Edmund Posted 2 July 2010 Author Posted 2 July 2010 I hope Julie Blanc's doing the podium again this year aka
dandannieldanok Posted 2 July 2010 Posted 2 July 2010 Looking forward to this.....as always. Really can't see past Contador for the general classification. He's the best time-trialler, the best in the mountains, and he's in one of the better teams (although for someone as talented as Contador he won't be reliant on his team). Obviously I'm fully behind all of the Brits in the Tour, particularly Wiggins and Cav. I fear a bit for Wiggins that expectation may be a little too high after last year's fantastic ride. As always it's a high quality field and with the likes of Evans back in some kind of form and Basso back in the reckoning, he'll do very well to replicate last year's 4th place finish. As for Cav, he's had a bad time of it since last year's tour but he's the class act in the group of riders chasing the green jersey, hope it's his year this year. Whatever happens I'm going to enjoy this immensely, especially with ITV4 increasing their coverage.
Edmund Posted 2 July 2010 Author Posted 2 July 2010 Looking forward to this.....as always. Really can't see past Contador for the general classification. He's the best time-trialler, the best in the mountains, and he's in one of the better teams (although for someone as talented as Contador he won't be reliant on his team). Obviously I'm fully behind all of the Brits in the Tour, particularly Wiggins and Cav. I fear a bit for Wiggins that expectation may be a little too high after last year's fantastic ride. As always it's a high quality field and with the likes of Evans back in some kind of form and Basso back in the reckoning, he'll do very well to replicate last year's 4th place finish. As for Cav, he's had a bad time of it since last year's tour but he's the class act in the group of riders chasing the green jersey, hope it's his year this year. Whatever happens I'm going to enjoy this immensely, especially with ITV4 increasing their coverage. Yep Contador is favourite for me as well. He's the master at climbing. I agree about Wiggins and the expectation, he has the whole of Britain weighing on his shoulders. Did you see Cavendish's crash in the Tour De Suisse? He got fined for it. Took out the whole pack
dandannieldanok Posted 2 July 2010 Posted 2 July 2010 Yep Contador is favourite for me as well. He's the master at climbing. I agree about Wiggins and the expectation, he has the whole of Britain weighing on his shoulders. Did you see Cavendish's crash in the Tour De Suisse? He got fined for it. Took out the whole pack Yep, Cav is pretty much hated by everyone in the peloton apart from his team now ....this being one incident after many. Really hope he can get that green jersey this year, just needs to stay out of trouble and stay focused, because deep down he knows he's the most talented and explosive sprinter out there.
dandannieldanok Posted 3 July 2010 Posted 3 July 2010 Another stunning power ride from Cancellara. He ripped it, and Martin's time was an impressive marker. Great rides from Millar and Thomas representing Britain, disappointed that Wiggo fell foul of a tactical error regarding the weather but he didn't seemed too fussed and says he's feeling good. Interesting to see Armstrong just pip Contador; the time is so insignificant it won't have any bearing in the race to come, but Lance will have a wry smile on his face tonight. Bring on tomorrow and hopefully a win for Cav. ......and Phil Sheehan of BBC radio 5live predicted the 1-2-3 finish of today's prologue. Considering there's 190-odd riders that's some going.
Edmund Posted 3 July 2010 Author Posted 3 July 2010 Another stunning power ride from Cancellara. He ripped it, and Martin's time was an impressive marker. Great rides from Millar and Thomas representing Britain, disappointed that Wiggo fell foul of a tactical error regarding the weather but he didn't seemed too fussed and says he's feeling good. Interesting to see Armstrong just pip Contador; the time is so insignificant it won't have any bearing in the race to come, but Lance will have a wry smile on his face tonight. Bring on tomorrow and hopefully a win for Cav. ......and Phil Sheehan of BBC radio 5live predicted the 1-2-3 finish of today's prologue. Considering there's 190-odd riders that's some going. I didn't get to watch it today but I've recorded the highlights. Thanks for the heads up about ITV4. As much as I like the amount of coverage/exposure cycling tournaments get on Eurosport, the commentary from Ant and Magnus can become monotonous. They usually spend half the time reading out random facts they've been sent via e-mail. Just the other day they were discussing how in 1980 the gradient of a hill in Belgium had changed due to a mud slide, I mean what relevance does that have Saying that Magnus and Ant are very knowledgeable on the sport. Isn't this Lance's last tour de France? I'm sure he'll want to go out with a bang. Didn't he used to cycle with the Astana team? I know he's now with Radioshack.
