Tour talk -- Spoiler alert

[7rider]

They have no leader for GC. Levi is not up to the task and that's been obvious for a long time. So they shifted strategy and are going for team classification and stage wins.

It's not unusual for a team to shift strategy over the course of a grand tour when they find plan A not working out, whether due to injuries, illness, bad luck, etc.

Yeah, but I think they want to protect Levi's Top-10 placement.

[ny biker]

Yeah, but I think they want to protect Levi's Top-10 placement.

Too late for that...

But Chris Horner is now 8th. He is The Man.

[arielmoon]

LOL Zen!

Great stage today. I really wanted Andy to open a gap but AC really stuck like gum on a shoe.

LOL at the sheep crossing!

Great day for Chris Horner! He, Kloden, and Lance really trying to lock up the team competition.

I had the assistant farm manager and farm vet calling me every 1o minutes to get an update. At least I wont get in trouble for watching at work!!

[7rider]

Too late for that...

Dam.


Haven't seen the results yet...
But, geez, Levi is my Man of Perpetual Frustration.

[ny biker]

Dam.


Haven't seen the results yet...
But, geez, Levi is my Man of Perpetual Frustration.

Yeah. I think he's better suited to 1-week stage races than 3-week races.

Also -- from the sponsor's point of view, Lance in a break/Lance winning a stage is worth more than anyone else on the team finishing top ten in the GC. Like it or not, Lance gets the TV time and press photos that makes the sponsorship pay off.

[buffybike]

All those crazies in neon g-strings were cracking me up. Too funny.

I was so excited in the last 30 minutes, I felt like I could throw up. Good thing I was alone in the house so no one could hear me yelling, "Go Andeeeeeee!!! You can do it!!!!!!! Come on! Go! Go! Go!!!!!" All the while waving my arms, of course.

[Zen]

Who is that guy sitting next to Andy at the press conference?
The team director?
He would make a good bouncer.

[redrhodie]

Who is that guy sitting next to Andy at the press conference?
The team director?
He would make a good bouncer.

Yeah, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bjarne_Riis and he won the tour, once upon a time.

[channlluv]

Do you think Contador pulled up at the end there, though? Paul or Phil one kept saying that he would never have taken that win from Andy or the crowd would have turned on him (again), as if he could have taken the win if he'd wanted to. Their comments just left me wondering. It kind of tempered my joy for Andy, although I'm really pleased for him.

And has anyone ever done a study on the effect that the fans have on the riders climbing steep inclines like that? I didn't see anyone slapping Andy, but Contador got several slaps in the arm and on the butt as he rode through. All that noise, people jumping in your path, and then the motorcycles blaring their horns right behind you...how in the world do they concentrate enough to climb that mountain?

Roxy

[Zen]

My best guess is that Berto wanted to attack but really didn't have it in him. Andy would have given him a run for his money.
He let Andy win for the goodwill.

It will come down to the time trial.