The Official TDF 2005 Megathread

[Ryan]

With more like-minded individuals to indulge my interest in road-racing than ever before I hereby declare the official 2005 Tour De France thread open, huzzah!

I would like to open the thread with a self-congratulatory little spiel about just how right I was about the Armstrong / Ullrich rivalvry. It's the end of the prologue and Ullrich is already toast in my books, he never has and never will close a 1 minute gap on Armstrong in the GC, the Disco's are way too smart and organised to let that happen.

Enjoy having your arse served up on a platter for the 7th year straight Ullrich, your "beating Lance" fairytale is never going to happen.

Basso is already down 3 minutes and the Euskies will almost certainly lose time to the Disco's in the TTT, Vinokourov and Landis are still theoretically in the hunt but are also looking at closing 1 minute gaps on Lance.

 

[mtb1611]

No offence but the self-congratulatory spiel is a bit unwarranted..... hypothesising that Lance will bag his 7th aint rocket science!

 

[JohnJohnCyclingnews]

Three weeks is a sod of a long time. Lots of things could happen, both in problems for Armstrong and good stuff for others.

That said, it is hard to imagine Bruyneel letting anything happen.

 

[Pete W]

I just love all the lancy lancy talk......... hang on isn't he in a team????? and isn't this a teams race???????
gotta love the under dog neverheartheirnames do'n all the hard work!!!!!!!
Go the aussies and their team mates !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[Bodin]

and isn't this a teams race???????

Maybe so, but I bet 9 out of 10 people who know that Lance won last year couldn't tell you which team won...

Come to think of it, I watched the whole thing and I can't even remember myself... Was it Ullrich's team? That Kloeden guy that did well was in the same team, yeah?

 

[Ryan]

Anyone stay up to watch last nights stage? Pretty boring if you ask me, but I find flat stages boring to watch as a rule unless someone puts on a serious breakaway.

I thought the finish was pretty awesome though, that corner about 300m out really sorted the pack out and when Robbie McEwen came out of it pinned on the rails I was up and yelling at the TV. Hushovdt and Boonen monstered him in the last 50 metres though, Boonen is an animal this year, it looks like it will be tough for Robbie to best him.

 

[Bodin]

Yes, it was a pretty boring stage, but I was pretty impressed by Voeckler's KOM tactics - absolutely perfect timing.

Yeah, Robbie just looks a little too small to compete in a 1on1 against Boonen, but don't write him off just yet. I still think he's the smartest guy out there and Boonen's team did a much better job than Robbie's last night... nice to see O'Grady having a good crack at it as well...

 

[Ride_Guy]

Yes, it was a pretty boring stage, but I was pretty impressed by Voeckler's KOM tactics - absolutely perfect timing.

Yeah, Robbie just looks a little too small to compete in a 1on1 against Boonen, but don't write him off just yet. I still think he's the smartest guy out there and Boonen's team did a much better job than Robbie's last night... nice to see O'Grady having a good crack at it as well...

I only saw the snippets 2night and was thinking the exact same thing, the guys need to work together a little bit more, but its only very early days yet.

And after when Mc Ewen was talking he simply stated that he made a move to early, hopefully he can get a jump on Boonen next stage!

16:58 - The Top 10 In Stage Two
Tom Boonen rode the perfect sprint to win the second stage. The top 10 is:
1. Boonen
2. Hushovd
3. McEwen
4. O’Grady
5. Pagliarini
6. Flecha
7. Wrolich
8. Pineau
9. Cooke
10. Davis

 

[timduncan]

live !!

is it just me but i found the first bit of the live viewing absolute rubbish ... i didnt enjoy it ... and i hope there is no more of that to come...

i think its so early to say anthing .... cadel loves the mountains ay soo im not making any pradictions yet

 

[Rik]

is it just me but i found the first bit of the live viewing absolute rubbish ... i didnt enjoy it ... and i hope there is no more of that to come...

I don't know what you were expecting, but it's pretty much expected to be boring to watch the first days flat stages, they're almost always dull until the last few km. That said, I'll try and watch them this week for the sake of it.

