woohoo! it's back baby! there are two american teams this year. team columbia and garmin chipotle. hoping they each get at least one stage win during the race. we'll see though.
you excited zippy?
woohoo! it's back baby! there are two american teams this year. team columbia and garmin chipotle. hoping they each get at least one stage win during the race. we'll see though.
you excited zippy?
70% of the world is covered by water. The rest is covered by Bob Sanders
Should be an interesting race. I am sure there will be very little coverage of it in Japan.
Team Columbia was close today. I think they placed 2nd and 3rd in the second stage.Originally Posted by cheapie
It only ends once... Anything that happens before that is just progress.
Courage is not the absence of fear but rather the judgment that something else is more important than fear.
Hopefully more action on the course and less off the course. Landis lost his appeal and Rasmussen won a partial decision- a court ruled that it was OK for his team to fire him but said they did not do it properly so he was awarded 500,000 UK pounds. Astana was still not allowed to ride. I am curious to see how the new US team does- they are based out of my old neck of the woods in Colorado (Garmin Chipotle). There are several riders who could contend this year so it should be good. Team CSC is probably the strongest right now. I see Erik Zabel is still racing. It seems like he has been riding forever. George Hincape is the best US rider I think- riding for the oddly named Team Columbia which is considered a US team.
I add new pictures to my photo gallery pretty regularly. You can see them here if you are interested: http://www.pbase.com/jeffryz
Not sure how it will play out but an American rider from Garmin Chipotle is in the breakaway of 4 riders. There is only about 20 miles remaining and they have a 6 min lead on the peloton. We'll see if they can hang on and if the American can take it.
It only ends once... Anything that happens before that is just progress.
Courage is not the absence of fear but rather the judgment that something else is more important than fear.
If you catch it on tonight or TIVO the coverage when they are in the car with John Vaughters during David Millar's ride of Garmin-Chipotle Robbie Hunter asks John something and he was so excited he said F**K. The look on Hunter's face was priceless. They are so quick its amazing. I want to see a US team get the yellow for a day or a stage win. He has a good shot in two days. This looks like it will be a great Tour...
Wish I had time to catch some of it. I have been working a lot lately- day six of eight in a row and ten out of eleven days including the 4th of July. Maybe in a couple of days. Almost there! I think the course gets a bit more serious thise weekend (start of the mountains) where the real leaders will emerge. Curious to see how Garmin does.
I add new pictures to my photo gallery pretty regularly. You can see them here if you are interested: http://www.pbase.com/jeffryz
Today is the first stage with any climbing to speak of. Both American teams have fared well so far and I believe are #1 and #2 in the team standings. Mark Cavendish of won yesterday's stage giving a boost to Team Columbia and Valverde and Hincapie are in the top 10 in the standings. So far so good for the American teams and individual riders involved.
It will be interesting to see if anyone really starts to charge over the next few stages as the race has been wide open so far.
It only ends once... Anything that happens before that is just progress.
Courage is not the absence of fear but rather the judgment that something else is more important than fear.
More good news for the American teams after stage 6. Stage 6 was the first stage with any climbing to speak of. Kim Kirchen of Team Columbia is now both the overall leader and the points competition leader. Christian Vandelvelde is in 4th place overall. Both teams had a good run today and they will likely remain the top two teams in the team competition.
It only ends once... Anything that happens before that is just progress.
Courage is not the absence of fear but rather the judgment that something else is more important than fear.
Just checked the standings. Cadel Evans (#2) is definately a rider to keep an eye on. Carlos Sastre, Oscar Periero, and Alejandro Valverde will be up there too. Could be some new rider emerge too. I see it was a couple of Category 2 climbs. Enough to let the climbers stretch their legs a bit. Hincappie in 15h now. Things could change around a bit this weekend.
I add new pictures to my photo gallery pretty regularly. You can see them here if you are interested: http://www.pbase.com/jeffryz
I love how you guys get into this. LIke i find it interesting but it's totally cool that y'all get way into this. I really get into the NBA but that's about it. So it's cool to see other people geeking out about other sports.
