2009 Tour de France

[turbostud]

Starts tomorrow. Coverage begins at 0830 on Versus. Opening stage : ITT in Monaco. I would expect Cancellara to remain in good form and take this stage. It will be interesting to see if Contador goes all out in this stage as Armstrong did a few years back and go for the early yellow. Armstrong seems to think he doesnt have a chance to win and will be helping Contador. Get yer popcorn ready!

"It's not going to be easy to win," Armstrong added. "In December and January, I thought it would be easier. It ends up being more difficult than I thought. Perhaps because of the crash, of the complicated season or simply because I'm older now."

Armstrong said he would be willing to support Contador if it becomes clear the Spaniard is the likelier rider to win the grueling race.

"Out of respect for him, out of respect for the team and out of respect for the rules of cycling, I would do it with pleasure", Armstrong said by telephone after previewing the 18th stage of the Tour, a time trial in Annecy.

[BEAST]

We will see exactly what Armstrong has left once they hit the mountains. That's where he always blew the field away in the past.




BEAST

[turbostud]

Originally posted by BEAST
We will see exactly what Armstrong has left once they hit the mountains. That's where he always blew the field away in the past.
BEAST

Yea but even now he seems to think he doesnt have what it takes. We will see. The crash he had a few months ago(he broke his collarbone) set him back a little.

[BEAST]

True but his desire to win is unmatched in cycling. When they get to the mountains we will see.




BEAST

[turbostud]

Where is PhilC?

[turbostud]

Where are you Phil? Prolouge is on.

[turbostud]

Armstrong 10th. Team Astana has 4 in the top 10. They look to dominate the TdF. Doesnt look like LA has what it takes this year but its still way early.

[Phil C]

I agree with turbo who did a great job of reporting on today's events. The race was exciting but inconclusive as far as the favorite is concerned. I am not sure if Lance will have it but he has said that if he can't win it he is willing to be a supportive rider which I am sure he will be great indeed. When we get to the mountains we will have a strong indication if he will go for the win or support. Either way it is great to have him back and the race should be exciting indeed. A good start and it is only the beginning of many more exciting stages this year.

[turbostud]

We could quite possibly see a all Team Astana podium. I think only a couple of riders have a shot at a podium spot besides Team Astana. Cadel Evans and Carlos Sastre, and they dont have the team to battle with Astana in the mountains.

[Phil C]

Hey Turbo I knew Monaco was small but as pointed out by the commentators it is the second smallest country in the world. Vatican City is the smallest. Interesting indeed.

[Phil C]

From what I have read Turbo tomorrow is expected to be a sprinters' day which is always interesting. Of course there will be some breakaways and once in a while they succeed which makes it interesting. Should be another exciting day even thought it most likely will not affect the standings until they get to to mountain stages.

[Phil C]

I don't know if the mods are going to set up a 2009 Tour de France thread like they did last year but we have finished one stage with 20 more to go. We will have a stage every day except for two Mondays on July 13 and July 20 which are rest days.
The last (21st) stage will be on Sunday, July 26. I am sure on that last day the overall winner as usual will be decided and the bikers ride together into Paris with the sprinters getting the last shot at the end to win a stage.

Hopefully there will be no doping scandals or any crashes and that we will have an exciting, clean race and everyone is able to finish the tour. Unlikely to be sure but we can hope.

With Lance Armstrong back and with the talent we have racing this year this is indeed going to be an epic race. Enjoy!

[zebrablue2]

Go Lance Go!!:cheerl::1popcorn:

[Phil C]

The race today ended as expected in being a sprinters' race. There were some breakaways but those were done to collect mountain jersey points and afterward they were caught by the peloton. The next few days should belong to the sprinters and perhaps a breakaway will win one of them.
Today at the spring Mark Cavendish won a great race followed by Tyler Farrah and then Romain Feilur and Thor Hushovd.

Tyler is a rising American star sprinter and is young and has a great future in this regard and I am sure he will win some sprints in the future if not this year and should make America and his fans proud.

[Phil C]

There were no changes in the overall leaders as the peloton came in. Lance is still in 10th place 40 seconds behind the leader but that is slightly misleading. The real favorite of the race was only 18 seconds behind the leader and that is Alberto Contador. Lance is only 22 seconds behind him so the race could be close between them. It will be the mountain stages that will decided who between them has the best chance in winning it.
There are ten teams in the race and there were some crashes today unfortunately but everyone got out ok which is great. Each team has 9 members and everyone is still in the race and let's hope they all get to finish. It is not only crashes and injuries that cause some to abandon the tour but also fatigue and also when one wins a race the others behind him have to get to the finish line before a certain amount of time and unfortunately this causes the tour to lose some of their good sprinters sometimes. Hopefully everyone will finish this year even though no doubt this is wishful thinking.

We now have completed two stages and it has been exciting
but this is just the beginning. We should have another great tour indeed.

[turbostud]

The Team Time Trial on Tues should be a good one.

[Phil C]

Originally posted by turbostud
The Team Time Trial on Tues should be a good one.

I agree turbo! It will be Stage 4 on Tuesday. Stage 7 is a mountain stage but the other stages till then (3, 5 and 6) will be dominated by sprinters or breakaways. Most likely it will be the sprinters days.

Bicycle Magazine has 6 can't miss stages and I agree with them even though I have a 7th one. They are:

Stage 1 because it is the first one and can set the tone. We have seen that and know the results which as expected are not conclusive.
Stage 4 which is the Team Time Trial. This should be great. It has been a few years since we have had it and it should be great. iIt is about 23 miles long.
Stage 7 which is the first mountain stage and will be 140 miles long. I don't think the yellow jersey contenders will make a move here early and will be content to ride in the peloton. It is rare that we have a mountain stage this early so let's hope we don't lose any of the sprinters due to time.
Stage 17 which will be another mountain stage (in fact the rest of their recommended stages are mountain stages). It will be 105 miles long and the final leader may make his move here. We will see.
Stagae 18 another mountain stage even though it is short at 25 miles but it could be brutal. I think on this one the leaders will stay with the peloton.
Stage 20 another mountain stage at 104 miles. If the leaders are close this look for the challengers to go all out to try to win it. It is the last stage and it is rare that a mountain climb is the last one before the ride to Paris. This is a very brutal climb and could decide it even though I think the key one is stage 17 but that is the beauty about the TDF (Tour de France). It is so unpredictable and surprises happen often.

This wasn't listed but I think the last Stage 21 which is the ride to Paris is always great and the scenery is fantastic and you get to see parts of Paris. Of course there is a sprint at the end which is exciting but the main thing is the friendly ride to Paris.

These were the main recommended ones to see if you don't see any of the others. But I recommend you watch them all because there is lots of great commentary and great France scenery which makes it worth watching. Plus it only happens in July every year.
What I do is record the one that is in the morning and then watch it each evening. But you have several chances to record this great event.

Enjoy!

[Phil C]

I know we are all anxious for football season to start but thank goodness we have the Tour de France to help us get through the long hot month of July.

[Phil C]

Lance Armstrong will no doubt will considered one of the greatest if not the greatist TDF winners ever no matter what happens this year. I don't think anyone will ever win 7 TDFs in a row again like he did. A great young bike rider might break his record of TDF wins by starting winning younger than Lance but even that is very unlikely in my opinion.
It won't be because of the lack of great bike riders but I believe competition will be a big factor. There are other awards and jerseys that are profitable but the main one is the yellow jersey awarded to the top winner. This win is great not only for the winner but for his teammates and sponsers and very profitable. The TDF at one time was ruled by Europe (which includes Great Britain) but now you have contenders from the USA and Australia and you are getting great riders from South America also even though these are more in support right now. But as interest and profits rise you will see more and more interest in the TDF and you will get great riders and more great coaches (managers). This competition will not stop dynasties but it will keep them shorter. If someone starts to dominate the teams will gang up on the winners and try to get teams and a challenger that can win it. This is good for the TDF and the bike sport.

This is my opinion and it may not be right and you may disagree so feel free to express your views. Some history may have been overlooked today but in the sprint in 5th place was a 24 year old bike rider from Japan named Yukiya Araship. So besides the countries just mentioned it is likely we will get some great bike riders from Japan, China and other Far East Countries as well as the rest of the world. The TDF is a world competition event now and not just Europe.

This is great too. Vive le Tour.

[Phil C]

Today's stage 3 looks like it is going to come down to the sprinters again in spite of the breakaway. The breakaways are about 11 min ahead of the peloton with 73 miles to go so I feel they will catch them easily. You never know for sure because once in a while the breakaway works. There are no serious contenders in the breakaway.

