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Tour de France

Cloete

Cloete

International Captain
Looks interesting.

Landis the best of the GC prospects. Evans did a nice TT and he's up there with the best (outside of Landis) GC prospects in 8th and 1'52" down. Interesting that Wiggins is in 147th, 17'55" down. I was expecting a bit more from him.

McEwen ahead of Leipheimer :D
 
Craig

Craig

World Traveller
Cloete said:
Looks interesting.

Landis the best of the GC prospects. Evans did a nice TT and he's up there with the best (outside of Landis) GC prospects in 8th and 1'52" down. Interesting that Wiggins is in 147th, 17'55" down. I was expecting a bit more from him.

McEwen ahead of Leipheimer :D
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It isn't Wiggins speciality. He and McGee love to have duals on the track, so that and the prolouge stuff is what he is good at.

Anyway it was such a dominating performance by Gonchar, I kow he is a specialist in this, and was a World Champion, but not to win this fashion, and I have no idea what happened to Leipheimer. I can only think he peaked too early at the Dauphine. As for Rogers, he is a strange one, he doesn' win TT's in Grand Tour's and is often disappionting, yet he has won the World Championships three times in a row. :blink:

Too bad for Bobby Jullich, he is a good rider, and was perhaps on his way for a good ride, but to crash like is unfortunate. Thankfully is hand isn't broken, but the nature of this sport, is that unless you don't cross the finish line you get a DNF next to your name.

As for Gonchar, good to see he showed plenty of enthuasim when he got presented on the podium. Onya Serhiy.

For tonight, it is another flat stage, and it all depends on how keen T-Mobile are on keeping the yellow jersey, the break might work providing there is no Discovery riders in it (ie Savoldelli or Azevedo), asthey might be allowed to go, but the break would have as much chance of succeding as there is of Simon Jones playing in the Ashes. Mind you it the last day before the rest day, so maybe the domestiques might be able to pull another day on the front and it is a sprint finish. If it is, I would like to see somebody like Ballan (Lampr) or Isasi (Euskatel) win, but I think it will finally be Tom Bonnen's day (which will probably mean Robbie McEwen will win).
 
Neil Pickup

Neil Pickup

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Breakaway by about 1'30 won by a French domestique, who's about 20mins down on GC anyway so no-one minds too much...
 
thewizard1o1

thewizard1o1

International Debutant
Craig said:
Anyway it was such a dominating performance by Gonchar, I kow he is a specialist in this, and was a World Champion, but not to win this fashion, and I have no idea what happened to Leipheimer. I can only think he peaked too early at the Dauphine. As for Rogers, he is a strange one, he doesn' win TT's in Grand Tour's and is often disappionting, yet he has won the World Championships three times in a row. :blink:
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I often wonder if Rogers drops weight/power for the tour each year to try to climb the mountains better...he seems to suck all season in major TTs then is a tank come World Champs. :unsure:

Sastre had a surprisingly good ride compared to some GC prospects...
 
Neil Pickup

Neil Pickup

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Neil Pickup said:
Breakaway by about 1'30 won by a French domestique, who's about 20mins down on GC anyway so no-one minds too much...
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Quoted for posterity. That'll be one correct Tour prediction so far.
 
S

Steulen

International Regular
A prediction from leftfield: Dennis Mentchov to win the Tour.

A top 10 finish in the time trial, and he's a good climber. Will also be ably supported in the mountains by Rasmussen, Boogerd, Weening and Posthuma.
 
Matteh

Matteh

Cricket Web: All-Time Legend
My obscure prediction will be Matthias Kessler but i doubt he'll do much actually.
Landis is my better bet for the GC.

Mathew Mitchell 251 (346)
Haakon Mork 185 (502)
Craig Walsh 184 (507)
Greg Thomas 126 (578)
Sean Fuller 113 (590)

Looking at Sean's team, I think he'll do a lot better when the hills arrive. Same applies to Greg as well really. Craig is down to 13 with Valverde and Dekker out, Haakon has 14 because of Valverde and has only had 4 riders score points and I've had 7 riders score points but am also down to 14 because of Valverde.
 
thewizard1o1

thewizard1o1

International Debutant



The Mountains are here :D:D:D, hopefully it is the cue for Rujano, Rasmussen, Cunego etc. to attack for the Polka dots :cool:
 
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Chubb

Chubb

International Regular
Beautiful scenery they'll be going through today, I love that part of France. Shame about the Basque protestors stopping the breakaway, though.
 
