Tour De France

[Atomic]

I am suffering from MAJOR sleep deprivation right now. I watch the whole stage each night and then I am so excited by what Cadel is doing it takes me about an hour to get to sleep.

I am a bit worried about the next 3 stages in the Pyrenees. I know it is Cadel's territor, but last year he lost 50 sec + in the same stage as tonight. I am more concerned about him having to "go it alone" as his team is rather weak and can't protect him like the CSC and Columbia teams.

Fingers are well and truely crossed he gets through it.

BTW - How bloody bad was the weather in last night's stage. 

Rather weak is an understatement!! If they do not step up tonight and support him they need to build a new team next year. If he was at the head of team columbia he would be a minute ahead already.

I doubt he'd be up by a minute but you're both right sbout Cadel's team. I'm surprised at how weak Silence Lotto has been so far compared to some others. Valverde's team, CAISSE DEPARGNE, look fantastic. Hang onto your hats because I think the real race starts tonight... the Pyrenees

 

[scottmac]

i think tonight's the night. cadel's competition is really down to just a few men, and he's got a minute on most of them, and he'll back up night after night. i think he's got the sort of strength across three weeks that nobody else will be able to match this year.

doesn't matter if he finishes third wheel every night - he'll be ahead of kirchen before they leave the pyrenees and he'll play defence on the others. no need to take le maillot jaune a day before you need to, it will only make him an even bigger target.

Tonight is the night but imagine if he had a strong team like Armstrong did. He could wear the target without fear. (ok a minute maybe a bit over the top but definitely a good part of one)

 

[dibo]

silence-lotto simply have bugger all money - look at the team CSC-SaxoBank has by comparison: sastre, the schlecks, cancellara, voigt...

even o'grady (last year's winner of the paris-roubaix, a former maillot vert challenger, olympic track champion and national road and TT champ... not a bad resume!).

silence lotto have a few big names - evans, mcewan and popovych basically, but then it's guys like cioni and vansevenant who are honest triers but not champs.

 

[dibo]

evans has crashed! he's still going, and has the team pulling him back over the short gap to the back of the peleton.

 

[Atomic]

Silence Lotto guys will earn their money tonight after their team leader's crash. Their nerves must be on edge

 

[scottmac]

Silence Lotto guys will earn their money tonight after their team leader's crash. Their nerves must be on edge

We will see what their made of now
'

 

[Atomic]

OUCH!!! See Cadel get his wounds attended to during the race? That's gotta sting!

 

[Atomic]

Good omen for tonight... Casey Stoner just won the German GP verhead:

 

[scottmac]

There were some big wounds there. Must have been an impressive crash. More impressive was the way his team got him back to the front end of the peleton.

 

[Auburn Mariner]

Cadel has got through the Peyresourde without losing any time to the Maillot Jaune, despite his injuries.

Tomorrow is massive (and I'm off the roster, so I get to watch!!!), with the Tourmalet and a mountaintop finish on the Hautacam (scene of HUGE controversy last year, Rasmussen beating Contador and then getting the spear BY HIS OWN TEAM).

Have a look at the video on the official site and check out the climbs on the two Hors Categories climbs tomorrow; they are evil. And check the stage Dibo has mentioned, with the traditional L'Alpe D'Huez finish; this stage is a beast!!

I'm addicted to the Tour, despite being a shift worker. I often watch the Fox & SBS coverage (which is the same show) on the same day. Phil Liggett is the best commentator of any sport in the world since the retirement of Bill McLaren. Paul Sherwen is very good too.

I think I will miss this stage, as I work the next morning, but I have some leave accrued.....

 

[tuftman]

im pretty sure its tomorrows stage where they climb 800 metres in the last km. thats surely a cruel and unusual punishment if ive ever seen one..... its the kind of stage that is right up Cadel's alley. might turn into a solo effort, especially if the teams struggle to keep pace with their lead man in the last HC climb

 

[Auburn Mariner]

This will give you an accurate picture:

http://www.letour.fr/2008/TDF/LIVE/us/1000/etape_par_etape.html

By my dodgy calculations, the last 14kms involving a 1070 metre climb in elevation to the finish at Hautacam.

Click on all of the little grey buttons to get a great map, full profile (including a look at the massive, 2000 metre-plus Tourmalet & La Mongie) and a cross-section of the torturous climb to famous Hautacam.

I should add that the website I have highlighted is the official site, and I find very useful, especially the updates when at work and without access to a television.

If you watch any of this on SBS, it is easy to see that despite the fact that the French are totally arrogant, reek of garlic and think they are massively superior, France is the No.1 tourist destination in the world. It is inescapably, impossibly beautiful.

Oh, to spend a month in the vineyards and cheese factories, what bliss (followed by a crash diet as I would come back looking like the love-child of Mr Blobby and the Marshmallow Man from Ghostbusters).

 

[Paolo]

most boring sport ever!    *waits for some smartass to post in regards to some obscure sport in some backwaters part of the world*

 

[scottmac]

How can you call a sport where a bloke holds your bike for you while you take a piss at around 40km/hr most boring ever. Did anyone see kirchen doing that last night? Great TV!!

 

[Mariner Girl]

I am sitting here with slits in my eyes to keep awake. I feel asleep during the stage last night. Thank God Cadel didn't do much damage, but tonight will tell.

 

[tuftman]

I am sitting here with slits in my eyes to keep awake. I feel asleep during the stage last night. Thank God Cadel didn't do much damage, but tonight will tell.

In the interview afterwards he was asked about his crash.....he took of his helmet which had a chunk missing and said "there's your interview"

 

[Mariner Girl]

I am sitting here with slits in my eyes to keep awake. I feel asleep during the stage last night. Thank God Cadel didn't do much damage, but tonight will tell.

In the interview afterwards he was asked about his crash.....he took of his helmet which had a chunk missing and said "there's your interview"

Nuff said.. How brave are they?

 

[scottmac]

Brave or crazy. These guy's absolutely punish themselves.

 

[Atomic]

The descents off the top of those mountains are real white-knuckle rides.

Tonights stage will be interesting. it's an uphill finish, unlike last night. I know Cadel has the legs, but his team really worries me. They let him down last year and the signs aren't good this year either. Some of those other teams are so much stronger and I just fear that he'll suffer in the tactical battle (which ironically for me is the major attraction of the event).

 

[tuftman]

With 25km to go in Stage 10, the race to Hautacam. Cadel Evans has seemingly been let down by his team. Im only watching on the live timing but its seems as though Cadel has shown that the only thing that may stop him from winning this tour is his team. Yarolslav Popyvych did a job holding the original breakaway in check but when Cadel's team could have really helped him the most with the final HC climb coming up, he is all alone amongsnt his group. Perhaps the gods are smiling on him a little though as Kirchin is also isolated in a CSC dominated Maillot Jaune group