LANCE IN YELLOW!

What I don't understand, is there was a group of ~10 good GC climbers chasing AC. I still have no doubt AC is the top rider, and 20 seconds is very impressive, but I would have thought SOMEONE would have been capable of at least attempting a counter the last 1.5k.

No doubt some were hanging for dear life, some were hedging their bets for later stages, but you'd think Menchov and Evans or SOMEONE would be capable of at least attempting to salvage some time lost during the 1st week, rather than just conceding to the favorite.

Watch Levi's post race interview. Clealry Alberto was not supposed to go according to the team plan. And if you re-watch the stage and watch Lance's face and reaction to Alberto's attack you will see that Lance had a bit held in reserve. Just the facts. So Alberto went off the team plan, and Armstrong stuck to it. Don't be suprised if Lance does not choose to rip Alberto a new one on the third day in the mountains. Lance looks as strong as, if not stronger than Alberto. Either way, the stages to watch will be the final time trial and the penultimate stage. I am not saying Lance will win but Alberto's win today will do nothing other than perhaps piss off a sleeping giant (and some of his team mates who are clearly not happy with Alberto). Sure is nice to have Lance back, and its going to be a fun two weeks!

ronner wrote:

Actually... wrote:

When will he take the yellow jersey?

I'm guessing never. Cantador looked really good today. I don't see Armstrong hanging with him. If Armstrong could have gone with Contador today, he would have.

Contador didn't look good today. He looked desperate. The team was told NOT to attack at all. He's afraid Lance is going to be the man, so he acted like a non-team player for selfish reasons. On an attack like Contador made, he should have been a lot farther ahead. Nobody else made a real attack to chase him down because Lance prevented them from doing it. Lance looked like he was going for a stroll in the park. Every time a rider made an attack before Contador, Lance easily covered it no problem. Contador looked like he was spent after finishing. All this does is piss Lance off and team unity is out the door. Lance now will win the tour because of Contadors' stupid mistake today.

The team was told not to attack!!!

Interesting situation for Contador. He's probably the strongest rider in the field but he's teamates with a guy thats won the tour 7 times and has a ego the size of Ron Jeremy's johnson. I feel for both of the dudes. It's really a no win for anybody including the fans by having the two best guys in the race on the same bloody team.

I hope it's close between the two of them and they have the green light to sort it out on the road between the two of them in the Alps. What a shame if the winner of this years tour is decided by the team director of Astana.

I used to always pull for anybody but Lance. Now I'm a hard core Lance fan and kinda hate myself for it!? Anybody else feel like this suddenly?

Contador may be the stronger rider (who knows as of yet), but Lance's advantage is in strategy and past experience. He will crush this kid when he is ready. I'd love to see a replay of the "look" ala Ulrich. "Time to go kid, you coming or not?"

Is there any place where you can watch the entire stage on the net?

How do you know this?

Contador not to attack link -->

http://tour-de-france.velonews.com/article/94871/velonews-video-armstrong-says-contador-attack-was-unplanned

Also other articles and video of Bryuneel and Levi on this topic on velonews homepage recap

poster wrote:

johnnyb1610 wrote:

[quote]ronner wrote:

[quote]Actually... wrote:

The team was told not to attack!!!

How do you know this?

Lance said it, Levi said it, and Johan said it.

Nobody else made a real attack to chase him down because Lance prevented them from doing it.

Would you care to explain how Lance prevented other riders from chasing? Did he have a lasso? Can anything you say be taken seriously when you spout utter nonsense like this?

PostalMan wrote:

poster wrote:

How do you know this?

Lance said it, Levi said it, and Johan said it.

-Thanks for educating him Postalman.

runnnner wrote:

Nobody else made a real attack to chase him down because Lance prevented them from doing it.

Would you care to explain how Lance prevented other riders from chasing? Did he have a lasso? Can anything you say be taken seriously when you spout utter nonsense like this?

By linking on to anyone trying to get away and basically blocking others from behind by staying on the lead rider. That's my opinion.

runnnner wrote:

Nobody else made a real attack to chase him down because Lance prevented them from doing it.

Would you care to explain how Lance prevented other riders from chasing? Did he have a lasso? Can anything you say be taken seriously when you spout utter nonsense like this?

You don't know much about professional bike racing do you?

You don't know much about cycling, do you?

runnnner wrote:

Would you care to explain how Lance prevented other riders from chasing? Did he have a lasso? Can anything you say be taken seriously when you spout utter nonsense like this?

After Contador attacked, it is racing 101 to not chase your teammate. You let your teammate go and start looking for wheels to follow. The idea is, you follow guys chasing your guy, and if they make the catch, then you counterattack from your sheltered position. So Armstrong would have attacked only if Contador was caught. If that happened, then Contador would have caught a wheel while Armstrong went on the attack, and if Armstrong is chased down, counterattacked again. This is how teams win races. And, of course, if your teammate doesn't get caught, you stay back marking the other riders in the group, not go charging off after him.

No Way wrote:

You don't know much about cycling, do you?

runnnner wrote:

Would you care to explain how Lance prevented other riders from chasing? Did he have a lasso? Can anything you say be taken seriously when you spout utter nonsense like this?

Nope most of us arent homosexuals

Armstrong did it by the book. If you think otherwise you know nothing about the Tour and didn't watch the post race interviews. It was a jack@$$ move by AC and Lance will make him pay when it's time. For the guy who liked everyone but Lance, what's wrong with you? Read his book and you'll see why I ask that question. He's one of the toughest S.O.B.'s on the face of the earth. If you truly are a runner you should know better.

info wrote:

Armstrong did it by the book. If you think otherwise you know nothing about the Tour and didn't watch the post race interviews. It was a jack@$$ move by AC and Lance will make him pay when it's time. For the guy who liked everyone but Lance, what's wrong with you? Read his book and you'll see why I ask that question. He's one of the toughest S.O.B.'s on the face of the earth. If you truly are a runner you should know better.

Bearing in mind that Lance finished outside the top 3 for the first time ever in a TDF Time trial.

It's a race, it's nothing to do with his book or anything. Contador is better than him. Just because the pathetic fanboys can't accept that, it's over.

The guy wants a political career.

People compete as fast as they have to. If the WR were 3:24, don't you think Hicham El G would have run faster than 3:26 in his career?

Similarily, when Lance was setting the tone for everyone else in that TT, it's a lot easier for the other GC contendors when they know the bar they have to rise to, and consequently a disadvantage for LA.

I'm not saying LA necessarily rides 19:49 in the TT if he goes last, nor am I trying to be a homer for him (I still predict AC to win) but I just don't think you should read too much into LA's TT time.

A good compromise by Lance would have been to just finish a few seconds faster than he did. That way he wouldn't have been directly attacking Contador but he would have still retained a slight edge over him.