A breakaway occurrs when some riders or rider in some cases increase their speed and get ahead of the peloton. They expend much energy to get this lead. Many of the main overall contenders and sprinters stay with the peloton because they get behind their teammates and use less energy and have it in reserve for the finish. A breakaway can have one or a combination of several purposes. Their are awards who reach certain points in the race and they are awarded sprint or moutain climbing points. The breakaways get these valuable points which has made a difference in the standings for those awards. Another reason is to make the ones on the front of the peloton use more energy to catch them and this helps their man win it because he may have less tired help in the final part of the race. Another reason is that sometimes the breakaway works and the peloton doesn't catch them and they get to win a stage. This is rare but it usually happens once in a while which keeps the interst alive.
The peloton usually knows how to pace itself and catch them within about the last 3 miles. That is when the pace is up and the odds of another breakaway are less. If the peloton catches them with say 6 miles to go like they did yesterday it risks that somone else may breakaway which happened yesterday. It didn't work but it causes more energy to be used that could be saved. Remember the ones behind bike riders don't have to face as much resistance and can conserve energy.

Lance's team Astana is in trouble and will probably be fined. They showed up late today. They are supposed to show up 20 minutes before the race so the spectators can see them. The French are upset enough at them and in my opinion this is not something that they shouldn't have done. Come on Lance and Astana! Let's show a little more protocol! :mad:

[Phil C]

There is now about 44 miles left in the race and the breakaways are only 4min45sec ahead of the peloton so it is only a matter of time before they are caught. That close the peloton is not in any hurry to catch them yet.

[Phil C]

As expected the peloton caught the escapees. The peloton has split into two groups and there is now 1km to go. It is going to be a sprinters race of course and it looks look for Mark Cavendish to take another stage. Of interest Lance Armstrong is the only overall contender in the first group and he has to be loving this - especially if they hold off the group behind them.
This could be an unexpected significant stage in the Tour.

[Phil C]

Mark Cavendish wins as expected for his second stage of the tour. He held off Thor Hushovd. In third and fourth place were Cyril Lemoine and Samuel Dumoulin respectively.

I haven't got the final results of the rest but Lance's group may have finished 35 seconds ahead of the second group. If so he may already be in third place in the overall standings.

[gobbler grad]

Lance moves up in the standings...:clap:

[Phil C]

Originally posted by gobbler grad
Lance moves up in the standings...:clap:

Right you are gobbler. Lance is third place and the two leaders are not really GC (Grand Champion) contenders. Lance is now 19 seconds ahead of Alberto Contador who is the favorite to win the tour. The good thing today is that Lance and his teammates mainly rode behind the other riders and conserved energy and gained time. Alberto won't like it. If Lance becomes a contender there could be some hard feelings on the team and I suspect they will rally behind Lance especially since Alberto threatened to quite the team when Lance came back.

[turbostud]

Originally posted by Phil C
Right you are gobbler. Lance is third place and the two leaders are not really GC (Grand Champion) contenders. Lance is now 19 seconds ahead of Alberto Contador who is the favorite to win the tour. The good thing today is that Lance and his teammates mainly rode behind the other riders and conserved energy and gained time. Alberto won't like it. If Lance becomes a contender there could be some hard feelings on the team and I suspect they will rally behind Lance especially since Alberto threatened to quite the team when Lance came back.

What happened is Contador's inexperience and LA's experience both played a factor. When the peleton is riding in wind, it has a huge effect on the riders. The wind can split up the pelton real easy. When riders know this, they can let it play into their hands. They go to the front and put the pedal down, the wind helps split up the riders who are putting the pedal down with the ones who are not. this is what happened. LA new this was going to happen and went to the front of the peleton. AC did not.

[gobbler grad]

Lance took a hefty fine today for not signing in before the 3rd stage...something equivalent to $92.00...:eek: he may be late tomorrow,so he can sign in... give me a break...everyone's afraid he may WIN again...they are watching him for steroids, too...sounds like they're out to get him...just let the man race...:thinking: PLEASE!!!

[Phil C]

Originally posted by gobbler grad
Lance took a hefty fine today for not signing in before the 3rd stage...something equivalent to $92.00...:eek: he may be late tomorrow,so he can sign in... give me a break...everyone's afraid he may WIN again...they are watching him for steroids, too...sounds like they're out to get him...just let the man race...:thinking: PLEASE!!!

He was late because he was visiting actor Ben Stiller or so it is reported in the papers. Not that that is an acceptable excuse. The fans support the tour and the sponsors and deserve to be treated with respect that the riders can show by being on time. Some wait for hours. Actor Jack Nicholson is a big Lakers fan but he doesn't expect to be treated different from any other fan. Kobe has never been late to a Lakers' game or practice because of Jack. Come on Ben! Time your visits better or better yet leave France and get back to the movie set! This caused hard feelings that didn't need to be caused.

:mad:

[Phil C]

Today's team time trial should be a thriller. I have it recording and will watch it tonight.
This is an odd numbered year so the race goes clockwise around the Country (of France). In even numbered years it goes counter-clockwise. What is unusual this year is that it starts in the south of France (actually the first day was in Monaco) and goes westward and then around through the central part of the Country. It only goes to the northern part in the last stage when they ride to Paris. Usually the Tour starts in the northern part and then goes down to the southern part and then upward again to conclude in Paris.

[Phil C]

Stage 4 is underway. We won't know final results until they are all finished. It should be interesting. Remember it is the 5th place rider that determines the teams' time. That is why they stay close together.
There have been some crashes. They are riding on some slippery roads and spots. Unfortunately, we have already lost one man from the tour.

Riders please ride carefully.

[Phil C]

Today was an exciting stage and Astana won it as expected. This is the team Lance Armstrong is on.
Lance barely missed getting the yellow jersey today from Fabian Cancellara. The difference was in the hundreds of seconds.
We will see what happens when they reach the mountains. The next two stages should belong to the sprinters.

[BEAST]

If Armstong can remain close, when the mountains appear he may well run off and leave the other riders. I didnt expect him to be this close this early. In his previous wins, he didnt do his thing until the mountains, this is going to get intresting.




BEAST

[turbostud]

Originally posted by BEAST
If Armstong can remain close, when the mountains appear he may well run off and leave the other riders. I didnt expect him to be this close this early. In his previous wins, he didnt do his thing until the mountains, this is going to get intresting.
BEAST

He wont run off and leave the other riders. He's got Alberto Contador, who is young, eager, and difficult to contend with, even thought they are on the same team. If anyone can beat LA, it's Contador. This wont be easy for LA as it has in the past.

[PhiI C]

Originally posted by turbostud
He wont run off and leave the other riders. He's got Alberto Contador, who is young, eager, and difficult to contend with, even thought they are on the same team. If anyone can beat LA, it's Contador. This wont be easy for LA as it has in the past.

I agree. The mountains will decide it. We may get a indication on Friday how it is going to go. Of course they may both stay in the peloton that day and it may be conclusive.
Today's race should belong to the sprinters unless a breakaway works.

[pirate4state]

a message from Lance via Twitter:

"On our way to the start. Fairly long today and....probably...windy! None the less, I predict a full on field sprint. Thor H lived in Perpignan for a long time and wants it bad. Cav will b hard to beat tho."

:)

[Phil C]

Today the breakaways had their day as the stage was won by Thomas Voekler. The main contenders stayed in the peloton where it was safe and were satisfied to keep things the same. Voekler and others made their breakaway near the end and were able to hold the peloton off and get a win. Don't look for the sprinters to allow it to happen again tomorrow.

[pirate4state]

Here is what Lance had to say Phil:

"St5 done. Nervous, stressful, and windy. Someone it all basically came back together tho except for 2 in the front. Team was strong again."

"As for myself, I'm feeling pretty damn good. We'll have confirmation Friday tho. Oh yeah, antidoping control again 2day. Lost count of the #"

[Phil C]

July is Tour de France month. :)

[Phil C]

I watched the race last night as I recorded it in the morning. It was a better race than I thought. The breakaway worked which is rare but it barely worked. What happened is the original 6 breakaways worked well together with each other as they have to do then they fight it out the last few miles. Two of them make a break from the breakawy and they were able to hold on. But man that Peloton sure gained on them fast and had it organized it would have caught them. Even as it was if the race had been 100 m longer they would have caught all of them. They just barely missed catching the second one by less than a bicycle length. The peloton organized itself just too late. There was some friction between the sprint team as Mark Cavendish's team thinks some of the others should help out in the work at the front of the peloton but the others feel that since Mark is the fastest rider and has the best team they should do the work and by this friction they gave this race that should have been to the sprinters to the breakaways.
The thing is when you give a race to the breakaways you not only lose the sprint opportunity but you could miss a chance to win if Mark makes a mistake such as starting his sprint too early, or too late, etc. I don't look for the peloton to make that mistake today but we will see.

[Phil C]

Today's race is expected to go to the sprinters. There is about 35 miles left and there is a breakaway but they are only about a minute and a half ahead of the peloton. I don't think the peloton is going to make the mistake it made yesterday though. It should come down to a great sprint.

