The Tour Down Under Just Got Interesting

[euanli]

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/20...5/2080.ap.cyc.tour.down.under.cavendish.0237/

Looks like we are going to get Cavendish, Farrar and Greipel showdown well before the Tour. Should make the early season interesting for once.

 

[alexcta]

I think 2 things.
Cavendish, Greipel and Farrar will have a great game and Mcewen will be in the race with Pegasus Sports.

 

[Mambo95]

I think they've all realised that if they want a full team at the World's they're going to have to go out and get the ranking points themselves (Cavendish especially)

 

[alexcta]

Omega Pharma in the Tour Down Under: André Greipel, Mario Aerts, Adam Hansen, Olivier Kaisen, Vicente Reynes, Marcel Sieberg and Jurgen Roelandts. It is a good team to help Greipel?

 

[auscyclefan94]

this going to be so awesome! the rivalry between cav and griepel will intensify and I will be there for some of the days!!!! Come on sbs show it live!!!!!!

IT'S GOING TO BE A SHOWDOWN!!!!!!

 

[alexcta]

These two (Cavendish and Greipel) only competed together in the 2008 Giro D'Italia.

 

[Kwibus]

When I saw that title I thought they found some mountains or some dirt roads stage :/

 

[clipperton]

well yeah, they rarely competed together but to suggest there's no rivalry seems a tad naïve, n'est pas?

 

[Parrulo]

well indeed that will make for interesting racing.

 

[auscyclefan94]

So we have boonen, farrar, mcewen, cavendish, greipel and davis with probably hensderson, sutton and some others all in the same field!!!!

 

[clipperton]

boonen is confirmed?

 

[NickBVK]

Will be the same top 4-5 everyday.

The sprints will be great though, arguably the best sprinters around will be going at it.

A good testing ground for new leadout trains etc. too

 

[Night Rider]

When I saw that title I thought they found some mountains or some dirt roads stage :/

Not until it moves to Victoria

 

[jens_attacks]

When I saw that title I thought they found some mountains or some dirt roads stage :/

fucc that.they got willunga hill.
now seriously,tour down under was pretty good this year so i'm looking forward to it.cav fighting greipel...it will be interesting.

 

[rgmerk]

When I saw that title I thought they found some mountains or some dirt roads stage :/

Mountains might be a bit tough near Adelaide, but dirt roads could be arranged without too much hassle.

However, any dirt roads at that time of year are likely to be so dusty the peloton would just be one rolling brown cloud

 

[Jamsque]

If you're going to run a flat race, you might as well get the best sprinters in the world.

It will be a fun early season showdown, but a lot can change between the TDU and the TdF.

 

[euanli]

Yeah, Farrar is less likely to fall off his bike at the start of the season

 

[Zinoviev Letter]

Given that the Giro has essentially abolished the bunch sprint next year, you could make a strong case that with that sort of line up, bizarrely, the TdU will be the second most important stage race of the year for the sprinters!

Certainly whoever puts everyone else away will have bragging rights until Milan San Remo. The downside of having an absolutely top notch field of sprinters is that no break away will have a chance at all with that number of teams looking for a bunch finish.

 

[auscyclefan94]

Mountains might be a bit tough near Adelaide, but dirt roads could be arranged without too much hassle.

However, any dirt roads at that time of year are likely to be so dusty the peloton would just be one rolling brown cloud

They could go to Oodnatta (Northern south australia). Lots of desert and dirt out there and in january the average temperature is 38oC.

it once got to 51oC out there!

 

[BroDeal]

When I saw that title I thought they found some mountains or some dirt roads stage :/

They added a new stage which is colloquially known as the "croc dodging stage." The first to make it to the finish with all body parts intact wins.

 

[Mellow Velo]

What a complete yawnfest.
Libertine Seguros's worst nightmare!
Wake me up in February.

 

[maltiv]

When I saw that title I thought they found some mountains or some dirt roads stage :/

I thought the same, so big disappointment!

The TDU has got to be the most exciting boring race of the year though. Had it been any other place on the calander I wouldn't care about it at all, but I'm really looking forward for it at the moment. Approximately 2 months left!

 

[blaxland]

This is great news for cycling fans worldwide.Seeing Greiple /Cavendish/Farrar and Mcewan fighting out stage victories cant wait.Bring on January 2011.

 

[Libertine Seguros]

What a complete yawnfest.
Libertine Seguros's worst nightmare!
Wake me up in February.

When I saw what the comment was, I thought "interesting? Foxtrot Oscar"

May as well save us all three or four hours of our lives and hold 5 200m time trials and the Willunga Hill stage.

Guess I'll just wait for the Tour Med and the Volta ao Algarve for cycling, rather than parades, to happen.

 

[AussieGoddess]

I think it sounds awesome.

To have so many top level guys competing down here is fantastic for cycling in Australia.

Hope Greipel pulls it off though