[Ready4Freddy]

Stage 1 Graphics coming up soon!

[Forgotten Amendments]

My money is on Jose Bautista!!!!

;)

[Calm_Cool_and_Elected]

ping!

[deport]

LeTour

The stages

Stage	Type	Date	Start and Finish	Distance
1	En ligne	Saturday 2 July	Passage du Gois La Barre-de-Monts > Mont des Alouettes Les Herbiers	191.5 km
2	Team TT	Sunday 3 July	Les Essarts > Les Essarts	23 km
3	En ligne	Monday 4 July	Olonne-sur-Mer > Redon	198 km
4	En ligne	Tuesday 5 July	Lorient > Mûr-de-Bretagne	172.5 km
5	En ligne	Wednesday 6 July	Carhaix > Cap Fréhel	164.5 km
6	En ligne	Thursday 7 July	Dinan > Lisieux	226.5 km
7	En ligne	Friday 8 July	Le Mans > Châteauroux	218 km
8	Medium mountains	Saturday 9 July	Aigurande > Super-Besse Sancy	189 km
9	Medium mountains	Sunday 10 July	Issoire > Saint-Flour	208 km
R	Rest Day	Monday 11 July	Le Lioran Cantal
10	En ligne	Tuesday 12 July	Aurillac > Carmaux	158 km
11	En ligne	Wednesday 13 July	Blaye-les-Mines > Lavaur	167.5 km
12	High Mountains	Thursday 14 July	Cugnaux > Luz-Ardiden	211 km
13	High Mountains	Friday 15 July	Pau > Lourdes	152.5 km
14	High Mountains	Saturday 16 July	Saint-Gaudens > Plateau de Beille	168.5 km
15	En ligne	Sunday 17 July	Limoux > Montpellier	192.5 km
R	Rest Day	Monday 18 July	Département de la Drôme
16	Medium mountains	Tuesday 19 July	Saint-Paul-Trois-Châteaux > Gap	162.5 km
17	High Mountains	Wednesday 20 July	Gap > Pinerolo	179 km
18	High Mountains	Thursday 21 July	Pinerolo > Galibier Serre-Chevalier	200.5 km
19	High Mountains	Friday 22 July	Modane Valfréjus > Alpe-d’Huez	109.5 km
20	Individual time-trial	Saturday 23 July	Grenoble > Grenoble	42.5 km
21	En ligne	Sunday 24 July	Créteil > Paris Champs-Élysées	95 km

[Baynative]

Thanks for your work on the graphics.

Are you ready for the prologue TT?

Well, FUGGETABOUTIT!

This year the tour is throwing in a little twist. This from the Director:

JEAN-FRANÇOIS PESCHEUX’S ANALYSIS : A change of custom
“It has been a kind of tradition since 1967 that the Tour starts with a prologue. But, as in 2008, we will start with a road stage. We wanted to shake up the teams’ plans a little bit and change the way they operate. Only 10 riders can realistically contend for victory in a prologue. But each one of the 198 riders could win this stage and pull on the yellow jersey. Three years ago, the race started in Brittany, and this time we’re starting in the Vendée. The route will follow the coast before turning inland towards Les Herbiers and the Mont des Alouettes. This is not an ‘hors catégorie’ test, but even so it’s a finish for the strong men. The pure sprinters will struggle. It will suit someone like Thor Hushovd or a puncheur like Thomas Voeckler.”

Well whattdya know a 198km curveball to start the game...
LET THE FUN BEGIN!

[Mom MD]

READY TO RUMBLE!

Good to see everyone back. Is this Andy’s year?

[nutmeg]

Great thread, Freddy! Thank you.

Can't believe it's that time again... July = American Independence Day and... Tour de France! Nice to see some old FRiends on this thread. :-)

[nutmeg]

I'm not liking the new NBC takeover of Versus' coverage of the Tour de France:

http://tourdefrance.nbcsports.com/

Looks like we have to pay $29.95 for "all access"? Does that mean we can no longer read blogs by Phil Liggett, Bob Roll and Paul Sherwen for free, like usual? You've gotta be kidding me...

[Mad Dawgg]

I used to play an international Massive Multiplayer game online that was based in Europe. All of us Americans would chat about American Sports on the game chat channel live while playing the game. For some reason this annoyed the hell out of the Europeans because there were way more Americans playing than Euros and they could care less about American Sports.

Then by way of retaliation a bunch of the Euros started chatting about the Tour de France. Most of the Americans had no clue about it but a few of us knew a little.

Three or four of us private messaged each other to see if we could have some fun with the situation.

American 1: Tour de France what is that? Some sort of Vacation Holiday Package?

American 2: No its some sort of train trip to see pasty white Europeans laying around on France's dirty Beaches.

Angry Frenchman: No you American twit it is a bicycle race. Typical you know nothing of what is going on outside your little redneck American World.

American 3: Oh Yeah I remember now.

American 1: Yeah, its where all the cyclists from Europe Compete in a big long Bike Race.

American 2: Yeah they compete to see who gets to finish in 2nd Place behind Lance Armstrong.

Needless to say afterwords there was much profanity and flame wars on the chat channel for the duration of the Tour.

hehehehe

[grey_whiskers]

Please add me to the ping list if I am not already on it.

Cheers!

[luv2ski]

Hey Freddy! How are you! Thanks for posting the live thread this year! It’s a lot of work but all us slackers surely appreciate it! As I’m on MDT I’m watching via DVR again. (I have to admit that I really enjoy speeding through all those ads! )
Amazing finish today. I think if the entire Peloton had finished together we might have had some carnage at the end (beyond the obvious from the crashes we had further back). As it is, I am thrilled to see AC 1.20 back. Karma is so tough...

[P.O.E.]

Kraftwerk Tour de France (alternate version with cool graphics). And the (shortened) original version with lyrics.

[beebuster2000]

I notice they never mention Lance Armstrong this year. It’s like the guy never existed.

[beebuster2000]

Contador: anyone else believe that he sucks this year because he had to stop doping and that his last two TDF wins were dope assisted?

[West Texas Chuck]

Good job R4F, throw my name on the pings list for the TdF if you got one going.

Go Andy, Anybody But Contador!

[patriotspride]

Ready, thanks to you for the initial post, followups.

[drew]

Crikey Cadel! What a ride! These last two days of Le Tour have been great.