TDF Stage 19 - Saturday, July 24 2010, Bordeaux - Pauillac, 51 km ITT

[Moondance]

I imagine there will be 2 next year...

Yes... A prologue and a penultimate day long TT. That's how it should be IMO.

Too many (T)TT kilometers = boring tour.

 

[Parrot23]

Few riders who live the tender loving care of the Hog ever replicate the same form.
Just ask Levi.
Funny that.

Prob. why Bruyneel so confident Bertie was weaker this year, and latter was so nervous/more conservative racing (per Bob's comment). Must be a reverse placebo effect, too, when the program changes.

Bertie's been climbing worse all year (more huffing and puffing/heavy, less explosive accelerations, with riders who he could drop like flies last year). Could see it right from his first races.

 

[Cerberus]

Probably his native 3 at least.

And English, obviously.

 

[Big GMaC]

Just saw some vidya of the Canc, there were no people watching him!

 

[sartoris]

Who was AC hugging after the finish (the guy in the ball cap)?

Vinokourov (yeah, for those of you who talked about tension and envy inside Astana)

 

[MKirilenko]

Just one word: WOW!
Grats to Conta, but Grats to Schleck, who went all-in and gave it an ultimate try!

 

[bjaelkesex]

The ****s at ITV4 called the top 8 but forgot position 9, 10 for some reason. . The constant add breaks and the Bull**** from Ligget and Sherwin its too much and forgetting the 2 British riders

1 Fabian Cancellara (Swi) Team Saxo Bank 1:00:56
2 Tony Martin (Ger) Team HTC - Columbia 0:00:17
3 Bert Grabsch (Ger) Team HTC - Columbia 0:01:48
4 Ignatas Konovalovas (Ltu) Cervelo Test Team 0:02:34
5 David Zabriskie (USA) Garmin - Transitions 0:03:00
6 Koos Moerenhout (Ned) Rabobank 0:03:03
7 Vasili Kiryienka (Blr) Caisse d'Epargne 0:03:10
8 Maarten Tjallingii (Ned) Rabobank 0:03:21
9 Bradley Wiggins (GBr) Sky Professional Cycling Team 0:03:33
10 Geraint Thomas (GBr) Sky Professional Cycling Team 0:03:38

Wiggins is the only rider in the top 10 that went after the wind changed? Very impressive!

 

[Dekker_Tifosi]

Contador is very emotional.
I think Andy Schleck gave him a hell of a time today

 

[Francois the Postman]

Yes... A prologue and a penultimate day long TT. That's how it should be IMO.

Too many (T)TT kilometers = boring tour.

I though there was no prologue next year?

 

[bobs nob]

Congrats to lance and all his fans. It's been nice having your company around here lately and whatever your endeavors are after your part-time fandom of cycling, we bid you adieu.

Lance, thanks for a job [strikethrough]well[/strikethrough] done.

 

[theyoungest]

And of course, as said by me and my Dutch friends, Gesink is a good time trialist. At least 60 guys did worse than him

 

[nia O'Malley]

I wonder if AS atttacks like Delgado did in 87 tomorrow, the '99+ fans will scream at breach of tradition?

 

[icefire]

I imagine there will be 2 next year...

Seeing the way it's worked this year I doubt ASO will change that

 

[Beech Mtn]

Who was AC hugging after the finish (the guy in the ball cap)?

That was Vino.

Fabian's decision to neutralize the Spa stage changed the yellow and green jerseys in this year's Tour. I believe Menchov would've won his first Tour, and Thor would've taken green over AleJet.

 

[Old&slow]

With a 39 sec gap to yellow it means Contador can only claim one legitimate win in his 3 tours. Certainly only one undisputed win or win without legitimate controversy.

 

[Dekker_Tifosi]

And of course, as said by me and my Dutch friends, Gesink is a good time trialist. At least 60 guys did worse than him

I still think someone who is able to do top 10 in time trials is not a bad time triallist. He's just done 0 good ones this year.
Worrying.

 

[killswitch]

It is ironic that if the peloton had not waited on stage 2 Menchov would be in yellow now...

 

[Parrot23]

Menchov would've wished there were 2 time trials...

And no Spa as the Postman, others, mentioned. Hadn't thought of that.

 

[joy118118]

well, le Tour finishes tomorrow. We could say byebye to those silly posts

 

[scribe]

Few riders who live the tender loving care of the Hog ever replicate the same form.
Just ask Levi.
Funny that.

isn't Levi riding with bruyneel now?
Not a bad theory outside of practise

 

[dsut4392]

Yes... A prologue and a penultimate day long TT. That's how it should be IMO.

Disagree - the tour has been dominated by skinny climbers for a few years now. Stick in another long ITT (e.g. '80s style 60km+) and you should get more fireworks in the mountains as the Schlecks and Contadors try to put extra time into the TT specialists.

Too many (T)TT kilometers = boring tour.

Agree. But "too many" is about 75km more than this year

 

[Moviefan1203]

So who ended up winning the team classification?

 

[nia O'Malley]

And English, obviously.

Why obviously? he lives in England?

 

[roundabout]

Why obviously? he lives in England?

He rides for Saxobank. I think English is main language of communication there.

 

[nia O'Malley]

So who ended up winning the team classification?

That one is not over yet