Tour de France: Rest Day "Live" Thread (Monday, July 17, 2006)

Fat Cyclist Fake News Service via cyclingnews.com ^ | 17.7.2006 | Fat Cyclist

[Ready4Freddy]

Tales from the (not-to-be-taken-seriously*) peloton, July 17, 2006

Levi Leipheimer Calls 'Mulligan' on 2006 Tour de France

Paris, July 14 (Fat Cyclist Fake News Service) - Following a closed-doors meeting with Tour de France Officials, Team Gerolsteiner held a press conference today, wherein team Leader-and former GC contender-Levi Leipheimer made the following announcement:

"Based on the fact that until yesterday everyone-especially me-has been having a totally sucky tour, I have requested that we call "Mulligan" on this year's Tour de France to this point, start over with the prologue tomorrow, and try to get it right this time."

"I hold in my hand an Official Do-Over Petition, which has been signed by a clear and wide majority of riders, race directors, journalists, and cycling fans."

"Let's just say that everything up until stage 11 (where Leipheimer took second after a long, brutal day in the mountain) was kind of like a dress rehearsal. I mean, you can see that our hearts just weren't in it for the first week. Let's take it from the top and do it for real this time."

Christian Prudhomme Reacts

Tour de France director Prudhomme, also on hand for the press conference, noted that there is indeed a Mulligan clause in the Tour de France rules. Said Prudhomme, "It's an obscure rule, but Article 7.9.867-5309 does clearly indicate that, "In the event that a majority of race contenders are ejected from the Tour before the beginning of the race, and in the further event that the people left in the race tend to lurch around haphazardly from stage to stage as if they were drug addicts who had suddenly gone cold turkey, and in the final event that by the time the second half of the race begins only a single serious contender remains in actual race contention, the metaphorical reset button shall be pushed and the Tour shall commence again."

"Well," concluded Prudhomme, "I think this year's Tour pretty much satisfies those conditions."

Racers React

George Hincapie, mistakenly treated as Discovery team leader for the first 11 stages of this year's Tour, had this to say: "Can we all please just accept that the climbing stage I won last year was just a fluke, and that the yellow jersey I wore last week just goes to show what a freaky Tour this has been? If we could start over and all get behind Popovych or Savoldelli, maybe we could get someone on the podium.

"So yeah, I guess I'd be OK with starting the Tour over."

Hincapie then hesitated for a moment and said, "But can I still keep that yellow jersey?"

Iban Mayo, who completely self-destructed without warning or reason as soon as the roads turned uphill this year, concurred, "Yes, a do-over would be an excellent idea," the Euskaltel-Euskadi rider said. "If given another chance, I will ride with honour and will win stage after stage."

"Or, I suppose," finished Mayo, "it's possible I may just blow up again. That's kind of my trademark."

Bobby Julich concurred that it would be an outstanding idea to restart the tour, providing he gets six weeks for his wrist to heal (and, presumably, to reconnoitre the course).

Liggett, Sherwen React

Well-known commentators Phil Liggett and Paul Sherwen were enthusiastic about the idea of restarting the Tour. "You know, I am sick to death of talking about nothing but what an unusual Tour this has been," remarked Liggett. "Because everyone knows that when I say 'unusual,' what I really mean is 'ridiculous.' We commentators don't look too good when we talk about what a strong time trial Leipheimer is going to put in and then he gets passed by a recreational cyclist, you know."

"Absolutely," agreed Sherwen. "Let's erase the tape of the Tour thus far, reach into our suitcase of courage, and start from scratch. From the way these guys have been riding, they can't be too tired yet."

Floyd Landis Reacts

"You know, most people would probably expect that I wouldn't want to restart the Tour, since I'm winning it and everything," said race leader Floyd Landis. "But that's not the case. I'd love to start over. This time, though, I'll hire a better mechanic and maybe someone to watch the clock for me, so I ought to be in yellow by the end of stage one. That should be cool."

OLN Scrambles

The American broadcaster has had to react quickly, adjusting its schedule and making name changes to the program names.

