Posted on 07/22/2005 10:14:20 PM PDT by nutmeg
Stage 20 - Saturday, July 23: Saint-Etienne - Saint-Etienne ITT, 55 km
The showdown! All things being equal (and even with a few inequalitites) the individual time trial should provide a great spectacle at the end of a gruelling three weeks - Armstrong thrives in this race against the clock, and his dominance is well documented. But if we have a situation like 2003, this could be the clincher for the leader going into the stage, or it could provide the challenger with a whisker of hope. Here's hoping the weather stays fine and we get Ullrich out firing and witness Basso's improvement in time trialling, which has also been well-documented. The distance suits Armstrong, but the undulating terrain suits Ullrich's ability to push the big gears and power along. A surprise may be in the works, but chances are it'll come down to these two, regardless of where they are on GC - but it's also likely they'll both be at the pointy end of the field.
17:11 - Rasmussen’s Woeful Day
After just 35km of today’s 55.5km stage, Rasmussen has lost 5’24" to Armstrong. The rider who began the day in thir dplace overall could slip out of the top 10 in the general classification if he continues at the current rate.
Surprised he didn't reach out and pat him on the back. May have been afraid he would crash again if he did. Now Lance sets his sights on Basso. :)
Lance is burning up the road! Now- GET OUT OF HIS WAY!
You know why JFK is there don't you?
Remember last year when President Bush predicted during one of the early stages that Armstrong would win the Tour and that he would win the Presidency?
That must have hurt F'Kerry's soul - now he is trying to befriend Lance so he can predict an Armstrong win 200..8...oh, ehhh...well.
Basso losing serious time to Ulrich. At 40 km, he's 46 seconds behind Ullrich (fastest at 40 with 56:55). Lance yet to blow through.
on a side note, do you think Phil Liggett snorts helium?
40 km - Lance sets the pace at 56:23. Ullrich 2nd at 56:55 (+0:22), Vino at 57:33, Basso at 57:41, Evans at 57:56. Ras still out there.
Make that Armstrong lead over Ullrich at the 40-km mark 32 seconds.
Armstrong 0:32 quicker than Ullrich at 40km.
Man, Ivan's been a real disappointment to me this year. It's like his heart is somewhere else.
:-D
+32 according to the TdF site unless they are timing in some French time I don't understand?
Col de la Gachet - km 40.2 154riders
Last rider : 001 ARMSTRONG (USA, DSC) - 1st in 00:56:23
1- 001 ARMSTRONG (USA, DSC) 00:56:23
2- 011 ULLRICH (GER, TMO) 00:56:55 32"
3- 019 VINOKOUROV (KAZ, TMO) 00:57:33 01' 10"
4- 021 BASSO (ITA, CSC) 00:57:41 01' 18"
5- 023 JULICH (USA, CSC) 00:57:50 01' 28"
Maybe he's waiting for next year.
Ras finally crosses the 40-km mark at 1:02:49.
At least Levi will have a Top 5 finish in the Tour to inspire him on for next year to succeed Lance.
Typo on my part; my bad.
No problem, I am trying to understand not hector you or anything.
Jean Francois Kerry has passed over the summit of Election Night, 34 Electoral votes and millions of popular votes behind George "Winner" Bush.
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