Posted on 07/02/2010 11:30:15 AM PDT by Ready4Freddy
200th post! Yéê-Hôâü!!!!
Hello. Rough tour so far huh?
Per wiki - “The team’s current sponsors include a US bicycle manufacturer and an Italian wardrobe company.”
Scary.
My first thought when I saw lainie’s pic was ‘those guys in the middle must be sporting the goalie’s kit”. LOL, guess I’ve been watching too much World Cup!
LOL!! I was just saying to my husband yesterday- those uni's are REALLY ugly! With all the colors and combinations they could have chosen why flesh and brown. BLEH!!
Nice to see Cav get a win. Looks like it is going to be tough to catch Thor though.
Cavendish!
Overall after Stage 5, no change in GC:
1. CANCELLARA Fabian 13 TEAM SAXO BANK 22h 59’ 45”
2. THOMAS Geraint 39 SKY PRO CYCLING 23h 00’ 08” + 00’ 23”
3. EVANS Cadel 121 BMC RACING TEAM 23h 00’ 24” + 00’ 39”
4. HESJEDAL Ryder 54 GARMIN - TRANSITIONS 23h 00’ 31” + 00’ 46”
5. CHAVANEL Sylvain 131 QUICK STEP 23h 00’ 46” + 01’ 01”
6. SCHLECK Andy 11 TEAM SAXO BANK 23h 00’ 54” + 01’ 09”
7. HUSHOVD Thor 95 CERVELO TEST TEAM 23h 01’ 04” + 01’ 19”
8. VINOKOUROV Alexandre 9 ASTANA 23h 01’ 16” + 01’ 31”
9. CONTADOR Alberto 1 ASTANA 23h 01’ 25” + 01’ 40”
10. VAN DEN BROECK Jurgen 101 OMEGA PHARMA - LOTTO 23h 01’ 27” + 01’ 42”
11. ROCHE Nicolas 81 AG2R LA MONDIALE 23h 01’ 27” + 01’ 42”
12. VAN SUMMEREN Johan 58 GARMIN - TRANSITIONS 23h 01’ 32” + 01’ 47”
13. MENCHOV Denis 191 RABOBANK 23h 01’ 34” + 01’ 49”
14. WIGGINS Bradley 31 SKY PRO CYCLING 23h 01’ 34” + 01’ 49”
15. MILLAR David 57 GARMIN - TRANSITIONS 23h 01’ 51” + 02’ 06”
16. KREUZIGER Roman 44 LIQUIGAS-DOIMO 23h 02’ 09” + 02’ 24”
17. SANCHEZ Luis-Leon 161 CAISSE D’EPARGNE 23h 02’ 10” + 02’ 25”
18. ARMSTRONG Lance 21 TEAM RADIOSHACK 23h 02’ 15” + 02’ 30”
19. LÖVKVIST Thomas 37 SKY PRO CYCLING 23h 02’ 19” + 02’ 34”
20. ROJAS Jose Joaquin 169 CAISSE D’EPARGNE 23h 02’ 20” + 02’ 35”
Hiya Vision, good to see ya back again this year. Yep, it’s been rough, literally, with more blood spilled on the course than I can ever remember put together, but it should toughen up those guys’ posteriors early for the mountains. This ain’t the Giro!;-)
I’m bored.
Bring on the mountains!!!!
Saturday & Sunday, WS!
Stage 6 - Montargis > > > Gueugnon - 227.5 km
Friday, July 9, 2010
Montargis > > > Gueugnon - 227.5 km
•Km 69.5 - Côte de Bouhy - 2.9 km climb to 4 % - Category 4
•Km 91.5 - Côte de La Chapelle-Saint-André - 2.1 km climb to 4.3 % - Category 4
•Km 179.5 - Côte des Montarons - 3.6 km climb to 3.6 % - Category 4
•Km 204.5 - Côte de la Croix de l'Arbre - 2.3 km climb to 4.5 % - Category 4
Stage 6 - Montargis > > > Gueugnon - 227.5 km
Friday, July 9, 2010
Plain - A sporting perspective
The role of the HTC-Columbia team
The longest stage of this year’s Tour will present the pack with another opportunity for a grouped finish. The route is not very hilly and the riders will be well sheltered since there is a lot of forest, in the foothills of the Morvan range. Even if it is not a totally flat terrain, we will not see a grand battle like those we are used to on the passes. A word of warning though: if the weather is hot, this could affect the outcome. It will all depend on the team which takes control of the race, because if Cavendish is riding well and is sure of winning the stage, then his team will give it their all. Otherwise, which sprinting team will be capable of closing the door on the others?
(letour.com)
July 7 post:
We are headed to the French Alps, but first another expected sprinters' stage. Starting in Montargis, the stage 5 finish host, we'll continue to head southeast through the interior of France where temperatures can soar in July. There are three cat 4 climbs along the way, but the last one is 24 km from the finish.
It looks like a sprint finish on paper with a straight-forward run into Gueugnon, an industrial town hosting its first Tour stage. But, this is the longest stage of the Tour and the highs in Gueugnon later this week are expected to hit 86F/30C so the temperature may be a factor. The narrow, lumpy roads and the heat will work against a sprint finish.