And i enjoy the colorful recaps i get from you guys. Keep up the good work!
"The girl is crafty like ice is cold."
"I left my heart in san francisco... And my liver at Moe's Tavern."
A real friend is one who listens to you as much as they talk to you.
Valverde has been very disappointing since taking the yellow jersey after stage 1. Evans is in wonderful position currently.
Vandevelde really missed his opportunity today. I'm not sure if the outcome would have been different but it looked like he made his move too soon and as a result wasn't able to sustain the break and possibly finish today in yellow.
Last edited by VTGreg; 07-10-2008 at 06:08 PM.
It only ends once... Anything that happens before that is just progress.
Courage is not the absence of fear but rather the judgment that something else is more important than fear.
haven't been able to watch much of is as i've been traveling. grrrr!
70% of the world is covered by water. The rest is covered by Bob Sanders
I haven't seen any of it.No coverage here.
I was just thinking about this, because I remember watching some of the Tour coverage when I was at the volleyball nationals last year. I just got back from the Junior Olympics Volleyball Nationals in Salt Lake City (Sandy City). My son's team ended up 5th in the 17's Open, and it was a bit disappointing because they gave the championship team their only defeat of the tournament during pool play, and met the same team in the quarter finals but didn't play the game they were capable of so they were stopped there.)
stay low... keep moving...
First real climbing day (hills seperate the contenders from the pretenders and sprinters). Cadel Evans did not win the stage but did take the overall lead. It is not by a lot but a nice position to be in. The Australian came in second last year. He was in a big crash Sunday though and was worried he had broken his shoulder (collarbones are a common cycling injury) but check up said it is OK. Still has some scrapes and bruises and is a bit sore. Today finished up the Hautencam in the Pyranees and the leader after this stage has gone on to win the Tour all four times so far.
I add new pictures to my photo gallery pretty regularly. You can see them here if you are interested: http://www.pbase.com/jeffryz
After an off day, a non- eventful day as far as the standings. A team car was in an accident near the finish line which sent three people to the hospital. Doping issues have not gone away completely as a second Spanish rider (not on same teams) was kicked out for testing positive for EPO- a banned red blood cell booster. EPO can be dangerous in large quantities- a few riders have died because they used it and it made their blood too thick with red cells to flow properly. More red blood cells means more oxygen which is important in endurance events like the Tour. Cadel Evans held back in the pack and retained the race leader's jersey. Some question if his team is strong enough to be able to keep it all the way to Paris.
The World Cycling Tour seems to be history. Yesterday seventeen teams withdrew from it over how it was being run.
I add new pictures to my photo gallery pretty regularly. You can see them here if you are interested: http://www.pbase.com/jeffryz
Hadn't heard about the second rider getting busted for doping. Not surprising but hopefully no one of name is doing anything seedy.
With regards to the 17 teams not renewing their license, it really isn't much of an issue. The three grand tours (France, Italy and Spain) aren't part of the tour anyway and another tour is being organized. It may just change some of the race locations going forward and who organizes them.
It only ends once... Anything that happens before that is just progress.
Courage is not the absence of fear but rather the judgment that something else is more important than fear.
You are right that the Pro Cycling Tour was not really that big of a deal. I think it was created to try to get the top cyclists to race in more different place to help promote the sport. As a rider you were required to participate in a certain number of races and some felt this detracted from their preparations for the Big 3 (Vuelta in Spain, Giro d'Italia and the Tour de France)
Garmin is gaining more attention as an up and coming team. They announced that they will ride the Tour of Britain later on this year (they have a couple of riders from the UK including David Millar and probably want to give him a chance to race in his homeland).
Prior to the start of today's 12th stage (already that far into it?) an Italian rider did not start because he became the third rider to fail a test for EPO. The Tour says that this is an indication that they are having some success trying to clean up the sport. Mark Cavendish became the first person from the UK to win three stages in one Tour with his victory in the flat stage. The real fun starts Sunday when the Tour heads up into the Alps. The Pyranees were not that difficult this year for most of the riders.
