La grande Boucle (Tour de France-thread)
 

Just after Wimbledon and Euro2004, arrives the meanest, toughest and most heroic sporting event of them all: Le Tour the France.
Three weeks of psychological, tactical and physical warfare over the slopes of the French alps, pyreniees, and through the green countryside, past the waving corn.

Will Armstrong immortalise himself by taking an unsurpassed sixth victory? Or can Jan Ullrich stay fit and make a move for it in the mountains, or in a crazy time trial? Maybe Tyler Hamilton? Or Mayo? An other outsider perhaps?

This is the place to discuss it!

Stage 1
 

Good idea Casus Belli on creating this post. Someone had to start it sooner or later. Your timing is on euro.

Ok....stage 1 brought forth some dodgy situations tactically with the weather in a few spots. I noted that some riders may have suffered due to the atmospheric change from the day before, cause the temps started about 61 farenheit.

What a great shame that the 2 man break was swallowed...it would have been nice to see it succeed.

The intermediate sprint was on FIRE!!! The final sprint was a classic bunch charge that should have had Petacchi in it, but i guess he was on the wrong wheel and got caught out. Kursipu did a great job holding the charge through the line. Superb!!!!!

I'm quite unsure what the matter is with petacchi... this entire season he has been unbeatable, and yesterday he came in 8th again. Maybe today?

Good deal for Robbie McEwen, though. He was one of petacchi's main victims last year!

Yeah, pretty amazing race this year and it's barely started. Mayo out of it. Petacchi not even a contender in the sprints. Nor Cipollini. What the hell is up?
And guys like Beloki and Vinokourov didn't make it in to the tour this year. But there's still Hamilton and Julich and Leipheimer and Heras. And of course Ullrich. So exciting...

Anyway, I'm just spouting. Once again, thank god OLN is covering this. The old ESPN coverage sucked ass...

I shouldn't count Mayo out that quick, ok he' s 5 minutes behind on Lance Armstrong, but on the other hand what does he has to lose now?

I got this feeling there are gonna be way more surprises this tour. I can't wait

I don't know. I think Mayo will pull some single stage stunts in the mountains like he did last year, but it's hard to charge away from the pack and also be cosistently in the top ten the next day.

Notice that the pattern for Lance has been to get a small lead, then use the team to protect that lead, extending it when his opponents falter. He rarely wins mountain top finishes, prefering to let guys like Mayo win while ruining their legs for the next day.

But hell, I'm spouting again. This will definitly be an exciting tour. It has been already and they've barely started.

team trials: the US postals really devastated the other teams... almost inhumane!

Well... i am looking forward the the trial today.. let's see if Petacchi is really out of shape... I'm secretly hoping to see more of Robbie McEwen, because he goed alone, instead of taking a 'train' for the final sprint.

So is it only me who finds American news coverage of this event laughably stupid? Headlines like "Armstrong falls out of lead!" and "Armstrong falls to 6th overall" What a joke.

Apparently someone asked Voeckler what his lead of more than 9 minutes over Armstrong meant. HAHAHAHAHAHA!!!! Seriously, to even ask that question shows that you know nothing about how the grand tours work. You'd think that after 5 years of American hype around Lance that people would know a bit better.

ok, there is a hype about Lance... but you got to give it to him, he's doing it again.
Although it isn't over :)

So what do you guys think about Hamilton? He's going good, has a good team.

I don't have the problem with the headlines, i live in Belgium.

Hamilton shouldn't have left USPS 'cause they're gonna win again so he'll be missing out :)

I think Hamilton has just as good a shot as anyone, including Lance or Ullrich. He's a strong guy to be sure and he's got a good team behind him. I remember watching him a few years ago ('99?) at the lead of the pack pulling up one of the big cols with lance behind him and thinking "That guy has got it." And after last year??? Coming 4th with a damn BROKEN COLLAR BONE!!!! If he stays healthy he's a serious contender.

i agree, the local news tonight said it was "a bad day for lance" (stage 5) *shakes head*


i think hamilton has a shot too, if his bikes hold up... crap keeps breaking for phonak :-P hopefully their hearing aids work better ;)

It is a long way to Paris, and before they get there who is to say what happens. If Armstrong punctures the Spanish will cycle like mad.

Hamilton is looking good (as in I have hardly seen him fall or drop out of the first 50 in the main group)

Then again so are Herras, Armstrong and Ullrich. However do not forget Mayo or Leipheimer, it is still a long way.

