Pro Cycling Season 09

[IAceI]

Was reading all day at work and secretly hoping that one of the front 6 would hold off the peloton to win. Glad to see it happened, even at the expense of a Cavendish win again.

Still, looking forward to the mountains and Andy Schleck being appointed by Saxo Bank to catch every break away rider.

[The Quasi Juice]

Man, Cavendish is a damn beast.

[ChrisSteeleAteMyHamster]

Cav is just impossible to beat on the flat. It doesn't hurt that he has a team who are there to work themselves into the ground for a stage win, and Mark Renshaw is a fantastic lead out man.

Great to see Wiggins up in fifth still with half the mountains gone. He's lost like 15kgs in weight or something to improve his climbing and has done a lot of training for it. It really shows and while he was targetting a magnificent top 20 before the Tour started, his recent thoughts of a top ten is definitely realistic considering there's still another TT to come (of the four above him only Contador was faster in the first one!), and that a lot of the favourites are a few minutes down on the leaders.

As an aside I really don't like the Tour route this year. There aren't enough mountain top finishes and only five mountain stages in total (three of which having long downhill finishes). It means that a team like Astana could take the high positions in the team TT and then be able to drag back attacks up the smaller mountains and keep the speed high on the descents. It's hurting the competition, so it's lucky that the green jersey competition is proving exciting and that the whole Contador/Armstrong thing is keeping people far too excited.

[ChrisSteeleAteMyHamster]

Now I'll have a bet with ANYONE that Wiggins will finish the tour higher than Armstrong. Riding away from him up the climb today....And he's gonna take time off him in the time trial too. Awesomeness.

I just hope that Astana riders stop working for Lance and work properly for the clear leader Contador...I also hope that Kloden finishes in third overall and Armstrong drops a little more over the next few days.

[IAceI]

Thor Hushovd is a whinging git. [/English bias]

Loved Cav's handling of it "If it'll make him sleep at night, he can have it."

Cav's one of those people I'd either hate or love, but I love the arrogant twat. It's a shame because the our only really has the Hushovd/Cavendish battle going for it and they've pretty much taken that away from us now.

The King of the Mountains hasn't been too interesting but that might change with the big pointers coming up. And it's been a dull tour, don't think anyone saw anyone other than Contador winning the thing so it's just waiting on the inevitable really. He's fun to watch when he just pissed off the mountain his own.

Meh. I love Armstrong but I don't want him to win it, he can't come back and just take it. But he's putting in a good performance, needs to swallow his pride now and help Contador get the win, otherwise he risks just coming off as petulent. Fair enough, want to win but over the next few stages Contador is going to become the out and out clear number one regardless and Armstrong's gonna need to help him out.

Columbia's lead out is fearsome. But like I said, it all seems pointless now because Cavendish isn't getting that jersey. If he makes it to Paris then he'll be happy - but whatever he says, he wants that green jersey.

[ChrisSteeleAteMyHamster]

So Cav lost his points and got penalised for riding in a straight line?! I saw it and it's a ridiculous decision. They all know EXACTLY how the road goes beforehand and Thor screwed up. He picked an awful line where the fence veered in on him. Bad decision on his part...Unless he PLAYED for it.....

Of course Cav isn't winning many friends among certain groups (French for a start) so those in charge of the Tour would happily uphold such a challenge.

[mikevandam]

Cycling is a sport of chances

Spoiler: Click here to view

And Lance Armstrong or one of his comrades (Contador) more than often wins

>_<

[Animal]

So Cav lost his points and got penalised for riding in a straight line?! I saw it and it's a ridiculous decision. They all know EXACTLY how the road goes beforehand and Thor screwed up. He picked an awful line where the fence veered in on him. Bad decision on his part...Unless he PLAYED for it.....

Of course Cav isn't winning many friends among certain groups (French for a start) so those in charge of the Tour would happily uphold such a challenge.

Yeah that was ridiculous, I'm not a Cavendish fan by all means and I hope Hushovd takes home the green but there was nothing wrong with that sprint, very strange decision by the judges.

Anyway Contador has this one in the bag. They way he accelerated on the last climb today was amazing, Mentsjov fell trough yet again unfortunately, Nocentini did a damn good job only loosing a couple of minutes. It was the best stage of this tour yet, but then again that's not really saying anything.

[ChrisSteeleAteMyHamster]

Menchov is exhausted after the Giro. It's always a big call to enter two of the big three as a main GC contender and he's suffering now.

So anyway, I can see Andy Schleck taking a top 5 now. He's amazing up the climbs but can't TT which means that he'll finish below Contador and probably Wiggins and Kloeden (worse up the climbs but much better on the TTs). Cadel Evans is also a decent shout for a top 5 as he CAN TT and has been more attacking than ever up the climbs.

Sastre climbed well but can't TT.

Franck will now kill himself up the climbs for his younger brother.

Also I'm still in awe of Cancellera on the last stage. In a break away up the climbs (he can't climb), the break gets caught up the big final mountain of the day but he sees two of his teammates in the small leading group and speeds up again to drag the group up behind him as fast as possible to get them a bigger advantage. He buried himself in that climb for a few minutes. The guy was a machine, the perfect teammate even after using most of his energy on the breakaway.

When he'd done his job it showed him practically going backwards, really struggling up the remainder of the climb cos he'd given his all for his teammates. Love it.

Also, David Millar set Bradley Wiggins up so well into the final climb. He buried himself in a similar way to Cancellera meaning that he then lost 12 minutes over the last 6km because he had nothing left to give. Awesome.

