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.
What the heck is Rasmussen doing!?! He's totally lost it.
So we are not going to see a match race between Ulllrich and Rasmussen into Paris tomorrow?
Speaking of beasts, where is Tu-ray-zah?
Wherever Rum Tum Tugger is, let her stay there, away from all cameras and microphones.
Vino is on fire!
What a bummer for Ras...
16:53 - Vino Equal With Julich At 35km...
The new top five for the 2nd check is:
1. JULICH (USA, CSC) 35km in 47’37"
2. VINOKOUROV (KAZ, TMO) @ 00"
3. LANDIS (USA, PHO) @ 05"
4. EVANS (AUS, DVL) @ 15"
5. HINCAPIE (USA, DSC) @ 27"
And Julich isn't efven in the top 5 at 17km...
Not even close. I doubt it the match race would have happened even if Rasmussen didn't have to change a heap of bikes.
There's the Ullrich big-gear reference.
I was hoping to see a duel between Jan and Rasmussen for the podium tomorrow, but with 4 bike changes it may not be in the cards...
Rasmussen just did a header.
I can't stand to watch Lance go through those tight corners! Ullrich really had to hit the brakes. Ugh! This makes me crazy!
Goodness! Now Rasmussen has crashed. What a shame. Is there no end to his misery?
Rasmussent just crashed again!
Semper Fi
When is the last time the yellow jesey got to Paris without winning a stage?
New leader at 35 km - 46:57 (contenders left to go through are Basso and Armstrong; also the oft-crashed Ras).
I feel terrible for him, what a disaster. Jan, Basso and Lance on the podium again!
as the day heats up, so does the road tar (dark spots on the roadway). That get slick as snot!! The corners worry me, as a result.
Greg Lemond, 1990
Damn, but that looked familiar. At least he didn't land on concrete and bend the front fork back into the pedals.
I'm thinking Lance must've already passed Rasmussen, and OLN cameras just didn't catch it.
Levi Leipenhimer may get into the top 5 at this rate!
Somehow I didn't put Ullrich as the tentative 35-km leader.
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