*Official* 2008 Tour de France Thread

[Craig]

35  (+6)   Pickup      (188, +37)
42  (+5)   Mørk        (186, +38)
151 (+157) Mitchell    (169, +63)
202 (+136) Walsh       (163, +63)
209 (+13)  Bowen       (162, +42)
242 (-154) Thomas      (159, +19)
363 (-104) Gray        (136, +21)
369 (+12)  Reddlapalli (133, +49)
382 (+15)  Dwyer       (129, +40)
409 (-83)  Clapham     (118, +15)
436 (-9)   Young        (93, +37)

Nightmare day for Geg - with only Evans and Valverde scoring, he falls well back off the pace. Mitchell and Walsh's GC-heavy sides move into contention, Walsh off the back of seven top tens today. Kirchen meanwhile takes yellow and just about keeps the Norwegian off my back. I need a big lead into the mountains, and with some sprints to come I'd like a bigger gap before we hit the big ones!

Haha good old Ricco, I knew he would pull through for me at some point.

Millar's barely Scottish. Robert Millar was, David Millar was born in Cyprus and speaks non-Scottishly.

Is Isle of Man even in Great Britain? I'm certain it's not counted in the UK, makes a mockery of the GB Cycling Team for mine.

As for Froome, well he's British, in the same way Pietersen is, only he has connections to the Cotswolds, so he's awesome.

Malta

 

[Matteh]

My excuse is that i was drunk...

 

[Neil Pickup]

Seeing as I'm still winning, you get another update.

28  (+7)   Pickup      (213, +25)
79  (-37)  Mørk        (200, +14)
110 (+92)  Walsh       (195, +32)
126 (+83)  Bowen       (193, +31)
133 (+18)  Mitchell    (192, +23)
297 (-55)  Thomas      (168, +9)
310 (+59)  Reddlapalli (165, +32)
349 (+33)  Dwyer       (158, +29)
409 (-46)  Gray        (136, +0)
425 (-16)  Clapham     (129, +11)
429 (+7)   Young       (126, +33)

Steve Young is our stage winner, coming 40th overall - but still languishes in 429th out of 448 overall. Jamee managed a complete washout, as Cadel Evans' 12th was his top finish. Only one team in the whole game selected Luis Léon Sanchez, whilst no one had Jo Jufre, just 18 Stefan Schumacher and only 27 Christian Vandevelde.

 

[headhunter]

Seeing as I'm still winning, you get another update.

28  (+7)   Pickup      (213, +25)
79  (-37)  Mørk        (200, +14)
110 (+92)  Walsh       (195, +32)
126 (+83)  Bowen       (193, +31)
133 (+18)  Mitchell    (192, +23)
297 (-55)  Thomas      (168, +9)
310 (+59)  Reddlapalli (165, +32)
349 (+33)  Dwyer       (158, +29)
409 (-46)  Gray        (136, +0)
425 (-16)  Clapham     (129, +11)
429 (+7)   Young       (126, +33)

Steve Young is our stage winner, coming 40th overall - but still languishes in 429th out of 448 overall. Jamee managed a complete washout, as Cadel Evans' 12th was his top finish. Only one team in the whole game selected Luis Léon Sanchez, whilst no one had Jo Jufre, just 18 Stefan Schumacher and only 27 Christian Vandevelde.

Biggest fluke.

 

[Magrat Garlick]

And Manuel Beltrán wins the "first to be caught doping" in this year's tour.

*shakes head in disbelief*

 

[Matteh]

Just saw that tagged onto the end of the highlights. Boggles the mind as to how he thought he'd get away with it.

 

[Craig]

Beltran - what a douche, but I guess they will never learn will they. But then is this surprising from Liquigas? Danilo Di Luca is about as dodgy as they get (since when can he drop guys like Gilberto Simoni?) and then they went out and signed Ivan Basso.

This should also be their last TdF for quite some time now (not that they would of got in with Basso anyway).

 

[Matteh]

Cavendish wins a bunch sprint from his leadout man Ciolek and Jimmy Casper. Predictably the sprinter heavy teams dominated the day, Pickup moved up to 4th overall with a 45th for the stage. Craig's the big loser of the day, dropping 189 places. First day of the Pyrenees is up tomorrow so the GC heavy teams will in theory be doing well again then.

 4  (+24)  Pickup      (284, +71)
56  (+23)  Mørk        (261, +61)
196 (-63)  Mitchell    (236, +44)
213 (-87)  Bowen       (233, +40)
299 (-189) Walsh       (214, +19)
330 (-33)  Thomas      (204, +36)
376 (-27)  Dwyer       (177, +19)
382 (-72)  Reddlapalli (175, +10)
391 (+18)  Gray        (171, +35)
394 (+31)  Clapham     (168, +39)
433 ( -4)   Young      (132, + 6)

 

[Craig]

I reckon a break will be succesful with a long downhill finish. I will go for Euskatel's Samuel Sanchez to be the winner because if he gets the chance to attack, they will not catch him on the decent, it borders on suicidal. Otherwise I don't think Kirchen will lose the yellow jersey unless he has a shocking day, if it finishes in a small bunch sprint then Valverde would be a certainty to win.

 

[Craig]

Either way, whatever happens I tip the break to consist of at least one to three of David de la Fuente, Sylvain Chavanel, and Thomas Voeckler.

 

[Craig]

Either way, whatever happens I tip the break to consist of at least one to three of David de la Fuente, Sylvain Chavanel, and Thomas Voeckler.