dandannieldanok Posted 3 July 2010 Posted 3 July 2010 I didn't get to watch it today but I've recorded the highlights. Thanks for the heads up about ITV4. As much as I like the amount of coverage/exposure cycling tournaments get on Eurosport, the commentary from Ant and Magnus can become monotonous. They usually spend half the time reading out random facts they've been sent via e-mail. Just the other day they were discussing how in 1980 the gradient of a hill in Belgium had changed due to a mud slide, I mean what relevance does that have Saying that Magnus and Ant are very knowledgeable on the sport. Isn't this Lance's last tour de France? I'm sure he'll want to go out with a bang. Didn't he used to cycle with the Astana team? I know he's now with Radioshack. Is Sean Kelly on Eurosport this year? Whenever I've managed to watch it on Eurosport in past years I've always enjoyed his insight and his soft Irish tones. And yes Lance has announced this will be his last tour so he'll definitely use every last ounce of energy to finish as high up as possible. And yes you're right again Lance did ride for Astana in the 2009 season, but he had a fractious relationship with Contador and tensions did finally boil over after last year's tour. So it was pretty much untenable for him and Contador to stay together that's why he and Johan Bruyneel pioneered Team Radioshack. I'd love Lance and Contador to have the opportunity to go right up against each other in the mountains this year, I miss Lance's battles with Jan Ullrich. I think it's more likely that Andy Schleck will be the challenger to Contador though so maybe the Armstrong v Ullrich legacy can be replaced by a new one; Contador v Schleck.
Narborough_fox Posted 3 July 2010 Posted 3 July 2010 Watch this i'm not an intense follower of cycling but don't mind watching it from time to time. Hoping for a good british finish and a good Team SKY performance.
Edmund Posted 4 July 2010 Author Posted 4 July 2010 How many crashes today? I see Cav went down Is Sean Kelly on Eurosport this year? Whenever I've managed to watch it on Eurosport in past years I've always enjoyed his insight and his soft Irish tones. Yeah it's him. I'm a big fan, I know what you mean about the soft irish tones And yes Lance has announced this will be his last tour so he'll definitely use every last ounce of energy to finish as high up as possible. And yes you're right again Lance did ride for Astana in the 2009 season, but he had a fractious relationship with Contador and tensions did finally boil over after last year's tour. So it was pretty much untenable for him and Contador to stay together that's why he and Johan Bruyneel pioneered Team Radioshack. I'd love Lance and Contador to have the opportunity to go right up against each other in the mountains this year, I miss Lance's battles with Jan Ullrich. I think it's more likely that Andy Schleck will be the challenger to Contador though so maybe the Armstrong v Ullrich legacy can be replaced by a new one; Contador v Schleck. Oh right some interesting stuff there.
dandannieldanok Posted 5 July 2010 Posted 5 July 2010 I think Cav is on a mission to literally piss everyone off in the peloton off, another crash caused today ! The crash at 500m was funniest though, completely blocked the road off . It's a shame Cav couldn't be up there to contest the sprint because I reckon he'd have won it easily, no-one looked particularly explosive and it says alot when Cav's lead-out man was only a bike length behind in 2nd. Tyler Farrar won't get a better chance to win a Tour stage, not sure what went wrong with him because he'd successfully avoided the crashes. Today should be good, a few niggly little climbs near the end so a breakaway will have a half decent chance of success in comparison to yesterday. Expect plenty of attacks from opportunists trying to nick a stage win on the last climb which is category 3 so it's not just a bump in the road. Highly doubtful that it will be a sprint finish.
