The Official 98th Tour de France, thread, 2011.

[timco]

Jesus Christ, what kind of nightmare is this?! Hoogerland seems worse off, despite Flecha having been the one hit by the car. Reckon the driver is on his way home already...

Looked like he normally drives in Brum and thought the chip shop was about to close!

 

[Woodchip]

And what about this? It would appear that Karpets pushed Contador off his bike earlier...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UKuJCGV8m-w

I like Karpets even more now.

Reckon that car driver is gonna be shot, and then some scandal will come out about him by Team Murdoch ;-)

 

[Stat Brother]

Well you know you they say (well Phil L actually) :-

'It looks like curtains for Karpets'.

A statement delivered without a hint of irony or comedic value, it will always be in my top 5 philisms.

 

[Woodchip]

My predictions have been wrong all tour so far. So to carry on that trend I'm going to go with Juan Antonio Flecha winning todays. I think Sky are going to try to prove that they can survive without Bradley.

Damn that imbecile car driver!!!!!

 

[armchairclubber]

For those who haven't seen, this is the moment Flecha was knocked of by TV Francais car and Hoogerland went spiralling into barbed wire fencing, both continued.

http://youtu.be/lb8tsIoI43s

 

[Stoichkov]

The aftermath:

Sportwereld - Johnny Hoogerland: 'Een Zeeuw krijgen ze niet kapot'


Prem footballers moan about 2 90 minute games a week...

 

[Stat Brother]

One thing that bothers me, on a personal level, about today.
Any car driving, cycling hating, psycho, seeing these clips will think we are ALL indestructible supermen.

For the record can I just say I'm NOT and will cry like Ronaldo if anyone so much as beeps their horn at me!.

 

[1066familyman]

Wish I'd got my Sandy Casar tip in before today now, even though Sanchez was always going to take it at the end anyway having put in the least amount of work. Good tipping from Pantani though.
Well done Voeckler for seizing the opportunity of taking yellow today, although of course the horrendous crash that took Vino and co. out helped him massively. Which brings me onto poor old Hoogerland as he helped Voeckler a lot today. Forgive my French but that media car that took Flecha and Hoogerland out was a f***ing disgrace !

 

[1066familyman]

Absolute carnage then on that turn.

Vino looks like he's been thrown down an embankment and is out of the tour. As is Zabriske.

Van Den Broeck out of the tour too, this is disastrous.

Biggest casualty list so far for sure.

 

[1066familyman]

Damn that imbecile car driver!!!!!

Hats off to you Woodchip for getting the right Sky man today. Absolutely disgraceful incident to take Flecha out of the equation there.

 

[k2bluesky]

Great to see Tommy Voc in yellow, always an entertaining rider but guess he will struggle on Thursday, very interesting 1st week such a pity Wiggins went out though.

 

[Horton's halftime iceberg]

Phew the rest day, had a great time over in France, even if the Wiggins departure got us down for a bit. In hindsight of yesterday I feel Brad got of lightly and cheered me up with his Dope head interview where he looked like he had won the tour.

So a week into the tour how are the predictions looking

Yellow jersey

For me the Schlecks are looking ominus in thier on screen absence avoiding all the major crashes and the mountains on the horizons, Contador is now the hunted not the hunter and Cadel Evans is looking in the form of his life.

I think its the Schlecks to loose and Contador will have to do something incredible on the big climbs (which is possible) to shake them or a world breaking TT in Grenoble.

Evans is a lot of pundits dark horse and as I do not follow him much have no ideas of his pre tour preperation, but wonder if he has a better team to support him now.

I would also love Nicolas Roche to climb well and get a top 10.

Green jersey

Cav has shown what an awsome power he is, and HTC have got the perfect set up for him, wonder how SKY will manage to give him the same support in the TDF if he signs for them.

However the tour seems to not want a pure sprinter to win the green and even with the changes Gilbert is looking a threat to take green as he is happy to get up to the intermeidates and climb for placings. Cav needs to take at least 2 of the next three stages intermediate sprints seriously to keep in touch and win Green with one or two more stage victorys. Still this jersey is up for grabs and Rojas and Hushovd (even Evans) to have a roll of the dice.

Cav is amazing though and what he has achieved over the past three years is monumental, it amazes me how many more he could have won bar accidents and officals getting involved.

Polka Dot

Jonny Hoogerland should be given this for yesterdays effort.

I would love Uran to have a shot at this, now he has been freed up of his duties for Brad, however the way it is set up now it should go to either a Contador or a Schleck, however some good prices on offer for some outsiders

Evans 20/1
Cunego 14/1 (would be amazed!)
Gesink 20/1 (may be injured!)
Uran 25/1
Teejay 50/1 (may need to help others and not have a free shot)

I imagine Frank will work for Andy so his 8/1 is a no go but you can still get Andy at 11/2.

I hope SKY will work for Uran and try and set him up for mountain stage wins.

White jersey

I love Geraint, he is such a talent on the bike and would love him challenge for this and the Brad crash did him no favours however its hard to look past Gesink if he is fit enough to climb.

Uran again is about 10/1, however I have no idea what his TT skills are like!

Overall I love the changes to the rules and think this years tour is looking good. Its tragic and heartbreaking to know Bradley cannot compete in the high mountains, it will be interesting to know in years to come what their plans were to challenge for GC.

