Le Tour de France

[dougdeep]

I don't know why the Brits are botheering. They are never going to win the whole thing.

A bit like the French then.

 

[1066familyman]

Armstrong will actually be 38 in September

Leipheimer 35
Sastre 34
Evans 32

And Micheal Rasmussen, banned by the UCI until July 25 '09, so could be back for next years Tour, is 35


All evidence me thinks that Brad has a good few years left in him yet and may indeed peak just at the right time in terms of age and road racing experience in just a few years time from now.

BOF, watch this space

 

[Statto]

I don't know why the Brits are botheering. They are never going to win the whole thing.

To be fair though BoF, Most of the riders in the race know they are never going to win it, (especially all the sprinters and domestiques). Its all about realistic aims, For Example, Mark Cavendish Is in the Tour de France to win as many flat stages as posible, and challenge for the green (sprinters) jersey. He isnt trying to win the whole race.

Also, this has been the best tour de france (or Grand Tour) for Britin ever. The chances that Wiggins could win it next year have dramatically improved. British cycling is better than its ever been. There is a new British team entering the Pro-tour circuit next year, and Next years races could be groundbraking for the sport in this country. Cant wait for it!

 

[Stat Brother]

Morning BoF
Next year, we will have the Sky team, fronted by Dave Brailsford, to go along side Cav & BW, who will not move from their current set ups.

So that's potentially, stage wins and possible green jersey, (Cav)
Podium, although not winner, Contador is head & shoulders above everyone else (BW)
And a full team to support.

Although the Sky team will be a progressive bunch, the bulk of the UK squad members, have been holed up in Italy for a year or 2 now, and are ready to go.
Learning the trade from Max Schandri and competing in 2nd string Italian races, which by all accounts are mentals and a good spring board.

Gerraint Thomas should emerge as the team leader and TdF contender within 5 years (that's how long these plans take).
The leader will be an experienced foreign pro before then.

Remember though the pro season is longer than the footy one, and although the TdF is the big 'fish', the Sky team will have plenty of work to do from March, onwards, to prove themselves.

 

[1066familyman]

Morning BoF
Next year, we will have the Sky team, fronted by Dave Brailsford, to go along side Cav & BW, who will not move from their current set ups.

So that's potentially, stage wins and possible green jersey, (Cav)
Podium, although not winner, Contador is head & shoulders above everyone else (BW)
And a full team to support.

Although the Sky team will be a progressive bunch, the bulk of the UK squad members, have been holed up in Italy for a year or 2 now, and are ready to go.
Learning the trade from Max Schandri and competing in 2nd string Italian races, which by all accounts are mentals and a good spring board.

Gerraint Thomas should emerge as the team leader and TdF contender within 5 years (that's how long these plans take).
The leader will be an experienced foreign pro before then.

Remember though the pro season is longer than the footy one, and although the TdF is the big 'fish', the Sky team will have plenty of work to do from March, onwards, to prove themselves.

Superb post.

Makes the thread complete and gets glory boys like me out of a hole

Nice to hear the name Max Sciandri come up as well

 

[Stat Brother]

How long before the results of drug tests are published and we get loads of disqualifications ??

Some will, some really are, that stupid.
From a purely selfish British standing, it would be 'nice' to see Contador go, as he WILL win everything he enters for the next 5 years.
The only problem with that would be the sport as a whole probably couldn't take that blow, so hopefully we will be stuck with him, and coming 2nd!.

Now all riders have biological passports it should be easier to sort out the wheat from the chaff (sp).
Dave Brailsford curtainly intermiated that a few days ago.

 

[Stat Brother]

Nice to hear the name Max Sciandri come up as well

Even nicer to see his name spelt correctly

 

[Exmouth Seagull]

4th is an amazing achievement for Wiggo, but to be honest I don't see him as a potential winner after this tour, he never attacked. Maybe if he focuses solely on the tour and drops the track racing he can make the podium, but with London 2012 on the horizon he will has to make a big choice as to where his ambitions lie.

Come on Cav, give us another today. He's currently about 5/8 to win the stage on Betfair, 9/1 bar, so the money is all on him, but even I wouldn't touch those crazy odds.

 

[Horton's halftime iceberg]

What a day Mr Wiggens (Wiggo as the peleton call him gets to finish 4th), equaling the feat set by the great Robert Miller.