 

[timduncan]

i wont stop watching it ... i didnt like the french cooking part

 

[Gonzo]

You can get live updates from the official web site http://www.letour.fr/2005/TDF/LIVE/us/300/index.html if anyones interested.

 

[Rik]

Cyclingnews.com also has a good live coverage page as well.
Well, Boonen sure is strong this year, moreso than ever. It'll take a bit more than bargeing fellow countrymen out of the way for McEwen to stand up to him.

 

[Ride_Guy]

McEwen got DQ'd?!?!?!

All I know it was for some shouldering insedent or something I didnt catch last nites stage.. can anyone fill us in?

 

[Bodin]

He got stuck behind Boonen in the sprint for the line (he was probably going faster) and Stuey O'Grady was blocking him to his right, so he leaned all over Stuey (he basically head-butted him) to try and get through, but Stuey just held his line.

It was the riding of a truly desperate man.

 

[Ryan]

The way I saw it, O'Grady actually made the first contact...gave McEwen a tiny bump maybe 100-150m out but nothing that wouldn't happen in every bunch sprint, after the bump McEwen was boxed in by O'Grady who obviously didn't have the speed to get past Boonen and so had a brain explosion and tried to push O'Grady off line.

He deserved the DQ in my books, fucking retarded way to be riding at 60km/h, he's lucky O'Grady is a good bit bigger than him, he might have succeeded in pushing a smaller rider out of the way and actually causing a crash, as it was O'Grady nearly took out Allan Davis when he swerved to get away from McEwen.

 

[wombat]

The sprint was a bit ugly at the end but at least it was entertaining. Shame to see Dekker get caught too.

Last night's stage was the first I've watched and I found the telecast to be quite good. Phil's commentary was quite knowledgeable as always, but I for one was quite dissapointed with his little snipe at BMX. Yeap Phil, times are changing and if you want to drop lines like that you can go and get fucked old man. It's a shame, I think he's by far one of the best sports commentators around.

 

[Ryan]

I must have missed that, what did he say?

 

[junior]

O'Grady is a dead set downer..... he held back robbie try to contest the sprint when he obviously was getting no where, move acrossed on robbie and made first contact (as robbie was coming around) no wonder alot of the top road, track riders dislike O'Grady from what i saw he's a coon for doing that and should have been DQ.

Tom Boonen is a beast though..... Always find a awsome run to the line straight up the middle. Baden will come through soon he's just been caught out.

 

[mtb1611]

The way I saw it, O'Grady actually made the first contact...gave McEwen a tiny bump maybe 100-150m out but nothing that wouldn't happen in every bunch sprint, after the bump McEwen was boxed in by O'Grady who obviously didn't have the speed to get past Boonen and so had a brain explosion and tried to push O'Grady off line.

He deserved the DQ in my books, fucking retarded way to be riding at 60km/h, he's lucky O'Grady is a good bit bigger than him, he might have succeeded in pushing a smaller rider out of the way and actually causing a crash, as it was O'Grady nearly took out Allan Davis when he swerved to get away from McEwen.

I'm with you all the way here Ryan. It was stupid and irresponsible riding on the part of an experienced pro during what is undoubtedly the most dangerous and incident-prone part of any race. He deserved the DQ and to be honest I'm glad it dents his hopes of taking the green again; you might've guessed that I don't like the prick. He's a petulant little turd who always makes excuses when he doesn't win; I like to think of him as cycling's Mark Skaife. FFS, who would name their child Ewen McEwen?! Granted he's a very gifted cyclist and an awesome sprinter but unfortunately attention is often diverted from his ability due to his attitude. I remember one year during an early stage there was a breakaway and the bunch tried to reel them in; he was interviewed on the bike and was having a dummy spit about the pace and "why are they breaking away it's stupid": maybe 'cos it's a race you tool, and if you ever did any actual work outside of the last few hundred metres you might realise that! I also doubt that this latest incident did much to thaw the already frsoty relationship that exists between he and Stuey. On that note, go Stuey!