Tour de France: Stage 15 Live Thread (Tuesday, July 18, 2006) L'Alpe d'Huez!

VeloNews.com ^ | July 18, 2006 | VeloNews.com

[nutmeg]

Stage 15: Gap to L'Alpe d'Huez - 187km

Course: There's no more spectacular finish than the 21-turn, 14km climb to L'Alpe d'Huez. This year it comes at the end of an already demanding 187km stage that climbs the hors-cat Col d'Izoard (14km at 7 percent) at 86km and Cat. 2 Col du Lautaret (12km at 4.4 percent) at 134km.

Then comes more than 30km of mainly descending roads, which will likely see the race come back together before the assault on the Alpe (14km at almost 8 percent).

History: This is the 25th time a Tour stage has finished at L'Alpe d'Huez since it was inaugurated - while still a dirt road - by Fausto Coppi winning a 266km stage from Lausanne in 1952. Coppi propagated the yellow-on-the-Alpe, yellow-in-Paris myth, which held true for Van Impe (1976), Thévenet (1977), Hinault (1979, 1981, 1982), Fignon (1983, 1984), LeMond (1986), Delgado (1988), Induráin (1991, 1992, 1994, 1995), Ullrich (1997) and Armstrong (1999, 2003, 2004). In fact, there were only five times it wasn't so: 1978, 1987, 1989, 1990 and 2001.

Favorites: L'Alpe d'Huez is a mountain with a spectacular quality that has created (and broken) reputations. With twice Alpe stage winner Lance Armstrong retired, who will be the star to emerge? Almost certainly, the fight for this prestigious victory will be between the five riders who dominated the Pla-de-Beret summit finish in the Pyrénées: Cadel Evans, Floyd Landis, Levi Leipheimer, Denis Menchov and Carlos Sastre. That climb did not particularly suit Evans or Leipheimer, so expect these two to fight it out on the Alpe, probably with Landis just behind.

Graphics by CyclingNews.com

[BaBaStooey]

Five-time race winner Eddy Merckx rides behind Floyd Landis (L) and Phonak coach John Lelangue during a training session on a rest day in the Tour de France.

[leilani]

(Don't show that picture to Lance!)

[Ready4Freddy]

LOL, so... it's English hooligans at football matches on the continent, and Dutch hooligans in the Tour? Where do all the Norwegian hooligans go? ;>)

Soon we would fit right in with the drunk Dutch hooligan s at the L’Alpe d’Huez

[BaBaStooey]

Former Discovery Channel team rider Lance Armstrong of the U.S., seven time Tour de France winner, speaks to journalists before the start of the 15th stage of the 93rd Tour de France between Gap and L'Alpe D'Huez, July 18 2006.

Good grief, its worse than it was when he was racing!

[Ready4Freddy]

I know!! I'm googling for articles about Norwegian hooligans at curling matches now...

[Eurotwit]

The Norwegian TV broadcast actually just had a live report from the last climb up the L’Alpe d’Huez were they tried to interview a bunch of super intoxicated Dutch fans.

Off course, in the middle of the interview with the Dutch jumping around screaming, the reporter was doused with a bucket of water from another screaming bunch of Norwegians that entered from behind.

Last I heard before the line was cut, was one of them screaming in Norwegian, "I am the brother of the chicken"

I think the last climb is going to be wild.

I just hope the fans behave, and don't interfere with the racers.

[Ready4Freddy]

"Just doing the reporter dousing that Southern Europeans won't do"!

There, I did it!! Inserted immigration into a Tour thread! LOL

the reporter was doused with a bucket of water from another screaming bunch of Norwegians that entered from behind.

[BaBaStooey]

Phonak's team rider Floyd Landis of the U.S. (C) cycles with his team manager John Lelang (L), former Belgian cycling champion Eddy Merckx of Belgium (R) and Phonak's team rider Axel Merckx of Belgium, as they train during the rest day in Gap, July 17, 2006.



The T-Mobile team cycle through the Gap countryside during a rest day on the Tour de France.



Rabobank's team leader Denis Menchov of Russia (L) cycles with his team mates during their rest day before the 15th stage of the 93rd Tour de France, in Gap July 17 2006.



Iles-Baleares' team rider Oscar Pereiro of Spain, overall leader wearing the yellow jersey, lies in the sun during his rest day before the 15th stage of the 93rd Tour de France in the Alps, in Gap July 17 2006.

And just to prove he didn't spend his entire rest day resting....


Spain's Oscar Pereiro rides in the Gap countryside during a training session on a rest day in the Tour de France.

And finally, the one man who needs to step up his game before the end of the tour...


Mechanic Modesto Perez makes adjustments to Floyd Landis' bike prior to Lanids leaving for a training session in Gap, southeastern France, Monday, July 17, 2006, as riders of the 93rd Tour de France cycling race enjoy a rest day.

[green iguana]

"I am the brother of the chicken"

Popular saying in Norway?

[Ready4Freddy]

My first thought was the Appalachians! LOL

Popular saying in Norway?

[BaBaStooey]

Voight has been dropped by the lead group.

The lead group contains Hincapie, Schleck, Zabriskie, Mazzoleni, Arrieta, Merckx, Cunego, Arroyo, Landaluze, Chavanel, Lobato, De la Fuente and Vila and Garzelli.

Voight is 0:15 back.

Wegmann, Charteau, Flecha, and Guerini have apparently been swallowed up by the peloton.

[BaBaStooey]

Voigt has made it back to the lead group.

Now there are just two groups. A lead group of 15, and a peloton. (And all those guys dying off the back)

The peloton is 3:35 back.

[green iguana]

Lead dropping too.. 3:38 now.

[Steve_Seattle]

Looks like the leaders are playing it safe, saving it for the final climb, and for tomorrow. There might not be much movement in the standings today.

[Eurotwit]

I have no idea what that was all about :-)

[BaBaStooey]

Menchov's guys are coming to the front of the peloton.

Its not necessarily important that the GC leaders in the peloton finish in the top 10 of the stage. It is important that someone put as much time as possible into the other top GC guys. Those 15 riders at the front don't matter too much, because the closest guy to the lead of the GC is 10:06 down.

[Eurotwit]

Looks like Voigt has been in a crash. He had a ripped shirt and a bloody shoulder.

[Ready4Freddy]

Yeah, it's a little late for any major moves today, ~3;30" of the front, and no team is going to allow a contender to make a break for the tete de course. Looks like RichardW's prediction for Stage 16 may hold true.