L'officiel Le Tour 2008 Thread!

[Emmett]

Can someone please explain the point of "building a team around Cadel" if they're all going to fall straight off him at the first sign of a decent climb?

This is ridiculous. For him AND Robbie.

Agree with you 100% Bodin.

The race is just approaching the business end and the team are looking far from strong. As strange as it sounds it might be tactics employed by the team (although I very strongly doubt it) to make them look weak. If that is the case it's a bloody risky move leaving your leader to fend for himself. Time will tell I guess??

By the look of it and according to Ligget and PS they believe Cadel will grind to the end and try to win in the last time trial. Personally I believe that is super risky. Almost too risky.....

Early days yet, we may just see the Silence team miraculously develop some amazing legs. Remember Lances tactic of looking like shite, waiting for the attack and then blowing the opponent away. Sometimes TV/communication devices can cause opponents to be purposefully mislead. Possible but unlikely in the case of Silence..

I'm looking for every possible angle for Cadel to win.

 

[craign]

1. True hardman Jens Voigt putting the hurt on everybody - still my favourite rider.

Jens Voight just rocks, and never complains (except about dopers!)

 

[Tomas]

Jens Voight just rocks, and never complains (except about dopers!)

Agreed. What a serious powertrain effort last night.

Best stage of the tour so far.

 

[digger]

Too right, most teams over the years agree it's hard to defend the yellow. My bet is they've taken yellow by accident, planning to save it all for the alps and the ITT, then 1 day to paris

Totally off topic, did anyone notice one of the CSC bikes sporting what looked very much like a 'biopace' chainring???

for those who don't know what one of those is, it was something the big s's tried in the early 90's (?) to even out the power surge of the pedalling downstroke by camming the chainrings... it pretty much dies in the ass after a couple of years so surprising to see them back.

 

[Lanky Love]

Im looking forward to a fast and bloody fight between Riccardo Ricco and Alberto Contador next year...with soler (sp?) giving them hell all the way. that will be a dream tour.

But for now i dont think cadel should've gone for yellow last night. he should have rested a bit more but kept a close gap and gone for it in the alps. waiting for the TT is too much of a risk. still, congradulations.

 

[trail-blaze]

Is it on tonight or rest day means nothing on tv?

 

[Bodin]

Is it on tonight or rest day means nothing on tv?

Yes, "rest day" means "lie awake in bed knowing that you should be catching up on sleep, but can't now that you're accustomed to staying up until 2am every night"...

You'll probably find me still trawling around the O/T forum and poking fun at the illiterates in about 4 hours from the frustration and sheer boredom of TWS (Tour Withdrawal Syndrome)...

 

[Nerf Herder]

2.) I don't want to take anything away from Cadel but I honestly wasn't that impressed by his pseudo-attacks. Hopefully when and if he decides or is required to attack he has more in the tank than what I saw last night. Congratulations on the yellow (even if you weren't aiming for it).

Same ... has me a little worried for him ... looked like some pain in there ... although he does have a habit of gritting the teeth and locking the jaw ... the guys got heart, which is what I really like ... would love him to show some kick and pull away on a stage ... C'mon Cadel

Question:
Has Cadel ever won a non time trail or even time trial stage ?

Good to hear Trent up there-ish too

 

[dunk]

Totally off topic, did anyone notice one of the CSC bikes sporting what looked very much like a 'biopace' chainring??

From memory it's just Sastre and Julich that use them, but they are both using different types - Rotor and Osymetric. I can't remember who is using what though.

 

[Bodin]

Same ... has me a little worried for him ... looked like some pain in there ... although he does have a habit of gritting the teeth and locking the jaw ... the guys got heart, which is what I really like ... would love him to show some kick and pull away on a stage ... C'mon Cadel

Question:
Has Cadel ever won a non time trail or even time trial stage ?

Good to hear Trent up there-ish too

He technically won a TT last year after Vinokourov crossed the line first and was later disqualified. Now that he's been a yellow jersey wearer and has no natural acceleration or helpful team mates, he'll be a marked man for the rest of his life and I can't see him winning a stage of anything. Ever. Apart from a TT, but even his TT prowess is at risk, because he'll never be able to save all his TT strength due to having to battle it out over every bloody mountain with no team mates to protect him.

However - it's not all bad news - his TT, climbing consistency and all-round "heart" will always keep him in contention for GC honours in any Tour. He should continue making a good living for quite a few years yet and I think he's a bloody legend.

 

[stoff]

Call it the aforementioned TWS or whatever, but have just spent the last two minutes thinking how odd it is with all the technology in cycling today - carbon fibre bikes, energy gels, eleven speed clusters, etc, etc - that the perferred method for keeping warm on a descent after a climb is still a folded up newspaper stuffed down the front of your jersey.

 

[dunk]

I don't think it odd at all. Newspaper is readily available from spectators at the top which means you don't half to drag a gillet up a damn mountain and for the rest of the stage. Then when you throw it away at the bottom it's biodegradable, unlike the biddons they seem to toss all over France.

 

[Nub]

Call it the aforementioned TWS or whatever, but have just spent the last two minutes thinking how odd it is with all the technology in cycling today - carbon fibre bikes, energy gels, eleven speed clusters, etc, etc - that the perferred method for keeping warm on a descent after a climb is still a folded up newspaper stuffed down the front of your jersey.

I laughed quite hard when I read that.

 

[Bodin]

Call it the aforementioned TWS or whatever, but have just spent the last two minutes thinking how odd it is with all the technology in cycling today - carbon fibre bikes, energy gels, eleven speed clusters, etc, etc - that the perferred method for keeping warm on a descent after a climb is still a folded up newspaper stuffed down the front of your jersey.

The day's news is still newer than any of that technology they're riding... *grin*

Couldn't SBS at least have the decency to show 4 hours of bloody highlights or something on the rest day? The insomnia is kicking in so hard that I'm almost wondering what tasty treat Gabriel's going to introduce us to next...

 

[trail-blaze]

The day's news is still newer than any of that technology they're riding... *grin*

Couldn't SBS at least have the decency to show 4 hours of bloody highlights or something on the rest day? The insomnia is kicking in so hard that I'm almost wondering what tasty treat Gabriel's going to introduce us to next...

I know what you mean Im not tired at all stoopid tour.

 

[Macr]

From memory it's just Sastre and Julich that use them, but they are both using different types - Rotor and Osymetric. I can't remember who is using what though.

Dunk and Digger, take a look at this article.

 

[Topple's]

Sounds like things might be a tad different next year but not just in France?
http://wwos.ninemsn.com.au/article.aspx?id=598052&_cobr=optus

 

[Lanky Love]

Could this be the end of the Tour Down Under as a serious international race?

 

[stoff]

Cofidis have already come out and said they don't see the point of racing in places where Cofidis don't sell their product. If you look at last years Tour Down Under teams only Quickstep, Rabobank and Columbia really have any commercial presence here. I can't see it dying, but I can see it reverting back to a second tier race.

 

[skivi]

is it jst me or anybody else getting a little bit tired of old michael tomalaris?

i swear if he continues to use the line "the French love affair with the tour" i'm gonna have to put it on mute untill i see the start flag, and then theres crap like "well yesterday Cadel made his 'rock-star'-like entrance into the media frenzy closely followed by his personal bodyguard" HA there was a few fans and trestle table with a small umbrella!