Le Tour

[Fausto]

One week to go before le Tour begins.
Does anyone think Alberto Contador won't win? Does anyone believe lance Armstrong will win a stage?
Anyone want to hazard a guess as to how many drug scandals there'll be?
I recommend people download the ITV podcast with Matt Rendell, Chris Boardman and Ned Boulting.
Chapeau

[Gerontophile]

Le Tour

Dont know enough about this, except:

Cavendish WILL win a stage.
Someone will get busted for having no drugs in his body.
There will be lots of flag-waving Basquet cases who knock over a cyclist.
It will piss down for about 2 stages.
The winner will have nice legs.

(I actually LOVE watching le Tour... I stick Eurosport on of an afternoon, and doze off to the dulcet tones of whomsoever that guy speaking, is.)

[Billy Casper]

Le Tour

I can barely ride a bike without stabilizers myself, but over the last 10 years or so I have grown to love the Tour too. The mountain stages are just about the best sporting thing you can watch on television, but I'll happily watch a day-for-the-sprinters 'nothing' stage, as long as Phil Liggett and Paul Sherwin are commentating.

I need to know now though so I can prepare myself, is there any possible chance that Lance Armstrong can win it all?

[Billy Casper]

Le Tour

Ooh, and while I'm on the topic, can someone give me a decent tip for who is going to win the yellow jersey?
Preferably a better tip than last year when I went with Cunego. "Nailed on" because of all the mountains someone wrote here...

[Kowalski]

Le Tour

There is a boxed guide to this year's tour on sale in most newsagents.

It costs £9.99 and contains;

- An official programme
- A DVD history of le tour (up to last year)
- A route map
- A poster that you can write the results on
- four charming photos from le tour's history

[Fausto]

Le Tour

It is indeed a tiptop little package that kowalski.
Alberto Contador is the big favourite. Carlos Sastre is the reigning champ and OTF favourite.
Lance is of course loved and loathed in equal measures. I don't think he's a serious contender, but he is the patron of the peloton and most of the other rides and teams are lickspittles of his. Look out for some feisty Frenchmen to heroically win on the 14th.

[cackaforte]

Le Tour

This will be the first Le Tour I am going to follow properly. Been warming up with Paris-Nice, Giro and Dauphine-Libere and loved it.

Don't have a favourite but as long as Cadel Evans doesn't win I will be happy.

[Fausto]

Le Tour

You will be happy then.

[The Purple Cow]

Le Tour

Here are the predictions of the purple-based jury. I’ve been in full-on cricket mode these last few weeks, so I haven’t been paying maximum attention to cycling news recently, so I could be embarrassingly/laughably off-beam.

G.C.

Head = Contador
Heart = Sastre

Other guys in with a chance

Menchov
Evans
van de Velde

Green shirt = Mark Cavendish
White Shirt = Robert Gesink*
Polka Dot = Dunno (Andy Schlek? Menchov?)

*Last year I predicted that Gesink would win the G.C. one day and that still holds. Just not for a year or two yet.

[steveeeeeeeee]

Le Tour

I can't wait, I missed out on 2007, but saw all of last year's tour and it was one of my favourites ever. The stage going up to Alp d'Huez, where Sastre attacked and the Schlecks sacrificed themselves for his cause was one of the most engrossing sporting moments of my lifetime.

Can't really give any inside knowledge other than Lance didn't look that bad in the Giro, he just seemed to have become a little more careless, but I think it would be stupid to write him off. Even still, Carlos Sastre to win it.

The other great thing about the tour is that it's like a Portuguese intensive course for me. The commentary team on Eurosport are fantastic, extremely knowledgeable and humorous at the same time, I pick up sh1tloads of phrases and vocab from listening to them every day for 3 weeks.

[Brandenburger Toro]

Le Tour

TPC's predictions look pretty good to me. To the possibles,I'd add Leipheimer, while Zubeldia, Armstrong, Kloeden, and Popovych could all get the bit between their teeth. That means that Contador may well find himself in the position Armstrong used to deride Ulrich for; "too many chiefs, not enough Indians".

For that reason, and because he'll have total team unity, I do fancy Sastre. And if he's going well, Phillip Deignan will be up there on a lot of the mountain stages, which could make him a white jersey contender. But it is hard to see past Gesink for that. Unless the Rabos put all their eggs in a Menchov-shaped basket...

Big question with Green is whether Cav can get over the mountains, and how much it takes out of him to do that. If someone was very smart, they could put him under serious pressure by hoovering up all the intermediate points. This is even more the case if the team start supporting Kirchen or Rogers for the GC, or even if Tony Martin has a shot at KoM.

Hang on, Digs didn't make the Cervelo team, he's ill. Scratch what I said about him. Still an Irish contender, though - Nicolas Roche had a fantastic result in the Vuelta last year, and looks the most likely GC contender for Ag2R. In fact, if he gets enough support, he's a plausible top-ten finisher. His cousin's racing as well, Daniel Martin, and he'll do great things, but not this year.

KoM? Hmm, it's always a bit of a crapshoot. Tony Martin or Romain Feillu of Agritubel.

[Billy Casper]

Le Tour

Right then, one more sleep to go!

I placed my bets yesterday. I've got EW money on Vande Velde (fantastic name, nice looking kit, and a few British and Irish riders in the team) and Andy Schleck (should still be in with a chance entering the last mountain stage, and er, another fantastic sounding name).

