Official thread - TdF Stage 4: Team Time Trial (Montpellier - Montpellier 38 km)

[ruswilks]

As it cut to the Astana bus Contador and Lance were embracing, just before Contador got on the bus....

I think the rivalry is getting blown out of proportion a little bit!

 

[jaylew]

Vande Velde said it definitely wasn't a plan to drop 4 riders early.

 

[eleven]

Nothing against RMcE, but we have all seen the front of a winning Tour ride many more times than he has.

Very good point! Like I said, I don't think he's right - but it was an interesting prediction on his part. Of course, if I remember correctly from the Tour Down Under, he and Armstrong are close friends.

 

[Anonymous]

I think it's come down to a race between LA and Contador for the overall.

Who is still going to underestimate Lance in the mountains?

Me, Contador will drop him like a bad habit.

 

[Anonymous]

Lighten up, guys!

This is the way it's almost always turning out after a TTT in TDF. One team dominates after winning the stage. Maybe you've just forgotten how it usually is, since it's been four years

Let's take a look at the overall ranking after the team time trial last time LA was here - including the supposed GC contenders:

1. LA
7. Vino +1,21 + 11' 01"
10. Basso +1,26 +4.40
14. Ullrich +1,36 +6' 21"
20. Landis +1,50 + 12'44"
------------------
Leipheimer +2,21 +11' 21"
Evans +3,29 + 11' 55"
Mancebo +3,39 +9' 59"

I know Armstrong went on to win Le Tour, but I just feel like people are overreacting to the fact that there's quite some time deficits between the main GC favorites. After a TTT that seems pretty normal to me

Nevertheless, it bodes well for friday.

I have added the final standings in bold... im not sure of your point...
are you saying that Evans will finish 12 minutes back

 

[Parrot23]

As it cut to the Astana bus Contador and Lance were embracing, just before Contador got on the bus....

I think the rivalry is getting blown out of proportion a little bit!

Yes, at least they are being civil in the face of one small detail: the race for the victory is within the Astana team.

 

[Alpe d'Huez]

LOL I think Ben was expecting Lance.

Probably knows little about cycling and is on a vacation to France just assuming that Lance would win everything because that's what the US media tells him.

 

[RightWingNutJob]

Normally I sleep through all these first stages, but have been woken up by all the excitement the last couple of days.

 

[Anonymous]

You either didn't watch or you're blind, or just blinded by your dislike of LA - he took longer turns than anyone else (as far as we could see from the pictures we saw) in the first half of the course, leading on many of the tricky bits. Lance worked his nut off today.

Sparticus rode on the front for his team almost the entire time (SLIGHT exaggeration) and he led over the line. Lance was wasted and was dropping back as they came to the line. Armstrong is not the rider he was, and is not strong enough to win the tour. Period.

 

[Zigster]

Have you ever seen a pro pull off the front of a ttt and just puke themselves?

Seems like you would see that in the tour more often as sacrificial teammates ride themselves past their AT. Maybe vomiting is more common than the camera would indicate.

 

[dsut4392]

Nothing against RMcE, but we have all seen the front of a winning Tour ride many more times than he has.

From our armchairs maybe! I may have watched a few stages (understatement) on TV, and even waved an inflatable kangaroo from the side of the Champs Elysees last year, but I recall seeing footage of Robbie in green clinking champagne glasses at the end of the tour with some guy wearing yellow a couple of years back...

I don't happen to think he's right, but somehow I can believe there might be things you learn as an insider that gives you more (or at least different) insight than following on the forum or Eurosport. Even if he's not riding this year, do you really believe he doesn't have friends in the race keeping him in the loop about who is going well behind the scenes?

Having said all that, he doesn't come across as the sharpest tool in the shed in terms of mental faculties, so who really knows?

 

[richwagmn]

Sparticus rode on the front for his team almost the entire time (SLIGHT exaggeration) and he led over the line. Lance was wasted and was dropping back as they came to the line. Armstrong is not the rider he was, and is not strong enough to win the tour. Period.

Sparticus was crazy at the end of that TT. Single handedly saved his yellow jersey.

Looking forward to the mountains. The fireworks are gonna fly. Looking for some insane attacks from a. schleck.

 

[dsut4392]

Have you ever seen a pro pull off the front of a ttt and just puke themselves?

Seems like you would see that in the tour more often as sacrificial teammates ride themselves past their AT. Maybe vomiting is more common than the camera would indicate.

You don't have to be a pro to puke (or is that your point?)! I remember riding a solo TT on the way to high school once, only about 10 km but uphill for the first 2, got green lights all the way down the highway and rode to keep up with the traffic. Lost all my breakfast and was way too early for class

 

[richwagmn]

My point: they are not being uncivil to each other.

One small detail: the race for the victory is within the Astana team.

For sure the press is feeding off of all this (hell, I like it too). Truth is, we don't really know what's going on in the team meeting.

 

[Parrot23]

Looking for some insane attacks from a. schleck.

Looking for that too, a la Liege-Bastogne Liege. Problem is Astana is so deep; they have so many guys who can pull him back or mark him.

Menchov, Sastre, and Schleck need to reach an agreement: a new supremo team de facto (made up of 27 guys), until Ventoux.

 

[dgodave]

Sparticus rode on the front for his team almost the entire time (SLIGHT exaggeration) and he led over the line. Lance was wasted and was dropping back as they came to the line. Armstrong is not the rider he was, and is not strong enough to win the tour. Period.

