TDF Stage 3: 'A frightening stage'

Lets have all the riders do a jump off a ramp through flaming hoops of fire over razor blades while are at it.
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It is a risky stage and one that is dangerous to the riders. The Tour must want some crashes as Levi hinted at. I prefer good racing than crashes which thourh unavoidable can be held to a minimum. This was a silly dangerous route to have and completely unnecessary.
 
All the riders passed through the first section of cobble without incident. It looks dry out there, which has to make things a lot safer. Radio Shack positioned up front of the peloton going into it, effectively walling off half of the front behind them. More sections to follow closer to the end.
 
Frank Schleck down ? Brother and GC contender Andy is having a great ride after having broken bones ruled out from a crash yesterday. With about 13 mi to go, there's a solo leader, a breakaway lead bunch, a second chase group with Lance, and 3rd group (peloton?) with Contador. Lance may end up putting time on Contador, but the group in front of him is tearing it up. It looks like there's enough smooth pave to the finish that could allow these gaps to close.
 
Contador has now rejoined Lance's group. I gather Contador is having a better than expected showing on this stage, though the lead group with Andy Schleck is still mowing it down.
 
Now Lance drops off the back of the bunch and looks to be pressing to keep them in sight. Wow. Pop riding with him to bring him back. Could have been a mechanical, but doesn't look great for him.
 
Lance now a minute back of the group with Contador. Not enough road left for Lance to to close the gap. 9 km to go.
 
Holy ****. The refs called the team cars aside as Lance is coming.

Looks like he's is going to close it back to the group with Contador.
 
Spoiler if you are waiting to watch the replay--




Bummer. Lance had a puncture, and lost contact with the group he was with, Contador accelerates and makes up over a minute on Lance. What happened to waiting for a rider who has mechanical problems? That really sucks. I'll watch the replay tonight and see what the announcers say.
I was checking the streaming updates on the LeTour.com site.
 
The LeTour site said Lance got a puncture, and a teammate gave him a wheel which they quickly changed. Then Popovich was with Lance for some time, trying to help him bridge the gap. Basically there were seven in one group, then seven with Contador, then LA and Popo, then the main peleton. After a few minutes Popovich was gone, don't know why, and LA was in between two groups, by himself, and couldn't make up much time. I don't know where his other teammates were, and why he didn't have any more help.
That was a serious loss of time to Contador.
 
Hey accuratehorn do you think the Tour is now out of reach for Lance as far as winning? I noticed besides Alberto Contador 2 other contenders Andy Schleck and especially Cadell Evans really helped themselves today.
 
I fear that it could be, but who knows, maybe one of the days in the mountains Contador won't have his legs and the other contenders could gain 6 or 8 or 10 minutes on him in one stage like that. It could happen. He could crash, he could bonk, he could start talking in tongues.
When you know you only have to match the other guys in the mountains, because you already have a lead, it makes it doubly tough to gain time on them. Contador can take fewer chances with a lead in hand.
 
Andy Schleck put himself in great position to challenge for the GC today. Schleck put 31 seconds on Contador, and I think Schleck can hang with Contador in the mountains. There is still the Stage 19 time trial however, and time trials aren't a forte for Schleck.

I was really impressed with Andy Schleck after last year's TDF. He's well spoken, and a class act from what I've seen. Next to Armstrong, I think I'd like to see him win it all.
 
Looks like the peleton was behind Lance when he punctured. In this case, LA was in a breakaway group, so the riders did not have an obligation under the "gentlemen's agreement" to wait for him. Had the peleton passed him, they might have slowed up to let him back with them, but breakaway riders don't do that, it would seem.
He just had a flat at the worst possible time, and it took a minute to get a teammate to give him a wheel. It would have taken the team car two or three minutes to work its way up to him. Then only one teammate was left that far up-Popovich, and he led Lance as long as he could, then Lance went all out but could only make up a few seconds before the finish line. Tough day in the saddle. Dramatic stage.
I really dislike Contador, but I can't say I wish to see him fly off the side of a mountain. I just hope Lance or Evans or Schleck can beat him this time.
 
I don't want Contadouche to die just go off the course and not find his way back in time. It would be an awesome spectacle. Where is he? Where did he go? Oh, there he is. He is coming out of Castle Anthrax. He got lured by the Trophy beacon cast overhead.
 
Or he pulls a Lance and goes offroad, jumps over a ravine and hops right back on. But most of the time someone goes off on a mountain and it's not pretty.
 
Lances tour de france glory days are behind him. He can continue to not give up though and have fun out there all the while inspiring many.
 
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