Tour de Luxembourg June 2nd - 6th

[RedheadDane]

(like Saxo Bank with only 4 guys)

Who did they lose this time? And did he get lost too?

 

[Cerberus]

Who did they lose this time? And did he get lost too?

I don't think Saxo has lost any more people, he might just have meant 4 domestiques.

 

[Susan Westemeyer]

Who did they lose this time? And did he get lost too?

Dominik Klemme was DNF on Friday, no reason given. So Saxo Bank has only 4 riders left in the race.

Susan

 

[Christian]

Dominik Klemme was DNF on Friday, no reason given. So Saxo Bank has only 4 riders left in the race.

Susan

Yup, 1 leader - Fränk Schleck - and three domestiques: Kasper Klostergaard, Laurent Didier (who's been doing really, really well in his first season as a pro if I may say so) and Jens Voigt (who might count as 2 domestiques).

 

[RedheadDane]

Yup, 1 leader - Fränk Schleck - and three domestiques: Kasper Klostergaard, Laurent Didier (who's been doing really, really well in his first season as a pro if I may say so) and Jens Voigt (who might count as 2 domestiques).

Well... he sometimes have arguments with his body... and he definitely has the energy of two people...

 

[Nearly]

Well... he sometimes have arguments with his body... and he definitely has the energy of two people...

.... and almost the age of two! [Jensi wanted to register himself as a team for a race Saxo could not make until he found out there had to be a minumum of more than one member - 4 is probaly too many!]

 

[Libertine Seguros]

Gorka Izaguirre (EUS) wins the bunch sprint in stage 4 (!!!) ahead of Sergei Ivanov. The Russian takes the points jersey home with him, while Matteo Carrara defends his overall lead to take the win.

 

[Susan Westemeyer]

Armstrong lost time, don't yet know how much. Was not in the top five final GC.

The race ended two laps early in a thunderstorm with torrential rains and flooding, and multiple crashes.

Susan

 

[Anonymous]

Results final stage

1. Gorka Izaguirre (Euskaltel Euskadi)
2. Serguei Ivanov (Katusha)
3. Matteo Carrara (Vacansoleil)
4. Steve Houanard (Skil-Shimano)
5. Jimmy Engoulvent (Sojasun-Saur)

Final overall classification

1. Matteo Carrara (Vacansoleil)
2. Frank Schleck (Saxo Bank) 0'07
3. Serguei Ivanov (Katusha) 0'34
4. Juan Antonio Flecha (Sky) 0'40
5. Björn Leukemans (Vacansoleil) 0'41

 

[krebs303]

just off procycling live twitter:

We just heard the jury didn't count stage 4 in GC. The top 3 remains: 1. Carrara (VAC) 2. F. Schleck (SAX) 3. Armstrong (RSH)

 

[Goldberger]

I think they stopped the time to laps early. anyhow good to see Lance finishing on the podium.

 

[Barrus]

just off procycling live twitter:

We just heard the jury didn't count stage 4 in GC. The top 3 remains: 1. Carrara (VAC) 2. F. Schleck (SAX) 3. Armstrong (RSH)

That's really crap from the organization, in my opinion

 

[Jamsque]

Are Euskatel planning on making a habit of winning sprints?

 

[kurtinsc]

That's really crap from the organization, in my opinion

Neutralizing GC time on a stage with weather issues doens't bother me... but deciding to do it after the fact always has. If they communicated the issues to the DS's during the stage and said that it's going to be neutralized... I'm okay with it. If they waited until after it was all over and saw that Lance lost time and said "wait... we're not counting this one"... then I agree with you.

 

[Beech Mtn]

So the guys that took risks or rode hard to get themselves into contention had their results from today taken away. If they're going to neutralize the stage, it should have been done before the finish, not after. This way just makes cycling look yet again like the WWF. Did somebody pay for the results??? What a BS move by the organizers.

 

[Michele]

Are Euskatel planning on making a habit of winning sprints?

Sounds weird indeed.

 

[peloton]

So the guys that took risks or rode hard to get themselves into contention had their results from today taken away. If they're going to neutralize the stage, it should have been done before the finish, not after. This way just makes cycling look yet again like the WWF. Did somebody pay for the results??? What a BS move by the organizers.

+1
exactly...

 

[thehog]

+1
exactly...

Let's forget the 3 minutes.

The 38-year-old shook off the incident and said he was pleased with his efforts on the road. "It's been a good four days. I felt strong. Any time you can win a race, be on a podium, in preparation, it's important. I wouldn't have thought I would ride so strong this week."

 

[Colm.Murphy]

+1
exactly...

Reminds me of a certain post-finish, retro-neutralization that occurred a few years back in the Tour of California for a height-challenged, follicle-deficient rider.

 

[Christian]

If they waited until after it was all over and saw that Lance lost time and said "wait... we're not counting this one"... then I agree with you.

Contrary to popular belief ... it's not all about Lance.

Here's the video from yesterday's stage:

http://tele.rtl.lu/waatleeft/replay/v/20100605/0/10001/

 

[Barrus]

Neutralizing GC time on a stage with weather issues doens't bother me... but deciding to do it after the fact always has. If they communicated the issues to the DS's during the stage and said that it's going to be neutralized... I'm okay with it. If they waited until after it was all over and saw that Lance lost time and said "wait... we're not counting this one"... then I agree with you.

Well the way it seems to have went is that they retroactively changed it, with the fact that GC times were already coming in, before this. This was also the reason I thought it was pretty strange and disrespectful from the organisers. Does anyone know how it went, or has gotten some confirmation?

BTW I don't really believe the thing that it would be concerning Lance, but there were probably other considerations? At least I hope and would imagine this to be so

Allright just found on the site from Vacansoleil:

De kopgroep van zes werd 40km voor de finish door het peloton ingerekend. Nadat er vervolgens noodweer boven Luxemburg losbarstte besloot de jury de etappe in te korten en na vier van de vijf lokale ronden klokte de jury de eindtijd van alle renners. Er restte nog één plaatselijke ronde van 8km waarin drie renners de aanval kozen. Leider Carrara gaf zijn eindzege extra glans door, ondanks dat de eindwinst binnen was, naar de leiders toe te springen en mee te sprinten om de ritzege. Gorka Izaguirre won de etappe en Carrara eindigde als derde.

Just before the time was clocked the entire peloton was together and it was known that that would be the time, it was at the final round before the race would finish. In the final round some riders attacked to win the stage mainly and not for the time gaps in the GC, because it was already known that there would be none

 

[Goldberger]

Just before the time was clocked the entire peloton was together and it was known that that would be the time, it was at the final round before the race would finish. In the final round some riders attacked to win the stage mainly and not for the time gaps in the GC, because it was already known that there would be none

So it's all fine then, this was a decision taking the riders best interest in mind. But of course all the Lance/Radioshack haters are going to claim it was a influenced and bad decision.

 

[Mellow Velo]

Didn't the Giro organisers neutralise one of the stage finishes last year, because someone complained it was a bit damp and therefore dangerous?
Seems the crowd in Luxembourg were just as dangerous.
Can't neutralise the fans.
France awaits.

 

[cyclopeon]

Contrary to popular belief ... it's not all about Lance.

Here's the video from yesterday's stage:

http://tele.rtl.lu/waatleeft/replay/v/20100605/0/10001/

Caption at about 3:30: "Lance Armstrong- Team Radio Check" I love it!!!

 

[liufang898186]

Thanks for the info, I appreciate it.