Tour de France: Stage 3 Live Thread (Tuesday, July 4, 2006)

CyclingNews.com ^ | July 4, 2006 | CyclingNews.com

[NittanyLion]

almost anyone with legs and heart can go for glory and win a stage, or maybe even catch gold for a day by way of a two minute breakaway gap and be enshrined in tour history forever

I predict that person will be Jens Voigt. I thought he was going to attack the breakaway and end up winning the stage today - I suspect he'll soon end up in a break again, with more success.

[luv2ski]

I think Bob Roll is hilarious! but then, I like the 3 Stooges... Nyuk, Nyuk, Nyuk!

[luv2ski]

Sadly Vino is a true victim of Operation Puerto. He was not implicated but so many of his teammates were, the team was forced to withdraw. I think he would have been the odds on favorite to win if he had ridden.

[luv2ski]

There are always lots of crashes in the early stages b/c the riders are nervous, the stages are fast (sprint finishes) and the peloton is the largest but I don't remember a year where so many riders went out with broken bones. Three today alone! In the mountain stages many of the sprinters (and some domestiques, too) drop out because they just can't keep up. You also get the ones that eliminated by their times.
Remember the year that they took the race over a sandy natural bridge that is under water at high tide and there was a gigantic accident wiping out nearly the entire peloton?

[LK44-40]

I think Bob Roll is hilarious! but then, I like the 3 Stooges... Nyuk, Nyuk, Nyuk!

My experience is that attempts to "reason together" between those who enjoy Bobke and those of us who are limited in that dimension...such discussions tend toward unpleasantness.

Nonetheless, I must say that I find nothing in your amusing comment to arouse my combative juices. ;>)

[luv2ski]

Actually, I am a big sucker for jokes. My kids always say that movies should pay me to sit in the audience because I laugh so hard at all of the gags. Oh well, I guess it would be worse to be a grumpy old lady!

[luv2ski]

Did you guys take note of the temperatures at the Tour today? Yikes! They said that the air temp was 99 and the road temp= 122! That's like the day Beloki had his horrible accident b/c the tarmac melted.

[NittanyLion]

I noticed Horner was over 8 minutes back today. Wonder whether the heat took its toll, or he's ill, or if it was just a bad performance?

[leilani]

Remember the year that they took the race over a sandy natural bridge that is under water at high tide and there was a gigantic accident wiping out nearly the entire peloton?

Are you talking about the Passage du Gois? (It's in the Baie de Gascogne AKA Bay of Biscay & connects to a little island (Ile de Noirmoutier). It was like the first day or so and took out a whole bunch of guys. That was what, maybe five or so years ago? Definitely to go in the "What were we thinking?" section of the Tour organizers' curriculum vitaes. The crash that still gets me crazed just thinking about it though was probably the first TdF I ever saw many many years ago: a dumb-as-a-stump gendarme, a COP for pete's sake, jumped in front of the riders to snap a picture and took out a couple of guys (one of whom was Laurent Jalabert I think!) I am surprised, though that in dog-mad France we don't see more problems with dogs on the road. THEY are what always seem to get me! And kids. (I broke a couple of ribs trying to avoid crashing into a couple of clueless kids. I love both (dogs & kids) but not when I'm on my bike.They scare me to death when I'm riding.

[Cecily]

Did you ever see "Silence of the Lambs?" Bob Roll reminds me of the guy who played the serial killer they were chasing who carved up women in his basement. Bob also looks like he wears mascara. :)


I get tired of the "day" France line too.

[nutmeg]

DiLuca has withdrawn already.

Yeah, I realized that, but I guess I was too tired to delete it when I posted this thread last last night/early AM. I wish Cycling News would keep up with the news of the race... that's where I'm getting these commentaries (that were written before the Tour I think).

[nutmeg]

Stage 3 Report - Tuesday, July 4: Esch-sur-Alzette - Valkenburg (Netherlands), 216 km

Reversal of fortune for Kessler

Hot, Holland, Hot! Boonen takes the daily double

By Anthony Tan & Brecht Decaluwé in Valkenburg, with additional reporting from Tim Maloney

Like yesterday's stage to Esch-sur-Alzette, just one rider separated breakaway from bunch with five kilometres to go. Unfortunately for AG2R's José Luis Arrieta, he was caught at the base of the Cauberg three kilometres from home, but yesterday's sole escapee Matthias Kessler turned around his disappointment on the climb's 8.3 percent slopes, the T-Mobile man leaving the entire field in his wake and coming home a winner in Holland.

"Yesterday, I already had very good feelings, I felt really good. Today was exactly the same, so I thought I'd try again," said Kessler on his motivation to try, try again.

"The race was different [yesterday compared to today] though, for three reasons," added the 27 year-old.

"The heat, the distance and the fatigue of some riders - it all contributed to a hectic stage and loss of concentration in the peloton. Everybody must watch out if they don't want to be involved in a crash.

(Excerpt) Read more at CyclingNews.com

Stage 3 stats (including medical report): VeloNews.com

[nutmeg]

Tour de France ping!

I posted excerpts/links of Stage 3 reports and stats in #53

Please FReepmail me if you want on or off my Tour de France 2006 list.

[nutmeg]

Thank you for putting the threads together. If it wouldn't be too much trouble, it would be great to see a leader board each day.

Thanks. I'm afraid I just don't have much time this year to post much additional material. The lists of the leaders in the different categories I've seen require more formatting than I can do quickly.

I pinged you to some good "after action" info of Stage 3 in #53... hopefully you'll find that interesting. :o)

To be honest, all I intended to do this year was the TdF ping list only... I was hoping other Freepers would post some TdF threads also. I'll do the best I can to at least put up a live thread each day.

[luv2ski]

That's it!! I could not remember the name of the thing. Thanks for posting it!

[LK44-40]

Bob Roll reminds me of the guy who played the serial killer they were chasing who carved up women in his basement.

LOL...thanks. I think that just about gets it out of my system for this year, and I can kick back and enjoy this insane race!

[Vision]

Thanks for all your work nutmeg.