Shame some journalists are throwing aspersions about him becoming a high GC rider.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/sport/2009/jul/24/tour-de-france-doping-problems

Eyebrows have certainly been raised at the startling improvement in Bradley Wiggins's performance in the mountains during this Tour. The 29-year-old Londoner's new ability to keep pace with the world's most gifted climbers comes after spending most of his career as a useful rouleur with a particular gift for time-trialling.

"I'm no Bernhard Kohl," he Twittered a week ago, in answer to the suspicions. When the latest news arrived from Italy on Wednesday, he added: "Di Luca – what a wanker! Unbelievable."

Garmin Slipstream are based on a 100% clean ethos, they spend about 250,000 dollars in making their testing as transparent as possible. The Independent have actually looked at the facts and mention Bradleys request to publish all his tests, an excellent article;

http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/general/others/bradley-wiggins-tom-will-be-watching-over-me-on-ventoux-1760541.html

Wiggins, in stark contrast to Simpson, is riding clean and is prepared to demonstrate it in wholly unprecedented ways. He's now asked the UCI, cycling's governing body, to publish his blood values taken for their biological passport programme – an anti-doping system that monitors riders' physiological data.

The data will be available on Monday, as will all his results from his team's internal testing programme.

Anyhow looking forward to the final stage and the flying Manx man going for an amazing 6 stages, I make that a quarter of all the stages. Only Eddie Merckx has got more in modern times with 7. What with Lance, the Brits (new Brit team next year) and some great stages its been a fantastic year. The only thing missing this year has been me, had to work and me and the missis could not do our annual pilgrimage to the mountains or madness this year, Viva la Tour cannot wait until July 2010 when it all starts again in Holland with World Cup fever to boot.

Go Cav

 

[Exmouth Seagull]

Cav looks good, but I'm still a bit nervous about this break-away, 25" ahead with 20KM to go, surely they will reel 'em in?

Ah, good, as I type this the gap has started dropping. 21" now.

 

[Marc]

Cav looks good, but I'm still a bit nervous about this break-away, 25" ahead with 20KM to go, surely they will reel 'em in?

Ah, good, as I type this the gap has started dropping. 21" now.

21 inches? thats a MASSIVE lead

 

[Exmouth Seagull]

He absolutely demolished 'em, another sensational win.

 

[Beach Hut]

Cavendish destroyed that field, fantastic finish.

 

[Tyrone Biggums]

Mark Renshaw makes Cavendish's job easy

 

[Barrel of Fun]

To be fair though BoF...

I don't believe what I wrote, in the slightest. It was in reference to various run ins with Stat Brother over the Olympics.

Olympic Track Cycling - North Stand Chat

 

[1066familyman]

4th is an amazing achievement for Wiggo, but to be honest I don't see him as a potential winner after this tour, he never attacked. Maybe if he focuses solely on the tour and drops the track racing he can make the podium, but with London 2012 on the horizon he will has to make a big choice as to where his ambitions lie.

Come on Cav, give us another today. He's currently about 5/8 to win the stage on Betfair, 9/1 bar, so the money is all on him, but even I wouldn't touch those crazy odds.

Wiggins is already on record as being prepared to sacrifice medals in 2012 in favour of concentrating on road racing. Says the Olympics only comes around every 4 years whereas there's something to ride for every year in road racing. Not sure that he would drop the track completely though.

 

[Stat Brother]

I don't believe what I wrote, in the slightest. It was in reference to various run ins with Stat Brother over the Olympics.

Olympic Track Cycling - North Stand Chat

'Run ins' sounds all very harsh, BoF.
Next you'll be saying we had a meet and got it sorted Jackie Chan style .

I can't imagine many having run ins with one of NSC's more ammiable posters.

 

[adrian29uk]

Bit sad now the tour has finished. But we do have the Web Oficial de la Vuelta a España 2009 - Official Web Site Vuelta a España 2009

 

[Horton's halftime iceberg]

That was incredible from Cav. I really hope the Sky team can make a go of it next year, they may be overshadowed by Lances radioshack team.

Worst bit, Cavs disqualification it definatly gave the Green Jersey to Thor.

Best bits were many but I do love the chalk bot what a great machine

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Boy life always seems empty without the tour, 11 months to go...

 

[Horton's halftime iceberg]

Bit sad now the tour has finished. But we do have the Web Oficial de la Vuelta a España 2009 - Official Web Site Vuelta a España 2009

Would be great if Columbia send Cavendish out to get a stage of the Vuelta so he has victorys in all three grand tours.

Starts in Holland so I may look into a trip out for the start if work permits.