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Logos
Prog Reviewer
Joined: March 08 2005
Location: Finland
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Points: 2383
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Posted: July 21 2006 at 03:28 |
What an amazing Tour, full of surprises and excitement until the last ITT.
Probably Landis is the strongest in the time trial, as you said Hugues, but with three weeks of riding behind them anything can happen. Anyway I think Landis is so determined to win this race now the others have no chance.
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Sean Trane
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Prog Folk
Joined: April 29 2004
Location: Heart of Europe
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Points: 20251
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Posted: July 21 2006 at 08:19 |
Logos wrote:
What an amazing Tour, full of surprises and excitement until the last ITT.
Probably Landis is the strongest in the time trial, as you said Hugues, but with three weeks of riding behind them anything can happen. Anyway I think Landis is so determined to win this race now the others have no chance.
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would not be that sure, there is the famous effect of wearing the yellow jersey causing the guy who wears to sublime himself beyond his capacities (a bit the way Landis did yesterday) , so Pereiro will give it his all too.
And Sastre is not mop at ITT either
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let's just stay above the moral melee prefer the sink to the gutter keep our sand-castle virtues content to be a doer as well as a thinker, prefer lifting our pen rather than un-sheath our sword
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memowakeman
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Posted: July 22 2006 at 13:40 |
Wow... so Landis is almost TDF winner, as we expected he made a better against clock than Pereiro, placing Landis as the leader again, Pereiro is 0.59 behind Landis, and Kloden 0.30 behind Pereiro.
Im afraid tomorrow will be an exciting Stage, Landis has everything to win, but Kloden and Pereiro (with their respective teams) will do all the neccesary to make intelligent movements to reach and pass Landis .
I think Landis has an enough advantage to control them and win this Tour, but everything could pass.
Sorry for Sastre, he lost today....
I expect a very thrilling final!
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Logos
Prog Reviewer
Joined: March 08 2005
Location: Finland
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Posted: July 23 2006 at 04:47 |
Kloden and Pereiro won't do anything to reach Landis, it's a tradition that the GC winner is decided before the final stage.
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Sean Trane
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Prog Folk
Joined: April 29 2004
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Posted: July 23 2006 at 05:51 |
memowakeman wrote:
Wow... so Landis is almost TDF winner, as we expected he made a better against clock than Pereiro, placing Landis as the leader again, Pereiro is 0.59 behind Landis, and Kloden 0.30 behind Pereiro.
Im afraid tomorrow will be an exciting Stage, Landis has everything to win, but Kloden and Pereiro (with their respective teams) will do all the neccesary to make intelligent movements to reach and pass Landis .
I think Landis has an enough advantage to control them and win this Tour, but everything could pass.
Sorry for Sastre, he lost today....
I expect a very thrilling final!
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I was really disappointed wit Sastre's performance >>> I was rooting for him
The last day is strictly parade and with 59 seconds , this is simply too much to expect for this insipid last stage.
If there was less than 20 seconds, then it would be possible, but here...
Anyway, Landis was best in this tour, but I doubt he will make it again next year with Basso and Valverde
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let's just stay above the moral melee prefer the sink to the gutter keep our sand-castle virtues content to be a doer as well as a thinker, prefer lifting our pen rather than un-sheath our sword
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mystic fred
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Posted: July 24 2006 at 12:21 |
what a great finish in Paris on Sunday... i'm really looking forward to next year's race!......
The Tour de France in Britain 2007
We look at the route the race will take when it comes to Britain in 2007.
The Opening Ceremony On Friday, the 6th of July, the Teams competing in the 2007 Tour de France will be presented in Trafalgar Square, the centre of London and the scene of many a major celebration. The square contains a number of landmarks such as Nelson's Column and the National Gallery and will no doubt be packed with people for this showcase event.
Right: Nelson's Column, Red double deckers and big crowds turning out for a bike race -- just a taste of what we'll see in 2007 for le Tour.
