Captivating stage today that sets up for a spectacular day tomorrow in the team time trial. Lance Armstrong may very well be in yellow after tomorrow's stage.
Captivating stage today that sets up for a spectacular day tomorrow in the team time trial. Lance Armstrong may very well be in yellow after tomorrow's stage.
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.
TdF started... I'll be a sloth for a month after work. I have my own Stage on Sunday the Triple By Pass 3 mountain passes, 10K feet of climbing and 120 miles. I cant wait to see the team time trial and it would be awsome if he were in yellow.
Good lord. Good luck with the ride on Sunday. That's insane.Originally Posted by smeakim
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.
Uh Oh .01
Seriously. What a ride by Astana to shave off 40 seconds from Saxo. They know hold 4 of the top 5 places for the GC although that will likely change before too long. It did look like Lance let up just a bit before the finish line. Wonder if he could have been in yellow if he had plowed through the last yard or two. He looked like a man possessed today.
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.
Yeah not sure on that one. Its a lot of work for your team to keep the yellow. It might be better in the end to not be in Yellow. It will be very interesting to see what happens now that he has 19s over AC. Its getting better and better by the day.
http://tinyurl.com/mw5lnq
ben stiller on lance's TT bike. funny stuff.
70% of the world is covered by water. The rest is covered by Bob Sanders
That was pretty funny. I'm honestly surprised they would let him get on the bike like that before the TTT.
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.
It is way to early to try to get the yellow jersey. They are pretty sure now that they can get it any time they want it but you are right- if you do have the yellow, your team will have to do a lot of work to protect it. Cancerella's Saxo Bank team did a lot of work today on a flat and windy stage while the other teams tried to stay out of the wind and rest up a bit.
Lance seems to go back and forth on seeming to be wanting to work for Contador while at the same time saying he will take advantage of any opporunities to make up any time- like the road stage he moved ahead of Alberto who got stuck in a group behind Armstrong. The race is very early and one cannot read too much into what happens this week. They hit some hills in a few days- a chance to see who the better climbers are so far.
The last real stage this year could be the decider. In a nasty twist, they put the hardest climb in the Tour on this last real day of racing- when most riders are tired and just trying to make it to Paris the next day. But it will also be the final sorting out of the real contendors- Mount Venteaux.
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Ben Stiller spoke on versus that night after the stage and he and Lance set that up. The funny thing was he said that after he got off something happened with the chain and that they had five mechanics over there to put on a new chain right before they started. It was probably that which cost him the .22 seconds.
They start in the pyrennes tomorrow so it should start getting interesting very quickly. I can't imagine that Cancellara will have the yellow too much longer but I am very curious to see how tactics play out within team Astana. Both Contador and Armstrong have a protector that will pretty much work exclusively for them. I wonder if they will work with each other for the first week or two to see who stands the best chance or if it is every man for himself as soon as they hit the mountains.
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.
I knew it was coming up but could not remember what day. That was today (Friday). Cancerella lost about five minutes on the longest day of the Tour (the winning time was over six hours!)and Contador showed how strong he is by making a move with about two kilometers to go in the stage. Lance was wiht a group of riders and stayed with them instead of joining Contador who moves ahead of Armstrong into second place. Italian Rinaldo Nocentini took the Yellow Jersey today- the first Italian to do so in about eight years. Astana still has four of the top six places- Contador second six seconds behing Nocentini, Armstrong third (eight seconds out of first) then Leipheimer fourth and Kloden sixth. Bradly Wiggins of Great Britain looked pretty good today but Contador showed that he is the main man to keep your eyes on.
Armstrong said after the race that this is what a team rider does- if one of your guys gets in a break, you stay with those who might attack him and he stayed pretty much on the wheel of Cadel Evans (Australia) all the way up the final climb. He also knows how to ride the race and you do not want to burn all your energy on the first real day of climbs. He knows you have to be strong at the end- not just at the beginning. But he did look very tired at the end. The fun is just getting started!
I add new pictures to my photo gallery pretty regularly. You can see them here if you are interested: http://www.pbase.com/jeffryz
Either Contador or Armstrong will be in yellow after today (stage 8). The Italian that took the yellow jersey expended large amounts of energy in the break yesterday. Look for Astana to set a high pace again like they did yesterday and for either Contador or Armstrong to attack.
