Le Tour de France 2011 - the big one is coming

[Publicus]

I just watched the video and he actually did not shift. He shifted immediately afterward to try and correct it. Both in slow motion and in real time, you can clearly see he didn't touch the shift lever.

I'm not sure if you are a fan of rap music, but every time I hear something like this from an athlete, I think of this song by Silk the Shocka "It Ain't My Fault." I play it a lot when I hear LeBron James talk.

 

[ImmaculateKadence]

I'm not sure if you are a fan of rap music, but every time I hear something like this from an athlete, I think of this song by Silk the Shocka "It Ain't My Fault." I play it a lot when I hear LeBron James talk.

HAHA I actually had that CD...that was many years ago.

 

[Libertine Seguros]

Gilbert got a new hair color for the Tour. I'm no too fond of it.

 

[Dekker_Tifosi]

http://twitpic.com/5ik3ag/full

Nice part about Gesink in the upcoming Tour, and how he and Rabo-trainer Delahaye are busy with numbers (wattage, heartrate etc) for years already.

Interesting bits:
-Gesink was a mental wreck in the Tirreno because of memories of his father, still finished 2nd. Delahaye said Gesink would've won that one easily if he was mentally ok.

-In the Dauphine the time trial went at 400W, according to Gesink he can do 30w better in the Tour the France

-Before the Dauphine, in the Sierra Nevada Gesink never trained above a heartrate of 165. The intense training was kept for after the Dauphine in St. Moritz.

-In 2008 Delahaye made a long-term plan for Gesink which they are still following, up till now he is still on the 'fastest' schedule, which would mean tour podium in 2011. Even though he had plenty of unaccounted-for bad luck

 

[Pantani_lives]

http://twitpic.com/5ik3ag/full

Nice part about Gesink in the upcoming Tour, and how he and Rabo-trainer Delahaye are busy with numbers (wattage, heartrate etc) for years already.

Interesting bits:
-Gesink was a mental wreck in the Tirreno because of memories of his father, still finished 2nd. Delahaye said Gesink would've won that one easily if he was mentally ok.

-In the Dauphine the time trial went at 400W, according to Gesink he can do 30w better in the Tour the France

-Before the Dauphine, in the Sierra Nevada Gesink never trained above a heartrate of 165. The intense training was kept for after the Dauphine in St. Moritz.

-In 2008 Delahaye made a long-term plan for Gesink which they are still following, up till now he is still on the 'fastest' schedule, which would mean tour podium in 2011. Even though he had plenty of unaccounted-for bad luck

Considering that he's only 25 he can probably still improve. Will he be the next Joop Zoetemelk???

 

[Dekker_Tifosi]

Like Zoetemelk he is facing some more talented adversaries. So it will be hard to ever win a Tour. Maybe in an inbetween year like when Pereiro and Sastre won. When there is something wrong with Andy and Alberto.

 

[Spine Concept]

Like Zoetemelk he is facing some more talented adversaries. So it will be hard to ever win a Tour. Maybe in an inbetween year like when Pereiro and Sastre won. When there is something wrong with Andy and Alberto.

Or focus on winning a GT other than the Tour.

 

[Dekker_Tifosi]

http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/memory-of-tondo-spurs-intxausti-on

I think poor Intxausti is forgetting Gesink is still eligible for the white jersey. Ergo: Intxausti has no chance

 

[theyoungest]

http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/memory-of-tondo-spurs-intxausti-on

I think poor Intxausti is forgetting Gesink is still eligible for the white jersey. Ergo: Intxausti has no chance

Or Intxausti thinks he's better.

 

[Libertine Seguros]

Intxausti even expressly says that he isn't saying he's going to win it, but he's going to contend for it because he wants to honour his friend. Hard to hold that against him. The article states Roman Kreuziger and Rigoberto Urán are two of the names mentioned, not that they are the only names mentioned. Maybe they're the guys Intxausti reckons he has a good chance of competing with, but if somebody like Gesink is way ahead of that? Oh well. Baby steps.

Frankly, that he's even entering the race is impressive enough. His piece in Diario Vasco recently showed that he's really not in the best frame of mind. I think the El Correo piece is much more condensed, less informative than the Diario Vasco piece. He said there that he isn't going to enter the Tour in either his best form or his best frame of mind and he still gets flashbacks. His preparation is "not at all how I would have liked" and that he has no idea how well he can do - but he'd like to be able to contend.

Seems a much more realistic viewpoint, the more context is added.

 

[Spine Concept]

Or Intxausti thinks he's better.

Albeit having admirable motives to win the white jersey I think he has no chance of winning it ahead of Gesink if the latter stays on his bike. Kreuziger might be feeling the effects of a tough Giro, he will especially feel done in by a certain Kruijswijk making him earn that white jersey. Uran is an enigma. I'm not convinced by Van Garderen's consistency climbing wise. If something were to happen to Gesink *knocks on wood* the race for the white jersey would be wide open. TGBM might decide to put the hammer down and smoke the aforementioned.

 

[theyoungest]

Albeit having admirable motives to win the white jersey I think he has no chance of winning the white jersey ahead of Gesink if the latter stays on his bike. Kreuziger might be feeling the effects of a tough Giro, he will especially feel done in by a certain Kruijswijk making him earn that white jersey. Uran is an enigma. I'm not convinced by Van Garderen's consistency climbing wise. If something were to happen to Gesink *knocks on wood* the race for the white jersey would be wide open. TGBM might decide to put the hammer down and smoke the aforementioned.

