The Tour de France is over after stage 4

[Kimono]

I said to myself if they show Ben Stiller warming up on Armstrong TT bike or even interview Stiller then I was going to stick the b*tt end of a pool cue up my own nasal cavity.

Lucky it didn’t happen. However I know it won’t be long before ridiculous stories start drifting out about how under Armstrong’s guidance the team reconned the course back in April. These stories will tell us they went with the McClaren Formula One team to ensure they had the appropriate downforce on the bikes for the tight bends and rapid elevations. The win was all down to planning. Something the other teams don’t do.

I actually like Lance but these responses truly are hilarious! I've fallen for a lot of the folklore myself over the years.

Remember the 2003 Tour and Lance noticed after a sub-par performance on a particular mountain stage that his rear brakes had been hanging up?!! This from a guy who supposedly notices GRAMS worth of weight difference in his bike or fractions of millimeters difference in seat / bar height!

And I'm not a hater. Still funny thought

 

[colwildcat]

We get it, most of you hate Lance.

I find it funny that you bristle so at the coverage. This is a US based network, covering the race for US fans, a vast majority of who did not watch the Tour when Lance was not in it. Their ratings sucked. So, he's back in, and the only American hope for placing anywhere near the top, no disrespect to VDV. They are bound to slant their coverage to the US rider that is extremely popular, everywhere but these forums it seems. Did you all get so offended at the coverage Phelps got at the Olympics?

I find it amusing that someone in this forum mentioned '08 as being a "classic" TDF. IT was a boring race, with very few attacks, won by a guy who broke away on one stage. Sorry, found it completely uninteresting. Yes, it was an open field, but it was an open field lacking a true champion.

This year, with all the politics and infighting, along with the fact that guys like Evans and Menchov will be forced to try to attack as is their teams were pathetic yesterday, is shaping this one to be the best Tours I can remember watching. Oh, and don't start with the 70's history lesson, I wasn't alive then.

The racing is far from over. I still think AC wins this thing by quite a bit, but it will be fun to watch.

 

[whiteboytrash]

On a "positive note"
It was really good to see Voeckler winning today's stage- eve though I already knew that was going to happen too !!

It was farking great ! Stuck it Columbia and Cav's big fat mouth ! I even note that Columbia are complaining that no one is helping them chase down the breaks..... well you get that when you try and bust up the peloton and tip off a few riders along the way. Columbia get nothing.

 

[Escarabajo]

We get it, most of you hate Lance.

I find it funny that you bristle so at the coverage. This is a US based network, covering the race for US fans, a vast majority of who did not watch the Tour when Lance was not in it. Their ratings sucked. So, he's back in, and the only American hope for placing anywhere near the top, no disrespect to VDV.

Can you remind me Levi Leipheimer final GC in the 2007 Tour de France?
Looks like you are very new to the sport.

 

[Jayarbie]

Can you remind me Levi Leipheimer final GC in the 1997 Tour de France?
Looks like you are very new to the sport.

Levi wasn't in the 97 Tour.

 

[Escarabajo]

Levi wasn't in the 97 Tour.

Shoot. I need some coffee now. I mean 2007.

 

[colwildcat]

Can you remind me Levi Leipheimer final GC in the 2007 Tour de France?
Looks like you are very new to the sport.

I'm talking this year, not the past. Levi is 3rd or 4th on Astana, depending on go you ask. So, this year he isn't going to be on the podium. And no, not new to the sport at all, just looking to avoid a bunch of holier than thou "I've ridden Mont Ventoux" replies

 

[benpounder]

...just looking to avoid a bunch of holier than thou "I've ridden Mont Ventoux" replies

Well, I have ridden Ventoux!

 

[Amsterhammer]

Well, I have ridden Ventoux!

In that case, I doff my hat in your general direction.

 

[Kimono]

Well, I have ridden Ventoux!

Lloyd Bentson to Dan Qualye; 1988 VP Debate:
"I knew Mont Ventoux; Mont Ventoux was a friend of mine. Senator, you're no Mont Ventoux."

 

[rolfrae]

It was farking great ! Stuck it Columbia and Cav's big fat mouth ! I even note that Columbia are complaining that no one is helping them chase down the breaks..... well you get that when you try and bust up the peloton and tip off a few riders along the way. Columbia get nothing.

I thought that too. Cav might need to learn to be a little more diplomatic, try and make a few more friends in the peleton and a few less enemies if his team wants help in chasing the breaks.

 

[SlantParallelogram]

That is a major down side of all the "grand" tours. You only get to see the skills of a few riders that the teams have determined to be their candidate for a GC win.

I prefer the spring classics and other one day races, where you can see many different types of riders have chances to win.

