TdF - poor Tyler!

[jobob]

no no no, he didn't crash or anything!
(knock wood, pinch of salt over shoulder)

...but he recently found out that his trusty sidekick Tugboat has cancer and will have to be put down tomorrow

http://www.cyclingnews.com/news.php?...l04/jul14news4

Recent photos of Tug ( http://www.tylerhamilton.com/ ) showed that he was getting pretty long in the tooth and one could presume it was inevitable, but it so sucks that it had to happen in the middle of the Tour, it doesn't give Tyler much of a chance to come to terms with losing his longtime companion.

Well, Tyler's proven before how tough he is in the face of adversity. What a bummer, though!

- Jo.

[caligurl]

i cried when i read this on another forum...

[snapdragen]

That's so sad, Tugboat is such a cool dog. I lost a dog to cancer too, such an ugly disease, for animals and humans.

[fultzie]

noooooooooooooooo!!!!!!!!!
ooh geez, can't cry, can't cry... i'm at work!
poor Tugs and poor Tyler! I hope he races even better for Tugs's sake.... (his poor wife too, having to break the news)

[betagirl]

I read today that he dropped out of the TdF because of a sore back.....

Sorry but GO LANCE!

[Sparrow]

I have to admit that my heart dropped a bit when I saw that he'd abandoned this morning. If that poor guy could stay upright for an entire tour I think he'd stand a real chance at winning it.

[Trek420]

betagirl wrote "I read today that he dropped out of the TdF because of a sore back....."

sore? I'd imagine, didn't he take an endo early in the tour, I heard he got ripped up, a lot of road rash on his back. poor Tyler, I wanted to see him win. OLN says the only major contender who has not hit the pavement so far in Jan.

so now, GO LANCE!

[jobob]

Aack!!

First Tyler drops out, and now I see the other guy I've been rooting for, Bobby Julich, finished near rock bottom today ... evidently Bobby had a crash early in today's stage.

He was looking so good yesterday, I was really hoping he'd be in a breakaway or finish high up again today. Fingers crossed he doesn't have to drop out too !

I'm now officially SHUTTING UP - I have no more faves. None. Nada. I now root for no one (I don't dare).

- Jo.

[Trek420]

jobob wrote "I'm now officially SHUTTING UP - I have no more faves. None. Nada. I now root for no one (I don't dare)."

ah HAH! so it's your fault!

[jobob]

Yep. Mea culpa.

There are a few others I'd like to shout out for, but no way now !

[massbikebabe]

My husband, my son and I had the pleasure of attending the LIVE
LOUD and LARGE show here in Massachusetts this morning, and boy what a GREAT SHOW We got there at 6 a.m. and things were just getting started so we had to hang around and chat for
a few minutes with the president of the THF. She agreed with us when we said Tyler is emotionally ruined because of the loss of poor Tugs. Once things got under way we had bagels, juice, coffee and the likes, and lots of freebies from the folks at M.S. and the THF, (waterbottles, t-shirts, pens, bumper stickers etc.) Then it was time for the BIG SHOW, so we all got ushered into the cinema. Tyler Hamilton's dad was there so he got up and read us an e-mail from Tyler. Once the letter was finished the show began...and unfortunately the first scene we
saw was Tyler abdoning the race! Even his Dad was unaware and immediately left the theater with his cell phone. When he returned he told us that when Tyler fell in the crash he caught a pedal in his back and that was causing him great pain...so great he could not finish the TDF...because he is riding to win and not just to finish. We all stood and applauded poor Tyler, I myself was crying. His dad then told us that this has been a tough week for Tyler and Haven...one good thing did happen this week. Prior to taking Tugs to the vet to be put to sleep, Haven took him to the bakery and got him one of everything and then took him to the park so he could eat it. Tugs was in heaven before his time...
Being the mother of Bichon Frises I was SOBBING!!!! Then we got to scream and cheer Lance and the Posties to victory...what a sight...even Sheryl...We had a ball!!! Just before it ended they gave out some neat doorprizes, (speedplays, hats, club kit etc.)
and then the folks from M.S. threw out 7 jerseys...Havens favorite number!!!! I am so glad we got out of bed and went to this event this morning...It was well worth it!!! I hope they do it again next year!!
karen

[jobob]

After we picked our jaws up off the floor, I pointed out to my husband that the THF screenings were this morning. We were wondering what the crowd reaction must have been.

(The screenings started around 5 am on the west coast- um, no thanks - we did our usual tune in an hour or so later and back up the TiVo so we could fast forward thru the commercials)

Thanks for the report. What a sad/sweet sorry about Tugboat...

[massbikebabe]

Jo:

The best things about seeing the tour on the big screen were
NO COMMERCIALS and NO ROLL and the other knucklehead...


We had to get up at 4 a.m. to make it to the theater on time. My 12 year old complained LOUDLY all the way but was happy with
the program!

[trekchic]

Why didn't Lance take 1st today? Do you guys think he, Basso and Voekler had an agreement to cross together leaving the standings like they were?

I thought he would've definitely taken the yellow jersey today.

[jobob]

The way I sees it ...

Postal would have had to waste a lot of unnecessary energy to give Lance a 23 second lead in a flat stage the day before a rest day, just to take the yellow jersey from the new (well-deserved) hero of French cycling. They would have had to chase down Voeckler's entire Brioches team to do so, and in the process expose Lance and themselves to an unnecessary risk of crashing. Voeckler kept the jersey by the skin of his teeth yesterday in a simply awe-inpiring display of heart and cajones and it really won't make a bit of difference in the overall standings to let him keep it one more day. All that really matters in the end is who is in yellow next sunday.

Plus half the field is riding around in ace bandages right now, and they're all dog-tired from those last 2 stages ...methinks the only agreement in place was that, once the break formed containing 10 men who were so far back they would have no bearing on the overall GC, the peleton agreed to let them go and call a truce for today and not jockey much for postion ( except of course for those crazy sprinters in the main peleton trying to rack up points at the very end...)

Rest assured, barring he!! freezing over*, Lance will be in yellow on Tuesday.

(* or Jo's powerful mojo, bwah hah hah)