Tour de France *** 2010 *** [LIVE THREAD]

Various incl letour.com / versus.com / steepjill.tv ^ | July 3, 2010 | Numerous - ongoing LIVE thread

[leilani]

Yeah, luv. I figured Lance is a big boy, he could handle all that egotistical trash talking from Contador & give as good as he got, but it was all the others on Team Astana who got casually slighted by Alberto and whose own Tour standings were jeopardized by his petty selfishness in the saddle that really showed his slimey...I dunno, smallness.

N O B O D Y wins this Tour on their own. The greatest athelete in the history of athleticism on the planet couldn't win that Tour on his own. For his teammates' sake this year, I hope he's figured that out.

[Ready4Freddy]

N O B O D Y wins this Tour on their own.

Well, da Bearsss could. If Ditka was driving. ;>)

[leilani]

Oops yeah. Forgot them. And I guess Chuck Norris, too. But other than those guys? Nadie, niente, personne!

[Vision]

What’s the story with the punch at the end?

[fortunecookie]

Thank you! I have had dsl issues all week (our heat wave) and mind-bogglingly so my local station did not split coverage of Versus with Animal Planet as in the last 2 years so I have NO TV coverage (first time in well over 15 yrs) save what little I find hit and miss on ESPN - and graciously supplied by your posts! I will try to watch the stages online, too. Thanks!

[luv2ski]

What’s the story with the punch at the end?

That was weird wasn't it? It looked like a hockey game...

[luv2ski]

So I guess some idiot jumped out in front of Robbie McEwen at 60 km/h 75 m after the finish. Nothing was broken but he was furious. It turns out the guy is a journalist. He is banned for one day.
Poor McEwen is having a rough Tour. He took a very nasty spill on the oiled road in stage 2 and had a gouged elbow to show for it. He lost a great deal of blood and is still in pain over it plus he discovered he's allergic to tetanus vaccine. It's been making him feel awful. At this point he is hoping to be able to ride tomorrow.
Video here: http://nos.nl/video/170921-tour-mcewen-valt-na-de-finish.html

[Vision]

Thanks.

[Ready4Freddy]

Tour de France 2010

Stage 7 - Tournus > > > Station des Rousses - 165.5 km

Saturday, July 10, 2010

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Route

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Profile of the Stage

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Profile of Last Kilometers

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Mountain Passes & Hills

Tournus > > > Station des Rousses - 165.5 km

•Km 51.5 - Côte de l'Aubépin - 4.9 km climb to 5 % - Category 3
•Km 69.0 - Côte des Granges (DESSIA) - 5.9 km climb to 3.5 % - Category 4
•Km 84.5 - Côte d'Arinthod - 8.5 km climb to 4.7 % - Category 3
•Km 104.0 - Côte du barrage de Vouglans - 6.6 km climb to 5.6 % - Category 2
•Km 134.5 - Col de la Croix de la Serra - 15.7 km climb to 4.3 % - Category 2
•Km 161.5 - Côte de Lamoura - 14.0 km climb to 5 % - Category 2

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(Graphics - letour.com)

[Ready4Freddy]

Tour de France 2010

Stage 7 - Tournus > > > Station des Rousses - 165.5 km

Saturday, July 10, 2010

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Stage Previews

Medium Mountains - A sporting perspective

An initial cull

This medium-altitude mountain terrain will be more difficult than Liège-Bastogne-Liège, because the climbs last for between 6 and 12 kilometres, starting at the 40 km mark. Thereafter, there is not even a single centimetre of flat road; it will be up, down, up, down and so on and so forth. At the finishing line, there may still be around thirty riders together. The slopes are not massively difficult, so it is not necessarily a stage for a major climber, more so for a rider like Cadel Evans or David Moncoutié. However, an initial cull will take place and those who are not on form, who will not reach the front of the race, may already be looking at a Tour that is lost.

(letour.com)

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July 9 post:

Surrounding the big famous Alps, in all directions, are smaller mountain ranges. Stage 7 is a medium mountain stage that finishes in one of these ranges to the north of the Alps. The Jura Mountains aren't visited very often by the Tour de France and the cat 2 finish climb to Station des Rousses ski resort has never been used before. The stage also starts with a new host, Tournus, in the Burgandy region, where stage 3 of the 2009 Criterium du Dauphine started.