I forgot to mention that Thomas Voeckler who won the stage yesterday is from France and this is great for the French who host this event as they can celebrate having a stage winner.

[Phil C]

Stage 6 could have an amazing finish. There are 3 breakaway riders. Two are less than a minute from the peloton and one (David Millar) is 1min12sec ahead of it. There are about 8 miles to go. Millar may be able to hang on and get a win. I think the other two will be caught but Millar is doing great. The peloton better react or the sprinters are going to lose another chance and it is rare that it happens especially two stages in a row. Suspense and excitement indeed.

[Phil C]

It was an amazing finish. David Millar was caught by the peloton and it became a race of the strong men finishers. Basically there are two types of sprinters - those that are light and fast like Cavendish and then those that are heavier and stronger like Thor Hushovd that are heavy but very quick. Usually a sprint stage is fought by a combination of the two but this one ended in a fight between the strong men and it was exciting. Today Norway's Thor Hushovd (called The God of Thunder) won the stage followed by Oscar Freire and Juaquin Rojas.

There were no changes between the top contenders who were satisfied to remain in the peloton and play it safe.

[Phil C]

Todays' Stage (7) is the first mountain stage. Already there is a breakaway group about 11 minutes ahead of the peloton but none of them are real contenders. I think the main contenders today will be satisfied to just ride in the peloton and wait for late mountain stages in the tour to make their moves unless a contender makes a breakaway. We will see. The peloton may just let this breakaway go. The main thing is that we must hope there are no serious crashes and that the sprinters can finish it and not get dropped by finishing late in the race today.

[pirate4state]

"First mtn stage today. It's for real now. Long day (224 kms) and summit finish. Pedaling for keeps." - tweet from Lance

[crzyjournalist03]

Originally posted by pirate4state
"First mtn stage today. It's for real now. Long day (224 kms) and summit finish. Pedaling for keeps." - tweet from Lance


who's Lance? The gay guy from Backstreet Boys???

[pirate4state]

Originally posted by crzyjournalist03
who's Lance? The gay guy from Backstreet Boys???

Precisely!

[Phil C]

The peloton is now 8min40sec behind the escapees. I expect them to gain more time as the race goes on. One of the escapees is Rinaldo Nocentini who may get the yellow jersey if they can hold off the peloton. He is only 3min13sec behind the leader. He is not considered a contender but the risk is that if you let someone like that get a big lead on a stage that is may be hard to overcome him. I look for the peloton to make an effort to gain on them. I still expect that the main leaders today will be satisfied with the status quo even though Lance is about half a bicyle lenth from being able to wear yellow.

[Phil C]

The escapees are now only about 12 miles to the finish. Unfortunately the peloton has closed the gap to 7min40sec. I don't know if they will catch them but I expect the gap to close even though I don't know how much. On Stage 5 the peloton really made up time fast at the end and were only 7 sec behind the winning escapee. We will see what happens. But it appears like even though they may let the escapees win that the peloton does not want them to gain a big advantage in time because of the risk. Excitement indeed!

[Phil C]

The escapees are on the final accent. This is a brutal climb. They are now about 7 minutes ahead of the peloton. I expect the peloton to gain on them before it is over but I don't know how much. We will see.

[Phil C]

The peloton is now about 6 miles from the finish and 6 minutes behind the escapees. I think they will gain fast on them but I don't think they will overtake them. Lance may be wearing yellow today but we will have to see. More excitement than a pig calling contest!

[Phil C]

Cancellara has been dropped by the peloton. There will be a new overall leader today. It depends on how much they gain on the escapees. Go Peloton! (But be careful and avoid risks.)

[Phil C]

An exciting race with much excitement at the finish. The peloton didn't catch the escapees but did gain much time. Brice Felli won the stage and Rinaldo Nocentini finished ahead to take the yellow jersey just 6 seconds ahead of Alberto Contador with Lance Armstrong close behind by just 8 seconds. Also from the American sponsored Astana team American Levi Leipheimer is behind by only 39 seconds in 4th place and German Andres Kloden is in 6th place behind by only 54 seconds. There is still more mountains and much racing to be done so we will see what happens. Even though Nocentini is in first place he is not expected to be an overall tour contenders. This was one exciting race with more great things to come. Good stuff this!!

[Bulligator]

My wife talked to a friend who has a daughter in Barcelona right now taking classes. She was about a mile from the finish line yesterday and got to watch the race in the rain. Said they came by so fast she couldn't tell which one was Lance.

[Phil C]

Originally posted by Bulligator
My wife talked to a friend who has a daughter in Barcelona right now taking classes. She was about a mile from the finish line yesterday and got to watch the race in the rain. Said they came by so fast she couldn't tell which one was Lance.


I am sure it was a thrill though Bull to have got to watch them riding by. I can understand her not knowing who Lance was because that peloton was really moving fast at the last and almost caught all the escapees.

[Phil C]

Stage 8 is over and no changes as I expected. The contenders were satisfied to stay in the peloton. Luis Sanches won the stage. I really thing the critical stages will be 17 and 20 as far as the overall winner is concerned.

[Phil C]

Most of the tour race takes place in France of course but every year part of the race is spent in bordering countries. Sometimes they spend most of a day in night in them and sometimes it enters another country and leaves the same day. The countries that border France are Belguim, Luxemburgh, Germany, Switzerland, Italy, Monaco, Andorra and Spain. Even though Great Britain is separated from France by the English Channel there have been some stages there also. This year besides France other countries that the race passes through are Italy, Switzerland, Monaco, Spain and Andorre.

France is estimated to be about 51% Catholic as far as religious preferences are concerned and the main language of the country is French. French is considered one of the easiest languages to learn as is Spanish. There were times when it was considered the central language of the world but English has replaced it. One used to have to speak French to be considered cultural.
Edgar Rice Burrough's famous character Tarzan first leaned French when he was discovered in Africa by a French exployer who became his good friend and taught him French. He learned to speak many languages fluently which included English which along with German is considered one of the hardest languages to learn.

[Phil C]

An interesting note today is that Oscar Periero (who won the 2006 Tour De France by default involving a very controversial drug) case has abandoned the Tour because of fatigue.

[Phil C]

Another country that the Tour De France sometimes is in is The Netherlands even though it doesn't border France. This country is also called Holland. Dutch is spoken in this country.

[Phil C]

No surprises in today's stage. The peloton was satisfied to stay together and not have any changes in the top contenders. There was a group of escapees that attacked the peloton and finished five minutes ahead of them but they were not contenders. The winner of today's stage was Perrick Fedrigo of France so the French should be delighed today. Tomorrow is rest day and then Tuesday starts several days of flatlands and most of them will belong to the sprinters unless the escapees get away.

The overall champion will most likely be decided in the Alps.

[Phil C]

Tomorrow after a day of rest the tour continues with a flat stage. Tomorrow (July 14th) is Bastille Day in France which is a big holiday. The French love for a Frenchman to win this stage in the Tour de France so look out for great effort by the French riders.

[Phil C]

An interesting note is that France is 7 hours ahead of us in time. For example right now it is about 5 P.M. here but in France it is about midnight (12:A.M.) with a new day starting. That is why our live coverage starts in the morning but fortunately it is shown several times the rest of the day including prime time on Versus television channel.

As an example of how this works in our time the race shown live may conclude at about 10:30 A.M. but it is actually late in the afternoon in France at 5:30 P.M.

[Trashman]

Great reporting Phil, keep it coming. I don't have Versus and look forward to your post. Thanks:D

[Phil C]

Stage 10 (on Tuesday) will be a sprinters' race. I expect there to be some escapees but none of the main contenders will leave the peloton and they will be satisfied to keep it status quo. I do think the peloton will try to catch the escapees so the fast sprinters can go out for a win.

Lance has done a lot to create interest in this tour but he is thanked with harrassment. He has been tested much more than most contenders do on the whole tour and it isn't quite half way over. Even some of the French citizens are vocal against the obvious harrassment. And yes he has come clean in all tests again as usual.

[Phil C]

Stage 14 has already been going on for a while. There is about 70 miles left to go. As expected the main contenders are satisfied to stay with the peloton and keep the rankings status quo through this and probably the next three stages since they are basically flat and are sprinters's races unless the escapees get away. I think the French will attack and try to get a winner today since it is Bastille Day in France.
Right now there is a breakaway with 4 riders who have attacked the peloton. They are trying to work together but the peloton is only 90 seconds behind and I don't think this one will succeed.

An interesting note is that today there is no radio communication between the manager's cars and the riders and that will be the case on stage13. This was done with what they thought would spice the race but most commentators feel they have sacrified safety for spice. 14 of the teams signed petitions to include radios for these stages for safety reasons mainly. In a humorous note Phil Liggett said that is probably the only way the French can get more wins! Anyway the French authorities of the race exercised their power and ignored the petitions. They have the right to control their race of course but why risk safety?