Well I was wrong.

Aleksandr Kuschynski (Liquigas), Sebastian Lang (Gerolsteiner) and Nicolas Jalabert (Agritubel) at 14.20 up the road.

 

[Matteh]

Can't see them hanging on tbh. Guy on 606 on the BBC is tipping Zubeldia which will be a welcome shock for my fantasy team.

 

[Neil Pickup]

Well I'm stunned but I don't see me holding on for much longer when the hilly bits start. Really do need Kirchen to keep hitting the top tens as my number one rider - those 15s are pretty damn useful...

Having looked at the other teams up at the top, I also need Devolder to do something.

EDIT: Well bugger all from today's stage, then. Kirchen finishing 12th was hugely inconsiderate of him. Saying that, no one else is going to get any points as the top ten was filled with randoms as everyone was saving themselves for tomorrow. Game still on!

 

[Matteh]

 6  (- 2)  Pickup      (298, +14)
60  (- 4)  Mørk        (276, +15)
206 (-10)  Mitchell    (251, +15)
242 (-29)  Bowen       (245, +12)
292 (+ 7)  Walsh       (234, +20)
349 (-19)  Thomas      (215, +11)
371 (+ 5)  Dwyer       (200, +23)
399 (-17)  Reddlapalli (187, +12)
412 (-18)  Clapham     (175, + 7)
416 (-25)  Gray        (171, + 0)
421 (+12)   Young      (168, +36)

Ricco went off on his own on the Col d'Aspin, held on to the finish, bunch including all the major players came in about a minute later, would appear that most were saving themselves for a tough day tomorrow.
Young is the best of the CWers today, picking up a 12th for the stage. No huge movers, Clapo overtakes Jamee though. GC heavy teams expecting to dominate tomorrow.

 

[Jungle Jumbo]

Stunning stuff from Ricco on the Aspin today, blows your mind away from someone can just accelerate like that going up such a gradient.

Looks like we might see something from Evans or Valverde tomorrow.

 

[Matteh]

Pfft, 7-10%'s easy.

 

[Craig]

Funnily enough I stayed in both Toulouse and Bagnères de Bigorre last year. Looking forward to the Tourmalet, I rode it last year, absolute **** of a thing. There is zero respite, not even a false flat, you are climbing the whole 7.7% average gradient the whole way. It is not to bad until you get to La Mongie (where Lance Armstrong let Ivan Basso win the stage there in 2004), then it is about 9% for the last 4km which just keeps on going and going and going. Climes to 2114m. Perfect it if you are a sadist.

The desent is very interesting indeed (doing 60km/h not even trying to go quick). Bloody cold as well.

 

[open365]

Great ride from Schleck today, is he a serious contender for the tour now that valverde's out of it?

 

[Matteh]

Two big climbs today saw the GC lot finally sort themselves out. Piepoli, Cobo and F Schleck went off up the road on the final climb, Cobo handed Piepoli the stage with Schleck about 20 odd seconds back. The GC group were a further 90 seconds back or so. Valverde, Schumacher dropped off the back and are basically out of contention barring something special. Cavendish crept in, paced by Eisel and Burghardt, in 169th and last, 34 minutes after Piepoli.

Pickup loses his super high overall ranking and predictably the GC heavy teams of Mitchell and Walsh picked up large gains. A few position changes here and there in a tight midfield. Young closes further on Clapo in the battle for the spoon.

32  (-28)  Pickup      (312, +14)
64  (- 4)  Mørk        (303, +27)
133 (+73)  Mitchell    (288, +37)
232 (+60)  Walsh       (269, +35)
246 (- 4)  Bowen       (267, +22)
366 (+ 5)  Dwyer       (234, +34)
376 (-27)  Thomas      (225, +10)
398 (+ 1)  Reddlapalli (215, +28)
420 (- 4)  Gray        (192, +21)
427 (-15)  Clapham     (185, +10)
430 (- 9)  Young       (183, +15)

 

[Magrat Garlick]

Entertaining stage, that.

1 Cadel Evans (Aus) Silence - Lotto 42.29.09
2 Frank Schleck (Lux) Team CSC - Saxo Bank 0.01
3 Christian Vande Velde (USA) Team Garmin-Chipotle p/b H30 0.38
4 Bernhard Kohl (Aut) Gerolsteiner 0.46
5 Denis Menchov (Rus) Rabobank 0.57
6 Carlos Sastre Candil (Spa) Team CSC - Saxo Bank 1.28
7 Kim Kirchen (Lux) Team Columbia 1.56
8 Juan Jose Cobo Acebo (Spa) Saunier Duval - Scott 2.10
9 Riccardo Riccò (Ita) Saunier Duval - Scott 2.29
10 Vladimir Efimkin (Rus) AG2R La Mondiale 2.32
---
13 Samuel Sanchez Gonzalez (Spa) Euskaltel - Euskadi 4.26
14 Alejandro Valverde Belmonte (Spa) Caisse d'Epargne 4.41
16 Damiano Cunego (Ita) Lampre 5.37
21 Roman Kreuziger (Cze) Liquigas 7.00
22 Andy Schleck (Lux) Team CSC - Saxo Bank 8.34
24 Leonardo Piepoli (Ita) Saunier Duval - Scott 11.27

Vandevelde must surely fall down, fantastic effort today though. Cobo in eighth and looks to be their GC rider. Best Frenchman in 26th. (Y)