Tour de France *** 2013 *** [LIVE THREAD]

Le Tour ^ | 6/26/13 | Baynative

[Baynative]

For as long as I can remember it has been a tradition that the Tour de France begins with a prologue held on the first Saturday of July.

Something changed this year, but the race goes on with a new and exciting route beginning with a specially staged prologue on the French island of Corsica in the Mediterranean Sea.

[Third Person]

“I think Sky are more advanced in training, in sports science – they know exactly what’s required from domestiques to do the job properly in the last week, they know so much more about the internals of the sport, in my opinion, than any other team,” he told reporters.

Yeah, they sure are more advanced in "training" and "sports science".

[nutmeg]

Hey, FRiend... are you the TdF go-to person for 2013? ;-)

Can't believe we're about to embark on another TdF... the 100th! Wish I could be there in person for this one...

I'll be rooting against doper Contador - just seeing his (and Lance Armstrong's) name makes me sick. Hope an honest guy wins the Tour this year.

I assume Wiggins and Cadel Evans won clean races. What a shame that Wiggins is out of this year's race. Is Cadel in the TdF this year?

[Eric Roelfsema]

Yes, Cadel is in the race in the same colors as last year.

I can not stand Contador either.

My prefernces right now are Tejay van Garderen, and Bauke Mollema, or anyone other than Alberto Contador.

[Ms. AntiFeminazi]

Can’t wait! I was going to do my own personal boycott because of the Armstrong mess, but then I saw him riding through my neighborhood and started getting the fever again. Then I watched the NBCSports special 100 Years of the Tour de France and I decided to give it up. I’m hooked. Tonight I plan to watch the preview and tomorrow I’ll be wearing my yellow t-shirt to work. (Yes, I’m a dork)

I can’t believe I went from never again to I can’t wait! Lol. I figure if Lance can still ride (in my hood) then I can still watch. Lol

I love to hate Contador and I like Cadel. It’s a new Tour.

[Ms. AntiFeminazi]

Hey nutmeg, the first public (media) doping controversy in the Tour de France was in 1924. The drug of choice was cocaine. Lol

Nice to see you :-)

[Baynative]

I don't know about "go to" but Freddy is tied up with a lot of work and travel, so I'm doing what I can.

Cadel is team leader for BMC and his number 2 man is Tejay van Garderen who was an absolute stud in the Tour of California this year. Tejay has it all he can climb he can stay with the fast guys (but maybe doesn't have the lightening fast twitch jump) and he can hammer with the best of the TT hot shots.

I have a feeling this is going to be a very special tour. This field is so littered with young guns the odds makers aren't even giving the Schlecks a second thought, just look at the odds.

Watch for Peter Sagan to come out punching in an effort to put some bruises on Cavendish, Wiggens and Froome. That will add fun to week one.

But as all the regulars here know, I come alive when the road tilts upward!

LET'S RIDE!

[Ms. AntiFeminazi]

Me too. I love the Pyrenes.

I agree, this is a turning point year I think.

[Baynative]

Bike Ping

From the Telegraph:

This year's Tour de France is the 100th edition of cycling's most famous grand tour. Despite 100 editions over the past 110 years - the event was halted during the wars - the Tour has never visited France's territorial island of Corsica, where it begins on Saturday.

Corsica will host three race stages, with the traditional prologue abandoned in an attempt to make the most of the island. Then the Tour packs up and ships to France, where for the first time in ten years it will remain within the country's borders until its finish in Paris three weeks later.

The favourite for the winner's maillot jaune, or yellow jersey, is British rider Chris Froome. Froome has been in great form so far this season, winning several shorter stage races including the Criterium du Dauphine earlier in June, traditionally a bellwether race for the Tour.

Froome will face competition from Spaniard and two-time Tour winner Alberto Contador, riding for the Saxo-Tinkoff team following a doping suspension. Contador, a climbing specialist nicknamed 'the Pistolero' for his attacking prowess, who won last year's Vuelta a Espana, has had an underwhelming season but will be seen as Froome's closest rival.

