Posted on 07/02/2010 11:30:15 AM PDT by Ready4Freddy
After a day riding on the cobbles, I bet he is very Thor.
Lance did great, I agree. Popo did all he could. Looks like the cobbles had the effect of separating teammates. No team was able to dominate the top 20 today:
AG2R LA MONDIALE 1
ASTANA 2
BMC RACING TEAM 1
CAISSE D’EPARGNE 2
CERVELO TEST TEAM 1
FOOTON-SERVETTO 1
GARMIN - TRANSITIONS 2
KATUSHA TEAM 1
LIQUIGAS-DOIMO 1
OMEGA PHARMA - LOTTO 2
RABOBANK 1
SKY PRO CYCLING 3
TEAM SAXO BANK 2
LOL
Praying Frank Schleck is OK. Word is he was transported to a hospital after his crash, the live reports said he landed on his back and was not moving for a long while.
He was my fav after Lance.
Word now is Frank Schleck has suffered a broken collarbone.
G R O A N .
He certainly was a bit of a Thor loser yesterday because of the enforced slowdown which prevented him from going for it (and who can blame him?), but I'll bet he's thooooo happy he got to sprint today. ;-)
And R4F: Did you see the clip when he came across the line? I do believe he let out a Yæï-Håø when he beat his chest! I hope our long lost €urøtwit got to see that wherever he is.
LOL, I knew you’d love llverok’s pun-ishment!
I certainly hope that €urøtwit caught the stage, I can’t imagine that he didn’t.
And LOL @ Yæï-Håø !!
Whoa, R4F! Getting pretty fancy with the keyboard...
Those were copied & pasted from leilani’s post, luvvy. She’s the one getting all kb fancy on us!
I’m impressed. ‘Hope I can keep up! ;-)
Took me a few to get the ya-hoo in Norwegian-ish. ;>)
Ouch! Thanks for the pics, Cecily.
Awesome pictures, Cecily! Thanks so much for posting. Lance got a dirt sandwich today....
Stage 4 - Cambrai > > > Reims - 153.5 km
Wednesday, July 7, 2010
Cambrai > > > Reims - 153.5 km
•Km 40.5 - Côte de Vadencourt - 1.6 km climb to 3.9 % - Category 4
Stage 4 - Cambrai > > > Reims - 153.5 km
Wednesday, July 7, 2010
Plain - A sporting perspective
Tending the wounds
This is a traditional stage, without major difficulties, and the first entirely French stage of this year’s Tour. It is very short, but during the three previous days, we will have travelled a long way and encountered many difficulties. It is a time to tend the wounds. Whilst the fighters will try and strike out in breakaways, the sprinters’ teams will want to ensure that the pack reaches the finish in a group. Wind may have been a factor if this race had taken place earlier in the season, because the roads are more open to the elements in northern France. However, at this time of year, with a fairly bumpy finish, it will not have much of an influence.
(letour.com)
June 27 post:
Other than the ceremonial final stage, stage 4 at 154 km is the shortest road stage of this year's Tour. It's also the first full stage on French roads. Starting in Cambrai, the riders will continue their journey southeast. In northern France, the exposed roads can be windy, but the peloton is less likely to split up during the calmer, warm summer months.
After a flat stage, expect a sprint finish in Reims which has hosted the Tour ten times in the past. In 2002, Robbie McEwen won his second of twelve Tour wins in Reims. He's back again this year hoping to rekindle the old flame. — Steve
Wearing the Aussie national champions jersey, Robbie McEwen won his second Tour stage during the sprint finish in Reims 8 years ago.
(steephill.tv)
Stage 4 - Cambrai > > > Reims - 153.5 km
Wednesday, July 7, 2010
CAMBRAI
• Once a stage town
• Population: 33,500
• Sub-prefecture of Nord (59)
Cambrai will be a stage town on the Tour de France for the second time. In 2004, the northern city hosted the start of a sixty kilometre long team time-trial that finished in Arras. The US Postal team dominated proceedings and Lance Armstrong seized the Yellow Jersey, donned by Australian rider Robbie McEwen the day before.
