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Tour de France fever! - 7/7/2007 8:22:29 AM   
happypervert


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From: Scranton, PA
Status: offline 		It starts today in London with a short time trial past Buckingham Palace and other sights, and they've got another stage in England tomorrow.

I've got almost no clue who the favorites are this year -- no Basso and no Floyd, and it won't be until they get to the Alps next week that the strong men emerge from the field. But I think it is fun when there is a short supply of "the usual suspects" and we get to see if some new faces can challenge for the win or if they crack and fall apart as the race drags on.

The only thing I don't like about this race is that after I watch these guys I feel like a total wimp when I go for a spin on my own bike. Maybe I'll hire some drunks to stand by the road cheering me on when I'm going up a climb, and then I can pretend that I'm leading the race. heh

< Message edited by happypervert -- 7/7/2007 8:25:19 AM >

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RE: Tour de France fever! - 7/7/2007 10:55:28 AM   
thornhappy


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Status: offline 		One of my campadres at work, with a serious bike bug (Cat III racer), spoke well of the Discovery Team this year.  Said they've got a really strong set of riders.

thornhappy

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RE: Tour de France fever! - 7/7/2007 11:04:55 AM   
seeksfemslave


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Status: offline 		Vivre le Tour!

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RE: Tour de France fever! - 7/7/2007 11:12:22 AM   
sublimelysensual


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Status: offline 		I love the tour am totally and completely addicted and have been for years..sooo.....
 
Goooooo George Hincapie!
 
-a

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RE: Tour de France fever! - 7/7/2007 3:59:28 PM   
happypervert


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quote:

One of my campadres at work, with a serious bike bug (Cat III racer), spoke well of the Discovery Team this year. Said they've got a really strong set of riders

Yeah they have a strong group but I don't think they have the one real strong guy to contend for the overall victory. Popovytch seemed like the designated successor to Lance until he didn't do much in last year's tour, and so they went and hired Basso but he's not in the race because of a little problem with doping.

That leaves Leipheimer who has a couple of top 10 finishes in Le Tour but has not really threatened for the podium, and Contador who seems like a real talent but is young (24) and still untested on the big stage -- he is more likely to be a contender in a few years.

So I think Discovery fans will be left hoping for stage wins while getting respectable but not exciting  rides from their GC guys.


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RE: Tour de France fever! - 7/7/2007 6:10:10 PM   
happypervert


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Status: offline 		It looks like the Astana team is the powerhouse this year -- they've got Vinokourov, Kloden and Savoldelli among others. Vino finished 3rd in '05, but his team wasn't in the race last year; Kloden finished 3rd last year and 2nd in '04; Savoldelli has won Italy's grand tour twice -- I don't expect him to threaten for the win here, but he's a strong guy to have on the team.

Although Oscar Pereiro finished 2nd last year, I wouldn't expect him on the podium this year because he got a gift of about 30 minutes last year when he got in a breakaway group and the other teams didn't bother chasing him down. He won't be ignored like that this year.


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RE: Tour de France fever! - 7/8/2007 5:23:57 PM   
KatyLied


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Status: offline 		I caught the last few miles of today's race and enjoyed seeing Robbie give it to 'em.  I missed his crash and they were saying he may have messed up his wrist.  He still reminds me of John Leguizamo.

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RE: Tour de France fever! - 7/8/2007 5:26:11 PM   
happypervert


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Status: offline 		WOW! McEwan blew by everyone in the sprint like he had been shot out of a cannon.

It always amazes me that they can ride 120 miles and then kick up the speed for a sprint finish. They're nuts too -- at about 35 mph they're jockeying for position, rubbing elbows, and even occasionally throwing punches


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RE: Tour de France fever! - 7/8/2007 7:43:37 PM   
caitlyn


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Status: offline 		I think this, and the Drug Legalization thread, should be combined.

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RE: Tour de France fever! - 7/8/2007 8:32:42 PM   
stef


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quote:

ORIGINAL: happypervert

WOW! McEwan blew by everyone in the sprint like he had been shot out of a cannon.

It always amazes me that they can ride 120 miles and then kick up the speed for a sprint finish. They're nuts too -- at about 35 mph they're jockeying for position, rubbing elbows, and even occasionally throwing punches

It's even more amazing when you consider that McEwen was involved in a crash 21km out which dropped him off the back of the peloton.  That he was able to even get back to the peloton was amazing enough, but to then fight his way to the front on those cart paths and be in position for the final sprint, was just incredible.