[Phil C]

One of the safety concerns affected by lack of radios is when crashes occur. The riders coming behind the crash can be alerted to be careful about what is ahead. This is good for them and for those involved in the crash and decreases the risk for more pile ups. Also medical help and team cars can respond quicker when needed.

Back to the race. There is about 62 miles left and the peloton has slowed its' pace and the escapees are 2min25sec ahead of them. They are working together but I think they will be caught eventually. The French really want a stage winner today and if it wasn't for their safety issue lack of concern I would almost hope they would acheive it.

[BILLYFRED0000]

Phil you know that the french do not like Lance. They will do anything to throw mud on him.

[Phil C]

There is now about 30 miles to go and the peloton is about 1min38sec behind the escapees. I don't think they are going to get away today. The riders aren't interested in takeing risks or attaching probably in protest due to the radio ban. It has been a boring stage basically if you can believe that.

[Phil C]

The gap between the attackers and the peloton with just over 20 miles left is 90 seconds. Even though it has been more 90 seconds has basically been the gap between them most of the race. I think they will be caught and that it will be a day of the sprinters today. Look for Mark Cavendish to make a great effort to win.

Overall if you think today's race has been dull you may not want to watch stage 13 on Friday because again the ban on radios will be in effect. The tour leaders efforts to spice the race with this ban has not worked at all - in fact it has had the opposite effect.
Me - I will watch all the stages because I really enjoy watching the French countryside scenery and the historical buildings and history.

[Phil C]

As an aside note my wife and boys are not TDF fans and I have to go off in a side room and watch it there away from them. This happens every year in July when the TDF is on.

[Phil C]

About 16 miles left to go and the gap has now dropped to 55 seconds so I am sure that they are going to get caught. They have made a great effort but today the sprinters are determined to have their. I don't know if anyone can deny Mark Cavendish today but we will see. There are other good sprinters. What has been a dull day should be ending in a great exciting finish. Hang on to your hats!

[Phil C]

Man I love the Tour de France. This is in spite of its' faults. It helps me get through these last two months before the football season. I am so happy that we have this great entertainment in July aren't you?

[Phil C]

It is now down to about 6 miles. The escapees gap is now at 24 seconds. I don't think they will be able to hold off the peloton and the sprinters should have their day. In fact right now the teams with sprinters are at the front of the peloton setting the pace. The main contenders are satisfied to just ride it out in the peloton.

Man this is great stuff even on its' boring days. Thank goodness we have this to get through July and not have to suffer like other frustrated football fans that have to endure this time gap.

[Phil C]

It is over now and as expected the peloton caught the escapees but they made a great effort and weren't caught until the final mile. As expected the sprinters had their day and to no one's surprise Mark Cavendish won the stage while Thor Hushovd was second and Oscar Feire was third. There are no changes in the overall contenders as expected.

Tomorrow should be a better stage with the radios back.

[Phil C]

Stage 11 tomorrow will be another flat stage and I expect a repeat like today's stage. After tomorrow the Tour de France (TDF) will be past the half way mark for this year. Here are what the remaining stages will be like.

Stage 11 A flat stage. Sprinters should have their day but you never know about the breakaways.

Stage 12 A flat stage. Everything same as Stage 11.

Stage 13 will be a transition stage. There are some mountain climbs but they aren't brutal. I think they will stay close together but there may be some successful breakaways. If not the sprinters will have their day again.

Stage 14. Another flag stage. Same as Stage 11.

Stage 15. A mountain stage. I look for the overall leaders to keep it as status quo. After this stage we have the final rest day of the tour.

Stage 16. Mountain. This one is brutal and some of the contenders may make a move.

Stage 17 Mountain. Someone may make a break among the contenders. I don't look for a big break though because of what is going to happen in Stage 18 but many predict I am wrong.

Stage 18. This is fairly flag but it is an individual time trial. That is why I think unless someone major attacks everyone will save their energy for this one to do their best.

Stage 19 A flat stage. This is one I expect to the same as Stage 11.

Stage 20 Mountain. It is not brutal most of the way but it concludes with a very brutal climb that could decide the race. Look for everyone to really go out for this one.

Stage 21. Flat stage. By now the overall winner is decided and they ride to Paris together with the sprinters going for it at the end to get their last moment of glory.

[Phil C]

There is some changes in the top 7 with Bradley Wiggins dropping from 4th to 7th. The top 7 are with the time behind the leader shown:

1. Rinaldo Nicentini
2. Alberto Contador .06 sec
3. Lance Armstrong .08 sec
4. Andres Kloden 54 sec
5. Levi Leipheimer 54 sec
6. Tony Martin 1:00 min
7. Bradley Wiggins 1min1sec.

Team Astrana has places 3-5 which is amazing.

What happened today near the end of the race is the peloton split and Lance and Alberto and others were in the first group.

Others such as Bradley Wiggins lost 15 seconds today by not paying attention.

[Phil C]

Originally posted by Phil C
There is some changes in the top 7 with Bradley Wiggins dropping from 4th to 7th. The top 7 are with the time behind the leader shown:

1. Rinaldo Nicentini
2. Alberto Contador .06 sec
3. Lance Armstrong .08 sec
4. Andres Kloden 54 sec
5. Levi Leipheimer 54 sec
6. Tony Martin 1:00 min
7. Bradley Wiggins 1min1sec.

Team Astrana has places 3-5 which is amazing.

What happened today near the end of the race is the peloton split and Lance and Alberto and others were in the first group.

Others such as Bradley Wiggins lost 15 seconds today by not paying attention.

Stage 11 has started. Some big news is that in a reversal of time yesterday that Bradley Wiggins and Levi Leiphiemer have been given back the 15 seconds they lost yesterday.

The great British sprinter Mark Cavendish has been accused of using racist language against other sprinters but I don't know if that is true or not.

Today there are two escapees that are only 2min9sec ahead of the peloton. There is about 30 miles left and I think they will be caught and that it will be a sprinters' race again.

After this stage we are past the halfway mark of the Tour de France this year with 10 stages left.

[Phil C]

About 20 miles left. The peloton is only 1min25sec behing the escapees so they will no doubt be caught when it is ready. The main contenders are satisfied to be with the peloton and the result will probably be a sprinters' day. No surprises here. Let's hope there are no more major crashes.

[Phil C]

About 11 miles left. The escapees are only 33 seconds ahead so they will be caught. Get ready for an exciting finish with the sprinters. The main leaders will stay with the peloton and be satisfied with the status quo.

[Phil C]

The escapees are now caught and it is a sprinters race. They are withing 2 miles of the finish so it will be over soon.

There are 3 km to go. To convert km to miles multiply by them by 5/8. For examples if there are 16 km to go then you multiply 16 X 5/8 and you get 10 miles.

[Phil C]

Of the starting 180 riders in the race there are still 171 as we go past the half way mark and they are all in the peloton. Today race stage will be over soon. It should be a great sprint so hang on to your hats!

[Phil C]

It is over and all the riders are finished. As expected there are no changes between the main contenders. Also to no one's surprise Mark Cavendish won another stage followed by American Tyler Farrar and then Yauheni Hutarovich and Oscar Feire. Tyler has came close in several stages. He is a young rider and very fast and it is only a matter of time before he starts to win some stages when Mark makes a mistake. It may not be in this his first tour but the stage wins are coming because he is too fast and too talented a sprinter to not get some in the future and maybe even this year.

[Phil C]

Due to the confusing of the 15 min gap I will restage the current standings among the top ten contenders. Rinaldo Nocentini is in first place still and I will list the others behind him with the time gaps which are very close.

2. Alberto Contator 6"
3. Lance Armstrong 8"
4. Levi Leipheimer 29"
5. Bradley Wiggins 46"
6. Andreas Kloden 54"
7. Tony Martin 1'0"
8 Christian Van de Velde 1'24"
9. Andy Scheck 1'49"
10. Vincenzo Nibali 1'54"

The others are all over 2 minutes or more behind and even though they are not out of it I don't think they will be able to overcome the deficit to win the TDF but I could be wrong.

Lance's team Astana is in great shape overall. They take the total time of the top three riders to decide the overall team winner and this team has 4 of the top 6 places and 6 of the top 25 places.

[Phil C]

One of the greatest riders on the TDF was American Greg LaMond. He was a bicycle rising star in the 80s. Phil Liggett said that if circumstances had worked out he would probably have won six TDFs instead of just 3. In the mid 80s it was obvious he was going to be a future star of the TDF. He was hired by the French team in 1985 led by Bernard Hinault who had won 4 TDFs but wanted a fifth one. Greg says when he was hired that he was to help Bernard win the fifth stage with Greg being supported to win it in 1. However Great says it was understood if he had the opportunity to win he would be supported. In one stage he says he was lied to because he was with the leader who attacked Bernard. He asked where Bernard was and was told he was only 45 seconds behind and to wait for him. What they denied him was the chance to win the tour because in fact Bernard was 3 minutes behind and never caught up. Great was denied an opportunity to win which he very likely would have because he came in second behind Benard by 1min42sec.

