Got a TdF Question? Post it here

[TimChristy]

Why didnt his family push him off as he stopped to greet them?

Im just wondering... I mean they could have pushed him off to help!

 

[ElChingon]

I've seem some inconsistencies in the times reported by the official website of the TDF (letour.fr).

For example, the website reported Ryder Hesjedel had a time of 4:43:26 for stage 1 and his team did the TTT in 24:48 today (for a total time of 5:08:14). But, if you look at the total time for Ryder after Stage 2, it says his total time is 5:07:39.

I've also seen this with other riders too (Sandy Casar and Christain Vande Velde for example).

Was his (and other riders) time just reported wrong for Stage 1 or is there something else I'm missing? Were these riders part of the late crash and got the same time as others (since they were within the last 2K) and the website just didn't correct Stage 1 numbers?

Just curious.....

LBD

Sounds like they consistently made the same timing report error. All's well.

 

[dbrmuz]

Anyone else feel for Vincent Jerome? Any possible chance he lasts the distance?

 

[SoNiK4]

If there was a prologue (TT) this year, how is the order of the rider's determined, is it random selection or is it based on results from the previous Tour?

 

[Finn84]

They put the teams in some order, usually by past performance or so. Basically the riders are in nine groups, each having 22 riders, one from each team.

The order of teams in each group is same. So Saxo Bank would have last rider in every group as Contador being defending winner starts last of all.

 

[SoNiK4]

They put the teams in some order, usually by past performance or so. Basically the riders are in nine groups, each having 22 riders, one from each team.

The order of teams in each group is same. So Saxo Bank would have last rider in every group as Contador being defending winner starts last of all.

Thanks for that!

 

[AngusW]

How are the Tour de France leader jerseys made?
Like the one they give in the award ceremony. Have they made 22 jerseys, one for each team or do they put on the team sponsors just before the ceremony?
And the one they wear during the race. Do they have some kind of press ready to put the sponsor logos on the jersey overnight? And how many different sizes do they offer the riders?

Hope someone can answer me.
Thnx.

Someone asked this question on an SBS presentation of the Tour maybe 8 - 10 years ago. For the podium ceremony there is a jersey for each competition with the sponsors of every team in the race in the front panel, ie 88 jerseys. It's a case of one size fits all. Before the ceremony, the four appropriate ceremonial jerseys are brought to the podium and Hinault fits them onto the leader of the competition. The leader gets to keep the ceremonial jersey. Overnight, the ceremonial jerseys are replaced by ironing on the sponsors' transfers onto four sponsor-less jerseys. The measurements of the each of the following day's four jersey wearers are taken and race jerseys are made up during the evening and delivered to the appropriate riders. All this was done by one old man working out of the back of a small van full of jerseys.

That's how it was done back in 2003. Maybe different now...

 

[LukeSchmid]

Why do some people think Cadel Evans could win?
Why do some people not realise he lacks the ability to climb with Contador and Schleck?

 

[craig1985]

Someone asked this question on an SBS presentation of the Tour maybe 8 - 10 years ago. For the podium ceremony there is a jersey for each competition with the sponsors of every team in the race in the front panel, ie 88 jerseys. It's a case of one size fits all. Before the ceremony, the four appropriate ceremonial jerseys are brought to the podium and Hinault fits them onto the leader of the competition. The leader gets to keep the ceremonial jersey. Overnight, the ceremonial jerseys are replaced by ironing on the sponsors' transfers onto four sponsor-less jerseys. The measurements of the each of the following day's four jersey wearers are taken and race jerseys are made up during the evening and delivered to the appropriate riders. All this was done by one old man working out of the back of a small van full of jerseys.

That's how it was done back in 2003. Maybe different now...

I think it is different now in that they have a (very) fast machine that prints the sprinters team logo on the jersey before the ceremony.

 

[ElChingon]

Why do some people think Cadel Evans could win?
Why do some people not realise he lacks the ability to climb with Contador and Schleck?

As they say, that is why they race the race, we can all guess or theorize who will win or can win based on their past racing history and abilities we've seen, but! Once they start the race they all have the same chances. What if the time lost so far by Contador ends up being enough that Evans still wins by keeping close on the climbs? Contador or Schleck may get sick or have an accident adding to their overall time. You never know, so they race for it to find out! Of course there are many other factors and even Evans could falter or all three and we get different winner!

