Pills, Thrills and Cabernet: It's le Tour de France 2008

KBP's thoughts on the route: first tour in my lifetime that doesn't start with a prologue or a time trial! They're playing up the fact that the final 2km of the first stage is uphill so anyone can win it. Even someone French.

Time trial on Stage 4 before we hit the Massif Central on Stage 6, which thankfully shortens the seemingly eternal opening flat stages somewhat early.

We have the climb up Hautacam this year, which is a personal favourite. (Remember when Indurain and Leblanc went up into the clouds in '94?) And some of our old favourites like L'Alpe-d'Heuz. (They better have Mont Ventoux in '09 if they're starting from Monaco).

Only about 80km of Time Trialling overall! Well!

I'm a cycling fan during that brief time when there's no football, which happily coincides with the Tour de France, but means I've got a year's worth of news that I've mostly missed out on.

What happened to Rasmussen after last year's Tour? Did he actually get banned / sacked? I read that Contador can't defend his tour because Astana haven't been allowed in - is the consensus that he was 'clean' last year, or just lucky to get away with it? Come to think of it: did the Landis thing ever come to any conclusion - has he been officially stripped of winning it in 2006 or not? I saw Cavendish won a couple of Giro stages - is he doing the Tour as well?

Rasmussen - got the sack straight at the same time Rabobank took him out of the tour. We haven't really heard much of Chicken since.

Contador - the usual allegations of doping thrown at anyone who wins the Tour has been thrown at him but nothing really substantial.

Landis - he was officially stripped of the '06 win before last year's tour. And that's pretty much it.

Cavendish - I'm sure he's riding and I reckon he'll pick up a stage somewhere.

JUST DAYS TO GO

NO TIME BONUSES

WHY WON'T THEY LET TOM BOONEN RIDE WHILST COKED OFF HIS TITS??

If speed and brandy were good enough in 1905 they should be good enough for Boonen.

We have the full start list with Cadel getting the No. 1 bib! - http://www.cyclingnews.com/road/2008/tour08/?id=startlist

FOURTY USELESS FRENCH DUDES YAHHHHH

I'm really interested in the race for the Green Jersey. You don't have much of a opening week for the sprinters, just a couple more flat stages in the South. Boonen is coked off somewhere, McEwen doesn't have a team. Rosbifs, maybe your lad Cavendish can mix it up. It's a shame that Stuart O'Grady can't really sustain a three week challenge for the jersey because it would have been the perfect tour for him to do so.

HOURS TO GO before the tour starts and an exciting prologue race against the clock in a sophisticated European city a typical stage in Brittany but with an uphill sprint finish decides the first yellow jersey.

Everyone is hanging shit on Cadel now and saying he doesn't have what it takes to win, but I'm not listening to them!

what the...

http://img61.imageshack.us/img61/2505/19888992919426qo8.gif

Let's roll, Aussie. It's time.

http://www.tvmem.com/OZST/tv/A-Z/W/WORLDSER/WSC06.jpg

DON'T KNOCK THE "OCK"

Cav woos the British public

It's on YAHHHHHHHH

SBS still haven't changed their graphics.

The Cav is going to win a Green Jersey.

Just not this year.

How great is SBS? They've padded out 25 minutes without showing any live footage of the race so far.

Now they're showing clips of last year. Soundtracked by Editors. Come the fuck on.

We don't get any coverage for another hour. Only live for the last half hour, fuck ITV.

lol did that other commentator actually use the phrase "time bonufication"??

ITV is getting some live coverage this year??

And that other commentator is an idiot.

Weekends, only, daily highlights, like last year, and like last year the daily highlights will be the last half hour as live rather than the important moves.

Ah. How nonsensical.

Anyway - we've got a group away at 4.45, but with 106km still to go.

The guys in the breakaway really went for that sprint. Now we don't have time bonuses, all they get is Euros. Poor guys.

The perils of watching Le Tour on SBS: so far we don't have any erection problems advertisements during the commercial breaks (maybe it's still a little early for playing piano with an erection), but we've had a first sighting of that absurd advertisement that claims eating meat is causing global warming and the only way to say the environment is go vegetarian. ARE YOU ON FUCKING DRUGS OR WHAT.

By ITV, we of course mean ITV4.

Thought I'd found a stream there, but no I have the traffic camera report in Luxembourg.

Would have worked out fine if they were starting in Luxembourg.

Speaking of drugs, our old friend Chicken has been banned from professional cycling for two years. And won €665,000 compensation for being sacked from Rabobank for being a drug cheat. BECAUSE HE WASN'T GIVEN TWO MONTHS NOTICE. BECAUSE HE IS A DRUG CHEAT. BUT STILL GETS A PAYOUT.

Oh, thank fucking christ. Phil and Paul are on the coverage at last. Talking about chateaus already.

And we've already had a withdrawal just 90km in as a Confidis rider manages to break his wrist at the feed station.

hey! great to see that picture of Evans again. the squareheaded fool.
for people in the UK - Eurosport now have a web streaming service, you can watch the channel on the internet for 4.90 euros a month (annoyingly this is a recurring thing though, so you have to cancel before the end of the month) http://player.eurosport.co.uk/
it seems to work ok, the "go to fullscreen" option is not obvious but is there.

Didn't they say at the end of the preview on ITV that you can watch the whole of every stage live by pressing the red button?

yeh but not on freeview, only on cable & satellite

Ugh, this is going to be your typical flat stage today.

Sure, "anyone" will be able to win yellow today but it's certainly lacking in occasion. Roll on the prologue in Monaco next year.

i did not know that, and given I am hijacking the pub's satellite. I may just do that.

Peleton has almost caught the breakaway with 12km to go...and it's starting to rain.

this fucken bridge better cause some fireworks, they've talked it up enough

"IT'S GETTING GRIPPY NOW"

This looking like serious eye-of-a-needle stuff.

Ah, so much for the bridge then.

Valverde!

VALVERDE!!!

Cheeky bastard!

Helluva finish from him, though, he was lightning coming off that last bend.

i thought kirchen nearly had it there for a bit. but no!

that bridge really was some bullshit though

ITV is soundtracking the montage with "Sleep The Clock Around". Not one word of a fib.

Colour me disappointed with that bridge.

Anyway, I think we can all say that Valverde has peaked! Too soon!

Bonjour, welcome to Stage 2! I'm your host, King Boy Pato and it is looking a bit overcast in Brittany. No, really.

At 108km to go, we've got a two-man breakaway at 5.02 that is FULL OF THAT FRENCH CYCLING PANACHE THAT HAS DOMINATED SO MANY TOURS IN THE RECENT PAST in the form of Sylvain Chavanel and Thomas Voeckler (he might keep that KoM Jersey for about three days or so!).

Bold prediction: they'll be chased down and we'll see Big Thor vs Super Mac vs The Cav in a big sprint.

Caisse d'Epargne are controlling the peleton today for Valverde. Way to conserve that energy, guys!

It's raining on the Cat. 3 climb and Phil is freaking out because Chris Boardman crashed in the rain around here about ten years ago.

Christophe Moreau is really going for that overall win...by crossing over and joining the breakaway on this stage at 2.35...

*cough*

"He hails from a little island between Ireland and Great Britain, and it's called the Isle of Man." Cheers for that, Paul.

Phil - your microphone's not working!

I think that he's doing commentary for someone else, but it's picking up on Sherwen's mic too.

Today's "tricky little bridge" is "dangerous central reservation 500 metres out".

They still haven't caught the four French dudes. Must be all that PANACHE.

They're going to stay away, aren't they?

The peleton must have been drinking proper beer.

Hmmmm....no, probably not.

Chavanel isn't giving up!

1.7k... surely not?

OK, he's screwed. SPRIIIIINT!

Cancellara's going for it!

THOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOR!!

Did you see Valverde mixing it up? Who does he think he is, Eddy Merckx?

And Kim Kirchen, again, this time trying to come off the big lad's wheel. The big names seem to be putting themselves about early.

I guess the last 1-2km didn't suit Robbie Mac or The Man From The Isle Of Man (A little island between Ireland and Great Britain).

Looks like Soler could be out already. Poor dude.

Did you see Valverde mixing it up? Who does he think he is, Eddy Merckx?

Seriously ... considering that his body tends to crap out on him during the second half of grand tours, this can't be smart.

I don't see what Soler could possibly have to race for after today.

Speaking of drugs, our old friend Chicken has been banned from professional cycling for two years. And won €665,000 compensation for being sacked from Rabobank for being a drug cheat.

The week's silliest drug-related cycling news was actually the reinstatement of Riis' 1996 TdF victory. They like to rewrite history as it suits them!

