posted Jul 12, 2009

In old money thats a hundred miles and a total of 7,798ft total climbed. Quite a day in any amateurs frame of reference.

add comment | complain about this comment

posted Jul 12, 2009

I think Wiggo's too high up to be allowed to escape... they couldn't let Evans go either, and Wiggins' got a better final TT! They may not think he can win (I don't think he can win) but letting him ride is a risk!
It's a compliment, really.

add comment | complain about this comment

posted Jul 12, 2009

Good morning all. I think Astana will set some pace at the front of the peloton, to try and shake Nocentini and get AC in yellow. It'd be nice to see some attacks from the likes of Evans, Sastre & Menchov, to see if Astana rates them as contenders still. Menchov's so far down, he might even be allowed a breakaway!

add comment | complain about this comment

posted Jul 12, 2009

Would love to know when Armstrong is going to test himself against Contador....sadly I don't think it will be today....

Everyday I have watched the racing and Armstrong and the Astana team have been at the front the most, but where does Contador usually sit, away from the team.....I don't think the problems are just between Armstong and Contador but rather Contador and the whole team....

I just hope that one of them wins and it will almost certainly be on the very last climb on the penultimate day.

add comment | complain about this comment

posted Jul 12, 2009

Danny Pate in a breakaway! Good lad, trying to make up for your more than disappointing tour so far. They're a couple kilometres far and already they're talking and bickering though. Not a good sign.

Other guys in the first breakaway (about 12 men): Voigt, Devolder, Augé, Fredrigo, Riblon, Vaugrenard, Haussler, Duque

add comment | complain about this comment

posted Jul 12, 2009

The breakaway does not have the peloton's blessing: no Liquigas, no Rabo and now Popo is getting angry at the head of the main bunch.

add comment | complain about this comment

posted Jul 12, 2009

I reckon all the GC contenders will be reserved in their attacks, apart from maybe Schleck brothers, because I think they all realise that the Astana mountain train will keep a tight grip on them today, and will prefer to wait until Astana are fighting amongst themselves before making their bid for the yellow jersey.
The only possible GC change and is Astana getting rid of Nocentini, which will be interesting to see, as Armstrong will surely have to concede if the jersey ends up on Contador's back.
Also hoping for Wiggo to hang in there and surprise us with his newly acquired climbing skills!

add comment | complain about this comment

posted Jul 12, 2009

Wiggins is a largely unknown quantity in a great position, they'd be foolish to let him go without at least learning at what points he runs out of steam (sorry I know you guys love your Petrol/Diesel analogies without me bringing in steam ).

Armstrong/Contador thing is blown out of contention it's not like both of them duelling out the yellow jersey is crippling the Astana team, I mean Astana are setting the bar and Levi is doing surprisingly well.

add comment | complain about this comment

posted Jul 12, 2009

Astana don't want the yellow as it will cause them to expand more energy in defending in for the remainder of the tour. Unless a mass of attacks from various teams and contenders ie. schlecks, menchov, evans, sastre, wiggins, nibali, vandevelde, Sanchez this will cause Astana to raise the tempo and perhaps get them flustered and knock them out of rhythm and make them drop nocentini and take up the yellow which they will have to defend

add comment | complain about this comment

posted Jul 12, 2009

About time Voigt showed himself to be honest?

add comment | complain about this comment

posted Jul 12, 2009

http://gaps.letour.fr/us.html

add comment | complain about this comment

posted Jul 12, 2009

armstrong attacking

add comment | complain about this comment

posted Jul 12, 2009

Nocentini going with LA.......the Italian rider certainly doesn't want for "Cojones"?

add comment | complain about this comment

posted Jul 12, 2009

Too bad, I would've liked to see how much Cav wants green if the bunch was still together at the intermediate sprint.

add comment | complain about this comment

posted Jul 12, 2009

4 man group with Vigt and Pellezoti clear with a 45 second gap to the rest.
Nocentini is actually marking LA....

