Printable View
Yeah, did you SEE that ride uphill just passing these world class riders like they were...me! Damn, that was impressive.
But what would make a chain skip like that? I heard someone mention grinding through the gears or something like that.
And I love how Voekler was bowing and honoring the crowd on his way in. Vive la France!
Roxy
Not sure what Any did since I haven't watched the video yet but from personal experience I can't count how many times I have dropped MY chain. For me it happens when I'm already in one chain ring and all the way at the highest or lowest gear there and try to keep going. When it finally stopped happening to me I thought it had just been me repeatedly making a rookie mistake or not paying attention or what have you. And then a couple of weeks ago it happened AGAIN. At first it sounds like the gear just won't "catch" and then I keep fiddling with the shifter trying to make it catch and then, well, that's that... welcome to chain-dump city :(Quote:
Originally Posted by channlluv
My heart was in my stomach listening to the coverage on yahoo uk eurosports... I'm almost afraid to actually watch the coverage. Such a gut wrenching feeling :(
I predict it will light a fire in Andy and he'll be on a mission now.
I guess you haven't seen Andy giving this post race interviewQuote:
Originally Posted by Blue_Fedora
Ha! That's hilarious :pQuote:
Originally Posted by ny biker
That Andy just keeps getting cuter and cuter (to me, anyway):p
http://twitter.com/andy_schleck?source=onebox
Well, I was ABC before today, and that hasn't changed. lol
GO ANDY!
Contador is a hell of rider but far from a professional. Let's not forget last year he attacked his own teammate and claimed his radio wasn't working. In cycling there is "the gentlemen's agreement" you don't attack on a wreck or mechanical. Who wants to win knowing it was a slipped chain that got it? It wasn't his legs that got yellow and he will have to sleep tonight knowing that. Never liked Contador, like him less now.
Love Vroomen's quote, that is what I would have wanted to say. Andy's interview was a classy as he can be, I would have wanted to hit Berto with my bike! If he had beat Schleck on his skill I would have respected his talent, not this year. :rolleyes::rolleyes: If he wins it is tarnished in my eyes.
Alberto has posted an apology on youtube.
http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/cont...ogy-to-schleck
Whew, that was exciting! I'm so happy for yet another French win! Yesterday's was fantastic, and today with Voekler was just great, too. Where are all the French-haters now??
I think if Contador was a more likable character (I still don't get the hate, but whatever), we wouldn't hear so many complaints about how he took advantage of the situation. It did not happen at the beginning of the race, but near the end. The Lance-musette crash was at the base of Tourmelet; today was at the top--big difference.
That Sammy Sanchez is a crazy descender. Now if Andy had had Sammy to follow down, he would have made up more time.
Well actually, he was 31 seconds ahead overall to start, and ended up 8 seconds behind. From my accounting, that means he lost 39 seconds. So if he was 45 seconds behind Alberto on the climb/descent today, that would really mean that the biggest gap was 14 seconds overall (and he ended up 8 seconds behind, so he did make up some lost time), since he started with a 31 second lead. You make it sound like he made up 37 seconds, which he did not. He actually lost 39 seconds.Quote:
Originally Posted by Zen
I like Andy alot, and would love to see him win the whole thing, but Alberto is a professional and very talented. You've got to give him credit.
As for Lance...is this Lance racing clean? With such a dramatic decline, that's just about all I can think of to explain it. Kindof puts a damper on the all that Lance-Alberto hype that was stuffed down or throats at the beginning of this. I hope it's not true, but I see no other explanation, unless he just totally slacked and ate cake and ice cream instead of training.
I think it's just Lance racing old.... :rolleyes::DQuote:
Originally Posted by tulip
No, he's mentally checked out and ready to go home. Has actually said as much. He was in good form at the Tour de Suisse and many people thought he could finish on the podium this year. But once he was too far behind for that, he moved on in his head.Quote:
Originally Posted by tulip
If it were because he suddenly stopped doping, it wouldn't make sense to do it up to the beginning of this race and then stop.
I like that expression, "biking old."
That's what's wrong with me!
Seriously, I think you are right, here. Even if you are the fittest athlete around, eventually, something's gotta go south as you age. And yes, I think Lance has mentally checked out, which is fine. I like him, but I also like several of the other riders and I have learned a little more about some of them, without all of the focus on Lance.
Yeah, poor guy! Can you imagine being really pi$$ed and trying to vent in a foreign language? He could've "really . . mff . . . . mff . . . . . . had much anger . . . in . . . in . . . in sister's donkey farm!" (or who knows where??) :D:D:DQuote:
Originally Posted by Zen
Andy is so cute, I wish he was my kid.
Lance showed up today!
Love him or hate him, I think he's really fun to watch when he's in form. I really wanted him to take that sprint. He just said on Versus, though that "Lance Armstrong is over in about four or five days. But I wasn't the oldest guy in the breakaway."
Do you think he'll go back to triathlon?
