It's just too team oriented. It's like crowning an individual champ of baseball based on who wins the world series.
It's just too team oriented. It's like crowning an individual champ of baseball based on who wins the world series.
::. wrote:
The tour is a number of races within a race.
And most of those races are meaningless.
The idea that the TTT can pretty much eliminate key contenders based on a weak team absolutely sucks. It is ridiculous that someone like Evans loses huge amounts of time. Imagine if he were to only lose based on that. Pretty hollow victory for the winner.
why cant there just be one crazy guy that goes balls to the wall everyday to make things interesting? i would love to see the final week be a fight for survival as they chase some crazy bastard up and down mountains.
.....jabe jennings did ride a bike around mexico for awhile....he would be awesome for the tour.
quack wrote:
If you really love bike racing, this has been a good tour.
An arrogent Oregon fan? Naaaaah.
Well, that was what they did with Marco Pantani, before he died.
ethicist wrote:
Well, that was what they did with Marco Pantani, before he died.
yes, Pantani, what an animal, granted he was juiced, but they all were, it doesn't account for his big freaking balls vs. the others. For those of you who didn't watch the tour when he competed you sure missed something special. He knew where he had to take time, the mountains, he was sub-standard in TT's, and his teams were average. So in the mountains he'd attack early and often.
Hopefully some of the non-Astana boys find his spirit and make the Alps dramatic. I was encouraged by Evans attacking on an early climb this week.
Soler seems to have a bit of the Pantani spirit, but for some reason he's not in the tour this year.
Rest in Piece Il Pirata!
Soler's team, Barloworld were not invited to this year's race. He did ride in the Giro though.
WWRD wrote:
Soler seems to have a bit of the Pantani spirit, but for some reason he's not in the tour this year.
quack wrote:
If you really love bike racing,
, you should go to LetsBike.com
This year sucks a lot also because the sprints blow. Cavendish is dominating and no one is even close. The last few years it was nice to see guys like McEwen, O'Grady, Hushovd and Zabel making the final 5km interesting.
The only way the tour becomes slightly redeeming is Contador and or Kloeden goes rogue and tries to beat Lance. I really want to see Lance's face and the media reaction if he ends up losing to a teammate.
Goes rogue? Contador is the team leader and the best stage cyclist on the planet. Armstrong is the one going rogue. He is a 37 year old. I don't think he would've defeated Contador in his prime, let alone seven years later.
I totally agree. The sprints in past years were much more interesting.. The balls of the tour died with Floyd Landis and the way he was vilified in the Euro media. Too bad because if a serious GC contender went out on his own hard it would force even the flatter stages to get more interesting.
I was really looking forward to the Pyrenees but there was really nothing.. Even Lance says the Tour won't get interesting until the Alps and in the past two stages it was the same exact formula. Peloton lets no-names break away until they get about 3 minutes out then they reel them in until 5K to go and HTC/Columbia guys setup Cavendish perfectly ftw. Too bad Hushovd, Farrar, et al don't have the balls ( or the leadouts ) to win. What happened to McEwen, O'Grady and Boonen anyway? I pretty much skipped the tour last year so I have no clue there..
As for Lance, I think there is a very strong chance he will lose to a teammate. He simply can't accelerate up a 7% grade with the same power as guys like Andy Schleck and Contador. Cadel was done in by the TTT and Sastre is way too far back. i would think Contador has this in hand and if not him then maybe even Levi could beat Lance to the podium.
Digital wrote:
if not him then maybe even Levi could beat Lance to the podium.
I doubt it. Levi is overrated, especially in US media. I'd say he is not even as good as Klöden. But it doesn't matter because BOTH of them will make sure they don't finish ahead of LA.
V6 wrote:
Goes rogue? Contador is the team leader and the best stage cyclist on the planet. Armstrong is the one going rogue. He is a 37 year old. I don't think he would've defeated Contador in his prime, let alone seven years later.
I agree that Contador is the best rider out on road but I continue to hear Lance is the team captain from Sherwin and Ligget.
Digital wrote:
What happened to McEwen, O'Grady and Boonen anyway? I pretty much skipped the tour last year so I have no clue there..
Boonen is a cokehead and both McEwen and O'Grady are waaaaay past their prime. I think O'Grady is still on Saxo and McEwen is on Katusha. They didn't even send a legit sprinter.
Another stage.... another boring day... guy wins buy 6 minutes and isnt even in the top 10.. LOL
guess the TT means a bunch
The Badger (Hinault) called out the non-Astana members in an interview on Velonews, by called out I mean he said "attack...attack...attack"...he's such a prick...which can be a good thing, I especially like how he sugar coats his and Lemond's rivalry, completely denying attacking Lemond when he was supposed to help him, see interview here:
http://tour-de-france.velonews.com/article/95199/hinault--only-way-to-beat-astana-is-attack-
He won by 6 minutes precisely because he wasn't in the top 10. No one gave a f*** about the breakaway.
They lifted the radio ban that was planned for Saturday's stage. Knew it!
Thanks, P. Sousa.
It's been fun, but there is just too much negative energy here and too many new assholes who post bullshit and lots of great people who used to post all the time who have left or gone underground. I'm out. Life is too short. I'll be in kona. Hope to see some of you there. Paulo knows how to find me.