View Full Version : Le Tour 2009 [R]
Moishe
02 Jul 2009, 09:44 PM
lance looks slimmer than at the giro. i think that if alberto has a bad day before the hills, astana is riding for 22 and not 21, and even then, i really don't know.
The opening time trial should really shake things up. Bobby Julich rode the course and reported on it in Velonews and he was raving about the course. I'll link it below.
As far as the one bad day, that could easily happen to anyone on the first day if the course is as Bobby says.
http://tour-de-france.velonews.com/article/94142/andrew-hood-pre-rides-the-monaco-tt-with-bobby-julich
johan neeskens
03 Jul 2009, 04:39 AM
The bookies have Gesink as favourite for the Mont Ventoux stage. Can you stop putting pressure on the boy, he's only 22 FFS!
aveslacker
03 Jul 2009, 06:50 AM
The bookies have Gesink as favourite for the Mont Ventoux stage. Can you stop putting pressure on the boy, he's only 22 FFS!
Do you have a link? I'd like to see the odds.
Dead Fingers
03 Jul 2009, 07:50 AM
Boonen can start.
http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/boonen-can-start-in-the-tour
Moishe
03 Jul 2009, 08:59 AM
Boonen can start.
http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/boonen-can-start-in-the-tour
I'm not surprised. It's stuff like this that continues to screw any credibility to the sport.
aveslacker
03 Jul 2009, 11:21 AM
Boonen can start.
http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/boonen-can-start-in-the-tour
Good for him. Common sense prevails over political posturing.
Dead Fingers
03 Jul 2009, 08:13 PM
http://www.letour.fr/PHOTOS/TDF/2009/100/CARTEVIGNETTE.gif
http://www.letour.fr/PHOTOS/TDF/2009/100/PROFILVIGNETTE.gif
Belgian guy
04 Jul 2009, 04:22 AM
That is pretty accurate. I guess in Lance's mind, if you are going to be a domestique, be one for the best.
Tom Boonen said that Lance did not speak to him for years after he left US Postal. In the end though, he did "forgive" Boonen and they're on good terms again. (At least they were, I'm not sure how Armstrong felt about the recent cocaine debacle).
Belgian guy
04 Jul 2009, 04:30 AM
Really interesting article (http://www.guardian.co.uk/sport/2009/jun/28/lance-armstrong-comeback) about the Lance phenomenon in the Guardian. Kind of reinforces the many viewpoints of Lance that we've been hashing out here.
Jeesus, that French's guys take on Armstrong really sums up what a bunch of hypocrites the frogs are. They are uncomfortable with Lance riding the tour, despite him never testing positive. Meanwhile, proven Festina sinner Virenque was cheered on for years after his come-back.
He also fails to mention the fact that Merckx was treated like shit as well back in the early 70s, to the point that he skipped the tour in favor of the vuelta one year. (It's also a public secret that Eddy holds the Giro in higher regard, not least because he's always felt much more respect from both the Italian public and its cycling community than he's gotten from the French equivalents).
Belgian guy
04 Jul 2009, 04:33 AM
I'm not so sure his dedicating himself to more classics would have raised the profile of those events stateside. The American mindset and forgive me if I've stereotyped is about the biggest and baddest which clearly Le Tour is.
Perhaps not the best example since he's since been found out as a doping cheat, but Vino did manage to be competitive in the Tour and win some Spring classics at the same time. So the notion that it's impossible to do both is false imho.
A friend of mine recently came up with a good idea: award points to ProTour events, and only allow riders in the big events like the Tour and the Giro who have a minimum amount of those ProTour points.
Belgian guy
04 Jul 2009, 04:35 AM
I would add that LA and the European, Bruyneel came up with their plan together. I think people greatly underrate Buyneel for that. Over several years, they fine tuned it.
I look at Contador, and he is following a similar formula and similar races in preparation.
In Belgium they always said that Johan had the mind but not the legs to win the Tour. And he also stated that he had to tone down the Yanks desire to attack in favor of a more patient approach. Make no doubt about it, the cautious "do just enough to win" tactic is all Bruyneel. He had to sell that aspect to even Lance early on in their relationship.
Belgian guy
04 Jul 2009, 04:40 AM
I didn't take it that you were telling me to think a certain way at all. As far as what you perceive as a cycling hero is fine and in many respects being a huge fan of the Cannibal and Induran more or less puts me in line with you and the rest of Europe. Lance Armstrong see's Le Tour as the pinnacle of the sport and solely focused on it, does it make him less of a champion? Not at all, but it doesn't make the greatest ever either. Keep in mind that he didn't just win those Tours he dominated them convincingly.
True, though the Cannibals least amount of stage victories in any single Tour victory still matches Lance's largest amount of stage victories in a single Tour.
Belgian guy
04 Jul 2009, 04:42 AM
I'm not surprised. It's stuff like this that continues to screw any credibility to the sport.
ASO made great bit fools out of themselves imho. Even more so than usual.
If Boonen is attacked by some crazy French fan in the next three weeks, they can take a big chunk of the blame.
Dead Fingers
04 Jul 2009, 07:26 AM
Tom Boonen said that Lance did not speak to him for years after he left US Postal. In the end though, he did "forgive" Boonen and they're on good terms again. (At least they were, I'm not sure how Armstrong felt about the recent cocaine debacle).
If they are on good terms, I would not be surprised if LA was one of the first people to call him.
If Lance is still doing the interviewing of other members of the peloton, like he did at the Giro, I hope he brings him in. Some of those were quite good and funny.
Dead Fingers
04 Jul 2009, 08:28 AM
The odds from a variety of oddsmakers
http://www.oddschecker.com/other-sports/cycling/tour-de-france/win-market
Dead Fingers
04 Jul 2009, 08:40 AM
Not sure what the odds are of Voeckler getting the most air time. :p
Belgian guy
04 Jul 2009, 08:59 AM
http://twitpic.com/99595
Cool! :)
Dead Fingers
04 Jul 2009, 09:28 AM
http://twitpic.com/99595
Cool! :)
Excellent! :)
It's cool that Axel is working with the Livestrong team as well.
Belgian guy
04 Jul 2009, 09:56 AM
The Belgian commentator just mentioned that Leipheimer's wife is apparently a stone cold fox. :D
They've really moved away quite a bit from the serious cycling commentary of old. :o
panicfc
04 Jul 2009, 10:00 AM
The Belgian commentator just mentioned that Leipheimer's wife is apparently a stone cold fox. :D
They've really moved away quite a bit from the serious cycling commentary of old. :o
Useless without a picture ... of the woman, not the commentators ;)