LeTour to Date:

Mott the Hoople

Mott the Hoople

Sweet Jane
The first week of LeTour is boring from a spectator standpoint. Oh granted the first weeks flats stages sprint finishes are pretty thrilling but that's like 30 seconds of a 5 hour bike ride. So now they're in the mountains and this is where the race for general classification begins.

Frome & Sky looked unbeatable yesterday.

Today he and his team looked beatable. Frome stayed with the leaders today but his team mates were pack fodder. Contador could be ready to pounce. Will Contador or Valverde attack in the time trial or the alps? This looks like it may be the most interesting Tour in quite a while.
 
Mott the Hoople said:
The first week of LeTour is boring from a spectator standpoint. Oh granted the first weeks flats stages sprint finishes are pretty thrilling but that's like 30 seconds of a 5 hour bike ride. So now they're in the mountains and this is where the race for general classification begins.

Frome & Sky looked unbeatable yesterday.

Today he and his team looked beatable. Frome stayed with the leaders today but his team mates were pack fodder. Contador could be ready to pounce. Will Contador or Valverde attack in the time trial or the alps? This looks like it may be the most interesting Tour in quite a while.
Click to expand...

Mmm...looks like Contadors is clearly missing his 'special' meat.

I'd be surprised if Froome doesn't put more time into his rivals in the time trial, then it's just a question of what happens in the Alps. Even if Froome has one bad day he should still have enough to maintain some sort of lead as he's clearly the strongest rider in the Tour.

I do not normally wish anyone ill will but, in this 100th year of the Tour, i hope the cheating drug cheats Contadors and Valverdes stay as far away from the podium as possible. And fall off their bikes. Into a ditch full of French shit (the acknowledged market leader in malodorous evacuations).
 
charver said:
Mmm...looks like Contadors is clearly missing his 'special' meat.

I'd be surprised if Froome doesn't put more time into his rivals in the time trial, then it's just a question of what happens in the Alps. Even if Froome has one bad day he should still have enough to maintain some sort of lead as he's clearly the strongest rider in the Tour.

I do not normally wish anyone ill will but, in this 100th year of the Tour, i hope the cheating drug cheats Contadors and Valverdes stay as far away from the podium as possible. And fall off their bikes. Into a ditch full of French shit (the acknowledged market leader in malodorous evacuations).
Click to expand...

I don't necessarilly disagree with your evaluation of Froom.....it's his team mates I'm worried about. I think they will come out of the time trial with a pecking order of Frome, Contador, Valverde and Evans.

I'm dissapointed Teejay got dropped like a bad habit yesterday.
 
Not a big fan of the Tour....especially after the doping scandal...which it seems goes a hell of a lot deeper than Lance Armstrong and the USPS team.

You know what I do like? Is that short track bike racing they have in the Olympics.

I know....I didn't really contribute to the thread...sorry about that.
 
Steelplate said:
Not a big fan of the Tour....especially after the doping scandal...which it seems goes a hell of a lot deeper than Lance Armstrong and the USPS team.

You know what I do like? Is that short track bike racing they have in the Olympics.

I know....I didn't really contribute to the thread...sorry about that.
Click to expand...
You live near the Lehigh velodrome?

Yea track racing is cool. Most people who see cycling only when they watch Le Tour are surprized to see what studs they are compared to road cyclist. Top track cyclist look a hell of a lot more like middle linebackers than they do like road cyclist.

Have you ever seen Kieran racing? It's like the NASCAR of track racing, including lots of wild crashes at 40+ mph. It's cool as hell.


 
Steelplate said:
Not a big fan of the Tour....especially after the doping scandal...which it seems goes a hell of a lot deeper than Lance Armstrong and the USPS team.

You know what I do like? Is that short track bike racing they have in the Olympics.

I know....I didn't really contribute to the thread...sorry about that.
Click to expand...
As for Pro Eurocycling and doping. I'll give credit where credit is due. From about 1991 till 2005 cycling was utterly corrupt with doping. You have cyclist dominating the Tour who were the types who were rarely competative prior to 91. Big time trial specialist like Induran and Ulrich. Tiny climbing specialist like Pantani, Classics specialist like Armstrong all of sudden were dominating the tours when they had never done so before.

The biological passport and out of competition drug testing as well as a reliable test for EPO have had significant effects on Euro-pro cycling. All around road cyclist who had dominated the grand tours previously but who had dissappeared off the map around 1991 are dominating once again. That tells me that the current drug testing program is working and eliminating cheats. Last years winner Wiggins is a great example of that. I haven't seen an all round cyclist of his ability win the Tour since LeMond.
 