Verdict so far - Crashtastic

At least this year when its all over and the long wait for spring classics to start again happens, we have the best distraction ever, a shiney new stadium and the best bike sheds Tony Blooms money can buy.

 

[Pantani]

One of my tips finally comes off!

Only just watched the highlights, as I was wasting my time watching some mickey mouse football club play Burgess Hill yesterday!

As for that car driver, he will have to be fired. What he did was an absolute disgrace and far far worse than what the motorbike did the other day. Apparently Hoogerland has 'only' 30 stitches and how Flecha got up relatively unscathed I will never know.

Sad to see Van De Broeck crash out too, I thought he would go well in the mountains.

 

[willyfantastic]

Phew the rest day, had a great time over in France, even if the Wiggins departure got us down for a bit. In hindsight of yesterday I feel Brad got of lightly and cheered me up with his Dope head interview where he looked like he had won the tour.

So a week into the tour how are the predictions looking

Yellow jersey

For me the Schlecks are looking ominus in thier on screen absence avoiding all the major crashes and the mountains on the horizons, Contador is now the hunted not the hunter and Cadel Evans is looking in the form of his life.

I think its the Schlecks to loose and Contador will have to do something incredible on the big climbs (which is possible) to shake them or a world breaking TT in Grenoble.

Evans is a lot of pundits dark horse and as I do not follow him much have no ideas of his pre tour preperation, but wonder if he has a better team to support him now.

I would also love Nicolas Roche to climb well and get a top 10.

Green jersey

Cav has shown what an awsome power he is, and HTC have got the perfect set up for him, wonder how SKY will manage to give him the same support in the TDF if he signs for them.

However the tour seems to not want a pure sprinter to win the green and even with the changes Gilbert is looking a threat to take green as he is happy to get up to the intermeidates and climb for placings. Cav needs to take at least 2 of the next three stages intermediate sprints seriously to keep in touch and win Green with one or two more stage victorys. Still this jersey is up for grabs and Rojas and Hushovd (even Evans) to have a roll of the dice.

Cav is amazing though and what he has achieved over the past three years is monumental, it amazes me how many more he could have won bar accidents and officals getting involved.

Polka Dot

Jonny Hoogerland should be given this for yesterdays effort.

I would love Uran to have a shot at this, now he has been freed up of his duties for Brad, however the way it is set up now it should go to either a Contador or a Schleck, however some good prices on offer for some outsiders

Evans 20/1
Cunego 14/1 (would be amazed!)
Gesink 20/1 (may be injured!)
Uran 25/1
Teejay 50/1 (may need to help others and not have a free shot)

I imagine Frank will work for Andy so his 8/1 is a no go but you can still get Andy at 11/2.

I hope SKY will work for Uran and try and set him up for mountain stage wins.

White jersey

I love Geraint, he is such a talent on the bike and would love him challenge for this and the Brad crash did him no favours however its hard to look past Gesink if he is fit enough to climb.

Uran again is about 10/1, however I have no idea what his TT skills are like!

Overall I love the changes to the rules and think this years tour is looking good. Its tragic and heartbreaking to know Bradley cannot compete in the high mountains, it will be interesting to know in years to come what their plans were to challenge for GC.

Verdict so far - Crashtastic

At least this year when its all over and the long wait for spring classics to start again happens, we have the best distraction ever, a shiney new stadium and the best bike sheds Tony Blooms money can buy.

only start Sky could make to get Cav over i assume would be to get Renshaw in. But hes not the only guy setting up those super trains

 

[black & white seagull]

More proof, if proof were needed, that cyclists are hard, hard b*stards.

Johnny Hoogerland is my new hero. To finish the stage and then be so noble when interviewed and not blame anyone for the incident - definitely close to Tour legend status for me.

 

[Lady Whistledown]

Only saw this today.

Ouch.

 

[Lady Whistledown]

While we're on the subject, what the hell is going on HERE? The Guardian says this was taken before Stage 5. What on earth are all the lumps??

 

[black & white seagull]

While we're on the subject, what the hell is going on HERE? The Guardian says this was taken before Stage 5. What on earth are all the lumps??

It's a 3-D map of the Alpe d'Huez.

Apparently, that comely pin belongs to none other than George Hincapie, and they're varicose veins.

 

[Stat Brother]

I was listening to The Flamme Podcast - tour chat, this morning.

I might as well have been listening to someone reading this thread.
Between us, we bloody well know Le Tour.

 

[Stat Brother]

REST DAY REFLECTION - THE WINNERS AND LOSERS of the first 9 days

Winners:-
Gilbert - He's really made his presence left, on stages made for him.
Evans - The only one of the favourites to pop his head above the parapet.
Cav - 2 wins, 2 different ways of doing it.
Thor - Would never have made those climbs without yellow on his back
G - Ever present when needed.
Movistar & Vacansoleil-DCM - Making the breaks and being rewarded.

Losers:-
Wiggins - The hype says podium, we'll never find out.
Andy Schleck - Come on, grow a pair.
Contador - It couldn't have been an enjoyable week, I hope he's wondering if it was all worth it, (and pigs might fly)
Saur - Sojasun & Katusha - There is a race going on chaps.