He's a machine.

~stef

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RE: Tour de France fever! - 7/8/2007 8:58:40 PM   
Lordandmaster


Posts: 10943
Joined: 6/22/2004
Status: offline 		I love two things about the Tour de France season.

I love watching to see which lying blood-doper is going to win the event this year.

And I love watching stef's reactions when I make comments like that.

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RE: Tour de France fever! - 7/8/2007 9:35:29 PM   
Focus50


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Status: offline 		Slightly off topic but who ended up the official winner of last years event, or did it remain a Floyd drugs victory?
 
Focus.

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RE: Tour de France fever! - 7/9/2007 5:15:02 AM   
happypervert


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quote:

Slightly off topic but who ended up the official winner of last years event, or did it remain a Floyd drugs victory?
Floyd's case is still on appeal where his lawyers are attacking flaws in testing procedures, so I think it is still officially his victory until this process is finished. However, I think this is all being done in some kind of arbitration rather than a court of law, so my guess is that they'll declare Pereiro the winner in the end.

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RE: Tour de France fever! - 7/9/2007 5:36:34 AM   
happypervert


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quote:

ORIGINAL: stef

It's even more amazing when you consider that McEwen was involved in a crash 21km out which dropped him off the back of the peloton.  That he was able to even get back to the peloton was amazing enough, but to then fight his way to the front on those cart paths and be in position for the final sprint, was just incredible.

heh . . . I bet Tom Boonen couldn't believe it after his team got on the front and hammered to the line hoping to leave McEwan in the dust. This will give him bad dreams, and for the rest of the sprint stages he'll be looking over his shoulder to see if McEwan is sitting on his wheel getting ready to jump around him again.

< Message edited by happypervert -- 7/9/2007 5:37:53 AM >

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RE: Tour de France fever! - 7/9/2007 5:37:02 AM   
KatyLied


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Status: offline 		Floyd's book is on the bestseller list, number 16:

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/07/15/books/bestseller/0715besthardnonfiction.html?_r=1&oref=slogin


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RE: Tour de France fever! - 7/9/2007 6:38:46 AM   
meatcleaver


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Status: offline 		Tour de France fever? Is that getting high and speeding around the French countryside like one's backside is on fire? The sport is still awash with drugs. They should make doping legal so at least someone can win the event honestly.

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RE: Tour de France fever! - 7/9/2007 6:50:17 AM   
KatyLied


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Status: offline 		What sport isn't awash with doping?  Okay, perhaps the recent rocks paper scissors championship was doping-free.    

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RE: Tour de France fever! - 7/9/2007 9:03:18 AM   
pahunkboy


Posts: 33061
Joined: 2/26/2006
From: Central Pennsylvania
Status: offline 		Do the French actually spit on people?

In America- the culture seldom does that. Now road rage- gun toting and scams- yeah.

But to physically spit on another human is viewed as beyond rude. ?????????":?????

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RE: Tour de France fever! - 7/10/2007 8:08:21 PM   
happypervert


Posts: 2203
Joined: 5/11/2004
From: Scranton, PA
Status: offline 		What a crazy ending to that stage!!

It looked like one of the 4 man breakaway was going to be able to get the win, but then after they got 1 km from the finish they started dicking around watching each other and the peloton caught them.

Usually the sprinters teams have the pace real high so nobody else can jump off the front, but the World TT champ Cancellara did it anyway. I think the sprinters teams were temporarily in shock to see the yellow jersey attack alone like that, and by the time they got their acts together to chase it was too late -- a couple of sprinters passed him about 10 yards past the finish.

I've heard Ekimov did something like that a few years ago -- he was another powerful TT  guy who got a gap and just couldn't be caught.

Anyway, that was way cool! Nice to see the usual script at the end get derailed by a ballsy move. BRAVO!!


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RE: Tour de France fever! - 7/10/2007 8:14:01 PM   
sublimelysensual


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Status: offline 		Todays ending was absolutely awesome, one of those holding your breath without realizing it moments *for me, anyway*. As for the whole doping thing, what KatyLied said..the difference, I think, is the amount of testing done in cycling vs a lot of other sports. Start regularly testing all athletes as a matter of routine, and see what happens....
 
-a

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