The "LE TOUR DE FRANCE" thread
07-16-2005, 07:16 PM
#121
I
I agree, Vino to discovery would make a great TDF next year. It would really be a toss up who would win, unlike the past 7 years.
I do find it strange a little that they chased him down, but he's been trying to get away in so many races and Ullrich is really the closest to Armstrong timewise. Every time he tries to get away means that Ullrich can't attack because Armstrong will follow. Vino needs to change the team if he wants to be number one.
I do find it strange a little that they chased him down, but he's been trying to get away in so many races and Ullrich is really the closest to Armstrong timewise. Every time he tries to get away means that Ullrich can't attack because Armstrong will follow. Vino needs to change the team if he wants to be number one.
07-17-2005, 11:06 AM
#125
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Originally Posted by FastAcura
I know. I can't stand some of those idiots who don't move out of the way. Like the guy with the columbian flag yesterday.
07-17-2005, 11:18 AM
#126
I was glad to see Hincapie win. After all the assistance he has provided Lance.
Great stage. The fans really need to be under control. I think the course official with a paintball gun would do the trick. J/K
Great stage. The fans really need to be under control. I think the course official with a paintball gun would do the trick. J/K
07-17-2005, 12:34 PM
#127
Community Architect
robb m.
robb m.
great stage, incredible win.
way to go George, you deserve the win!
Now I just want to see Robbie win on the Champs d'elysee
way to go George, you deserve the win!
Now I just want to see Robbie win on the Champs d'elysee
07-17-2005, 02:57 PM
#130
Race Director
Originally Posted by JWhite1301
Post Lance, Who do you all think will be the next dominant rider? Basso has been looking.
There is also Popovich, but he has a few years to go before he is a contender.
07-17-2005, 11:39 PM
#132
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Originally Posted by JWhite1301
Post Lance, Who do you all think will be the next dominant rider?
07-17-2005, 11:44 PM
#133
I
Ullrich, Basso, Rasmussen and Vino will be the top riders to watch out for next year.
Rasmussen just needs to work on his time trial skills to be a really good rider overall. Ullrich needs to get his fat ass of the seat when everyone else is getting away from him.
Rasmussen just needs to work on his time trial skills to be a really good rider overall. Ullrich needs to get his fat ass of the seat when everyone else is getting away from him.
07-18-2005, 12:19 AM
#135
I
Originally Posted by Mike
cut the guy some slack. he's crashed 2x and that has to be impacting his performance.
07-18-2005, 12:22 AM
#136
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Originally Posted by FastAcura
No, that's how he rides every year. I expected big things from him. Every year he's been saying how he's in the shape of his life, but it's never true. I've been a fan of him since 96 and hoped that he would finally be able to beat Armstrong in Armstrong's final TDF.
I just don't think Jan has the will or discipline to win it like Lance does. The guy's a big-time partyer.
07-18-2005, 10:21 AM
#137
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robb m.
robb m.
07-18-2005, 05:22 PM
#139
Senior Moderator
Thread Starter
more from cycling news
"Blackout" for Förster
How does a sprinter survive in the Pyrenees? With difficulty, says Gerolsteiner's Robert Förster in his diary on radsport-news.com. "The stage today - you can't imagine it. Until today, I couldn't imagine how much I could torture myself. When you see the results, you say, ok, he came in with the gruppetto. Only two riders dropped out. It wasn't that bad. But in reality it was hell. I had a blackout 100 km long, I can't remember anything about it."
Förster lost contact with the peloton on the second climb. "But (Magnus) Bäckstedt was still behind me, so I had nothing to be ashamed of. Christian (Henn) kept motivating me over the radio, "Come on, you can catch up on the descent." On the descent I did come closer, but I couldn't catch them. In the valley I rode practically the whole way alone between the cars. Five km before the next climb I caught up with the group. From then on I don't know any more."
"I ride up the mountains in a trance. Just keep on pedaling. Always going up. The fans leave only a narrow strip, they're all screaming. Everything swims before my eyes. Sometimes I hear my name out of the din. I didn't want to keep pouring water over my head today because that just makes things worse, but the temptation was too great. So more water over my head. Eventually I got the shakes. I dimly remember at some point seeing Robbie McEwen riding next to me. But otherwise we all rode alone. On the third-to-last mountain I saw the gruppetto before me. Christian kept cheering me on. I was able to ride into the group."
Just before the last climb he heard that the winner was in. What kept him going? "I suffered endlessly. Without thinking. Why, actually? If I had dropped out, nobody would have said anything. Climb off the bike and it's all over. But everybody was suffering the same. You're in the gruppetto and will do anything to stay there. It's like a herd instinct."