add comment | complain about this comment

posted Jul 12, 2009

Rest Day/Media Day tomorrow making possession of the yellow jersey even more important.......especially for a relatively small team like Agritubel?
Nocentini will NOT want to give it up.........although a puncture(?) has pulled him off the pace for a bit.

add comment | complain about this comment

posted Jul 12, 2009

I thought Thor moght have got into the break until the first sprint. No matter. Cav has to do some serious thinking. He's not going home empty handed so I think he shpuld take the green jersey seriously. Thor knows what he's doing and I doubt Cav will beat him if he only goes for stage wins.

add comment | complain about this comment

posted Jul 12, 2009

The right breakaway has escaped now: Voigt, Pellizotti, Duque and Fedrigo.

Pellizotti should make it over the mountains, and a good Voigt could too. What about the other two? Duque is more a sprinter (maybe a baroudeur with a good finish) than anything else really.

add comment | complain about this comment

posted Jul 12, 2009

Dave - I think even Thor is a bit tired after yesterday's efforts

add comment | complain about this comment

posted Jul 12, 2009

Why is Carlos Sastre 'tweeting' in English. Little bit suspect if you ask me, sure it isn't a fake?

add comment | complain about this comment

posted Jul 12, 2009

I can't see these 4 staying away - there'll be another attack on the Tourmalet though, despite the long run to home. I can't see the others being fast enough up the Tourmalet to stay away with Pellizotti, who'll need to be putting some time in to the group if he is thinking about the stage win. On the other hand, if Pellizotti's just after polka dot points, then that may be all this is about.

Ten Dam off the front for Rabobank, good to see he's recovered from that fall a few days back

add comment | complain about this comment

posted Jul 12, 2009

Panda -
His tweets are both in English and Spanish.

add comment | complain about this comment

posted Jul 12, 2009

Churruka now going off the front of the peleton as well. Could be interesting if he and Ten Dam get together. Just don't ask how to pronounce his name. Ten as in 10, Dam as in Damn.

add comment | complain about this comment

posted Jul 12, 2009

Tgsgirl.....we may have got off on the wrong foot yesterday(resolved I think?) but I rate your insights so.....question:
Do you think Lance can resist making a big splash on the day before resting?

add comment | complain about this comment

posted Jul 12, 2009

It would be good to know what the prevailing winds are going to be for the last 10 km up in the mountains. This will indicate if this tiny group of two climbers and two sprinters will be able to defend themselves, or if Contador will be able to break and stay away from Armstrong. Contador should also stop complaining he now knows that there are few teams in the tour that can control an Astana team with that many strong riders. He has carte blanche as many can serve as decoys, wittingly or unwittingly.

add comment | complain about this comment

posted Jul 12, 2009

There are two guarantees in this Tour: Txurruka attacks and Furlan is the first to drop from the peloton.

Hog - you've got Ten Dam pronounced all wrong

Bruseghin out the back Idiot!

add comment | complain about this comment

posted Jul 12, 2009

I hope cavendish drops off the grupetto and finishes outside of the time cut off.. :0

add comment | complain about this comment

posted Jul 12, 2009

Frogman - I don't do grudges, we're good!

I think he would've had a near irresistible urge to show how good he is if the Tour hadn't completely wasted the Tourmalet. As it is, with a 70k flat bit after the last mountain ... I'm not so sure.

Karpets attacks from the peloton, Moinard too. Volderken out the back now. Boy, that is way, WAY too early for you, even Cav and Boonen are still in the peloton!. Duque can't follow the first three.

add comment | complain about this comment

posted Jul 12, 2009

Egoi Martinez pretty prominent again.......like the look of him but perhaps "pyrennean fever" is fuelling the spaniard?

add comment | complain about this comment

posted Jul 12, 2009

Duque now been dropped from the first 3 on the road. Group of 6 or so chasing including Karpets, Ten Dam and Txurruka and Paulinho about 20 secs of the main peleton, then another group of 6 or so just off the peleton. It's all going a bit mental

add comment | complain about this comment

posted Jul 12, 2009

Alfie - and very best wishes to you as well!

add comment | complain about this comment

posted Jul 12, 2009

We approach one of the geants du tour. Literally means 'bad route' apparently, though good to watch if not to race over.

