Tour de France 2005

[spazzdog]

We had this same discussion going on on another forum, with me being all ranty & ravey... and then it hit me.

This is the rule as explained by race radio:

"Jean-Francois Pescheux, the Tour’s sporting director, has just announced that the time for the general classification of the final stage will be taken on the first pass of the finish line."

The operative statement is "time for the GC of the final stage". If you look at the stage results all riders were given the same finishing time. They only cancelled the 2nd intermediate sprint time bonus, not the finish time bonus, which they then calculated into the overall GC placement.

Levi's team should have been off the front to make sure Vino didn't win it... they should've helped anybody BUT Vino to win that stage. Somebody fell asleep in the team director car.

spazz

[spazzdog]

One last thought on the 2005 Tour...

Did y'all notice that the riders wore helmets throughout all stages this year?

Last year the rule was the riders could ditch them on an uphill finish, but this year (gladly), everyone had a helmet every day, all day.

I'm wondering if there was pressure from cycling advocacies... anybody notice on any other pro rides where the boys generally ditch their helmets?

Until next year...

spazz

[greenchick]

anybody notice on any other pro rides where the boys generally ditch their helmets?

Unless I'm remembering wrong, the TdF has been sort of the last holdout -- most of the other national federations (except maybe the Italians?) have required helmets for a while now.

Of course, I picked up that tidbit in reading up on Casartelli's accident, and it still took them 10 years after the fact to change the rules. Sigh.

[Bustertb]

I agree spazzdog, Levi's team director was asleep at the wheel. They went after Vino the first time he went off the front. I can't remember if the ruling of doing away with the time sprints was before or after Vino's first attack. If it was after the first attack then my thinking would be that the team director thought that ALL the time bonuses were canceled. So maybe it was a matter of misunderstanding. Surely Levi's team knew that Vino wasn't gonna give up after one attack. Especially after he attacked all throughout the race for 3 weeks.

In my opinion I don't know if Levi could out sprint Vino. But he should have been up there to at least try. No one on Vino's team was helping him, so maybe if Levi's team had been up there like they did the first time Vino attacked then Levi could have beat him in a sprint. We'll never know. If anyone reads Levi's comments about this would you please post the article? Thanks!

[Adventure Girl]

If anyone reads Levi's comments about this would you please post the article? Thanks!

I haven't heard/read any comments from Gerolsteiner or Levi, but I assume the story will surface eventually. Maybe Gerolsteiner assumed that at least 3 sprinters would beat Vino to the line. I would also like to know the story. Who's fault was it? Gerolsteiner's? ONL's? The Tour organizers'? Or perhaps Jobob's!!