Many of the sprinters are banged up as revealed after Stage 4. Tyler Farrar's lead out men Robbie Hunter and Julien Dean looked good finishing 5th and 2nd on stage 4 and were talking up an upcoming win. Will HTC-Columbia and Cervelo get their leadout right or will they be out smarted by veteren sprinter and two-time stage winner already this year, Alessandro Petacchi. — Steve
(steephill.tv)
Stage 6 - Montargis > > > Gueugnon - 227.5 km
Friday, July 9, 2010
MONTARGIS
• 3 times a stage town
• Population: 15,800
• Sub-prefecture of Loiret (45)
If Montargis has often been positioned at the very end of the route on the Tour, on account of its proximity to Paris, it has, over the last few years, seen Paris-Nice launched from the neighbouring common of Amilly and the Tour de l’Avenir from Chalette-sur-Loing. Loiret is hence emerging as a genuine launch pad to the sun for cyclists.
The sub-prefecture of the Loiret district, situated in the Gâtinais area and the town centre of an urban agglomeration of more than 60,000 inhabitants, Montargis is one hour south of Paris, at the crossroads of the A19 and A77 motorways and waterways, and at the junction of the Briare, Loing and Orleans canals. Its location and the growth of its infrastructures will help the urban agglomeration to consolidate its position as the second largest economic centre in the Loiret département, in particular thanks to the development of its Arboria industrial area. Montargis is changing, Montargis is developing, praised by the increasing numbers of tourists who visit the town and by the new families who choose to make their home there. Its tourist appeal is based on a wide range of attractions such as its typical canals, the colourful and fresh sight of its flower-decked barges, and its many bridges which have given the town its nickname of the “Venice of the Gâtinais”.
GUEUGNON
• Stage town for the first time
• Population: 8,300
• County town of Saône-et-Loire canton (71)
A new stage town in this year’s Tour, Gueugnon is already famous among sports fans for its football team, “les Forgerons” (the Blacksmiths). Winners of the League Cup in 2000, the club’s players owe their nickname to the famous ironworks that brought wealth to the town before the slump in the iron and steel industry. Since then, and parallel to its expertise in this domain, Gueugnon has also renewed with its rural vocation of the past at the heart of Bourgogne, home to Charolais cattle.
Gueugnon is situated in the west of the French département of Saône-et-Loire in South Burgundy. Crossed by the River Arroux, it is at the crossroads of the Morvan, Charolais and Bourbonnais areas. It is generally perceived as an industrial town, despite being at the centre of a region devoted mainly to the breeding of Charolais cows. The famous Forges are now the site of the Ugine factory, a member of the Arcelor-Mittal group, the world leader in the stainless steel market. However, Gueugnon also has tourist and cultural attractions: green tourism, with many hiking trails, a heritage dating back to its Gallo-Roman past – a former potters’ village – and a variety of shows and events. Sport also has an important place here, with 65 associations including Gueugnon FC, known as the “Forgerons”, a national club whose moment of glory was its victory in the 2000 League Cup. A mix of town and country, Gueugnon is a pleasant place to live. It’s well worth a visit.
Click the 'To' option to go to the start of the Stage 6 posts.
The Stage starts at 12:00 local time CEST (6 hrs ahead of US EDT).
velonews.com - "A breakaway will go early and be given a long leash in stage 6, the longest of the Tour, but the sprinters teams will likely pull it back on the wide boulevards heading into Gueugnon. Two Cat. 4 climbs early and two more in the last 50km will put some sting in riders’ legs, but are unlikely to affect the outcome of the race."
FReepmail me to get on or off the 2010 TdF Ping List.
Hi Bay! Looking forward to the weekend mountain stages!
http://www.bicycling.co.za/articles/tour-de-france-2010
The six [wildcard] teams join the 16 teams which were automatically selected under a September 2008 agreement with the International Cycling Union.
The 16 automatically selected teams under the 2008 agreement are: Team Milram, Quick Step, Omega Pharma-Lotto, Team Saxo Bank, Caisse d'Epargne, Euskaltel-Euskadi, Footon-Servetto, HTC-Columbia, AG2R La Mondiale, Bbox Bouygues Telecom, Cofidis, Francaise des Jeux, Lampre-Farnese, Liquigas-Doimo, Astana, and Rabobank.
Wild card invitations: Garmin-Transitions, Team RadioShack, BMC Racing Team, Team Sky, Katusha, and Cervelo TestTeam.
As of next year, the selection process will change, under an agreement between the organisers of the three Grand Tours and the UCI. The first 17 teams in the world ranking as of the end of the 2010 season will automatically be invited to the 2011 Tour de France and the organisers can issue wildcard invitations to fill the remaining places. This year, the Tour was required to invite the 18 ProTour teams from 2008. Two of those teams no longer exist, Credit Agricole and Gerolsteiner, so the other 16 ProTour teams from 2008 were invited, freeing up two extra spaces for teams to be invited.
For reference, the artist's other sports team design work:
for Athletic Club de Bilbao
I don't speak Spanish, but from what I gather, these are referred to as "ketchup shirts."
I actually like the Ketchup shirts more than the Spanx.
at least those hideous things Footon is wearing are called kits, because they sure would be ugly UNIFORMS. hehehe ;-)
I kind of like the “Ketchup shirts”, but then I am one of those golfers that will occasionally wear pants that look like that. LOL.
Good morning.
There is a rumor that LeBron will guest ride the next stage in a day or so.. any truth?
LOL
thanks for the ping R4F
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