Tour de France Stage 4: Lorient - Mur de Bretagne - 172.5 km

[No_Balls]

I think I can speak for ALL Americans when I say we like to root for the underdogs.

That´s fair and even understandable to a certain degree. Does not, however, explain the strange comments guys like ManINFull and Galic Ho has shared with us.

It´s one thing to root for the underdog and one coming up with crap like "Jurgen 4th last year" etc. It is anti-intellectual and a whole lot of disinformation.

That explains why we like PouPou so much.

Dude. Poulidour was a long time ago

 

[red_flanders]

I think I can speak for ALL Americans when I say we like to root for the underdogs.

That explains why we like PouPou so much.

Boo AC Boo. Boo Boo Boo.
Go Tommy, Go Tommy, it's your birthday it's your birthday.

I do like to root for the underdog. Not sure it's an "American" trait though, with most Americans not giving a flying fig about any race or sport an American isn't doing well in.

The number of Americans who know who PouPou was is about equal to the number of Spaniards who are afraid their meat is tainted.

 

[therhodeo]

The look on Horner's face crossing the line was a bit of a surprise too.

Didn't see, was he dead at the end or what?

 

[Moviefan1203]

Did Feillu get punished for his shameless drafting behind his team car? He was being so obvious about it that it was funny.

 

[Dekker_Tifosi]

That is absolutely ridiculous.

The 9th jury member is Raymond Kerckhoffs from Dutch paper De Telegraaf by the way

 

[Lexman]

What you want, the only way the french teams get a little money! Chauvinist as they are it' no surprise that they elect always a french rider, as you said 'biased idiots', the are only capable of laughing with Hoogerland... Saw a stage of 3days of The Panne i think it was, Van Keirsbulck was with Van Groen and a french rider whose name i can't remember and the french commentators on Sport + thought it was really funny that the french rider wasn't contributing and enervating Van Keirsbulck and were really making fun of Van Keirsbulck....

Talk about biased idiots.

The jury that decides the combativty award... decided Jeremy Roy. 8 out of the 9 jury-members are French.

Hoogerland was furious: "I attacked, I took the sprint, i took the mountain points, i attacked again in the finale and i did the most work. And then they give the prize to Roy. Unbelievable! What do I have to do more??"

 

[Cimber]

Anyone see any comments from Contador on the stage? English-speaking media seems disinterested.

http://www.sporten.dk/cykling/contador-jeg-fik-hvad-jeg-kom-efter

U need to google-translate it from Danish to English.

But in short: he felt good and wanted to test his rivals. He would have loved to win for his team but he got what he came for and got the moral to make extraordinary things in the race.

 

[Angliru]

yes, can someone explain why gilebert are chasing down VDB????? too much ego of himself, who knows what is going to happen, if selfish gilbert sits down, what pity OPL did so much work for him today and i doubt VDB will get much support in the mountain, since most team members will be wasted before the big moutains

He saw how successful the dual attack formation worked for Leopard/Schleck Bros. in L-B-L, that he and VDB2 thought they'd give it a try.

 

[Dutchsmurf]

Did Feillu get punished for his shameless drafting behind his team car? He was being so obvious about it that it was funny.

Why? That was nothing out of the ordinary. It isn't like he was holding the car, that would have gotten him punished. Things like that happen numerous times every day, we just got to see it this time because Feillu is French.

 

[Oldman]

Didn't see, was he dead at the end or what?

Horner's interview had him: a)riding a soft tire for awhile then getting a change b)forced to chase and work for 20km to get to the front prior to the hill c) ride the hill....

That's a tall order to maintain contact. He'd have been in the finish theatrics, otherwise.

Hushovd impressed but I think he wisely rode a fairly even pace while the surges occurred and it timed out well for him.

 

[thehog]

What happened to Canc?!!

 

[Cimber]

What happened to Canc?!!

He let him self drop behind with the sprinters. He knew it was to steep for him so he just saved the energy I guess.

EDIT: my bad, apparently he is a tad sick: http://twitter.com/#!/f_cancellara . Though, I didnt think gladiators got sick...

 

[Oldman]

What happened to Canc?!!

He looked to have pulled off at the hill base after pace-setting.

 

[Zinoviev Letter]

Kelly describes Contador as having "a concrete head". Which he apparently meant as a compliment.

http://goo.gl/fb/3tfc2

 

[Angliru]

I think I can speak for ALL Americans when I say we like to root for the underdogs.

That explains why we like PouPou so much.

Boo AC Boo. Boo Boo Boo.
Go Tommy, Go Tommy, it's your birthday it's your birthday.

