This thread can be used as a "live" thread for Stage 1 if you'd like. I'll check back later tonight. Go Lance and Team Discovery!
Please FReepmail me if you want on or off my Tour de France 2005 list.
Posted on 07/02/2005 7:53:02 AM PDT by nutmeg
I will be gone most of today (family get-together this afternoon and Red Sox game in Boston tonight), but here are a few useful links to enhance your enjoyment of Stage 1 of Tour de France 2005:
Tour de France - Stage 1 Live Coverage (VeloNews.com)
Tour de France 2005 - The Route (www.letour.fr/2005 - official Tour de France site)
Stage 1 - Saturday, July 2: Fromentine - Noirmoutier-en-l'Ile ITT, 19 km (CyclingNews.com)
OLNtv.com (Outdoor Life Network - they seem to be having trouble with their website right now... check back later)
This thread can be used as a "live" thread for Stage 1 if you'd like. I'll check back later tonight. Go Lance and Team Discovery!
Please FReepmail me if you want on or off my Tour de France 2005 list.
(Denny Crane: "Sometimes you can only look for answers from God and failing that... and Fox News".)
from velo news @11:20 AM central:
"....Starting from the ferry port at Fromentine, this opening time trial has a few twists and turns in the first 2km, then heads up a curving concrete bridge to the course high point 114 feet above the narrow strait between the mainland and the island of Noirmoutier. The next 11km is on a flat divided highway before a few final curves and turns into Noirmoutier town...."
6:20 p.m. - Floyd Landis is in the start house.
Current standings:
1-ZABRISKIE (USA, CSC) 20:51
2-VINOKOUROV (KAZ, TMO) 21:44
3-BODROGI (HUN, C.A) 21:50
4-VOIGT (GER, CSC) 21:55
5-KARPETS (RUS, IBA) 21:56
George H up in a sec.Basso, Ullrich & Lance start at circa 6:46,47 &48 respectively (french time)-about 20 min.
Floyd L. takes fourth; Ivan, Jan & Lance all en route.
The winds have died down. Lance had a clip disengage on his start -- they are saying it cost him two seconds. Maybe more psychologically.
Big George is 3rd!!!!!
"they are saying it cost him two seconds. Maybe more psychologically." But the thing is stuff like that always makes Lance hypercompensate. The guy doesn't just thrive on adversity, he can't seem to do without it.
Lance passes Ullrich; ahead of Zabriskie's time by 3 sec.
He came in second by two seconds.
Zabriskie wins stage, Lance second, off by 2 - eek! That pedal mishap did hurt! Zabriskie did have more favorable winds though!
That's a good position for Lance, shame he didn't get the yellow jersey on the first day!
you can email dave zabriskie here:
DZ@davezabriskie.com
I'll have pictures from today as soon as they come up on the wires. Who is going to post Stage 2 tomorrow?
The commentator (Ligget, I think) said if he did lead the entire tour it would be the first time since 1934, so I don't think he'd be the first ever. I would have liked to see it, though.
"American Lance Armstrong, probably the world's greatest cyclist of all time."
Gonna have to disagree with you on that. Even though Lance has 6 TdF wins, all consecutive, compared to Eddy Merckx 5 wins, Eddy was the more versatile racer. Not just TdF wins, and Giro G.C. wins, but also many of the classics: Paris-Roubaix, Ronde van Vlaanderen, and others. Also did six days as well. The only thing he didn't do was cyclo-cross (there wasn't mountain biking at the time, however I suspect that the Cannibal used the 'cross bike during the off season).
2005 Tour de France Preview
By Phil Liggett
So, Lance is ready to take his last ride before heading into the Texas sunset. Life after July 24th will not be the same again for any of us.
The American who has written his own piece of Tour history has won six -- in itself the outright record -- but would be far happier with seven when he retires from the sport that has earned him millions of dollars on the final day of his favorite race in three weeks’ time.
This will be his 11th trip around France since 1993 when he failed to finish, but did win a stage. Since then millions of words have been written about the cancer-ridden rider who came back to triumph a record number of times. In all, too, he has won 21 stages so far.
Obliged to ride the race one more time to honor his new contract with Discovery Channel, Lance has chosen sooner rather than later, leaving the way clear to go home and spend time with his young children. At almost 34 years of age, he may be getting on the wrong side of maturity to win races, but not to enjoy his after life!
Forget any thoughts that Lance rides to fulfill a deal; he is at the start of the 92nd Grande Boucle for one reason – to go out with a final winner’s yellow jersey. Losing has never been part of his make-up.
Who can beat him? In my opinion and given a fair race, only Jan Ullrich has the ability to beat the master. The German is ready and I think this year has the best chance ever of spoiling the party for Team Discovery Channel.
The opening time trial on the isle of Noirmoutier in the Vendee will give a good indicator as to form. If Lance wins this, will he try to lead all the way home. I doubt it, but it is still an intriguing thought.
As the race journeys across northern France to Germany and into the Alsace region, we can reflect on 100 years of mountains as the Ballon d’Alsace, the first mountain climbed in 1905, is part of stage nine.
Lance will use his team in the north to distance rivals when possible -– in the team time trial on stage 4, for example –- and to make sure he stays out of trouble. Once into the major mountains of the Alps from stage 10, he will still have the likes of Yaroslav Popovytch, George Hincapie, Jose Azevedo and Paolo Savoldelli to look after him.
Onwards to the Pyrenees, often Lance’s favorite playground in victories gone by, and here he will attempt to shake off Ullrich, Mayo, Basso, Heras, Vinokourov, Botero, Landis and Valverde. If he fails, then his last chance will be the time trial at St Etienne before the long train to Paris for the final stage.
Champagne on the Champs-Elysees, as has been his way since 1999? We hope it will be so again, but one can not help feeling that this is going to be no ordinary Tour and Lance will win no ordinary race.
May the best rider win and may Lance Armstrong enjoy a happy retirement with my thanks for a great 15 years.
You know, this would be a great debate while enjoying a few cocktails.
To me, this is a toss up. Yes, Merx was a versatile rider, however, if Lance does win his seventh consecutive Tour, I would find it hard to dispute naming him the "greatest rider."
Replay of the Time Trial Stage 1 on OLN ........ about 30 minutes into the replay...
What I heard was that there was a slight tail wind for the earlier riders that changed by the time the top 20 or so started.
bump.......
I'm rooting for Lance Armstrong and our other American cyclists.
Thanks for posting that excellent link in #4.
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