"The Jura" is a great recreational cycling area with lots of narrow, quiet roads among lush forests and climbs that aren't too difficult.

Six categorized climbs including three cat 2 climbs in the second half will be featured in this 161 km stage. The last climb, Côte de Lamoura (14 km, avg grade 5%) summits just 3 km before a ski resort type flat finish so this stage favors a good climber who packs a decent sprint. Lance Armstrong thinks there will be 50 or so guys sprinting for the win. With rain forecasted for Saturday, stage 7 could be more difficult than expected. — Steve

(steephill.tv)

[Ready4Freddy]

Tour de France 2010

Stage 7 - Tournus > > > Station des Rousses - 165.5 km

Saturday, July 10, 2010

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Départ

TOURNUS

• Stage town for the first time
• Population: 6,100
• County town of Saône-et-Loire canton (71)

Six towns in the county of Saône-et-Loire – Bernard Thévenet and Michel Laurent are both natives of Saône-et-Loire – have welcomed the Tour, but thus far not Tournus. The Burgundy town has nevertheless already organised the start of a celebrated cycling race on a stage of last year’s Critérium du Dauphiné Libéré. A practice run that manifestly incited the Tournusiens (local inhabitants) to repeat the experience.

Nestled in a green setting, between the River Saône and the Monts du Mâconnais, Tournus is the gateway to South Burgundy. Situated 100 km north of Lyon and to the south of Dijon, it enjoys a privileged location on the main Paris-Marseille route as well as a rich cultural heritage. For example, Saint-Philibert Abbey (9th and 11th centuries) which has retained almost all of its conventual buildings (the church, the crypt, the cloisters, etc.), as well as the refectory and the monks’ cellar, which are now used for shows and exhibitions. Not forgetting the Hôtel-Dieu (hospital, 17th and 18th centuries), classified as a historic monument and which houses two museums: the hospital museum, including a magnificent apothecary, and the Greuze museum, devoted to the fine arts, with a particular focus on the painter Jean-Baptiste Greuze who was born in Tournus in 1725. Like any self-respecting town in the Burgundy region, Tournus also has a high-quality vineyard with the Macon appellation and is renowned for its gastronomy, with several Michelin starred restaurants. A wealth of attractions that make Tournus an essential place to visit.

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Arrivée

STATION DES ROUSSES

• Stage town for the first time
• Population: 6,286
• Winter / summer holiday resort in Jura (39)

Another major first for this stage finish in Les Rousses, a pretty village in Haut Jura that, together with three other towns in the surrounding area – Bois d’Amont, Lamoura, Prémanon – forms a family summer vacation and winter ski resort. The birthplace of skiing in France, the resort is also well known to cyclists as the climb to Les Rousses (1,140 m, level 2 or 3 climb), which leads to the Faucille pass, has been ascended more than 40 times since 1911.

The French-Swiss resort of Les Rousses (6,300 inhabitants), situated at the heart of the Haut Jura Regional National Park in the Franche-Comté area of France, offers the ideal altitude for relaxing holidays in a peaceful and protected natural setting. Used by the French teams to prepare for cross-country skiing events, the resort is the birthplace of Jason Lamy-Chappuis, the combined cross-country ski champion at the Vancouver Winter Olympics. It is also known all over the world for the famous Transjurassienne event (76 km of cross-country skiing). In summer, Les Rousses offers a wide range of activities for all the family: hiking, mountain biking, swimming in the two lakes, sailing, canyoning, golf, ice skating, horse riding, adventure trail in the underground passages of Les Rousses Fort. In winter, all activities revolve around snow: downhill skiing (40 lifts), cross-country skiing (220 groomed kms), snowshoe trails and footpaths, dog sleighing, tobogganing, biathlon, kite-surfing, ski joëring. Finally, you can view our craft work and visit our museums all year round.

Recharge your batteries in Les Rousses!

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(letour.com)

[Ready4Freddy]

Mountains!!! Two first-time Tour towns!!!

TdF 2010 Stage 7 graphics and previews are up!

Click the 'To' option to go to the start of the Stage 7 posts.