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.
Well, the Pyranees did not much to shake out the race- other than to show that team Astana is in control. Things get flatter for the next week so I don't expect much change at the top but a chance for some of the non- contenders to try to get a stage victory. The race schedule really has the hardest and most important stages in the last few days. Not much until next Tuesday as far as the big boys go. Next real climbing stage- and it comes after a rest day. Time trial on that Thursday then a pretty long stage followed by the crown event on Saturday- Mount Venteaux.
I add new pictures to my photo gallery pretty regularly. You can see them here if you are interested: http://www.pbase.com/jeffryz
As of right now it looks a two man race. It seems like the biggest drama will play out between Armstrong and Contador. After his move on the first mountain stage, Contador has done a bit of back tracking as it sounds like he is very concerned about receiving support from the rest of Astana going forward.
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.
Crap Crap Crap Crap.... Levi is out.... I think this puts a damper on Lance's chances.
That is unfortunate although I think Astana still has plenty of firepower left on the squad. It really is a shame as he appeared to be in top form.
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.
that really sucks. wish horner would have made the roster as well.
70% of the world is covered by water. The rest is covered by Bob Sanders
The return of the mountains showed who is really in control- both for the Tour and Astana. Yesterday American George Hincappe got himself well placed in a breakaway and nearly took the Yellow Jersey but a surge by the pack helped reel it back in just enough to hold him to second place overall. That dropped Condador to third and Armstrong to fourth. US media, mostly unknowledgable about the sport, hyped Armstrong dropping down more than George's effort- which was well timed and nearly completely successful. Since Armstrong retired, it has been a while since an American wore the Yellow Jersey.
Today (Sunday) is much more important for the overall race standings than yesterday was. The hills and time trials are the best opportunities for riders to try to show their strength and gain a time advantage over their rivals. On paper, this was a nice but not necessarily too challenging climbing stage with a long finishing climb up Mt. Verbier. The pace up to the base of the climb was fast and it was warm. There were not that many attacks for such a stage- especially considering that they have Monday as a rest day to recover from any efforts today. As they made their way up Verbier the attacks did start to come. Riders would try to get off the front and see who could (or would) go with them- testing who was strong and who was not.
Up at the front keep an eye on all of the attacks were the three remaining big guns of Astana- Armstrong, Contador, and Kloden. One by one they chased down riders but in the end it was Contodor who was able to get free and went on to win the stage and take over the Yellow Jersey. A still impressive Bradley Wiggins of Britain held on and was well placed. For the second time in this tour, Armstrong was not able to go with the final challenge thrown down by Contador and ended up losing over a minute and a half to his fellow Astana rider. Although he moved up to second place (the top report in US media), he lost time to his biggest rival and conceeds that it is now unlikely that he will be able to win the Tour this year. He said the goal now is to try to be sure that Astana wins the tour- both in the team category and in the overall individual category.
Lance could still find himself in second in Paris if he is able to hold on. For the day, he was ninth- just behind Kloden who is riding superbly in a supporting role for both Alberto and Lance and perhaps not getting the credit he deserves for his efforts. But in cycling it is all about supporting the team and its top rider. For Astana now there is little question that his name is Alberto Contador. The US media will focus on Armstrong moving up to second but probably not mention (or at least focus on) the fact that he fell further behind his chief rival on an important stage.
The race is by no means over- there are some very tough stages still to come and lots of time can be made or lost by the riders. It will take vigillance, effort, and a bit of luck to win. Today Hincappe went from second to thirteenth.
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Should be an interesting final week in the tour. I'm curious to see how Contador does with the finishing stages getting more and more brutal before the ceremonial finish in Paris. He has a reputation for not necessarily getting stronger as the grand tours continue. Astana is in a great position right now with both Contador and Armstrong looking like they could take the race.
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.
Well Lance finally gave in to the idea that he is not going to win. Now he can foucs on Second. What if Astana managed to get all three podium slots? How about George getting screwed over. Pretty pissed at Garmin and AG2R since there was no reason to set that pace at the end. He got wholly screwed on that one.