Will be interesting to see if Menchov attacks with his Rabobank helpers up the road.

This is suiting Astana, to have AG2R doing the pace setting.

add comment | complain about this comment

posted Jul 12, 2009

Alfie......looks like Thor may be the one getting dropped out?

add comment | complain about this comment

posted Jul 12, 2009

Voigt drops anchor, Pellizotti and Fedrigo go on solo.

Fabfab can't follow the peloton, neither can Polkadot man Kern.

add comment | complain about this comment

posted Jul 12, 2009

Dropping like flies now......Riblon pays the price for his aggression over the last few days.

add comment | complain about this comment

posted Jul 12, 2009

Frogman -
I missed the past 45 minutes of the race or so, but Thor held on to the peloton longer than Cav did (understandably). Belgian TV has mentioned Boonen is the busdriver of a big grupetto, Cav is in it.

add comment | complain about this comment

posted Jul 12, 2009

Peter, who are those three magnificent cyclists in the video?

add comment | complain about this comment

posted Jul 12, 2009

I agree Alex, it's almost blasphemy to waste such a legendary climb by having 70k behind the top. You'd think the TdF guys would know how to design a route by now!

add comment | complain about this comment

posted Jul 12, 2009

Popo,Ballan and stage 7 winner Feilleu fall away.......surprised to see popovych suffer like this but then,this is THE tourmalet I suppose.

add comment | complain about this comment

posted Jul 12, 2009

alfie_nz -

Do you write for 'Flight of The Conchords'

add comment | complain about this comment

posted Jul 12, 2009

Slightly disagree Alex......too many mountain finishes makes for an unbalanced Tour?
The course designers have probably built this stage in as a "wear and tear" stage.

add comment | complain about this comment

posted Jul 12, 2009

Can anyone remember the last time the Tourmalet was a stage finish?

Its a legendary climb but all I seem to remember is it being in the middle of a stage, not the end?

Why don't the tour use it as a finish as often as the Vonteux or Alp Dhuez for example? Just wondering

add comment | complain about this comment

posted Jul 12, 2009

There's €5000 up for grabs for the first man to reach the Tourmalet summit by the way.

QS teamleader Van Slycke got a text message from Jurgen Van de Walle today "If I can complete a stage with a broken collarbone and a collapsed lung than Devolder has to be able to survive today!"

Frogman - the problem with these giant mountains in the middle is that solo attacks are completely useless, because the peloton can make up a lot of time on the flat. So no one will attack on their one, so they'll just finish the mountain in one group without exhausting themselves before the rest day. No excitement, no GC changes, no nothing!

add comment | complain about this comment

posted Jul 12, 2009

Anyone managed to get the live commentary working?

The player opens up fine, but i´m not getting any sound....

add comment | complain about this comment

posted Jul 12, 2009

I agree that such a stage won't effect the top GC guys but it will cut a bit of driftwood away.....after all if all we're worried about is the top 20 then why have 20 9 man teams start the race?

add comment | complain about this comment

posted Jul 12, 2009

But guys who are going to get dropped now, at this pace, are guys who wouldn't have survived anyway and guys who are of no importance in the GC. So it doesn't matter if they're dropped. There is no incentive to make something happen, so it's "group escapes, group rides around solo for a long while, someone in group wins". I'm ok with some of the lesser fellows winning it (I like it actually) but I wanna see some fight as well!

add comment | complain about this comment

posted Jul 12, 2009

winnerfrogman - because there are four Jerseys to contend for not just one.

add comment | complain about this comment