 

[Anonymous]

is it still over....?

can someone send me a pm when it starts again...

ta muchly..

 

[frizzlefry]

is it still over....?

can someone send me a pm when it starts again...

ta muchly..

Not even close. It's a long way from being over. Contador says so.

 

[TrapperJohn]

In two weeks, it will be interesting to look back on this thread and see how naive it was.

This race is anything but over. Already, the presumed yellow and green jerseys have been taught a humiliating lesson in complacency. And it hasn't even arrived at the mountains yet.

Hubris, meet reality.

 

[Anonymous]

In two weeks, it will be interesting to look back on this thread and see how naive it was.

This race is anything but over. Already, the presumed yellow and green jerseys have been taught a humiliating lesson in complacency. And it hasn't even arrived at the mountains yet.

Hubris, meet reality.

i dont think cav has been shown anything in complacenly...
won two stages, and today won the bunch spring to further cement his position.. complacency would have been not contesting third place today...

contador on the other hand.. did he learn nothing from the other day.. hanging around at the back and caught in a split again.. the guy is tactically ***..

 

[whiteboytrash]

I thought that too. Cav might need to learn to be a little more diplomatic, try and make a few more friends in the peleton and a few less enemies if his team wants help in chasing the breaks.

Too late. He's in Lance's gang now. Cav was wearing green Nike shoes today. No doubt dude friend Lance sorted them. You can see Cav getting smashed into the barriers by a phetted up Italian not to long from now.

 

[Anonymous]

i dont think cav has been shown anything in complacenly...
won two stages, and today won the bunch spring to further cement his position.. complacency would have been not contesting third place today...

contador on the other hand.. did he learn nothing from the other day.. hanging around at the back and caught in a split again.. the guy is tactically ***..

No, he wasn't caught in the split from what I saw.

 

[Anonymous]

In two weeks, it will be interesting to look back on this thread and see how naive it was.

This race is anything but over. Already, the presumed yellow and green jerseys have been taught a humiliating lesson in complacency. And it hasn't even arrived at the mountains yet.

Hubris, meet reality.

On the other hand, we may look back and think that all of those railing against anyone who suggested Armstrong's chances were minimal at best will be gone and never heard from again. Time will tell.

Fanboy, meet reality.

 

[Anonymous]

No, he wasn't caught in the split from what I saw.

he got caught in the split at about 40k with the garmin boys while lance again was in the front one, but it came back within about 2k..

at least he did on my telly. either that or the eurosport boys where talking garbage

 

[Anonymous]

he got caught in the split at about 40k with the garmin boys while lance again was in the front one, but it came back within about 2k..

at least he did on my telly. either that or the eurosport boys where talking garbage

I just never saw him back there, but he well could have. It looked to me like almost every Astana rider was in the front group after the split, but I didn't see him until later. Of course Phil and Paul didn't get the composition of the break until tonight's 8pm show.

 

[Publicus]

he got caught in the split at about 40k with the garmin boys while lance again was in the front one, but it came back within about 2k..

at least he did on my telly. either that or the eurosport boys where talking garbage

He wasn't caught out he was on Lance's wheel most of the day, with Levi on his wheel. The only Astana team member who was caught out was [insert Khazah].

 

[Anonymous]

He wasn't caught out he was on Lance's wheel most of the day, with Levi on his wheel. The only Astana team member who was caught out was [insert Khazah].

Yea, thats right, Armstrong even made a comment about it after the stage. Something to the effect of "He stayed on my wheel, maybe he sees that I know how to ride the Tour" or something like that. It is in one of the articles on the main sight.

 

[Anonymous]

Yea, thats right, Armstrong even made a comment about it after the stage. Something to the effect of "He stayed on my wheel, maybe he sees that I know how to ride the Tour" or something like that. It is in one of the articles on the main sight.

when they came along the coast, and the pelaton split into 3-4 groups

54.7k to go when its down to two groups eurosport report contador as being in the second group with menchov and roche, oscar P etc.. Ive rewound and ffd and paused and i cant pick out the number on his back it certainly looks like 21.. both kelly and numptynuts agree on it..

ive gone over and over and i cant spot him in the main feild.. baffling..

 

[Publicus]

54.7k to go when they came along the coast, and the pelaton split into 3-4 groups

eurosport report contador as being in the second group with menchov and roche.. Ive rewound and ffd and paused and i cant pick out the number on his back it certainly looks like 21.. both kelly and numptynuts agree on it..

ive gone over and over and i cant spot him in the main feild.. baffling..

It's 25--DM the Kazakh. It was pretty clear from a couple of the shots on Versus (I was specifically looking for him because of what happened on Stage 3).