Tour build up

LeicesterLad

frenchfighter wrote:

Dario Cataldo, Sylvain Chavanel, Gerald Ciolek, Dries Devenyns, Kevin De Weert, Bert Grabsch, Levi Leipheimer, Tony Martin, Jerome Pineau, Gert Steegmans, Matteo Trentin, Stijn Vandenbergh, Peter Velits

D.S.: Davide Bramati, Brian Holm, Wilfried Peeters

who is team leader? Leipheimer or Velits? I'd prefer the latter.

arnuf

Rick Chasey wrote:

Ah Boonen's not riding the Tour.

Too bad. If he'd win the third stage it would have been Boonen winning in Bonen.

Abdoujaparov

LeicesterLad wrote:

frenchfighter wrote:

Dario Cataldo, Sylvain Chavanel, Gerald Ciolek, Dries Devenyns, Kevin De Weert, Bert Grabsch, Levi Leipheimer, Tony Martin, Jerome Pineau, Gert Steegmans, Matteo Trentin, Stijn Vandenbergh, Peter Velits

D.S.: Davide Bramati, Brian Holm, Wilfried Peeters

who is team leader? Leipheimer or Velits? I'd prefer the latter.

Leipheimer has said it'll be both him and Velits targeting GC. Reckon they've both got a decent shout of a top ten finish, despite Velits looking poor in Suisse atm. He'll come good - think it's his time for a good Tour. Levi is looking fine after such a bad injury - he was saying his leg muscles atrophied after his fracture.

rick_chasey

arnuf wrote:

Rick Chasey wrote:

Ah Boonen's not riding the Tour.

Too bad. If he'd win the third stage it would have been Boonen winning in Bonen.

Outstanding. Totally missed that.

*thumbs up*

rick_chasey

Abdoujaparov wrote:

LeicesterLad wrote:

frenchfighter wrote:

Dario Cataldo, Sylvain Chavanel, Gerald Ciolek, Dries Devenyns, Kevin De Weert, Bert Grabsch, Levi Leipheimer, Tony Martin, Jerome Pineau, Gert Steegmans, Matteo Trentin, Stijn Vandenbergh, Peter Velits

D.S.: Davide Bramati, Brian Holm, Wilfried Peeters

who is team leader? Leipheimer or Velits? I'd prefer the latter.

Leipheimer has said it'll be both him and Velits targeting GC. Reckon they've both got a decent shout of a top ten finish, despite Velits looking poor in Suisse atm. He'll come good - think it's his time for a good Tour. Levi is looking fine after such a bad injury - he was saying his leg muscles atrophied after his fracture.

Bet they're gutted there's no TTT this year.

BTW: Stijn Vandenbergh - unsung domestique of the season.

ddraver

Anyone want to talk about doping? That Wiggins eh? Dooooodgy!!

:P

(not a serious post!)

greasedscotsman

ddraver wrote:

Anyone want to talk about doping? That Wiggins eh? Dooooodgy!!

:P

(not a serious post!)

And that Andy Schleck, he just sucks so much!

knedlicky

Abdoujaparov wrote:

LeicesterLad wrote:

frenchfighter wrote:

Dario Cataldo, Sylvain Chavanel, Gerald Ciolek, Dries Devenyns, Kevin De Weert, Bert Grabsch, Levi Leipheimer, Tony Martin, Jerome Pineau, Gert Steegmans, Matteo Trentin, Stijn Vandenbergh, Peter Velits
D.S.: Davide Bramati, Brian Holm, Wilfried Peeters

who is team leader? Leipheimer or Velits? I'd prefer the latter.

Leipheimer has said it'll be both him and Velits targeting GC. Reckon they've both got a decent shout of a top ten finish, despite Velits looking poor in Suisse atm. He'll come good - think it's his time for a good Tour. Levi is looking fine after such a bad injury - he was saying his leg muscles atrophied after his fracture.

Cataldo and Trettin did the Giro and are in Switzerland, so I'd put a question mark against them.

I think having two to target the GC might be the way to go against Sky, especially if your second man can get some time advantage in a breakaway before the Pyrenees. There are other teams which should be able to choose a team which has two riders to target the GC too, using the same idea.

Not that I think Leipheimer will be a big threat and Velits only if he shows a radical form change. Perhaps they should have left Cataldo out of Switzerland.

rick_chasey

LeicesterLad

Tour de France route has been changed. Here is the new route in full:

ddraver

Rick Chasey wrote:

I like that - Something like that would look good on my wall...

edhornby

that cog would look good on a T Shirt if you could get the definition on the text

TheBigBean

Does anyone know if Cobo is riding the tour and what he has been up to recently?

frenchfighter

Down for Tour and Vuelta as far as I am aware. Got shelled on the climbs in le Dauphine.

No_Ta_Doctor

LeicesterLad wrote:

Tour de France route has been changed. Here is the new route in full:

And some people asked why Sky would want to meet ASO.

Herman.

