Posted on 07/01/2011 7:58:26 PM PDT by Ready4Freddy
agree, except i think contador is done. looks to me like its schleks to lose.
Evans can hammer, so can Voekler; but I think Andy Schleck can fly by himself too. There aren't many grade changes on the TT course, but 42kilos can present some opportunities for the clock to be moved.
Right now it looks like the only people with a chance to alter the outcome are in the top nine places. Tom Danielson has been impressive at times, maybe he will be the surprise. I have no idea how he is in TTs.
Video of Lance’s 2003 climb/stage win is near the bottom of the page at the link:
From Velonews
“Jury decisions
Haimar Zubeldia (RadioShack), Kristjan Koren (Liquigas), Hubert Dupont (Ag2r): all 50CHF fine, 5 points penalty and 10-second penalty for pulling on car
Steve Morabito (BMC), 50CHF fine for irregular feed
DS Bingen Fernandez (Garmin-Cervélo), Dimitri Sedoun (Astana), each 200CHF fine for not following instructions of commissaires
Thomas Voeckler (Europcar), 100CHF for public urination....”
The MJ fined for public urination? In France? During the TdF?
Unreal ...what’s a CHF, is it like Euro or something?
If it’s a few hundred bucks, then it really means nothing. For someone in Voekler’s position a fine on the clock would be much more severe. I’m glad they didn’t go there.
CHF is Swiss Franc
100 CHF = 122.49 US Dollars
The hole in my plan is that Sunday is mostly downhill and Monday is a rest day. So maybe they have a plan for the Alps. If they don't they are just rolling the dice.
They are not likely to best Cadell Evans in a 26 mile TT, in my opinion. If he can stay with them in the Alps the podium is his.
what you are seeing in contador is the effect of not doping. its painfully obvious that he just doesnt have “it” without the juice on board.
Juice, or too much used up in the Giro.
His form looked better yesterday. The other day he looked more side to side the whole time.
amazing accusation today in post race interview that cavendish cheated yesterday by riding back into the race holding on to the team car.
Yes. Incredible but do they have any proof?
Pescheux dismisses Rojas's towing claim against Cavendish
Tour de France officials have moved to defuse a spat between the rivals for the sprint competition, after Jose Joaquin Rojas accused current incumbent Mark Cavendish of holding on to his team car on climbs. "There is no problem with Cavendish at all, none at all," said race director Jean Francois Pescheux. "Cavendish is a leader and he is under surveillance in the race – like all the team leaders are ... Rojas is always looking for excuses to win." Pescheux was responding to accusations by Rojas, reported by Gazzetta dello Sport, that Cavendish was being towed up mountains as the Tour hit the Pyrenees. "Phil [Gilbert] and I complained about Cavendish,” Rojas said. "Cavendish keeps hanging on to cars on the climbs." However, Omega Pharma-Lotto manager Herman Frison contradicted Rojas's claim, saying: "Philippe has not complained. He just had a little chat with Pescheux. The conversation was not about Cavendish." At last year's Giro d'Italia Movistar's Fran Ventoso made a similar accusation against the HTC-Highroad sprinter. Cavendish said at the time: "If I stop to pee, if I crash and change a wheel, I always have a race official – as well as an ice-cream truck and a marching band – all watching me," Cavendish said at the time. "It's always the same. If I'm dropped but I finish inside the time limit, it means I cheat. If I can cheat, then I'm David Copperfield." Cavendish leads Movistar's Rojas by 15 points in this year's green jersey competition, who in turn is a further 11 points ahead of Omega Pharma's Gilbert.
” Yes. Incredible but do they have any proof?”
I think Liggett and Sherwin would have pointed this out if it was happening.
After all if its a stage where the sprinters will there at the end they normally pay attention to where they are at any point in the race.
good get on that quote luv2.
i find it somewhat credible. i think cavendish acts like a petulant child in the interviews and he is always complaining on the course about people cutting him off at the sprints. dont know why but i just dont like the guy and find it credible he cheats a little if he can get away with it.
that said, you see a lot of hanging on and drafting on cars. but then again the rules as they are practiced seem a little murky.
i did note that thomas voelckler got a small fine for “public urination” the other day. that was pretty funny. i guess phil and paul left that one out of the post race show.
Yeah, no kidding! What? Are they supposed to wear diapers?
As I posted in another post a page or two back.
I think this TdF is giving AC a slap of reality. This is his first TdF without adult leadership.
What lost him time in the first week was not “juice” but tactics and lack of attention.
I think he started to believe his own press and was going for the two-fer this year of the Giro and the TdF. And winning the Giro took a lot out of him.
I bet right now he’s hoping he can just hang on a day or two to get his climbing legs back. Otherwise he just might miss the podium in France.
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