Mott the Hoople said:
You live near the Lehigh velodrome?

Yea track racing is cool. Most people who see cycling only when they watch Le Tour are surprized to see what studs they are compared to road cyclist. Top track cyclist look a hell of a lot more like middle linebackers than they do like road cyclist.

Have you ever seen Kieran racing? It's like the NASCAR of track racing, including lots of wild crashes at 40+ mph. It's cool as hell.


Click to expand...

Yes...I do....fairly close, about 1.5 hours away....never been there though...in fact, I forgot about it till you mentioned it. Might be a.good day trip sometime....thanks!

I'll check you vid links out then.....sounds cool.
 
Steelplate said:
Yes...I do....fairly close, about 1.5 hours away....never been there though...in fact, I forgot about it till you mentioned it. Might be a.good day trip sometime....thanks!

I'll check you vid links out then.....sounds cool.
Click to expand...
I live about 4 hours from Major Taylor velodrome in Indy.....that's the closest one to me. For a long time I wanted to try track racing but not I'm at an age where a 30 mph crash (assuming I could get up to those speeds again) would probably mean permanent disability.

Sprinters are a bit nuts. That kind of bumping and banging at those speeds is plain nuts and a good way to get hurt. Fun as hell to watch though.
 
Husband records and watches all the stages. Also the Giro and various other bike races.

I enjoy watching pieces of the races, but can't watch for hours anymore.

It's very cool to watch how the strategy in the peleton. And the way a team will support its GC contender or its sprinter or whatever. Talk about pulling together for a common objective!

It's a cool sport.
 
tekkychick said:
Husband records and watches all the stages. Also the Giro and various other bike races.

I enjoy watching pieces of the races, but can't watch for hours anymore.

It's very cool to watch how the strategy in the peleton. And the way a team will support its GC contender or its sprinter or whatever. Talk about pulling together for a common objective!

It's a cool sport.
Click to expand...
What I love most about road riding/racing is pace lining. It's a freaken blast! Going downhill can be pretty thrilling too.
 
Well Froome may not have locked it up today but wow was he impressive. He's ceratainly consolidated his lead and unless he blows up during a mountain stage this week.....he's close to locking it up.
 
Mott the Hoople said:
What I love most about road riding/racing is pace lining. It's a freaken blast! Going downhill can be pretty thrilling too.
Click to expand...

You and my husband! he hit 60 mph on a hill near our old house one time and was absolutely thrilled!

I get nervous in pace lines or if I go too fast... but I understand the attraction.
 
tekkychick said:
You and my husband! he hit 60 mph on a hill near our old house one time and was absolutely thrilled!

I get nervous in pace lines or if I go too fast... but I understand the attraction.
Click to expand...
Oh I don't see how the pros do it at those speeds for those distances. The concentration to do that is phenominal.
 
Was a pretty awesome finish for Froome today, you're right! Had to wait till my husband got thru the coverage to see what happened - can't risk spoilers for him! but wow - what a pair of legs to do that finish!
 
Mott the Hoople said:
I live about 4 hours from Major Taylor velodrome in Indy.....that's the closest one to me. For a long time I wanted to try track racing but not I'm at an age where a 30 mph crash (assuming I could get up to those speeds again) would probably mean permanent disability.

Sprinters are a bit nuts. That kind of bumping and banging at those speeds is plain nuts and a good way to get hurt. Fun as hell to watch though.
Click to expand...

Oh yeah. I was biking for almost 4 hours earlier, I love it, it makes me feel great, but I am one who applies the breaks going down hill. I know I'm not getting up and shaking off a fall at a high speed at this age. When I was 20 I used to bounce up and laugh. I don't need multiple broken bones, a hip replacement, and a permanent limp!
 
Darla said:
Oh yeah. I was biking for almost 4 hours earlier, I love it, it makes me feel great, but I am one who applies the breaks going down hill. I know I'm not getting up and shaking off a fall at a high speed at this age. When I was 20 I used to bounce up and laugh. I don't need multiple broken bones, a hip replacement, and a permanent limp!
Click to expand...
I don't do any pack racing anymore for that reason.....but I still love attacking down hills and I haven't lost much in my descending skills. Now my current climbing skills are depressing. Ten years ago I could put a serious hurting on my co-riders going up a 10% grade. Now I can hardly ride up one.
 
Mott the Hoople said:
Now my current climbing skills are depressing. Ten years ago I could put a serious hurting on my co-riders going up a 10% grade. Now I can hardly ride up one.
Click to expand...

I still take my bike uphill pretty good. I just have to move the knuckles of my right hand toward my chest in a twisting motion. ;)
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top