If you only catch one day of racing, make it next Wednesday. A brutal stage. Only eight miles shorter than the longest stage with a Class 3 climb (climbs are rated from 1 to three with One being the highest- but that is sort of silly since they have another level ("We got an eleven!" as Spinal Tap would say) known as HC or Hors Categorie or out of cagegory- these are saved for the most difficult) and two HC climbs with the finish up the dreaded L'Alp d'Huez- probably the most legendary climb on the Tour and one of the most difficult.
Eight and a half miles of climbing after you have already ridden over 110 miles and the two other HC climbs with no more downhills at all through 21 hairpin turns and packed by throngs of people (who seem to just barely move aside enough for the riders to get through) at an average incline of 8.1 percent (some parts go over ten percent). It could be hot too. An iconic stage. The race finishes at the top of the mountain. Whomever leads after this stage should be wearing the Yellow Jersey when the Tour comes home to Paris. Marco Pantani used to love this stage. Lance Armstrong won it in 2004 (the race does not stop here every year but it is still one of the most used courses).
I add new pictures to my photo gallery pretty regularly. You can see them here if you are interested: http://www.pbase.com/jeffryz
I just heard the news about the third rider testing positive. It was Ricardo Ricco who has already won two stages this year and, although he wouldn't have contended for the GC this year, he was being talked about as an up and comer. This is the first big blow to this year's tour and it is very unfortunate.
It only ends once... Anything that happens before that is just progress.
Courage is not the absence of fear but rather the judgment that something else is more important than fear.
The Spanish team fired the two riders on their team who failed their drug tests today.
In good news, it looks like a new dominant sprinter is emerging in this year's tour. Mark Cavendish picked up his fourth stage win in one race today. One of the present top sprinters, Robbie McEwen, came in second. Former great Eric Zabel has been quiter this year but he has been racing for a long time. Tomorrow (Saturday) is another flat stage so maybe he can pick up one more before things head uphill again. At that point he will no longer be focused on winning the stage but more on finishing. The other sprinters are starting to run out of chances of catching him though. He does have a ways to go to catch legendary Eddie Merckx who won eight stages twice (in 1970 and 1974) and and Freddy Maertens (1976). Merckx was an unbelievable dominating rider. I had the chance to see him in person once at a stage race in Colorado (the former Red Zinger and Coors International Bicycle Classic- Bernard Hinault was there as well- he was riding with teammate Greg Lemond- Merckx was just there as a promotional deal).
Cavendish is a rider for the US sponsored Columbia team.
I add new pictures to my photo gallery pretty regularly. You can see them here if you are interested: http://www.pbase.com/jeffryz
Cavendish is the first Brit to win 3 stages, much less 4, in one Tour de France. He really has been impressive at the end of races and has no equal in the last 50 to 75 meters. However, he doesn't have many chances left and based on the talking heads could very likely be out of the tour in the next few days. I heard an interview with him today after the stage and he sounded like he was running on fumes. He'll definitely be a green jersey contender in years to come.
It only ends once... Anything that happens before that is just progress.
Courage is not the absence of fear but rather the judgment that something else is more important than fear.
He was sitting in the pack all day today- along with most of the big riders. I think he could have a hard time in the mountains. The sprinters usually just try to get to the finish before the cutoff time (you have to finish within a certain percentage of the winning time- but this is not always enforced. One year a few riders got a huge lead and if they enforced the rule, all of the favorites would have been kicked out of the race). Survival and trying to make it to Paris becomes the goal. Then maybe you get to participate in the final sprint past the Champs d' Alisee. For a sprinter, Zabel is actually a decent climber.
