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

[indurain666]

To suggest, as some have, that it is the same descent used in Liege Bastogne Liege does slightly miss the point. In LBL by this stage in the race you have already had a sizeable selection in the bunch, so you would not likely get such a large peloton descending the Stockeu as you did today. Stage races and one day races are different and what works on a 260km attritional classic like LBL (or Paris Roubaix, thinking of tomorrow's stage) is perhaps not appropriate as part of a stage race. Tomorrow is likely to be carnage as lots of riders who would simply quit in Paris Roubaix once the major cobbles arrive - the selection having been made , their domestique duties done - are going to have to race hard. I suspect this could result in all manner of crashes and misfortunes that I don't think are appropriate risks for a stage race.

Good point...I actually can't wait for tomorrow's stage. I think guys like Schleck and Contador are going to lose some time on the cobbles. I hope they don't lose too much though like Zulle in 99.

 

[hrotha]

Yes, a contador is a person who counts things or who tells things (such as stories)

Usually though, a "contador" is a meter or a counter, for example a water meter.

 

[scribe]

I wonder how this peloton would react to the giro? I think half of the stages would have been neutralized by the riders

@ Wattie, they know the stages and they now what is dangerous, as was the case with the giro, it's a problem of the riders themselves, they should have made the selection so that such a thing could not happen. That they did not ride in a manner which would ensure such a selection is completely the fault of the riders and therefore they themselves are responsible

Most all the Giro players are in this peloton. What's stopping them from calling the shots on what great racing is all about?

 

[Thee_chisa]

shame cavendish wasn't in the main group. he would have contested it for sure.

 

[scribe]

shame cavendish wasn't in the main group. he would have contested it for sure.

He is the one who called for neutralization! Cavendish speaks, they listen.

 

[Cobblestones]

What a bunch of wimps. I've slipped on everything from toys, dogs, drinks. Did that stop me from making a beer run to the fridge during the commercial break? No, sir.

Post of the day!

 

[Wattie]

@ Wattie, they know the stages and they now what is dangerous, as was the case with the giro, it's a problem of the riders themselves, they should have made the selection so that such a thing could not happen. That they did not ride in a manner which would ensure such a selection is completely the fault of the riders and therefore they themselves are responsible

I think that is unfair on the riders, because as I have said, the nature of one day and stages races is tactically quite different and it would not make sense to try to make a selection on a stage like today's when little time gain would be involved, whereas in LBL the only issue is crossing the line first (time gaps don't matter) so the tactics required are different. I'm not saying the riders are blameless, because they did know the course beforehand and could easily have protested long before if they thought the Stockeu would be a problem (Horner's comments beg just that response).

 

[Oldman]

Good point...I actually can't wait for tomorrow's stage. I think guys like Schleck and Contador are going to lose some time on the cobbles. I hope they don't lose too much though like Zulle in 99.

Makes you wonder, though; if today's feeble protest isn't setting up the true concerns about tomorrow's stage for the GC teams who feel at risk. That would be sad and hope they all ride it without excess theatrics.

 

[bobs nob]

I can't believe the horrendous software robbed us of your wit.

I have had it happen when I get distracted (usually by the ridiculous need to do some work while I am at work, and something needs to be done about THAT.)

I think if you select the remember me box, it keeps you logged in for a long time. Long enough to post the world's most unforgettable internet forum post.

Poor guy, he seemed totally broken up over the lost post. I hate to tell him how few people bother to read a really long post. And if it was short, why can't he recall it from memory (his own, not the computer's)?

 

[neineinei]

Spill from Gavazzi?

The Cyclingnews report says:

"Myriad splits opened in the bunch courtesy of crashes that followed a spill from Gavazzi, who had hitherto been amongst the eight escapees"

http://www.cyclingnews.com/races/97th-tour-de-france-gt/stage-2/results

What did Gavazzi spill? Blood? Battery liquid? Fuel? Soap? What?

 

[indurain666]

Makes you wonder, though; if today's feeble protest isn't setting up the true concerns about tomorrow's stage for the GC teams who feel at risk. That would be sad and hope they all ride it without excess theatrics.

hmmmm...interesting thought..although I am a big Contador fan, I would be really disappointed if they don't race through the cobbles.