"Considering that this race has been anything but Cyclismic, we are going to go with something a little more subdued for the series title. We're thinking "Cyclezzzzz" has a nice ring to it."

Elden Nelson blogs in similarly humorous and unreliable vein as the Fat Cyclist, where he is currently giving away a fabulous trip for two to go see the Tour of Utah. Really.

[*Or internally - Eds]

[Ready4Freddy]

Heheheh, OK, I thought it'd be good to have a 'Rest Day' thread wherein we could post & discuss any preview / prediction articles / diaries, etc. This 'article' seemed as good as any, and better than most, to start with! LOL!! ;>)

[Ready4Freddy]

Limited ping to the 'usual suspects' on this year's Tour de France Live Stage threads. ;>)

[Vision]

I'm keeping an eye on Landis(of course) and Pereiro for the rest of the tour. They have put out the best effort IMO. I hope Discovery can play more of a roll, but each stage seems to go by without them doing much- although they have been doing better.

What I haven't seen a lot of this year is the devil fan and all those pitchforks in the road. They were everywhere last year.

[Ready4Freddy]

OK, the first / latest serious prediction:

Stage 14 Report
By Phil Liggett (OLN)

The Tour de France is not the most challenging annual sporting jamboree for nothing and the accident to three of the six riders in the lead today just highlights the dangers that are around every corner.

In the High Alps region, the roads are narrow and twisty and Rik Verbrugghe did not give them the respect that they deserved. It was terrible crash and it seems he has a broken leg while two other riders also fell, leaving David Canada with a broken collar bone. What a sad end to the escape for them. For this reason it was justice that two of the six survived and France again celebrated another stage win, their third of the race so far.

It is a rest tomorrow and now perhaps we are a little clearer than we were this time last week as to who will win. We can restrict ourselves to three names - Floyd Landis, Denis Menchov and Cadel Evans. I think one will be very happy at 5pm next Sunday on the Champs-Elysees, Paris.

[Ready4Freddy]

Good insight from a domestique (albeit a confirmed KOTM domestique):

A conversation with Michael Rasmussen: 'The priority is Menchov'
By Andrew Hood
VeloNews European correspondent
This report filed July 16, 2006

Last year, Rabobank's Michael Rasmussen electrified the Tour de France with a big stage win and rode with the king of the mountains jersey into Paris. So far this year, the former world mountain bike champion has been quietly finding his way.

The skinny Dane worked for team captain Denis Menchov in the Pyrénées and has patiently been scooping up points for the polka-dot jersey. He promises to step back into the limelight in the Alps, but first come Menchov's hopes in the GC.

VeloNews caught up with Rasmussen ahead of Monday's rest day. Here are excerpts of the interview:

VeloNews.com: Rabobank looks strong against Phonak, what will be the team strategy in the Alps?

Michael Rasmussen: Now we are just thinking about the next couple of days, then we have to see. Like (Friday), if a big break goes, it could be interesting. We are in a position to put them under pressure. It's not always to have a strong team if you don't have a strong captain, but I think we do. Menchov looked very good.

VN: Do you think Menchov can win?

MR: We have to, at least we have to try. Coming into the last time trial, being a minute behind is not good enough if you want to win. There will be plenty of opportunities in the coming stages. It's a very hard last week.

VN: You're looking stronger, how do you feel coming into the final week?

MR: It's going the right direction. I am getting stronger every day and I am probably consuming a little bit less energy than some of my opponents in the mountains. Relatively I am having it easier and it's changed a bit (from) the first week when I was the suffering, now it's coming back. With the heat I am feeling great. I like the heat. I feel very confident ahead of the Alps.

VN: You're obviously still thinking about the best climber's jersey, do you think you still want to win it?

MR: If I can pick up points along the road and without conflicting with the yellow jersey objective, then yes. The priority is the yellow jersey. If I can be there on the last mountain, I will get my points and eventually get into position even grab the (polka-dot) jersey.

