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

[Publicus]

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

That was my read. I think JB and the TEAM (save Lance) knew that having yellow before Friday was a mistake. Lance was taking pulls like his life depended on it and I think it actually cost him the jersey (Popo blew up 2K before the line and Lance just couldn't hold Contador's wheel at the line for that fraction of a second).

It was a big win for Astana and specifically Contador. He has some real breathing room as we head upward. If I am Contador I mark Lance just like he marks Cadel and others. I fully expect Lance to try and get the jersey if he can before Friday.

 

[Anonymous]

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.

Another 1 post fanboy wonder thinking his opinion counts....how cute....

 

[hfer07]

How painful should be for LA not to be in yellow today.. KARMA?
I think by now, the tour is just going to be an Astana affair-can't see anybody getting back time from those guys at all.

 

[DamonAlbarn]

Bjarne Riis:

"Et eller andet sted er jeg tilfreds med tiden, men jeg er ikke tilfreds med den måde, de kørte på. Enkelte ryttere kunne have gjort det bedre. Der var meget nervøsitet, og Fabian kunne ikke give los og måtte holde igen"

Rough translation:
"I'm not not downbeat about the time, but with the way we drove the course. Some of our riders could have done better, and Fabian had to hold back quite a lot."

 

[Publicus]

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

I think it is going to be FAR more exciting. We may see some alliances between teams and A LOT of attacking in the mountains. Sitting on wheels won't cut it this year. They are going to have to DROP Astana and pick up minutes NOT seconds. It should be exciting.

 

[perico]

Am I the only person who regrets the return of the TTT? In my mind it amounts to a time bonus for riders who don't need one: riders on weak teams are already at a big disadvantage in the "real" stages, and then adding an extra event that penalizes them 1 or 2 or 3 minutes basically takes them out of the game entirely. It should always be possible for a rider on a weak team to win the Tour, and the TTT more or less makes that impossible. Lemond only won the 89 Tour because his special tri-bars effectively balanced out ADR's weak ride in the TTT.

If it had not been for the TTT in 1989... Delgado would've won the tour.

 

[frizzlefry]

Another 1 post fanboy wonder thinking his opinion counts....how cute....

LOL, if its that troublesome for you, why dont you shut up and disappear for 3 weeks.

 

[dadoorsron]

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.

Menchov is 3:52 seconds down already and crashed during todays stage. I don't think he can turn that around. Levi stated he is there to ride for the strongest rider and Kloden hasn't been really good since 03-04. So I don't think kloden has much in the tank. However, a all astana podium is not out of the question.

 

[dadoorsron]

Another 1 post fanboy wonder thinking his opinion counts....how cute....

LOL your funny!

 

[Anonymous]

LOL your funny!

i didnt used to think so, but since the tourists arrived im changing my opinion..

the events of this week are somehow making us all closer.. there is lots of strictly heterosexual man on man love starting..

 

[fpcyclingn]

I think its fitting that LA was the 5th rider across the line who was 1/10ths of a second slow.

Jealous little boy, quiet. Lance could crush you just by staring at you.

 

[Green Hornet]

They have to keep the TTT out of the Tour. It corrupts the overall and punishes some contenders unjustly.

I very much disagree –

This is the highest level of PROFESSIONAL bicycle racing.
Bicycle racing is a TEAM sport.
The TTT therefore definitely has a place in a races such as the Tour.

This is NOT Pee-Wee baseball where everyone is coddled etc.

 

[535xiguy]

Sparticus was scary good and this stage could not have worked out better for Astana - getting max time and not having to defend the yellow. Le Tour almost seems fixed like pro wrestling.

Although I would love to see Vande Velde win the Tour (I like long shot underdogs), and I still think Contador is the favorite to win, after reading all the anti LA posts here I have to admit that I would love to see LA get his 8th just to shut some people up. Kloden and Armstrong worked the hardest today and AC looked like a princess with his 5 second (if that) turns on the front.

 

[Greisty]

Another 1 post fanboy wonder thinking his opinion counts....how cute....

You know, everybody has a right to participate here. What are the qualifications that distinguish you from others posting here? If you can't respect others' perspectives and opinions, you shouldn't post.

 

[fpcyclingn]

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

Quote of the year. You gotta be straight up dumb to say this tour is "over". Holy **** the BS I see on these forums is legendary.

 

[frizzlefry]

You know, everybody has a right to participate here. What are the qualifications that distinguish you from others posting here? If you can't respect others' perspectives and opinions, you shouldn't post.

His qualifications that distinguish him from others are that he is a D-Bag.

 

[dadoorsron]

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.

A fractured team I don't really think so. Astana is built from old Discovery, and postal squad. Levi, Popo, Paulinho,ex teammates and Kloden are friends with Armstrong. Haimar Zubeldia is the only loyal teammate Contador has because he was handpicked by Contador,(after reading Horners blog after his snub from the team.) The rest of the guys probably can see who is the leader just by actions from the last two days. Taking the longest pulls in TTT and being tactically smart yesterday. At the end of the TTT today Contador is the only one that avoided Armstrong and all the other riders gave armstrong a hug! Team Unity? I think the Millionaire that is not getting paid to be there is winning over the teammates.