I've also got money Lance Armstrong to win, because I think the first time Contador breaks into a sweat Armstrong will be whispering to Bruyneel...
I just can't see Lance Armstrong riding for anyone other than Lance Armstrong in le Tour.

I should probably point out that I spent a grand total of £5 on all my bets put together, so don't pity me too much.

[Jorge Porbillas]

Le Tour

Tom Boonen has been allowed to race after all ...

[Fausto]

Le Tour

Sounds like this decision was beyond the control of the organisers as it went to the French court for arbitration. If so they must furious because yet again on the eve of the tour drugs hijack the event. These may be recreational but drugs and cycling are being reported in the same sentence. Boonen had his chance last year, now he's been given another one.
Still, I can't wait for today for it all to start.

[amp]

Le Tour

I'm surprised how little Armstrong is being fancied. I can't conceive that he'd enter this tour and besmirch his record without thinking he could win.

I don't think any performances this year necessarily predict what he'll do in the tour. I think he's ridden them as training and publicity rides all geared up for a serious challenge to win his 8th tour.

The only thing that gets in the way of this theory is Contador being on his team.

There will be a doping scandal cause there's *always* a doping scandal. I hope it's Contador that gets busted for drugs. Find it hard to believe he's not doping with the performances he puts in.

Either of the Schlecks or Menchov or Valverde winning GC would make me happy.

Hope Miller or Wiggins get a TT stage win and think Cav is a dead cert for Green.

Er...does any one have any cheeky links where you can watch live streaming coverage with English commentary?

[Brandenburger Toro]

Le Tour

amp - while you're hoping for apparently no good reason that Contador gets busted, your boy Valverde won't be taking part because he *is* a known cheat. Go figure.

Re Cav, remember he can only win green if he finishes....

[Brandenburger Toro]

Le Tour

Stephen Roche, surprisingly, tips Cancellara to make the top five. Certainly, he climbed well in the Tour De Suisse, and has lost a hell of a lot of weight, but... it'd be a big ask.

Danielmartin bunged his knee during the week and isn't starting. Ho hum.

[Incandenza]

Le Tour

DirecTV has this on Versus' HD channel.

I'm seriously wondering if I can go in to work after the stages are over in the morning.

[The Purple Cow]

Le Tour

I can't conceive that he'd enter this tour and besmirch his record without thinking he could win.

Depending on who you believe, Armstrong is racing to raise his profile

a) to raise more money for his Livestrong charity.

or

b) for his impending run for the Republican nomination for Governor of Texas. (He's a big pal of the Bush's.)

[Jorge Porbillas]

Le Tour

***************** SPOILER *******************
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
Great ride by Wiggins to finish third (1 second behind Contador) but Cancellara just blew the field apart. Amazing to see Cancellara catch Menchov in the last few hundred metres!

[amp]

Le Tour

The Purple Cow wrote:

or

b) for his impending run for the Republican nomination for Governor of Texas. (He's a big pal of the Bush's.)

Oh God is he? I didn't know that. But either of those reasons surprises me when talking about such a competitive sportsman. We'll see I guess.

I didn't know Valverde had been excluded either but I'm not sure he's a proven cheat is he? I always thought he was doping a while back when he rode so well in the tour whee he beat Armstong on a mountain stage but then, clearly, he'd stopped as his performances dropped considerably and from that point on I warmed to him

[Rogin the Armchair fan]

Le Tour

Looks an odd route this year, perhaps because they've started in Monaco - they seem to skirting the Pyrenees along the coast (and into Spain) until getting into them proper next weekend, then a little diversion in week 2 through central France before diving back into the Alps. The stage up Mont Ventoux will of course be a classic (is that a normal stage or an ITT? I've seen previews that suggest both).

Love the TdF, love it. I can't understand why the BBC don't showcase it for their afternoon programming - they'll spend money on sending Nadia fucking Sawalha to Provence tocook salt cod fishcakes, but not follow the cyclists on sport's most picturesque event. Now that we've got British riders who are likely to win several stages (if not the yellow jersey) you'd think the beeb would have leapt at it. It can't be that expensive to broadcast, if Eurosport are following it start to finish.

[PRB]

Le Tour

Brilliant stage today, very exciting towards the end. I knew that if Cancellara could get within 20 seconds of the lead going over the climb he'd win the stage. He was only a few seconds back and went on the blow everyone away.

[Jorge Porbillas]

Le Tour

Rogin the Armchair Fan wrote:

Love the TdF, love it. I can't understand why the BBC don't showcase it for their afternoon programming - they'll spend money on sending Nadia fucking Sawalha to Provence tocook salt cod fishcakes, but not follow the cyclists on sport's most picturesque event. Now that we've got British riders who are likely to win several stages (if not the yellow jersey) you'd think the beeb would have leapt at it. It can't be that expensive to broadcast, if Eurosport are following it start to finish.

Eurosport's coverage is a multi-lingual coverage for their pan-European audience which probably sees cycling as central to a sports output.

Anyway, ITV have broadcast the tour in the UK since Channel 4 dropped it to concentrate on cricket - and to be fair they do a damn good job.

[Fausto]

Le Tour

Seconded. Both Eurosport and ITV's coverage is excellent and quite different.
Nobody seems to be mentioning vanity with regards to LA's comeback. A man used to great success, surrounded by yes men who finds life empty without the rush of top level competition.