Tag: Le Tour

NASCAR in the Ardennes!

Well, it appears the major effect of yesterday’s crash fest in the rain is to let Chavanel take a 3 minute lead in Yellow and he is a major contender who could easily use this to put on an early move.

Garmin loses Vande Velde, is the most injured team by far, since the Schlecks don’t seem as badly hurt as early indications.

Most people will be starting bruised and sore.

There’s evidently some controversy about a ‘riders strike’ that resulted in that 3 minute gap.  I don’t think it’s necessarily that big a deal.  Lance is 6th overall and is part of the pack with all the other contenders who settled for the same time.

This happens all the time at the Tour and is generally held to indicate good sportsmanship.

To hear statements like–

“They put on a dangerous stage and so when they put it on like that that’s the results they’ll get,” said Horner.

“They got all their drama on the descent and they lost it all at the finish and they got what they deserved.

There?s no place in the Tour de France for a stage like this.”

seems a little strident.

I’m more with Lance on this one- “These hills around here and the Ardennes are legendary, it’s part of cycling. Liege-Bastogne-Liege has been around for a hundred years and they do that on the snow.”

Cobblestone Carnage today.  Seven slippery rutted stages in the sun, not quite so much fun in the damp.

So you remember yesterday’s thrilling finish?  The peloton reeled back in the break away and all the teams set up their sprinters for the dash to the line?

Well there was a crash 50 yards from the finish so under Le Tour’s NASCAR competition rules everyone in the main body gets the same time as the first sprinter to cross.

Today’s stage finishes on a climb, one of 6 in the stage, so we’re unlikely to see that kind of action again.  125 miles from Brussles to Spa.

I don’t claim to be the expert Armando is, because I’ve only been watching the Tour since the year before Lance started his streak and naturally my perspective is distorted from that experience.

Bring on the big bore.  Today’s ‘official’ first stage is live now on Vs.

Lance is in 4th place 22 seconds behind.

Stage One-

139 miles of pancake flat Florida.

8:50 start.

Prolog-

Contador / Armstrong head to head on competing teams.  Armstrong’s last Tour win or lose.

Raining in Rotterdam.  Prolog is an individual time trial.  A poor performance or crash could end it before it hardly starts.

Stage 3 Cobblestones.  Lots of wrecks.

Armstrong launches in good conditions.  It’s not where he ends up overall, but in relation to Contador.  Contador next out of the start house.

At halfway Armstrong only 5 seconds behind fastest so far.

Finishes in 3rd.  Now up to Contador- 1 second behind at halfway to Armstrong.

10:27:64.  Five seconds behind.  Advantage Armstrong.

Tomorrow Sea Wind.  Flat.

Ben Stiller interview.  I watch this stuff so you don’t have to.

Lance thinks he’s ahead of last year, didn’t have a collar bone crash.