Tour de France Stage 2 Brussels - Spa, 192 km Monday, July 5 2010

[tgsgirl]

... & somehow got Thor to agree on neutralizing the stage...

Somehow got Thor to agree? What is he, a ****ing hypnotist? If Thor - the man who quite possibly lost most from this* - agrees, that says something.

*no points gain on Cav, no time gain for Sastre

 

[theyoungest]

Somehow got Thor to agree? What is he, a ****ing hypnotist? If Thor - the man who quite possibly lost most from this* - agrees, that says something.

*no points gain on Cav, no time gain for Sastre

Not much difference with Menchov, Gesink, and Freire, I'd say.

 

[bobs nob]

Way to completely miss my point. Maybe we don't need to squeeze down finishing straights in the last few hundred meters. Maybe we don't need to send GC riders over cobbled roads.

You can easily see situations that are simply dangerous.

Also, easy to sit on your *** thousands of miles away and not give a **** about the safety of the riders.

This seems to be the retort du jour around here lately. Perhaps we can just shut the board down for racing discussions unless you have participated.

This line of arguing is a straw man. This is an internet forum. We can say wuddever the feck we want. If someone makes a reasoned argument and someone else disagrees, then responders just whip that out willy nilly.

 

[Publicus]

Contador says he fell on a straightaway going 60km/h

http://www.biciciclismo.com/cas/site/noticias-ficha.asp?id=28150

 

[tgsgirl]

Not much difference with Menchov, Gesink, and Freire, I'd say.

Agreed. Rabo and Cervélo, then.
On the Rabo site their DS says they're not happy, but they didn't join Cervélo in the protests during the race, which is fairly idiotic.

 

[hrotha]

Way to completely miss my point. Maybe we don't need to squeeze down finishing straights in the last few hundred meters. Maybe we don't need to send GC riders over cobbled roads.

Maybe we should scrap the Paris-Roubaix since it's so dangerous.

Is it acceptable to have a race like Paris-Roubaix? Then those teams doing the Tour should just train on them cobblestones and make sure they're ready when they come.

 

[theyoungest]

Agreed. Rabo and Cervélo, then.
On the Rabo site their DS says they're not happy, but they didn't join Cervélo in the protests during the race, which is fairly idiotic.

Yes, Rabo only have themselves to blame if they lose major time tomorrow and their GC is lost. It's just incredibly stupid, and I'm sure Armstrong or the Saxos would have ridden full gas if they were in the same situation.

What's up with races with Armstrong in them? I can't wait for his re-retirement, so the Tour might be slightly exciting again.

 

[Barrus]

Way to completely miss my point. Maybe we don't need to squeeze down finishing straights in the last few hundred meters. Maybe we don't need to send GC riders over cobbled roads.

You can easily see situations that are simply dangerous.

Also, easy to sit on your *** thousands of miles away and not give a **** about the safety of the riders.

SO Liége and Paris-Roubaix are now to dangerous to race?

 

[sartoris]

Contador says he fell on a straightaway going 60km/h

http://www.biciciclismo.com/cas/site/noticias-ficha.asp?id=28150

And that he made his teammates slow down and wait for the Schlecks. He's very badly hurt himself:

http://tweetphoto.com/30986907

 

[Juan Speeder]

Contador says he fell on a straightaway going 60km/h

http://www.biciciclismo.com/cas/site/noticias-ficha.asp?id=28150

Babblefish cleared that Spanish right up for me:

"Alberto Accountant was one of many runners that today underwent a fall in the slope of the level of Stockeu, on a highway section that had become a track of skating due to rain and, apparently, to the loss of fuel of a motorcycle that also had fallen minutes before the passage of the runners. “Era an authentic madness”, said Accountant after leaving the control antidoping, through which also it had to happen before beginning to cure his wounds. Alberto was not the unique runner of the Astana in falling, because only Youngest child Noval and Navarrese Dani managed to avoid it. Alexandre Vinokourov, although without no blow of importance, fell just behind Accountant, whereas Tiralongo, according to explained, struck the right knee with the bicycle of Armstrong, that also was implied in the accident. Accountant has undergone a blow in the right hip, knee and the elbow with escoriaciones, but the first impression of the doctors of the equipment, as well as the one of the runner he is that tomorrow he will be able to take the exit without more complications. “We are going to be optimistic and to think that we have been able to rise of the fall”, said Alberto".