[IAceI]

Can't see Evans finishing top 10 myself.

Still.. they're fighting for the ordering now it seems.

Hushovd for Green, Pellizoiti for Polka Dot, Contador for Yellow and Schleck for White.

Somehow can't see them swapping hands much if at all for the remainded.

[ChrisSteeleAteMyHamster]

Well happily Evans screwed himself and trailed in 5 minutes too late behind the leaders.

So with five stages still to go the standings are:

1. Contador

2. Armstrong +1.37

3. Wiggins +1.46

4. Kloden +2.17

5. Schleck A +2.26

6. Nibali +2.51

7. Le Mevel +3.09

8. Schleck F +3.25

9. Sastre +3.52

10. Vande Velde +3.59

---------------------------

12. Kreuziger +4.40

17. Evans +7.23

42. Menchov +27.04

I'm not surprised Menchov isn't showing. The guy won Italy a few weeks ago.

Liquigas are having an excellent Tour. I see Kreuziger making top ten too, maybe with Vande Velde dropping out of it due to him helping Wiggins up the final climb on stage 20.

I guess I see the final result realistically being:

1. Contador

2. Wiggins

3. Kloden

4. Schleck A

5. Nibali

6. Kreuziger

All of these guys except Schleck can TT well and Andy isn't THAT bad. In fact those five all beat Armstrong in the prologue.

Ventoux is the biggie. The big climb on stage 20 and I think that if Contador and Schleck actually go for it, as opposed to attacking them slowing back to a rhythm then they'll blow Armstrong away and Wiggins and Kloden will be the ones finishing behind them. I just think those two will have too much for Schleck in the TT. They'll both pick up over a minute on him and won't lose 1:40/2:00 on the climb to him.

[ChrisSteeleAteMyHamster]

Seriously, this stage is awesome, just not totally for the reasons I'd want it to be.

Menchov falling off everywhere, Hushovd breaking away from the start over the first few climbs for green points.

Contador and the Schlecks going, Klodey getting blown out of the rear by a Contador attack... Wiggins dragging Armstrong up the final climb then Armstrong attacking (boo). Come on Brad, descend like your life depends on it!

[IAceI]

Cav clearly isn't going to do anything more on the green jersey. Seemed a bit bizarre that Hushovd took off for the sprint points and then killed himself trying to help Sastre up the final climb. Then fell off to the back. I think he can be reasonably assured he's got the green jersey to keep now, but hey - whatever floats his boat.

[mikevandam]

what an error by Contador. He blew up the only rider that could help him and was then subjected to be Saxo Banks B***h for the remainder of the stage

[ChrisSteeleAteMyHamster]

Actually he got Saxo to do all the work. I think by reminding them that they had more to gain than he did by winning by as much time as possible.

Losing Klodey was a big error though. He said that Kloden had told him that he could follow and was a bit gutted when Klodey fell off the back. In the post race interview Contador seemed properly gutted by the fact that Kloden had been dropped. Still, Kloden could quite easily be second overall by the end of the stage today.

[ChrisSteeleAteMyHamster]

......I think Contador may be on the juice >_>

Wiggins had a good TT and is moving up two spots to 4th overall which is groovy and also closed time on Armstrong and Andy Schleck above him. Good work lad. 11 seconds behind Armstrong. I would LOVE him to finish above Armstrong....Please please please.

Millar picked up a fifth too, above all the GC hopefuls except Contador which was a great performance for him.

[IAceI]

Kloden would have known Contador needed to get with the Schleck's. Kloden wasn't going to keep up and if Contador didn't go then Andy was just going to take a nice chunk out of his time, him and Frank would have just blasted up the mountain because they were just going all out. Contador going saw them try and shake him and he didn't go anywhere, and he just happily sat on the wheel and no time was taken out of his lead.

I like Kloden though, he seems like one of the couple of Astana guys whose working for Contador, helping him back to the peloton on mechanical stops and stuff. It's pointless him pushing too hard now though because he knows fine well Contador will win and push come to shove they'd have him help Armstrong get further up the GC than him himself.

Struggling to see Wiggins on the podium at the end, but would love it. Want to see Andy come second - would love him to win it but can't see anyone taking the yellow off Contador now.

[ChrisSteeleAteMyHamster]

Kloden's awesome. He's finished second in the Tour a couple of times, once when he was riding support for Jan Ullrich. He's just tough and while he rarely attacks he's tricky to shake off and will go with attacks from the front. I can see him finishing above Armstrong as I think he'll be the last Astana man by Contador's side up the climb. Armstrong has refused to go with the big break but a couple of times has then chased at his own pace. I think that this'll be more a repeat of the other day when Armstrong was dropped by Frank, Wiggins etc and trailed in behind them all. Wiggins won't make the same mistake of staying with Lance again and will try to go with the Schlecks and Contador and will need to if he wants a 3rd or 4th...

Armstrong's not a good loser though so maybe this will lead to some intruige in the usually non-attacked final stage up the Champs.

[IAceI]

They roll into Paris. I think Cav might take the stage. It's a victory stroll for most, Wiggins will finish 4th and the top 3 won't change.

Hushovd has won the Green, but it's clear Cav is the best sprinter in general. When it comes to a flat out sprint it only ever seems to be Cav motoring away from everyone when he wants to. So, so fast. He won't won the Green this year, but he'll get it one year and it'll be deserved.

[ChrisSteeleAteMyHamster]

The thing is, I think Cav wants the Champs Elysees win more than the Green Jersey anyway so offer him one of the two right now and I can guarantee he'd take the stage win.