TDF Spoiler - Umm, jobob?

[jobob]

Nope, I'm not rooting for anyone right now, I'm trying to keep the KoD safely under wraps and not be held responsible for anyone else's demise.

My CSC cap is still laying on the floor in the corner of the living room*gathering dust bunnies, where I flung it right after I watched Bobby crash.

*which is probably why Jens, Frank and Carlos are doing so well.

Don't own a Phonak cap.

[Kalidurga]

You have to give Floyd a lot of credit in the aftermath of today's performance. He doesn't make any excuses or lay any blame on anyone else:

Bicycling.com: Collapse in Yellow

Bicycling.com: Perspective

He really does seem to have his head together. No matter how this Tour ends, Floyd is an athlete to admire.

[margo49]

Sorry to break up the sniffle-fest...
Rasmussen rode brilliantly . Led virtually the whole way and a large part all by himself on his ownsome.
Both those things are what the Tour is all about.
Great Tour all round

[Kalidurga]

To feed the Floyd sniffle-fest and give Rasmussen his due (it definitely was an amazing, powerful ride), Velonews has good video interviews with both riders:

Velonews.com: Latest Video

[snapdragen]

And from Cyclingnews:

Floyd Interview

Makes me like him even more.

[Kano]

Okay, so, this is my third day watching this stuff ever -- got the channel in my hotel room. Get to see tomorrow morning, then go home. I'll miss seeing it, but...

This shirt stuff has me confused. Rasmussen wins, gets a polka dot shirt?
Other guy didnt' win, gets yellow shirt. Sounds to me like yellow shirt is the big deal? I thought it was for the guy who wins each day?

So, what's up with polka dots? What's the deal with yellow? Any other colors we newbies should be knowing about?

And, Landis had all kinds of yellow stuff to go with his shirt today (dunno what he had the other days, only figured out who he was today) Does he change bike colors tomorrow?

Gotta say -- I like the guy: he made it to the finish like I make it to the top of a hill. It wasn't pretty, but he made it! (this particular ride, I'm thinking I wouldn't have made it, or maybe I'd still be working my way through it about two days from now, y'know?)

I wonder if there are any other "losers" out there to like a lot -- more guys who get there like I do!

Karen in Boise

[Aggie_Ama]

Karen- The jerseys each have significance and it is confusing your first year to figure those out! I hope the following run down helps, I am trying to explain it after waking in the night feeling ill.


Yellow- The overall race leader. Also refered to as the Maillot Jaune (I think I got the spelling right). So yes, this is the one to get.

Polka Dots- King of the Mountains. The get points for being the first (second, third...) over certain mountains/hills. For some guys this is the jersey they want because they are not riding for the GC (general classification).

Green- Sprinter jersey. You probably haven't seen much of this one lately. They get points for designated sprints like the mountains. The guys who pride themselves on being sprinters (Robbie McEwen, Thor Hurshovd, Tom Boonen) want this jersey.

White- Best Young Rider. I think they have to be 25 or younger to qualify for this award. I guess it is close to rookie of the year, but based off age and not how many times they ride.

And not to confuse you more, but some have special jerseys based on other awards. If they are the National Champion of their home country, they might have a jersey to signify that. Tom Boonen (who left the race a couple days ago) is the World Champion and has a white jersey with rainbow stripes to show that, even though his team jersey is blue and white.

Now the yellow helmet/bike/shorts etc... This is up to the individual. Some guys go all out and have the special items to match their jersey. Last year the King of Mountains had a Polka Dot bike at the end of the race. In years past, Lance has gone all out on his ride through the streets of Paris. Floyd Landis will not be on the yellow bike tomorrow.

Each rider has many bikes from their team to ride. You have probably seen the cars loaded with bikes during the race. They sometimes switch bikes due to mechanical problems or other reasons, so they are not always riding the same bike.

Final part of this long post... It is okay to find a slow guy and like him! They even give an award to the last place guy in Paris. I am not sure they want this, but the give a red lantern. Sadly, the last place guys can still kick my butt on any given day. They seem slow, but they are definitely pro cyclists.