Pro Cycling Thread

[Johnners]

Ouch, what happens if someone from the crowd pushes the rider along? Phil Ligget mentioned disqualification when it happened to Landaluze yesterday.

 

[JBMAC]

Fair ride from Gerdemann on that stage, i didn't think he was going to hold on when he was about 1km away from the Summit. Also, does anyone else get annoyed when watching the crowd leave so little room for the riders when they were climbing? Surely that has to be distracting for the riders....

Did anyone have him in their team for internet game?

 

[JBMAC]

Will Be Missed

Freire bows out with saddle soreness
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Former three-time world champion Oscar Freire has bowed out of the Tour de France due to an ongoing cyst problem on his backside.

Rabobank sprinter Freire finished second on Friday's sixth stage behind Belgian Tom Boonen, claiming his second runner-up place on this year's race.

However the Spaniard, who is hoping to win a record fourth world title in Stuttgart, Germany in September, decided not to start the seventh stage, the first of two consecutive days in the Alps.

Freire had a fantastic Tour campaign last year, winning two stages and placing in the top ten on a number of occasions.

But with three days in the mountains beginning Saturday, and relatively few chances for stage victories afterwards, the 29-year-old decided to quit.

"I've had the problem treated before in the hospital, but maybe this time I'll change tack and just go home and rest," said Freire, who began the Tour de France despite being aware of a recurrence of the problem.

Monday is the Tour's first rest day.

 

[Craig]

Ouch, what happens if someone from the crowd pushes the rider along? Phil Ligget mentioned disqualification when it happened to Landaluze yesterday.

Fine at first.

 

[Johnners]

ah rightio, thought it was a bit harsh being disqualified straight up, i suppose if it happens again though time penalties and dnq will follow?

Also, fair effort from Vino & Kloeden to ride through their injuries and keep themselves in with a shot at winning.

 

[Craig]

ah rightio, thought it was a bit harsh being disqualified straight up, i suppose if it happens again though time penalties and dnq will follow?

Also, fair effort from Vino & Kloeden to ride through their injuries and keep themselves in with a shot at winning.

Yeah. They fine guys who go back to the car to get bottles and hold on just that little bit longer.

 

[Craig]

20 riders have got into a dangerous break with Mick Rogers, George Hincapie and Yaroslav Popovych.

The break as follows: Thomas Voeckler (Bouygues Telecom), George Hincapie (Discovery Channel), Stefan Schumacher and Bernhard Kohl (Gerolsteiner), Jens Voigt (Team CSC), Michael Rogers (T-Mobile), Frederik Willems (Liquigas), Benoît Vaugrenard (Française Des Jeux), Mario Aerts (Predictor-Lotto), Gorka Verdugo (Euskaltel-Euskadi), José Luis Arrieta (Ag2r Prévoyance), Iván Gutiérrez (Caisse d'Epargne), David Millar (Saunier Duval-Prodir), Lilian Jegou (Française Des Jeux), Frederik Willems (Liquigas), Cristian Moreni (Cofidis), Stéphane Augé (Cofidis), José Luis Arrieta (Ag2r Prévoyance), Stéphane Goubert (Ag2r Prévoyance), Antonio Colom (Astana)

Cavendish has abandoned anyway after a series of crashes. Look it was too early to bring him in, starting in London or not. Hammond would of been better.

 

[Chubb]

Rogers retires in tears....

 

[Neil Pickup]

That looked like it damn well hurt. Great ride from Rasmussen, and Mayo looks dangerous too.

As for Astana - well, your team orders appear to have messed up Kloden's tour on account of Vinokourov still being less than 100% fit...

 

[Matteh]

Cavendish has abandoned anyway after a series of crashes. Look it was too early to bring him in, starting in London or not. Hammond would of been better.

Better sprinter as well IMO.

 

[Matteh]

After Stage 8:

Håkon Mørk 293 (19th) [18]
Mathew Mitchell 260 (127th) [21]
Neil Pickup 232 (248th) [15]
Manjunath Reddlapalli 202 (362th) [22]
Craig Walsh 168 (462st) [31]
Greg Thomas 144 (525th) [36]
jeff rangers 95 (583th) [15]

Greg and Jeff both picked up the first 0s for a stage on stage 7.

 

[Magrat Garlick]

Greg and Jeff both picked up the first 0s for a stage on stage 7.

Anton won't score many points for me, though, and I'm probably not lucky enough to get four of my five mountaineers in on every stage. So, will fall down.

 

[Matteh]

My sprinters are disappearing. Freire abandoned yesterday, O'Grady abandoned today and McEwen missed the cut off time.

 

[Neil Pickup]

My chances are officially over.

                           tot  2  3  4  5  6  7  8
 1. R. McEwen                30 15 15  .  .  .  .  *
 2. T. Boonen                59 17 14 14  . 14  .  .
 3. T. Hushovd               26  .  . 13  . 13  .  .
 4. M. Cavendish             24  . 12 12  .  .  .  *
 5. S. O'Grady                0  .  .  .  .  .  .  *
 6. O. Freire                40 10  . 10 10 10  *

I actually had five point-scorers today...

11. C. Evans                  5  .  .  .  .  .  .  5
12. M. Rasmussen              4  .  .  .  .  .  .  4
13. A. Valverde               6  .  .  .  .  .  3  3
14. C. Moreau                 4  .  .  .  .  .  2  2
15. C. Sastre                 1  .  .  .  .  .  .  1

 

[Matteh]

I'm glad i put Cavendish down as my 15th, didn't think he'd finish the Tour.

I had 4 - Valverde, Kashechkin, Sastre and Rasmussen bringing in 8,6,4 and 3 respectively.

Only people that haven't picked up points for me yet are Vino, Kloeden and Leipheimer. (n)

 

[Magrat Garlick]

McEwen missed the cut off time.

Now that's rare.

The bloke weighs less than me, how on earth is he such a poor climber?!

 

[Matteh]

Well he's not been 100% since his crash really.

Michael Rogers is the really hard done by guy from today. Looked like he'd be in yellow tomorrow, smashes into a barrier and abandons shortly afterwards because he was struggling to be able to hold onto the handlebars.

 

[Craig]

Rogers retires in tears....

Knew it was going to happen after he got dropped by the main bunch. Really did feel sorry for him. Obviously I haven't raced at his level, but I know from experience what it is like to have something go wrong when you are going great. Still at least Ciolek got them a win in the Tour of Austria.

But that was chaos, Astana blew it, Rasmussen, well you never know, if he can gain some more time, well you never know? And where did Mayo come from? Haven't seen him climbing like that from him since 2003. Leipheimer is gone, and I think it is best that Popovych is forgetten as a GC man, although I think he is good value for a stage win. Who will win? I'm going to say Alberto Contador.

This is the casulty list:

DNF Ivan Parra (Col) Cofidis (done nothing except dine off two straight Giro wins in 2005)
DNF Romain Feillu (Fra) Agritubel
DNF Stuart O'Grady (Aus) Team CSC
DNF Mark Cavendish (GBr) T-Mobile
DNF Michael Rogers (Aus) T-Mobile
TC Cédric Hervé (Fra) Agritubel
TC Danilo Napolitano (Ita) Lampre-Fondital
TC Robbie McEwen (Aus) Predictor-Lotto ( )

 

[NZTailender]

There goes most of my team.

 

[Johnners]

Rogers, was riding so well, big loss for T-Mobile. It's good to see Evans got another minute or so over Vino & Kloeden, if either of them can win the tour from the positions they're in, with their injuries, they'd more than deserve it imo.