A resurgent Cadel Evans, who finished on the podium at this year's Giro d'Italia, and his young teammate Tejay van Garderen, who outclassed his leader in last year's Tour, will also have an eye on the general classification. As will Katusha's attacking leader Joaquim Rodriguez, and Ryder Hesjedal, who will be hoping to forget a lacklustre performance at the Giro. Belkin's Robert Gesink and Movistar's Alejandro Valverde are also ones to watch.

This year's parcours takes in eight flat or rolling stages, three in the low mountains, six in the high mountains (with four summit finishes), two individual time trial stages and one team time trial stage, and covers a total of 2,115 miles (3,403 kilometres). In a break with tradition, the riders roll in to Paris on the final day at dusk.

[Baynative]

Correction to #48:
Bradley Wiggins is not riding this year's tour.

[Baynative]

48 -- 46!

[Vision]

Armstong is a very sick man.

Armstrong: I'm still record Tour de France winner

http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/C/CYC_TOUR_DE_FRANCE_ARMSTRONG?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2013-06-28-08-59-20

[Baynative]

"I did not invent doping," Le Monde quoted Armstrong as saying. "And nor did it end with me."

I can't help but have mixed emotions about this, still. If everyone is doping and the winner is doping did the winner take and advantage the others didn't have?

Armstrong clearly cheated and somehow avoided being caught for many years. His story of recovering from cancer is amazing and many of us enjoyed his heroic performances. It's too bad he is such a jerk, because he would probably have been just as respected and almost as rich had he just made it through his tours clean and maybe picked up a stage or two.

His epic breakaway win after Fabio Casartelli died was probably one of pure emotion. I can still see him hammering his way home and sitting up acknowledging his lost friend... that's the kind of memory I wanted of Lance. Not the nasty spiteful man who's mad he got caught.

as much as I lost respect for him, I have just as much dislike for the maggots that jumped on the bandwagon to exploit his celebrity status and are now suing him because their own greed led them to his side. If their contract didn't specify "sponsorship for a clean athletic performance on a drug free team", they should shut the hell up -IMHO!

[Vision]

According to The Secret Race the average speed of the Peloton increased about 5mph during the serious doping era and has since returned to normal levels. So, let's hope drug free riders are possible.

Everyone needs to move past Armstrong and he needs to go away. Through this all he still believes he's a record winner. In his coming clean interview he was lying at times. There is that recent horrible story about the girlfriend I won't mention.

He is a very nasty, sick man. Personally I feel like I've figured him out. His narcissism is up there with Obama’s. Good for Tejay van Garderen for speaking out on Lance's most recent comments.

[drewh]

Will Evans let Teejay take the alpha dog position if it warrants?

[Baynative]

"Will Evans let Teejay take the alpha dog position if it warrants?"

That (for me) will be the question of the year. I can't wait to see how it unfolds. Evans is a tour winner (2011) and that gives him rightful claim to team leader. But, last year when Wiggins took yellow, Evans finished in 7th place over 4 minutes down from teammate Tejay who was in the top five. Tejay was only 21 years old. I don't remember the particulars of the difference in time, but my guess is it came in the mountains since Tejay would not be chasing down or, riding in a break without his captain.

If Tejay has it he may get the nod to try for a stage win at some point and my guess it will be while going uphill. If he were to take the legs out of everyone and pull off one of those epic rides like we used to see from guys like Richard Veranque he could get such a gap that the team would have to go to work to take him to Paris.

That's all pipe dream stuff, but that's why the tour is so special, in my book.

[ican'tbelieveit]

I don't like that Lance doped, I don't like that Lance lied about it for years and others lied about it for years. But, now that he is being honest, he is being honest. I don't want him groveling. I find Paula Deen’s groveling revolting. You did it, admit to it, and lets get past it. We can't have it both ways. We don't like it when they are honest, we don't like it when they grovel. How do we get past it?

A different request. Is the TDF streaming online anywhere?

[Ms. AntiFeminazi]

FR still needs a “Thanks” or “like” button.

[Vision]

It's time for everyone to wake up!

You can watch online with a paid subscription.

[ican'tbelieveit]

I found it free:

http://www.steephill.tv/tour-de-france/#live

[Vision]

Cool.

They’ve shown very little of the race so far...