The Official Tour de France Thread

[h2oville rocket]

This should really drive BGorDeath crazy. These kids never got orange slices- their bike moms were freezing their blood and giving them transfusions and EPO injections after their races.


I, like everyone else, am going with Contrador although I'm not sure how his new team will work out. He didn't need much help last year so I predict he wins, but if not then Frank Shrek looks awfully strong, and he's got his brother working with him-if it's close in the mountains I can see those two taking time out of Contrador. Armstrong can't win but as the clear leader of his team I see a Top Ten and possibly a podium finish for him. Cavendish will win the Green and Wiggins the polka dot.

YD?

[Ydfalcon]

Those Schleck brothers don't mess around, that's for sure. I'll definitely be looking for them to give Contador hell. At this point, I don't know about calling a favorite, though it's definitely not a stretch at all to call Alberto it. I haven't heard a lot about his team this year, but I gotta say that the guy obviously has what it takes as an athlete to win this race.

As for Lance, I won't deny being a fan and it would be incredible to see him fight through it and win an 8th, but I will admit to thinking that while he's definitely still got the goods to compete, I do have some doubts as to whether he's got another TdF win in him. It's just too grueling an event to anticipate. Of course, he did get on the podium last year with only about half of his team supporting him, so it'll be interesting to see how he does with a full team's support again. Plus, with a more normal training schedule this year as opposed to the improvised one he had with last year being his first back (not to mention the sidelining, albeit brief, from his collarbone fracture, and his not focusing specifically on the Tour but also on the Giro), it is definitely shaping up to be an interesting year to watch the Tour.

Basically, I'd say for the yellow, I'm planning to keep an eye on Contador, the Schlecks and possibly Lance as a dark horse, but you never know who might emerge. I'd have to agree with you on Cavendish for green. He's just been an absolute beast these last few years, and based on what I watched of the Tour Down Under and the Tour of California, he looks like he's still on top this year as well. As for polka dot, I honestly don't know at this point. It always seems to be one of the least celebrated of the three main jerseys, so for me, it's harder to keep an eye on who's done well in the past and who is currently doing well.

[h2oville rocket]

Those Schleck brothers don't mess around, that's for sure. I'll definitely be looking for them to give Contador hell. At this point, I don't know about calling a favorite, though it's definitely not a stretch at all to call Alberto it. I haven't heard a lot about his team this year, but I gotta say that the guy obviously has what it takes as an athlete to win this race.

As for Lance, I won't deny being a fan and it would be incredible to see him fight through it and win an 8th, but I will admit to thinking that while he's definitely still got the goods to compete, I do have some doubts as to whether he's got another TdF win in him. It's just too grueling an event to anticipate. Of course, he did get on the podium last year with only about half of his team supporting him, so it'll be interesting to see how he does with a full team's support again. Plus, with a more normal training schedule this year as opposed to the improvised one he had with last year being his first back (not to mention the sidelining, albeit brief, from his collarbone fracture, and his not focusing specifically on the Tour but also on the Giro), it is definitely shaping up to be an interesting year to watch the Tour.

Basically, I'd say for the yellow, I'm planning to keep an eye on Contador, the Schlecks and possibly Lance as a dark horse, but you never know who might emerge. I'd have to agree with you on Cavendish for green. He's just been an absolute beast these last few years, and based on what I watched of the Tour Down Under and the Tour of California, he looks like he's still on top this year as well. As for polka dot, I honestly don't know at this point. It always seems to be one of the least celebrated of the three main jerseys, so for me, it's harder to keep an eye on who's done well in the past and who is currently doing well.

Apparantly I've been watching too many trailers for childrens' movies on TV- of course I meant Schleck. Yeah, the polka dot gets less play I think because its not unusual to have the guy in yellow be the real mountain leader. I basically threw out a name here because too much can happen in the mountains.

[BGorDeath]

This should really drive BGorDeath crazy. These kids never got orange slices- their bike moms were freezing their blood and giving them transfusions and EPO injections after their races.


I, like everyone else, am going with Contrador although I'm not sure how his new team will work out. He didn't need much help last year so I predict he wins, but if not then Frank Shrek looks awfully strong, and he's got his brother working with him-if it's close in the mountains I can see those two taking time out of Contrador. Armstrong can't win but as the clear leader of his team I see a Top Ten and possibly a podium finish for him. Cavendish will win the Green and Wiggins the polka dot.

YD?

I actually have a soft spot for cyclists. I watched "Breaking Away" and know they are outcasts and unloved. Still doesn't make me want to watch the Tour, but if Mooch was riding, I'd be all over it.

[h2oville rocket]

This should really drive BGorDeath crazy. These kids never got orange slices- their bike moms were freezing their blood and giving them transfusions and EPO injections after their races.


I, like everyone else, am going with Contrador although I'm not sure how his new team will work out. He didn't need much help last year so I predict he wins, but if not then Frank Shrek looks awfully strong, and he's got his brother working with him-if it's close in the mountains I can see those two taking time out of Contrador. Armstrong can't win but as the clear leader of his team I see a Top Ten and possibly a podium finish for him. Cavendish will win the Green and Wiggins the polka dot.