 

[Alpe d'Huez]

Why do some people think Cadel Evans could win? Why do some people not realise he lacks the ability to climb with Contador and Schleck?

Does he, for certain?

I think if you also look back a few short years we find that in 2008 he finished 2nd, just .58 seconds behind Sastre, and in 2007 he was second again, just :23 behind Contador. Last year after riding hard in the Giro and holding the maglia rosa there, he held the maillot jaune for a day in the Tour and was mostly held back by a hairline fracture in his elbow after that. After looking good at Romandie, he's also focusing his season on just the Tour, something Contador isn't doing.

This doesn't mean I think he'll be attacking and dropping AC and AS, but I do think he has a chance to win the Tour, sure. A chance.

 

[Wanabanko]

Did Gilbert made a mistake by going after VDB2?

 

[boomcie]

Did Gilbert made a mistake by going after VDB2?

Certainly my friend.

Although I couldn't see JVDB take the stage, it wasn't up to Gilbert to close the gap.

 

[Jamsque]

Did Gilbert made a mistake by going after VDB2?

I'm not so sure that his mistake was going after VDB2, I think his mistake was attacking the group when Contador was on his wheel.

 

[Dedelou]

Why do some people think Cadel Evans could win?
Why do some people not realise he lacks the ability to climb with Contador and Schleck?

So much goes into winning a race and a for a top rider to succeed they have to be good enough at everything.. They may not be best at one thing but they have to be there day in and day out. (Evans style ) The racing includes many tactics that allows a top rider to compensate for the losses or maximize the gains. The support of the team is invaluable in the Tour de France and many riders devote all their energies to make sure their leaders stays on top of the GC. Chance or tragedy has a lot to do with outcome. A bad day in the mountain for a Contador type who dominates in that terrain could help a Cadel Evans win time on a stage he was calculating to loose time. In all Cadel has been second twice at the tour de France before.. So for people to imagine him winning it only means for a Contador getting caught in a crash or something like that.. Wait.. didn't that happen already?

 

[ChopperArris]

Sorry...I've looked, and I've tried to Search, and I've looked, and I've tried to analyse who is being talked about...

...and I give up. Who is TGBM. I know, I'll kick myself, I've had a coupla ideas about who it is, but still...

Who?

 

[jobiwan]

Sorry...I've looked, and I've tried to Search, and I've looked, and I've tried to analyse who is being talked about...

...and I give up. Who is TGBM. I know, I'll kick myself, I've had a coupla ideas about who it is, but still...

Who?

The Great BAUKE MOLLEMA!

 

[ChopperArris]

Ahhhhh...thank you.

 

[Poursuivant]

One thing I dont understand is when people say things like Evans wouldnt want the yellow jersey because his team would have to defend it. Why not just have it for one day, and if you lose it, you lose it, no big deal?

 

[spalco]

That would be considered disrespectful to the race and there would certainly be several angry comments about it on the cyclingnews forums.

 

[Poursuivant]

That would be considered disrespectful to the race and there would certainly be several angry comments about it on the cyclingnews forums.

I see, thanks

 

[biokemguy]

Motor cycle riders

Anybody know if the motorcycle rider that came a bit too close to Nicki Sørensen will get booted from the caravan? Seems to me that he should, if ASO really cares about rider safety. A sketchy course is debatable, but reckless motor cycles in the caravan should not be tolerated IMHO.

 

[Archibald]

Anybody know if the motorcycle rider that came a bit too close to Nicki Sørensen will get booted from the caravan? Seems to me that he should, if ASO really cares about rider safety. A sketchy course is debatable, but reckless motor cycles in the caravan should not be tolerated IMHO.

the marx brothers (harmon, kirby n kelly) were saying that he was booted from the tour before the stage finished.

 

[RedheadDane]

Eeeh. How's this possible?

The point classification:

64 Andrey Amador Bakkazakova (CRc) Movistar Team -5

 

[Jamsque]

Eeeh. How's this possible?

The point classification:

Most races dock riders points as well as fining them for things like hanging on to team cars, taking bottles inside the last 20km, ****ing in front of TV cameras etc. etc.