The Stage starts at 13:07 local time CEST (6 hrs ahead of US EDT).

velonews.com - "Stage 7 heads east from Tournus and is completely flat for the first 45km, giving the green jersey contenders a chance to pick up point at two intermediate sprints, before reaching the limestone ridges of the Jura. The progressively harder series of climbs includes three Cat. 2s, two of which fall in the last 31km. After riders crest the final climb, the 14km Cote de Lamoura, they have only 4 flat kilometers remaining to the cross-country ski station of Les Rousses. Not exactly a summit finish, but close.

The Croix de la Sierra was climbed from the opposite direction in 1996. On that cold, wet day, Lance Armstrong called it quits, complaining of breathing problems. He would be diagnosed with cancer three months later."

FReepmail me to get on or off the 2010 TdF Ping List.

[lainie]

Oh that’s sad. I really like McEwen, always have.

[lainie]

I wasn’t following it closely enough to know these details. Why would there have been no Astana 2009 without Lance? Is Wiki all wrong? It says that Johann already had Contador lined up for Astana when Lance announced that he wanted to race, and Johann made room for him. IDK, like I said, not a big fan of Contador, and not really a Lance hater. I do very much dislike these alpha-male athletes that retire, come out of retirement. Retire again, come out of retirement again.

I would like to see Cadel Evans move way up, if I’m being totally honest!

[Ready4Freddy]

Hi lainie.

Astana / Kazakhstan were having severe financial problems in the Spring of 2009, almost lost their ticket. My understanding is that LA’s joining the team brought significant sponsorship / investment $$$ that solved the problem.

[Ready4Freddy]

First Mountain Stage Could Yield Yellow For Evans

Posted by Phil Liggett on 7/9/2010 at 9:47AM

I am sure that Cadel Evans and Andy Schleck are going to feel very pleased with their opening week of the Tour de France. Poised at the start of the first real mountains in third and sixth places, respectively, the highest of the expected contenders for victory in Paris are ready for the first big climbs.

Logically, by the end of this 100-mile skirmish, Evans should be the next wearer of the yellow jersey - something the Australian may not want so early on in the race, but may have little choice in the matter.

The route is a very beautiful one, starting from Tournus in the department of the Saone and Loire, it enjoys a flat ride for the first 30 miles before starting the foothills of the Jura mountains, using six climbs along the way to finish at the day's high spot, the Station des Rousses (1168 meters).

This is an area the race rarely goes and it is the first finish at the Rousses. It is a day for the opportunist, too, as the overall contenders may sit back and wait until Sunday when the Alps are encountered on the road to Morzine.

Lance Armstrong, who won a time trial in this area on his way to Tour victory in 2001, may have to make a move and try to ease his way back up the classification after his bad luck on the cobbles of northern France left him two minutes, 30 seconds behind. But even at 38, the American will be a marked man and an attack will be very difficult.

No sprinter tomorrow for sure, but after two days of winning, Mark Cavendish deserves the congratulations and can reflect on his wins until next Wednesday when the route again gets a little easier.

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versus.com

[Ready4Freddy]

Poised for an Attack

DAILY LANCE: Armstrong—and others—have to rip the race apart in the Alps.

Friday’s Stage 6 sprint ended the first week of the Tour de France (counting the prologue time trial, which isn’t officially termed a stage because of its short length, there have been seven days of racing). Mark Cavendish won—his second in a row—and once again the contenders maintained their positions in the General Classification relative to each other. This means that, as I predicted yesterday, Lance Armstrong goes into the mountains with the worst standing he’s ever had since he began winning Tours.

After the first week of racing in his seven victories and in last year’s third-place finish, Armstrong has been behind the other eventual podium finishers only twice: Once by just seven seconds, and once by 46 seconds. (You can see a year-by-year breakdown here.) This year he’s 1:51 behind Cadel Evans, 1:21 behind Andy Schleck, 50 seconds behind Alberto Contador, and 41 seconds behind Denis Menchov and Bradley Wiggins.

It’s not hard to figure out what Armstrong’s position means: He has to attack in the mountains.