I hope TGBM doesn't lose any unnecessary time in the first week, just in case. Why throw a good GC position away in advance, certainly with a team leader who has had a serious crash in three out of four GTs he's been in.

 

[Spine Concept]

I hope TGBM doesn't lose any unnecessary time in the first week, just in case. Why throw a good GC position away in advance, certainly with a team leader who has had a serious crash in three out of four GTs he's been in.

I agree. It would be the sensible thing to do, however, it is Rabo we're talking about. Kruijswijk for white next year?

 

[Dekker_Tifosi]

Next year Kelderman gets white

 

[Timmy-loves-Rabo]

Next year Kelderman gets white

too bad we will only get to see him wearing yellow

 

[Kwibus]

http://twitpic.com/5ik3ag/full

Nice part about Gesink in the upcoming Tour, and how he and Rabo-trainer Delahaye are busy with numbers (wattage, heartrate etc) for years already.

What newspaper is this? I haven't read it, but a quick look didn't reveal the newspaper.

 

[Liquigas]

Rein Taaramae

Guys, Iwould like to know your opinion about Taaramae, do you think he can battle with Gesink for the white jersey and finish the Tour GC on the Top 10?

I think Gesink is too much for him right now, and finishing on the top 10 would be an amazing result for him considering that he never finished a grand tour.

 

[just some guy]

Guys, Iwould like to know your opinion about Taaramae, do you think he can battle with Gesink for the white jersey and finish the Tour GC on the Top 10?

I think Gesink is too much for him right now, and finishing on the top 10 would be an amazing result for him considering that he never finished a grand tour.

Not for me white

will be Gesink

Roman K 2nd

Coppel 3rd

Taaramae should go stage hunting with Tommy V best chance for him

 

[LaFleur]

Guys, Iwould like to know your opinion about Taaramae, do you think he can battle with Gesink for the white jersey and finish the Tour GC on the Top 10?

I think Gesink is too much for him right now, and finishing on the top 10 would be an amazing result for him considering that he never finished a grand tour.

Yes, because Vuelta is not considered as a Grand Tour -.-

 

[Dekker_Tifosi]

at the moment battle for white equals battle for places 3-6, so you'd have to be really really good

 

[movingtarget]

Considering that he's only 25 he can probably still improve. Will he be the next Joop Zoetemelk???

If he can win the World Road Title, the Tour De France and finish the TDF sixteen times with multiple podiums.

 

[guncha]

Can't wait for TDF to go underway. Contador was convincing in Giro but his rivals at TDF are stronger. I have nothing against Nibali or Scarponi but I am skeptical about their ability to finish in top3, top5 in TDF. It would be interesting to see "tired" Contador against "fresh" rivals.

When Giro of 2008 had first big mountain stage as late as in Stage 14 everyone praised that and subsequent mountain stages. It wasn't a problem for people to wait such a long time for big mountains then.

When Tour has no uphill finishes at small climbs in first week everyone is disappointed. Organizers should be praised for the four finishes at small climbs in the first week. First week is quite flat but sprinters would need to earn their stages. First week of Tour is better than in Giro because Giro had too many medium mountains and the route is too harsh when medium mountains start with first days and never end in the first week.

I would agree that it might be nice to have big mountain stage in the first week but geography is geography - with TDF mountains in late first week we might not have big mountain stages in the third week. In 2009 they had early Pyrenees and late Alpes and people complained about boring second week.

And finally - it is nice to watch steep climbs (like Zoncolan) but Plateu de Beille (2011), Tourmalet (2010) and Mt.Ventoux (2009) are much longer and with almost 8% steepness they make suffer at least as much as 10km Zoncolan. Etna stage with two big 20km climbs was my favorite stage in Giro 2011.

 

[Libertine Seguros]

When Giro of 2008 had first big mountain stage as late as in Stage 14 everyone praised that and subsequent mountain stages. It wasn't a problem for people to wait such a long time for big mountains then.

The Pescocostanzo stage of the 2008 Giro was harder and better than any of the pre-Luz Tour stages this year. Much much so. And Contursi Terme and stage 1 were as hard if not harder than the finishes we have in week 1.

Also, the course design has to be worked around the type of race it is. You could present exactly the same parcours and get two very different races, because of the higher pressure and tighter control in the Tour.

 

[papafrog]

Andy Schleck's free ride to Tour glory

It's a lot easier to chase the carrot than to be the carrot two years in a row. Contador has always been the carrot and rides EVERY race to win and with a champion's panache. There is no such thing as a "race to train" with Contador and that's why I will always be a huge fan of that guy. Also, I really wish Andy would stop complaining about dropping his chain last year. I don't recall Contador complaining much about being caught behind when the peloton split due to a crash on stage 3 and he lost 1:13. Andy had plenty of other stages to drop Contador and make up that one second and couldn't, never mind his initial 1:13 advantage. I am not hating on Andy, he's a great rider and I'm a fan but I hope my point about the difference in being the carrot and chasing the carrot is taken here. Andy is in a much easier position without the pressure of clear favorite. Not his fault but it's still a fact. When I see Andy actually drop Contador I will feel different but until then Andy gets a free ride to Tour glory if Alberto wins again but his results are ultimately disqualified since he himself has always done the chasing without the pressure of being the chasee. I'd like to see what Andy can do as the carrot some day. Maybe next July, since he only races one race a year all out with the exception of a one day classic or two when he supports his brother. Very Armstrong-like. Ho-hum.
Ok, all you Andy lovers, let's hear it. Be reasonable now .

 

[Damiano Machiavelli]

In before the move/close.