Zack Lee. Thats why he wanted yellow so bad. It was his last chance to wear it. Good effort, though.
.

 

[dadoorsron]

Sparticus rode on the front for his team almost the entire time (SLIGHT exaggeration) and he led over the line. Lance was wasted and was dropping back as they came to the line. Armstrong is not the rider he was, and is not strong enough to win the tour. Period.

Armstrong took a 500-600 Meter pull and started to drop back after he worked. Contador took the shortest pulls out of Levi, Kloden, and Armstrong like usual took the longest pulls up front. Contador is not the leader of this team Lance Armstrong is. Bruyneel isn't going to let Contador just run off the front unless Lance is with him. As you should know Alberto Contador would not of won his tour if Rasmussen wasn't kicked out.

Sparticus did ride a solo TT to keep himself in yellow. He Deserves to wear it another day.

 

[Doug Laipple]

looking for that too, a la liege-bastogne liege. Problem is astana is so deep; they have so many guys who can pull him back or mark him.

Menchov, sastre, and schleck need to reach an agreement: A new supremo team de facto (made up of 27 guys), until ventoux. :d

heresy!!!!!

 

[Amsterhammer]

Sparticus rode on the front for his team almost the entire time (SLIGHT exaggeration) and he led over the line. Lance was wasted and was dropping back as they came to the line. Armstrong is not the rider he was, and is not strong enough to win the tour. Period.

You will have noted that I said "in the first half of the course". I made no further claims about whether or not he was better than x, y. or z. What Spartacus did today was truly unbelievable - he rode the last section more or less alone in the lead one second faster than the Astana train managed it. If I didn't know better, I'd raise an eyebrow.

 

[TRDean]

Oh yea...the pesky chicken and his disqualification. Are you serious...what a joke. Contador probably would not have won any of those other tours either right?

 

[Anonymous]

Zack Lee. Thats why he wanted yellow so bad. It was his last chance to wear it. Good effort, though.
.

It is fitting that he was the fifth rider across and he didn't get the yellow. Actually, it's quite fitting karma. It is funny, all of the "this just puts Astana in a stronger position" posters are also the ones who would have been creaming their jeans had he gotten the yellow.

I am just angry that we have to put up with fanboy nation a little longer. Hopefully Saturday morning will see a mass exodus.

 

[Zigster]

You don't have to be a pro to puke (or is that your point?)!

this might deserve its own thread - I certainly puked a lot when I was racing. part of that is nerves but a bigger part is lactic acid poisoning.

 

[Dekker_Tifosi]

The last few years, the Tour was always exciting, after 7 boring Lance years.

Now Lance is back and...immediately the Tour is killed again after 4 stages. Armstrong (and his teams) are always strong, and I respect that, but it kills all excitement. Contador/Armstrong/Leipheimer/Klöden (take your pick) wins the Tour and the rest plays no role.

A. Schleck: at 2:30
Evans: 3 minutes
Sastre: 3.30
Menchov: 4 minutesn

Goodbye Tour de France 2009

 

[Anonymous]

You will have noted that I said "in the first half of the course". I made no further claims about whether or not he was better than x, y. or z. What Spartacus did today was truly unbelievable - he rode the last section more or less alone in the lead one second faster than the Astana train managed it. If I didn't know better, I'd raise an eyebrow.

I had a similar thought, but there are entirely too many variables to have pulled that off.....even though the clock on Versus showed them cross 6 seconds or so faster than their official time..............nah....chaos theory suggest it would be impossible to orchestrate it in real time. However, the timing could have been set prior to them crossing the line.........those evil French...or is it an Astana conspiracy......

 

[Bainreese]

As I indicated last night, I think it was foolish to have not included Astana as a top contender for today's TTT. JB is too much a sportsman to just let the prestige of the TTT go uncontested. They've placed way too much emphasis on it in each and every Tour it's made in appearance in previous years.

So to that end, today's results were not really very surprising where Astana is concerned. To me that was really the only real 'sure call' to be had. It is hard to say whether Columbia intentionally sand bagged it or if they really did suffer from the efforts over the last couple of days. Given the streaming vid, I'd be more inclined to the first. But that is also the more disappointing of the two.

________________________

I do understand the bemoaning of some regarding 'Le Tour is over now'. But I personally won't take that perspective and here is why.

#1. While it may be an Astana fight for the top spot(not guaranteed as there are always challengers for the price, but probable) it doesn't mean it won't be an exciting race for me personally. I remember the year that Lemond and the Badger went at it. In fact, the parallel is a good one. An aging star who was suppose to be working for the new contender and then going for his own win because it was within reach. That Tour is looked at fondly and if it happens similarly here I will be no less pleased.

#2. While the podium now looks stacked with Astana, this too has happened before with JB's team and the podium in Paris looked nothing like it did right after the TTT. Remember guys, there is still a lot of racing to go and so many variables that are thrown in. Could it be a long slow slog to Paris? Possible...but there are certainly a lot of fireworks that can and probably will come.

#3. At this point, at least for me, the most boring thing that could happen would be for Contador to attack and drop all other major contenders in stage 7. While I want the top spot on the podium occupied by anyone other than LA, it would certainly make for a boring race if everything was over after stage 7 as many lament that it is after stage 4. At this point I'd love to see Astana implode and become a fractured team. I personally think JB has a better hold on his riders than that...but you never know with two guys asserting their dominance.



I'm just as interested now as I was on Saturday to watch this race unfold. Drama and all.