Let's get ready for Mount Ventoux

[badexcuse]

Schleck brothers have already publicly said they will be attacking Lance in an effort to get Frank the third podium position. Will Alberto continue to ride selfishly given his commanding lead, or will he help, along with Kloden, Lance maintain his third spot. Will be awesome to watch.

 

[Hu_Fan]

pulled this out of a paragraph linked from (the @teamastana (Twitter)... re: @TeamAstanaGraham talks about Ventoux--this guy knows his stuff! (link given on that twitter, I'll give it below)...
Tomorrow's the Big One, by Graham Watson (Astana Cycling Team website)

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[triplehorn]

Half a million fans lining the road up to Ventoux today ?!

Windy as hell too

High tension

 

[Horneius_Maximus]

Lance has made the podium!

 

[triplehorn]

Congrats to Lance today!

With the strength of this ride, he didn't just hang on, he was in complete strategic control and in so doing put a stamp on the podium.

The strategy for the Schlecks was clear - looking to repeat the maneuver on col de Romme where Andy launches ahead up a steep for his brother to then bridge ahead of Lance. Obviously, the implications of the move were entirely different today, and Lance was all over it.

Lance was so strong today that Frank Schleck's initial attacks on Ventoux to soften up Lance in advance of Andy's attacks probably hurt Frank more. When Andy later attacked, he was left searching over his shoulder for Frank.

Wiggings also showed serious guts on the climb to retain 4th overall. I'm happy for him.

 

[WhiteH2O Horn]

Also, Alberto Contador was a good teammate to Armstrong today. Contador only followed the moves of Andy Schleck with no unnecessary attacks of his own. This allowed Armstrong to focus solely on Frank Schleck and Wiggins, which he did with apparent ease.

Overall, it was fun to watch. Great, but ultimately futile attempts by the Schlecks to drop Armstrong & Contador. I saw AC grimace once (I think for the first time on a climb this year) with about 2K to go, but he rode smart today. Strong, savvy racing as always from Lance today. Congrats to the old fart, let's see what he can do next year as undisputed leader of his team and a full year of proper preparation.

 

[mandingo]

It seemed particularly telling when Andy looked back and Frank just let his tongue hang, while Lance was right on his wheel looking like he could go all day.

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[Hu_Fan]

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[badexcuse]

All comments above are spot on. Phenomenal stage by LA. He never seemed to be under duress, and easily pursued every breakaway attempt. Nice job by AC.

It's amazing that a 37 year old who has been off for three years and trained less than a year can finish 3rd in the biggest cycling race in the world. Most incredible feat, I feel, since his initial win coming back from cancer. I too can't wait til next year. He's racing to win it. AC and AS will be super hard to beat, but I won't count him out.

 

[TexonLongIsland]

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[RayDog]

One thing this tour showed me is that Lance could have won in 06, 07 and 08 and had 10 straight.