Roxy
He's already said he's going to race some tris with Radio Shack as his sponsor. I think he saw the race courses in Hawaii and France this year and thought they looked like fun.Quote:
Originally Posted by channlluv
Wednesday should be interesting. Or Thursday? What day is it today? I'm still high on Benedryl. Anyway the next mountain stage should be interesting.
This stage had me on the edge of my seat rooting for Lance! That was fun even though he wasnt able to out sprint the other guys. :)
So what's the deal with Voekler and his little short-shorts???
Compare and contrast Contador and where the bottom of his shorts fall on his thigh, to Voekler. Is he just showing off his legs or does Bbox go for the shorty short look??
I noticed that too yesterday -- he definitely flashes more thigh than most.Quote:
Originally Posted by 7rider
Not that I'm complaining :DQuote:
Originally Posted by ny biker
SheFly
His body has totally transformed over the years. I don't mind the shorts, either.Quote:
Originally Posted by SheFly
He was looking pretty cut! :D
Contador apologized to Andy http://tinyurl.com/2ubpm7y and they are friends again (see twitter). That's nice to hear. I'm an Andy fan but I would feel bad if Contador wins and everyone hates him. I think he did what he thought he needed to do at the time.
"Broken ribs are overrated anyway."
http://velonews.competitor.com/2010/...d-crash_130284
So I'm watching the full coverage of today's stage now. Phil and Paul were really arguing about Contador and Schleck!! I hope they hugged it out afterwards. It was pretty tense there for a while.
Chris Horner!!
He blogged that he was really suffering today. If so, I love his suffer face. Definitely the best one in the peloton.
My mom sent me a great e-mail saying, "They showed a lot of Chris... surprise, surprise, he was smiling!"
*swoon*
Watching him did bring a smile to my face. :DQuote:
Originally Posted by arielmoon
I have been searching You Tube and have found some of the interviews - and thanks for the links! I imagine the only way that I could see any actual coverage is to pay for the online Versus feed :( I am just stretched too thin this month to justify the expense - but am getting my new saddle tomorrow :)
As much as I loved the way Voeckler looked in those shorts, I LOVE Jens. Check out his account of the crash, and HOW he managed to get back in...Quote:
Originally Posted by ny biker
http://www.bicycling.com/tour-de-fra...g-no-sag-wagon
When he retires, it will be a sad, sad day.
SheFly
I love Jens! He is just a class act. He was at the Tour of Missouri last year and always stopped to talk to people and sign autographs for the kids.....and seemed to enjoy doing it.
I saw that last night! I'm not part of the "ABC" camp, but don't buy for a second that Contador did not see Schleck's problem with the chain. I tend to side with Phil -- it was a rash decision he regretted later; by then, it was too late to do anything. Christian VandeVelde quoted Hesjedal about the dropped chain: "If you draw your sword and you drop it, you die." That's a pretty good summary.Quote:
Originally Posted by ny biker
I can't wait to see tomorrow's stage.
How'd you like that mountain they were descending? They get to go back up it tomorrow. I love the scenery of the Tour. I follow along in my big map of France book for future bike trips.
Too bad for Barredo that he couldn't keep going. He was so disappointed--leading 44 km only to be caught with 1 km to go. Christophe Moreau did all the work to catch him in the end.
Kudos to Pierrick Fredrigo for winning the stage. Two in a row for BBox/Bouyges. There are lots of very talented riders this year, and it's so refreshing to get coverage of them.
French riders have won many stages this year, which I find quite refreshing, too.
Wow. I've never actually ever seen anyone riding a neutral bike.Quote:
Originally Posted by SheFly
RE: Contador....I'm going to give him the benefit of the doubt that - even if he did attack (I like that: 'If you draw the sword and drop it, you die") - and even if he knew that Schleck threw a chain - he probably didn't think Schleck would be fumbling for so long on the side of the road.
I love this guy!Quote:
Originally Posted by SheFly
Clearly bike fit is overrated. :DQuote:
Originally Posted by SheFly
Veronica
'It's going to take days to kill all these people' :D
Levi's new bike!
http://www.livestrong.com/teamradios...-ecd6e7f03a31/
Afterward, Lance said Barredo was hard to catch, but it looked to me like they let him dangle in the wind.Quote:
Originally Posted by tulip
I can only imagine the partying being done by Bbox today. They've got to be stoked, 2 stages in a row. Good for them!
Is it starting at 6:30 tomorrow morning? Jeez, that's early. I got up the other time it was that early, and there was no racing shown for over an hour. I felt like a chump.
Did anyone see the pieces on Versus on Contador's hometown, Pinto? They totally distorted the image with high contrast and funky editing, and I couldn't get much out of it. It was frustrating to watch. I wonder why they did that?
That's freakin' 3:30 here!Quote:
Originally Posted by redrhodie
I actually don't mind. I get up at 4 anyway. Gotta love my DVR though. :D
When we first started watching years ago, we were recording it on a single VCR tape over and over...
Veronica