14 replies to this topic

[bordercolliefan]

It's the BEST time of the year!

Already there is plenty of excitement in the Tour:

1. Yesterday's stage: what a rare sight, to see the peloton split (to Lance Armstrong's benefit)... separating the canny riders from those who were daydreaming. Tres exciting!

2. Who would have loved to be at breakfast this morning with Lance and Alberto Contador?! I'm sure there were some dirty looks from poor, left-behind Alberto.

3. Love or hate Mark Cavendish? He is the sprinter of the moment, the "fastest man on 2 wheels" he will (unhumbly) tell you! Kind of an arrogant jerk, though?? Yesterday, he crowed that the riders who failed to stay with the leaders "rode like junior riders... if they want to ride like juniors, they don't belong here..." Not gracious.

Let's hear from some other Tour fans!!

[Darthvader]

It's the BEST time of the year!

Already there is plenty of excitement in the Tour:

1. Yesterday's stage: what a rare sight, to see the peloton split (to Lance Armstrong's benefit)... separating the canny riders from those who were daydreaming. Tres exciting!

2. Who would have loved to be at breakfast this morning with Lance and Alberto Contador?! I'm sure there were some dirty looks from poor, left-behind Alberto.

3. Love or hate Mark Cavendish? He is the sprinter of the moment, the "fastest man on 2 wheels" he will (unhumbly) tell you! Kind of an arrogant jerk, though?? Yesterday, he crowed that the riders who failed to stay with the leaders "rode like junior riders... if they want to ride like juniors, they don't belong here..." Not gracious.

Let's hear from some other Tour fans!!

So I saw an interview with King Lance yesterday, I guess he's moved into 3rd overall now? He also said something about how he deserves respect from his team because he has 7 wins or some other junk like that.

But wasn't he supposed to be riding this year to help one of the other guys on the team win this year? Or is it all about him winning again? I'm thinking his team despises him.

Please inform me.

[brown]

Yesterday was bike racing 101 - when you know you will have a crosswind, you get your butt to the front pronto because the echelon will form and if you are not on the front, you are gapped off the back. Especially if you see an entire team up front, getting ready to drill it. A brilliant move by Armstrong to gain time on the other GC riders with minimal effort.

Astana is looking like one of the strongest teams to ever ride the tour. Great ride today, even better that Cancellara is still leading. It's crazy but the tour is already over for some of the main GC guys.

This year looks like Hinault - Lemond all over again, with Armstrong playing the role of Hinault. It should definitely be exciting over the next few weeks.

Cav is just amazing, he is just so much faster than the other sprinters and has an amazing lead out every stage. Sprinters are always cocky but he can talk when he actually finishes a Tour and gets a green jersey. Hopfeully Boonen gets it together to give him a decent challenge.

Every day of this Tour should be interesting!

[folsombound]

I gotta agree with the original post, The Tour never disappoints! This will be an epic tour and whoever wins will have to fight it out with the best. Astana is the team to beat and I would love to see Lance win it again (if he does, the French will really hate it). This is about the toughest athletic event in the world and all of the riders are amazing.

[bordercolliefan]

The Tour Never Disappoints!

Yesterday's stage was won with a heroic performance by an adorable Frenchman who broke his collarbone just a couple months ago. As Bob Roll pointed out, it is relatively rare for a Frenchman to win!

I thought I'd share his very-French comments on his victory:

"This is my greatest victory. I've been wanting this for so long but I've tried so many times before that it was impossible for me to declare that a stage win might be possible....
I know I'm not capable of winning a Grand Tour but I try to take advantage of my strengths by setting small targets. I've worn the yellow jersey at the Tour, I was the champion of France and now I've won a stage."

* * * * * *
So there you have it, folks: the secret to life is... setting small targets.

[folsombound]

So there you have it, folks: the secret to life is... setting small targets.

That would be as opposed to winning 7 Tours de France, retiring and then coming back 3 years later with the goal of winning #8. Yeah, the large targets are much harder.

[folsom500]

That would be as opposed to winning 7 Tours de France, retiring and then coming back 3 years later with the goal of winning #8. Yeah, the large targets are much harder.

I think both have their merits- knowing he could not win the tour- getting a stage win is Huge...
Lance with 7 wins and more yellow jerseys and now in a comeback against much younger riders is amazing-

Life is full of rewarding small targets that gratify us and also the huge ones that are so hard to gain ... but it is the path that we take to get there that matters... win or lose...

[brown]

Today was just a mess! That was too bad for Millar, he gave it a good shot but couldn't quite pull it off. The Contador vs. Armstrong show starts tomorrow!

[bordercolliefan]

Oooh, I have to be careful coming on here. This thread is full of spoilers! I watch at 5 pm, so I don't know today's result.

I so want Garmin Slipstream to get some great results. I think it is very important to the future of U.S. cycling. (Lance can't last forever).

Also, I've heard rumors that Lance might buy the Astana squad. That would be fantastic. It really bugs me that America's greatest riders are riding on a team sponsored by the Kazach gov't oil monopoly. WTF??! It's downright embarrassing.

[brown]

Whoops, sorry! No more discussions of the day's stage until the evening then

[bordercolliefan]

One of the best things about the Tour every year is the junior high style intrigue that characterizes the pro peloton.

This year, we have Lance, Levi and company making snide remarks about Contador because, in one of the early stages, Contador went on ahead and gained a few seconds on Lance. I love the passive-aggressive approach:

Commentator: Is there friction between you and Alberto concerning who will be the Team leader and ultimately be allowed to win the Tour?

Lance: Friction? [long pause] Well... I'll say what I've always said, I'm here for the team.... [pregnant pause]

If I were Contador, I'd be careful because Lance has shown in the past that he has to power and inclination to wreck someone's career if they displease him.

Then yesterday, we had the riders' junior high-level attempt to protest the ban on radios by organizing a slow-speed ride... though that plan was wrecked by the French riders' desire to... actually race.

So fun!

[Squidward]

Go Lance Go! This is a great tour because Lance is back. No other rider generates as much attention as the 7X (8X?) champ.

[bordercolliefan]

Go Lance Go! This is a great tour because Lance is back. No other rider generates as much attention as the 7X (8X?) champ.

Doesn't that get a little annoying, though? Even if Lance is doing absolutely nothing, sitting in the middle of the pack, we get the "Lance cam" with 60 second updates on how Lance is doing. "Looks like Lance is just finishing up a nature break..."

[Squidward]

Annoying? I wonder how the tour riders feel about him. "what do I have to do to get on tv?"

His comments about last year's tour leaders being a joke were a bit harsh but spot on. If he can garner a tv crew filming his "natural" what does that say about the viewing preference of the audience? I'm thinking there is a good chance to see an Astana podium sweep. If you like the perfection of the Columbia sprint lead outs wait until Astana unfolds a slow motion mountain lead out.

[bordercolliefan]

Contador: Clean or dirty??

I'm feeling a little deja vu, seeing a rider just pull away from the pack like he's out for a Sunday drive... Rasmussen and Ricco come to mind.