Prologue
On Saturday, the 7th of July, will be an eight kilometre (5 mile) lap of central London. The riders will depart from the starting ramp at Whitehall, taking in some of London's most famous landmarks including the Houses of Parliament, Westminster Abbey, Buckingham Palace, Wellington Arch, Hyde Park, and finishing on the Mall.
Royal Parks Chief Executive, Mark Camley said their agency was proud to play such a key role in delivering the Le Grand Depart to the UK.
"The Royal Parks are national treasures that are recognised by millions of people at home and around the World. They will prove to be a spectacular stage for this event and allow thousands of Londoners and visitors to enjoy the grandeur and natural beauty of the Royal Parks. Le Tour will also show the World our ability to host world-class sporting events ahead of the 2012 Olympics."
Stage One (place to place)
On Sunday, the 8th of July, the first road stage will start in central London. The riders will depart from The Mall, ride through Admiralty Arch and then proceed alongside the Thames down to the Houses of Parliament and past the iconic symbol of Britain and London, Big Ben.
Then, the riders will cross the Thames river before riding past the London Eye (pictured right) and looping back to take in St Paul's Cathedral and the Tower of London. From there, they will pass over the Tower Bridge, through Bermondsey and Deptford to Greenwich where they will cross the Greenwich Meridian Line, where all time zones are measured from.
The route then passes through Woolwich, Abbey Wood and Erith, before leaving London for Dartford in Kent.
Out of London, the route then goes through Gravesend and on to Medway, dominated by Rochester Castle and it's Cathedral. Rochester was the scene of many a great gathering of cycle racing fans for the World Road Cups that were held there.
Passing on through Maidstone, the route will take the riders to Tonbridge and then on to Royal Tunbridge Wells. The route then winds through the beautiful Kent countryside, through the picturesque village of Tenterden and past Ashford to a potentially nail biting finish in Canterbury.
Leader of the Kent County Council, Paul Carter, said of the Tour coming to his part of the country, "With an estimated worldwide audience of 15 million people, the largest for any sporting event, this is a great opportunity to promote Kent and its countryside to a huge number of people."
The stage finishes in Canterbury, a city steeped in history just like many of the major landmarks in London and the town is suitably pleased to see the Tour de France coming through their front door. Canterbury City Council Leader, Cllr Harry Cragg's reaction to the news was "Canterbury is thrilled to have been chosen to host the climax to the first stage of the Tour de France. The City Council has already begun preparations for one of the world's most high profile sporting events and is looking forward to the excitement and drama that surrounds this prestigious occasion."
Edited by mystic fred - July 24 2006 at 12:30
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Prog Archives Tour Van
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Padraic
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Posted: July 27 2006 at 22:19 |
Now Landis in a doping scandal. Is there any credibility left in this sport?
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Sean Trane
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Posted: July 28 2006 at 03:25 |
NaturalScience wrote:
Now Landis in a doping scandal. Is there any credibility left in this sport? |
Thing is that Cycling is THE ONLY sport trying to eradicate the cheaters. Every runner gets tested some ten to twelve times a year , much more if he wins regularly!!
Do you think athletism , Tennis, Football , skiing does that ?
Lucky if they get tested twice per year!!!
LANDIS!!! I also thought this exploit of his was too good to be true! Especially after the spectacular breakdown he suffered the day before!!
Edited by Sean Trane - July 28 2006 at 03:27
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let's just stay above the moral melee prefer the sink to the gutter keep our sand-castle virtues content to be a doer as well as a thinker, prefer lifting our pen rather than un-sheath our sword
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Padraic
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Posted: July 28 2006 at 13:17 |
Sean Trane wrote:
NaturalScience wrote:
Now Landis in a doping scandal. Is there any credibility left in this sport? |
Thing is that Cycling is THE ONLY sport trying to eradicate the cheaters. Every runner gets tested some ten to twelve times a year , much more if he wins regularly!!
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My question is, why take drugs when you know a test is coming? It's not like in baseball when the drug policies were a joke and they all could take steroids with little fear of getting caught (until now).
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Sean Trane
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Posted: August 01 2006 at 05:12 |
NaturalScience wrote:
Sean Trane wrote:
NaturalScience wrote:
Now Landis in a doping scandal. Is there any credibility left in this sport?
