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.
Rasmussen just fell. Man, I hate to see that! (from any of them!) Be careful, Lance!
Kerry is in the team car today? Gag me with a spoon...
Poor Jan. My heart just aches for the guy. Had he been born five years earlier or later, he would have been known as one of the greatest ever. Really the absolute worst luck to be peaking when LA was too.
Did you notice the lack of botox? His face is sagging toward China -- he'll have to go in for a humongous facelift by '08. I was enraged by this lying ham shoving his way into the spotlight. Nothing, new, however. Remember his leaping over the rope at the RR's funeral...with photog in tow? It looks as if he'll be right by Lance's side from now on, urging him to run for something and basking in reflected glory. Kerry will use him as Sheryl C. is using him. It might get ugly, however, if Hill decides to muscle in on Lanceomania.
Rasmussen has road rash. Basso may be able to go all out today with a 1:00 buffer.
Rasmussen was leading Ullrich by 2:48 at the time check before that crash.
I will be contacting OLN, too.
Hate to see that, but really would like to see Ullrich on the podium. I honestly think Ullrich has been part of Lance's motivation and it would be nice for him to be part of 7.
The big boys are all up now.
I saw a 1:12 prediction earlier. Place your bets.....
We feel again as if we've been punched in the gut like after last year's World Series win. After cheering on our Boston Red Sox, they finally win the WS after 86 years... So what do the Sox owners do? Immediately take the WS trophy out on the road along with their guy John Kerry and shamelessly use the Boston Red Sox win to campaign for him.
Thank God most of the Red Sox players announced or indicated around the same time that they were supporters of GWB, NOT John Kerry. Star pitcher Curt Schilling even went so far as to make some campaign appearances with GWB, even though the Sox owners didn't really like it.
OT, but the aerial shot of Lance is very telling. He really has a very distinctive "gait" or cadence in the saddle. You can always tell from above that it is he, even if he weren't (always) wearing yellow. In a lot of ways, his stance reminds me of the way children ride their bikes. Wonder if that has anything to do with anything.
His podium position seems secure in Paris, even with a crash.
On a lighter note: Has Paul Sherwen called Jan Ullrich a "great beast of a man" yet? One year he actually called him a "beastie boy"! LOL
John Zelig Kerry....
Kerry in the team car? Appalling, and yes, we're doomed to see Lance and Kerry attached at the hip from now on. Trust our junior senator to know what sells. I guess he's decided the war hero deal got old. Now it's sports. Again.
How about Botero earlier this morning? He looked like me going around that corner! And that hugh dog laying there uninterested was hilarious! I am guessing that Botero wasn't contesting the stage win today...
Go away, John! You lost! No one wants to see your face! GO AWAY NOW!
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