Posted on 07/04/2009 8:09:14 AM PDT by Mom MD
Today is day one! Armstrong riding. Astana is back! Predictions? Other comments? Does someone have the ping list from last year?
Translation?
The walrus sings at midnight.
TDF = Tour de France. Big professional bike race. (the biggest)
Best of luck to the Texan.
ARmstrong already in the house with 20:12, 3rd place, :10 seconds back of another American, Levi something.
I wish he hadn’t done this. I dont think he has it in him to place well, and I dont want to see him turn his great career into a laughingstock (ala Brett Favre) We’ll see how it turns out.
Levi Leipheimer. One of the good guys.
John has a long mustache.
Broke his collar bone as you know back in march. He may have some struggles in the mountains.
I don’t expect him to win, but probably will end up in the top 10 if the lack of training due to injury doesn’t hurt him and he drops out.
Love to see the Red White and Blue back up on the stage in Paris. That would really torch some arses there.
See replies up thread. Biggest professional bicycle race in the world. Lance Armstrong attempting a comeback. Astana = best team in the world, banned from the race last year due to antics of some team members the year before (not the ones riding this year) Wide open race, looks exciting this year (if you are a fan of course, if not it is like watching paint dry!)
You got that right. I am also pulling for Contador. It was a shame he got aced out of the tour last year, and I think he will have something to say about it this year. I am expecting fireworks on the course!
I would love to see him do well enough to ruin the day for the French - we will see what happens. The collarbone injury is a painful one - my husband did that on is bike several years ago. Hopefully the plate they put in will speed healing.
Wide open race, looks exciting this year (if you are a fan of course, if not it is like watching paint dry!)
OK, you understand.
Well, I’m gearing up for an SDR test on MABAS, but that wouldn’t make a good headline, either. Thanks for the clarification.
Haven’t watch the tour in a few years since Lance’s departure. Started watching because of Greg Lemond and I was getting into cycling. He could have won more than 3 if he didn’t have to support Bernard Hinault.
While the time trials don't award a special jersey, they do provide an opportunity to grab precious seconds and several Tours have been decided in the ITT.
The first battles within the tour are for the best sprinter' green jersey. The finishes - bunch sprints, may be some of the best we've seen in years and the talent goes deep for the guys with the fast twitch muscles. I have hopes and dreams for local boy Tyler Farrar who is riding his first tour with Garmin -Slipstream.
Let's all get ready to see the best talent in the world fight it our through hot, cold, wind, flat roads, high roads, steep climbs and bunches of sprinters hammering it out shoulder to shoulder at 40 mph. This year will not disappoint!
Inspector Clouseau?
Thank you for the ping!!
I probably am in the minority but I don’t like seeing Lance in the Tour again. His time has come and gone, and I say the same thing about egomaniacs that come out of retirement for any sport (yes, even Favre.)
So it probably goes without saying that I was pleased with Stage 1 result.
;)
Yay Phil & Paul, Bob; yay for Astana (let’s go CONTADOR), and let’s hear it for three weeks of High Definition French countryside footage. Yay!!
http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/wire?section=cycling&id=4303130
Vino "plans to return to his cycling career with Astana." I hope Bruyneel says "no, thanks." And I say this as someone who really liked Vino for years.
Go Garmin-slipstream
Astana had 5 riders in the top 10-11 today. The team TT will be killer!
Thank you, Mom and Baynative!
Starts in Monaco, and makes a jaunt into Espana? Intersting
When’s the last time the Tour went to either, or went into 3 different countries, ftm?
He and Lance will form another team in 2010 if Vino comes back. No way will he get involved with him.
We'll be getting together tomorrow for the first day on the road. This year's tour route has been designed to produce a thrilling race right from the start with tomorrow's 187 K road stage being anything but the traditionally griddle flat sprinter's course. It has several testy little climbs that anything but "rollers" and will bring the Polka Dot jersey into play right from day one.
...and speaking of thrills; how about the final mountain stage finishing on the TOP of Mt. Ventoux (site of the classic Armstrong attack on Marco Pantani in 2000), on the day before Paris?
When I was racing USCF I finally got the points to upgrade from CatIV to CatIII, but by then I realized I was getting older and performing poorly in the hills, so instead of moving up I moved back down to CatV where I could ride in the pack with our newer riders. It was the best time I ever had on a bike.
Anyway ... picture this, Lance, Levi and Contador work well to control a couple of mountain stages and Lance finds himself in the top 5 or 10 going to Ventoux on the day before Paris. It was on Ventoux where he attacked Pantani and then after proving his point and knowing that he had the tour sewn up, he sat up and gave Marco the stage. He got no thanks for it and Pantani was more embarrassed than grateful. He'll be thinking about that...
