Posted on 07/02/2010 11:30:15 AM PDT by Ready4Freddy
I will have it on! Thanks.
Posted by Phil Liggett on 7/3/2010 at 12:00AM
This opening stage of the Tour has been talked about a lot as a dangerous stage for the overall favorites. As was evidenced on similar roads in the Tour of Italy in May when it started from nearby Amsterdam, the roads in Holland are windswept and full of traffic signs and obstacles all designed to make the country safer for cyclists and to slow down vehicles.
What an irony that the Tour de France could see riders eliminated by the very traffic furniture designed for their safety!
The Dutch nation loves the Tour and will be out in their tens of thousands to wave farewell to the race as it heads for Belgium on the long 223 km stage from Rotterdam to Brussels. The route will take the riders down the west side of the small nation into Freisland, where the wind always blows and it is just a question of in which direction.
This is why the stage may not be for the sprinters as strong riders (remember Lance Armstrong last year in the crosswinds of the south of France) force the issue and try to split the field. Alberto Contador missed out last year and lost a few seconds and he must be more vigilant this time around. The Belgian border is crossed after 150 km of racing, but the route remains very flat as it winds its way into Brussels for a finish for only the tenth time since World War II ended.
The finish line along the dead straight Avenue Houba de Strooper is well-known to the riders in the Belgian Classic Paris-Brussels, and the winner of this race on five occasions, the Australian Robbie McEwen is particularly looking forward to the end of the day.
It will be a nervous start to the race as teams familiarize themselves with one another for the long road ahead
Slight chance of dry weather for first starters but then, serious risk (90%) of heavy rain and northwesterly winds in the second part of the race
Serious risk of temporarily heavy rain and strong winds in the second part of the "Prologue"
Winds : West to northwest 10 km/h, increasing 20 to 30 km/h, gusting temporarily 40 to 50 km/h under heavy rain
One question: Is Robbie McEwen in this Tour or has he retired?
Hi nutmeg! Not sure about Robbie, he still shows as on roster for Team Katusha as of May 5, 2010, dunno if he was name to the TdF squad, tho.
As you recall he missed the 2009 TdF due to his leg injury.
Rodríguez and Robbie McEwen in, Pozzato out of Katusha’s Tour de France squad
By VeloNews.com • Published: Jun 25th 2010 9:47 AM EDT
Joaquín Rodríguez will make an overdue Tour de France debut while Filippo Pozzato will not race as Katusha revealed its Tour de France nine-man roster Friday.
Rodríguez has done well at both the Giro d’Italia and Vuelta a España, but never got a crack at the Tour, which was a large reason why he switched to the Russian-backed Katusha for 2010. Rodríguez enjoyed a breakout spring, winning the Volta a Catalunya, the GP Miguel Indurain, as well as coming third at the Vuelta al País Vasco and second at Flèche Wallonne.
The scrappy Spanish fighter will be the team’s GC co-leader along with Vladimir Karpets. Both will be hoping for a top-10 finish overall and a stage victory.
Back in the Tour after missing last year’s with an injury will be two-time green jersey winner Robbie McEwen. The veteran Australian sprinter will be hoping he can win at least one stage against a new generation of younger stars.
Sergey Ivanov and Alexander Kolobnev, also making his Tour debut, will give the team solid breakaway and stage-hunting options.
Pozzato will race the Vuelta a España instead as part of his major push for the world title in Australia in September.
Katusha for Tour de France
Joaquim Rodríguez (Spa)
Pavel Brutt (Rus)
Sergey Ivanon (Rus)
Vladimir Karpets (Rus)
Robbie McEwen (Aus)
Alexander Kolobnev (Rus)
Stijn Vandenbergh (Bel)
Eduard Vorganov (Rus)
Alexandr Pliuschin (Rus)
One good thing about Le Tour - NO VUVUZELAS!
LOL!!! No kidding, Cecily. Those are horrible.
Tony Martin in 1st at this point, Millar 10” behind.
Levi is in 4th @ 18” back.
My apologies, I forgot that the NL is 6 hrs ahead of US East Coast, not 5. Guess y’all prolly figured that out by now tho!
Armstrong & Contador have 4th/5th best times at check point.
Damn, Cancellara smoked Martin’s leading time by 10”. Lance in at 22” behind Cancellara, Contador at 27”.
The old man has still got it...
Apparently so, WS!
1. CANCELLARA Fabian 13 TEAM SAXO BANK 10’ 00”
2. MARTIN Tony 115 TEAM HTC - COLUMBIA 10’ 10” + 00’ 10”
3. MILLAR David 57 GARMIN - TRANSITIONS 10’ 20” + 00’ 20”
4. ARMSTRONG Lance 21 TEAM RADIOSHACK 10’ 22” + 00’ 22”
5. THOMAS Geraint 39 SKY PRO CYCLING 10’ 23” + 00’ 23”
6. CONTADOR Alberto 1 ASTANA 10’ 27” + 00’ 27”
7. FARRAR Tyler 53 GARMIN - TRANSITIONS 10’ 28” + 00’ 28”
8. LEIPHEIMER Levi 25 TEAM RADIOSHACK 10’ 28” + 00’ 28”
9. BOASSON HAGEN Edvald 36 SKY PRO CYCLING 10’ 32” + 00’ 32”
10. GERDEMANN Linus 141 TEAM MILRAM 10’ 35” + 00’ 35”
The weather differential between early / late starters did not transpire, so weather was not the factor that they thought it might be earlier.
Interesting, the 3 US teams:
1. TEAM RADIOSHACK 31’ 25”
2. TEAM HTC - COLUMBIA 31’ 26” + 00’ 01”
3. GARMIN - TRANSITIONS 31’ 27” + 00’ 02”
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