Now the notion Contador will attack would be interesting. I don't think Johan would allow that. Now if Armstrong does get dropped I can see the go ahead and the leadership role would become more contador's then armstrong. Stage 7 will be interesting. I feel Astana will set the pace and all the pretenders will fall off. The select group will ride to the finish. That group will be only 7-10 riders. I'm thinking 3 Astana riders will be there. Armstrong, Kloden, Contador. Levi has been top form for the entire season. I don't know whats in the fuel tank. He has impressed me before so we'll see. The Tour is not won in stage seven but it can become harder to win! Others in the group may be one schleck, sastre, and I don't think evans will be there.

 

[imtrankwl]

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

How has Lance changed this? Contador is only 19? seconds back and would be where he is even if Lance wasn't around. Had Contador been in the Tour last year he may well have cleaned up then as well. It seems you're blaming this on Armstrong but I hardly see how he's at fault. If anything, at least we have the interesting dynamics within the Astana team to watch instead of waiting for the inevitable.

Still a lot of racing left and anything can happen. A crash, illness, you name it. Things can happen.

 

[Doug Laipple]

From twitter:

LeviLeipheimer: You couldn't do what we did without a unified & committed team. It's been a dream to win TTT in Tour de France

 

[Kazistuta]

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

Just tried to point out the obvious fact that a TTT almost always has made big time differences in the beginning of the race. I saw a lot of posts whining about the tour being "over" and simply can't figure out, why people have to be so dark minded this soon in the race - since we haven't even met the first mountain yet...

 

[dadoorsron]

I very much disagree –

This is the highest level of PROFESSIONAL bicycle racing.
Bicycle racing is a TEAM sport.
The TTT therefore definitely has a place in a races such as the Tour.

This is NOT Pee-Wee baseball where everyone is coddled etc.

It's interesting to see that only one team with contenders on it actually was impressive. Garmin is built for TT stages and maybe an individual stage win. Columbia is built for the flat stage win. Saxo is built for overall but, didn't perform well, Cancellara pulled that team and he is built to ride for the TT event. The Schleck brothers didn't do anything. Evans team was a No show. Cervelo was a dissappointment and basically made Sastre job ten times harder. todays stage wasn't a nail in the coffin of Evans, Sastre,Schleck brothers but, it didn't help there chances.

 

[Snake8]

does anyone know if anyone missed the time cut?

 

[Publicus]

Andy Schleck is only 1:41 down to LA and 1:22 to Contador. This isn't over yet. Not by a long shot.

 

[Kazistuta]

A fractured team I don't really think so. Astana is built from old Discovery, and postal squad. Levi, Popo, Paulinho,ex teammates and Kloden are friends with Armstrong. Haimar Zubeldia is the only loyal teammate Contador has because he was handpicked by Contador,(after reading Horners blog after his snub from the team.) The rest of the guys probably can see who is the leader just by actions from the last two days. Taking the longest pulls in TTT and being tactically smart yesterday. At the end of the TTT today Contador is the only one that avoided Armstrong and all the other riders gave armstrong a hug! Team Unity? I think the Millionaire that is not getting paid to be there is winning over the teammates.

Now the notion Contador will attack would be interesting. I don't think Johan would allow that. Now if Armstrong does get dropped I can see the go ahead and the leadership role would become more contador's then armstrong. Stage 7 will be interesting. I feel Astana will set the pace and all the pretenders will fall off. The select group will ride to the finish. That group will be only 7-10 riders. I'm thinking 3 Astana riders will be there. Armstrong, Kloden, Contador. Levi has been top form for the entire season. I don't know whats in the fuel tank. He has impressed me before so we'll see. The Tour is not won in stage seven but it can become harder to win! Others in the group may be one schleck, sastre, and I don't think evans will be there.

Paulinho was "the chosen one", not Zubeldia... And I really don't see Klöden being able to keep up when the firework starts (my guess being Frank S, Menchov and Pellizotti to kick it off) friday.

I think Lance will wear yellow after fridays stage, unless Contador gets a green light to go for it.

 

[Franklin]

Might be that I really didn't pay close enogh attention, or much more at the end of the stage. But most of what I saw of Astana I didn't see him leading or not particulary long.

I'm certainly not blinded by my dislike of Armstrong. If I had seen him leading or to me looking particulary strong I would have said so.
Contador didn't look that good eighther I think but that could just be a false impression because he's moving so much on the bike, even time trialing.

I'm not a fan of Lance, but honestly he was motoring the team through the technical stages and did the longest pulls (timed it as well as I could).

I'm very afraid only AC will be able to stop Lance and after today I'm really not sure about that. I feared Lance will win and after the performance I saw today my fear is growing.