VN: Are you willing to sacrifice you own chances for a stage win to help Menchov?

MR: Yes, if it means getting the yellow jersey onto the Champs Elysees, then yes. There's no doubt about that. That would bring a lot of satisfaction. It would be a once in a lifetime chance for me and the team as well. There's a lot at stake there now. Rabobank is evaluating if they want to extend the sponsorship, so I am sure a yellow jersey on the Champs Elysees could make that decision very easy.

VN - Both La Toussuire and Alpe d'Huez are classic climbs, you must be licking your lips about winning one of those?

MR: If I am there in the end, who says I cannot win, even though I have to be there for Menchov. Even the stage to Morzine is very hard. I think the Joux-Plaine is the hardest climb in this year's Tour. There will be three big days and three chances for me to get points and also to win the stage.

VN: What happened at the Tour de Suisse that caused you to abandon?

MR: I was in the very long break and for some reason there was a very, very strict commissaire sitting in the car behind and I went at the bottom of the final climb, it's a very long climb and it takes like one hour to get up there. I think it was Moos who was hanging there like at 40 seconds and I couldn't get my car, so I had to make like an hour and a half of the race without water, so that's pretty hard after 200km of racing. So I got to the finish, I was 55kg and dehydrated, I was pissed and disappointed, and I went home. I was not feeling very well after the stage. But I was in good shape, I had a lot of speed in my legs, I should have had that victory in the bag.

[Ready4Freddy]

Yo! I meant to put this is General/Chat, and obviously failed miserably. Could you please move it for us? Thanks!

[leilani]

Hi R4F! Good one. The stuff about George really stings, though. I read somewhere the other day that his bro-in-law told Gannett news service that George came to the tour seriously underweight this year and hasn't been able to keep the kilos up.What's up with that? Hasn't this guy ever heard of Starbucks Mocha Almond Fudge Ice Cream or Lindt's Lindor 60% Extra Dark Chocolate Truffles??? Man, I can pack on a week's worth in one sitting!

Seriously, all the cynics are saying that the reason we're seeing such a boring competition this year is that all the riders have had the fear of Jesus put into them by Operation Puerto & we are merely reaping the predictable results of their EPO-deprived bloodstreams.But low red blood cell counts cannot explain missed ITT starts, not-ready-for-primetime handlebars, failure to display even a rudimentary familiarity of the day's course,and the inexplicably MIA lust for yellow that seems so pervasive throughout the peloton this year.

It's like no one wants to get within five-hundred yards of the dang jersey - the only one hungering for the yellow crown this year is Bob Roll who probably can't wait to get to Paris so he can slip into Le Burgair Keeng on the Rue de la Paix for his whoppair feex. Sigh. And I sincerely doubt that Lance, even if he were to parachute right on top of Alpe d'huez this week, would be able to bitch-slap these guys out of their torpor; their complacency seems completely, utterly constitutionally ingrained.

That being said. The TdF in an off-year still beats the heck out of NFL superbowl any year in entertainment value for me, at least.

[BaBaStooey]

George was recovering from an injury, that may have had something to do with it.

[Ready4Freddy]

I am growing increasingly concerned about you - you're blocking!, you're blocking! You should work on telling us how you really feel, leilani! LOL

And I sincerely doubt that Lance, even if he were to parachute right on top of Alpe d'huez this week, would be able to bitch-slap these guys out of their torpor; their complacency seems completely, utterly constitutionally ingrained.

I couldn't agree more, m'lady... (the commercials are the best part of any Super Bowl, by far! :)

That being said. The TdF in an off-year still beats the heck out of NFL superbowl any year in entertainment value

[leilani]

George was recovering from an injury, that may have had something to do with it.

Is he? I guess I missed that, but it certainly would explain the fact that he didn't sound too terribly convinced himself when he was telling interviewers that he was in great shape before the Tour started. He's definitely not the whiney type who'd advertise he was hurt either.

