2011 Cycling Thread

[ChrisSteeleAteMyHamster]

Second stage win for Cavendish. All my favourite riders made the front break and now the top ten isn't so full of Brits with Wiggins crashing out and Geraint Thomas missing the break.

Well now we're on to the mountains and everything will change. Hushovd won't be in yellow by the end of tomorrow - he's had a great run though!

[IAceI]

Poor Wiggins, doing so well and breaks his collarbone in an absolute pile up. They spoke to some HTC rides, Cavendish and then Eisel (I think - Austrian guy?) and they were both banging on about respect and the lack of it in this tour. Says Rojas (I think it was) shouted at him or something at one point in the intermediate sprint or just after it, and was having a go about people clinging onto their lead out train at the end of the races and stuff. Was getting himself in a right tiz with it all anyways.

The best part of the Cavendish interview was when they said;

Interviewer: "And did you hear about Wiggins, he had to retire?"

[Cavendish looks shocked]

Int: "Suspected broken collar bone.."

Cavendish (off mic): ".... Oh shit..."

and then instead of apologising for the swearing the interviewer then says

"..So what's your reaction to that then?"

Like he wanted him to swear some more. ¬_¬

[ChrisSteeleAteMyHamster]

Cavendish is allowed to be sweary, it's his gimmick (along with being the best sprinter). Eisel's great. HTC are right though. In a recent interview in the cycling magazine I get, Tom Boonen (winner of MANY sprints and the green jersey in the 2007 Tour de France) said that sprinting is getting too scary these days because there are too many riders who don't know how to act in sprints and that lesser sprinters end up causing accidents in the run-in.

Rojas has never been one of my favourites (however I've never seen him WIN a race and this Tour is the first time I've ever seen his face - first time on podium!) and Cavendish is saying bad stuff about Feillu from the Vaconsoleil team. I do tend to believe what Cavendish says as he's a truthful guy (albeit emotional) and seems to know his stuff about sprinting. Generally when he's been disqualified from sprints it's shown later that it was a bad call to disqualify him. Hushovd is also saying bad stuff about some of these guys and Hushovd is MASSIVELY respected in the peloton.

The safest sprints are like yesterday when HTC just stretched the peloton out over the final 10km and left maybe the top 6 guys in a position to sprint for the win - not those uphill sprints where everyone is swamped by average sprinters - that just gets dangerous.

[The Quasi Juice]

So Rabobank put everything on Gesink to do well, then he falls in one of the early tracks and now he already lost time yesterday due to pain. Awesome, there go Rabobank's chances.

[ChrisSteeleAteMyHamster]

Horrible day today - Vinokourov fell down a slope into a tree and broke his femur and elbow. Van den Broeck (probable top ten finisher) broke his shoulder blade and Garmin's Dave Zabriskie broke his wrist.

All three abandoned. Millar involved but got patched up at the doctors car - bandage tied around a gash in his arm. This first week has just been ridiculous.

[The Quasi Juice]

Horrible day today - Vinokourov fell down a slope into a tree and broke his femur and elbow. Van den Broeck (probable top ten finisher) broke his shoulder blade and Garmin's Dave Zabriskie broke his wrist.

All three abandoned. Millar involved but got patched up at the doctors car - bandage tied around a gash in his arm. This first week has just been ridiculous.

Well we just had another for fuck sakes, and it's a terrible one. Hoogeland, who was doing well, brutally driven into a fence. This sucks.

[ChrisSteeleAteMyHamster]

Flecha and Hoogerland crashed into by a French TV Car that swerved into them. Ridiculous. Hoogerland is just back up though THANKFULLY.

Driver should be fired like the motorbike driver was the other day.

Woah the backs of Hoogerland's knees and lower legs are bleeding pretty badly - being tended to by the doctor on the back of a motorbike as he rides.

EDIT: Hoogerland was bounced into a BARBED WIRE fence apparently, according to Chris Boardman's twitter.

[The Quasi Juice]

Well this is good for Rabobank's morale, Sanchez wins (Y) Also thank fuck Hoogerland could continue.

[ChrisSteeleAteMyHamster]

Great win for Sanchez, glad he got it as he's too good to just be a domestique for Gesink.

Hoogerland and Flecha are both getting the combative award for the day - no doubt for fighting hard AFTER GETTING HIT BY A CAR.

Anyway, week one's over. Millar's chance of sneaking into yellow is over and Hushovd's fantastic week has ended, he's cruising in now with Jens Voigt, Stuey O'Grady, Van Garderen and David Millar in one of my favourite little small groups ever.

Anyway so now it's onto the big climbs and gotta choose who I want to do well.

I guess I'll be cheering for Damiano Cunego to do as well as he can, Kloden, Andy Schleck and Cadel Evans. Evans has really turned himself around these last couple of years.

[The Quasi Juice]

Anyone except Contador really Pretty surprising how Sanchez has jumped to second place now, Rabobank will probably now protect both him and Gesink. Considering Gesink fell and hasn't recovered well (he did stay with the big boys today though), Sanchez might be the better option for Rabo now, he seems very fit.

[ChrisSteeleAteMyHamster]

Sanchez is a great climber. He always used to work in the mountains for that scumbag Valverde but often looked stronger than him. Could still be top ten after the Pyrenees - especially as it's practically home for the Spanish riders.

[ChrisSteeleAteMyHamster]

Hoogerland's in tears on the podium the poor lad. He's a great attacking rider, terrible what happened to him today. Instant legend though.

They've just replayed the car swiping into them again - that'll be on youtube soon if it isn't already.

In fact yeah, there it is:

[IAceI]

Idiot, could see he had to swerve for that tree and should have known the riders safety came ahead of him trying to squeeze through for a better camera shot or whatever. Nasty fall as well for the two of them. And a bad one earlier on as well that saw.. Vui..Vurinuikov... the Astana guy break either his pelvis or femur, or both depending on who you listen to.

[Lineker]

Bloody French.

[Cactus Drags]

I think it was his femur, his leg looked well funny as they were dragging him out of the ravine. Obviously, I'm not a doctor, but I'm pretty sure thighs don't usually feature corners. Hoogerland on the podium was pretty emotional. I think I can safely say I've never seen anything like that in any sport. Bad enough to be hit by a car, but to get flung at speed into a barbed wire fence? Just insane. Pretty exciting finish to the stage, I really should watch more of this >_>

[The Quasi Juice]

I think it was his femur, his leg looked well funny as they were dragging him out of the ravine. Obviously, I'm not a doctor, but I'm pretty sure thighs don't usually feature corners. Hoogerland on the podium was pretty emotional. I think I can safely say I've never seen anything like that in any sport. Bad enough to be hit by a car, but to get flung at speed into a barbed wire fence? Just insane. Pretty exciting finish to the stage, I really should watch more of this >_>

Indeed, this is why I watch. The first week I usually find fairly boring, now finally stuff matters and the mountain tracks are always fun. Hoogerland standing there was a special moment too.

*starts Cycling Manager*

[The Quasi Juice]

What the hell, Hoogerland just did an interview with Dutch TV after coming out of the hospital. He has over 30 stitches! He said he didn't even have much of a problem going on after he joined the pack. In the end the interviewer jokingly asked if he was going to start Tuesday, he shrugged and said:

Ofcourse I will. Legend.

Edited July 10, 2011 by The Quasi Juice

[Cactus Drags]

Excellent. I'm tempted to pick up the Tour de France game that just came out for 360, but I've no idea if I'll be any good at it, if it's any good, or if I'd be willing to stick with it.

[maninblack]

I wonder if criminal or civil charges can be filed against that media car driver.

[Lineker]

He's been sacked.