Cambrai (34,000 inhabitants) is situated in the Escaut Valley, bordered by the Hainaut and Artois plateaux and the vast rolling plains typical of the region. The gateway to northern France, its privileged location made the town a centre of trade and influence. A sub-prefecture, a university town and the heart of the local agglomeration, Cambrai is the urban centre of the south-west of the département. It boasts some remarkable architecture, the legacy of a history spanning more than seventeen centuries. Its fortifications, religious monuments, town houses and art-deco style buildings bear witness to its past and create a sense of continuity between yesterday and today. Cambrai is a pleasant place to live, with lots of green areas, rich culinary traditions, and a range of festivals and events. The town is building its future on the foundations of its established expertise, in areas such as textiles and agro-food. To mark the arrival of the Tour de France, the windows of the Town Hall will be decorated with photos of the “Marianne” statues from all of the stage towns in the 2010 event.
REIMS
• 10 times a stage town
• Population: 192,000
• Sub-prefecture of Marne (51)
Ten times already in the past the Tour has had occasion to celebrate with champagne here in the land of champagne production. Celebrations were almost every time in honour of a sprinter. The most recent winner was Robbie McEwen, in 2002, and this was merely the second of the Australian’s twelve stage victories. Prior to this, Cyrille Guimard, Francis Castaing and Djamolidine Abdoujaparov also triumphed in Reims.
Reims is known as the city of Champagne and the former coronation site of French kings. Bordered by the prestigious slopes of the Montagne de Reims, it is home to many famous champagne houses. The coronation site (in memory of Clovis’ baptism by Bishop Rémi in 489) of French kings (with three exceptions) from 1027 to 1825, Reims is proud of its cathedral, dating back to the 12th century and a symbol of the gothic period at its height. Since 1991, Notre-Dame cathedral has been a UNESCO world heritage site, as has the Palais du Tau, the former palace of the city’s archbishop, the Basilica of Saint-Rémi and the royal abbey of the same name which housed the Holy Ampulla (Sainte Ampoule) used for royal coronations. Every year, 20,000 students attend the city’s universities, colleges and institutes. The opening of the TGV high-speed train line in 2007 has cut the journey time to Paris to just 45 minutes and links the city to around ten international destinations. The new tramway line scheduled for completion in 2011 will transport its citizens around the city.
The Stage starts at 12:15 local time CEDT (Cambrai is 6 hrs ahead of US EDT).
velonews.com - "With only a single Cat. 4 climb, and no cobblestones, stage 4 is the easiest stage thus far. It starts in Cambrai, crossing World War I battlefields before heading into the Champagne region. The final 20km is flat and straight, and crosswinds could play a role.
The last two stages that have finished here ended in massive bunch sprints. McEwen, now racing for Katusha, won in 2002, and Djamolidin Abdujaparov won in 1991. Chances are high for a similar finish this year."
FReepmail me to get on or off the 2010 TdF Ping List.
After the protest over the conditions of the second stage of the Tour, there were some who thought that the riders would protest again over the route of the third stage from Belgium into France as the route traversed the cobbled roads of the North.
How wrong they were! It was an outstanding stage of cut and thrust racing that culminated in a win for Norwegian champion Thor Hushovd and a move up the overall for Andy Schleck and Cadel Evans - the two riders who gained most on the pre-race favorites.
Sadly, Schleck's gains that moved him to sixth overall behind his team mate, Fabian Cancellara, were tempered by the lost of his brother Frank, who crashed on the cobbled roads and retired with a suspected broken collarbone. It is a big loss to the Saxo Bank team as they bid to win the race to Paris.
Lance Armstrong, who has been looking so strong in his last Tour de France, found the cobbles turn against him and a flat tyre left him chasing his most dangerous rivals to the finish, where he finished 32nd and conceded, 2-08 to both Evans and Schleck and 55seconds to Alberto Contador. The seven-time winner is now down in 18th place and left with a lot of work to do to regain a top position.