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Thing is that Cycling is THE ONLY sport trying to eradicate the cheaters. Every runner gets tested some ten to twelve times a year , much more if he wins regularly!!
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My question is, why take drugs when you know a test is coming? It's not like in baseball when the drug policies were a joke and they all could take steroids with little fear of getting caught (until now).
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The fact is that this Testosterone is one of those doping scheme from the 80's that is to be detected in urines. Urine testing is still in place but has been definitely over-shadowed by blood sampling (since those 80's drugs became undetectable via urine). So athletes have a tendency to go back to doping schemes that have less chances to be detected >> always a gamble
So my guess is landis took that before the stage and he gad no idea of how the stage would go. If he had managed to come in a small group, he probably would've let another win the stage (and the urine sample)
Another possibility is that he was hoping this would be played down or allowed to go through (as it was for so many years under the Armstrong reign). The temptation is pretty big when you know that you lost anyway and this was your only chance at ever winning the TDF.
The solution is certainly not making the TDF less tough , though >> I mean this race is easier than the Giro or the Vuelta. The geography of France is much less mountainous than Italy or Spain, so the mountain is always stuck in the third week >> you get mountain stages in the first week of the Vuelta or Giro .
The big difference is everyone want to win the TDF (not the case of many riders >>> see Armstrong, Indurrain or Lemond).
The solution appears to me is to diminish the prize money so runners will not want to ruin their health/lives for pity money. But this is limited since the sponsors are the ones bringing the dough and the TV exposure is what interest them .
Nowadays everyone knows the Festina Watches, everyone knows of the Phonak Hearing Aids >>> $£€
Another solution is to go back to 80's distance of time trials : 3Km prologue, 20 Km team trial, and two much shorter (max 30 Km) indiv time trial >>>> (now it is 8km + 60Km +50 Km +50 Km >> this allows for too big a difference) >>> problem is again that the equipment companies are pushing for long time trials because of business >>> special time trials equipment do make differences , where in the mountains, the athletes does , not the bike!!!
Gatlin is just the tip of the tip of the tip of the iceberg in Athletism.
The solution appears to me is to diminish the prize money so runners will not want to ruin their health/lives for pity money
Edited by Sean Trane - August 01 2006 at 05:12
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let's just stay above the moral melee prefer the sink to the gutter keep our sand-castle virtues content to be a doer as well as a thinker, prefer lifting our pen rather than un-sheath our sword
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Padraic
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Posted: August 01 2006 at 10:50 |
Now it appears that the testosterone found in the A sample was synthetic. Landis will have a hard time explaining this one away. I was actually ready to give him the benefit of the doubt that it was a natural physiologic phenomenon, but this seems to kill that explanation.
Guess we'll still wait to see what B sample reveals...
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memowakeman
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Joined: May 19 2005
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Posted: August 01 2006 at 21:19 |
what a shame... great for Pereiro if Landis is poisoned...
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Sean Trane
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Prog Folk
Joined: April 29 2004
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Posted: August 02 2006 at 03:05 |
Unfortunately Perreiro does not really deserve it, either. I mean the man received a 29 min bonus.
But once in position, he did put a fight for it
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let's just stay above the moral melee prefer the sink to the gutter keep our sand-castle virtues content to be a doer as well as a thinker, prefer lifting our pen rather than un-sheath our sword
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BaldFriede
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Joined: June 02 2005
Location: Germany
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Points: 10261
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Posted: August 02 2006 at 03:09 |
More like "Tour de Farce" than "Tour de France".
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BaldJean and I; I am the one in blue.
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Sean Trane
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Prog Folk
Joined: April 29 2004
Location: Heart of Europe
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Points: 20251
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Posted: August 02 2006 at 04:56 |
BaldFriede wrote:
More like "Tour de Farce" than "Tour de France". |
Sadly so!
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let's just stay above the moral melee prefer the sink to the gutter keep our sand-castle virtues content to be a doer as well as a thinker, prefer lifting our pen rather than un-sheath our sword
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