Le Tour

[CliffyIsGod]

Contador showed who was top dog in Astana, so he has all but one it, now.

Also rans to include Lance, Andy Schleck, Wiggins etc. I think Cadel will struggle to make the top 7 or 8 now.

 

[Matabele]

I'd love to know why Cadel found Sunday's stage so hard.  I'm staggered by the twitter updates of all the riders, a rest day after a hard stage going into a murderous week and some of them were riding 60km for "rest"?????

 

[lsz]

Last night was a fizzer.....Rest day and ashes over early!

Mata the whole idea is the keep the legs going.....as it is harder to get going again after stopping dead (it is crazy when you think about the warm up and warm down that goes on as well...)

 

[Matabele]

It is noticeable how lean Armstrong has become since the start.  He is really looking gaunt.  I wouldn't discount the old fellow yet, he might have a few surprises up his sleeve for Mount Ventoux. 

 

[lsz]

I think he might be too far back (with team politics thrown in!)

 

[Chip and Chase]

Armstrong chewed up that gap last night after the Saxobank guys attacked and gapped the front of the peleton on the climb. Impressive, it was like he has another gear when he needs it. Contador was equally cool under pressure and didn't seem troubled at all.

I was a bit disappointed the Schleck brothers gave up so easily, they had a crack but seemed to get disheartened once they couldn't shake Contador. They've also lost Jens Voight now who slapped the tarmac pretty hard on the downhill.

 

[Matabele]

I suppose Wiggins is a chance if he holds on today and puts i a good time trial.  I was mightily impressed with Armstrong's surge last night, no wonder they were checking the team bus for drug paraphernalia, though I think teams are now smart enough to dispose of the evidence.

It's just been announced that Bruyneel is leaving Astana.  Methinks the big Livestrong Team announcement will take place on Thursday, backed by Nike.

 

[Chip and Chase]

Well Contador has it in the bag. Schlecks tried hard but Astana team just too strong and could cover them at every turn.

 

[Matabele]

Next year's tour is going to be a hum-dinger.  Armstrong will have a fitness base he's lacked this year.  Contador will be on a different team and they will go at each other hammer and tongs.  Throw in the new teams of Radioshack and Sky (will they ride for Wiggins?) and it will be well worth watching.

If Cadel can get out of Silence Lotto will he end up with Sky or Radioshack?  And if the latter will he be content to ride support for Armstrong's ambitions?

 

[Fluffy]

i would like to see Cadel make it a 3 way race.

but at the end of the days it is just about who has the best dealer anyway

 

[clontaago]

Cadel is an A Grade sook. Not an Aussie I will be cheering on.

 

[Matabele]

Cadel is an A Grade sook. Not an Aussie I will be cheering on.

  LOL, you've made no secret he's not your cup of tea.  I find it ironic he seems so concerned about what the Aussie critics say about him.  If it's bad now as a 2 time place getter (and therefore a loveable underdog Aussies so laud) can you imagine what it will be like for him should he ever win the thing and achieve tall poppy status? 

 

[Matabele]

i would like to see Cadel make it a 3 way race.

but at the end of the days it is just about who has the best dealer anyway

  after Mount Ventoux I saw a tweet from Evans, linked to a photo saying "Spied, successful #tdf team secrets. Saw this being disposed of from a team dining room this evening..."

I thought, here we go, used syringes in the Astana room bins.

In actual fact it was a mountain of used McDonalds packaging.  Yuck, lucky the last stage didn't have anything riding on it. 

 

[Fro]

[quote author=clontaago link=topic=180979.msg233729#msg233729 date=1248666913]
Cadel is an A Grade sook. Not an Aussie I will be cheering on.

  LOL, you've made no secret he's not your cup of tea.  I find it ironic he seems so concerned about what the Aussie critics say about him.  If it's bad now as a 2 time place getter (and therefore a loveable underdog Aussies so laud) can you imagine what it will be like for him should he ever win the thing and achieve tall poppy status? 
[/quote]

Thats not an event we are ever likely to see I reckon.

 

[Matabele]

[quote author=Matabele link=topic=180979.msg233741#msg233741 date=1248668737]
[quote author=clontaago link=topic=180979.msg233729#msg233729 date=1248666913]
Cadel is an A Grade sook. Not an Aussie I will be cheering on.

  LOL, you've made no secret he's not your cup of tea.  I find it ironic he seems so concerned about what the Aussie critics say about him.  If it's bad now as a 2 time place getter (and therefore a loveable underdog Aussies so laud) can you imagine what it will be like for him should he ever win the thing and achieve tall poppy status? 
[/quote]

Thats not an event we are ever likely to see I reckon.
[/quote]  Well Evans was 45 minutes behind the leaders this race, though he'd blame his team for that.  But when you consider that Sastre was 26 minutes adrift after winning last year, it gives some perspective on the quality (or lack thereof) of the past 3 tours. 

 

[Fro]

Yes, if he didn't win it last year with the guns "elsewhere", he aint going to do it with them on deck.

Well that is unless testing technologies get a lot better real quick.