Edmund Posted 5 July 2010 Author Posted 5 July 2010 I think Cav is on a mission to literally piss everyone off in the peloton off, another crash caused today ! The crash at 500m was funniest though, completely blocked the road off . It looked like he leaned on the other rider again but it wasn't clear. Did you see the dog walk into the peloton? It took David Millar out. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DahlNKaoH-8&feature=player_embedded
dandannieldanok Posted 5 July 2010 Posted 5 July 2010 Did you see the dog walk into the peloton? It took David Millar out. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DahlNKaoH-8&feature=player_embedded Haha I knew he'd crashed but had no idea it was a caused by a dog, funny how nonchalant the dog is considering its walking into a group of 190 cyclists going about 50km/h.
Edmund Posted 5 July 2010 Author Posted 5 July 2010 Looks like more of the same today. Lance, Contodor, both Schlecks and many others have gone down with these wet surfaces.
dandannieldanok Posted 5 July 2010 Posted 5 July 2010 Yep once again another fraught stage of Le Tour. Gotta feel sorry for Cancellara. As soon as the Schlecks went down, his hopes of defending the yellow jersey disintegrated. Surprised that group containing Wiggins, Contador and Armstrong didn't put more pressure on the chasing Schleck's, but then again they'll have conserved energy whereas the Schleck's will be pretty tired after today's exertions. Well done to Sylvain Chavanel; ok he's fortunate that circumstance meant Cancellara couldn't defend his yellow jersey, but it's still been an excellent, aggressive ride.
Alexikokopops Posted 5 July 2010 Posted 5 July 2010 Did I notice James Richardson hosting the coverage on Eurosport?
dandannieldanok Posted 5 July 2010 Posted 5 July 2010 Did I notice James Richardson hosting the coverage on Eurosport? I watch it on ITV4 but yes I think Richardson does host Eurosport's coverage.
dandannieldanok Posted 6 July 2010 Posted 6 July 2010 http://www.guardian.co.uk/sport/2010/jul/05/tour-de-france-2010-stage-two-crashes-sylvain-chavanel The South African sprinter Robbie Hunter was particularly forthright on the subject: "I say it again, no Grand Tour has any business in these northern countries and fook anybody who says different. See how much you guys like hitting the deck at 60kph."
Edmund Posted 6 July 2010 Author Posted 6 July 2010 Are they blaming the road surfaces? I guess certain materials which they use to build their roads combined with the rain make them extra slippery.
dandannieldanok Posted 6 July 2010 Posted 6 July 2010 Are they blaming the road surfaces? I guess certain materials which they use to build their roads combined with the rain make them extra slippery. Yea I think it's a mixture of the road surfaces and the actual width of the roads on the descents. Obviously the weather contributed a lot too but nothing anyone can do about that. Personally, I can see where the riders come from yet these roads are used through the season and the riders have known about this tour route for about 10 months or so now, so the conditions couldn't have come as a surprise. Have to agree with the ITV guys who thought it was a disappointing decision for the peloton not to contest a sprint. I think the peloton were split 50/50 about the decision which was seemingly initiated by Cancellara, for instance Hushovd thought they should have raced whereas you've got comments like that above from Hunter.
Edmund Posted 6 July 2010 Author Posted 6 July 2010 Yea I think it's a mixture of the road surfaces and the actual width of the roads on the descents. I'm sure I heard somewhere that some of the corners had been shortened for the race. A lot of riders weren't anticipating some of the bends. Have to agree with the ITV guys who thought it was a disappointing decision for the peloton not to contest a sprint. I think the peloton were split 50/50 about the decision which was seemingly initiated by Cancellara, for instance Hushovd thought they should have raced whereas you've got comments like that above from Hunter. I'm not sure what you mean about not contesting the sprint. Is that for the green jersey? You have to bear with me, this is the first tour I've watched as I've only really started following cycling this year.