"they" = tour organizers

The week's silliest drug-related cycling news was actually the reinstatement of Riis' 1996 TdF victory. They like to rewrite history as it suits them!

Yeah but with an ASTERISK! They gave him an ASTERISK! Watch out drug cheats for that ASTERISK!

I guess the problem with stripping Riis of the '96 win is that it would go to...Der Fattenkaiser, who is still under that Operación Puerto cloud. And third place was our old friend Tricky Dicky, he of his own free will but without knowing.

they really should sublimate a giant asterisk on the jersey he returned and mail it back to him

Have been wondering, already, about next years route. They start in monaco with a prologue, which whilst short is uphill for the first third and next year is an alps first year and by being in monaco they are essentially in the Alps so I'm wondering if next year will be even less gentle than this.

Hmm, €4.90 for a month of live streaming eurosport on the computer but I'm not sure our work network is up to it.

OK, so I went for it and it works but only on Internet explorer, not firefox.

http://player.eurosport.co.uk/

What I think they'll do next year is start in Monaco, spend a few days in Provence, then do Mont Ventoux and the Alps. Then who knows how they'll get to the Pyrenees.

Hopefully through St Etienne - Monbrison - Firminey Le Puy - Puy De Dome - Clermont Ferrand Mainly because I spent almost every summer as a kid in that part of the world. After Clermont down to Millau then on to the pyrenees before the last flat stages through Gascony and up to the Loire.

I know nothing exciting isa happening on the road right now but why has the first half hour of live TdF coverage consisted of in the studio blethering?

Well...thank heavens that Time Trial is tomorrow.

Then mountains.

I am in france this weekend so I look forward to sitting in bars drinking pastis and watching the tour.

ooooh a dicey bit has actually caused some problems!! for a moment anyways.

this "no time bonuses" idea isn't working.

No actual blood and guts though.

I like the moving seat adjustments from the gerolsteiner car there.

this "no time bonuses" idea isn't working.

^^ real talk

We'll see Cancellara get yellow tomorrow and he'll keep it until the mountains. Yawn.

I much prefer this no time bonuses thing. Does mean that it will come down to the mountains, what with there not being a lot of time trialing this year.

That doesn't mean I think a climber is going to win it it just means that it favours someone who is consistent day in day out.

I think a better idea would have cut down time bonuses to a smaller amount or just have them for flat stages.

OHHH YES FRENCH DUDES PROTESTING!!!

BLOCKING THE STAGE!!

HAVEN'T SEEN THIS SHIT FOR AGES!!

eh up, a band of Euskatel supporters.

Oh...they let them through.

Protesters were much better in the olden days.

Bit wet now, innit.

Bof! Il pleut, nous ne voudrios pas protester quand il pleut.

This breakaway might just make it today.

They have been showing little bouts of agression, still can't see it not being reeled in, though.

Too bad it weren't French farmers with their muddy vehicles who protested. Those are the most fun!

Opening this thread and looking into those evil eyes of Cadel Evans is freaking me out every single time. He's trying to hypnotize me, isn't he?

Did the peleton just split after that crash whilst I wasn't looking?

Yeah, big split up after that crash. Denny Menchov isn't in the first group!

Menchov is 15 secs behind group Valverde.

Is this breakaway being particularly resilient or just lucky with Rain, protesters, crashes etc?

A bit of both, no? The peloton only took about 2.5 minutes out of the break in the 40 km before the crash.

So Valverde wants to chase down the break? Save it for the mountains dude!

Bit of both, aye.

Denny is 45 secs behind now!

No wait, Menchov, Ricco, and others are in the second peloton! Now I get it.

xpost!

Could be wrong, given I have no sound and not a great picture streaming but are Garmin Chipotle doing a lot of the work at the front of the Groupe Maillot Jaune? If so helping or hindering thei guy in the breakaway?

A French stage winner! A French yellow jersey! Really!

good finish!

BUT DID YOU SEE THE PANACHE OF CHRISTOPHE MOREAU AT FOUR MINUTES BEHIND?

Wow! Feillu has some cojones to be greedy like that and put in a move for the stage win when he already knew he'd be getting yellow.

http://www.feldschloesschen.com/abb/Panache_ltl.jpg

Did you see Hinault beat up that protester that got on the podium? That was A++++ gold from the Badger right there and I reckon he loved he chance to beat up a dude.

Hinault FLIES: http://www.cyclingnews.com/photos/2008/tour08/index.php?id=/photos/2008/tour08/tour083/bettiniphoto_0028628_1_full

Fuck missed that, damned work getting in the way of me enjoying the tour.

Sorry that I'm late everyone, my soon-to-be ex-housemate and her male friend commandeered my television which resides in the front room and I thought I was going to miss TT Day!

I haven't missed much - Aussie Jens Voight has the fastest time at the moment and Cancellara is out on course.

Oh, and Denny has done his TT. It's not the fastest even at the moment - that's not good.

No wait, Denny does have the fastest time right now. I'm easily confused by these on-screen graphics these days.

WILL THEY JUST STOP IT WITH THOSE LOVE HEARTS

Cancellara beats Denny's time by just 0.88 of a second!!

CAAAAAAAAAAAAADEL!!

Valverde finishes 4th, :05 down!

Er, I must have confused him with someone else. This coverage is bloody well confusing me tonight.

yes, and the website is not really in sync either.

Millar seems to be having a good ride.

OK, I think I'm awake now and know what's going on...

Schumacher has blown everyone away (which isn't fair, F1 cars shouldn't be allowed)
Millar is a little bit behind
Cadel started off a bit slow but is picking up speed
(The Real) Valverde has started really bloody slow

Yellow jersey already lost!

Kirchen has started off fast, displaced Millar at checkpoint one.

jerkin' the kirchen

With that name and that green jersey outfit, I get him confused with Kif from Futurama.

Evans finishes second! Faster than Cancellara!

:27 down on Schumacher, sure, but that dude has done a superhuman effort today.

Millar pinches that second place, :18 down on Schumacher.

Schumacher looks likely for yellow.

and David Millar displaces him

xpost

There must be a Caravan Expo in town today.

Kim "Kif" Kirchen gets second, about the same time as Millar.

interesting results

Valverde finishes 23rd!!

1:07 behind Evans!!

I think Kirchen is tied for yellow (Does that mean schumacher gets it as he already has green?)

Phil and Paul are saying that Kirchen is five seconds behind Schumacher.

I which case he has yellow, but TdF website says he is on 18 down with Millar.

General Classication after the stage:

1. Schumacher
2. Kirchen @ 12
3. Millar @ 12
4. Evans @ 21

* Classification

indeed, whoot.

11. Menchov @ 1.12
17. Valverde @ 1.27

THIS AIN'T THE DAUPHINE LIBRE YAHHHHHH

Righto, ITV is saying Schumacher tested positive for amphetamines in a police blood test after drink-driving in January, which doesn't really help make this result look any less iffy.

It didn't help that Schumacher was being interviewed (in English) by That Prat Ned Boulting, tho.

Britain's Brave David Millar Beating By Scheming Drugs Cheat (Possibly)!

(erm...'Beaten', that should be)

another flat day, another cheeky french breakaway

Surely we're going to see Thor vs Robbie Mac vs The Man From The Isle Of Man (It's In Between Great Britain & Ireland) today.

I hope so. Can leave 'Booze and speed in a 1955 style' Schumacher in Yellow.

Sorry Can't

Oh, he'll stay in yellow under Super-Besse, denying a run for THE REFORMED GREAT BRITISH HERO.

See this is what happens when you take away time bonuses, Ed!

His plucky northern grit will win the day.

northern grit will then be ruled to be a banned substance.

lol, is gabriel gate the only french chef in this country or what

Him and Richie Benaud and Julia Zemiro are the only French-Australians in existence, don't you know.

Still watching Comedy Muslim Rap in my timezone.

Hey, it's look sunny today!

jeez this is a looooooong stage - wake me up for Super-Besse tomorrow k?

stage win for cavendish, Friere in second and grandpa zabel in third.

how old is Zabel now ?!? must be near 40

Cavendish really living up to the hype of "fastest sprinter in the world" there

He was a bike length and some in the lead. Looks good for a medal in Beijing if he doesn't suffocate.

Zabel was 38 last week.

Woo-hoo!

That's the first time I can remember seeing a British* rider win a stage since Robert Millar fended off Pedro Delgado up a mountain in the first Tour I watched (1989). I'm pretty sure there have been British successes since then, but I don't think I saw them, or if I did I don't remember them. Did Sean Yates win a stage or get yellow or something when the Tour came to Britain in 94? Did Boardman / Millar win prologues or time trials in the Lost Years After Channel 4 Stopped Showing The Tour? When was the last time a British* rider won a road stage, as opposed to a time trial? And when was the last time one won a bunch sprint?