I thought it was Garmin and Astana? AG2R got to keep someone in yellow another day by pushing and keeping Hincapie in 2nd instead of 1st.
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.
Astana set pace during the stage but stopped with 10K to go. Then Garmin and AG2 took over. Yes its a race, but everyone knows you need allies during bike races and Garmin had no benefit to doing it at all. AG2R kept the yellow for one more day but knew they would have lost it the next day. Why not just sit back as the stage was already won and gain a favor down the line from Astana and Columbia? Stupid play on a few teams but I guess its a race.
Yeah I guess you do have to pick your battles but it sure seems like Columbia has been complaining about the other teams an awful lot. First it was that the other teams weren't doing any work on the sprint stages, now it's that the other teams are doing too much work when Columbia has a rider that would take yellow. Maybe the somewhat cocky attitude they have shown at times this year is catching up with 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.
Lance missed a break on one of the two climbs today and fell as much as 35 seconds behind the lead group which included teammates Andreas Kloden and Alberto Contador along with the Schlek brothers (who have been working very hard on the mountain stages and looking very strong too). Armstrong said he was just trying to ride his own pace but the overall pace was too fast but he could not afford to lose more time so he had to work back up. Wiggins, Cadel Evans, and Carlos Sastre were in the group as well. I think he was trying to save energy for tomorrow's brutal stage which includes four Category 1 climbs and a Category 2. Attacks could start on the first climb. It could be a day of attrition with the important time trial the next day. There is no chance for anybody to let up this week. Lance admits he does not have the zip to chase or drop riders like he used to so he has to be patient. Today's effort to regain the leaders was the most "zip" he has shown so far. Alberto can sometimes be too agressive chasing down attackers and can burn himself out. He needs to rely more on his team to help run down attacks. This is where they could really use Leipheimer so without him it is up to Kloden and Armstrong to help him and it sounds like it has primarily been Kloden so far.
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Sounds like Lance did a pretty good job bridging the gap today to catch the yellow jersey group. The next 3 stages will be brutal.
In other news, the turmoil within Astana continues. Bruyneel has announced he will not be back next year. While hardly a surprise, it is interesting timing even with Vino's announcement.
http://www.bicycling.com/tourdefranc...0164-1,00.html
Bruyneel to Quit Astana
"It's time to turn a page in my career," Bruyneel told Flemish language channel VRT before the 16th stage of the Tour de France.
By AFP Direct
BOURG-SAINT-MAURICE, July 21, 2009 (AFP) - Astana team manager Johan Bruyneel announced he is set to quit the Kazakhstan-backed outfit.
"It's time to turn a page in my career," Bruyneel told Flemish language channel VRT just before the 16th stage in Martigny, Switzerland.
With current yellow-jersey holder Alberto Contador and seven-time Tour de France winner Lance Armstrong on his team, Bruyneel is in charge of arguably the strongest outfit at the Tour, but he insisted the team has no future.
Internal trouble has been brewing since Monaco when banned rider Alexandre Vinokourov, who the Astana team was created around, gave a press conference saying either he or Bruyneel must quit the team after the Kazakh's doping suspension ends on July 24.
"We still had to talk about his possible return, but he gave a press conference in Monaco the day before the race started in our team hotel," Bruyneel said. "Then some whispers from the Kazakhstan Cycling Federation reached my ears and things have started to become very clear for me. Astana is finished."
Rumors at the Tour de France suggest Bruyneel may launch a new team with Armstrong as his leader.
Yellow-jersey holder Contador, who finished Tuesday's stage with a 1:37 lead over second-placed Armstrong, said he will only consider his future once he reaches Paris.
The Spanish media reported last week that Spain's two-time Formula One world champion Fernando Alonso is planning to create a cycling team headed by his compatriot Contador, the 2007 Tour de France winner.
"I won't say anything at the moment," Contador said.
"I can only concentrate on the race and there are still five days to go.
"Only when I arrive in Paris will I think of my future and that of the team."
Vinokourov and his Astana team were forced out of the 2007 Tour when he tested positive for a banned blood transfusion after winning the 13th stage. Bruyneel did not manage the team at that time.
Vinokourov retired last year, then said he planned to race again.