dandannieldanok Posted 6 July 2010 Posted 6 July 2010 I'm not sure what you mean about not contesting the sprint. Is that for the green jersey? You have to bear with me, this is the first tour I've watched as I've only really started following cycling this year. Yeah it's for the green jersey. Every stage with a flat finish there are sprint points on offer for the first few riders to finish (I think it's first 15 riders or something like that). As only Chavanel had came home before the main bunch there were still a lot of points on offer. What made it more crucial for the likes of Hushovd was that Cavendish had suffered over the hills was not there to contest for points so it was a good opportunity for him to put some points on him. However the race referee decided only to award Chavanel the points and not the others because they didn't contest it. But that isn't important really, Chavanel isn't going to be involved in the green jersey battle so it's just academic for him, he was after the glory of the stage win and the yellow jersey. And I was in the same position as you a few years back, plenty of things to get your head around but it's fun getting to grips with.
Edmund Posted 6 July 2010 Author Posted 6 July 2010 Yeah it's for the green jersey. Every stage with a flat finish there are sprint points on offer for the first few riders to finish (I think it's first 15 riders or something like that). As only Chavanel had came home before the main bunch there were still a lot of points on offer. What made it more crucial for the likes of Hushovd was that Cavendish had suffered over the hills was not there to contest for points so it was a good opportunity for him to put some points on him. However the race referee decided only to award Chavanel the points and not the others because they didn't contest it. But that isn't important really, Chavanel isn't going to be involved in the green jersey battle so it's just academic for him, he was after the glory of the stage win and the yellow jersey. And I was in the same position as you a few years back, plenty of things to get your head around but it's fun getting to grips with. Thanks for explanation, it all makes sense now. I used to think it was a straightforward race for the yellow jersey and the green jersey was awarded for time trials I was slightly puzzled when I saw Cancellara in the yellow jersey but put it down to it being the first day. I'm learning something new everyday. I never in a million years thought I'd ever become a cycling fan but started to admire the fitness levels and endurance involved after watching a cycling tour in Italy. From there I never looked back.
dandannieldanok Posted 6 July 2010 Posted 6 July 2010 Another cracking stage. Hats off to Geraint Thomas who rode a stormer up with the elite winning group, and in the process rode himself into 2nd in the overall classification and into the young rider's white jersey. Cancellara deserved that yellow jersey with his ride today, absolutely buried himself for Andy Schleck. Contador may have lost a minute today but he'll be pretty happy with his efforts considering it's not his scene at all. Also good for Contador was the misfortune of Armstrong who did all he could to ride back in contention after a puncture but his bravery wasn't enough. Everyone in the sport seemed split as to whether introducing cobbles into the Tour route was a good thing, personally I thought it made for a tremendous stage, had me hooked. Bubbling up nicely now ahead of the Alps, despite Andy Schleck having a seemingly good day, the only guy smiling tonight will be Contador, especially as Andy's wing-man Frank crashed out.
Edmund Posted 6 July 2010 Author Posted 6 July 2010 Another cracking stage. Hats off to Geraint Thomas who rode a stormer up with the elite winning group, and in the process rode himself into 2nd in the overall classification and into the young rider's white jersey. Cancellara deserved that yellow jersey with his ride today, absolutely buried himself for Andy Schleck. Contador may have lost a minute today but he'll be pretty happy with his efforts considering it's not his scene at all. Also good for Contador was the misfortune of Armstrong who did all he could to ride back in contention after a puncture but his bravery wasn't enough. Everyone in the sport seemed split as to whether introducing cobbles into the Tour route was a good thing, personally I thought it made for a tremendous stage, had me hooked. Bubbling up nicely now ahead of the Alps, despite Andy Schleck having a seemingly good day, the only guy smiling tonight will be Contador, especially as Andy's wing-man Frank crashed out. I only caught the start of todays stage but I've recorded it so will watch the rest later. As for the cobbles, definitely seems like a good idea to me as it adds an extra dimension but saying that, with their lightweight titanium/carbon bikes which read every bump in the roads, I bet it was one hell of an uncomfortable ride. Was Amstrongs puncture directly related to the cobbles?
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