You definitely are not and will never ever be speaking for me so let me make that clear. I doubt your point of view is representative of "All Americans" otherwise based on your posts we're just a bunch of vapid fanboys with minimal knowledge of the sport.

 

[Finn84]

It was often said of Valverde that he expended too much energy early in the Tour and be spent come week 3. It wasn't till he took on a over conservative strategy of racing the grand tours that he finally won one.

My argument was that if they (Valverde and Evans) are expending energy early in the race (grand tours) then their opponents must do the same to avoid losing time to them. In this case it applies to Evans and Contador.
They animated the stage and their opponents have to react in kind or risk losing time and some still did.

Valverde in 2008 probably peaked a bit too early. He won Dauphiné and Spanish champs in June. In recent days many Dauphiné or TdS winners haven't done too well in Tour.

 

[No_Balls]

What happened to Canc?!!

I read he was sick.

http://twitter.com/#!/f_cancellara

 

[therhodeo]

Why would Cancellara do anything but softpedal in anyway? Andy's going to need a motor like his tomorrow in the wind.

 

[Angliru]

That´s fair and even understandable to a certain degree. Does not, however, explain the strange comments guys like ManINFull and Galic Ho has shared with us.

It´s one thing to root for the underdog and one coming up with crap like "Jurgen 4th last year" etc. It is anti-intellectual and a whole lot of disinformation.



Dude. Poulidour was a long time ago

I wouldn't describe their comments as strange. It is really quite logical considering the large following that LA had and the utter disappointment they must have felt when his dream of a triumphant returned was spoiled by Contador's inability to get with the Bruyneel/Armstrong program. With LA having given up, the LA fan base's (Who likely majority of which ride Treks) only hope for retribution lies in the form of the clean cut, boyish, "charming" Andy Schleck and the latest superteam juggernaut riding Trek bicycles, Leopard Trek. If one were to take a poll asking if previous LA fans are now AS fans it would be interesting to see what the outcome would be.

 

[Tuarts]

3 Frenchman have won the Combativity awards.

Quermenur (Stage 1), Delage (Stage 3), and Roy (Today)

Quermenur was fine IMO, but Gutierrez should have gotten it yesterday, and Hoogerland definitely should have gotten it today.

Delage gathered all the sprint and mountain classification points so that was understandable. What isn't is not giving it to Johnny considering he did the exact same. Consistency, At the tour?

 

[Tuarts]

Why? That was nothing out of the ordinary. It isn't like he was holding the car, that would have gotten him punished. Things like that happen numerous times every day, we just got to see it this time because Feillu is French.

There's drafting and then there's that.

Eg Karpets yesterday = fine

Cofidis yesterday and Feillu today = extreme bending of the rules

 

[Lexman]

Delage gathered all the sprint and mountain classification points so that was understandable. What isn't is not giving it to Johnny considering he did the exact same. Consistency, At the tour?

Indeed logic in the land of J.J. Rousseau is sometimes far away...

 

[No_Balls]

I wouldn't describe their comments as strange. It is really quite logical considering the large following that LA had and the utter disappointment they must have felt when his dream of a triumphant returned was spoiled by Contador's inability to get with the Bruyneel/Armstrong program. With LA having given up, the LA fan base's (Who likely majority of which ride Treks) only hope for retribution lies in the form of the clean cut, boyish, "charming" Andy Schleck and the latest superteam juggernaut riding Trek bicycles, Leopard Trek. If one were to take a poll asking if previous LA fans are now AS fans it would be interesting to see what the outcome would be.

Sorry. It was a typo. I never meant their comments was strange but rather that Liggetts and Sherwens were.

If "All Americans root for the underdog" (which i by no means thinks) as Polish said then Liggetts/Sherwens rather stranger commentary would make no sense at all given what he said. Your quote here was my answer to him.

I think you have right though, that many former LA-fans has gone over to Schlecks side, but how does that make a revenge for what happened 2009? Or is the possible defeat of AC revenge enough?

Sorry for many questions here (and a possible misunderstanding) but it is rather intresting.

 

[Ryo Hazuki]

I think I can speak for ALL Americans when I say we like to root for the underdogs.

That explains why we like PouPou so much.

Boo AC Boo. Boo Boo Boo.
Go Tommy, Go Tommy, it's your birthday it's your birthday.

that's probably why during olympics in usa there are billboards that say you don't win silver, you lose gold



you couldn't be more wrong about american mentality and underdog. everyone likes the underdog to a certain point

 

[Wergeland]

Sammy Sanchez can thank Hushovd for not losing time today. He would have come in with Andy if he hadn't had Hushovd's wheel on the steepest part and when Hushovd closed the gap to the front group at the false flat.