*what is the actual status of the Isle of Man? Don't they have their own laws and taxes and government?

Crown protectorate, I think. They have funny pounds, funny taxes, the oldest continually operating parliament in the world, a dangerous motorcycle race and cats with no tails.

Both Boardman & Millar won prologues. Sean Yates didn't win a stage in 1994 but got yellow - just for the day AFTER the British stages.

Today we go up to Super-Besse!

!!!MILLAR FTW!!!

bcuz it's not too steep

and he's a fuckn bro

AND HE'S A REFORMED HERO

SO REFORMED THAT HE'S NOT GONNA GIVE BACK THOSE YELLOW JERSEYS HE WON WHILST DOPED UP

If he wins, they might bring back "It's Millar Time" t-shirts. So let's hope he doesn't win.

Bah, travelling today so going to miss it all.

Valverde looks like a half-mummy today.

STOP IT WITH THE FUCKING LOVE HEARTS YOU STUPID FRENCH FARMERS

The French panache is truly in full action on this TdF. This is the 5th breakaway with French riders in 5 real stages? Or just the 4th maybe, cant remember.

STOP IT WITH THE FUCKING LOVE HEARTS YOU STUPID FRENCH FARMERS

apparently the tour organizers are holding some sort of 'who can create the cutest heart on their land'-contest this year. so i guess we'll be seeing a lot more of them between now and the champs elysees...

Aaaaarrrggghhh.

'Tis raining now.

OMG CADEL JUST PUNCHED A GENDARMERIE

Kinda.

YAHHH CAT. 2 CLIMB YAHHH

Everyone is playing it conservative.

No point in going all-out on the second last climb before a mountaintop finish (uh, unless you're in the break ...)

Especially when we're only in the Massif Central.

FINAL CLIMB STARTING NOWWWW

10 percent gradient! Awesome finish coming up!

thot jv would send millar not vdv

Schumacher crashes at 1km to go - could lose the yellow jersey depending on the judges ruling!

Ricco wins the stage, Valverde and Evans are second and third at the same time.

Ricco! Who, unless I'm mistaken had boasted this morning that he would win the stage. Well done then.

Kirchen in yellow!

Evans now in second, with a few more seconds over Denny.

ricco boasts about winning every morning doesnt he?

if hes not talking about how crap other riders and journos are i mean

What do you expect from an Italian cyclist?

Dont really know much about the guy, it's just what I read in the paper this morning. From what you're saying he sounds like a good old douche.

Kirchen is what ... the fourth guy to wear yellow and we're only on stage six? The organizers should use this year's Tour route as the blueprint from now on!

Yeah and I don't see him in yellow past Sunday.

Australian television approves of Cadel assaulting a policeman.

Kirchen wins back the green jersey as well!

ricco comes across as a jerk in press, but perversely i sorta like him.

when he bags on everyone he seems spirited. as opposed to say simoni, who seems whiny to me.

anyway im sure you cant tell what hes really like unless yr racing with him or know him.
xpost

watts/kg aplenty.

So.....when was the last time a British rider won a bunch sprint in the Tour de France? (before Cavendish)

I really thought somebody here would know. I even considered e-mailing Phil & Paul, but couldn't find their e-mail address at the ITV site.

guys i wish i knew more about all this.

been watching the tour almost nightly at the bar, but the sound is off and i don't know who anyone is :-/

what is best le tour primer website

Oh no, it seems that French "great" Christophe Moreau has abandoned.

And to think that just this morning I heard some dude on the radio, probably an ex-cyclist now team manager, say that he could see Moreau win today's stage.

Eurosport feed: http://www.justin.tv/giac2007

That website is asking me to enter an access code ... do you need some kind of password or is this a firewall issue?

I didn't need a password so perhaps the latter.

A big hello to Manuel Beltran

where's your armstrong NOW, triki, huh?

This is what happens when you ditch the Livestrong bracelet!

Woo-hoo! (again)

I wonder how many stages The Cav would have won if we had a "traditional" first week full of flat stages.

I am loving following Sebastian Lang's power and heartrate stats in real time while he's in the breakaway on today's stage:

http://www.cyclingnews.com/sponsors/SRM/Tour08/index.php

ALRIGHT THE REAL STUFF BEGINS

OK, maybe not considering that everyone is going to race conservative because of Col du Tourmalet and Hautacam tomorrow.

Yes, won't THAT be a happy Bastille Day...

Pays de merde.

Shit, Cadel had a crash.

He's OK. After seven collarbone breaks, that was nothing.

Not the thing you want at the start of the climbing stages, through.

It's OK, he's tough, he's a cyclist. Just rub a little dirt on it and he'll be fine.

New erection problem advertisements on SBS for Le Tour. Instead of playing the piano with cocks in the breaks of an exciting mountain stage, they've taken the absolutely subtle route of a middle-aged couple having trouble getting an actual rocket up for a launch. Wheeee!

Fireworks! Schumacher attacks! Kirchen cracks! Evans cracks!

HOLY SHIT did you just see Ricco's acceleration?

Another stage for Ricco, that arrogant Italian bastard!

All the major playaz finish together.

The hell? Gabriel didn't finish his segment with "Au revoir"!?

We might have found a non-merde French rider today!

Let us all sing the Marseillaise.

also can I get some odds on cavendish getting another stage win and being the lanterne rouge on the champs elysee?

VALVERDE CRACKS!!!!

VALVERDE CRACKS ON THE TOURMALET!!!

Jens Voight has somehow managed to fuck everyone's shit up on the Tourmalet.

Kirchen looks like he could break on the Hautacam, doesn't he? He's constantly clinging on at the back, looking very fragile. If Evans/Menchov/Vandevelde want to try something, they should do it today. And what about Ricco, could he pull it off again?

Voight is abnormally good today!

Valverde is in huge trouble!

Things are going to get interesting once the yellow jersey group breaks up. Kirchen isn't going to make it.

Couldn't possibly predict the winner of this stage! This is one killer group up front.

If there's one thing I've learnt from watching the Tour over the years, it's that Jens Voigt is basically indestructible.

(can't watch right now due to being at work GRRRR)

ach my stream is broken just as the courageous froggy gets caught.

Hautacam, at last! My favourite climb in the Pyrenees!

(I'm also at work, thank god for teh videostream!)

http://www.bertevers.nl/Profielen/Hautacam.gif

Jens is still going!!

So I guess this is the day that Valverde finally pays for riding all-out during week 1?

He's made of titanium, seriously.

Have remembered that we have Eurosport at work - however, it's on a 14" screen that's about 10-15 feet away. I can make out the following:

1) There are some people on bikes on a mountain
2) They are in pain
3) This is one of those epic ascents, attack after attack, with people wilting off the back slowly, slowly...

Kirchen dropped!

KIRCHEN BREAKS!

xp

It's Sastre vs Cadel vs Denny vs Ricco vs Frank Schleck now.

Eh up, is that Riccy Ricco launching off the front? Bloody Saulnier Duval jerseys, make it right confusing.

The CSC guys are animals. Between their kamikaze attacks and Evans being sore from his crash yesterday, it'll be a miracle if Cadel can avoid getting dropped today.

Oh shit, it's all broken up! Cadel, Denny and Sastre have been left behind!

OK, that was definitely Kirchen, and he was bloody dying.

Frank Schleck can try this a thousand times it seems.

RICCO IS LETTING GO!

VAlverde with bike trouble.

Oh he's got bike trouble alright :)

Efimkin was the feller that tried chasing down Riccy yesterday, wasn't he? He's having a fair go at this, innee?

Evans FINALLY attacks!

He is, he again is very impressive.

Lead: Frank Schleck, Piepoli, Cobo, Kohl en Efimkin.

KIRCHEN almost back at Menchov's group! Evans in trouble?!

And doesn't get far.

Ah I see. But KIRCHEN is BACK!

Gutsy riding from Kirchen!

Rico attacks! Seven more km of this insanity!!

Cooooobooooo!

Confused: Kirchen dropped again hasn't he? Cobo going for the stage!

haha, Piepoli back with Cobo!

Frank Schleck is riding into yellow at this rate.

CADEL YOU SLACK BASTARD, JUST ATTACK DENNY

DENNY YOU LAZY TWAT, JUST ATTACK COWARD CADEL

NOOOOO the free stream has been taken off air "at the request of the copyright holders" with 3km to go!!!!!

pay your €4.90

CUNEGO YOU...um...uh, stick to the Giro, mate.

