AND YOUR WINNER FOR THE 2010 TOUR DE FRANCE IS....

good post. Tough to predict what will happen next year though.

The greatest cyclist in the world is Eddy Merckx. Not Axel. Axel is Eddy's son and was never anything more than a Domestique.

My pick for the winner is: someone who is using illegal drugs (as usual).

Don't discount Andy Schleck for next year. He is young and will improve, and if he can get his TT better I think he can threaten Contador.

Contador looked to me like he could have dropped the field any time he felt like it in the mountain stages.

Prediction? The top 3 will be the same as they were this year.

You fooled me into thinking there was a knowledgeable cycling post on here, until Axel.

We'll know better in October when we find out if there will be a TTT and how many summit finishes there will be in 2010. Plus it should be evident what team AC will be riding for. If he were smart he would go to Garmin, but his ethics may be incompatible.

I'm not a fan of Contador but to think Lance can beat him next year seems pretty out there to me. If you were watching the same tour I was this year it was pretty clear that Contador was unbeatable.

The hype will be huge next year and then Lance will get his ass handed to him.

Explain to me, Einstein, just how Lance will be able to knock off Contador? Can't TT with him (not even next year), and how will he get time in the mountains when Contador can mark every move, and then just ride away in the final few km?

Doesn't matter how good your team is, you still gotta have the legs.

Note:

*Best cyclist was Eddy Mercx (forgive the slip up naming his son)

(and it was EDDY Mercx - not his son Axel - who recently supported Armstrong's comments re Alberto Contador)

(For those that don't understand cycling - Eddy Mercx is the ONLY cyclist to dominate grand tours as well as spring classics and various single stage races - in short, he dominated every aspect of the sport whereas Lance is known as having dominated the tour)

Bum -

Lance will be back amongst the favorites in the TT next year with Cancellara and Contador.

Lance in top form can not only compete, but defeat both of these men in this aspect of the race.

If Lance assembles a much better team (and he will) it will put severe strain on AC in nearly every stage.

Listen to Eddy Mercx - you NEED a great team to be a great stage racer. Period.

Contador by 8:00+. No more riding like a pvssy because Johan made him.

Was watching You, Me and DuPree the other night and sure looked like Owen Wilson has been training night and day. I am not sure if he is on a team already, but his body looks suited for the mountains. Might really surprise.

When Phil Ligget and Eddy Mercx both think you're wrong in terms of cycling/peloton politics - YOU'RE WRONG.

Don't question the greats

Alberto didn't respect the peleton, the greats, or his teammates.

Lance, albeit brash, NEVER and I mean NEVER disrespected the greats and the peleton during his 7 year reign.

Contador had a shit team 2 years ago and was fine.

peepituder4 wrote:

Contador by 8:00+. No more riding like a pvssy because Johan made him.

When did Contador listen to Johan? I'll answer for you, never. He was out for himself.

Lance hasn't even been riding for a year since is layoff. As I'm assuming that all of us on here on runners, we should understand what that means. Cyclists and runners have better seasons after a full year of competing under their belt. That would only mean that Lance will be better next year. I'm also assuming that the last ITT will be longer than the short easy one they had this year. That benefits Lance. Has everyone forgot about the Crash Lance had in the race before the Tour De France. He lost some training because of it. With a team riding for Lance and lots of good riding over the next year, it's going to be a great Tour next year and I think Lance has a great chance of winning.

though it seems as if alberto can cleary out ride lance, you, you can't compare how they did to each other this year because alberto was a protected rider wheras lance had to do some work. alberto never had to take pulls during the tour, he just followed others and that makes a huge difference with regards to the level of effort being expended.

alberto needs to go ride for euskatel. they have a ton of good climbers but no stars. they could provide great support for alberto. i still think lance is too old but i was surprised at how well he did this year. i was not a lance fan before the tour and was really getting sick of all of the hype. but he was fairly impressive.

the people attacking lance because of the contador situation don't understand the culture of cycling.

I think Lance will challenge Contador next year with a year of solid training under his belt and a superior team. However, its unclear what Lance has left regarding the mountain attacks, which were non-existent this year. Sure he defended like a champ in those late stages to hold 3rd, but he could never put the Schlecks or Contador behind him. With a well rounded team he may be able to do that to some extent next year. I think the time trials will be a wash and it will come down to whether Lance and his domestiques can take on Contador by himself. This year the Schlecks couldn't do it, so it obviously isn't an easy task.

noal wrote:

the people attacking lance because of the contador situation don't understand the culture of cycling.

I think the culture of pro cycling kind of stinks. Too much politics, money and drugs involved. Which we all know Lance is a pro in the first two, and possibly the third. I don't mind if Contador doesn't follow all the tour's team rules and tactics. I appreciate more the absolute beast of a fit rider he is, which I appreciate in all the top riders. Sure there are some team tactics that come into play, but as long as you win as Contador did win in dominating fashion, you can fudge some tactics and it shouldn't be a big deal. Lance and others cry foul when AC attacks. AC earned the right to attack all he wants, he came to the tour prepared to do so.

I do know in next years Tour it will be fun to follow the drama though and see who comes out on top.

I think you'll find that even Lance admits he was a huge tool in his early years as a pro.

You can read his description of his interaction with Moreno Argentin in his book.

If he's allowed to do that before "maturing" why should Contador have to skip that phase?

Because Lance was not a GC contender when he mis-understood the politics of the peleton.

Being a team-leader and GC contender demands you understand that aspect of the sport/race.

By the time Lance was a GC rider ('99) he understood the sport well to his (and his team's) benefit for the next 7 years