*Official* 2008 Tour de France Thread

[Chubb]

I think it's so cool that a small country like Luxembourg could have 3 of the best riders on this tour. It was a fantastic stage today, I was trying to explain to my housemates what was going on but they kept getting lost.

 

[Craig]

I think days like today showed me why the likes of Valverde and Cunego will never win the Tour. Dire TT ability aside, they simply do not have the consistentcy required to try and win the Tour de France, and nor can you be weak in the Pyrennes but shine in the Alps (which is the case of Valverde). Not surprised Kirchen lost time, he has had a fantastic ride thus far. Depending on how keen he is, he would be a good bet for the Green Jersey or let Thor Hushovd go for it, since Freire won't make it to Paris.

 

[Craig]

Moisés Dueñas of Barloworld fails a test for erythropoietin. They simply do not and will not get it. You sir are a bigger douche then Mohammad Asif, and that is frankly quite an achievement.

 

[Matteh]

Should start branding these people's foreheads with the word moron.

 

[Magrat Garlick]

Haha, vote on Norwegian paper (after Dueñas)

"Do you think there will be more doping cases in this year's tour?"

Yes: 97.5 %

 

[Magrat Garlick]

Arveseeeeen!!! (wins a breakaway)

Finally gets his first Tour stage. Beats Ballan & Elmiger to do so. What a bloke.

 

[Matteh]

Did we all just get 0pts, have a feeling we have.

 

[Magrat Garlick]

Did we all just get 0pts, have a feeling we have.

Nah, Clapo & HH sneaked in points for Pozzato.

 

[Matteh]

35  (- 3)  Pickup      (312, + 0)
69  (- 5)  Mørk        (303, + 0)
141 (- 8)  Mitchell    (288, + 0)
241 (- 9)  Walsh       (269, + 0)
252 (- 6)  Bowen       (267, + 0)
369 (- 3)  Dwyer       (234, + 0)
381 (- 5)  Thomas      (225, + 0)
399 (- 1)  Reddlapalli (215, + 0)
422 (- 2)  Gray        (192, + 0)
423 (- 9)  Young       (191, + 8)
427 (+-0)  Clapham     (189, + 4)

Mass break sees only the bottom two score points, Young moves off the bottom too. Arvesen won ahead of Ballan and Elmiger, with the rest of the break filtering in behind them. Cadel stays in yellow.

 

[headhunter]

Wahey off the bottom

 

[Matteh]

Credit where it's due, you got a 36th for the stage too.

 

[headhunter]

I'd be happy to take it too, if my team wasn't totally rondom after the first 5 or so picks

 

[Matteh]

The fact it's random is why you're getting some high stage finishes. Everyone near the top has more or less the same team to be perfectly honest..

 

[headhunter]

Sweet

 

[Craig]

Arveseeeeen!!! (wins a breakaway)

Finally gets his first Tour stage. Beats Ballan & Elmiger to do so. What a bloke.

And up against some quality blokes as well. Mind you Arvesen was once beaten in a two-up sprint by Paolo Savoldelli.

Reckon tonight will be one for the sprinters but there is a small climb not far before the finish, so it might be one for somebody to attack and TT to the finish line. If it is a bunch sprint then either Hushovd or Freire to win.

 

[Magrat Garlick]

Riccó & Saunier Duval out too...not entirely unexpected, I have to admit. Was too good to be true.

 

[Craig]

Ricco follows the lead of Beltran and Duanes. Ricco has always had a natural high hematocrit level. Call the whole bloody thing off as far as I am concerned. The only credit is that Saunier Duval has pulled themselves out of the race.

Looks like karma has come back to bite Ricco on the arse. In the past he has called Paolo Bettini a vegetable, Filipo Pozzato a 'champion with a small 'c'', looks like he is the former and the later, except the champion bit.

 

[Craig]

Riccó & Saunier Duval out too...not entirely unexpected, I have to admit. Was too good to be true.

Especially the Piepoli and Cobo 1 & 2 the other day. I mean seeing guys like Evans, Menchov, and Kirchen and the pain on their faces you see the strain and the wondering "what the hell am I doing here" and yet they treated it like a leasurely bike ride

 

[Matteh]

Just found out. **** me such a douche. Credit to Saunier Duval for withdrawing though, after making a mockery of le Tour i don't see how you could stay.

Makes the positions of Liquigas and Barloworld slightly untenable.

 

[Magrat Garlick]

Just found out. **** me such a douche. Credit to Saunier Duval for withdrawing though, after making a mockery of le Tour i don't see how you could stay.

Makes the positions of Liquigas and the other one (can't quite remember) slightly untenable.

Barloworld. With the Cirencester Kenyan.