That's what I'm Talking About - SPOILER

[old_school]

Contador Rocks!

[93legendti]

Epic!!

[Fat Robert]

if you paid attention to contador last year, you knew he was a steal when disco got him....

biochicken loses two minutes to evans in the final TT, maybe 1:30 to contador...so what do you do over the next two big days?

since levi has a bad case of hincapie disease (marks the favorites but doesn't attack), fat man sez johan starts sending popo up the road to put pressure on robopollo...but man...if you could send levi off, get him virtual yellow with contador marking hematopoulet...dream scenario for disco on monday...won't happen though unless levi borrows an extra pair of testicles....

[shanerpvt]

I hope the boys in aqua finally get behind kloden and put the hammer down!

[stevep]

too late for kloden...
tomorrow, piano day for the leaders...too freakin hard to attack. every year this is the hardest stage by far..the circle of death stage... look for a couple of skinny guys to ride away and stay away.
the leaders may have some separation on the last climb but i think it will be "piano" until then.

wed- final fur flies.
evans buried.
chicken cracks a little...too much pressure to put time into evans.
contador takes time on chicken...
then
chicken will get plucked in the tt by contador

thats the race. no need to watch on tv. go back to simpson reruns.

notably strong race by boogart.
going out in style.

[Fixed]

bro disco is a lot more exciting this year imho
cheers

[Fat Robert]

bro disco is a lot more exciting this year imho
cheers

yeah

going back to those bernard edwards basslines --

made all the difference

[old_school]

going back to those bernard edwards basslines --
made all the difference

Good Times!

Lance Who?

BTW: Popovych for domestique of the day.

[3chordwonder]

Hmm... instead of one 'epic ride', looks like this year we have two 'epic rides'... seems like the testing labs are still lagging well behind the team doctors

[Climb01742]

johan is demonstrating that as a DS..."lance, lance? we don't need no stinking lance." he's put together a very good squad and has a good game plan. would love to know what contador and chicken were jawing about with a few clicks to go...think cantador made any cow jokes?

[classic1]

if you paid attention to contador last year, you knew he was a steal when disco got him....

biochicken loses two minutes to evans in the final TT, maybe 1:30 to contador...so what do you do over the next two big days?

since levi has a bad case of hincapie disease (marks the favorites but doesn't attack), fat man sez johan starts sending popo up the road to put pressure on robopollo...but man...if you could send levi off, get him virtual yellow with contador marking hematopoulet...dream scenario for disco on monday...won't happen though unless levi borrows an extra pair of testicles....

Gold!

Leipheimer did race smart though. Not like Evans, who got sucked in and blew his doors off chasing Rasclucker and Contador.

[cadence90]

johan is demonstrating that as a DS..."lance, lance? we don't need no stinking lance." he's put together a very good squad and has a good game plan. would love to know what contador and chicken were jawing about with a few clicks to go...think cantador made any cow jokes?
Apparently bickering over the Stage win.

http://sports.espn.go.com/oly/tdf2007/columns/story?id=2945281&lpos=spotlight&lid=tab3pos1

"Rasmussen denied he made any compromises. "No, definitely not," he said, his pinched features pink with exertion. "This is the Tour de France -- you don't give any presents here. It was a very well-deserved win for Contador & we were both racing at 100 percent for the victory."


Contador related a somewhat different version of events, first to Spanish radio, then to French television, then to the assembled print media. In short, he said Rasmussen agreed to let him go, but surprised him with an acceleration near the finish. In the end, whether it was preordained or not, Contador blew by Rasmussen for his first career Tour stage win."



Too bad about Bob Roll's stage pick Alexander Stompenzee....

[gasman]

Hm... instead of one 'epic ride', looks like this year we have two 'epic rides'... seems like the testing labs are still lagging well behind the team doctors


Yep-will he test positive ?

[72gmc]

Chicken a la Bruyneel: Pluck vigorously with Popo, apply steady heat with Leipheimer, finish with spicy Contador sauce.

If Levi has another few days like today, they could pull it off. Rabo looked good but Disco looks better.

[FlaRider]

I really liked Evans' chances until this stage. Hope he can recover in the next few stages and race a solid final TT to finish on the podium.

[chuckroast]

I might be caught up in the moment but this seems to be shaping up to be a historically great tour. Good stories, human drama and great sporting competitiveness makes this really compelling to me.

[coylifut]

I might be caught up in the moment but this seems to be shaping up to be a historically great tour. Good stories, human drama and great sporting competitiveness makes this really compelling to me.

I think it'll go down more like Zoetmilk's win. However, if Contador wins and goes on to win more tours it could down as the historic begining of his reign.

[cadence90]

I think it'll go down more like Zoetmilk's win. However, if Contador wins and goes on to win more tours it could down as the historic begining of his reign.
Yep. Zootemelk.