 

[woodburn]

Sounds like Cancellara wasn't the only one wanting to go slow.

--

When asked who orchestrated the decision for the go-slow, Horner said: "It was nobody's idea and everybody's idea. You could feel it. I didn't even hear them talking about it, but you could feel it happening. That's what they get and sooner or later the riders are going to protest one way or another."

 

[thehog]

What do you mean 1000's of miles away? I travel from UK to Europe to the US attending bike races. I know cycling. I know its terrain.

Yeah sure the GC gets all out of whack but what can you do? Its up to the riders to make up the time. If you stop stages everytime it rains or a rider falls then we can all stay home.

If this was a one day race it would be game on.

Cav missed out yesterday so do we stop the sprint because he wasn't at the front? No of course not.

Today was completely safe. It was the rain that changed the state of play. Looks to me Saste's Giro experience taught him well and now we just took that away from him.

Way to completely miss my point. Maybe we don't need to squeeze down finishing straights in the last few hundred meters. Maybe we don't need to send GC riders over cobbled roads.

You can easily see situations that are simply dangerous.

Also, easy to sit on your *** thousands of miles away and not give a **** about the safety of the riders.

 

[Oldman]

I don't think it's farked up at all. They'd already waited once for the entire peoloton to come back together after the Delange crash. They waited here again. What I don't understand is why they didn't continue racing after everyone was back together. And when I say everyone, I mean most.

This could be a cumulative issue for the riders. The last several K of Stage 1was guaranteed to be life threatening and the riders may have been fed up.
As for wet descents, etc: that is part of racing and they race well or not. The fact that media bikes get in the way is a complication few have to deal with and teams with GC aspirations probably complain about this stuff every day; we just don't hear about it.

 

[Delicato]

AC's injuries look harder than LA's. Wonder if it has any impact on his GC chances.

Menchov actually has a chance now If he escapes Arenberg stage unhurt, that is.

 

[theyoungest]

Way to completely miss my point. Maybe we don't need to squeeze down finishing straights in the last few hundred meters. Maybe we don't need to send GC riders over cobbled roads.

You can easily see situations that are simply dangerous.

Also, easy to sit on your *** thousands of miles away and not give a **** about the safety of the riders.

Easy to sit on your respective behind and judge the safety of the roads. I'm sick of these Anglophone forumists (and Anglophone riders) acting like the roads of northern Europe aren't suitable to ride on. This is arguably where cycling as a sport started.

 

[indurain666]

I think it is easy to criticize behind the keyboard . One thing is to have cobbles, wet, narrow or twisty roads and the other one is to have oil or some other slippery stuff. This makes it really dangerous, it is very difficult to handle a bike on oil even if you are doing 30 kph. As for the riders complaining, the guy that started it all was Cancellara, a Roubaix winner..not sure if he crashed or not, but give me a break if you think Cancellara does not know how to handle a bike. I give these guys the benefit of doubt, they are the ones doing 90 kph on small windy roads.

 

[bobs nob]

Babblefish cleared that Spanish right up for me:

"Alberto Accountant was one of many runners that today underwent a fall in the slope of the level of Stockeu, on a highway section that had become a track of skating due to rain and, apparently, to the loss of fuel of a motorcycle that also had fallen minutes before the passage of the runners. “Era an authentic madness”, said Accountant after leaving the control antidoping, through which also it had to happen before beginning to cure his wounds. Alberto was not the unique runner of the Astana in falling, because only Youngest child Noval and Navarrese Dani managed to avoid it. Alexandre Vinokourov, although without no blow of importance, fell just behind Accountant, whereas Tiralongo, according to explained, struck the right knee with the bicycle of Armstrong, that also was implied in the accident. Accountant has undergone a blow in the right hip, knee and the elbow with escoriaciones, but the first impression of the doctors of the equipment, as well as the one of the runner he is that tomorrow he will be able to take the exit without more complications. “We are going to be optimistic and to think that we have been able to rise of the fall”, said Alberto".

