Stage 20 (Spoiler!)

[hansolo758]

Ok, I was wrong. Evans didn't have it...Sastre did and congratulations to him and to his team.

BTW, what happened to Frank Schleck? I didn't understand a couple of days ago why Sastre was allowed to attack his team-mate (who was in yellow at the time), but I guess I do now.

Good showing for the 2 American teams. Top ten finishes for them in their first year, in Vandevelde and Kirchen, respectively, are pretty cool.

[KJMUNC]

Yeah, and somebody test Gerolsteiner too or at least search their team cars at the border. Schumacher wins a TT again and Bernard "I've only won one race in my pro career" Kohl winds up with a top 10 TT finish and 3rd overall?

Call me skeptical, but I ain't buyin' it...... :rolleyes:

[CPP]

It was a bit of a surprise to see Schumacher beat Cancellera over 53 k's. Especially as Schumacher was in 2 or 3 breaks in the last few days. But...?

[regularguy412]

Yeah, and somebody test Gerolsteiner too or at least search their team cars at the border. Schumacher wins a TT again and Bernard "I've only won one race in my pro career" Kohl winds up with a top 10 TT finish and 3rd overall?

Call me skeptical, but I ain't buyin' it...... :rolleyes:

Can you say: "Radioactive urine samples?"

Mike in AR:beer:

[dauwhe]

Wonderful... Sastre attacks on the most fabled climb in the tour to get the jersey, and rides over his head in the TT to keep the jersey. Very smart riding!

Dave

[KJMUNC]

It was a bit of a surprise to see Schumacher beat Cancellera over 53 k's. Especially as Schumacher was in 2 or 3 breaks in the last few days. But...?

Exactly.....look at almost every other guy who was in a big break during the race.......he was sitting in for the next day or two trying to recover. Schumacher wins a stunner in the first TT over a fresh Cancellara, puts himself in a ton of breaks in the mtns, then wins again. Nobody stays fresh for 21 stages without a little help.

But hey, his mother is a doctor so maybe she has him on some new vitamins.

[Erik.Lazdins]

I thought last night that Cancellara would win.

I thought he had it!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[w0xy]

He almost did, but it looked like Schumacher was saving all of his energy for the last bit, he gained his huge advantage in the last 6 kilometers.

[don'TreadOnMe]

Cancellara didn't have it b/c he spent the last week destroying Evans.
As did the rest of CSC.

What an incredible team win.

[TAW]

Yep, count me in with the ones who were wrong about the TT today. Maybe CSC did a good job of weakening Evans, or maybe it was just that Sastre rode perfectly, but in any case I was surprised.

[thinpin]

Good solid ride ride by Sastre... a win well deserved. Evans showed his exhaustion a way below par ride for him.
I realy was very suspcious of the F Schleck thing. A low sporting CSC tactic to put a pacing hare in front of Sastre if he need one in the last third. As it turned out he didnt need it. I wonder what the refs would have done if Schlech did pick his pace up 50 mts or so ahead of Sastre had he needed it at the end. Maybe legal but bad sportsmanship and against the spirit of that dicipline.

[dauwhe]

I realy was very suspcious of the F Schleck thing. A low sporting CSC tactic to put a pacing hare in front of Sastre if he need one in the last third. As it turned out he didnt need it. I wonder what the refs would have done if Schlech did pick his pace up 50 mts or so ahead of Sastre had he needed it at the end. Maybe legal but bad sportsmanship and against the spirit of that dicipline.

I hadn't heard anything about this. I'm skeptical. Frank is not known as a time trialist, so his performance is no surprise. And wasn't Frank warned against drafting Sastre? This was also too close to the end to make sense to me...

Dave

[paczki]

I hadn't heard anything about this. I'm skeptical. Frank is not known as a time trialist, so his performance is no surprise. And wasn't Frank warned against drafting Sastre? This was also too close to the end to make sense to me...

Dave

I agree. CSC knew the times at that point, & knew they were getting a good TT from Sastre. I also doubt that CSC wanted Schleck to drop out of the top 5 - which he did.

[thinpin]

I hadn't heard anything about this.
Dave
Nah, just my suspicios mind! Team spirit in CSC was so good they would fall on their own sword for yellow in the team. I would not put such a tactic above Ris.

[CPP]

But normally in a time trial, there shouldn't be two teammates leaving one after the other. Even though the GC was the way it was, Kohl should have started between Schleck and Sastre.

[Simon Q]

Nah, just my suspicios mind! Team spirit in CSC was so good they would fall on their own sword for yellow in the team. I would not put such a tactic above Ris.

As soon as Sastre passed him Frank matched him for the rest of the way. Mmmm...food for thought anyway.

[dauwhe]

But normally in a time trial, there shouldn't be two teammates leaving one after the other. Even though the GC was the way it was, Kohl should have started between Schleck and Sastre.

I still don't see it. I've never heard of such a rule--don't riders always start in reverse order of GC?

Keep in mind we're only talking about this because Schleck is a rather poor time trialist, and so was in a position to lose the three minutes to Sastre.

Dave

[CPP]

Yes normally. But team tactics could play a role when 1 team mate starts before/after another. I don't know if it is an official rule or not?