Official thread TdF Stage 15 Pontarlier - Verbier - 207.5 km

[sometriguy]

There's your answer! Moncoutie in the break. Hope you have a few dollars on him at 17-1 like I do.

Looks like contador got a couple of guys in the break: David Arroyo, José Ivan Gutierrez (both Caisse d'Epargne).

Also Cadel has Jurgen Van Den Broeck and Schlecky has Fabian

 

[Amsterhammer]

There's your answer! Moncoutie in the break. Hope you have a few dollars on him at 17-1 like I do.

Alas, I'm not a betting man. Was about to post this -

Pellizotti, Martinez, Arroyo, Van den Broeck, Cancellara, Moncoutié and Gutierrez have been joined by Hesjedal, Kern, Moinard and Spilak. Pellizotti has grabbed the first points of the day.

 

[Zoncolan]

Pellizotti has the polka dot sewn up.
Andy Schleck for the stage.

 

[Delicato]

Martin in the breakaway group, why spoil the other riders' chances?

 

[sometriguy]

Pellizotti has the polka dot sewn up.
Andy Schleck for the stage.

Good for him, he worked hard for it. A very different effort than we have seen in the past few years with Long solo breakaways in the Alps (soler, rasmussen, kohl)

 

[sometriguy]

Martin in the breakaway group, why spoil the other riders' chances?

Or lead to a very fast, exciting, leg breaking kind of day. I can always dream

 

[Danilot]

And this is how Astarloza wins the Tour de France.

 

[Publicus]

(yawn) morning folks. According to my sleepy eyes, it looks like Contador is the protected rider today. Maybe after my first cup of coffee, it will look differently. I expect to see Contador in yellow this afternoon. Hopefully my predictions are right for ONCE during this Tour.

 

[ak-zaaf]

(yawn) morning folks. According to my sleepy eyes, it looks like Contador is the protected rider today. Maybe after my first cup of coffee, it will look differently. I expect to see Contador in yellow this afternoon. Hopefully my predictions are right for ONCE during this Tour.

is ONCE back as a sponsor?

 

[Publicus]

Boonen will not start today, the team says he is sick.

Susan

After all of the machinations by the team to get him into the Tour this is quite the disgrace. Feel doubly bad for Allen Davis.

 

[Publicus]

is ONCE back as a sponsor?

LOL. I thought the same thing once I typed that.

 

[frizzlefry]

is ONCE back as a sponsor?

LOL, that was my thought also.

 

[Anonymous]

Van Den Broeck in the break is good news for Cadel.

 

[Danilot]

It's good news if he tries to attack from far away. If he waits for the final kilometres, it will already come to a showdown between the GC leaders and VDB won't be a fat lot of help.

 

[Publicus]

It's good news if he tries to attack from far away. If he waits for the final kilometres, it will already come to a showdown between the GC leaders and VDB won't be a fat lot of help.

Agreed. The fact that Kirchen won on this "mountain top finish" tells me it ain't that tough. I'm pretty sure this stage will be Arcalis-light--GC contenders too afraid to really do anything and Evans initiating a couple of impotent attacks.

 

[Anonymous]

It's good news if he tries to attack from far away. If he waits for the final kilometres, it will already come to a showdown between the GC leaders and VDB won't be a fat lot of help.

My GUESS is that Cadel will attack from the bottom which is why VDB is there. Cadel seems to be the only rider in the tour to give a flying fu$k about attacking. Schlecket seems star struck by the fact that Lance is talking to him, so I don't think he will do anything much. That, and he already said the last climb isn't hard enough. I think Cadel is planning on attacking.

 

[sometriguy]

My GUESS is that Cadel will attack from the bottom which is why VDB is there. Cadel seems to be the only rider in the tour to give a flying fu$k about attacking. Schlecket seems star struck by the fact that Lance is talking to him, so I don't think he will do anything much. That, and he already said the last climb isn't hard enough. I think Cadel is planning on attacking.

It is all a moot point because Bob Roll picked Lance Armstrong and we all know Bob roll is the smartest man in cycling

 

[Anonymous]

My GUESS is that Cadel will attack from the bottom which is why VDB is there. Cadel seems to be the only rider in the tour to give a flying fu$k about attacking. Schlecket seems star struck by the fact that Lance is talking to him, so I don't think he will do anything much. That, and he already said the last climb isn't hard enough. I think Cadel is planning on attacking.

Maybe VDV too considering Ryder is there also.

 

[Publicus]

My GUESS is that Cadel will attack from the bottom which is why VDB is there. Cadel seems to be the only rider in the tour to give a flying fu$k about attacking. Schlecket seems star struck by the fact that Lance is talking to him, so I don't think he will do anything much. That, and he already said the last climb isn't hard enough. I think Cadel is planning on attacking.

The problem is that Cadel can't drop anyone. I appreciate his vain attempts at aggressiveness, but nothing about his climbing style makes me confident that he can simply ride away from the group of contenders. Though I am really looking forward to him trying.

And Baby Schleck is smittened by Armstrong (one of the 3 people following his twitter).

 

[sometriguy]

Maybe VDV too considering Ryder is there also.

don't forget that gutierez is there for contador

 

[Anonymous]

It is all a moot point because Bob Roll picked Lance Armstrong and we all know Bob roll is the smartest man in cycling

Yea, did you see him wipe the brown stuff off of his nose right as they came on air?...

 

[El Imbatido]

Jesus, just saw live SRM data and "The Big Man" Bert Grabsch has a cadence of 84RPM. I didn't know those michelin man legs could spin so fast

 

[sometriguy]

The problem is that Cadel can't drop anyone. I appreciate his vain attempts at aggressiveness, but nothing about his climbing style makes me confident that he can simply ride away from the group of contenders.

It always is fun though. The camera is always on the break away or elsewhere since the contenders are always being lame, then the camera quickly flashes back and you think something must be happening....

Then you see Cadel has gone and the yawn fest continues

 

[frizzlefry]

An attack at the bottom of the climb would be great.

 

[sometriguy]

Yea, did you see him wipe the brown stuff off of his nose right as they came on air?...

I was laughing my *** off when he did his 7 men that will be the kings of the alps. I think if he put lance number 2 behind contador he would be acting like a fan boy.

After he put lance number 1 I could actually see the doo doo on his nose