The climbing technically kicks off Saturday with Stage 7; the course isn’t considered difficult enough to rate as an explosive climbing stage—the kind that can obliterate the field and upend the standings. But it has enough lumps that Armstrong might be tempted to instruct his RadioShack team to begin attacking early in the day in a bid to make the 165.5-km course hard enough to wear down some of his rivals so he might escape for a time gain on the final, 14-km climb to the finish. Such tactics can be especially effective on the first day in the mountains because the sudden switch from flat stages to multiple ascents traditionally plays havoc with some of the riders’ legs, an unpredictable and frustrating physical malaise that leads to a devastating off-day known among the riders as a jour sans (literally, a “day without”).

More likely is that attacks and counterattacks among the contenders will come Sunday, Tuesday or Wednesday. (Monday is a rest day.) Sunday, Stage 8, has two Category 1 climbs, including the one the race finishes atop. (Climbs are rated from the easiest Category 4 to Category 1, although the most difficult are labeled Hors Categorie—beyond the ability to be categorized.) Tuesday scales two Category 1 climbs and the HC Col de la Madeleine, and on the final day in the Alps, Wednesday, the race goes over the Category 1 Cote de Laffrey and features especially narrow, twisting descents—including the final descent of La Rochette where in 2003 Armstrong famously rode through a field to avoid crashing into Joseba Beloki, then jumped a ditch and calmly rejoined the peloton as it streamed down the mountainside.

Evans, with the best overall time of the contenders, will probably be content to simply follow the attacks in the Alps and try to preserve as much of his lead as he can going into the Tour’s third week assault on the Pyrenees. Contador has openly said he thinks the Tour will be decided in the Pyrenees rather than the Alps, so look for him to be more watchful than aggressive. (He will, however, launch several probing attacks, if only to gauge his rivals’ fitness, and he gets a gap he will extend it.)

Schleck must attack in the next few days. He’s the worst time trialist of all the contenders (and besides Contador the most gifted climber), and knows that in the mountains he must gain as much time as possible to offset his inevitable losses in the Stage 19 time trial that comes just one day before the Tour’s end. Wiggins, in only his second year as a contender (he was fourth last year) is an unknown. Menchov is a patient strategist, and probably the weakest of the contenders, so he seems likely to wait for the others to sort themselves out before making a bid in the Pyrenees.

Both Schleck and Evans have said that Armstrong is stronger than most people know, and they expect him to attack in the Alps. Schleck has told reporters he doesn’t “see Evans sticking with the leaders.” Contador has been presenting a placid, unperturbed front, only saying things like, “The differences are not insurmountable yet.”

For his part in the buildup to the fireworks in the Alps and the much-anticipated showdown between himself and Contador, Armstrong told reporters something uncharacteristically understated: "I think we’re both tired of the drama, and just looking forward to the next two weeks of seeing who is the best man this year."

I take that as a sign that he’s going to attack hard. Publicly, Armstrong was similarly low-key last year in the buildup to the Tour’s entry into the Alps (which didn’t happen until Stage 15). But that morning, when I saw him at the team bus, as I write in my chronicle of that year, Tour de Lance, “He is kind of jumpy, juking his shoulders around, bobbing his head a little. He rubs his hands together. He is smiling, and his eyes are operating with a kind of long-running focus. They seize on something and concentrate on it, and even swivel a bit to remain fixed after he’s started turning his head to look at something else.” We talked a bit, and he said to me, “This one is for all the fucking marbles.”

He was right. On the climb to Verbier, Contador broke away from everyone and took control of the yellow jersey for good. This year Armstrong knows he’s behind more marbles than ever, and it’s a good bet that he’ll try take some back starting Saturday.

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bicycling.com

[nutmeg]

Maybe Tyler will have enough gas left to pull off an upset in the TT. I hope he gets one stage win at least.

We've been rooting for Tyler since Day One. I really hope he gets at least one stage win, too. He came SO close in Stage 6!

I thought it was Tyler's wrist that is broken, but I see his left elbow wrapped. Whatever his injuries, I find it amazing that he continues through Stage 6 so successfully. And that he managed to "ride with one hand" (as I think he said and did) over those gruesome cobblestones the other day...

[nutmeg]

Oh, that’s awful! Robbie’s getting up there in age... don’t know how many years he has left to participate in the Tour. I was hoping to see him win another stage in his usual “style”. Hope he recovers...