Or, it might go down as that other Danish guy's Tour....

[michael white]

it was a very exciting stage but I don't see a great all-round rider in the peloton this year, much less two or three. it might be a while before we see another great matchup like Hinault/Lemond or Ulrich/LA.

[soulspinner]

Has Rabobank burned too many candles too soon? Rascowdoper even said he didnt want his guys to go that hard. And we werent even that hyped for this tour. Epic stuff today, attack after attack. Cant wait till tomorrow morn...

[Dekonick]

if you paid attention to contador last year, you knew he was a steal when disco got him....

biochicken loses two minutes to evans in the final TT, maybe 1:30 to contador...so what do you do over the next two big days?

since levi has a bad case of hincapie disease (marks the favorites but doesn't attack), fat man sez johan starts sending popo up the road to put pressure on robopollo...but man...if you could send levi off, get him virtual yellow with contador marking hematopoulet...dream scenario for disco on monday...won't happen though unless levi borrows an extra pair of testicles....

Not from Lance...

Sheesh - I just wish he could dig deep and go....

[Elefantino]

I think only the top three have a chance. If Horner and Cioni can keep with Evans over the next two stages, for a while at least, he could hang. But I'm not sure he takes 3 minutes from a suddenly uber-pumped Rasmussen in the TT.

Sad to see Vino crack and then crash. Also sad to see Moreau give up.

[sspielman]

Where is the love for Leipheimer?....He is a top 10 rider and finds himself threatening for a podium position. It is a huge performance for him. The problem is that he suffers from the same thing as Hincapie....that is, because he is on Discovery, everybody wants to overestimate his true capability. the race is really good, though....pretty tough to predict....but here I go anyway... Euskaltel will try something desperate today (or wednesday) to put another guy in the top 10.....

[rustychisel]

Where is the love for Leipheimer?....everybody wants to overestimate his true capability. .

Nope, everybody spent the last 4 years overestimating his abilities and signing him as team leader faster than you could say 'goodbye Levi'.

Then he rides a solid event without setting the race alight. Same old.

[97CSI]

Where is the love for Leipheimer?....He is a top 10 rider and finds himself threatening for a podium position. It is a huge performance for him.I don't see the problem. Levi is riding a great tour. Top riders in the world and he is in 4th, soon to be in 2nd or 3rd. Maybe even 1st. If that's bad or over-hyped, then please give me some. No one has ever said he (or anyone else) was going to be another LA. But being on the podium at the TdF is about as good as it gets. Go Levi!!

[William]

I don't see the problem. Levi is riding a great tour. Top riders in the world and he is in 4th, soon to be in 2nd or 3rd. Maybe even 1st. If that's bad or over-hyped, then please give me some. No one has ever said he (or anyone else) was going to be another LA. But being on the podium at the TdF is about as good as it gets. Go Levi!!


Can't argue with that.

[Bruce K]

I guess it's the old sports thinking of if you're not the winner you're the first loser.

Or maybe it's just that Levi quietly goes about his job and isn't as flashy or exciting as others.

In any event to have 2 riders in the top 5 is a huge deal for Discovery.

BK

[William]

I guess it's the old sports thinking of if you're not the winner you're the first loser.




Reminds me of a T-shirt I saw once:

Front: "Winning Is Everything"

Back: 2nd Place Just Means You're The First Loser"






William

[Kevan]

I suppose the year when there was the mass kick out of riders and teams could be classified as bad, but otherwise, I think the Tour always rocks the maison. I've never been disappointed. Okay, I'm willing to agree some the Lance years were a bit boring, but the Tour always managed to throw in some excitement despite knowing the final outcome.

Watching this tour and placing my vote for Levi at the onset, I can't help feel that he's riding a calculated ride, but I also think he suffers from Hincapieitus. There's just something in the way he talks that lacks determination. When Lance spoke you could see through his veil of respect for the peleton and the unknown aspects of racing and see too his calculated determination that no one...no one was going to take his crown without one monster of a fight.

Does Levi exhibit that determination? I don't think so. What also concerns me is his admission at the end of yesterday's stage that he can't respond well to attacks. He has to let them go and he'll take his time to reel himself back into the game. I don't think a GC can afford such an approach.

[93legendti]

I don't see the problem. Levi is riding a great tour. Top riders in the world and he is in 4th, soon to be in 2nd or 3rd. Maybe even 1st. If that's bad or over-hyped, then please give me some. No one has ever said he (or anyone else) was going to be another LA. But being on the podium at the TdF is about as good as it gets. Go Levi!!

You're right, he is riding a smart TdF, maybe not flashy, but smart. I would rather be him in this TdF a 100 times over than Mayo, Moreau or Vino who burned bright for 1-2 key stages and then dropped quickly from contention.