 

[Cervelo77]

I think the reason there was no sprint at the end was that there were so many riders that hit the deck, many with unknown state of injury, some of them sprinters, that the pack didn't want to risk injuring (more) people (again).

I'll give them the benefit of the doubt on this one.

 

[tgsgirl]

Robert Gesink with a hairline fracture to his arm. He'll start tomorrow, but it'll be painful. Day to day racing.
From the Rabo site.

 

[theyoungest]

Robert Gesink with a hairline fracture to his arm. He'll start tomorrow, but it'll be painful. Day to day racing.
From the Rabo site.

Yes, wonderful. Just what we were waiting for. Gesink and the Tour, it's a hate-hate relationship.

 

[Dekker_Tifosi]

This will cause a trauma for ever.

Just skip the Tour Robert. Let it be for Contador and friends. Win many Giri and Vuelta.

The Tour is not for you

 

[bobs nob]

Usually though, a "contador" is a meter or a counter, for example a water meter.

http://translate.google.com/#auto|en|contador

http://translate.google.com/#auto|es|accountant

It is both 'counter' as in numeric, not like kitchen counter. It is also accountant.

Didn't know the offhand comment was gonna take on a life of its own. But I still think the adding machine would be an apropos stage win salute, although I am not sure if people would be able to decipher the pantomime to its intended meaning. Maybe he could be shooting an adding machine?

But then again, the guy who does the fishing salute looked like air drums to me.

 

[bobs nob]

hmmmm...interesting thought..although I am a big Contador fan, I would be really disappointed if they don't race through the cobbles.

For purely AC-fan reasons, I think Astana should have (assuming they had a couple guys that could) pushed the pace off the front in order to secure a verbal deal for tomorrow from Saxo Bank to get the same treatment. But that's just me, and i am sitting on my fat aircondioned *** 2500 miles away, and I have no idea about anything.

 

[oncearunner]

Robbie M just tweeted a photograph of his elbow injury.
mcewenrobbie: http://twitpic.com/22q5pn How an elbow shouldn't look (37 minutes ago
Lot of folks are going to be hurting tomorrow. It is a real shame that just about every contender for GC & le maillot vert is injured to some degree after today's festivities. More and more reports suggest that the crashes on the descent were caused by fuel or oil spilled by a moto crash just prior to the main field's arrival.

 

[Barrus]

Robert Gesink with a hairline fracture to his arm. He'll start tomorrow, but it'll be painful. Day to day racing.
From the Rabo site.

Why does he need to go the tour, please Gesink set other goals, just forget about the tour. Tomorrow'll be hell for him

 

[tgsgirl]

@procyclinglive on twitter says Farrar fractured his elbow...

 

[luckyboy]

Awful news for Gesink

For purely AC-fan reasons, I think Astana should have (assuming they had a couple guys that could) pushed the pace off the front in order to secure a verbal deal for tomorrow from Saxo Bank to get the same treatment. But that's just me, and i am sitting on my fat aircondioned *** 2500 miles away, and I have no idea about anything.

Not sure what you're trying to say, but you mean Astana should've done a deal so Saxo would protect them tomorrow?!

 

[bobs nob]

Awful news for Gesink



Not sure what you're trying to say, but you mean Astana should've done a deal so Saxo would protect them tomorrow?!

pretty much - given the lack of benefit of hindsight. Of course given hindsight, no, but they couldn't know at the time.

 

[santacruz]

Wait so how did Christian VdV lose 10 minutes if there was such a lengthy period of Go-Slow time, and so many Garmin dudes went down and were behind, I assume with VdV, as well. Why couldn't they chase back up to the front, were they so injured they could barely pedal? sucks!

 

[Thee_chisa]

this bull**** needs to stop, race the effing race!! stop making deals, this culture of dodgy deals is almost as bad as doping.

 

[Cerberus]

I can't believe the horrendous software robbed us of your wit.

I propose we neutralize the thread in protest of these unacceptable posting conditions.