I see your babblefish and raise you a translate.google.com

http://translate.google.com/transla...ite/noticias-ficha.asp?id=28150&sl=auto&tl=en

Does Contador mean Accountant in Spanish? Maybe he can change the pistolshot to a guy using an adding machine.

 

[tgsgirl]

People who understand French can listen to Pescheux, race organiser at ASO, here:
http://www.sporza.be/cm/sporza/wielrennen/Tour/100705_Pescheux_reactie

There was oil on the road, it was like "skiing on ice" and he understands and agrees with the neutralization.

 

[Francois the Postman]

Easy to sit on your respective behind and judge the safety of the roads. I'm sick of these Anglophone forumists (and Anglophone riders) acting like the roads of northern Europe aren't suitable to ride on. This is arguably where cycling as a sport started.

Snap. That or we have the hardest riders on the planet who brave these roads for just about all races they participate in.

 

[goggalor]

I think it is easy to criticize behind the keyboard . One thing is to have cobbles, wet, narrow or twisty roads and the other one is to have oil or some other slippery stuff. This makes it really dangerous, it is very difficult to handle a bike on oil even if you are doing 30 kph. As for the riders complaining, the guy that started it all was Cancellara, a Roubaix winner..not sure if he crashed or not, but give me a break if you think Cancellara does not know how to handle a bike. I give these guys the benefit of doubt, they are the ones doing 90 kph on small windy roads.

They are also the ones pumping their bodies full of chemicals, then lying about it to their mothers...

There are more shady characters in pro cycling than there are upstanding ones. I'm sick of giving them the benefit of the doubt.

 

[hrotha]

People who understand French can listen to Pescheux, race organiser at ASO, here:
http://www.sporza.be/cm/sporza/wielrennen/Tour/100705_Pescheux_reactie

There was oil on the road, it was like "skiing on ice" and he understands and agrees with the neutralization.

Agrees with the neutralization? After the danger was already over?

Also please please please don't post machine translations, I find them offensive

 

[pedaling squares]

... Maybe we don't need to squeeze down finishing straights in the last few hundred meters. Maybe we don't need to send GC riders over cobbled roads...

I disagree Rich. The GC winner of the tdf is supposed to be the man who can best handle all the terrain that France throws at him. Ascents, descents, TT's, cobbles, wet roads, rough roads, tight roads, winding roads... this guy should be able to handle them all. I'm all for a safe race but to me safety means not having road furniture right after a corner, or not having a 180 degree bend in the last 2 kms of a flat stage. Yesterday's corner at 2.5 km and today's descent don't seem like poor planning so much as poor execution or in today's case a case of a poor luck as the road was so slick.

 

[tgsgirl]

Does Contador mean Accountant in Spanish? Maybe he can change the pistolshot to a guy using an adding machine.

Google translate always changes Contador into Accountant. Vicioso is vicious person, Moreno is coloured person, the intermediary sprint is the classificiation of the projecting goals and, my personal favourite, the LA - Rota dos Moveis team is Team There Route Wall of Furniture.

 

[Publicus]

AC's injuries look harder than LA's. Wonder if it has any impact on his GC chances.

Menchov actually has a chance now If he escapes Arenberg stage unhurt, that is.

Unless you've seen Armstrong's injuries,then I don't know how you say this. Armstrong was already bandaged on his right arm and said he road rash on his right hip in his video. Not sure how you could say one is worse than the other if you can only see one person's actual injuries.

 

[indurain666]

They are also the ones pumping their bodies full of chemicals, then lying about it to their mothers...

There are more shady characters in pro cycling than there are upstanding ones. I'm sick of giving them the benefit of the doubt.

I agree with you, I think all of them are walking pharmacies, but spilling oil on a wet and narrow descent as an effort to eradicate dopers seems a little extreme to me