Tour de France 2005

Rams

aspiring to be like Ryan Giggs
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For all you ignorant people out there…

All right, they may ware Lycra shorts but it is the most gruelling and toughest sporting event in the bar none. These guys go through 3 weeks of sheer hell, and that’s on the good days…

Though the winner of this year’s event is all ready clear, Lance Armstrong is all ready a minute up on his nearest rivals after Saturday’s prologue.
 
And they are all using Epo or other doping.!

Anyway, I think Basso will win.!
 
Norwegian hope Thor Hushovd finished 10th on todays 3rd stage. If he had timed his sprint slightly better he could have gone all the way but he cracked in the last 20 meters :(
 
Latest news is that McEwen is disqualified from the 3rd stage after headpushing* O'Grady in the finish sprint so his points for the 3rd place today is deducted and that his good news for Hushovd

* I couldn't come up with a better word so I had to make one :lol:
 
mcewen1us.png
 
Rams said:
All right, they may ware Lycra shorts but it is the most gruelling and toughest sporting event in the bar none.

Tell me about it. My landlord mate's just moved pubs. Cycled out there yesterday, an extra 8 miles each way. I was totally fooked after that and only three pints of Strongbow. Used to be only three quarter's fooked on the old ride. My hat's off to Lance and the other lads.
 
Rams said:
Though the winner of this year’s event is all ready clear, Lance Armstrong is all ready a minute up on his nearest rivals after Saturday’s prologue.

fecking brilliant, slowing up in the last few seconds.

He's got a minute on Ullrich, a minute and a half on Basso, and Basso can't make anything up until the moutains because he's now got to protect his own domestique.

Class strategy.
 
lance is an arrogant cnut, i really hope to see him lose. i hate how everyone loves him just cause he had feckin cancer. he's still a right pratt.
 
I really hope Basso wins this year. He has the potential..

Yeah Lance is arrogant, and it would be great to see someone else win this year.!
 
After todays team's time trial I expect Armstrong to be in the yellow.

That Tom Boohnen's awsome, he wins two of the main spring classics and then goes in to win the first two sprints in the Tour. Amazing performence.
 
He is only in the yellow jersey because Zabriskie had a crash.. CSC would have won it, if Zabriskie hadn't crashed..
 
Danish Wizard said:
He is only in the yellow jersey because Zabriskie had a crash.. CSC would have won it, if Zabriskie hadn't crashed..

So. You can make all the excuses but we all know who will win it, plus I believe the whole CSC team weren't penalised, just the guy who fell off
 
that crash by Zabriskie was crazy. I couldnt figure out how he managed to do it. it looked like he'd already made the turn ok and was on the straight away. badly banged up too, poor lad.
 
Rams said:
That Tom Boohnen's awsome, he wins two of the main spring classics and then goes in to win the first two sprints in the Tour. Amazing performence.

Belgian class ;)
 
OK, so I know Armstrong has a minute already but I think once the mountains swallow them, Vinokourov will pull some big moves, eat into that time (if not going ahead) and I think it might be a really close tour overall with everything coming down to the stage 20 time trial.

Kiss my arse and call my Susan if it aint so.
 
Boonen is concidering to pull out of the Tour due to his backache
 
After this weeknds stages I'm not so sure anymore about Armstrong. His team let him down badly on Saturday. We'll see after tomorrows Alpe's stage...
 
I'm more sure than before Rams. T-Mobile had a golden opportunity on Friday. Armstrong was totally isolated, but Ullrich still wouldn't/couldn't attack him. We all know Ullrich simply can't drop Armstrong as long as he insists on using a huge gear, so that basically means Armstrong has to blow or Ullrich has to beat him in the TT's... in other words Ullrich has no chance of beating a healthy Armstrong. Vino on the other hand can drop Armstrong, but he needs a hell of a lot of time in hand before Saint Etienne. As long as Ullrich isn't riding for Vino that simply won't happen imo. As for Basso, he has the raw talent but the Giro took a lot out of him. True the Tour is nothing like as arduous but he needs to beat Armstrong, not just hold his wheel. I doubt he has enough left in the tank to both drop Armstrong and still hold the pace for the remainder of the Tour.

As for Discovery letting Armstrong down, that is the key point isn't it. They didn't blow, they didn‘t get dropped, they just got caught out by a lack of concentration and ended up on the wrong side of a split. If they blew then Armstrong would have serious cause for concern, but this will just serve as a wake up call. You can bet your life they won't get caught out en masse again. For me that is why I'm so scathing of Ullrich, not even trying to attack Armstrong when he had such a golden opportunity. He has been talking big about having a final chance to beat Armstrong, but he didn’t look remotely interested at the best opportunity he has had for a couple of years.

Armstrong shouldn't have any problems tomorrow. It should be a pretty easy day for him until the final climb. Assuming they operate on usual policy Discovery will crank the pace up over the Roseland to wear down the field and then control things with ease until Armstrong attacks on the final climb. Tomorrow is just about holding Armstrong’s wheel imo. He’ll want a big buffer before the Pyrenees, especially given how tough the two mountain finishes next weekend could be.

The real test for Discovery(assuming the Tour isn't all but over) will come on Wednesday. The Galibier is an absolute bitch. If Armstrong has any domestiques left at that point then Discovery will be in an incredibly healthy position.
 