Matteh

Matteh

Cricket Web: All-Time Legend
In the first remotely mountainous stage of the Tour...essentially barely anyone picked up points (The highest anyone in the game got was 27 and i got 12 and Greg got 15)

Standings:
Mathew Mitchell 310 (333, +12)
Haakon Mork 221 (504, -4)
Craig Walsh 213 (518, -6)
Greg Thomas 162 (568, +10)
Sean Fuller 136 (590, -2)
 
FaaipDeOiad

FaaipDeOiad

Hall of Fame Member
The Tour is always much more interesting as soon as it gets to the mountains. I really enjoyed last night's stage.

For those who know more about the Tour than me, is it likely to be difficult for the people currently 10+ mins behind to make it up? I don't remember many stages finishing with a gap as big as last night, so it would seem that it might take a few days to make back that much ground, but I could be wrong.

And how far behind would someone have to be at this stage to be realistically out of the race?
 
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Kweek

Kweek

Cricketer Of The Year
10 min is a bit much, but if your lucky you can get back a fair bit.
Mayo dropping out then...having a go at the camera's :laugh:
 
Craig

Craig

World Traveller
Iban Mayo's lost it completely. I have no idea what has happened with him, I know he has some back problems in the last couple of years, but now he suddenly has a throat infection (bit like Ullrich syndrome).

I think it is time to look for a new team.

As for last night, Rabobank were just amazing, with Rasmussen (who I had thought would be in the early breakaway), and Boogreed on the front, I didn't epect him to last as long as he did and would suffer the same fate as Rasmussen and a few others. I think had he stayed up there with Landis, Menchov, Lepihiemer, Menchov would have let him go for the stage win, as in the tradition of cycling if a domestique/helper is still there with his team leader and the other leaders, then said team leader (Menchov in this case) will let him go for the win, or if it was those two then Menchov would have held back and let Boogreed win as reward for his work.

As for the overall, I thinking Menchov is a good prospect for the the podium, and perhaps the overall, it will depend on the Alps and the final time trial.

As for tonight, I think it will be a breakaway (well it is Bastille Day), and this time I am going for it to consist of Florent Brard (Caisse d'Epargne) and David Moncoutié (Cofidis), and perhaps those two to go off together and stay away for the end.
 
Craig

Craig

World Traveller
FaaipDeOiad said:
The Tour is always much more interesting as soon as it gets to the mountains. I really enjoyed last night's stage.

For those who know more about the Tour than me, is it likely to be difficult for the people currently 10+ mins behind to make it up? I don't remember many stages finishing with a gap as big as last night, so it would seem that it might take a few days to make back that much ground, but I could be wrong.

And how far behind would someone have to be at this stage to be realistically out of the race?
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Those two were let go because they main munch knew they weren't any threat to the overall GC, and were banking on the fact they were a pair of opportunists who were going to go hard on stage 10 and not worry about the next day, they crack and fall away.

As for what you said, yes it is very hard to make up 10+ minutes now, but the Alps are a very different kettle of fish to the Pryennes (different types of climbs), and those within 4-5 minutes still have a chance, but they will need to attack, and go for it, and hope their rivals are having a bad day, and then do the time trial of their lives in the final TT.

I think you can say those more then 10+ back now are out of it, and their best hopes are stage wins, and being given the freedom of being so far down they are not a threat to the overall (ie Cunego or Savoldelli). Unless they are playing the biggest game of poker and bluffing their way through the Tour until the Alps since Lance Armstrong was at the very peak of his powers (that was 2001). It is funny though, some cyclists could make very good poker players themselves (but not me :mad)
 
FaaipDeOiad

FaaipDeOiad

Hall of Fame Member
Cadel Evans didn't quite look like a Tour winner to me last night. Was right there the whole way, but he never looked like he was going to win the stage, he just hung with them for as long as he could. Could well finish top 5, but someone else will win it.
 
Kweek

Kweek

Cricketer Of The Year
Cunego looked really weak too, on the flat parts he went well, but in the mountains he looked weak.
Rabobank is a bit special this year, 3 wins already!
this is by far the best Rabobank team in years with Menchov, Flecha, Freire and Boogard all in top form! awesome!
 
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