"Blackout" for Förster
How does a sprinter survive in the Pyrenees? With difficulty, says Gerolsteiner's Robert Förster in his diary on radsport-news.com. "The stage today - you can't imagine it. Until today, I couldn't imagine how much I could torture myself. When you see the results, you say, ok, he came in with the gruppetto. Only two riders dropped out. It wasn't that bad. But in reality it was hell. I had a blackout 100 km long, I can't remember anything about it."
Förster lost contact with the peloton on the second climb. "But (Magnus) Bäckstedt was still behind me, so I had nothing to be ashamed of. Christian (Henn) kept motivating me over the radio, "Come on, you can catch up on the descent." On the descent I did come closer, but I couldn't catch them. In the valley I rode practically the whole way alone between the cars. Five km before the next climb I caught up with the group. From then on I don't know any more."
"I ride up the mountains in a trance. Just keep on pedaling. Always going up. The fans leave only a narrow strip, they're all screaming. Everything swims before my eyes. Sometimes I hear my name out of the din. I didn't want to keep pouring water over my head today because that just makes things worse, but the temptation was too great. So more water over my head. Eventually I got the shakes. I dimly remember at some point seeing Robbie McEwen riding next to me. But otherwise we all rode alone. On the third-to-last mountain I saw the gruppetto before me. Christian kept cheering me on. I was able to ride into the group."
Just before the last climb he heard that the winner was in. What kept him going? "I suffered endlessly. Without thinking. Why, actually? If I had dropped out, nobody would have said anything. Climb off the bike and it's all over. But everybody was suffering the same. You're in the gruppetto and will do anything to stay there. It's like a herd instinct."
07-18-2005, 05:26 PM
#140
Community Architect
robb m.
robb m.
awesome stuff Mike!
Have you been reading Jan's blog?
Have you been reading Jan's blog?
07-18-2005, 06:22 PM
#141
Race Director
That is amazing to see a professionals view (not a climber) of the torture that they go through.
Unless you have ever climbed a mountain on a bicycle, you cannot imagine the pain and suffering that you go through. I have done ONE mountain like they did yesterday. I couldn't imagine going over 6 of them.
Unless you have ever climbed a mountain on a bicycle, you cannot imagine the pain and suffering that you go through. I have done ONE mountain like they did yesterday. I couldn't imagine going over 6 of them.
07-18-2005, 08:23 PM
#142
Senior Moderator
Originally Posted by Astroboy
07-18-2005, 10:17 PM
#144
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Thread Starter
i hope i don't come across like a jerk because that's not my intention. btw, i'm speaking about Jan's performance this year and not referring to years past.
have you guys ever raced or done group rides where you've crashed at speed? i've done some groups rides and have been involved in some pileups. we weren't even going that fast (~15 mph) but after this particular accident i was sore for a week. i twisted my back, tweaked my wrist along w/some road rash. for a week it hurt to get out of the saddle just to climb because of my wrist. it hurt to take deep breathes. etc etc
Jan's crashes were WAY more severe than mine and he's still completing at a high level. so unless you've been down like Jan has I really don't think you guys have a clue.
have you guys ever raced or done group rides where you've crashed at speed? i've done some groups rides and have been involved in some pileups. we weren't even going that fast (~15 mph) but after this particular accident i was sore for a week. i twisted my back, tweaked my wrist along w/some road rash. for a week it hurt to get out of the saddle just to climb because of my wrist. it hurt to take deep breathes. etc etc
Jan's crashes were WAY more severe than mine and he's still completing at a high level. so unless you've been down like Jan has I really don't think you guys have a clue.
Originally Posted by FastAcura
No, that's how he rides every year. I expected big things from him. Every year he's been saying how he's in the shape of his life, but it's never true. I've been a fan of him since 96 and hoped that he would finally be able to beat Armstrong in Armstrong's final TDF.
07-18-2005, 10:31 PM
#145
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Originally Posted by Mike
i hope i don't come across like a jerk because that's not my intention. btw, i'm speaking about Jan's performance this year and not referring to years past.
have you guys ever raced or done group rides where you've crashed at speed? i've done some groups rides and have been involved in some pileups. we weren't even going that fast (~15 mph) but after this particular accident i was sore for a week. i twisted my back, tweaked my wrist along w/some road rash. for a week it hurt to get out of the saddle just to climb because of my wrist. it hurt to take deep breathes. etc etc
Jan's crashes were WAY more severe than mine and he's still completing at a high level. so unless you've been down like Jan has I really don't think you guys have a clue.
have you guys ever raced or done group rides where you've crashed at speed? i've done some groups rides and have been involved in some pileups. we weren't even going that fast (~15 mph) but after this particular accident i was sore for a week. i twisted my back, tweaked my wrist along w/some road rash. for a week it hurt to get out of the saddle just to climb because of my wrist. it hurt to take deep breathes. etc etc
Jan's crashes were WAY more severe than mine and he's still completing at a high level. so unless you've been down like Jan has I really don't think you guys have a clue.