Evans can take yellow just by limiting his losses to Schleck, so there's no reason for him to attack ...

Annoyingly, given that it's so far away, I can't tell the order these people are in.

a) Is Kirchen basically wilting again?
b) Is that Lampre feller Cunego? How is he actually doing?
c) Frank Schleck is the lad in the Luxembourg jersey, isn't he?

SVD boys are dropping Frank now!

Frank Schleck is letting the two Saunier Duval's go!

This is very powerful stuff from the SDV's!

a) I think today is a day too far for Kirchen.
b) Yes and not great.
c) Yes.

(xp)

Pipoli wins the stage!

Schleck in at 28 secs.

NOBODY KNOWS WHO'S IN YELLOW NOW!!

Yellow for Evans!?

Evans in yellow by four seconds over Schleck?

1 second over schleck.

CADEL IN YELLOW BY ONE SECOND OVER SCHLECK!!!!

2 secs?

xp

hah ONE SECOND?!

Then Vandevelde, Kohl and Menchov 48s separates the top 5.

Hello, Valverde just arrived!

amazing day. voight = mensch

Securing a kick-ass new job + an Aussie in the yellow jersey after a high mountain stage = one of the happiest days in my life and no, I'm not a sad bastard.

Captain Kirchen's down in seventh, Cobo in eighth.

So, will Cav make it home?

I'm happy for you KBP, you're the one who keeps this thread going usually.
But Coward Cadel in yellow just makes me sad. If noone can take it from him, fair play to the lad, but I'd rather see someone else in yellow.

Top 5 is brilliantly close!

It's almost like Neil Stephens at his peak, eh?

Personally, I wish it was Mick Rodgers in his place (and if he wasn't struck down with those viruses this year, I'm sure he would have been there instead) but I've been waiting years for this. I'll put up with Cadel for now.

Hey, it's Phil Anderson on my telly!

wtf did they do to vdv for that to happen? more surprising than valverde cracking x1000.

Autobus finally coming in now.

Ricco is your new KoM!

http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/media/images/44831000/jpg/_44831678_evans203_getty.jpg

He's pretty serious about that lion, isn't he?

Cav came in 169th and last after crashing with Danny Pate early in the stage.

I'm afraid Evans isn't going to give this away anymore. Menchov unfortunately doesn't seem capable of hurting Cadel. The Alps will be the terrain for the (young and) brave mountain goats, like Ricco, Sastre, and a Valverde out for revenge.
But I can't see Evans giving the top 5 more than a second (no pun intended regarding Frank Schleck). I'd be really surprised if Evans has an off-day, he seems very stable. Only thing that could maybe get him in trouble is being alone all the time in the finals kilometers, but he'll get used to that I'm sure. Bugger.
I think he'll be in yellow on the Champs Elysee without winning a single stage (though he'll come close in the second time trial).

What are your thoughts/predictions after the first third of the tour?

My thoughts are the final stage of the TdF should be RACED.

if you need a favorite you might as well pick evans but im pretty unconvinced. not well supported, injured, and vulnerable to accelerations. if teams allied against him i think they could put him out. they almost got him today--with jens and the fucking schlecks (and saunier of course). but if they let him ride tempo and then tt, yeah, hes got a good chance.

I'm also unconvinced. Evans is consistent and doesn't have days like Valverde had yesterday, where he cracks completely and loses six minutes, but he does have plenty of days where he gets attacked and loses just a minute or two. The leaderboard is still too bunched up -- I'm not in any way sure that Evans can stay in yellow.

Anonymous cyclists told a Belgian newspaper there's a new kind of EPO being used that can't be detected by all the labs yet, since WADA doesn't have it on the doping list at the moment. "and Tour riders are well aware of this, they say."

It's called Mircera - more red blood cells = more oxygen in the blood = same effect as EPO (is the probably way too simple explanation in that article)

http://www.mircera.com/portal/eipf/pb/m/mircera

...and now we know what Ricco is on!

bah, forgot today was a rest day.

xpost

I don't quite understand that. Maybe Mircera itself can't be traced, but it's effect definitely can, and will give it away. It's what lead to tracing EPO as well. If the hematocrit value (the volume of blood being taken in by the red blood cells) is too high, it could indicate the use of EPO (indicate, not prove: there's something seriously wrong with the 'prosecution' of cyclists solely based on a hematocrit value that's too high. but that's another story).

Do you have a link to the article, Stan?

Yes, but I can't link to it since it contains { and } characters:

http://www.gva.be/nieuws/sport/TourDeFrance/artikel.asp?art={5EEAA65F-F0E6-44AA-A322-96962BFCC045}

their source is this week's P-Magazine (which does contain serious articles next to the bikini girls)

(take that whole line and copy/paste it into your browser's address bar)

also in Dutch, same info:

http://www.sportwereld.be/Article/Detail.aspx?articleID=GPB1U9K1S

http://www.demorgen.be/dm/nl/1001/Wielrennen/article/detail/347779/2008/07/14/-Nieuwe-epo-in-het-peloton-momenteel-onbestraft-.dhtml

http://www.sporza.be/cm/sporza.be/wielrennen/080715_nieuwe_doping

Much thanks!

Now we've had the thrills and the pills. Where's the Cabernet?

Ah, there we are.

http://s3-external-1.amazonaws.com/wootsaleimages/Cycles_Gladiator_Four-Pack_l0zDetail.jpg

(rest day blows)

I hope Cadel has kept his ProTour leaders jersey from last year in a safe place - that's going to be a collectors item now!

Moises Duenas takes drugs! Spain, sort your riders out.

my day felt quite empty on rest day, even missed the annoying itv jingle a little

amused myself by buying slighty camp cycling hats of ebay

this one's title cracked me up/made me feel ashamed of buying

http://robertobicicletas.co.uk/ebay/starscycl-1212093504-1607.jpg
http://ads.shoppingads.com/pagead/link_cc2bbf82ed407011118a_a342f0650572b9c74f83dc969b28417d_http%3A//cgi.ebay.co.uk/STARS-cycling-cap-shoreditch-hoxton-square-fixed-gear_W0QQitemZ260260177664QQcmdZViewItem%3Fhash%3Ditem260260177664%26_trksid%3Dp3286.m14.l1318

A big hand to Big Mig, who is 44 today.

Dudes are away at 14.16 with Silence-Lotto leading the peleton. 70km and a Cat. 1 climb to go...

Brave french mountain goat away at the front.

possibly even plucky.

So whoever this feller is, he's 16 minutes clear. He must really not matter...

Currently 26mins and more down in the GC.

So the pursuing bunch of people who don't quite matter but are still handy on their day (Arvesen, Pozzato, Wegmann) are about 1.40 away, and then Oscar Pereiro is 14 minutes behind on his own. Where's he in the standings?

6:07 in 17th, but I can't see any of the escapees finishing ahead of the peleton. there is a big long downhill to the finish.

PANACHE

SHANDY

Can't see Pereiro getting too far as he is a "former Tour winner".

One of the lads in that bunch will be in yellow and that'll suit Cadel just fine as none of them are threatening to win the tour. So instead of having the outgunned Silence-Lotto controlling the race, it'll be some lower ranked French team defending the honour of France and the yellow on the flat stages in the South.

No one in that bunch is in a position to take Yellow today

I thought I heard Phil and Paul say one of them was only 10-12 minutes down on Cadel?

Peloton swallows Ozzie, just as the bunch are about to take Moinard...

Though given that the bunch can actually see Moinard, they aren't exactly going full pelt to take him...

Allesandre Botcharov of Credit Agricole is closest in at 20:42.

According to the Ecarts screen on letour.fr

Oh 'ello, the infighting's beginning. Elmiger takes Moinard, bringing Arvesen with him, Moinard's back in the bunch, new chase is on!

Ballan pops across, Arvesen tries to burn 'em off, doesn't quite work, this is gonna be one of those great tactical finishes...

Close sprint!

Photo finish!

It's Arvesen!

Arvesen I think gets it by about the width of a tyre from Elmiger. Great finish from him, got stuck with the lead-out from about 800m but was just strong enough to hang on. There's a bloke on a horse riding out of a castle, and it'll be another ten minutes till the peloton comes in. Plenty of time for someone to fall off or something.

(note to self: remember to nab seat by the telly at work more often)

Still no stream for ya? That's too bad.

Woooah two Norwegian stage winners in a single Tour!!

was watching it on belgian tv online. their commentators were seated next to the norwegian one, who went absolutely nuts during the last few kilometers (couldn't seem to find the norwegian stream, sadly enough).

