Le Tour de France

[terminator363]

I always miss it, not once have I followed it. This year I'm determined to actually watch / keep track of the race. So I created this thread so we can share everything Tour de France with each other. Have at it.


Starts Saturday.

 

[hellnback]

Go Andy Schleck! Take down that dirty Contador... can't wait to the mountains and this year there are heaps...

 

[terminator363]

Go Andy Schleck! Take down that dirty Contador... can't wait to the mountains and this year there are heaps...

Yea, I'm wanting to see the bit where they go into Italy.

 

[bombe32]

I'm surprised to see this few posts about the biggest cycling event in the world... but I'll share my view anyway.

I think Contador wins - a huge win... Andy Schleck will obviously be a contender too, and look out for Cadel Evans, Jurgen Van Den Broeck and Samuel Sánchez too, although they must be considered outsiders.

Cavendish favorite to win the green jersey... can he climb the mountains within the time limit? That's my concern.

 

[boiltheocean]

I'm hoping Bradley Wiggins puts in another strong performance this year and Mark Cavendish walks away with the green jersey.

 

[Bram Turismo]

It's not even funny how far ahead Gilbert is in front of everyone else on this entire planet when it comes to uphill finishes.

I believe if he can take the green jersey from these type of finishes and he holds onto it until we start climbing he will set his mind on it and no one will stop him from going for the green in Paris.

Being a Belgian it's absolutely fantastic to see Gilbert and Van Den Broeck in such form.

 

[Villain]

I'll be tuning in for sure! Did any of you guys catch the AMGEN Tour of California? The Mt. Baldy stage began in my hometown and went right past my house 👍

 

[terminator363]

Damn France is pretty.

 

[Amin1992]

Not a great start to the Tour for Contador.

 

[MarkWebber]

Contador is a fraud, drug cheat.

Cadel starting off strong.

 

[terminator363]

I didn't watch the second stage.

 

[Crash]

Oh wow, good times. I haven't followed Le Tour de France in a few years. How has all the allegations of doping been affecting this Tour? Is there any major contender that's sitting out because of that? Also, that video of the tour route had cool animations, but for most of the way, I was so confused about where in France it actually was and the direction the Tour would be traveling in. I just wanted to see the high level direction of travel through France.

 

[Mr. S]

Damn France is pretty.

Most often.

I'll be at the Champs-Elysees on the 24th, so if one of you guys (or gals) is out and about as well: let's go there together.

 

[p-coletray]

Very exciting finishes so far, but these flat stages are just an excercise in strategy. I hope the tour comes down to the individual time trial at the end, that would be awesome. Schleck vs Contador.

 

[Dennisch]

It was a ridiculous stage today, so many riders kissing the tarmac.
And that stupid idiot on the motor knocking over Nicki Sørensen, and then stealing his bike. The Tourboss did good by kicking him out of the Tour right after it happened.

 

[Submerged]

..... How did he manage to do that?!

I did wonder whether the motorcyclist needed more training on how to pace themselves with the cyclists. And also use their common sense. Rather than going for the best shots of the cyclists themselves.

I have seen some parts of it, but always missed out on the crashes (I don't like to watch the crashes, just the riding!). It has been relatively steady the past couple of days though, speed and race-wise I think.

 

[Touring Mars]

Bradley Wiggins is out

Cavendish wins his 2nd stage this year, bringing his total to 17 - the eighth highest number of stage wins of all time

 

[fabmaru]

What was in the mind of the people who organized the tour this year. How many people fell and quit this year in the first week thanks to those roads? Anyway from tomorrow there will be less falls and more entertaining races since there will not be any sprint finish in the next few days for Cavendish to win. Congratulations for em for the second win in this tour and the 17 total. I think he would have dedicated to Wiggins if he knew he quited. Anybody notice in the interview after the race when the reporter told em that Wiggins had quit he said S***?
I gonna shut my fingers a bit now.

 

[p-coletray]

Hushovd might hang on to Yellow one more day, but come Saturday we will see who are the real contenders.

Too bad about Wiggins, he was a serious threat, and he didn't even get to the hills.

 

[fabmaru]

I'm proud to be Portuguese now! Congratulations Rui Costa. Last year was Sergio Paulinho and today is him. Yeaaaah.
No big changes in the overall standings. Hushovd keep the yellow jersey.