The Kazakhstan cycling federation banned Vinokourov for only one year, but cycling's governing body the UCI appealed to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) who lengthened his ban to two years which runs out on Friday.
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.
Thanks for the article. I have wondered if Astana would survive beyond the end of this season. Built and funded initially as a Kazakstan team, there are really no more Kazak riders left on it. Contador's contract is through 2010 but he could write his own ticket anywhere. Perhaps he might hook up with Bjarne Ries- considered the next best team manager behind Bruneel. He was also reported to have been talking with Garmin when the possiblity of Astana even riding in the Tour was in question just a month or so ago.
A related article: http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?p...d=aJ4TZ6rxdZt0
Contador rumours from back during the team financial crisis:Armstrong “possibly” will leave Astana and Bruyneel may go with him, Alexander Antyshev, executive director of the Kazakhstan Cycling Federation, which supervises the team, said in a telephone interview. Bruyneel oversaw each of Armstrong’s Tour victories with the U.S. Postal Service and Discovery Channel teams.
“There will be discussions with Bruyneel in the next few days about whether he will stay with the team,” Antyshev said.
Team Sponsors
Bruyneel declined to be interviewed for this story and Armstrong’s agent, Bill Stapleton, didn’t return an e-mailed request for comment.
An Armstrong team might take sponsors including Nike Inc. and closely held bikemaker Trek Bicycle Corp. with him and secure investors, Team Columbia’s Stapleton said.
http://bicycling.com/blogs/boulderre...am-in-turmoil/
This article says that Contador's contract is up at the end of this year while the first one said he is signed through 2010.The source within the team said that 2007 Tour de France winner Alberto Contador assured manager Johan Bruyneel of his desire to stay with Livestrong-Nike, but was at the same time also quietly talking with Garmin-Slipstream about switching teams should Astana default on his contract. Garmin manager Jonathan Vaughters could not immediately be reached for comment. Sources have also confirmed that Contador was in discussions with Caisse d’Epargne.
Significantly, the Astana team source said, Garmin was said to be not only signing Contador, but also his Astana teammates Benjamin Noval, Sergio Paulinho, and bringing aboard Contador’s preferred mechanic and soigneur from Astana. Herbalife, which sells weight loss and nutritional supplements via multi-level marketing, was said to be willing to contribute $2 million as a co-sponsor to sign the riders and staff for the remainder of 2009.
I add new pictures to my photo gallery pretty regularly. You can see them here if you are interested: http://www.pbase.com/jeffryz
An interview earlier this year with Johann Bruneel from the Astana website: http://www.astana-cyclingteam.com/ne...steam2009.html
Alberto Contador has been your main leader the past couple of years. Now with Lance’s arrival, Alberto’s leader role may be in jeopardy. Many people feel that Alberto deserves to be the leader of the team in 2009.
JB: Alberto has had a great year and I’ve read some reports that he is extremely frustrated with the situation. First, I am always careful of what I read in the press as often times words and meanings get distorted. Even more so when translated to different languages. Personally, it’s quite amusing to see a statement in Spanish and then read the English translation. But yes, Alberto has had a magnificent year and is currently the best professional cyclist in the world. Developing him into a champion has been a very rewarding personal project. But people need to remember that I’m employed by our Kazakh sponsors, not Alberto Contador, not Lance Armstrong, not any one rider. That being said, the interests of the team are my top concern. At the end of the day, the strongest rider will be supported, regardless of that person’s name or what they’ve accomplished in the past. I think we just saw the perfect example of this. It’s no secret that Levi Leipheimer could have won the Vuelta, but it was clear to the team directors that Alberto was the strongest rider. Levi even held the leader’s jersey on two occasions, but we knew that Alberto was the strongest and worked to support him. We have some big names and great leaders on the 2008 squad. I think adding one more only makes us that much stronger.
Have Alberto and Lance spoken with each other?
JB: Not that I know of. Alberto finished the Vuelta and shortly thereafter went to Varese for the Worlds. I imagine they will talk soon and then see each other at our first training camp in December. This is when the Directors and I will discuss the 2009 season with the riders.
Is there a fear that Alberto will leave Team Astana?