But it is looking more exciting than during the past years.

I think today (stage 6) will see a lot of attacks by teams that don't have a result yet, since Voeckler and his team do not have the power to keep the pack together and Petachi took a hit yesterday so the sprinters might skip a day as well. I wouldn't be surprised if there was another big lead today.

Holy shit I just read Petacci decided to quit the tour. What a douchebag...! So damn typical: an italian stopping when he's not completely sure if he can win. Stopping when the road rises a bit. Stopping when the sun stops shining.

Pantani is the last real Italian cycling-hero, if you ask me..

He crashed today. Over 9 minutes back. I think 6th overall now.

Cippo left too. But that's typical for him. Ride the first week, then quit. Petacci quit b/c of an injury (or so he says...) That's sprinters for you :/

Reading the VeloNews play by play they were having some sort of haiku contest. I enjoyed them, so here they are... I think the first one is the best, displaying the most haiku quality.

Summer rain falling.
Tires grind seeking friction.
Steel and flesh tangle.

Phonak Tires Flatting
Italian Sprinters Quit
Stage Six Still Goes On.
--Mike Kruger

opening stages,
Phonak's curious quandry:
flat flat flat flat flat
____ --Scott A. Gordon

Postal confident
Allows young man to escape
Voeckler could surprise

France so far away
Updates scroll as riders race
Has there been a crash_
_________________ --Michael Futterman

Sitting at my desk_
Should be doing paperwork_
But-my mind's in France_
_____________ --Liza in Vermont

These about Bradley McGee...

Racing can be tough
With crashes, rain, cobble stones,
flats, and potting plants.
_______________ --Luke Ward

Bright sun, fresh dug earth
Sudden spasm drops him
Damn plants! Curse them all!
____________ --Rebecca in Canada

Sad but true...but then again...i think that is arrogance on our part as a national collective in that it is a sport that is not respected here in the states like it is elsewhere. Most other countries do recognize and respect it as a world sport...here...it's just an annoying sport to many that reminds them of the bikers they try to take the pedals off while we're on the road training. I think most of u'll feel me on this perspective.


POM

Both quit with injuries. Petacchi seperated his shoulder and cracked a rib. Cipollini crashed and (apparently) re-injured a previous injury. I was looking forward to seeing the dominate though--I especially wanted to see Cipollini take one given that this was probably his last Tour. Id say these two dropping was merited--unlike someone like Jan Kiirsipuu, who dropped out today, uninjured, as soon as they started hitting hills. And the man won the first stage!

Im gonna have to say I dont think Tyler quite has it. Hes definitely up there, and I put him on the podium providing Lance or Jan dont crash, but I dont think that Tyler has the killer instinct needed to win a race like that. Hes strong as an ox, but I dont think he has it. Definitely a podium finisher though--and he is the one guy that I wouldnt be too upset with if he took down Lance.

And yeah, the coverage in the states sucks, but the fact that it is getting any coverage at all is incredible. While some complain that Lance has made the sport too focused on one race, he has done a lot for the recognition of the sport in the states--and hes just a badass. Im looking forward to seeing him demolish the peloton.

Well, the mountains start tomorrow. That'll separate the men from the boys... Oh boy oh boy oh boy.

Will Lance dominate again?

Yeah boy... Thank god for live internet updates... Being at work sucks :( I dont think we will see any spectacular attacks from any of the big boys, but at the least it should split up the field and make for some interesting racing. And hey, nine rated climbs--thats a *lot*.

I hope so ;)

Alright, I got a little excited by the prospect of the mountains. Forgot that it wasn't an uphill finish. Pack pretty much came back together on the final 35Km. But Hamilton lost 7 seconds, so that's news. Haven't seen it yet because my cable doesn't carry OLN, but I'll go down to a local bar that's showing it to see tonight.

Nice win by Virenque.

Just for everyone to know, i'm gay for Richard Virenque.... 34 years old, he pulled it off again at the longest stage. That brilliant, mean hearted hero. I hope he gets to take home the mountain jersy again.

Unfortunately, for me, he is tainted by his admitted EPO usage. Shoulda been banned from the tour years ago.

This stage is kicking some ass... Armstrong is owning--he already dropped Ullrich and Hamilton... Didnt see that coming this early.

Dominant stage for Armstrong today. If tomorrow goes like today he will be wearing yellow and looking damn hard to catch by the end of the day.