The next year in 1986 Great assumed he was to be supported but was attacked in a stage by Bernard who got ahead of him by 5 minutes. In the mountains however Bernard cracked and Great regained the time and won the Tour. But he felt betrayed.

Bad luck in April of 1987 as Greg was wounded in a hunting accident and took two years to recover. These are two tours he would have had a chance to win. But still one never knows what circumstances or injuries would occurr but unfortunately we will never know.

After recovered enough he raced in 1989 and won the closest TDF ever as he beat a former winner, Frenchman Laurent Fignon by 8 seconds. The two battled it out in an exciting tour race and it was a shame for one of them to lose. It came down to the last stage as the ride into France was an individual time trial race which is unusual. Greg was 50 seconds behind starting the stage but everyone knew that he was much stronger than Laurent was but no one knew if he could overcome 50 seconds. 40 seconds yes but 50 was cutting it close. He rode magnificiently and Greg finished the race and then they had to wait to see if it was good enough as they waited for Laurent to come in. It was as he beat Laurent by 58 seconds and thus won the tour by 8 seconds. That is like winning a football game with a 45 yard field goal on the last play of the game trailing by 2 points. It was that close.

Greg's last TDF win was in 1990 as he was to retire a few years later. He was won of the few in that tour to not have a stage win but he raced enough to have the best time. TDF winners love to have at least one stage win. The record for number of stages won in a single year is 8 shared by 3 riders but it hasn't been duplicated in over 30 years. If someone ever wins 9 it will be a record. But if given a choice to have a record 9 stage wins or a yellow jersey without a stage win I can guarantee that almost 100% of the riders would choice the yellow jersey.

Of course if Greg had won 6 TDFs Lance would have broke it when he got 7.

[Phil C]

The four other closest races besides the Greg LeMond one are as follows:

2007 Alberto Contador holds off Cadel Evans by 23 seconds. Right behind them were Levi Leipheimer at 31 seconds. A very close race between the top three. Unfortunately the TDF banned Alberto and Levi from the 2008 Tour because some of the riders from their team were caught with drugs and even though the team reorganized with clean riders and a new coach they were still banned. It was unfair to them because they always tested clean. It hurt Levi more because of his age because 2008 was his best chance to ever win the TDF.

2006 Oscar Pereiro beat Andreas Kloden by 32 seconds. The actual winner was Floyd Landis who beat Oscar by 57 seconds but he was disqualifed because of a controversial drug test.

1968 Jan Janssen beat Herman Van Springel by 38 seconds after 23 stages and about 3900 miles and 134 hours of racing.

1987 Stephen Roche of Ireland beats Pedro Delgado by 40seconds. On the traditional last day when the riders ride to France and stay together Pedro couldn't resist and started to make an attack. He was chased down by the peloton and brought back with the others. He aplogized for losing his head temporary. He was rewarded for this repentent attitude the next year in 1988 as he won the TDF.

[Phil C]

Lance Armstrong has already made his place in TDF history. It will be very hard for one rider to catch up with his 7 wins and even more harder to win 7 in a row. If Lance wins this one he will have won 8 in a row which would be a new record.

Also the oldest winner of the TDF was 36. Lance is 37 so this would add to another record for him.

[Phil C]

Stage 12 today was a flat stage but this was a day for the breakaways as Nicki Sorenson won followed by Laurent Leferre and Franco Pellzotti. The overall contenders were satisfied with the status quo. Lance Armstrong had a flat tire early in the race but it was changed quickly and two teammates helped him get back to the peloton. Unfortunately Lance's teammate Levi Leipheimer who was no. 4 in the tour crashed near the end of the race. Since it was within the last 3 kms he will be given the same time as the rest of the peloton but let's hope he isn't seriously hurt and can't continue the tour. It would be a shame if he can't.

Today there were 170 riders starting so we have lost ten. One abandoned the tour, two didn't finish a stage in time to keep going and seven were injured with broken bones. Unfortunately about 40 riders are lost in the tour over the three weeks period.

[Phil C]

A recent study found that the French are the worst tourists. Can you believe that?

:eek: :(

[GreenMachine]

I was wondering, since I didn't see the race, was Contador one of the Astana teamates that helped Lance get back to the peleton?

[Phil C]

Originally posted by GreenMachine
I was wondering, since I didn't see the race, was Contador one of the Astana teamates that helped Lance get back to the peleton?

I'm sure he was. :)

[BEAST]

Is it just me or do any of you get the sense that Lance is in control? It seems to me that he is just waiting for the right time. At first I didnt think he would win this time but now I think he will.




BEAST

[crzyjournalist03]

Originally posted by BEAST
Is it just me or do any of you get the sense that Lance is in control? It seems to me that he is just waiting for the right time. At first I didnt think he would win this time but now I think he will.




BEAST

why hasn't he run to the front once then? I mean, 8 seconds is nothing to make up if you get in front and get a small lead...you'd think he'd like to be wearing the yellow jersey like he did for most of the previous years that he won.

[Phil C]

Originally posted by BEAST
Is it just me or do any of you get the sense that Lance is in control? It seems to me that he is just waiting for the right time. At first I didnt think he would win this time but now I think he will.




BEAST


I agree. I didn't know for sure what role but as time goes on he is looking like the Lance of old. We will see. I am sure he will make a break probably by stage 17 but it may be tomorrow if he sees an opportunity which he is good at anticipating.

Tomorrow will be a mountain stage but I think that the main contenders will stay together in the peloton unless a contender makes a break. I think they will let the breakaways go if they are not main contenders. This is going to start to get interesting. After tomorrow's stage we will be approaching the 2/3 mark of the tour.

[turbostud]

Alberto Contador is going to tough for LA to beat. He is 26 and is a very strong climber in the mountains. He's also on LA's team. If anyone can beat LA it will be AC.

[turbostud]

Originally posted by crzyjournalist03
why hasn't he run to the front once then? I mean, 8 seconds is nothing to make up if you get in front and get a small lead...you'd think he'd like to be wearing the yellow jersey like he did for most of the previous years that he won.

He is avoiding taking the yellow to soon. If he takes the yellow jersey then the team has to defend it. Defending it is tiresome and wears the team out. By waiting, even though he and AC are only 6 and 8 seconds down, they dont have the pressure of defending. If they have the yellow jersey they are expected to lead the peloton and be in front, and control the race. It wears the team down.

[slingshot]

Don't forget while the guy in the Yellow jersey is doing interviews and podium stuff the other guys are resting and getting massages. That extra hour or so is huge... smart strategy for LA and AC to be right there but not in the Yellow.

[Phil C]

Right you are turbo the yellow jersey adds extra pressure to defend it. The past several winners have waited till the last stages to get it in order to decrease the pressure.
Back luck for Lance's team Astana in the injury of Levi Leipheimer who has had to withdraw from the Tour. He was in 4th place and a contender even though he probably would have wound up being a support. Let's hope that team doesn't have more such bad luck because this is going to encourage other teams even though I think they are still the strongest but one more injury will change things.

Today is a mountain stages and with about 47 miles left the peloton is behind a group of escapess by about 5min 48 seconds. The main one in the group is Sylvian Chanell who although is not considered a contender is about 12 minutes behind the yellow jersey. My guess is that the peloton will just be watching it and start to draw respond if they get 10 minutes ahead. The contenders today seem to be satisfied to stay together. Look for them to make their moves on Stage 15, 17 and 20 (if it is still very close).

You hate to see crashes and injuries but unfortunately it happens. It is too bad it happened to Levi this year because even though he wasn't a favorite this was probably his last chance to win the Tour even though I expect him to be a supporting rider for a few more years. At the start of today's race there were 164 riders so we have lost 16 of them. :(

[Phil C]

There is about 17 miles left and the main contenders are in the peloton. It is raining so I think that they will be content to stay there and ride this one out but I think that was the case even before the rain. There is one escapee about 7min9sec ahead of the peloton but he isn't a contender so I think they will let him go. There is one climb left and then a downhill splint to the end. This should be an escapee's day.

[Phil C]

About ten miles to the finish for the leader Heinrich Haussler who is 3min30sec ahead of second place Amets Txurruta. The peloton is 6min27sec behind the leader. With the weather conditions added I still feel they are satisfied to let them go especially since Haussler is in 105th place and over 55 minutes behind the overall leader.

We will have a good indication if Haussler can win this stage when he reaches the 5 mile mark. Even though he is not a serious contender for the GC I know he would love to win a stage.