JB: I have read the reports that teams are interested in Alberto. Of course teams are looking to create conflicts between the two in hope that Alberto will leave, but Alberto signed a contract with Team Astana through 2010. Most riders sign two-year deals, but Alberto insisted on a three-year deal based on the strong team we established to help him win the biggest races. I have invested a lot of my time into Alberto’s development and he will remain with this team for the next two years. Actually, it’s pretty simple – there’s a contract and there are no options to leave.
What do you expect from the comeback of Lance Armstrong?
JB: Well I certainly don’t have any doubts about Lance’s motivation and dedication. These are intangibles I would never bet against. The question remains if he can be at the same level or similar level after a few years away from the racing season. That’s an answer no one has right now, but I do believe Lance will be competitive. How competitive is something we will all have to wait and see. I’m excited for his comeback, not only for what it adds to the team, but also to the sport. No other person has such an impact on the sport on a local and global level. Plus his goal to make cancer awareness a global campaign is certainly very admirable. Our team will do our best to support this project.
But the question remains, is Lance Armstrong prepared to work for other riders like Alberto Contador?
JB: That’s a question that Lance answered himself last week in Las Vegas – Yes. He knows that the decisions are made in the team car and he understands the philosophy – the same one we’ve always had – we work for the strongest rider. This is not the first time that big names have all been on the same team. It has worked out in the past and I’m confident for the same in 2009. The media is looking to pit these two riders against each other. It’s the end of the season and they need something to write about.
I add new pictures to my photo gallery pretty regularly. You can see them here if you are interested: http://www.pbase.com/jeffryz
Its going to be Nike Livestrong with Bruyneel leading the team. Lance will ride next year to gain sponsors and then begin to take a back seat. It will be Lance, Levi, Chris, Popo, Myabe pick back up Egoi, he can bring up Taylor. So if they can get the UCI to give them a license its a done deal. Maybe George will come along as well.... Wouldn't that be cool.
Very exciting stage today with team tactics being very important. For some it worked, for others it was not enough. In the latter category was Garmin and Bradley Wiggins. Christian Vanderveld did what he could to keep Wiggins in the race and kept him in a chase group just behind the leaders but near the end of the final climb Wiggins did not have the legs to go and Astana's Lance Armstrong, who was with Wiggins to keep an eye on him, quickly dropped him and tried to close the gap between himself and the leaders.
Out in the lead group were the top four climbers. Saxo Bank riders Frank and Andy Schleck of Luxembourg were riding brilliantly and tearing up the mountainous course- dropping everybody but Andres Kloden and the Yellow Jersey, Alberto Contador. The Astana riders in this group were content to let the Schleck brothers set the pace- Contador was adding to the time advantage he had on all the other riders. The Schleck's were hoping to move up in the standings but could not gain on Contador. Alberto did make one move to try to drop the Saxo Bank riders but they were able to quickly respond and unfortunately Alberto also lost his help as Kloden was unable to go. Armstrong was able to catch Kloden before the finish- at one point he was over two minutes behind him. Alberto, except for his one effort to get away, stayed in the slipstream of the Schleck brothers which will help keep him fresher for the Time Trial tomorrow.
Wiggins is a good time trialer as is Armstrong and Kloden but the Schleck brothers will probably lose time tomorrow. This stage may be decisive for Contador but it still leaves the overall standings below him are wide open with Mount Ventoux looming on Saturday. Frank Schleck was awarded the stage victory to honor his efforts.
Armstrong was a great team rider today. As he has said, he is not a strong as some of the young riders but he played it well and was able to make the moves he had to. He finished fifth on the day.
Andy Schleck moved into second overall and his brother slotted third- bumping down Armstrong and Kloden but that will probably change again tomorrow. Lance only needs about 30 seconds to move back into second place. He is nearly four minutes behind Contador and about 35 seconds ahead of Kloden. Wiggins is still not out of the podium race yet either- he hung on and is about a minute behind Armstrong.
Lots more fun still to come! And today was a fun day.
Last edited by zippyjuan; 07-22-2009 at 08:54 AM.
I add new pictures to my photo gallery pretty regularly. You can see them here if you are interested: http://www.pbase.com/jeffryz
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