07-19-2005, 04:37 AM
#147
Race Director
Originally Posted by Mike
i hope i don't come across like a jerk because that's not my intention. btw, i'm speaking about Jan's performance this year and not referring to years past.
have you guys ever raced or done group rides where you've crashed at speed? i've done some groups rides and have been involved in some pileups. we weren't even going that fast (~15 mph) but after this particular accident i was sore for a week. i twisted my back, tweaked my wrist along w/some road rash. for a week it hurt to get out of the saddle just to climb because of my wrist. it hurt to take deep breathes. etc etc
Jan's crashes were WAY more severe than mine and he's still completing at a high level. so unless you've been down like Jan has I really don't think you guys have a clue.
have you guys ever raced or done group rides where you've crashed at speed? i've done some groups rides and have been involved in some pileups. we weren't even going that fast (~15 mph) but after this particular accident i was sore for a week. i twisted my back, tweaked my wrist along w/some road rash. for a week it hurt to get out of the saddle just to climb because of my wrist. it hurt to take deep breathes. etc etc
Jan's crashes were WAY more severe than mine and he's still completing at a high level. so unless you've been down like Jan has I really don't think you guys have a clue.
I couldn't imagine getting back on the bike the next day and riding for 4 hours or more.
07-19-2005, 09:39 AM
#148
Community Architect
robb m.
robb m.
Jan's Blog Translated on the T Mobile Team site
click the related links at the bottom to go back and read all the entries.
click the related links at the bottom to go back and read all the entries.
07-19-2005, 06:24 PM
#149
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I followed the stage today at work from the live updates. Seems like it wasn't terribly exciting, but the sad part is that this is Lance's last mountain stage.
07-21-2005, 06:57 PM
#150
Community Architect
robb m.
robb m.
I can't wait for Saturday.
07-21-2005, 07:05 PM
#151
Race Director
Originally Posted by Astroboy
I can't wait for Saturday.
I want to see Jan on the podium and he should be able to overtake Rasmussen on the TT, Rasmussen isn't a great timetrailist.
07-21-2005, 07:16 PM
#152
Community Architect
robb m.
robb m.
double 
Jan deserves to be there, Rasmussen has his polka dots, which is what he came for.
Jan deserves to be there, Rasmussen has his polka dots, which is what he came for.
07-21-2005, 08:55 PM
#154
Race Director
Did anyone else just catch what Chris Carmichael just said on OLN.
That lance at peak power could generate over 900 watts!!!!
That is freakin sick. If I get close to 600 I puke.
That lance at peak power could generate over 900 watts!!!!
That is freakin sick. If I get close to 600 I puke.
07-21-2005, 09:02 PM
#155
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Originally Posted by Beelzebub
Did anyone else just catch what Chris Carmichael just said on OLN.
That lance at peak power could generate over 900 watts!!!!
That is freakin sick. If I get close to 600 I puke.
That lance at peak power could generate over 900 watts!!!!
That is freakin sick. If I get close to 600 I puke.
07-21-2005, 10:44 PM
#157
Community Architect
robb m.
robb m.
Originally Posted by virtualbong
I can only imagine the cameraman's nice road rash on his shoulders. That must of sucked!
they actually just picked the bike back up and kept going.
Lance can do 800 for 20mins from what I recall beezlebub.
07-21-2005, 10:48 PM
#158
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Originally Posted by Astroboy
Lance can do 800 for 20mins from what I recall beezlebub.
07-22-2005, 07:34 PM
#159
Race Director
An intresting perspective from another rider on the post Lance era.
Discovery begins to show how formidable they are beyond Armstrong
By Bradley McGee
July 20, 2005
Leaving aside my own private trials and tribulations for a moment, let's talk about that Discovery Channel team. In my estimation the post-Lance era has begun. These guys are looking towards the future now; they had all their riders committed to Armstrong for so long, and now they need to reformulate. What you've seen with the stage victories of George Hincapie, and now Paolo Savoldelli, is the Discovery you will see after the Tour. They need to show how formidable they are beyond Armstrong, and they need to entice the very best to the team. This starts now.