[Phil C]

Haussler still has about a 4min22sec lead over second palce rider Amets. He has about 2 1/2 miles left so I am sure he is going to easlily hold him off. The peloton is 6min20sec behind but they certainly don't care and will be satisfied to finish together and get in out of this rain. This race has happened as I expected even though I wasn't sure would win the breakaway.

An interesting note is that the young Texan with the Horns that supports Lance at the Tour was seen today.

[Phil C]

As expected from the last post Heinnich Haussler has won the stage folowed by Amets Txurruka, Brice Feilli and Sylvian Chavenel. None are contenders. The main contenders stayed in the peloton and finished just over 6 min behind. I will post then new top ten standings later since Levi has had to withdraw and there will be some changes.

This was great for Haussler. For many riders such as himself who mainly ride as a support rider there are not many opportunities for individual glory and the change to win a stage may not happen but once in a lifetime so it is important to take advantage and go for it when you can. Well done Haussler.

[Phil C]

The top ten are shown below with 2 - 10 showing how far they are behind the leader.

1. Rinaldo Nocentini
2. Alberto Contador 6sec
3. Lance Armstrong 8sec
4. Bradley Wiggins 45sec
5 Andreas Kloden 54sec
6. Tony Martin 1min
7. Christian Vande Velde 1min24sec
8. Andy Schleck 1min49sec
9. Vicenzo Nibali 1min54sec
10. Luis-Leon Sanches 2min16sec

Lance's team is still doing great because they still have 3 in the top 5 and remember they go by overall team time of the top 3 riders.

[Phil C]

Tomorrow is a flat stage but I look for the breakaways to try hard again and they have a 50-50 chance of success as the sprinters now probably mainly want to conserve energy and survive the mountains and get a last chance at glory on the road to Paris. I think the main contenders will want to stay in the peloton and keep the status quo.
Now Sunday is a mild mountain stage and I also think it may be for a day for breakaways as long as contenders are not involved. I think even that day the overall contenders will be satisfied to remain in the peloton. That is because Monday is rest day and then some mountain rides. Then on Tuesday look out! That will be the start of the final six stages and look for the real fight to start. It should be exciting to watch!

[Phil C]

Bernald Hinault who won 5 stages says that Alberto Contador will win the Tour over Lance Armstrong. We have to remember though that he is a Frenchman and was involved with the dishonesty with Greg Lamond in a couple of races in the 80s. Let's hope it is wiseful thinking rather than divine insight.

[Phil C]

Today's stage 14 is a flat stage and I have said the main contenders are in the peloton. However there is an group of riders that are 6min23sec ahead of the peloton. They might hold them off as there are about 15 miles to go. They are not considered serious contenders but included in them is American George Hincapie who might get to wear the yellow jersey for a while if they can stay far enough ahead of the peloton. I hope he can hold them off but unfortunately I think the peloton will gain a lot of time on them even if they don't catch them. We will see.

[Phil C]

This turned out to be a thrilling race. It was won by Serguei Ivanov followed by Nicolas Roche and Hayden Roulston. So it was a day for the escapees. American George Hincapie made a great effort and got to second place overall and missed wearing the yellow jersey by 5 seconds. So Rinaldo Nocentini wears yellow another day. After Hincapie there follows by one second behind him Alberto Contador who is still 6 seconds behind the leader and Lance Armstrong who is still 8 seconds behind the leader.

[Phil C]

Tomorrow's stage (Sunday) they go into the Alps mountains and the overall winner will be decided in these stages. The race ends a week from tomorrow.
There are two things that can happen tomorrow between the main contenders. One is that they will be satisfied to remain in the peloton unless a contender breaks away. I think that is what will happen. Remember Monday is a rest day and I think they will take it easy and then really fight it out beginning on Tuesday. No matter who wins this has been a fantastic tour and Lance has created much additional interest in it. Hincappie might make a break tomorrow at the end to try to get the 5 second deficit to wear the yellow jersey and most of the contenders will probably allow him to do so since he is not considered a real contender overall but rather a support rider.
On the other hand one of the contenders may attack and try to take the lead tomorrow and take advantage of the rest day to recover but I don't think so. I think they want to take it easy tomorrow and rest Monday and really be ready for the battle starting on Tuesday. Exciting times indeed! Vive Le Tour!

[Phil C]

Bad news in a way for Lance's fans as Alberto Contador rode a great race and won the stage and is now in first place 1min37sec ahead of Lance followed by Bradley Wiggins at 1min46sec and Andreas Klodon at 2min17sec. Alberto is the young one and unless Lance makes a move in the next two stages he should be the winner. Their team is in great shape to win first place. Tomorrow will be a rest day and hopefully Lance will make his move to get first place after that. We have to remember though that youth is on Alberto's side. If he doesn't the suspense in the TDF is over.

[TexasHSFB]

dang.:(

[Phil C]

Originally posted by TexasHSFB
dang.:(

I know Lance fans who include myself are disappointed and I will print more words of encouragement for you tomorrow but don't give up on the Tour. There is still a few days left on the Alps and some excitement and great scenery. Tomorrow (Monday) is rest day and then the race begins again.
Be encouraged my friends!

[Trashman]

Hey Phil, do you think Lance is going to rope-a-dope Contador?:D

[Phil C]

Originally posted by Trashman
Hey Phil, do you think Lance is going to rope-a-dope Contador?:D

:D

[Phil C]

For all of us Lance fans don't be discouraged. He is having a fantastic race. Remember he is almost 38 years old and has been out of racing for several years. He is still one of the best riders but the legs don't have the big acceleration that they had a few years ago. I think he is planning to race again next year. It is obvious now that he will be in a supporting role which I am sure he is going to be very good at. Also this is a great new beginning career for him.
Lance is the greatest but Alberto is the latest.
I think this was actually planned all along that Lance would support Alberto to win the yellow jersey and the team get the overall title. Lance coming back has been good for the Tour and the sport.

Go Lance Go! Go Alberto Go! Go Team Astana Go!

[Phil C]

Stage 16 is another mountain stage with two brutal climbs. I think the contenders will attack on the last climb and try to hold their leads in the descent. Right now the peloton is about 5 minutes behind some escapees - none of who are major contenders. Look for a great race today. Astana including Lance are working to protect Alberto today. They are a united team again and I think they were before but everything I think involving controversy was planned to catch the rest off guard. Will it work out for them? We will see.

[Phil C]

The are some riders including Mark Cavendish who are about 7 min behind the peloton. Hopefully they can stay close together and work to keep any of them from being eliminated due to time.

The peloton is now 4min13sec behind the escapees. I think they will be caught because they are soon going to start the final ascent and some need to make their moves as opportunity will start to get lesser as the stages go on. Look for the fireworks to start soon.

[Phil C]

About ten miles to go and they are on the descent. The peloton is 1min20sec behind the escapees but they may hold on to win the stage. It looks like the main contenders are going to finish close together which will suit Alberto and Team Astana just fine. We will see.

[Phil C]

Now there are several groups ahead of the peloton with about 5 miles left. Look out for some changes today as some things will become clearer. Most of the main contenders are ahead of the peloton.

[Phil C]

Mikel Astarlosa rides ahead of the escapees and wins the stage. He is followed by Sandy Casar, Pierrick Fedrigo and Nicolas Rochne. None of them are serious contenders. The Chase group that has most of the contenders finished 59 seconds behind. The peloton followed and some of the contenders that stayed there will lose time. I will post more results later.

[Phil C]

Lance stayed with the contenders and is still in second place. Remarkable. He mainly supported Alberto and is still keeping up with the young ones despite being almost 38. Truly a remarkable athlete. There were no changes in the top 5 and Team Astana is still in great shape. The biggest contender that lost probably all chances of a win this year is Cadel Evens who is over 7 minutes behind.

There are no only 5 stages left and only 2 are mountain stages so if anyone expects to beat Alberto they better move. Stage 17 tomorrow is a mountain stage with several clims. Then Stage 18 is a 25 mile individual time trail follow by a flag stage 19 which will probably be won by the breakaway rather than the splinters. Stage 20 is brutal with a very final brutal climb up Mont Ventoux. After that the overall champion is known and then on Stage 21 on Sunday the riders ride into Paris together with the remaining sprinters fighting it out for a stage win the last 1000 yards or so.

What I think is going to happen is that Lance will keep supporting Alberto in his quest for victory but if given the opportunity I think Alberto will help Lance win the final stage on 20 since Lance has never won the stage to Mont Ventoux and would really like to have that stage win. I believe Alberto will try to help him get it if it is possible.

[Phil C]

Lots of exciting news to report but first let's concentrate on today's stage 17. This is the next to last of the mountain stages but it is brutal with several hard climbs. The peloton is now about 35 miles from the finish but it will be brutal. So far the main contenders are together but I look for attacks to happen soon. There are already escapees but none of them are considered contenders and they are only about 3 minutes ahead of the peloton. There is on chase group just seconds behind Thor Hushovd of all people. Thor is mainly a sprinter but he is trying to get sprint points on this route to win the green jersey. I think he will do it. He will be caught eventually but probably not until he gets the points he wants.