YD?

I actually have a soft spot for cyclists. I watched "Breaking Away" and know they are outcasts and unloved. Still doesn't make me want to watch the Tour, but if Mooch was riding, I'd be all over it.

Mooch had the heart but not the legs- Quaid looked strong but had a bad attitude. The tall, geeky guy was just bad. Goes to shows though, how a superior rider can overcome a weak team, which brings us back to Contrador.

[Flipper]

Has a five year-old mastered cycling if he or she is using training wheels? Pains me to say it...but my daughter is almost nine and hasn't mastered a two-wheeler. We're gonna work on that this summer....

Hmmm...is it possible that my kid is a bit of a spazz?

[h2oville rocket]

Has a five year-old mastered cycling if he or she is using training wheels? Pains me to say it...but my daughter is almost nine and hasn't mastered a two-wheeler. We're gonna work on that this summer....

Hmmm...is it possible that my kid is a bit of a spazz?

I wasn't all that interested until my friends, mostly younger, started riding. Once I was interested it only took me a couple years to get the training wheels down and by the time I was 16 I was flying along with the rest of them. So there's hope for her.

[Zom]

I spend a couple of weeks in the Ballearic Islands (due south of Barcelona in the Med) running martial arts workshops every year in May, just when the "tour" cyclists spend a few weeks pedalling up and down Mallorca's Sierra de Tramuntana mountain range to get themselves in order for the big bash. We're talking big mountains and punishing roads, and in 90 degree heat these guys still haven't broken a sweat after a few thousand feet. I've seen groups of these guys trying to get cars in front of them pull over to let them by, and that's going uphill. So, these go down the other side, turn around and come back over again - without breaking a sweat.

The sport is struggling with performance enhancing bad boy stuff, which is a pity because the line between those that do and those that don't isn't really very appreciable. These guys are hard azzes, but not hard enough to do my excruciating yet rewarding standing posture work. I have asked. Maybe next year. I could do wonders for their focus.

[hammb]

Training wheels are for sissies! Teach 'em the way I learned. I got a two-wheeler, sat on the seat, and dad pushed it. I either learned or I fell.

Didn't take long before I learned to ride

[Warthog]

Training wheels are for sissies! Teach 'em the way I learned. I got a two-wheeler, sat on the seat, and dad pushed it. I either learned or I fell.

Didn't take long before I learned to ride

I learned the same way. My dad refused to allow training wheels.

[Class of 61]

Has a five year-old mastered cycling if he or she is using training wheels? Pains me to say it...but my daughter is almost nine and hasn't mastered a two-wheeler. We're gonna work on that this summer....

Hmmm...is it possible that my kid is a bit of a spazz?

Hmmmm....was it HER dad who practically amputated a body part with a yard tool? Heredity CAN take different forms, can't it?

[h2oville rocket]

Well, the prologue is over and Armstrong had something of a surprising ride. It looked like he was pushing it harder tha Contrador though-I was marking some curves and watching where the bikers came off the pedals and Contrador was easing back prettye arly compared to other riders. Not his kind of riding so he just wants to finish not too far back. Cancillara? had an amazing ride. Now we settle in for a few days of no-names breaking away and Cavendish winning stages before the mountains come into play. Radio Shack looked good yesterday with several of the top riders in the prologue but I still don't see Armstrong making the podium.

[Tech83]

I think the Tour would much more interesting if all the riders had to use this as their standard ride...... nothing rides like a Schwinn!!!!



Of course.... I had a Huffy Cheeter Slick... with the wide rear tire so you could skid



And some legs of the race would require you to give a friend a ride.....




.... or include delivering the paper.... while chased by the neighbor's dog.



I'm just saying.... it might spice it up some.

[h2oville rocket]

Needed no additional spice today- just like at home a dog ran in front of the bikes causing a crash (dog was unhit), a little girl and her dad on a tandem passed the peloton at one point and three huge crashes near the finish took Cavendish and Farrar out of the sprint. If you like crashes today was your day- over half the field was completely blocked inside the last K after the huge crash that took out several leading sprinters. No time changes, no GC guys hurt (Oscar Ferrier sp? appeared to be badly injured- left collarbone maybe) and Favian C holds the yellow for another day. Day after tomorrow they hit the cobblestones which should be REALLY fun.

[Ydfalcon]

Needed no additional spice today- just like at home a dog ran in front of the bikes causing a crash (dog was unhit), a little girl and her dad on a tandem passed the peloton at one point and three huge crashes near the finish took Cavendish and Farrar out of the sprint. If you like crashes today was your day- over half the field was completely blocked inside the last K after the huge crash that took out several leading sprinters. No time changes, no GC guys hurt (Oscar Ferrier sp? appeared to be badly injured- left collarbone maybe) and Favian C holds the yellow for another day. Day after tomorrow they hit the cobblestones which should be REALLY fun.

I missed a lot of the crashes today, but in the replays they looked pretty ugly. Stage 3 on the cobbles will definitely be the first really interesting one. Though, a taste of a couple of small mountains tomorrow will be fun to watch too.