Possible Tour Outcome

S

Son of a Son

1,000+ Posts
Lance is finished and as disheartening as it is, I love the guys fire. "I'm staying in, I ride for the team now." Is it even remotely possible that Radioshack could get Levi into the yellow? As much as I wanted Lance to finish on top, I would also be thrilled if he pulled off an attack somewhere that showed he still has it, and maybe pull Levi into striking distance.

I admit, I only follow cycling when Armstrong races the Tour, so I am curious. Is this even plausible?
 
Levi's really good, but I don't think he has the extra gears that Contador, and esp Schleck this year, have.

I think it's between those two guys this year, and barring something weird or a team breakdown (which could happen), I think Schleck takes it. Contador didn't appear to have an answer for Schleck yesterday, or was he just lying in the weeds 'cause he knew he was so close to the top that he couldn't lose much time?
 
The next two stages have some tough climbing and will separate contenders from pretenders.

Lance is done. There is only one individual time trial this year and it comes on the second-to-last day. Levi would be the one to support in that team, but I don't think he is as good as the Schleck or Contador in the mountains.

Schleck seems to have a better supporting cast than Contador.
 
I'm sure they will try to put Levi up there, but if it were just one opponent, it would be more likely for the guy to have a bad day or an accident. This year there are five or six bonafides out there. Levi sure stayed right up with Contador Sunday, and seemed fine. He has to be dreaming of the big prize, now. We'll see how far he can take those dreams.
 
It would be impressive to get Levi on the podium.

“It’s obvious that Lance will not be able to win the Tour, so now we will look for new options for the team,” Bruyneel said after Sunday’s stage. “We will ride to support Levi and maybe Lance can recover to try to win a stage.”
 
If Cadel Evans can continue to keep up with Contador in the mountains, there is the distinct chance that he could win. Schleck, I think, needs to time trial better to win it.
 
I think Evans blew it on stage 9. He is now 7'+ behind with the Pyrenees yet to come.

Schleck looked a bit worse for wear after today's stage. His gambit to take time from Contador in today's climbs may have left him a bit gassed for tomorrow. Stage 10 only has 1 difficult climb. We'll see how much he has left in the tank.
 
Cadel was devastated after the stage. That was painful to watch. Schleck did indeed look gassed, but he doesn't really need to sweat it again the next few days. Very impressed with Levi. He's not in the top two contenders, but in that next small group fighting for the third podium spot. I think he just might do it.
 
I had not heard about Evan's elbow. It happened on Sunday which makes his ride that day and the capture of the yellow jersey even more remarkable. It was indeed painful for him to lose the Tour this way. He is such a team player.

Team Rabobank is doing well with two riders (Menchov#4, Gesink#7) within 5' of the leader.
 
There is an unwritten rule that you don't take advantage of a yellow jersey's accident or mechanical failure. This has been demonstrated before between Ulrich and Armstrong, for example, and even a couple of times earlier in this tour.

Contador should have motioned to Sanchez & Menchov to wait for Schleck instead of taking off. Even his teammate Vinokourov can be seen hesitating when he notices that Schleck's bike has gone tech.

We'll see if this motivates Schleck for Tuesday's stage. There are three monster climbs right off the bat plus another monster closer to the finish. I wonder if he'll have any legs left after his effort today.
 
If you saw the yellow jersey presentation then you heard the Boooo birds in the background. Even the French knew it was a cowardly thing to do.
 
It wasn't right, and Contador lied (at first), saying he didn't know Schleck had mechanical problems. The Spanish dog went right past him a couple of seconds after the chain came off, they all know a chain problem when they see it.
I don't think I have ever heard boos at a Tour de France jersey ceremony, it's always polite golf clap applause.
 
The tour for Schleck will be won or lost on Thursday more than likely, the last mountain stage. The remaining 3 stages will probably fit the Astana team more than Saxobank. I think Contador is a better time-trialist and will benefit from Saturday's stage.

Too bad that Frank Schleck was lost on the first day. They are missing him right about now.
 
Not what I was hoping for. Maybe Contador will get caught doping, although that would be bad for the sport.

BTW, what is the purpose for the investigation regarding Lance? The dude made American cycling and he is retiring. No good can come from it.
 
I don't know who is behind it but you can thank Floyd Landis for reviving it and keeping it alive with his allegations. Greg LeMond is not helping either. And now, with the rumours of federal funds being inappropriately funneled to doping in Lance's team the process is no likely to die anytime soon.

It was a nice race up the hill but I was hoping for Schleck to overcome the time deficit. Good show by both cyclists. I don't expect much to change in the next two stages unless something drastic happens to Contador or Astana.
 
Well I can do know is hope Contador has a puncture or two tomorrow. If that doesn't happen he better beat Schleck by more than the time gap he stole from him. If not there might be some boos on the final podium.
 
Ya'll watching this? Contador lost six seconds through the first time check. Yellow Jersey on the road by only 2 seconds. I think Schleck pulls it out. He wants it more, and Karma will punish Contador.
 
So Contador pulls it out but wins by less than the 38 seconds he stole with the mechanical. Boos on the podium tomorrow? Schleck will be hungry next year.
 
Maybe Contador will trip/tumble on a baguette as they make the rounds at the Champs Elysées.

Menchov, Sanchez, Schleck, & Contador will make the tour very interesting next year. Hopefully, there won't be any drug scandals this off-season.
 
Schleck appeared to be the better climber of the two, and he's closed the gap considerably on the TT this year compared to last. I could see Contador's run coming to an end this year.
 
That is a photo site worth bookmarking. They always update with interesting topics and outstanding photo work.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Weekly Prediction Contest

* Predict TEXAS-KENTUCKY *
Sat, Nov 23 • 2:30 PM on ABC

Recent Threads

Prediction Results Threads

2024 Schedules

Back
Top