Cav claiming the slow climbers put 4/5 mins into the leaders on descents in order to miss the cut off. And the polka dot leader(Belgian guy can't recall his name) has a helmet tan to match his jersey...
Thank you Muppetwrangler...for answering an ignorant fools question(mine)
Cav claiming the slow climbers put 4/5 mins into the leaders on descents in order to miss the cut off.
It's possible I guess, but sounds a bit unlikely. I think a lot of the slower climbers are very good at descending though.
Ok, I will...what was the point of any of Contadors attacks on the climb?
He's testing the waters, seeing how the riders around him are going and seeing if anyone is having an off day. If he has a little dig for a couple of hundred metres and someone can't follow he knows it worth sustaining the attack.
The approach is a little hopeful but the tactics are forced upon him by having a poor first half of the tour and needing to make up a fair amount of time with limited opportunities left to do it.
AC showing some DH skillz there. Been watching the last few days (don't normally) and a bit dissappointed none of the contendors have been putting in a big effort to break away, but I guess you gotta play it safe and not blow your load on one stage.
PS what happens if AC wins the TdF then gets found guilty of doping in the ongoing case?
PS what happens if AC wins the TdF then gets found guilty of doping in the ongoing case?
Lots of people (including me) will say "I told you so", and the win goes to 2nd place.
what happens if AC wins the TdF then gets found guilty of doping in the ongoing case?
He makes history as the first person to be disqualified from winning two years in a row.
(was going to FTFY by changing "if" to "when", but realised he's got to win this year first which isn't even looking the most likely result).
PS what happens if AC wins the TdF then gets found guilty of doping in the ongoing case?
He would lose his two TdF wins plus his Giro win.
if he gets within a few seconds of winning in the next cpl of stages it's gonna be squeaky bum time for someone at UCIbut realised he's got to win this year first which isn't even looking the most likely result
was more worried about the fallout media wise and the general publics perception of cycling. Not that a few drug cases seems to overly worry other sports.the win goes to 2nd place.
if he gets within a few seconds of winning in the next cpl of stages it's gonna be squeaky bum time for someone at UCI
Isn't it out of the hands of the UCI now? Thought it was squarely with the court of arbitration for sport at this stage. UCI president has already gone on record as saying that they don't believe the beef story, but if CAS find in Contador's favour that the case is closed and the sport will move on with him as a part of it.
That must have been a great 3k team time trial for that lot to get back on terms.