Tour 'de France

[Captain]

The only real impression I'm left with is that Contador is out of it, I doubt he'll even make the podium.

[Rex Banner]

Surely this is Cadel's year, time to step it up and move from perennial contender to winner.

Having said that he'll probably lose by 5 seconds and finish second or third like usual.

 

This year though I think he has that extra fight and a good enough team to get him the win.

[Unrighteous]

The only real impression I'm left with is that Contador is out of it, I doubt he'll even make the podium.

 

He's only 90 seconds off the pace...

[Captain]

He's only 90 seconds off the pace...

 

Yep, and we all saw what happened when he tried to lose Andy Schleck up to Super-Besse Sancy and gain back some of that time.

[Captain]

So who's everyone's favourite after 1 week Tour? Out of these 7:

 

Contador

A. Schleck

F. Schleck

Van den Broeck

Evans

Basso

Klöden

 

Van den Broeck crashed out of the tour.

[Captain]

That car that ran down Fletcha was unreal!

[Code]

Now they have started to crash into the riders with cars as well, unbelievable stuff.

[stevebaby]

Surely this is Cadel's year, time to step it up and move from perennial contender to winner.

Having said that he'll probably lose by 5 seconds and finish second or third like usual.

 

This year though I think he has that extra fight and a good enough team to get him the win.

I think this is his year. He has the team he's always needed and he's holding a good position so far.

But yeah...second or third. He'll flinch.

[stevebaby]

Full marks to Flecha and Hoogeland for getting back on.

[Haan'sThunderbolt]

Driver of the FranceTV car needs stringing up - shocking driving...

[lifetime fan]

That car that ran down Fletcha was unreal!

 

Now they have started to crash into the riders with cars as well, unbelievable stuff.

 

You have got to be kidding?

[setreal]

Unbelievable stuff. How the hell did Hoogeland manage to carry on after this?

[Captain]

You have got to be kidding?

 

You can watch it here:

 

Media-bil kjørte ned rytter i Tour de France |  TV 2 Sporten

[lifetime fan]

Not available over here mate but thanks for trying.

 

That is some seriously fucked up shit though, it's a dangerous enough sport as it is without having team cars running you over as well.

[James]

'The fuck was he thinking? And then he had the pretension to say it wasn't his fault. An absolute disgrace.

[Code]

Not available over here mate but thanks for trying.

 

That is some seriously fucked up shit though, it's a dangerous enough sport as it is without having team cars running you over as well.

 

Try this.

 

- Sjåføren burde henges opp i et tre - sport - Dagbladet.no

[lifetime fan]

I've see it on the yahoo news page now but thanks anyway.

[James]

 

Hoogeland.

[L19red]

Great to see the most attacking riders in the three Jerseys. Tommy Voeckler is fantastic, and fully justifying the invite to Europcar. Phillipe Gilbert bringing his classics form to the tour and Hoogeland tremendous value; seems like every race he is in the breakaway.

 

Plenty left in the tank for Contador. The pyrennean stages will be good especially Tourmalet and Luz Ardiden on bastille day. Even more suited to Bertie is the Angel, Izoard and Galibier in the same day on stage 18. I rode the Galibier via Lautaret in May and the altitude on top of the really big climbs is a killer. Its hard to describe but I did a bunch of cols at about 2000m and thought my form was pretty good. The Galibier isnt even that steep for most of the climb but the last couple of kms when it gets above 2500m and the gradient kicks up to nearly 10% were by far the hardest part of the week. Much tougher than the 14% ramps at the foot of Alpe D'Huez.

 

Not sure about Cadel; Wiggins put some time into him on the climbs in the Dauphine. Maybe he was just using it as a training run but he's not shown anything like the same form as Contador did in the recent Giro.

[James]

Are the cyclists victims of the popularity of the Tour?

[Jose Jones]

Not sure Evans has what it takes to stick with the Schlecks and Contador for every day in the mountains. Especially as Contador will have to attack. Still you never know, but I think the best he can do will be 3rd or 4th.

I'm going for Andy Schleck I think. He can match Contador up the mountains and has just enough in hand for the time trial.

[Newport]

Not sure Evans has what it takes to stick with the Schlecks and Contador for every day in the mountains. Especially as Contador will have to attack. Still you never know, but I think the best he can do will be 3rd or 4th.

I'm going for Andy Schleck I think. He can match Contador up the mountains and has just enough in hand for the time trial.

 

Evans doesn't stand a chance up the toughest mountains, but he can close the gap in the time trial, although he would normally be too far behind. I think Andy Schleck has a much better chance to win it this year as long as his brother Fränk stays in the race. Plus he's been improving his time trials this season so he's not that far behind the other yellow jersey contenders as he's been before. And of course the fact that Contador did race in the Giro d'Itali while Schleck didn't.

[Unrighteous]

Andy has the best climbing support in his brother, I think. I really think Andy is still my favourite to win. Those alps stages look fucking nasty.

[a stoner]

Is this still called the Tour De France or Death Race 2011?

It's no fun when other riders take you out but for the camera car to get involved is fucking mental. Only thing left is to have snipers on roof tops trying to take the riders out in the last 5k "just for a laugh"

[niallers]

Contador will claw back more than the 1min 40 in the time trial this year, unless schleck has improved massively in that discipline.

Edited July 11, 2011 by niallers