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Wisey

Yeah, I think AC is our winner........ Unless the Schlecks or Sastre can do something incredible in the mountains, but I don't think so.

nicolas

I'm just glad i didn't vote !

I'm not particularly moved by this race and these riders, but you have to admit. Contador is just the best rider of his generation in grand tours...and suddenly, it's not that okay to be 5 or 10 years older...

verktyg

sandranian · Site Admin

Who knows (regarding the winner). A lot can happen in a week.

nicolas

sandranian · Site Admin

Barring anything out of the ordinary, it is going to be boring boring boring, with Contador just following wheels up Ventoux.

Wisey

Yep, this is certainly the most uninteresting Tour in a long time. Contador will follow the wheels till the last 2km of Ventoux, then he will show everyone why he is the winner. I just can't get over my scepticism abot that guy. Did you see the faces of everyone else? Pain. I like to see that. It shows that they are hurting to just be there. But Contador barely broke a sweat! Most of the performances that we have seen in recent years that looked like that turned out to be too good to be true. I'm just not sure I believe this guy. But, I'll hold my tongue there. Innocent until PROVEN guilty. I am hoping the Schlecks can attack and get onto the podium. At least they have a go. Hoping that Evans can have a few good days and get into the top 10 at least. Podium is out of the question, but if he is brilliant in the mountains, he might sneak in for a top 5. Wiggins is riding brilliantly too, but Vaughters needs to grow some balls and send his boys out on the attack. This conservative riding that everyone is doing might be good for business, but it's crap bike racing. They need to learn that there are 1000 more effective ways for a sponsor to spend their money. If the racing is boring, the fans turn the TV off, and the sponsors will leave. Race dammit!

sandranian · Site Admin

Have to disagree with you about the boring aspect. I am finding the racing very fun. How many breakaways have made it to the line this year? How many usually do??? I think it has been a whole lot of fun.

nicolas

Just so you know...about "believing" or not.

Frédéric Grappe is a french coach / researcher in training & stuff (don't know exactly his title but you get the idea). He has worked for la française des jeux (Madiot). He collected a lot of data such as watts produced by riders in any major race since 2004.

What he said yesterday, basically, is that Verbier's climb was the most "impressive" climb since he started collecting these datas (Courchevel 2005 included) and that Andy Shleck did 1'30" less than at the Tour of Switzerland 2008.

That should be reassuring for Armstrong...

sandranian · Site Admin

Nicolas: What does that mean? Does that mean that there is something fishy or off with the numbers, or that the riders are just riding harder? Do you think that he is saying that the numbers are abnormal?

nicolas

Well, until now Courchevel 2005 (Basso, Valverde, Armstrong...even Rasmussen if I'm correct) was considered as a peak of abnormality for wattage...

Mr Grappe never says riders dope, he just says : "I don"t understand how a human being can do it".

Which is basically what Greg LeMond said in...1992, after the Luxembourg ITT : "I don"t understand how he's doing it", referring to Indurain.

By the way, if anyone watched today's race, it should a reminder as to why we wear helmets...poor Jens.

Wisey

Does anyone know what happened with Jens? It looked like his pedal or crank broke. Poor bugger. I like Jens.

sandranian · Site Admin

Haven't seen anything yet. Just an awful crash though. Jens is my favorite rider nowadays.

scozim

Sound painful. The crash looked real sudden with no warning.

From Velonews:

"An examination at the University hospital in Grenoble this evening has initially given positive reports on Jens Voigt's health after the nasty crash during today's stage of Tour de France. He has incurred a fracture of the right cheekbone and a concussion. For now he is staying at the hospital for further observation.

"Jens has sent this greeting to the team: 'I think I was very lucky not getting severely hurt from today's crash. Now I hope that you can focus on the race and I wish you all good luck with the hard stage tomorrow.'

"The whole team in France and the whole staff at Riis-Cycling wish Jens Voigt a speedy recovery and hope to see him and his strong and joyful spirit back on the team soon."

nicolas