Tour de France: Stage 19 Live Thread (Saturday, July 22, 2006) Le Creusot to Montceau les Mines - 57

Le Tour Website ^ | 7/22/06

[Aeronaut]

Welcome To The Live Coverage Of Stage 19...

[Aeronaut]

The penultimate stage of the 2006 Tour de France, a 57.0km time trial from Le Creusot to Montceau-les-Mines, is due to get underway at 11.15am. The first rider to start the 19th stage is the ’Lanterne Rouge’ (ie. last rider on general classification after 18 stages), Wim Vansevenant of the Davitamon-Lotto team. Riders will depart at two minute intervals until to the final 20; and then three minutes will separate each starter. The yellow jersey, Oscar Pereiro (CEI) is due to start at 4.15pm

[Aeronaut]

Tour de France ping!

Please FReepmail nutmeg if you want on or off the Tour de France 2006 list.

(Sorry for the late start -- computer issues.)

[ScaniaBoy]

Too much has been going on at the world stage so I haven't been able to follow TdF properly, but this is going to be exciting today!

Thanks for the thread.

[Reform4Bush]

Hoping Floyd puts the hammer down in the time trial.

It was a good sign to see him not lose any time after that HUGH and SERIES performance in stage 17.

[Aeronaut]

T-Mobile sacks Ullrich

By wire services

This report filed July 21, 2006 Former Tour de France champion Jan Ullrich, excluded from this year's race because of links to blood-doping, has been sacked by his T-Mobile team, the SID news agency reported on Friday.

T-Mobile had suspended the German, who won the Tour in 1997 and would have been one of the favorites for the 2006 race, the day before the July 1 start.

Also the 2000 Olympic road-race champion, Ullrich was suspected of using the services of doctor Eufemiano Fuentes, whom Spanish police allege is at the heart of a blood-doping network.

T-Mobile general manager Olaf Ludwig announced the news during the 18th stage of the Tour de France between Morzine and Macon, though the sacking had been made in writing on Thursday.

Ullrich has denied allegations of doping. T-Mobile said it was demanding evidence of his innocence. On Monday, Ullrich said his lawyers have asked Spanish officials for written clarification of the accusations and whether they will lead to charges.

The German rider published a statement on his website saying that his dismissal was "unacceptable."

"I am very disappointed that this decision was not communicated to me personally but that it was faxed to my lawyers," Ullrich added. "I find it shameful that, after so many years of good cooperation and after all I have done for the team, I am being treated as a fax number."

The 32-year-old Ullrich had been under contract with T-Mobile until the end of the year.

[ScaniaBoy]

Are you up and awake?

Thor Hushovd just passed the 16.5 km marker and clocked in at 4th place.

[Eurotwit]

Yeah.

I am following the Open at the moment :-)

And, a bit of war news from Sky.

I guess Hushovd is just trying to get through the day with good legs, so that he will be ready for the sprint tomorrow.

I am tuning in to the tour in a few hours when the big guns are starting.

[LK44-40]

This gets me SOOO nervous. I am used to having my man starting last and knowing throughout the ITT if he is getting it done. I know Floyd is in a great position, but, as he himself demonstrated with his comeback ride on the final mountain stage, riders can sometimes reach down into themselves and make monkeys of all the chattering commentators. Remember that unbelieveable time trial that won it for Lemond in 89. Of course, it is Floyd who is positioned like Lemond was, except that everyone EXPECTS him to be able to overcome his deficit with a great TT. Probably will go down that way. But I HATE not being the last rider :-(

[AmericaUnited]

It would be good if you could post the standings for the top riders.

[Eurotwit]

May the best man win :-)

[Aeronaut]

Well, in the stage 7 TT I believe Floyd beat Pierro by two minutes or so.

[Aeronaut]

It would be good if you could post the standings for the top riders.

They haven't started yet. The riders that are through now will be several minutes off the leaders when it's over.

[AmericaUnited]

The standings up to today...

[Eurotwit]

Pos. N° Name Surname Team Nat. Gaps
1 097 PEREIRO SIO Oscar CEI ESP
2 014 SASTRE Carlos CSC ESP 00' 12"
3 071 LANDIS Floyd PHO USA 00' 30"
4 021 KLÖDEN Andréas TMO GER 02' 29"
5 061 EVANS Cadel DVL AUS 03' 08"
6 051 MENCHOV Denis RAB RUS 04' 14"
7 035 DESSEL Cyril A2R FRA 04' 24"
8 031 MOREAU Christophe A2R FRA 05' 45"
9 129 ZUBELDIA Haimar EUS ESP 08' 16"
10 026 ROGERS Michael TMO AUS 12' 13"

[green iguana]

And here's today's course:

[AmericaUnited]

Thanks, hows it look for Landis to make up the 30 seconds?

