Pro Cycling Thread

[Johnners]

Hmmm, out of interest, who's T-Mobiles team leader this year?

 

[Matteh]

Hmmm, out of interest, who's T-Mobiles team leader this year?

Michael Rogers

 

[Matteh]

Yeah but that is one of the unwritten rules of Pro Cycling, if a leader has the chance to give one of his workers a chance to win, he usually does. I didn't see it, what happened?

As for non-starters, one definate is DC rider Tomas Vaitkus (won a stage in the Giro last year and came in the top 6 in the RVV) won't be starting due to a shattered thumb. Worst luck though, missed the Giro due to a knee injury.

Steegmans was leading out, moved to the side and just kept going. Won it ahead of Boonen who was well ahead of 3rd.

 

[Johnners]

Michael Rogers

Thought so, chances of him getting on the Podium?

 

[Matteh]

Thought so, chances of him getting on the Podium?

Possible but can't see it.

 

[alternative]

Results so far

Mathew Mitchell - 57 pts (22nd place)
Håkon Mørk - 48 pts (184th place)
Neil Pickup - 43 pts (285th place)
Manjunath Reddlapalli - 39 pts (340th place)
Craig Walsh - 33 pts (424th Place)
Greg Thomas - 32 pts (437th Place)
Jeff Rangers - 24 pts (514th place)

 

[Spitfires_Fan]

Steegmans was leading out, moved to the side and just kept going. Won it ahead of Boonen who was well ahead of 3rd.

Boonen says he didn't gift it to Steegmans

http://uk.eurosport.yahoo.com/09072007/58/tour-de-france-riders-said.html

Hard luck on Vaitkus, I guess he won't be the only non-starter this morning though. Bennati was in hospital last night due to a hip injury - he'd be a big loss to Lampre.

Edit: Nope, seems Vaitkus is the only non-starter, but Bennati and Ventoso are both carrying injuries.

 

[JBMAC]

It will be interesting to see who does "not come up to the mark" for the next stage.

 

[Craig]

Two riders gone off the front and the peloton has given them nearly 14 minutes:

Nicolas Vogondy (Agritubel) and Mathieu Ladagnous (Française des Jeux) at 13.50.

 

[Dark Hunter]

How often do break aways like these actually work out for the riders involved? i mean, i don't think i've ever seen one work, maybe only once or twice at best, so whats the point?

 

[Matteh]

How often do break aways like these actually work out for the riders involved? i mean, i don't think i've ever seen one work, maybe only once or twice at best, so whats the point?

Get their face some airtime, gets their team some airtime, can pick up the most combatant points, break on the offchance that it'll work (Oscar Pereiro anyone?), a breakaway usually picks up most the sprint/mountain points/time bonuses as well.

 

[Matteh]

Results so far

Mathew Mitchell - 57 pts (22nd place)
Håkon Mørk - 48 pts (184th place)
Neil Pickup - 43 pts (285th place)
Manjunath Reddlapalli - 39 pts (340th place)
Craig Walsh - 33 pts (424th Place)
Greg Thomas - 32 pts (437th Place)
Jeff Rangers - 24 pts (514th place)

Gun.

 

[JBMAC]

How often do break aways like these actually work out for the riders involved? i mean, i don't think i've ever seen one work, maybe only once or twice at best, so whats the point?

The last of Armstrong race....his final...it was in the mountains and both Hincapie and Martinez broke away like this and each won that particular stage.

 

[Matteh]

Cancellara did pretty well there. Went at exactly the right moment to catch the breakaway and beat the sprinters.

 

[BoyBrumby]

Yeah England is such a parochial little island isn't it? I can't stand it sometimes, the whole nation is run by ignorant, xenophobic Daily Mail readers. But you musn't think we are all like that. I mean I support whoever I like regardless of nationality and I think most people do. Such behaviour tends to be confined to the right-wing press.

The crowds have been really impressive. I normally make contributions to Tour threads but since this particular thread started I am going to look like a five-minute fan. Maybe I am, but I do love the Tour, ever since 1994 (when I was 8) I've watched it.