It looks like Vinokourov will be the hardest challenger for Armstrong this year..
Ullrich can't attack, he can only drive in one tempo the whole time.

Tuesday and wedneyday will decide a lot. I'm looking forward to see what Basso and the other challengers can do, to defeat Armstrong.!
 
Reflectorboy said:
i'm serious,i read in the papers,attacking lance and i wonder what that really mean

it's not attack in the Nancy Kerrigan way ;) it's tactical attacks.
i.e. forcing the pace, isolating him from his team (like they did last week), etc.
 
utdalltheway said:
it's not attack in the Nancy Kerrigan way ;) it's tactical attacks.
i.e. forcing the pace, isolating him from his team (like they did last week), etc.
still don't understand how that works,any sites to enlighten me?
 
Reflectorboy said:
still don't understand how that works,any sites to enlighten me?

I have no weblinks to offer, sorry.

If I knew all in/outs of the tactics myself I'd be a team manager ;)

if you watch it often enough on the telly you'll become accustomed to it.
 
Armstrong and team look more dominant than ever after the alpe stages.the only crumb of comfart for the rest of the peleton is that this is Armstrong's final race.
 
Rams said:
Armstrong and team look more dominant than ever after the alpe stages.the only crumb of comfart for the rest of the peleton is that this is Armstrong's final race.

I wonder why there is Dicovery team always together and Ullrich alone. :confused:
 
alonso767 lance is an arrogant cnut, i really hope to see him lose. i hate how everyone loves him just cause he had feckin cancer. he's still a right pratt.

Thats a bit harsh!Anyway he's right to be arrogant on his day he's untouchable. Just cancer !!Do you realise what he went through I can't even begin to imagine and then to become the most dominant cyclist in recent years and probably ever!Everyone loves him because he's pure class!!!
 
the cancer spread throughout his body into his brain. now these days many ppl beat cancer. but to this day no rider has won 6 tours let alone 6 on the trot. feckin' right he's arrogant , you'd be too.
 
Wolfboy said:
OK, so I know Armstrong has a minute already but I think once the mountains swallow them, Vinokourov will pull some big moves, eat into that time (if not going ahead) and I think it might be a really close tour overall with everything coming down to the stage 20 time trial.

Kiss my arse and call my Susan if it aint so.


Hi there, my name is Susan
 
tomorrow is really the last chance saloon for Basso et al, and at least the poor Discovery showing today will give them a smidgen of hope. Tomorrow is a nasty grinding stage with four catorgory one climbs leading to a hors catorgory finish. After that there isn't really another chance to gain significant time apart from the TT. There is just one more serious mountain stage on Tuesday, but the final climb is a good 70km from the finish, so a break by a GC contender has no real hope of success, let alone making up the minutes required. Nope, it is do or die tomorrow.

You've got to feel sorry for Vino. He has been shafted by the team all week despite being far and away the best hope they had, but today took the biscuit. To be chased down by your own teammates is just a complete piss-take. Given the treatment Botero, Salvodelli and Evans all received in the team it is a wonder any non-German considers signing. The sooner Vino gets a concrete offer from Discovery the better.
 
last chance saloon just passed didn't it? the fat german is what 20 mins behind? arrogant is saying you're the best. doing it over and over again is greatness. that is the place for lance , along with eddy , jac , benny and mike.
 
mu77 said:
last chance saloon just passed didn't it? the fat german is what 20 mins behind? arrogant is saying you're the best. doing it over and over again is greatness. that is the place for lance , along with eddy , jac , benny and mike.

good race today in crazy conditions.
congrats to Hincapie.

d'ya see that guy getting hit by the motorbike? when will these folks learn watch from the sidelines?

it's scary for me everytime I watch these mountain climbs. tis only a matter of time before a rider gets really hurt.
could give a toss about the fans as anyone in the way deserves what they get, oh, and no more crazy dutchmen in speedos please ;)
 
mu77 said:
last chance saloon just passed didn't it? the fat german is what 20 mins behind? arrogant is saying you're the best. doing it over and over again is greatness. that is the place for lance , along with eddy , jac , benny and mike.

No way. Lance has done it again and again only behind a totally dominant team centring its entire existence around 21 days of the season, and just the GC at that. Lance will never earn a place next to the true greats because he has simply never proven himself without a huge advantage. Personally I think he probably would have had nearly as much success, but it is pure conjecture.

I made the mistake of watching the end of the stage on ITV2 today rather than Eurosport... you forget what idiots the commentators are sometimes. All this talk about what a mistake it was to make Basso ride the Giro :rolleyes: One day these numpties might catch on to the fact that for an Italian the Giro is a bigger event than the Tour, and that all sponsors want more for their money than US Postal did.

utdalltheway said:
when will these folks learn watch from the sidelines?

it's scary for me everytime I watch these mountain climbs. tis only a matter of time before a rider gets really hurt.

Don’t knock them. Speaking from personal experiences those folk are a godsend for two reasons. First the kindly souls throwing water keep you conscious, while secondly the only thing stopping you getting off your bike and collapsing in a heap in the amount of people ready to witness your shame. Then of course in the old days (and still today in bad weather) you’ve got the old men shoving newspapers to you to avoid freezing on the descent. They may be fanatical, but that makes them so valuable. No one sane would ever make the journey! Fact is they turn out for the elite races, they turn out for the second division races, and most even turn out for a sportive.