Posted on 07/04/2009 8:09:14 AM PDT by Mom MD
Today is day one! Armstrong riding. Astana is back! Predictions? Other comments? Does someone have the ping list from last year?
Yeah, I know what you mean & how you feel, luvvy.
Hopefully LA & GH will have a heart-to-heart before tomorrow, lest the daggers be pulled out on the course.
French peaks, my butt!
OK. Rant’s over. Move along now. Nothing to see here.
It seems there is this thread with 125 comments, a new thread with about two dozen from stage 14 and then nothing. I went back to my pings to find the LIVE THREAD that was nearing 500 comments and it appears to have been extirely scrubbed.
Is this imposed discipline for all the infighting?
Yeah, I'm bummed as well, FRiend. I was telling my husband all about your 3 hour conversation with Phil Liggett years ago, and wanted to go back and find your post. Actually you had MANY interesting posts on that original TdF thread that I wanted to go back and read. Lots of great photos, links and stats as well.
So now because of all the infighting among a few - the entire long TdF thread was pulled because of "flame war, power plays, threats to sue, etc.".
I’m from denver as well. You have to remember our mountains start at 5000-6000 feet, where in France they start at basically sea level. So the altitude gain is similar, and the overall grade is similar as well
(But I will never admit the French have anything close to as good as we do!)
However, they don’t have the altitude to contend with.
My husband loves riding passes, but before he gets too old, I would love to send him to France to ride the Ventoux and the Alp d’huez.
“St14 done. Sounds like there’s quite a bit of confusion over this one... Noone, and I mean noone, wanted George in yellow more than me.”
My husband and I watched this morning's stage and the interviews afterward on Versus. At the beginning of the show Phil Liggett declared that "Lance ordered Team Astana to keep George Hincapie back" (keep him from the yellow jersey).
After the race, a clearly ticked off Hincapie blamed the fact that he didn't get the yellow jersey - "a chance of a lifetime", as he said - on the (dirty) tactics of Team Astana and Team Garmin.
Lance said he "would love nothing more to see George Hincapie in yellow today" and blamed Team Garmin's tactics.
Hubby and I thought Hincapie didn't exactly "go all out" today and could have gunned into the finish line for a better overall time (George looked awfully relaxed most times we saw him). Team Columbia seemed to be protecting Cavendish rather than helping Hincapie.
I admit I have my limits in understanding some of these team tactics... What say you?
Five seconds — that’s close enough that he could have won it with slightly more effort.
There is a strange thing about the tdf, with the talk about who should have won the jersey. It almost makes it sound like the race isn’t quite so much a race at times.
Why should it be bad if the competitors work hard to keep another competitor from getting too far ahead of them? Why were some people upset about Garmin riding harder — isn’t that what racing is about, doing your best, or do they all get told “hey, today is Hincapie’s day, so let’s all take it easy and give him a jersey?”
Not directed at you personally — it’s just an observation. When Contador took off, I understand the discussion because the tour is somewhat a team sport, so if he violated his team’s plans in order to gain some time, that would be an issue — with the team, obviously not with the tour. If everybody on a team made their own decisions, the team would suffer.
But while i wish Hincapie had won, and have no problem with Lance deciding to try to slow down the peleton to help him, I also don’t have a problem if other teams decided to try to catch him. And I certainly think Astana wouldn’t take a chance of giving Hincapie a 5+ minute lead, so they had to keep Hincapie within striking distance.
I feel bad for the guy driving the motorcycle. Doesn’t sound like it was his fault, but he has to be feeling sick about it anyway.
I’m surprised they don’t have people get killed or injured all the time. Frankly, I’m surprised every time the bikers are still standing after riding through the crowds, when just one wrong move by one spectator could knock another spectator into the onrushing bikes.
That was my one thought — he seemed relaxed enough at the end that it seems he could have come in 6 seconds faster if he wanted. And if he was taking it easy because he thought he deserved the yellow, that was a mistake.
And I don’t get a rider being upset he didn’t “get” the yellow jersey, are the other teams supposed to just let people on competing teams win the jersey? I understand if teams WANT to let others have the jersey, but surely every team has the RIGHT to try to drag the peleton up to the breakaway. Nobody is entitled to win a stage.
It might just be the camera angle /distortions but it seems as if the spectators are in the way, then move back to create a path for the riders...if someone is BLOCKED from the rear or trips and can't backpedal, an accident is bound to happen. Still it DOESN'T happen so it might just be the camera. I'm not going to France to find out.
Thanks for the results, Baynative. There’s not a guy on that list who’s out of it, based on time alone. 25 within 4’20”.
I agree, Charles. I'm a big George Hincapie fan, but he sounded a bit whiny after today's stage. Maybe there was a "misunderstanding" on George's part, or perhaps I just don't fully understand the tactics...
Whoa, GREAT pics... thanks. Look at those cows!
How do you say “Eat Mor Chikin” in French?
If you get a chance, please see my post #165... I'd love your thoughts on my questions. I didn't include you in that post because I wasn't sure you had seen this morning's race live...
LOL! My French is rusty, but I think it's: "Manger plus de poulet"
The two other victims of the accident are a 36-year-old who is suffering from neck pain, and a 61-year-old who has a broken leg. Both were transported to the hospital in Mulhouse.
Just horrible. Prayers offered for the victims, especially for the family of the 61-year-old lady...
I think everyone who comments on anything other than the race should be banned.
Except me off course :-P
Great stage today. Really a pity that Hincapie didn’t get the yellow.
Good for Ivanov getting a stage win, and Thor still in Green.
:-)
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