SHACK ATTACK: Radioshack fail dismally!

[Andrichuk]

Lance put in a good ride all things considered.

 

[Mellow Velo]

I just have to smile. We have had weeks of how stage 3 was going to be the one where the "superteam" were going to take Contador to the cleaners.
Surprise, surprise, it never materialised.

Agree with Barrus.
Leaving Steegmans at home, taking a surplus of climbers = big mistake.

At the end of the day, has Lance not punctured, he would have gained just 20 seconds on Contador.........for a puncture.

 

[Publicus]

These guys aren't gonna hammer in every event they enter through the season. With the tight competition employing peaking techniques, (and bus mechanicals of course), the days of the Cannibal are long ago gone.

Um, ok. So he doesn't race in the mountains all year and will suddenly be able to drop AC in the mountains? Got it. God bless him if he can do it, but he's not looked fluid in the mountains since he returned (IMO).

OT: but I think this is a great photo of Lance gutting it out today. He should look back on it with some pride.

 

[Anonymous]

What was up with Vino leaving AC at the end of today's stage? You'd think he would stay with his Captain but he took off looking like he wanted to gain time on his own teammate.

Will Vino actually work for AC or will he break the promise and go for his own glory?

 

[ulrikmm]

Well, one thing you can do is chose better wheel / tire combinations! Not sure if that was a factor, but I think 4 RS guys flatted. I'd be interested to know if RS was riding different gear than everyone else.

Also - the cobble specialists ride in the center of the cobble road, not in the dirt next to the road, where you puncture due to sharp stones. Armstrong looked tired, did not cope to ride on the cobbles, rode in the dirt and punctured shortly after.

 

[Publicus]

What was up with Vino leaving AC at the end of today's stage? You'd think he would stay with his Captain but he took off looking like he wanted to gain time on his own teammate.

Will Vino actually work for AC or will he break the promise and go for his own glory?

AC had a flat/mechanical at the finish. His rear brake was dragging for 30KM, but he didn't want to stop for a bike change (which makes sense).

 

[ulrikmm]

Forgive my limited knowledge here. I ride the rims that came with my bike and can only dream of affording aero deep-dish carbon tubulars

Does riding deep-dish make you more prone to puncture? I assume everyone was on tubulars - I just don't get why the deepness would matter.

The deep rims have no vertical compliance = no suspension.

 

[Blakeslee]

I don't see how you can legitimately criticize how Armstrong raced today. Without the flat Armstrong would have finished in the second group, staying even with Contador and conceding back most of the time he gained on Evans and Andy Schleck in the prologue. That would have left Armstrong in a strong position on GC heading into the mountains.

I was impressed with the way Armstrong was riding when chasing back after the flat, he did a great job limiting his losses in a situation where he could have lost even more time. He looked strong today and I wouldn't count him out of the race just yet despite the time lost today.

 

[Anonymous]

Anyone have the story on what this (if he is indeed yelling) is about?

 

[Anonymous]

AC had a flat/mechanical at the finish. His rear brake was dragging for 30KM, but he didn't want to stop for a bike change (which makes sense).

But shouldn't Vino have waited for him or worked with him to make sure he gets to the finish line safely?

 

[Publicus]

I don't see how you can legitimately criticize how Armstrong raced today. Without the flat Armstrong would have finished in the second group, staying even with Contador and conceding back most of the time he gained on Evans and Andy Schleck in the prologue. That would have left Armstrong in a strong position on GC heading into the mountains.

I was impressed with the way Armstrong was riding when chasing back after the flat, he did a great job limiting his losses in a situation where he could have lost even more time. He looked strong today and I wouldn't count him out of the race just yet despite the time lost today.

Agree. I think though the point was that Radio Shack (along with other GC teams) targeted this stage as the stage to gain time from AC. From a Radio Shack perspective, that plan failed.

 

[scribe]

Anyone have the story on what this (if he is indeed yelling) is about?

He said "I bet I flat and lose my shirt behind your ***!!"

 

[Anonymous]

Anyone have the story on what this (if he is indeed yelling) is about?

Lance: I'd hit dat! LOL!!

 

[eleven]

Anyone have the story on what this (if he is indeed yelling) is about?

I suspect that's just a relic of an oddly timed snapshot and that nothing was being said etc...

 

[Publicus]

But shouldn't Vino have waited for him or worked with him to make sure he gets to the finish line safely?

If the flat/mechanical happened in the last 3KM, Vino did the right thing to push on. My guess is that Vino had no idea about the mechanical and was driving to minimize the gaps to the first group.

 

[Squares]

He said "I bet I flat and lose my shirt behind your ***!!"

I think he said, "did we F-up in letting Andy Schleck back in to it yesterday???"

 

[Anonymous]

If the flat/mechanical happened in the last 3KM, Vino did the right thing to push on. My guess is that Vino had no idea about the mechanical and was driving to minimize the gaps to the first group.

I misread... I thought you said they were 30km's back. With 3km's to go I see your point.

 

[ulrikmm]

I don't see how you can legitimately criticize how Armstrong raced today. Without the flat Armstrong would have finished in the second group, staying even with Contador and conceding back most of the time he gained on Evans and Andy Schleck in the prologue. That would have left Armstrong in a strong position on GC heading into the mountains.

I was impressed with the way Armstrong was riding when chasing back after the flat, he did a great job limiting his losses in a situation where he could have lost even more time. He looked strong today and I wouldn't count him out of the race just yet despite the time lost today.

IMO Armstrong looked cooked and tired. And seen from the side (profile), his belly seemed bloated at the end of the race. He usually has a very lean profile - this did not look right.

 

[Polish]

Gutsy Gutsy Ride

Gutsy Gutsy Ride by the "Old Warrior" today!

Did you see him passing the cars solo in all the dust?

The other GC guys would be whining and making excuses waawaa.

Not Lance.

Anyway, expect Lance to be the Crowd Favorite along the Roads of France now as he fights and claws his way into the Top 10. Bon Courage!

 

[Anonymous]

I suspect that's just a relic of an oddly timed snapshot and that nothing was being said etc...

That very well could be. In fact, I suspect that is the case. Just wondering if anyone knows anything different.

 

[scribe]

I misread... I thought you said they were 30km's back. With 3km's to go I see your point.

I think they are claiming 30km somewhere. Probably an exaggeration and he really had problems over the last 3, as evidenced by him being dropped.

 

[strummer_fan]

I don't see how you can legitimately criticize how Armstrong raced today. Without the flat Armstrong would have finished in the second group, staying even with Contador and conceding back most of the time he gained on Evans and Andy Schleck in the prologue. That would have left Armstrong in a strong position on GC heading into the mountains.

I was impressed with the way Armstrong was riding when chasing back after the flat, he did a great job limiting his losses in a situation where he could have lost even more time. He looked strong today and I wouldn't count him out of the race just yet despite the time lost today.

Equipment selection is a huge part of the strategy for winning on a day like today. I think that Lance's choice of deep-section Lightweight-made, Bontrager-badged rims was a bad one. There were enough cobbles that a more compliant rim profile may have been the better option. There is no guarantee that his flat would have been avoided, but I can't say that the rim choice was a wise one.

 

[Publicus]

I suspect that's just a relic of an oddly timed snapshot and that nothing was being said etc...

That's what I think.

 

[Publicus]

I think they are claiming 30km somewhere. Probably an exaggeration and he really had problems over the last 3, as evidenced by him being dropped.

His rear brake apparently was dragging for the last 30KM. Instead of stopping, he just drove on.

 

[luckyboy]

So how does a guy go from not being able to ride with the best, to know dropping the best two weeks later????

Haha, how indeed..