...if he's anywhere near the top of the G.C. the whole world will be tuning in even if they don't know a derailleur from a down tube.
Thanks for the ping! All the anticipation, and I almost forgot to tune in! Very enjoyable, and any F1 fans (like me) also enjoyed seeing the riders on much the same course as the Monaco GP. Great pics, too! I love the mountain stages, and have really come to appreciate the ITTs, too. I agree, I, too, think we’re in for a great race this year!
Every year I say it, but one day I'd like to have my chalk graffiti decorating the road!
Well, you make some good points. But even though it’s hard to walk away after dedicating his entire life, he’s already met the goal. Seven times. So my attitude is, you retired, now stay gone; it’s someone else’s turn. I dunno. Maybe I’m too quick to judge.
Either way, as you say, there are plenty of other guys to watch. It’s gonna be a great Tour.
No problem, glad to help. The stages look, to quote Bob Roll, “diabolical.”
Not bad to place 10th over all and just be 00:40 seconds behind the leader in the time trials.
Great for Lance.
SPRINTERS!
(psst ... are you watching?)
Lance thread from a few years back -- which I took heat regarding
It was a great thread. Lance’s story is an amazing one. Ok, some folks were upset over crossing the FR Finest line but the opener about not being an abortion stat was very strong. I think I’ll remember to send Lance a copy of that link the next time he starts singing the praises of the democrat party.
Riding through Hay Fields (2003)
Lance Armstrong’s tenure at the Tour has included many exhilarating moments. Perhaps the most dramatic occurred in 2003 in Stage 9 from Bourg d’Osians to Gap.
French roads are often resurfaced for Tour stages. But in the nearly omnipresent heat of the 100th anniversary Tour edition, a slight downhill section melted while Spain’s Joseba Beloki and Armstrong began to furiously chase stage leader Alexandre Vinokourov of Kazakhstan.
With Beloki slightly ahead of Armstrong, the duo accelerated to an estimated 40 mph (65 kph). Beloki’s rear wheel suddenly spun out in the melting tar. He swung back and forth for a few seconds, then hit the pavement hard.
Armstrong reacted instantly and swerved to the left. He exited the pavement and rode across a recently plowed field of hay and back toward the race course. Armstrong dismounted his bike, jumped with it across an irrigation ditch and joined a group of riders, just arriving in another chasing pack. Beloki was escorted to a local hospital with several broken bones, lacerations, and other injuries. Armstrong finished second in the stage and went on to claim his record-tying fifth consecutive Tour de France.
psst, are you watching????
NO, I’M WATCHING WIMBLEDON!!! But no tea and crumpets though....
Nobody posted the results yet, so here are the top ten:
[Standing| Rider | Team | Time]
1. CANCELLARA Fabian TEAM SAXO BANK 19' 32"
2. CONTADOR Alberto ASTANA 19' 50"
3. WIGGINS Bradley GARMIN - SLIPSTREAM 19' 51"
4. KLÖDEN Andréas ASTANA 19' 54"
5. EVANS Cadel SILENCE - LOTTO 19' 55"
6. LEIPHEIMER Levi ASTANA 20' 02"
7. KREUZIGER Roman LIQUIGAS 20' 04"
8. MARTIN Tony TEAM COLUMBIA - HTC 20' 05"
9. NIBALI Vincenzo LIQUIGAS 20' 09"
10. ARMSTRONG Lance ASTANA 20' 12"
Noting Roman Kreuziger (Czchechoslovakia?) finish for Liquigas yesterday [#7], Lance tweeted that he used to race against his Dad! Ouch!
So here is the guy whose Mom generously let him enjoy his right to life, liberty & the pursuit of happiness after the TT yesterday, back at the hotel watching coverage (snapped by Mark Higgins of Austin):
Speaking of cool threads, searching just now for today's I see that somebody else here made a very nice one for TdF the other day with links & graphics and all which we aren't using but maybe we should invite him/her here because they've done a really nice job & maybe they'll help with our dailies? FLAttorney didn't have our ping list, so here's that thread:
What a beautiful set up by Team Columbia. Cavendish will be the dominant sprinter for a while, but his team lead out was a thing of beauty.
Mr. Mom notes that Cavendish was pulling away from the riders in his slipstream!
Great pics.
I followed the Giro and I think Bryneel said Armstrong worked well as a Domestique.
So, from that aspect, it looks like Lance is also an outstanding team player.
How would you like to be racing against a team that has a past Tour winner that is willing to work as a Domestique? Especially if that someone is Lance Armstrong?
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