It would be such a stick-in-the-eye of the French is our "B" rider wins the Tour, after our "A" rider had retired.

[Eurotwit]

I think conventional wisdom would suggest that Landis should comfortably take the 30 seconds.

Then again, weird things have been known to happen on time trials so tune in a couple of hours from now and find out ;-)

Cheers.

[Aeronaut]

The top 25 riders going into today...

1	097	PEREIRO SIO Oscar	CEI	ESP
2	014	SASTRE Carlos	CSC	ESP	00' 12"
3	071	LANDIS Floyd	PHO	USA	00' 30"
4	021	KLÖDEN Andréas	TMO	GER	02' 29"
5	061	EVANS Cadel	DVL	AUS	03' 08"
6	051	MENCHOV Denis	RAB	RUS	04' 14"
7	035	DESSEL Cyril	A2R	FRA	04' 24"
8	031	MOREAU Christophe	A2R	FRA	05' 45"
9	129	ZUBELDIA Haimar	EUS	ESP	08' 16"
10	026	ROGERS Michael	TMO	AUS	12' 13"
11	015	SCHLECK Frank	CSC	LUX	13' 48"
12	052	BOOGERD Michael	RAB	NED	13' 52"
13	041	LEIPHEIMER Levi	GST	USA	15' 01"
14	111	CAUCCHIOLI Pietro	C.A	ITA	15' 46"
15	081	CUNEGO Damiano	LAM	ITA	17' 18"
16	042	FOTHEN Marcus	GST	GER	17' 23"
17	088	VALJAVEC Tadej	LAM	SLO	20' 50"
18	058	RASMUSSEN Mickael	RAB	DEN	21' 04"
19	001	AZEVEDO José	DSC	POR	34' 01"
20	092	ARROYO David	CEI	ESP	37' 11"
21	089	VILA ERRANDONEA Patxi	LAM	ESP	37' 45"
22	084	BRUSEGHIN Marzio	LAM	ITA	39' 47"
23	027	SINKEWITZ Patrik	TMO	GER	43' 10"
24	016	VANDEVELDE Christian	CSC	USA	47' 16"
25	007	POPOVYCH Yaroslav	DSC	UKR	48' 45"

[green iguana]

Timing at the first split:

1- 023 HONCHAR (UKR, TMO) 00:19:47
2- 044 LANG (GER, GST) 00:20:28 at 00h 00' 42"
3- 072 GRABSCH (GER, PHO) 00:20:42 at 00h 00' 56"
4- 002 EKIMOV (RUS, DSC) 00:20:43 at 00h 00' 57"
5- 156 LARSSON (SWE, FDJ) 00:20:46 at 00h 00' 59"

42" over 16 km is huge, but then, Gonchar did win the fist TT by over a minute...

[leilani]

These were the standings for the first ITT, Stage 7

1 023 HONCHAR Serhiy TMO UKR
2 071 LANDIS Floyd PHO USA 01' 01"
3 044 LANG Sebastian GST GER 01' 04"
4 026 ROGERS Michael TMO AUS 01' 24"
5 156 LARSSON Gustav FDJ SWE 01' 34"
6 027 SINKEWITZ Patrik TMO GER 01' 39"
7 042 FOTHEN Marcus GST GER 01' 42"
8 021 KLÖDEN Andréas TMO GER 01' 43"
9 051 MENCHOV Denis RAB RUS 01' 44"
10 057 POSTHUMA Joost RAB NED 01' 45"
11 061 EVANS Cadel DVL AUS 01' 49"
12 096 KARPETS Vladimir CEI RUS 01' 52"
13 018 ZABRISKIE David CSC USA 01' 57"
14 024 KESSLER Matthias TMO GER 02' 03"
15 031 MOREAU Christophe A2R FRA 02' 04"
16 025 MAZZOLENI Eddy TMO ITA 02' 05"
17 079 PENA Victor Hugo PHO COL 02' 09"
18 014 SASTRE Carlos CSC ESP 02' 11"
19 009 SAVOLDELLI Paolo DSC ITA 02' 12"
20 157 LÖVKVIST Thomas FDJ SWE 02' 36"