Overnight leader was Sylvain Chavanel and his day could not have good much worse as he made at least three bike changes over the bad roads to finish 95th and almost four mins behind. Dreams of leading to the Alps last about 12 hours and he is now in fifth place, 61 seconds behindf the man he took the from on Monday, Cancellara.
Look Out for Cavendish During Stage 4
Posted by Paul Sherwen on 7/6/2010
Wow!
After three days of carnage we should be able to get back to a certain amount of normality on Stage 4. The race leaves the North of France and heads southeast toward Reims (or Rance as it is pronounced in French), which is the capital of the champagne region of France.
It is also a shorter and flatter stage for the riders with only one small climb along the 154km race route. With the time gaps now opening it should offer a good opportunity for a breakaway to get clear and establish itself.
Mark Cavendish may well spoil the party for a successful breakaway as I am sure that this is one of the stages that he has put down in his diary as one to win. If it's not too windy, then it should be a good day for the sprinters to hopefully have a clean charge to the line.
There will be a lot of riders hoping that this day will be the easiest stage of the race as predicted as there are already a lot of sore and injured riders who need to try and recover before the mountains at the weekend.
Cobble Crashes to be Followed by Intense Fourth Stage
Posted by Craig Lewis on 7/6/2010
Cobbles baby!!
The third stage didn't disappoint in any form or fashion. The cobbles completely blew apart the race, placing GC favorites in different groups spread all across the French countryside. The images on the television gave me goose bumps as I watched.
Most impressive was Andy Schleck's (Saxo-Bank) ride, even if it was set up by the crash and subsequent exit of his brother and teammate, Frank. Saxo-Bank also had its cobble specialist, Fabian Cancellara, in the group with Andy and Cancellara did what he does best and time-trialed towards the finish.
Andy finished the day as the best placed rider bidding for the overall win in Paris, and obviously thrilled to make time lost in the Prologue. Cancellara was also awarded for his efforts by regaining the yellow jersey he had lost in yesterday's stage.
The rider's of the Tour will surely be praying to the cycling gods for a relaxing day tomorrow, but knowing the Tour it will be hard to come by. If you are looking at the profile of the fourth stage and thinking to yourself "It is only 153 kilometers (95 miles), I could do that," you couldn't be more wrong.
Short stages in a race like the Tour make for an extremely stressful and intense day in the saddle for an already nerve-rattled peloton. With four epic days behind the riders, the stage should see a group of escapees and a peloton relaxing behind slowly reeling them back. The problem is that an all out war will unfold early between the teams in an attempt to get their riders into the day's breakaway. Tomorrow, everyone will have the exact same agenda.
For an attack-driven stage, the French riders should feel at home. It doesn't matter where in the world you are racing, the French love to put in an attack at any point during a race. With the riders finally on French soil for the entire day, it will add to the motivation of the riders racing on their home turf. Watch for Thomas Voeckler (Bbox-Bouygues Telecom) to put in attack after attack in hopes the peloton will ease up behind.
Another element that could come into play tomorrow is wind. If the pace is fast and the wind picks up, we could see yet another crazy stage unfolding before our eyes. Riding in the crosswinds takes great power, skill and teamwork. When watching the stage, you'll know it is windy if you see echelons (small groups of racers finding shelter from the wind from the side rather than in front of them) forming up the road. When the echelons form, the riders will quickly begin to panic and try to surround themselves with a strong team to survive.
Typically, when there are crosswinds, one or two teams assemble at the front to take advantage of the conditions. They put the hammer down, allowing only enough draft for their teammates, while the others are left struggling in the gutter. This is the move that will cause the echelons to form behind them. Last year's Tour saw HTC-Columbia perform this to perfection while setting up Mark Cavendish for the stage win.
Once the echelons form, if your team is not the one doing the damage, you have to work together with the rest of you group, just like in today's stage, and keep the gap between groups as minimal as possible. In order to do this, you have to have everyone in the group rotating through and working as a cohesive unit. A group filled with a bunch of random teams will only lose time each passing kilometer, as rider after rider will begin skipping turns in order to save energy for the finale.
versus.com
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