They just showed the photo finish still - I think if Elmiger had thrust himself one split-second later, he'd have taken it. They were practically level, it might not even have been a tyre-width.

(the stream wouldn't work at work anyhow)

Poor Ricco. Women just won't stop giving him shirts.

BBC's reporting that Ricco's tested positive for EPO. Marvellous.

OMG Ricco caught with EPO!

Nothing ever changes... :(((

xp

God fucking damnit.

Apparently he took CERA, a third generation EPO.

Lol

Saunier Duval team EXIT!

The whole team is OUT

Team manager of SD says Ricco is 'crazy' and that he 'destroyed all the teams work'.

BUSTED!

I think we all knew that Ricco was doping, I'm afraid :(

Where's the news about the SD withdrawing entirely?

Just heard it on (dutch) radio, reporter said the whole team wont start and is leaving the tour.

Ricco in police custody, possibly explaining to them that he knew he was going to win that stage because he's pyschic, not because he's on EPO.

haha

Stage 9 was the one with the psycho acceleration, wasn't it? The thought was always nagging that it looked very similar to the stage Landis got nabbed on in 2006 - just too good to be true...

TdF offical site says Saunier Duval have pulled out.

That's a huge kick in the teeth for Piepoli and Cobo after the stint they put in on Monday - this mass withdrawal might well be seen as tainting them by association.

The other Sauniers were already in starting position for this stage, when 2 minutes before the start they were called back.

Welcome fans of hilarious doping scandals cycling's greatest event!

At least they're now the front runners for the 2008 Axel Merckx Award.

The Tour just didn't feel like the Tour without an A-grade hilarious doping scandal. Manuel Beltran's positive test was a B-minus scandal at best.

Directeur sportif Joxean Fernandez Matxin was surprised as anybody. "We only found out ten minutes ago. The entire team is ceasing its operation, not only in the Tour de France."

Bloody 'ell. Dude probably knows he's sitting on a Festina-level doping scheme right there.

In 15 minutes the whole team is history? *Bloody* hell, indeed.

It's either the biggest over-reaction ever or the whole team is fully doped up on this third-gen EPO.

Blimey!

The positive test for Ricco was off stage four, and that's come out today. Piepoli and Cobo's big advance was on stage 10...

This also takes out de la Fuente, who was one of the early King of the Mountains leaders.

[Baden Cooke just quit the tour after a fall]

ricco: not suave

COOKE OUT leaves Barloworld with four riders. Good thing they don't do team time trials any more, eh?

Africans Hunter & Froome still going strong though right? :)

ITV have officially claimed The Cider Kid (i.e. Froome) as One Of Us, though the BBC haven't noticed.

Speaking of which: Ned 'Foresight' Boulding, everyone!

Nice limestone crags today. I'm so pissed I couldn't have stayed longer as this is the closest the tour has been to my grand-parents' place in years and I was there at the weekend. I would love them to do a stage over the Col de Puigcerda into spain one year, that would go right by the front door. (almost)

Cera = Mircera ? (See upthread)

Never mind Ned 'Foresight' Boulding, I am Nasty, Brutish, Short & Clairvoyant. I was just saying to my wife last night that on one level it would be nice if Cadel Evans wins (because he speaks English, so is nearly ONE OF US, and he probably doesn't cheat), but there's something a bit dull about the way he never seems to attack - he just seems to drift up the GC by constantly finishing fourth. I said I was much more impressed by riders like Ricco with their crazed all-or-nothing attacks, which meant that judging from the last couple of years, he was probably going to get thrown out for EPO use today.

Le Monde reports Christophe Moreau - already out of the tour - is under suspicion as well.

Plus which, you never see Cayyydel and Rich Hall in the same room, do you?

http://ts5.gazettelive.co.uk/RichHall.jpg

Saucer of milk for Romain Feillu:

De toute façon, Ricco c'était quelqu'un d'arrogant, qui n'était pas apprécié dans le peloton. Maintenant, cela va peut-être rouler moins vite.

Cobo, incidentally, seems to be maintaining his innocence:

Il y a eu des jours meilleurs. Si le contrôle positif est confirmé par la contre-analyse, c'est une nouvelle terrible.

Ha, Ricco has been written about almost everyday in the past week by L'Equipe (French sports newspaper) and most riders agreed that he was an arrogant asshole, that hardly spoke to anyone but Piepoli. Some had their doubts about the legitimacy of his stage wins. And Hinault, I think, praised him for being an arrogant bastard.

It was also written that even in his team, it seemed not many liked him (except Piepoli of course). Well, at least now they have a real reason to dsilike him.

And apparently Credit Agricole aren't giving chase because Thor's not feeling very well today. Cav's odds just got shorter...

Mad props to Ricco for reaching of the ranks of Tricky Dicky and Chicken as a "arrogant asshole climber that gets busted for doping" in less than two weeks.

'Chicken' didn't get busted for dope, he got removed for giving false information about his whereabouts. Suspicious, yes, but not the same as being caught for doping.

If Chicken wasn't doping, I'll eat me Livestrong bracelet.

Well sure, but if you follow that logic every suspect is automatically guilty. I know that's the new 'trend' in cycling, to think that way, but I refuse to go along with that.

Unfortunately, I've been too jaded for a whole decade to have any other viewpoint.

I can see that, but then everyone's guilty, innit? In this sport, everyone's a suspect.

(I can see your point though)

Not everyone is guilty. Take the French riders for example. If they're doping, why is it all they can show for it is panache (a traditional French caracteristic I believe) and not stage wins or yellow jerseys (excepting the odd one once in a while)... :p

Pato, can you say a few words about who Mike Tomalaris is & what he is like? never heard of him before he touched Evans on his dodgy shoulder

Cavendish again. Child's play.

The Cav! The Young Man From The Isle of Man! Again! First British cyclist to win three stages in a Tour!

jeez, he's murdering them

Pato, can you say a few words about who Mike Tomalaris is & what he is like? never heard of him before he touched Evans on his dodgy shoulder

He's the face of the Tour on Australian television with his highly amateurish links.

And he has one leg.

ta, the UK commentators were getting many lols out of Evans touchiness

I wouldn't want him touching my shoulder at the best of times.

Any chance that the man from the isle of man can take green?

Anyone know what the current press conference of the organisation is about?

Any chance that the man from the isle of man can take green?

he definetely deserves it. :) will 2 more stage wins (one on the Champs)be enough?

I was fitfully working on the maths and it is a big ask but if Friere fluff it somewhere and Cavendish keeps performing this well; snatching it on the champs elysee is a possibility.

xposts

I fucking hate TOMALARIS

Yes, my relief when he says "...and now here's our race commentators Phil Ligget and Paul Sherwen" each night is palpable.

He is both awkward and uncharismatic

I was fitfully working on the maths and it is a big ask but if Friere fluff it somewhere and Cavendish keeps performing this well; snatching it on the champs elysee is a possibility.

-- Ed, Thursday, 17 July 2008 19:18 (Yesterday) Link

I read today that Cavendish won't have a go at the green jersey and will leave the tour before the Alps, to prepare for the Olympics.

where did you read that because I have been reading all along that he will try to finish. (Although that is believable as Cavendish is a key part of Britain's goal to win everything on the track at the olympics)

How many events is Cavendish entered for on the track? Just the Madison with Wiggins?

I think just the Madison but AFAIK the 4 spots for the Road race have not been decided and I think he deserves one of those.

Oh yeah, that'd at least give the road team a decent strategy to work with.

Ed, I read it on a Dutch cycling website. Could be just a rumor, but here's what I read in the LA Times:

"Hincapie's Team Columbia teammate Mark Cavendish, the British sprinter who has won two stages already, is having a similar dilemma. He has high aims for the Olympic time trial medal, he is not a good mountain climber and the grueling Alps stages are still ahead. Cavendish has speculated whether it would be worth it to finish the Tour or drop out and head home to do Olympic training.

"Guys have to think that way," Hincapie said. "It's always a tough year."

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/olympics_blog/2008/07/tour-de-franceo.html

He has high aims for the Olympic time trial medal

That's not right at all!

Don't let general sports writers write about cycling. At the very least they'll throw in four "TOUR DE FARCE" headlines every tour.

While I would like Mark Cavendish to go to Paris and take green. Britain has the most awseome cycling team right now. We have contenders in every olympic events apart from, possibly mountain biking and men's BMX, and world champions in lots of the events. I don't really want a green jersey challenge to jeopardise Britain giving the rest of the world a royal spanking in Beijing.

Just in: Saunier Duval have just fired Ricco and Piepoli!