I add new pictures to my photo gallery pretty regularly. You can see them here if you are interested: http://www.pbase.com/jeffryz
I wish I had been able to see the Alpe d'Huez stage. Sounded very exciting. Spaniard Carlos Sastre from Team CSC chose his moment well and was able to gain a couple of minutes on everybody- breaking the log jam atop the leader's board. CSC had their riders at the front during most of the climbs setting a hard pace- trying to break the other riders. The only real threat to losing any of that time is the time trial Saturday. Cadel Evans ia a much better time trialer than Sastre but can he gain enough time? Among the other riders, he has the best shot at catching Sastre over the 53km stage (33 miles), Currently the highest placed American is Christian Vandervelde in sixth place 4:41 seconds back. Evans needs 1:35 and is presently in fourth. The leaders rested and tried to recover in today's flatter stage which was won by Germany's Marcus Burghardt. There are still four riders within about a minute and a half in the top four places. Fifth place David Menchov is also a good time trialer but finds himself 2min 39sec back. He would have to best Evans by over a minute to take the championship but could have a shot at a place on the podium (top three finishers) in Paris.
I add new pictures to my photo gallery pretty regularly. You can see them here if you are interested: http://www.pbase.com/jeffryz
Stage 17 was awesome. CSC actually didn't attack all that much throughout the day even though they had Sastre and the Scheck brothers in the lead pack. They just rode tempo for much of the day. Sastre's break at the end was unbelievable as he kept pulling away until the very end. We'll see if Evans can regain enough time during the long time trial on Saturday to take back yellow.
The timing format this year has made for a very exciting Tour.
It only ends once... Anything that happens before that is just progress.
Courage is not the absence of fear but rather the judgment that something else is more important than fear.
Wow! Who knew that Carlos Sastre could time trial? Cadel Evans of Australia is supposed to be a good time trialist- and he clocked in the seventh fastest time over the 53km course today (Saturday) but he could not make up the 85 seconds he needed to gain the yellow race leader's jersey and become winner of the Tour de France. In a time trial riders go off one at a time against the clock which means that your teammates cannot help you as Sastre's CSC team did on the crucial Alpe d'Huez stage on Wednesday. He only surrendered nineteen of those seconds and will keep the Yellow Jersey for Sunday's informal ride into Paris. The riders traditionally do not contest the final stage and instead turn it into a casual Sunday ride and party. Once they hit Paris and do a few laps on the Champs d'Elise the sprinters will try to get their last chance for the glory of a stage win in the Tour.
Team CSC will also have the Best Young Rider (under 23 years old) in Luxembourg's Andy Schleck. Top US finisher will be Garmin Chipolte's Christian Vande Velde in fifth place- he moved up one slot in the time trial. Garmin earned a lot of respect in their first year on the Tour and as a team. Some riders will compete in the Bejing Olympics next month. Garmin will also ride the Tour of Britain and feature two riders from there.
They are calling it one of the closest Tours ever. Evans is 1:05 back in second place and even Denis Menchov in fourth place is only two minutes back. The closest ever was when Greg Lemond beat Laurent Fignon by a mere eight seconds in 1989. Fignon missed a turn on the final time trial and went way off course losing critical time. He had to stop, turn around, and resume the race. He led Lemond by 50 seconds entering the stage. This cost him the title. If you would like to watch that, here is a YouTube. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ayvwt...eature=related There was some controversy that LeMond was using aerodynamic handle bars popular with triathaletes but not widely used in major cycling events. This was less than a year after he was shot in a hunting accident which still leaves some pellets in his body. I don't see the bit where Fignon went off course. Maybe I am confusing a different race but this was still the closest finish ever. Some say that Fignon's flapping pony tail (LeMond had an aerodynamic helmet on) could have caused enough drag for the eight seconds.
I add new pictures to my photo gallery pretty regularly. You can see them here if you are interested: http://www.pbase.com/jeffryz
Sastre did more than hold his own yesterday but Evans performance was slightly disappointing. Schumaker ended up winning this time trial also.
Looking back at the final results it really is disappointing that Astana was not part of this year's tour. Next year should be very exciting with Contador and Leiphemer back in the fold against some of the young stars who have made a name for themselves this year.
It only ends once... Anything that happens before that is just progress.
Courage is not the absence of fear but rather the judgment that something else is more important than fear.
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