Hi

I am staying just outisde Lourdes during the tour, and I will see three stages. It is my first time to see the tour, and I am very exited, but I have some questions. I am going to see the tour on tourmalet, but i am not shore if I will be aible to Get a bike to cycle it. How Early do you Think I have to start on the morning to walk up the climb and get a good spot near the top? And the same with peyragudes the NeXT day? Can you drive and park near the climb?

And a last question, where would you watch the tour on the stage Samatan-Pau? On one of the small climbs or at the finish?

Thanks a lot for your answers and tips!

Moomaloid

Come on AFX get the PTP rigged up... i'm raring to go!

Herman.

Herman. wrote:

Hi

I am staying just outisde Lourdes during the tour, and I will see three stages. It is my first time to see the tour, and I am very exited, but I have some questions. I am going to see the tour on tourmalet, but i am not shore if I will be aible to Get a bike to cycle it. How Early do you Think I have to start on the morning to walk up the climb and get a good spot near the top? And the same with peyragudes the NeXT day? Can you drive and park near the climb?

And a last question, where would you watch the tour on the stage Samatan-Pau? On one of the small climbs or at the finish?

Thanks a lot for your answers and tips!

rick_chasey

Herman. wrote:

Herman. wrote:

Hi

I am staying just outisde Lourdes during the tour, and I will see three stages. It is my first time to see the tour, and I am very exited, but I have some questions. I am going to see the tour on tourmalet, but i am not shore if I will be aible to Get a bike to cycle it. How Early do you Think I have to start on the morning to walk up the climb and get a good spot near the top? And the same with peyragudes the NeXT day? Can you drive and park near the climb?

And a last question, where would you watch the tour on the stage Samatan-Pau? On one of the small climbs or at the finish?

Thanks a lot for your answers and tips!

Put it in a new thread.

You'll get better traction then.

bigmat

Herman. wrote:

Hi

I am staying just outisde Lourdes during the tour, and I will see three stages. It is my first time to see the tour, and I am very exited, but I have some questions. I am going to see the tour on tourmalet, but i am not shore if I will be aible to Get a bike to cycle it. How Early do you Think I have to start on the morning to walk up the climb and get a good spot near the top? And the same with peyragudes the NeXT day? Can you drive and park near the climb?

And a last question, where would you watch the tour on the stage Samatan-Pau? On one of the small climbs or at the finish?

Thanks a lot for your answers and tips!

Think of a reasonable time before the race is scheduled to pass, then aim to get there about 4 hours earlier than that. The gendarmes are a nightmare, its one of the most frustrating things having to push your bike up an HC climb when the roads are empty and closed, destroying your cleats in the process and ultimately having to stop before the top because you have run out of time / lost the will to live. Best plan would be to access the climb from a direction that isn't on the actual route of course, but be aware roads close a lot earlier than you would expect.

frenchfighter

“My peak form is over, I cannot ride with the topmost and do not want to be the leader of the team,” Frank Schleck told Het Nieuwsblad. “If the results are looked at, there will be criticism of me and I do not want that. I am not a machine and can not always be first rate.”

cogidubnus

frenchfighter wrote:

“My peak form is over, I cannot ride with the topmost and do not want to be the leader of the team,” Frank Schleck told Het Nieuwsblad. “If the results are looked at, there will be criticism of me and I do not want that. I am not a machine and can not always be first rate.”

That's too easy, I'm not going to even go there lol

pat1cp

Sagan is odds on for the points with British bookies, that's crazy. Twiggo is 13/10 which is also crazy. Young rider could be interesting though. Fancy Taaramae if he had a half decent team, though I'm lead to believe they may start splashing some cash.

rick_chasey

pat1cp wrote:

Sagan is odds on for the points with British bookies, that's crazy. Twiggo is 13/10 which is also crazy. Young rider could be interesting though. Fancy Taaramae if he had a half decent team, though I'm lead to believe they may start splashing some cash.

I imagine that's more to do wth the amount of money riding on them rather than theier likelihood in this instance.

pat1cp

Hesjadal e/w at 66/1 for me.

frenchfighter

ddraver

Rick Chasey wrote:

pat1cp wrote:

Sagan is odds on for the points with British bookies, that's crazy. Twiggo is 13/10 which is also crazy. Young rider could be interesting though. Fancy Taaramae if he had a half decent team, though I'm lead to believe they may start splashing some cash.

I imagine that's more to do wth the amount of money riding on them rather than theier likelihood in this instance.

Yeah, I suspect that the UK MAMIL's are betting in force this year...I don't know any long term procycling fans that think it's that cut and dried. My head is still saying evans by a cheeky attack somewhere or by not getting left behind a split type thing...

sonny73

frenchfighter wrote:

Nice Gazelle's Bradley.

sonny73

Dan Martin interview, looking forward to seeing him at the Tour at last: http://www.velonation.com/News/ID/12233/Dan-Martin-Interview-Irishman-ambitious-prior-to-first-Tour-de-France.aspx

sonny73