 

[boiltheocean]

Who the **** allows these media bikes and cars to drive so close and who the hell checks that they can handle a simple situation. The crash involving Flecha and Hoogerland was awful yet could of easily been avoided.

 

[fabmaru]

This year's tour will be called in the future the Crash in France. Has there been a stage where no one fell? Anyway great win for L.L. Sanchez and congratulations for T. Voeckler for the Yellow Jersey. The fight of the Yellow Jersey began and Contador was struggling on today's stage! Let's wait for the Pyrenees to see what happens.

 

[David]

If I was a sponsor I'd be pulling my teams and money right about now. Having a car slam into you on a "closed" race course is truly some world class stuff. Tour de France is a total joke.

 

[boiltheocean]

The first ban of the tour goes to Alexandr Kolobnev of team Katuscha for failing a doping test. Another bad day for the reputation of professional cycling.

 

[fabmaru]

Kolobnev was probably the best cyclist of Katusha for this tour. Well now it isn't.

 

[fabmaru]

Sorry for the double post.
Great stage today. It was a very good finish after the attack of Gilbert and the final sprint was great. Finally Greipel was able to beat Cavendish. He must be very happy now after being in the shadow of him in the last years when he was in HTC.
Tomorrow stage will probably finish in a sprint as well but that 4th category mountain near the end can make differences. Well let's wait and see.

 

[p-coletray]

Cavendish dishes out the 18th stage win of his career, and now, mountains please.

 

[Bram Turismo]

Well I think both the organization and teams are at fault for the many crashes in the last few days.

The question the organization needs to ask itself: Can we still send a peloton of 196 riders over these narrow roads with the speed they drive at these days? No.

The lesson teams need to learn: Have respect towards each other. There's too little respect when going downhill. Back in the day of Armstrong and Discovery Channel, Armstrong's team actually controlled the peloton downhill and made sure they all came down in a respectable pace and to avoid accidents. What teams this year are doing is riding downhill without brakes, basically. There is no need to go downhill so fast when the attackers are only a few minutes ahead so far off the finish line.

Anyway, there goes my man Jurgen VdB. Best man of the Tour so far? Gilbert by a few lightyears. It's amazing how he just came to the Tour with the goal of a stage win and a day in the yellow. All of a sudden he's fully going for the green jersey. It's amazing how he's strong every single day and how he even does the work himself.

I suspect him to move to BMC for next year, and if BMC will look as strong as they are this year Gilbert will be unstoppable in what he's best at this year.

Finally the Belgian lions have awoken: Gilbert, Van den Broeck, Deveneyns, Vanendert. It's good to be a Belgian cycling fan this year!

 

[fabmaru]

Van der broeck is out. He fell and he is out of the tour so get another man.

 

[p-coletray]

Well I think both the organization and teams are at fault for the many crashes in the last few days.

The question the organization needs to ask itself: Can we still send a peloton of 196 riders over these narrow roads with the speed they drive at these days? No.

The lesson teams need to learn: Have respect towards each other. There's too little respect when going downhill. Back in the day of Armstrong and Discovery Channel, Armstrong's team actually controlled the peloton downhill and made sure they all came down in a respectable pace and to avoid accidents. What teams this year are doing is riding downhill without brakes, basically. There is no need to go downhill so fast when the attackers are only a few minutes ahead so far off the finish line.

Anyway, there goes my man Jurgen VdB. Best man of the Tour so far? Gilbert by a few lightyears. It's amazing how he just came to the Tour with the goal of a stage win and a day in the yellow. All of a sudden he's fully going for the green jersey. It's amazing how he's strong every single day and how he even does the work himself.

I suspect him to move to BMC for next year, and if BMC will look as strong as they are this year Gilbert will be unstoppable in what he's best at this year.

Finally the Belgian lions have awoken: Gilbert, Van den Broeck, Deveneyns, Vanendert. It's good to be a Belgian cycling fan this year!

Cars, fans, and as Lance used to say, "Cowboys" have always caused wrecks. I guess this is the wrecktrocity that is 2011. I would like to see better driving, maybe some no passing zones and definitly penalties for the cars, and a fan barrier, the drunk and pumped crowds get worse every year. Wait till these hillclimbs.
The riders, however, are under no rules, it's just bad judgment by a few cowboys, spoiling the seasons for the real stars.