Tour de France 2011 Thread

[Stapel]

I keep reading talk that Cavendish is headed for Sky next year.

Why on earth would he want to leave HTC when a team rides like that for him?

He won't leave HTC. No chance.

I haven't heared these rumours, but.......

On a critical note, the two stages where Cav just missed it, he was simply not dropped off near the finish line as he should have been. The fact he got to 2nd and 5th places in those sprints, is because he is so ridiculously good!

Tuesday, the HTC-train was seriously derailed by the Omega Pharam - Lotto team. Cavendish was not, as yesterday, put to front by Mark Renshaw, at 200 metres from the line.
During the 3rd stage, the HTC team simply failed to do anyhting right, though team Garmin deserves some credit for their work.

 

[Magrat Garlick]

The Schleck-attack tactic works, somewhat.

Was always Fränk that was going to be let off, though. Interesting developments and an exciting stage, but the GC will probably be decided by how much was lost in the falls.

 

[PhoenixFire]

Frank and Evans both looking very strong, really hope Evans can go for the overall win; I love the bloke. Doesn't look like a cyclist at all, but manages to be up there all the time.

So proud of Thomas though, magnificent ride and leading the tour over the Tourmalet is a great effort. Hopefully a GC contender for the future.

 

[Magrat Garlick]

Hopefully a GC contender for the future.

Also, Chris Woakes to lead the batting averages for England, Edvald Boasson Hagen to win multiple Grand Tours, and Chris Smalling to become top scorer for Man Utd.

 

[PhoenixFire]

 

[Magrat Garlick]

Congrats on missing the point. Again.

He's a good talent with lots of power but too heavy and too sprintery muscle fibres to win GCs. Will do well in classics and sprints. Which is why he tried the long breakaway.

 

[PhoenixFire]

Lol, I knew you were probably right, but cbf'd arguing so I posted the generic response to an anti British Hakon cycling post.

I can hope though

 

[Magrat Garlick]

Classics are a hell of a lot more fun than TdF to be fair. Basically like the good stages.

If you want a GC hope your best bet is probably Peter Kennaugh.

 

[weeman27bob]

At what point should Andy Schleck start to help Frank and give up on his own hopes of winning?

 

[biased indian]

Have couple of question
one regarding the money in cycling..are the winners of Tdf paid well or is all the money coming from the team that the cyclist is in...

and how far the schleck brothers need to stretch their lead ..if i am correct evans and contodor are better at TT than both the brothers rt ?

 

[weeman27bob]

Have couple of question
one regarding the money in cycling..are the winners of Tdf paid well or is all the money coming from the team that the cyclist is in...

and how far the schleck brothers need to stretch their lead ..if i am correct evans and contodor are better at TT than both the brothers rt ?

The prize money is € 450,000 for the outright winner.

I'm probably not the best to answer the other question, but I'll give it a shot. In order, Contador, then Evans, then Andy and then Frank are the best at TT. In last years TT of around similar length, Contador took 31 seconds off Andy who rode close to out of his skin. Frank was out of the race by this point, and looking at the results, Evans probably crashed.

So it's difficult to speculate, but anything over two minutes and the Schlecks should be fine.

 

[Magrat Garlick]

Sounds accurate imo. Though Contador doesn't seem to be in top form and that will count against his TT, and Evans was a beast in the Team TT.

Traditionally, prize money is split equally between all team mates - stars earn their money through contracts and endorsements.

On an unrelated note, Frank was two minutes slower up LuzArdiden than Armstrong in '03

 

[Neil Pickup]

Indurain wasn't exactly little, was he?

If Geraint can go from the Lanterne Rouge waste of space to actually-quite-good in three years, who knows?

 

[PhoenixFire]

On an unrelated note, Frank was two minutes slower up LuzArdiden than Armstrong in '03

How did the rest of the stage differ tho? Did Lance have to go up the Tourmalet beforehand?

I always thought that Evans was quite a lot stronger than any of the other main GC contender in the TT.

 

[Spikey]

i don't think anyone saw this happening

 

[Magrat Garlick]

Always had a tiny, tiny hope.

Stuff sprints.

 

[Magrat Garlick]

How did the rest of the stage differ tho? Did Lance have to go up the Tourmalet beforehand?

I always thought that Evans was quite a lot stronger than any of the other main GC contender in the TT.

Another day in the Hautes-Pyrenees. The 159.5 km stage had three big climbs, the category one Col d'Aspin at 94 km, the famous hors categorie Col du Tourmalet at 124 km and finally a hors categorie finish at Luz-Ardiden. These were the last hors categorie climbs on the 2003 Tour.

 

[Spikey]

Play time is over; looking forward to this climb

 

[Neil Pickup]

How is Voeckler staying with Schleck? What's going to be in his piss? How sad is it that we have to think like that?

 

[weeman27bob]

I wish Cadel Evans would attack. All he ever does is sit on someone's back wheel.