Please FReepmail nutmeg if you want on or off the Tour de France 2005 list.
Posted on 07/10/2005 2:48:03 AM PDT by Aeronaut
Stage nine!
Please FReepmail nutmeg if you want on or off the Tour de France 2005 list.
I suspect Discovery will crush today. Lots of debate swirling around their apparent screw up yesterday, but I have a hard time believing not a single Disco rider other than Lance could hang on a Cat 2 climb, so I'm thinking this was more intentional than Lance and co. are letting on. This might, of course, be wishful thinking on my part, but Disco has only shown strength up until yesterday.
I can't believe I got up at 5:30 to watch TV.
I think that was a feint
They have done that before, leave Lance out, make him look vunerable. Then just come out and lay it on the line
It's kinda like a day long "Lance is in trouble" routine. Just as the team cars were all abuzz about Lance's demise right before "The Look" , the whole cycling world is buzzing about Disco's meltdown.
We'll See, there are going to be some good climbs today. Stage 10's climbs are even more rediculous
There's no way it can be tactics to leave the team leader with no back up against a three pronged Telekom attack. Or if it was, it was the most boneheaded tactics ever.
Reconsider that They have done this before to thier advantage
"Reconsider that They have done this before to thier advantage"
I could understand if they just left one or two minders and let the rest of the team take it easy, that would be smart. But leave no-one at all? Then, if Armstrong turns out to be having a bad day, or punctures, or falls on the descent, the potential help is back down the road.
No professional team would deliberately expose the leader in that way, there are just too many unexpected events that could crop up.
Maybe it's not so hard to believe. They've been stuck with the Yellow for a few days now, and working harder than planned as a result. I know from experience that, that first "hill" must have really hurt.
They've got a lot harder work ahead of them. Best to let them each get their legs first at their own pace before the real pain starts. I think that they'll come through.
At least they don't have to put up with trash talk about their performance from Bruyneel. What's up with that on T-Mobile? Poor Jan.
I "know from experience" myself, but I thought these guys were immortals:)
They are all wimps :-)
Personally I am having a bit of trouble walking from the sofa to the fridge this day... It feels like a category 1 climb.
Cheers.
Discovery and Armstrong leading the pack.
I know that compared to me they surely are but, it's all relative isn't it? Their hill is my mountain, etc. I have felt the humiliation of being passed by a butterfly on the slopes of Mt. Mitchell. I have been awed by the power and speed of these guys up Brasstown Bald. They feel the same level of pain we do, it's just that they are trained and paid better than we are to deal with it:)
Here's some quotes from Armstrong on yesterday:
http://sport.guardian.co.uk/tourdefrance2005/story/0,16056,1525455,00.html
"We had a bit of a crisis in the team. We have to re-evaluate the position and try not to let it happen again. I can't remember the last time when there were 35 riders in front and none from our team.
'I asked them what happened and they had no explanation. I wasn't great and was definitely isolated and was definitely suffering.' He had no illusions about what this could mean for the rest of the Tour: 'If it's two more weeks of days like that we're in trouble, that's clear.'"
Of course, there's no reason at this stage to think that it was anything other than a bad day for the team. There's too much class and experience in that team for them not to regroup.
14:10 - Chase Group Behind By 2’25"
Moreau, Zandio, Vicioso, Moos, Landaluze and Voigt are now 2’25" behind Cioni and Rasmussen.
The peloton is at 7’50" as it passed the 71km mark.
14:09 - Peloton On 20km Descent
The peloton continues to be led by the Discovery Channel team. This group is currently on the 20km descent from Le Grand Ballon - a road that features some sections of cobbles.
But the peloton is about 8 min behind the two leaders, and 5 plus behind the Jens Voigt group (currently in second place.)
I didnt read anything about "the look" or the car drivers. Is there a handy link?
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