L'Equipe mentions another SD cyclist has been caught with EPO. So that would be Piepoli then.

Is there any particular reason why David Millar isn't going in the Olympic TT?

(xpost nice work SDV)

Because, I think, Bradley Wiggins can kick his arse in a one off TT.

But Wiggins isn't named in the TT is he? Sorry, I'm not quite up to speed on the Lympics yet.

"We apologise for the lack of commentary."

Still getting bits of race audio, through. But coverage feels much more pastoral, especially on a stage like today.

Expectations will be sky high for Britain's track cyclists in Beijing after a dominant performance at the world championships in Manchester.

Bradley Wiggins
Bradley Wiggins (right), Chris Hoy, Victoria Pendleton and Rebecca Romero will spearhead the challenge after helping GB to win gold in eight of the 10 Olympic events in Manchester. Britain is the only nation to secure places in all track events for Beijing.

Wiggins and Emma Pooley have qualified quota places for GB in the men's and women's road time trial events. The men will get four places in the road race, while the women have earned three.

Mountain bike and BMX places are awarded according to the world rankings. Britain has earned two berths in the mountain bike event, and Shanaze Reade's BMX performances have earned Great Britain an Olympic place.

Providing she is nominated - which is very likely, on the back of her World Championship win - she will be a hot favourite for BMX gold.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/olympics/team_gb/7094118.stm

Oh right you are.

So what's up with this thing today? Another sprint? I was always hoping that desperate breaks would stay away, but TBH fuck that shit now.

No chance of that, thanks to a) lack of bunch sprints during week 1, b) some big names on record saying that they want to ditch the Tour before the Alps and save their legs for the Olympics.

Piepoli's home was searched by police!

Unbelievable!

Crikey

http://image.guim.co.uk/sys-images/Sport/Pix/pictures/2008/07/17/CavendishAPBasCzerwinski2.jpg

Crikey what? (At a client and have not access to stream)

Cavendish has won yet another etape. Wow.

This http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2008_Tour_de_France is being updated very promptly.

I've just seen the gap, wow, pretty much two bike lengths.

Never mind Cavendish rewriting the (British) record books, never mind all three Saunier Duval stage wins being exposed as rocket fueled, what about that bike-splitting-in-half crash?

carbon-fibre is such namby pamby material, if he'd had reynolds 531...

heard on the commentary by a friend of mine:

"And this castle, they cannot be arseeee .....ked to sort it out"

Finally Freire! Best of the rest, thanks to the L'Orme throwing Cavendish back.

Needs to work on his climbing, but at least he can drop out and concentrate on the olympics without any nagging doubts.

Really wanted Zabel to nab that sprint, but Freire did show why he deserves to be in green.

Yeah I'm happy Freire won it. I like him, but also because I really hate it if people win a jersey in the end without winning a stage.

Sylvain Chavanel is basically the Wile E Coyote of breakaways, isn't he? Will he ever win?

People rarely do on that kind of breakaway, but very very occasionally they do which is why he keeps doing in

his sponsor likes it as well.. winning is better, but as long as you're on tv.

God bless you SBS for cutting out the foreplay and going straight to live coverage at 9.30pm.

Cav out

Fuck ITV for showing some bulshit reality show and not the HC climb.

I'm not in front of a TV ... did anyone see Pereiro's crash? The online report I'm reading makes it sound really bad ...

Broken clavicle & femur, apparently.

Another fall just now, roundabout with extra slippery new asphalt :-(

Duenas & Piepoli admit they used EPO, according to El Pais, but Ricco still denies. (even though Piepoli said "I did the same as Ricardo")

http://www.monstersandcritics.com/sport/othersport/article_1418185.php/Spanish_lab_allegations_and_confessions_in_Tour_doping__News_Feature_

OK, 10'46" clear at 10K... can these four hang on?

Martinez accelerates, Pate clings on, Gerrans fights to stay with, Arrieta is spent - 8'36" at 7k to go, the break are still favourites, but the legs are looking a bit stiff...

Almost certainly. the real race is in the Groupe Maillot Jaune trying to break Cadel and he seems to be taking it in his stride.

Acceleration in the bunch causes havoc, but it leaves all the big guns together in a clump chasing the break - 7'40" with 5.7k to go.

They seem to be letting Sammy Sanchez go off the front, but he doesn't look to have the legs to do anything.

Yeah, the break are definitely safe now, Gerrans has worked his way back into things - Get Cadel is now on, and CSC seem to be the only team to have more than one rider in that bunch. Thing is, Andy Schleck's spent an awful lot of time on the front, so he might not have much left...

MENCHOV IS DOWN!

But he works his way back - the rain is bucketing it down now, though. It'd be a brave, brave, brave man who'd try to pull away in this weather.

Shleck wants the yellow, he only needs one second & Cadell isn't going to survive every attack. But no problem, he can reclaim it on Tuesday.

Not too impressed by Cadell there, as much as I like him he isn't dominating at all.

One last burst from Andy gets rid of Sanchez but Andy looks to have burnt himself out too - we're right down to the GC hopefuls...

Today seems to have done for Kirchen and Cunego's chances in a pretty definitive manner, it must be said.

I think he is just staying in touch. No need for heroics today, save that for Alpe D'Huez.

xpost

exciting stuff

Kohl, Menchov and Sastre make a run for it!

Ozzy victory, yay!

Gerrans' limpet tactics pay off, and he takes the stage!

Valverde's made it across to the front three, and they hit the final k...

CADEL'S LOST HIS SECOND IN THE SPRINT!

Evans is cooked for today ...

Slo-mo of Gerrans illustrates that there really are only so many ways one can express joy while sitting on a bicycle.

Schleck in yellow ... Kohl moves up to third?

Schleck now 7 seconds ahead of Bernard Kohl, who has one second over Evans. Menchov and Vandevelde are 30 seconds further back, with Sastre at 49" in sixth. Kirchen, Efimkin, Valverde and Sanchez all look to be out of it, barring some exceptional time-trialling from one of them.

Unless Cadel decided to let Schleck have his day in yellow, that wasn't an especially impressive stage by him - the two in front of him in the GC have shown that they can hurt him, and CSC look to have positioned themselves as having the strongest hand in the mountains overall. A lot could depend on how much today has taken out of Andy Schleck - he's shown he's got the ability to cause people a lot of trouble with his attacks.

how much are they paying Popovich again? anyway that was amazing, i thought Cadel did well under sustained attack until the last three or so kms.

Wow, six guys within a minute of each other, and I can easily see any of the top four winning the Tour (I'm not yet convinced that Vande Velde is for real, and Sastre always blows it somewhere along the line). Evans looks like he'll be completely attackable on Alpe D'Huez and will have to end up riding the time trial of his life to make up for the time he'll lose in the Alps.

xpost

Yeah, guys like Andy Schleck are really scary at this point in the Tour because he's far enough back in GC that he can't realistically win, but he can ride every day like he has nothing to lose, control the GC group and potentially shell any of the top guys and make them fall out of contention.

Whoa what a brilliant attacking display around the yellow today. If only Menchov hadn't fallen... I thought CSC were top notch today, taking control of the stage like they did. Cadel looking very vulnerable here, if he's like this on Alpe D'Huez he'll get his clock cleaned. Kohl's last kilometer was very impressive.

The results of the first time-trial are pretty interesting, if only to show just how far behind Frank Schleck was - he came in 46th, about one and three-quarter minutes behind Evans. Menchov was seven seconds behind Cadel, with Vandevelde a further three seconds down. Bernie Kohl was 1'20" behind, Sastre 1'16". If Sastre and Schleck both stay close to the yellow before that penultimate stage, it'll be interesting to see what CSC do.

A classic battle of guys who can TT but are dicey in the mountains vs guys who can climb but are dicey in TT's!

Cadel really needs a decent team around him now. Alas, it doesn't look like he's got one.

Today's Guardian claims that Bernhard Kohl "bears an uncanny resemblance to Jay-Z".

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/96/Bernhard_Kohl_20070824.jpg/180px-Bernhard_Kohl_20070824.jpg

Hmm.

Not in that picture, no. But I can imagine, under certain circumstances - it IS his nickname in the peloton, so there must be something to it...

http://i34.tinypic.com/a0ewsy.jpg

not "uncanny" at all though.

It's a lovely day in the French Alps. Unless you're climbing them on a bike, I guess.

Oooh, T. Valjavec from Slovenia is virtual yellow jersey right now, with a big climb to come. This TdF really is fun to follow.

So what's the haps on the craps? Is Schuey still out front?

Yeah, but not for long.