Folks, Lance just won the tour de france today. Ullrich is four minutes behind, and he is the closest rival. A lot can happen in the remaining week, but four minutes is an *awful* lot of time to have to make up, especially given the strength of Armstrong, and even more importantly, the DOMINANT strength of US Postal.

Way to go Lance!!!

Oh, and WAY TO GO AZEVEDO! That man cranked up the front of the field so hard and so long, it looked like the Roberto Heras of old. He sacrificed himself at the front cranking out a pace that dropped contender after contender. Way to fucking go! A true demonstration of a team working together--Hincapie, then Noval, and then Azevedo cranked it and destroyed the field. Damn, what a good stage.

Hamilton just quit the tour... that's one thing I had never expected...

His dog Tugboat just died, i think that's an aspect u shouldn't underestimate.
And he had some troubles with his back.

Yes, the fall injured his back. Like he said, you can ride with a broken collarbone, but not an injured lower back. Your back and abs are what your legs push against, and if one of them is injured, you just cant get any power. Totally out of his control.

Wow, I don't have cable so I couldnt watch it on TV... however I just watched the version of Stage 13 that I downloaded... and wow... what a dominating performance by US Postal

good job Lance!!!

Yeah, isnt it? That, my friends, is what teamwork does. They have that race by the balls. I just love watching one Postie after another cranking it at the front until they blew up, then falling off to let the next one go--until only Armstrong was left. Excellent stage.

I am currently watching the Tuesday stage and I am amazed by the tactics by CSC.

Finally there is a chance to dent the armor of Armstrong (i.e. attack by Ullrich) and what do they do? They defend their 2nd place (Basso). Instead of letting Landis and Azevedo do the work they let Voigt come back and catch Ullrich.

Here is a hint boys of CSC there is a big difference in attacking to win or defending 2nd place (i.e. lose).

Now Armstrong hasn't lost any energy or place. In my opinion weird tactics, but that is just me. Maybe a gentleman's agreement between CSC and US Postal?

edit Armstong did look strong today.

CSC might also be going for the team competition (they're currently leading) and 2nd place in the GC is an added bonus. But they want to keep up the pressure in case something happens to Lance and then they'd be in the cat bird seat. Who knows.

I think CSC chased for several reasons--one, they are concerned with Ullrich upsetting Basso. Armstrong is pretty secure, but Basso will be knocked out of his spot before Armstrong, so... The other is experience. The posties stayed very calm, and almost looked like they didnt care. They knew they had plenty of time to catch Ullrich's solo break. Basso, on the other hand, looked a bit edgy.

Besides, theres nothing to lose by cooperating. I think CSC knows Basso isnt gonna win barring something happening to Armstrong, and they might as well work together to keep Ullrich from upsetting the status quo.

Yeah, it's too complicated to really know, sans talking to the DS.

Can't wait till tomorrow. It seems unlikely that the standings will change much, it will still be exciting to watch.
I'm sad that my cable doesn't get OLN, so most of the time I find out what happened in the morning news sites.

Cyclingnews.com and VeloNews.com both have pretty good coverage. Check them out.

see that is what I mean. The US Postals where laughing all the way to the bank. They are the team that was supposed to defend the yellow yersey attack by Ullrich and not the CSC.

The CSC basically defended a 2nd place and did not take the chance for LAnce to counter the attack by Ullrich (don't forget that Kloden was also in the group of LAnce and would prob have attacked when Ullrich was caught). In that case LAnce would have had to do something himslef without his team mates.

The 'accident to Lance' that CSC was hoping for was the attack by Ullrich and T-Mobile. CSC made it alot easier for Lance to win.

I am okay with team tactics, but this was for the ordinary viewer not fun and dulled the tour (for me anyway).

Just like today. Basso is caught by Armstrong ( a very strong armstrong) and discarded. But would he have had this much power if he had to counter the attacks himself the day before?

Guess we will never know

More domination by Armstrong again today. He thoroughly spanked all comers, even passing Basso on the course. This Tour is won.

Yeah, stick a fork in it. Some of the other contests are more interesting right now. Can Voeckler keep the white jersey? I hope he can. That kid showed some real guts and should be rewarded for it at the end of the tour. And Virenque, can he keep hold of the KOM? Lance is coming up on him strong. If he doesn't do well tomorrow and Friday he could lose the polka dot jersey. Green jersey will almost certainly go to McEwen, but who knows, there's still time.