Tour de France: Stage 18 Live Thread (Friday, July 21, 2006) Morzine-Avoriaz to Mâcon

Tour de France website ^ | 7/21/06

[Aeronaut]

Daily coverage of the Tour de France.

[green iguana]

From Cyclingnews:

16:28 CEST 167km/30km to go
Leipheimer is emulating his compatriot Landis, pouring water on his head and riding with his arms draped over the bars. But you can't call him a copycat: he was the one that tried the long range move in Stage 16 (when Landis cracked), but it didn't work out for the Gerolsteiner man.

Now all the Saunier Duval riders are pouring water on their heads. This is obviously the key to winning the bike race.

[Eurotwit]

I haven't seen it.

Then again, I don't consume coke in any significant quantity. When it is consumed, it is usually mixed with rum :-)

I too stick with good old coffee and some green tea.

[Ready4Freddy]

Yea, verily, a match made in heaven, that!

[Eurotwit]

LOL.

I am walking to the shops later.

Perhaps, I should bring a water bottle with me to occasionaly sprinkle over my head.

It seems like the new thing to be doing :-)

[Ready4Freddy]

The rum & coke, I mean!

[luv2ski]

OLN did a feature on what the riders consume a few years back. It is interesting that even with the availability of a "bazillion" energy drinks, the drink of choice believed to have the best mix of sugar, caffeine, etc, is Coke. They drink it from those little cans that you can get in Europe but not in the US. If you watch them passing through the feed zone, nearly every rider finds that can and drinks it first.

[Ready4Freddy]

We can only pray that the Tour won't start emulating the NFL dump-the-water cooler-over-the-head move next!

Now all the Saunier Duval riders are pouring water on their heads. This is obviously the key to winning the bike race.

[commish]

FOr a nice change of Pace --- Mountain Dew & Capt Morgan's Spiced Rum -- Call a Mountain Climber. Maybe I should rename it a Landis. LOL

[Eurotwit]

I got that :-)

[commish]

Gap is now at 6:00 min, and Saunier Duval is STILL leading the peleton. Dam, what did they do to deserve this treatment?

[luv2ski]

Yep, Landis had beaucoup problems but it was thought that he would not have beaten Gonchar even with a clean ride.

[leilani]

Coca Cola Black? You're kidding.There is such a thing? Good thing I haven't been down that aisle in years - I probably would have been mainlining that stuff had I gotten hold of it in my soda drinkin' days.

[Ready4Freddy]

Interesting! Do you mean the 8oz cans? Those have finaly made it to the stores in Texas & Florida I've noticed, not so much up in MI where I spend most of the summer. I like the little cans, since I tend to leave 2/3 finished 12oz cans around, but they are so frickin' expensive! No 3 or 4 cases for $10 in the small sizes!

[cyclotic]

Wow, cool, I'm ahead of the trend. Last weekend I did a double century in 95F temps. Most of the rest stops, I poured ice water on my head and I also rode pretty fast.

[commish]

Coca Cola Black?

Go outside and find someone tarring a roof or a driveway. Take a huge whiff of the fresh tar -- that is what Coca Cola Black tastes like. My son gave one to me the other day -- I almost vomited.

[af_vet_rr]

OLN did a feature on what the riders consume a few years back. It is interesting that even with the availability of a "bazillion" energy drinks, the drink of choice believed to have the best mix of sugar, caffeine, etc, is Coke. They drink it from those little cans that you can get in Europe but not in the US. If you watch them passing through the feed zone, nearly every rider finds that can and drinks it first

Correct me if I'm wrong, but European Coke has actual sugar and not the corn syrup crap we get in the states.

I'm a big fan of Dublin Dr Pepper for this very reason - I've staged many an impromptu taste test with people in regards to normal corn-syrup based Dr Pepper and Dublin Dr Pepper, and they could immediately tell a difference, much preferring the Dublin Dr Pepper. Same thing goes with Coke and Pepsi bottled in certain parts of Mexico - they use real sugarcane rather than corn syrup, and there is a definite difference in taste.

[Ready4Freddy]

I haven't dared taste it, seems like a good (or bad) way to fook up the taste of both drinks...

[commish]

20KM to go -- Gap 6:38. Looks like the Peleton has told the break to have a nut, none of them is a threat to any jersey or the GC.

[luv2ski]

I'm not sure they are even 8 oz. We have the smaller soda cans here but they are about half the normal size and squatty looking. I, too, tried them for my kids' gatherings but they are so expensive, it's just not worth the bother.
I am thinking the little ones they have in Europe may be 6oz. Maybe Eurotwit can help us. They are just slightly larger than a tomato paste can...

[commish]

Nice LONG, STRAIGHT, FLAT and WIDE finish today. Should be some fun sprints to the line.