Get ready for a great ending. Some need to make a move today if they want to defeat Contador. In my opinion they won't succeed.

[DDBooger]

Originally posted by Phil C
Lots of exciting news to report but first let's concentrate on today's stage 17. This is the next to last of the mountain stages but it is brutal with several hard climbs. The peloton is now about 35 miles from the finish but it will be brutal. So far the main contenders are together but I look for attacks to happen soon. There are already escapees but none of them are considered contenders and they are only about 3 minutes ahead of the peloton. There is on chase group just seconds behind Thor Hushovd of all people. Thor is mainly a sprinter but he is trying to get sprint points on this route to win the green jersey. I think he will do it. He will be caught eventually but probably not until he gets the points he wants.

Get ready for a great ending. Some need to make a move today if they want to defeat Contador. In my opinion they won't succeed. Thor is a cool name

[Phil C]

Originally posted by DDBooger
Thor is a cool name

He is from Norway and when they show him they call him the God of Thunder on the tour and they have thunder in the background when he is shown.

The race is about 17 miles left but there is still one more climb to make. Andy and Frank Schleck along with Lance's teammates Alberto Contador and Andreas Kloden are 1min07sec ahead of Lance and Bradley Wiggens who is in the top five. I think Lance is watching Bradley to be sure he doesn't attack and get the lead from Contador. He is being a great teammate. I look for this chase group to try to catch up with the other group however. We will see.

[Phil C]

There is just under 10 miles to go. The Schleck Brothers have made their move and they with Alberto Contador and are ahead of Andreas Kloden who is 1min02sec behind. Lance is with Wiggins and they are 2min28seconds behind.

If Contator doesn't get help he will deserve this tour because he is riding alone against 2 other contenders who are helping each other.

Come on Alberto! Hang in there!
Go Kloden! Catch up! Go Lance!

[Phil C]

Less than five miles to the finish! This is going to be great! Alberto is hanging in there with the Schleck brothers! Go Alberto!

Lance is 27 sec behind Kloden and is gaining. Kloden is 1min49sec behind the leaders. Come on Lance and Kloden! Get together and close the gap!

[Phil C]

It was said that this was going to be a critical stage and could determine the winner! Right now it looks like it may be true as the Schleck brothers are trying! Come on Alberto! Come on Astana!

[Phil C]

One Km to go! Alberto is hanging in there with the Schleck brothers and they will fight it out for the stage win. Andy Schleck will take over second place in the TDF. Lance and Andreas are 2min12sec behind. They won't win it of course but let's hope they can close the gap because seconds could count as far as the team standings go.

[Phil C]

It is over and Frank Schleck wins the stage followed by Alberto Contador and Andy Schleck and all have the same time. Great ride by Alberto to hang in there and keep the yellow jersey. Bibel Vincensco got 4th and Lance Armstrong fifth both finishing 2min18sec behind and Andreas Kloden finished 2min27sec behind followed by Bradley Wiggins at 3min07behind.

Hopefully the sprinters will survive. More information later.

Lance will no doubt now for sure take his place as a supporter of Alberto and indeed he has done and will do a good job for sure in that capacity. Alberto has definitely earned the role of team leader of his team and was magnificient today against tough odds but has hanged in there.

[waterboy]

It looks like no Tour de France win for Lance this time around.:(

[crzyjournalist03]

Originally posted by waterboy
It looks like no Tour de France win for Lance this time around.:(

And hence I just lost any interest that I had it the event...

[Phil C]

Let's not let anything defer us from enjoying this great event. It is still a great comeback and Lance is still one of the best. Older age may have caught up with him to a certain extent but he still is a great rider and having success in the tour. He will be back next year too which is exciting and more on that later.

Today's staga was an individual time trial of 25 miles and these are not as interesting to me because you don't get to see much scenery and it is over the same area over and over. Alberto Contador showed he is the best this year as he won the event.
There are three more stages but unless something unexpected happens such as a bad crash or something else happens the winners are probably determined.

The yellow jersey. Alberto Contador has all but cinched it with a 4'11" lead over second place Andy Schleck. Lance Armstrong in third place at 5'25" but is still stricking distance of second place. Bradley Wiggins is right behind him at 5'25" but Lance and Andy are probably better in the mountains. In fifth place is Andreas Kloden at 5'38sec.
Last year's winner Carlos Sastre is much behind at 15'38" which shows that a year can change things. Cadel Evans who has been close in the past is also having a bad year and is 38'20" behind.

The green jersey. Thor Hushovd should hold off Mark Cavendish as he is ahead 230 to 200. Cavendish was panalized for crowding Thor a few days ago and it was suggested that this was what gave Thor the Green Jersey but after that ride yesterday if he wins it he will deserve it. The penalty shouldn't have been given in my opinion and most observers agree with me.

The mountain jersey will go to Frank Pellizotti who has 196 points to Egui Martinez who has 118.

The white jersey will go to Andy Schleck but Vincenzo Nibali is 3'04" but I think Andy will be too strong for him to catch up.

The team title. Astana is still 16'14" ahead of their nearest competitor and as long as Alberto, Lance and Kloden hold on they should win it.

Tomorrow's race is flat and the contenders will be satisfied to ride in it and let the sprinters or breakaways fight it out. It is expected that the breakaways will have their day and unless a contender gets in one the peloton will let them go.

Saturday will be a mountain stage which ends in a very brutal time. The fight will be for second and third place and look for Contador to try to help Lance and Kloden come up and try to help Lance get a stage win here. At least I hope so.

Sunday is the traditional ride to Paris with the main winners decided. There will be a sprint at the end to let the sprinters have one last shot at glory for a stage win.

[Phil C]

I like the Tour de France.

[LHexPlayer]

Originally posted by Phil C
I like the Tour de France.

I do too. I also appreciate all your updates and opinions.

[Trashman]

Double Ditto!

[Phil C]

Stage 19 today is going as expected. Basically the contenders are for second place because Alberto has a good lead on the rest. There are about 32 miles left and the peloton is about 1min23sec behind five escapees. The five escapees are not contenders so they may let them go. The thing is there is a final climb and even though it is not brutal it is probably enough that it will be a day for the escapees. I am sure the contenders will be satisfied to stay in the peloton and save their energy for the final mountain stage tomorrow.

[Phil C]

Man Lance has done great things for the TDF this year. By riding the tv ratings have been up not just in the USA but World Wide and they say that the crowds who are usually large anyway are actually larger now. Most of the French citizens and the President of France are greatful for what he has done for the Tour and have actually cheered for him. It seems like the French medial doesn't like him except for a few and one of them actually thanked Lance for coming back. Also the TDF officials are being somewhat hateful in subjecting him to much much more than his share of doping tests which still come out negative.
The things to remember is that he is riding this Tour and not getting paid unlike the other riders. The appreciation he gets are just something that he is owed.

[Phil C]

Looks like I was wrong about the escapees. There is about 23 miles left and they are only 14 seconds behind them. Still the climb is about to be reached so I look for another attack on the peloton by non contenders to try to get ahead and get a stage win. We will see.

[Phil C]

There is about 18 miles left. They are starting the climb. I look for some more to try to escape but right now everyone is in the peloton. There are some delayed riders just behind the peloton.

A delayed rider is one that is left behind by the peloton. Many of them are able to catch up though but some are not.

[Phil C]

An exciting sprint finish indeed. The escapees missed their chance today and were all caught up. The winner was Mark Cavendish followed by Thor. Thor holds on to the green jersey and it is probably going to be his if nothing unexpected happens. The peloton was slightly split at the end and Lance was in the first group and gained 4 seconds on the Schleck Brothers and Wiggins which could turn out to be very important. Alberto stayed behind too which is good strategy because now he must protect the yellow jersey.

[Phil C]

Be sure to get up early tomorrow (Saturday) for stage 20. It will be shown live on Versus. This is not one to miss. It is the final stage before the ride into Paris but it will be brutal. It is 104 miles long and there are several climbs but the last one is about 13 miles long and very brutal. It is the climb up Mount Ventoux and it is very high. The air is very thin and it is tough. Personally this is one that I could do without because of the danger to the riders but that is the way it goes. Some sprinters could be eliminated on it which is a shame for that to happen just before the ride into Paris.

Right now Alberto Contador is in first and will no doubt play it safe to protect the yellow jersey. However the fight is for second and mainly third place. Albert Schleck is in second 4'11" behind. He is 70 sec ahead of Lance who i s 15 sec ahead of Bradley Wiggins who is 2 seconds ahead of Andreas Kloden and Frank Schlect is 21 sec behind Frank Schleck. Wiggins is not expected to be as big a factor in this stage but he has surprised people so far and climbed well. The main threat is the Schlect brothers and Andy will either work to try to attack Alberto for the yellow jersey or fight to help his brother get third place. Either way there should be some attacks.