But who knows? He's not in a terrible position right now. One of the neat things about the TdF is that a clutch of leaders can hit a patch of gravel, or eat a bad piece of cheese and get knocked out of the race in an instant, and the whole field of contention takes on a brand new flavor. And, of course, there's always the hope that Karl Rove has some Top Secret Plan to put George in yellow in Paris.

[leilani]

You should work on telling us how you really feel, leilani!

Oops, I do have a tendency to go way over the top, don't I. Since you are today's Official Thread Master,you have my written permission to tell me to zipit when I go off the deep end,OK? :+)

[BaBaStooey]

I'd just like everyone to know that at this point (following the flats from the Pyrenees to the Alps and the stage into Gap) in the 1986 Tour de France, Bob Roll of Team 7-Eleven trailed the race leader, Bernard Hinault of La Vie Claire, by 1:02:33.

Greg LeMond was in second place, 34 seconds behind. He would make up that time (and more) on Hinault and claim the yellow on the very next stage, from Gap to Serre Chevalier.

This year's race isn't going that way, its going straight to l'Alpe D'Huez next, which in 1986 they ended up going to the very next day after LeMond claimed yellow in Serre Chevalier.

Bob finished the Tour in 63rd place, 1:43:26 behind LeMond.

[leilani]

That's the really famous stage that announcers always refer to as one of the most exciting in tour history, isn't it BaBa? And gosh, Bob Roll must have been quite a talented rider back then, seeing as how that was the stone ages of American participation in TdF. His finish ain't nothing to sneeze at, at all. Impressive.

[BaBaStooey]

Gap to Serre Chevalier (literally, the "green knight") was the 17th stage of the 23 stage Tour de France in 1986.

The stage included the Cat. 1 Col de Vars, the HC Col de Izoard, and the HC Col de Granon uphill finish.

Eduardo Chozas was the solo breakaway on this day, and he won the stage by 6:26. But LeMond attacked his teammate on the final climb, finishing 3rd and putting over 3 minutes into his La Vie Claire teammate. When the stage was over, LeMond was in yellow and Hinault was 2:47 behind.

The very next day, LeMond and Hinault called a truce. Hinault would ride for LeMond (and the Badger would also ride to give himself the KOTM, which he did win). The two put their new buddy-buddy face on for the whole cycling world to see, when they broke away together and finished atop l'Alpe D'Huez, hands clasped raised in victory. LeMond gave Hinault the stage win.



Hinault would win one more stage that year, the last ITT, which was his last stage win at the Tour de France. LeMond celebrated his first Tour de France victory and went on to win two more.

[leilani]

Oh, man, Bay! Are you sure you want to miss this for golf? The peloton's resting positions are so precarious! At any minute, Floyd could hit his arm on the half-tester or catch his foot in the duvet and it would be curtains for the U.S.'s hope for yellow! Too risky to look away now.

[BaBaStooey]

LeMond in yellow, Hinault in polka dots

[Ready4Freddy]

LOL!!

Looks like they're tied thus far, estimated wake-up times of Top 10 GC (posted ~7 hours ago:

Pos. N° Name Surname Team Nat. Gaps
1 097 PEREIRO SIO Oscar CEI ESP 07:00 CEST
2 071 LANDIS Floyd PHO USA 07:00 CEST
3 035 DESSEL Cyril A2R FRA 07:00 CEST
4 051 MENCHOV Denis RAB RUS 07:00 CEST
5 061 EVANS Cadel DVL AUS 07:00 CEST
6 014 SASTRE Carlos CSC ESP 07:00 CEST
7 021 KLÖDEN Andréas TMO GER 07:00 CEST
8 026 ROGERS Michael TMO AUS 07:00 CEST
9 191 MERCADO Juan Miguel AGR ESP 07:00 CEST
10 031 MOREAU Christophe A2R FRA 07:00 CEST

Please keep me updated on the rests, how they are progressing and any outstanding individual rest efforts.

[BaBaStooey]

If Levi was technically napping through the entire first week, especially in the TT, shouldn't he be way ahead in the lead for the Pillow Jaune?

[BaBaStooey]