Official Thread: TdF Stage 10, Limoges - Issoudun 194.5 km

[BroDeal]

Levi, Wiggins, Karpets and Menchov all lost 15 seconds.
I expect someone will be around to blame Contador.

I just got the news in a tweet from Leipheimer. Contador attacked a defenseless Levi, which was not in the team's plan for the stage. Leipheimer is now angry. You don't want to get him angry. Leipheimer played the dutiful teammate the whole time and refused to chase down Contador. The Spaniard has no honor.

 

[DenisMenchov]

Menchov missed a split in the peloton? Shocking!!

Some idiot crashed in last 2km, to be honest but split was between cav and Thor if you ask me and Duque and Farrar, and they all have same time, but Levi, Menchov... have 15 sec on Cav how come????? I wonder why AC have same time as CAv, he was sprinting along side him??? And what about 3km to go everybody have same time, this is idiotic, I bet that between Cav and Armstrong was at least 10 seconds!!! This stage was JOKE!!!!!!!!

 

[OKRider79]

Some idiot crashed in last 2km, to be honest but split was between cav and Thor if you ask me and Duque and Farrar, and they all have same time, but Levi, Menchov... have 15 sec on Cav how come????? I wonder why AC have same time as CAv, he was sprinting along side him??? And what about 3km to go everybody have same time, this is idiotic, I bet that between Cav and Armstrong was at least 10 seconds!!! This stage was JOKE!!!!!!!!

Yes, this makes no sense to me. Some reports have Boonen 15-20 riders back with around 1 KM to go, but he ends up finishing 94th @ 15 seconds down (according to VeloNews)? I don't understand this at all...

 

[Big_Blue_Dave]

Expect a protest from some teams and then a reversal to all times for all riders in the bunch for the last 3km to be given the same time due to the crash, it happens very often but this is the second case this year.

 

[Anonymous]

it was in the last 3k, but interesting comments from emma pooley on eurosport.. when she has challenged it she has lost as if you are not involved in the accident and just slowed down by it it doesnt count..

cant see that happening.. i expect the 15 seconds to be turned over or there will be more protests tommoro

 

[Pharazon]

the gap wasn't because of a crash though..

it was because some lazy *** peleton riders allowed a 1 sec gap to form...

the only crash in the last 3km didn't affect anything. it was a single rider crash and over to the side

 

[Wergeland]

Saxo Banks roadcaptain Arvesen is out the Tour. Sad. http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/saxo-banks-arvesen-out-of-the-tour-de-france

Kinda ironic that this photo was taken this morning:

 

[mambo#5]

the gap wasn't because of a crash though..

it was because some lazy *** peleton riders allowed a 1 sec gap to form...

the only crash in the last 3km didn't affect anything. it was a single rider crash and over to the side

it's a Lampre guy that caused the gap at the finish line.

 

[mambo#5]

it's a Lampre guy that caused the gap at the finish line.

 

[DenisMenchov]

Now this is funny, gap was bigger between Cav and Thor than this

 

[OKRider79]

Simon Spilak looks to be the culprit...

# 45. Yaroslav Popovych Astana at s.t.
# 46. Lance Armstrong Astana at s.t.
# 47. Luis-leon Sanchez Caisse D’epargne at s.t.
# 48. Carlos Sastre Cervelo Test Team at s.t.
# 49. Anthony Geslin Francaise Des Jeux at s.t.
# 50. Da Costa Rui Alberto Faria Caisse D’epargne at s.t.
# 51. Koen De Kort Skil-Shimano at s.t.
# 52. Mickaël Delage Silence - Lotto at s.t.
# 53. Simon Spilak Lampre - N.g.c in 4:46:58 at 00:15
# 54. Styn Vandenbergh Team Katusha in 4:46:58 at 00:15
# 55. Stéphane Auge Cofidis Le Credit En Ligne in 4:46:58 at 00:15
# 56. Julian Dean Garmin - Slipstream in 4:46:58 at 00:15
# 57. Alexandre Pichot Bbox Bouygues Telecom in 4:46:58 at 00:15
# 58. Fabian Cancellara Team Saxo Bank in 4:46:58 at 00:15

 

[mambo#5]

I don't see how they can penalize those guys 15 seconds.

 

[Pharazon]

I don't see how they can penalize those guys 15 seconds.

those are the rules though. if there's more than 1 second gap between the finising times it's not considered in the same 'peleton'...

i think it's a bit off to be honest, but those are the rules. personally, i'd like them to have a look and see if the peloton was split, and you can see it wasn't. but then again, you don't see Contator or Armstong hanging at the back of the peloton, and that's for a reason

 

[ericthesportsman6]

In the end, 15 seconds isn't much, however, expect protests from teams.

 

[RightWingNutJob]

Although the gap in that photo doesn't look very large and certainly not 15 seconds, but wouldn't they take the time from Cav crossing the line which we don't see in the photo.

 

[OKRider79]

I don't see how they can penalize those guys 15 seconds.

Especially when the whole concept of "giving the same time" is based on rider safety. So, essentially with this ruling, they would be encouraging a guy like Levi Leipheimer or Bradley Wiggins to sprint to the front of the bunch to try and close the gap and save time in their GC classification. That's ridiculous.

 

[issoisso]

This reminds me: 3 years ago CSC tried to form a "wall" by stopping in front of everyone just before the line, not letting the GC contenders pass so they would lose time to Sastre who had already crossed the line near the front of the peloton.

The gap was annulled and they got a reprimand and a fine.

 

[issoisso]

Although the gap in that photo doesn't look very large and certainly not 15 seconds, but wouldn't they take the time from Cav crossing the line which we don't see in the photo.

Yes. That's why it's 15 seconds.

Hopefully they'll overturn this particular case, as even though it's in accordance with the letter of the law, it's against the spirit of it.

 

[mambo#5]

those are the rules though. if there's more than 1 second gap between the finising times it's not considered in the same 'peleton'...

i think it's a bit off to be honest, but those are the rules. personally, i'd like them to have a look and see if the peloton was split, and you can see it wasn't. but then again, you don't see Contator or Armstong hanging at the back of the peloton, and that's for a reason

but what can you do on a course like today that has so many turns at the end of the stage?

 

[RightWingNutJob]

Not seeing an issue with this.

 

[mambo#5]

Although the gap in that photo doesn't look very large and certainly not 15 seconds, but wouldn't they take the time from Cav crossing the line which we don't see in the photo.

that's the time in the pic showing 14 seconds. By the time the lampre guy's transponder crosses the line, it goes to 15.

 

[Mellow Velo]

Check out the last 3 kms. There's a noticeable gap at 3'-23"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jUtBtRwMzus&eurl=

What caused it, other than lazy riding, I know not.
I think the 15 seconds will stand.

 

[Cobblestones]

The gap looks very small for a 'split peloton'. Maybe it's the perspective.

Anyway, they were soft pedaling the whole day and inattentive at the finish. 15" is not a big deal.

 

[7starz]

S2STURGES - Couldn't agree more, yawn!! Remote controlled automatons with very little personality - where's charisma now? Oh yes, disappeared, along with Pantani (RIP), Virenque, Cipollini, Commesso, Durand, et al. Vive Le Tour and thank the Lord for Cav!!

 

[DenisMenchov]

The gap looks very small for a 'split peloton'. Maybe it's the perspective.

Anyway, they were soft pedaling the whole day and inattentive at the finish. 15" is not a big deal.

Well it does to Levi and Bradley, I saw at least 3 similar line crossing before this one and they were not penelized, just before Armstrong was the last one, and first was between Farrar and Duque.