Sorry that I'm not providing the expert commentary that you've all come to love but I'm very sore after driving 1600+ km over the past two days as part of moving to a little town in eastern Australia called Sydney.

I'll hopefully bring some content for tomorrow's night big stage. For now, I'm going to watch tonight's stage in peace...and Andy Schleck is trying to unhinge everyone. IT'S THE SHOWDOOOOWN!

Did the yellow jersey group pull back about seven minutes of Schumacher's twelve minute lead in the first couple of km of this climb?

yeah, his advantage is sorta collapsing. Plus the lead group of chasers contains JENS.

CSC have let Arvesen clock off from the front of the yellow group. The chasers are about to swallow Schuey...

Augustyn just wiped out hard at the front!

Whoa... it's a miracle he's back so fast. He could have slid down 100 metres more!

I wish I could hear Liggett's commentary on this. I love the way he says Yaroslav Popovych.

Behind all that, Astarloza is making merry hell with the yellow jersey bunch. Cadel appears to be leading the chase...

Have now been moved away from telly, but given that even when I was next to it I was confusing Astarloza and Sanchez... hmmph.

Cyril Dessel times his break just right to win the stage. I think the dropping of Vandevelde from the yellow jersey group is the only significant movement in GC...

Whoops, no, apparently Menchov has lost 38 seconds on that group too.

Not that I saw it but Cadel must be feeling pretty good after that performance. Still on to make it back in the TT.

Well, I think CSC were doing most of the work in the stage, no-one seemed to be trying to hurt him specifically... Alpe d'Huez tomorrow, ennit? That will be very interesting.

No change top three, Sastre inherits fourth after Menchov (1'13") and Vandevelde (3'15") both fall back. Tadge Valjavec breaks into the top ten, 5'23" behind.

oh god this stage is going to be awesome.

augustyn's wipeout was AMAZING.

LOL @ his pointing down at his bike after climbing up and the race official doing "I don't know, man!"

and lol @ Cadel headbutting the camera and also angrily brushing off questions on the rest day -- dude is a biit of a mentalist.

...I mean we all knew he was a bit of a mentalist, but he's finally demonstrating it in this year's tour.

He allegedly also refused to give a Belgian TV journalist a hand while he visited the team at breakfast a couple of days ago, pointing out he didn't want to catch a cold or any other germs. (and he wasn't trying to insult that journalist, he was dead serious)

haha

Augustyn pointing @ bike: last two seconds here

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-7va4Amv5Ds

Predictions for today? It's hard to bet against Schleck right now -- he has the strongest team and he won on L'Alpe D'Huez two years ago.

According to the Belgian TV commentators, after some negotiations, Riis is going to let the Schlecks and Sastre fight it out, let the best man win on l'Alpe d'Huez instead of forcing the non-yellow jersey wearers to support Frank and throwing away their own chances.

God, look at those mountains - they're crazy!

relive the good old days

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pzIXwKenPZw

The stunned reactions of the German commentators, as it dawns on them that Armstrong has been playing tricks on the peleton all day long, is A+++++++++++ classic.

The longer nothing happens, the yellower Cadel's chances look (especially with the time trial still coming)

Saunier-Duval stops sponsoring, team's riders all out of work.

HERE WE GO

sastre attacks, menchov goes with him and they get caught. sastre goes again!

they're flying like drops!

thanks for coming, denis menchov!

The Schlecks are trying to kill Cadel

... but it's not working (yet).

Sastre = virtual yellow jersey at the moment, taken from his team mate Schleck!

WOAH SASTRE!

wow he could have 2+ minutes on them all at the end of this

It's all going to happen in the time trial now. Go Cadel!

so epic

wow! didn't think Sastre had it in him. roll on saturday!

In hindsight, having Sastre (looking like the #3 guy on his team before today) attack at the start of the time and letting him sink or swim looks like brilliant strategy from CSC -- if he wins, great, and if he cracks then hopefully there's a ripple effect and others on GC also crack. Evans looked great in standing up to multiple attacks, and definitely deserves to win the Tour if he puts in a great TT.

I felt a bit bad for Kohl -- instead of wasting Schumacher on days worth of kamikaze breaks that had little chance of succeeding, why didn't Gerolsteiner have him helping his teammate who was seven seconds out of yellow?

sorry carlos, they might as well just paint "andy schleck" on each switchback because he owns alpe d'huez. i expected him to put on a clown nose and roll up next to evans to mock him. dude was wherever he wanted to be. he was muling bottles- at the crux of croix de fer.

i know hed just been through a lot, but man, carlos looks 100 years old.

Schuey was the team leader of the 'Steiner Brothers before the tour started, so perhaps that had something to do with it - however, he was that far back in the standings that even his newly-found TT skills couldn't possibly have put him ahead of Bernie in the GC, so it seems very confusing. Was there not another member of the team in a break today, too?

(You could say the same about Popovych getting in the break rather than sticking with Evans yesterday, to be fair)

because gsteiner is where gc hopes go to die

German teams never seem to be able to get their shit together for major races -- I'm also thinking of the Telekom/T-Mobile days, with Ullrich and Zabel succeeding almost in spite of pathetic team mismanagement and "who is riding for who" gossip-y high school BS.

Yes, it's too bad that Andy had to reign himself in and protect his brother because of Frank's inability to mount any attack whatsoever after the first couple of km of the climb.

Andy finished ten places ahead of Frank on the TT, too...

frank was kinda pathetic, but CSC is ridiculous

so dumbass novice question - is this really coming down to the TT? or is it evans'? it seems like sastre is being discounted here despite a pretty heroic effort

Evans is probably the favourite, seeing as how he's the best TT rider of the lot of them. However - the gap Sastre has on Evans at the moment is 12 seconds greater than the gap Evans had on Sastre in the first TT. Then again, this time trial coming up is 14km longer than the first one. It's all rather in the balance at present, and could well come down to the delightfully measurable factor of who wants it more...

(there's two more road stages til TT, mind. And something could happen on the Shonzurleezay, but probably won't)

i dont get rooting for evans when he was a pussy today, sastre has to be the popular favorite

as anything EVER happened on the Shonzurleezay? i completely ignored the last tour admittedly

the 'who wants it more' is what i love most about watching this stuff, it really does seem like mental toughness is a massive part of the sport at its most critical times (im sure lots of ppl here will disagree w/ that)

rooting for evans

I thought Evans responded well to every attempt to get rid of him and didn't have to attack himself - at the end he realized Sastre shouldn't get too much time in front because of that TT so he did some riding at the front, which he wouldn't have done if he was a pussy - you don't have to dominate to win.

(btw, to explain that post in italics: Evans is an Australian. Look up what rooting means in Australia)

im probably spoiled by the armstrong/ullrich tours i watched religiously, but sastre blew his fucking doors off & evans only rode at the front when it was absolutely vital, & because everyone else in the pack was all 'fuck you, dude' to him - i get thats rational or whatever but its also not very good television

thats why im saying i hope he eats it & sastre takes the win

xp haha ok

as anything EVER happened on the Shonzurleezay? i completely ignored the last tour admittedly

LeMond won the Tour on the Champs Elysees in 1989, but that was a TT ... Vinokourov jumped from 6th to 5th a few years ago when he won the stage plus the time bonus. I think that's pretty much it though. Oh wait, there was that year (2002?) when Rumsas hilariously tried to gain a minute on Beloki and take second place.

StanM OTM re: Evans ... he looked every bit as strong as F. Schleck did today. If you're eight seconds back of the yellow jersey and you know you can crush him in a TT in three days, there's no need to take risks in the mountains. If anyone was the pussy, it was Schleck for blowing his best (and final) chance to put time into his rivals.

im pulling for F Schleck even less! just sastre over evans

as anything EVER happened on the Shonzurleezay?

I remember, when I was much younger, Djamoladine Abdoujaparov colliding with a spectator causing some mass pile-up in the home straight, but I don't think that affected the overall standings too greatly.

1991, apparently, and it was an advertising hoarding he hit rather than a spectator.

He did hit a policeman in 1994, but not on the Shonzurleezay.

finding abdu

What was Sastre's time up L'Alpe D'Huez?

Daddy Schleck stopped by police and border patrol, yellow bag being removed from his car, road blocked, follows police afterwards - ???

That was this morning. And he's still being questioned by Grenoble police.

Sky TV coming in as a major sponsor of British cycling but not as the sponsor of a proposed British National Road Racing Team.

http://www.cyclingnews.com/news.php?id=news/2008/jul08/jul25news2

http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/media/images/44864000/jpg/_44864409_chavanelap416.jpg

YAY SYLVAIN!

k, put your predictions in everyone.

cadel comes out of tomorrow w/ yellow jersey by 20 secs.

