Install the app
How to install the app on iOS

Follow along with the video below to see how to install our site as a web app on your home screen.

Note: This feature may not be available in some browsers.

Tour de France 07

Status
Not open for further replies.
To be honest I've often thought the same but they seem to be making an effort, at least whilst its in Britain.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/other_sports/cycling/6281366.stm

I don't know if you can get Eurosport out there but they have the best coverage of it. Todays stage should be pretty uneventful until the final few km's when the sprinters will come to the fore. Brit Mark Cavendish has been in great form in the sprints all year so it'd be great if he could snatch a win on UK soil, but this is his first tour so he probably won't be among the favourites. I'll go for either McEwan or Boonen to win today.
 
I've just got back. Awesome weekend. Got some great piccis for my photography project, will post some on here once i've uploaded them (y)
 

amazing come back mcewan, he looked down and out - real aussie fight and a good team brought him through. fantastic.
 
Nasty crash yesterday. I'll be surprised if a few don't drop out before todays start. Poor Mark Cavendish as well, two stages, two tumbles. He looked close to tears on both occasions.
 
Yes it is, especially when their feet are clipped onto the pedals. I guess they must be quite skilled at falling off :D I suspect a few will have sustained some more serious damage (as opposed to general road rash) and won't continue today. It's enough pain just doing the ride itself without having other things adding to it.
 
yeh, whats that thing, saddle soreness? makes the eyes wince :D

So who is the current leader bruce, and is your tip doing well?

P.S. No chance of getting Eurosport out here mate, lucky to get BBC World!! :D
 

Well Thomas Vaitkus of the Discovery team is out as he fractured a thumb in yesterdays fall. So far Fabian Cancellara is in yellow still after he blitzed the prologue on Saturday. That's usual in the early stages as the peleton often get the same time as the winner when they finish in a big group as is often the case on the flatter sprint dominated stages. The Alps loom in a few days time though and that will sort the field out. Both Kloden and Vino are well placed and with both being in the same team it'll be interesting to see how tactics are played out. In theory Vino is team leader but Klonden has played second fiddle all his career to Jan Ullrich and has been in the top 5 a few times in the Tour so has the talent to do it on his own. We shall see.

PS you can get special cream to rub on your chamois to stop the saddle sores ;)
 
oooh special cream, sounds lovely :D

so basically its too early to tell until they hit the mountains, Ullrich retired has he?
He must hate armstrong :D
 
He's as good as retired yes. He was kicked out of last years Tour because of drug allegations.

The mountains are usually where things are won, either due to the winner breaking away from the rest ala Armstrong or Pantani, or because the leader gets dropped. On the flat stages it's much easier for teams to stay near the front because more riders can keep the pace and manage the race much better, hence why you generally have the flat stages won by sprint finishes at the end. Mountains however seperate the men from the boys and spread the field right out with only the best able to lead.

The longer time trials later on in the race can also be important but they're not as exciting as the mountains. You get good time triallists but unless they can at least hold their own in the mountains then they won't ever win the race. Indurain was a good example of that, exceptional in time trials and held his own in the mountains. Armstrong was a bit of a freak in that he kicked arse in both.
 
Quiet day yesterday with the peleton doing a go slow in protest against the narrow streets they had to squeeze down in Mondays finish that resulted in the mass pile up. Good sprint by the yellow jersey though to extend his lead a bit further.
 
Good win for Thor Hushvold (sp) today.

As for the overall I think either Vinokourov, Cadel Evans or Levi Leipheimer will win.
 

Status
Not open for further replies.

Welcome to GrandOldTeam

Get involved. Registration is simple and free.

Register
Back
Top