Speaking of the Daily Mail, I don't read it, but saw this in Richard Williams's column in today's Guardain. Link:

http://blogs.guardian.co.uk/sport/2007/07/10/sisters_success_shows_their_pa.html

Millar's tell-tale sorrow

The Daily Mail outdid itself on Saturday, welcoming the Tour de France to London by "exposing" Robert Millar, the Scot who won the King of the Mountains jersey in 1984 and now lives quietly in an English village, apparently as a woman. It's an old story - or at least an old rumour - and contributed the only sour note to an otherwise astonishingly enjoyable weekend for sport. Millar, the only Briton to finish a Tour in a winning jersey of any colour, is an authentic hero with the right to live the rest of his life as he pleases. The Mail is a rag.

Obviously it's Millar's right to live however he pleases, but I nearly dropped my lunchtime pint when I read it! Can't help but wonder if the drugs he used during his cycling career have had any affect. IIRC he was pinged for excess testosterone once upon a time.

 

[Matteh]

Speaking of the Daily Mail, I don't read it, but saw this in Richard Williams's column in today's Guardain. Link:

http://blogs.guardian.co.uk/sport/2007/07/10/sisters_success_shows_their_pa.html

Millar's tell-tale sorrow

The Daily Mail outdid itself on Saturday, welcoming the Tour de France to London by "exposing" Robert Millar, the Scot who won the King of the Mountains jersey in 1984 and now lives quietly in an English village, apparently as a woman. It's an old story - or at least an old rumour - and contributed the only sour note to an otherwise astonishingly enjoyable weekend for sport. Millar, the only Briton to finish a Tour in a winning jersey of any colour, is an authentic hero with the right to live the rest of his life as he pleases. The Mail is a rag.

Obviously it's Millar's right to live however he pleases, but I nearly dropped my lunchtime pint when I read it! Can't help but wonder if the drugs he used during his cycling career have had any affect. IIRC he was pinged for excess testosterone once upon a time.

http://news.scotsman.com/scotland.cfm?id=1064202007

The Scotsman rehashed the Daily Mail article, but what interests me is the comments on it. Everyone is disgusted that it was printed, given that it's fairly needless.

What i find most suprising about Robert Millar is that he's no relation to David Millar.

 

[Craig]

How often do break aways like these actually work out for the riders involved? i mean, i don't think i've ever seen one work, maybe only once or twice at best, so whats the point?

Get their face some airtime, gets their team some airtime, can pick up the most combatant points, break on the offchance that it'll work (Oscar Pereiro anyone?), a breakaway usually picks up most the sprint/mountain points/time bonuses as well.

As Mitchell said and you never know what could happen. This break nearly succeded but as typical nobody is going to help anybody, and why would you? Why do a big long turn on the front and only for the rest of the break to go past you and get the win? If there were two guys from the one team in a break then it is a different story, but not if it is four rival teams. There are some guys who base their whole careers on being in random crazy breakaway attempts, Jacky Durand being the most notable one. And besides it is an unwritten rule for a smaller team to send guys up the road anyway.

Fair play to Cancellara though, deadset his tighs must be bigger then your average flyweight Spanish climber.

 

[Matteh]

As Mitchell said and you never know what could happen. This break nearly succeded but as typical nobody is going to help anybody, and why would you? Why do a big long turn on the front and only for the rest of the break to go past you and get the win? If there were two guys from the one team in a break then it is a different story, but not if it is four rival teams. There are some guys who base their whole careers on being in random crazy breakaway attempts, Jacky Durand being the most notable one. And besides it is an unwritten rule for a smaller team to send guys up the road anyway.

Fair play to Cancellara though, deadset his tighs must be bigger then your average flyweight Spanish climber.

But obviously too big to make him a decent climber for some reason. Astana haven't done much this week, but as soon as we hit the Alps i expect them to make their presence felt much greater.

 

[Matteh]

After Stage 3:

Håkon Mørk 106 (71st) [58]
Mathew Mitchell 100 (129th) [43]
Neil Pickup 100 (129th) [58]
Manjunath Reddlapalli 80 (316th) [41]
Craig Walsh 70 (405th) [37]
Greg Thomas 64 (448th) [32]
Jeff Rangers 46 (534th) [22]

First number - Total points
Second number - Overall Rank
Third number - Points earned into today's stage.

 

[alternative]

Good thing i looked at this thread before updating the scores.