Tactically, it was a brilliant move on the part of Discovery to put two hard working men in the breakaway. By making this move, they ensured the breakaway's survival and, with a classy rider like Savoldelli, pretty much ensured the stage win.
So, courtesy of those Discovery boys, we got a bit of a reprieve today. It may have been the longest stage of the Tour but it went by quickly. Every year the Tour has a stage like this. A big group gets away and puts twenty or thirty minutes on the bunch. The first and last hours were eye-popping, but in between we were on cruise control.
I had a near miss at a train crossing today. I was one of the last riders to come through as the barricades were coming down. It was insane; we were all so eager to get under the barricade no one was even thinking about the possibility of getting hit by a train. Afterwards it hit me: that was probably pretty dumb.
While I missed getting knocked upside the head at a railroad crossing, I didn't escape the crosswinds before the final climb of the day forcing my group to pick it up at the end to meet the time cutoff. Sometimes this happens when there is a breakaway with an enormous lead and you've been in the peloton all day: you forget about the time limit. The peloton was already 24 minutes down and I was in a group a few minutes behind that. It was a "flat" stage so the cut off would have been at about a half-an-hour. Fortunately, there were others who realized this in the group and we didn't sit up completely.
After yesterday's stage I was so flat out exhausted I basically slept from the moment I got in the bus at the finish line until the moment I got out of the bus about ten minutes before the start this morning. What happened in between I'm not sure, but somehow someone managed to get me to dinner and breakfast.
So now, as my back and hamstrings start to improve, other things seem to be sliding downhill. There are some worrisome telltale signs: a cold sore in the mouth, a morning heart rate of 38bpm. Normally I like to have resting heart rate of around 42; too low and it means you are not recovering. We also had UCI blood tests yesterday morning and my hematocrit was 38. That's just too low.
So again I'm reassessing the next few days. With the next two stages looking a bit lumpy, and barring an overnight turn-around of my form; the most I'm hoping for a stellar day on the Champs-Elysees. Here's to that day!
By Bradley McGee
July 20, 2005
Leaving aside my own private trials and tribulations for a moment, let's talk about that Discovery Channel team. In my estimation the post-Lance era has begun. These guys are looking towards the future now; they had all their riders committed to Armstrong for so long, and now they need to reformulate. What you've seen with the stage victories of George Hincapie, and now Paolo Savoldelli, is the Discovery you will see after the Tour. They need to show how formidable they are beyond Armstrong, and they need to entice the very best to the team. This starts now.
Tactically, it was a brilliant move on the part of Discovery to put two hard working men in the breakaway. By making this move, they ensured the breakaway's survival and, with a classy rider like Savoldelli, pretty much ensured the stage win.
So, courtesy of those Discovery boys, we got a bit of a reprieve today. It may have been the longest stage of the Tour but it went by quickly. Every year the Tour has a stage like this. A big group gets away and puts twenty or thirty minutes on the bunch. The first and last hours were eye-popping, but in between we were on cruise control.
I had a near miss at a train crossing today. I was one of the last riders to come through as the barricades were coming down. It was insane; we were all so eager to get under the barricade no one was even thinking about the possibility of getting hit by a train. Afterwards it hit me: that was probably pretty dumb.
While I missed getting knocked upside the head at a railroad crossing, I didn't escape the crosswinds before the final climb of the day forcing my group to pick it up at the end to meet the time cutoff. Sometimes this happens when there is a breakaway with an enormous lead and you've been in the peloton all day: you forget about the time limit. The peloton was already 24 minutes down and I was in a group a few minutes behind that. It was a "flat" stage so the cut off would have been at about a half-an-hour. Fortunately, there were others who realized this in the group and we didn't sit up completely.
After yesterday's stage I was so flat out exhausted I basically slept from the moment I got in the bus at the finish line until the moment I got out of the bus about ten minutes before the start this morning. What happened in between I'm not sure, but somehow someone managed to get me to dinner and breakfast.
So now, as my back and hamstrings start to improve, other things seem to be sliding downhill. There are some worrisome telltale signs: a cold sore in the mouth, a morning heart rate of 38bpm. Normally I like to have resting heart rate of around 42; too low and it means you are not recovering. We also had UCI blood tests yesterday morning and my hematocrit was 38. That's just too low.
So again I'm reassessing the next few days. With the next two stages looking a bit lumpy, and barring an overnight turn-around of my form; the most I'm hoping for a stellar day on the Champs-Elysees. Here's to that day!
07-22-2005, 07:36 PM
#160
Race Director
Originally Posted by TLover
According to his official Web site, at VO2 max, he can generate 600 watts.