Predictions for this year's Tour De France

U

Uninformed

5,000+ Posts
I saw a preview of this year's tour on Versus. No team time trial and 1 long individual time trial. Not many mountain top finishes. Lance hasn't excelled like in the past on his time trials this year. Lance has a very good team. I am not impressed with Contador's team. Anyway, how do you all think it will turn out?
 
I predict pain.

Lance has his own team now that is geared to support him, right? He is the nain attraction.

I predict it is close and that Lance wins. His critics will dine on their young.
 
Much as I would like to see it, I only see LA making the podium. Contador is young as strong like bull. He is the big favorite.
 
I predict that Lance will be tested every day he rides and twice on Sunday. the over/under on the number of times the French who will raid his hotel is 5 and that the director of the tour will call him out at least twice publicly.

Oh and Andy Shleck will win but Lance will be on podium again. Contador doesnt have the team around him and you have to think that will hurt him, hard to win a tour all on your own without some support.
 
Although it's clear that the old man (Armstrong) cannot accelerate with the young climbers with the same explosiveness he possessed in years past, he has a great team around him that should be able to help limit his losses in the mountains. It's the decline of his time trialing prowess that will leave him exposed. With the only long (52km) TT coming on the penultimate day of the race, he needs to have time on Contador going into the ITT if he wants to win in Paris. Contador showed last year and in 2010 that he is among the best GC riders in the world against the clock, so if Lance comes out of the mountains a minute or so behind Alberto, fuhgeddaboutit. That is unless Armstrong has been sandbagging or playing possum leading up to the Tour.

Despite the apparent weakness of team Astana compared to teams like Radioshack, Saxo Bank, & Liquigas-Doimo, I'm still picking Contador for the overall win until someone beats him. He is a perfect 4 for 4 in Grand Tours, hardly a flash in the pan or fluke champion.

If he can avoid bad luck and keep the dirty side down, I could potentially see Levi finishing ahead of Armstrong this year. He is a great GC rider who can climb with just about anyone, and is a threat to win time trials, as well.

Although I picked Contador to win, it's tough to rule out someone from Radioshack riding into Paris in yellow, even old Juan Pelota himself. That team is just stacked, especially the guys that are solid in the mountains; Horner, Popovych, Brajkovic, Kloden, & Leipheimer.

It will also be interesting to see if BMC with Big George will be strong enough for Cadel Evans to be a threat, can Vande Velde or Zabriskie make some noise with Garmin-Transitions, will Bradley Wiggins and Team Sky be a legitimate GC player, and how fit will Ivan Basso be after winning the Giro? Oh yeah, the potential sprint duels between Cavendish and Farrar?! Good stuff. Four American teams represented, so much cool stuff to watch develop, and lots of people to root for and against. This should be a great Tour!
 
I'd love to see Lance win, but don't know if has the power still to keep up with some these young guys. We didn't get to see him ride full in the TOC, but he did pretty well a few weeks ago in Luxembourg.

Contador hasn't been setting the world on fire either as of late.

It will be fun to watch. Go Team Radio Shack and GO LANCE!!!
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Isn't it um, odd, that Lance can get a team around him yet Contador cannot. Maybe, Contador is a *****.
 
I predict the Tour starts tomorrow, and there will be a party at Mellow Johnny's Bike Shop, I believe from 6-10 p.m. to celebrate. Ms. Accurate and I will probably drop by there, sounds like fun. That's an interesting shop to visit, if you are into the Tour-there are displays of LA's previous tour winning bicycles, and a snack bar (Juan Pelota's), semi-famous bike racers often walking around, state of the art bikes for sale, training facility, etc.
Some of you might want to check it out.
 
How lucky for fans of the alt sports to the mainstream. We get things like this and the World Cup to satiate our desires in what is an off season for others.

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Is rain, by chance, forecast for Stage 3? Rain and cobblestones equal many spills and experience becomes gold.
 
i predict floyd landis to say something stupid and someone should rightly smack him in the head for saying it...still waiting on the second part of that.
 
Barring serious injury, I wouldn't expect LA to pull out. He is there to compete.
He may not have quite the strongest legs in the mountains, but we will see. He didn't come this far to quit at the first set of hills.
That was a fun party at Mellow Johnnies, btw. Free beer and champagne (Livestrong donation jar of course). They had a costume contest, two ladies in yellow dresses with flowers and stuffed animal were prominent, free drawing for stuff, I won a yellow tee-shirt, now I have to start cycling again.
Enjoyed it-the place was packed, and they had chalk to decorate the sidewalk out front, stuff for kids, many of LA's tour bicycles on display, $12 bike for sale, nice bicycle.
So, LA did well in the Prologue, although can't hang one's hat on that. He is looking good so far. He does have a great team to support him this time, should help.
 
SORT OF SPOILER OF TODAYS ACTION








Are the riders just whining about the course or do they have a legit beef? I liked their protest and their solidarity at the end but will the officials score it they way the drivers want it? As Levi said, do you think the officials want to see lots of blood?

If it rains tomorrow it could get really, really nasty! Stay tuned.
 
Loopy, my guess is like the streets of Austin get occasionally after we haven't had rain...the moisture mixed with the oil dropped for autos on the road made for the treacherous conditions. They said it was like riding on ice. No way it was intentional by TdF organizers.
 
They will be on cobblestones that get really slick no matter what. The course is treacherous whenever they go over them. This one stage was looked ahead as being dangerous without any rain. The grooves and uneven surface "bite" tires and create havoc. It will be the same for all riders but all it takes is one poor move and a bunch go down. Throw in some rain and it is a crap shoot.
 
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