Don't miss this one! Excitement indeed!

[turbostud]

Right you are Phil!!! Mont Ventoux is the most difficult stage in the TdF. Mont Ventoux has become legendary as the scene of one of the most gruelling climbs in the Tour de France. The race has ascended the mountain thirteen times since 1951 and its fame as a scene of great Tour dramas has made it a magnet for cyclists around the world. The mountain achieved worldwide notoriety when it claimed the life of the great English cyclist Tom Simpson, who died there on July 13th 1967 from a combination of amphetamines, alchohol and heat exhaustion. He began to wildly weave across the road before he fell down. He was delirious, then in those imortal words, asked spectators to "put me back on my bike!". He then rode to within a half mile of the summit before collapsing dead, still clipped into his pedals. Amphetamines were found in his jersey and bloodstream. There is a memorial to Simpson near the summit which has become a shrine to fans of cycling, who often leave small tokens of remembrance there. In 1970 Eddy Merckx rode himself to the brink of collapse while winning the stage. He received oxygen, recovered, and won the Tour de France.
"Nineteen hundred meters up there, is completely different from 1,900 metres any place else. There's no air, there's no oxygen. There's no vegetation, there's no life, Just Rocks. Any other climb there's vegetation, grass and trees. Not there on the Ventoux. It's more like the moon than a mountain."
Lance Armstrong

[turbostud]

http://www.montventouxwebcam.com/images/webcam.jpg

http://www.montventouxwebcam.com/images/bedoinroute.jpg

[Txbroadcaster]

Originally posted by turbostud
Right you are Phil!!! Mont Ventoux is the most difficult stage in the TdF. Mont Ventoux has become legendary as the scene of one of the most gruelling climbs in the Tour de France. The race has ascended the mountain thirteen times since 1951 and its fame as a scene of great Tour dramas has made it a magnet for cyclists around the world. The mountain achieved worldwide notoriety when it claimed the life of the great English cyclist Tom Simpson, who died there on July 13th 1967 from a combination of amphetamines, alchohol and heat exhaustion. He began to wildly weave across the road before he fell down. He was delirious, then in those imortal words, asked spectators to "put me back on my bike!". He then rode to within a half mile of the summit before collapsing dead, still clipped into his pedals. Amphetamines were found in his jersey and bloodstream. There is a memorial to Simpson near the summit which has become a shrine to fans of cycling, who often leave small tokens of remembrance there. In 1970 Eddy Merckx rode himself to the brink of collapse while winning the stage. He received oxygen, recovered, and won the Tour de France.
"Nineteen hundred meters up there, is completely different from 1,900 metres any place else. There's no air, there's no oxygen. There's no vegetation, there's no life, Just Rocks. Any other climb there's vegetation, grass and trees. Not there on the Ventoux. It's more like the moon than a mountain."
Lance Armstrong


hate to isagree with one thing Simpson did not say the famous line, he said

Simpson's last words, as remembered by the team mechanic, Harry Hall (d. 2007), and by Alec Taylor (d. 1997), were "Go on, go on!"[8] The words "Put me back on my bike!" were invented by Sid Saltmarsh, covering the event for The Sun and Cycling, who was not there at the time and in a reception blackspot for live accounts on Radio Tour.

[turbostud]

Originally posted by Txbroadcaster
hate to isagree with one thing Simpson did not say the famous line, he said

Simpson's last words, as remembered by the team mechanic, Harry Hall (d. 2007), and by Alec Taylor (d. 1997), were "Go on, go on!"[8] The words "Put me back on my bike!" were invented by Sid Saltmarsh, covering the event for The Sun and Cycling, who was not there at the time and in a reception blackspot for live accounts on Radio Tour.

Yea that seems to be the case.
Tom Simpson's last meters (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YtAyGvZqiwk)

[Phil C]

Stage 20 is almost over with less than 1 mile left. It has been brutal. The leaders are basically together. It looks like Lance is going to hold on to third place. He has held his own this year. Well done Lance.

For those that missed it the Versus Channel will replay it in prime time tonight from 7 to 10 P.M. Be sure to catch at least the last hour. It has been brutal but dandy.

[turbostud]

Originally posted by Phil C
Stage 20 is almost over with less than 1 mile left. It has been brutal. The leaders are basically together. It looks like Lance is going to hold on to third place. He has held his own this year. Well done Lance.

For those that missed it the Versus Channel will replay it in prime time tonight from 7 to 10 P.M. Be sure to catch at least the last hour. It has been brutal but dandy.

On top of climbing a mountain, they had 60 knot winds reported before the stage. I think they died down a little bit but still a brutal day on Ventoux.

[Phil C]

A great finish indeed. The results today were Juan Manual Guarate in first followed by Tony Martin and then Alberto Contador and Lance Armstrong in fourth. The race to Paris tomorrow is merely a formality on the whole as the riders ride together to Paris leaving the sprinters for one last shot at glory. Alberto Contador wins the yellow jersey followed by Andy Schleck and then Lance Armstrong. Excellent job today by Armstrong as he knew the Schlecks would attack trying to get Frank Schleck into third but Lance kept with Frank everytime and Alberto this time played the good teammate and helped Lance keep pace with it and keep third place on that last climb. It was great seeing them work together on that last brutal climb

The mountain jersey will be won by Franco Pellizotti.

The young jersey will be won by Andy Schleck.

The green jersey will most likely be won by Thor Hushovd but Mark Cavendish still has a slim shot at it. Probably Mark will win the stage but if Thor stays close enough behind him as he has done so far then it will be Thor's.

A great Tour de France. If you missed it be sure to watch the last hour on Versus tonight from 9 to 10 P.M.

[turbostud]

Here are some great pics of the stage to Mont Ventoux.

http://i29.tinypic.com/33as41c.jpg

[turbostud]

http://i30.tinypic.com/2wqtklg.jpg

[turbostud]

The Tom Simpson Memorial.

http://cdn.media.cyclingnews.com/2009/07/22/2/pic37001325_600.jpg

[turbostud]

http://cdn.media.cyclingnews.com//2009/07/25/2/bettiniphoto_0041857_1_full_600.jpg

[turbostud]

Alberto Contador with Lance Armstong following.

http://cdn.media.cyclingnews.com//2009/07/25/2/bettiniphoto_0041871_1_full_600.jpg

[Phil C]

Great pictures turbo! Thanks for sharing. The reason there are no trees around is because many years before the Tour de France they didn't know about conservation and all the trees around there were cut down to build ships. Now no trees will grow there because it is too cold in the winter.
Also the crosswinds on this route hender the riders but this year there were so many people that they helped protect the riders from the wind. Good job to the spectators.

Today is the final stage and so for they are going as expected. There are 156 riders left and if they all survive as I expect this will be a record for survivors as usually it is in the lower to mid 140s that are left. Everyone is riding together as a group and it should be decided by the sprinters at the end.

The only suspense will be if Mark Cavendish can take the green jersey from Thor. He has a chance by mathematics but it is still very slim.

They have about 50 miles to the finish.

[Phil C]

The 2009 TDF ended today. There were no changes and the expected winners won. Mark Cavendish won the final sprint as expected. Thor came in about 6th place but he had a good lead and didn't push it and had the points needed for the green jersey.

It has been an exciting entertaining tour this year.

Next year should be much more exciting believe it or not. Lance will have a new team sponsored by Radio Shack and others and will have his manager from Astana going with him and he will try one more time to get a victory. The riders he get will be there to support him. Astana's team will be most likely be changed as the former leader Alexander Vinokourov will return and be the leader. It is expected that Alberto Contador will be on a Spanish team next year. It should be a wide open race. Of course the Schlect borthers will be tough expecially Andy and Alberto is the best but he will no doubt be on a weakened team. Lance will have a great team no doubt with great financial backing and get the riders he needs to support him. He is expected to have his manager Johan Bruyneel join him and he is the best in the business. On top of that Lance will have a year to work and should be in better form next year although he will also be older. Still if he doesn't have an injury like he did this year with the broken collarbone that interupted his training he will no doubt be in better shape and hopefully make a go.

There will be much speculation on his team next year but we will see who joins his team. I will update as I get more information. We seem to have got through the year without any major drug scandales and hopefully will continue this next year.

The Tour is over but I am really looking forward to next year because of recent events like Lance's return and future team. 2010 is going to be great.

The 2009 TDF is over however. It has helped us get through July and now we are just around the corner from the football season which should be another good one. Volleyball is coming too.
Thank you TDF for getting us through another July and we look forward to the next one coming.

Vive Le Tour!

[slingshot]

Well done Phil! Great coverage!