Menchov to take stage, Cad-El to get yellow by 15 seconds.

I'm always hopeful for Millar

L'Equipe have got the best headline of the Tour so far:

À LA RECHERCHE DU TEMPS PERDU

Apparently there's rain and possibly thunderstorms predicted for the afternoon, too...

ha brilliant!

Cadel by less than 10 sec.

Mainsteam TV news (Ch 7, Melb.) gave the TdF second billing on the 6pm nightly news tonight. Sadly though they struggled with the pronunciation of Sastre.

Sastres full name is Carlos Sastre Candil.

Evans will win the yellow jersey today by a margin of 25-40 seconds. Sastre will be second, Menchov third in the GC after the TT.

As I said earlier, winning the TdF without winning a single stage (though he can win the TT today) for me really removes a big part of the glory of a win. Plus, Evans is a twat. I really, really hope Sastre can pull it off today!

According to BBC News, Wim Vansevenant is on for a hat-trick of lanternes rouges after his time-trial today.

He fought a tough battle with Eisel for last place. God nows he earned that laterne rouge!

knows

Righto, Champagne Charlie's out of the gate, it is basically game on.

ITV4 have decided the best way to publicise Man City's match with some Faroese chaps is a shot of Martin Petrov volleying 20 yards over the bar. Yesss.

Schuey's leading in the clubhouse, 01:03:50. The rains, apparently, will not be forthcoming. VDV is through first check in fourth behind Cancellara, Schu and Kirchen.

Menchov is through first check in third, 21 secs ahead of VDV.

Cadel is only 6th at first check! 16s down on Menchov!

Worse yet - Kohl's 4 seconds quicker than Cadel!

Jay Z!!!!

Kohl ahead of Evans, despite falling off the ramp

is Cadel going to blow it???

Frenk is out..

Menchov closing the gap :)

Schleck down in 42nd at first check, so that's him done for.

Sassy 10th at first check.

Bloody hell - at least four different riders could still win this

French tv needs to show a yellow jersey at checkpoint 1 graphic.

ah there it is.. hmm it suddenly seems less exciting.

(hmm Spanish footbal team, Nadal, Sastre?)

Sastre has lost 12 seconds to Evans over that first section.

No, Imlach reckons it's eight, and I trust Imlach more than the BBC feller.

Menchov falling off on the second section, down to 6th, slipped behind Vandevelde.

Evans comes in 7th at the second check. I'm not sure where that puts him in relation to Menchov...

Given how sunny it is, Evans looks white as a sheet.

Kohl now 2 secs down on Cadel, so Evans 1 sec ahead of him overall.

soooooooooooooooooo close

The flying broomstick, Andy Schleck, wins the white jersey unless something odd happens tomorrow.

Evans one minute 11 down on Sastre at the second check.

Sastre's going to do this!

Man, that Rubicon ad doesn't get any less racist, does it?

Menchov still down on VDV, so he's had his chips, one suspects.

Evans carks it in 7th at the line, and Sastre's lapping Schleck. Congratulations, Carlos...

Bernie K comes home ninth, sealing third spot.

Sassie takes it by a minute.

Incidentally, Schumacher takes the stage, doubling up in the time trials in this year's Tour.

1'05" is the final winning margin, Frank Schleck fell to sixth with Kohl, Vandevelde and Menchov rising to 3rd, 4th and 5th respectively.

Nice. He deserves it for the Alpe d'Huez.

Whoah, Kohl shaking and moving on his bike and still getting this great result!

Sastre was amazing, a well deserved win.

Let's hope they don't announce next week that CSC Saxobank have failed a doping test.

I thought Evans looked great for the first few km. Was he worn out from three weeks of racing and couldn't sustain that pace, or did he simply choke? When Sastre came through the first time check only eight seconds behind him, Evans must have realized that he wasn't going to win the Tour and lost his focus to some extent from that point on. He looked pained and desperate over the second half of the course.

KOHL! I figured there had to be some kind of production mistake when they showed a Kohl/Evans split screen with Kohl leading by four seconds near the first time check. Finishing third is pretty impressive considering that his team did jack shit for him all Tour.

I was starting to believe in Valverde again after his recovery in the Alps, but he screwed the pooch again today.

its nice to see someone in polka dots do a good tt. when kohl fell off the starting ramp i thought, "whoa, he's gonna break rasmussen's record for disaster- he's not even gone down the ramp yet." but did you see his temperament? he was totally cool as he gathered his shit back up. nervous rasmussen would have been chicken dancing all over. ride of the day.
vdv, nice one.
menchov, just as always.
sastre, chapeau.
evans- it was written on l'alpe, you didnt answer. good show tho.

I don't think Evans choked at all, he was putting everything into it. His team is just terrible.

better than vdv's, as good as menchov's, as useful as kohl's.

if evans' ds was any less motivational during the tt, he would have caused a rolling blackout.

i was disappointed by the stage to l'alpe because evans did not try to answer until the clock ticked 2 minutes. it was by no means a dumb decision, but it sure was costly.

yep, still shitty tho.

...considering they were meant to be the team that would carry evans to victory.

I was disappointed by the stage to l'alpe because evans did not try to answer until the clock ticked 2 minutes.

I don't know if there's much he could have done ... for instance, if he'd attacked when Sastre was ahead by a minute, then he likely would have been joined by at least one of the Schlecks, who would have then counterattacked and possibly bridged up to Sastre. Evans could have easily found himself alone and trailing two or three CSC guys by the same deficit he'd had at the time of his attack -- putting him in a far tougher situation than he'd started with.

But for the whole TdF, Evans - as they said spot on on the telly last night - was not riding to win, he was riding to not lose. And then - surprise, surprise - he lost.

Key moment: on Alpe d'Huez he chose to stay in yellow Schleck's wheel, while Sastre got away. Calculative riding gone wrong. If he'd wanted to win, he should have at least tried to follow Sastre (like Menchov, who blew his fuse soon after), but didn't do anything, he didn't even try to attack.

ah the parade.. I miss Wegmann and his usual Bart Simpson mask.

Agreed that Evans' strategy, as a whole, was to not take chances and to limit his losses in case another rider attacked. But that said, trying to chase down Sastre at the start of L'Alpe D'Huez wasn't necessarily the best strategy. Sastre's attack wasn't looking like a decisive, Tour-clinching attack at the time, and I definitely didn't expect him to *gain* time on the yellow jersey group throughout the climb. For Evans, waiting for Sastre to crack, or at least to slow down to the point where he would lose maybe one minute instead of two, was a defensible strategy.

CSC are doing most of the work, Big Stewie O is hunting motherfuckers down hard.

Much of the speculation thus far (started on the stream, now watching telly) is that Cancellara will be going off the front for the win at some point.

"Joan of Arc looks down on the main field, and she knows that next time she'll see the main men getting ready for the sprint..."

Last lap! FDJ rider swallowed by the pack, and here come the sprinters with 5K left, another FDJ rider goes for it!

SYLVAIN'S GONE FOR IT AGAIN!

Voigt's seat is... ouch!

Big Jens has lost his saddle somehow. Chavva's back in the bunch. Today, one senses, is not the day for a breakaway.

Millar leads 'em under the 1K, Quick Step leading out for Steegmans...

Steegmans takes it! Champagne Carlos safely over the line, embraces dear old Stewie O'Grady, luvverly.

The whole thing about Evans basically riding in the mountains to limit his losses - that was essentially what Indurain did every year. I guess the difference is that he was far better than anyone at time trials, whereas Evans is just pretty good. Anyway, I found the Indurain years dispiritingly boring, and I would always rather see a pure, attacking climber win the tour than a time trialer who's strong enough to drag himself up a mountain in fifth place all the time just grinding a steady pace. For that reason I loved Chiappucci and Pantani, and in more recent times Landis, Rasmussen and Contador were amazing - it's just a shame that drugs seem to have played a major part in those performances. Which, again, is why I'm hoping we don't suddenly find out in a few days that CSC have been caught doping and the Tour gets awarded to Evans (after a couple of years of legal wrangles).

I would rather see a climber win too.

btw remember Cadel did win the Mont Ventoux stage of Paris Nice this year.

I know Paris Nice is not the Tour tho

Ricco has admitted he took EPO (he admitted it "as a sign of good will"). However, he took it a couple of days before the start of the Tour and he was checked ten times, so now he's wondering why the results were only positive twice.

Turns out Schuey and Piepoli were, indeed, dodgy.

Depressingly, so was Bernie Kohl.

lol

..@ his awesome time trial