Tour De France - Live Updates

Chips Lovell

Orizio wrote:

More worrying for Vino was the Astana team, they just fell apart around him and his own inability to take back time. Doesn't bode well for Kloden and Vino in the future methinks.

I don't know, Vino was incredibly unlucky with the timing of his crash. The peloton was going full bore at the time and his team burned all their matches trying to get him back. Seven guys vs eighty going at full tilt is also going to be a big ask. Astana looked very strong at the Giro and the Dauphine, so I wouldn't write the team off yet.

I think their big problem will be the injuries. Vino looked pretty cut up and if he doesn't recover in time for the mountains on Saturday, he could lose more time and that would mean Kloeden would be the main man...

...except Kloeden fractured his arse bone (OK, his coccyx) in his own crash. He said he'll continue, but that doesn't sound great.

Planet X

My choice for overall are;
1. Vino
2. Levi
3. George H.

E@gle.

i wonder how long Cancellara will hold out in the yellow jersey i think he has a lead of 33 seconds at the moment

da_deadman

Honourable Mention of the Day for Geoffroy Lequatre of team Cofidis. At the feed zone today, Geoffroy had a problem when a musette (not sure if it was his or someone else's) caused him to crash - and spill all the contents of the food bag. According to the live web updates I was following he appeared to be in some pain at the time.

Well, there was no more mention about him but I was just looking at the full results from today and there was poor Geoffroy, the last finisher of the day at 44 minutes after Pozzato crossed the line. BBC has a little piece about him on their site ( here ).

So, let me just say fair play to Geoffroy, for showing some real guts and grittiness to finish off the stage. I hope he is able to continue all the way to Paris.

Hermy

Orizio wrote:

I suppose Vino is the standout rider, but I hate to see a cheater like that win the tour yet again.

Could you elaborate on the cheating reference Orizio? I'm a bit of a fan of Vino and wasn't aware of a cheating cloud hanging over him.

toombah

Don't think he has been done for any doping, but he is seeing Dr Ferrari. Although when quizzed about it Vino maintains that he is employing the doctor as a trainer. Take from it what you will.

Vino had a tough finish to the day yesterday. Will be interesting to see how he gets on today and Saturday.

Chips Lovell

Hermy wrote:

Could you elaborate on the cheating reference Orizio? I'm a bit of a fan of Vino and wasn't aware of a cheating cloud hanging over him.

Obviously there's no doping conviction, but there's some things worth considering. He was riding for Liberty Seguros at the time of Operation Puerto and the team's boss Manolo Saiz was caught with drugs, blood bags and sixty grand in cash by the Spanish police. When Dr. Fuentes was arrested he had a card with several names listed on it. One of them was Vino's. He's also worked with controversial Italian trainer Michele Ferrari. That's what's on the record. Scour the internet enough and you'll hear a lot of gossip.

Toto Wolfcastle

OMG I'm so sick of TG4's coverage of the Tour. I only have 4 channels, so no other options. It's not even the Irish that's the problem, I have a degree in Irish. Just don't know how much longer I can handle those two eegits banging on about renewable sources of energy, or saying 'Oooh look he moved a bit to the left, what's that about?'. In fairness, one of them seems to know what he's talking about. (Haven't managed to figure out who he is though!!) But that other guy thinks he knows because he has a nephew or something who cycles.

OK, rant over.....

Loving the Tour though!!

Chips Lovell

Eurosport isn't much better. Sean Kelly, god bless him, does know what he's talking about, but isn't very articulate. If I hear him say "a hundred percent" one more time, I'll scream.

Pride Fighter

Poor Wiggins today. Gave it a lash and fell short. I cant wait for the alps. Those mountains are life takers and heartbreakers.

Chips Lovell

And it's Bastille Day tomorrow, so there will be loads of epic attacks from the French.

mloc123

el tonto wrote:

Eurosport isn't much better. Sean Kelly, god bless him, does know what he's talking about, but isn't very articulate. If I hear him say "a hundred percent" one more time, I'll scream.

Sean does have a habbit of rambling on and coming out with the most obscure points.... he is not too unlike Ray Houghton. Still I enjoy the Eurosport highlights, not sure who the main guy is?

Chips Lovell

mloc123 wrote:

...not sure who the main guy is?

David Harmon

Hermy

Can I get banned for insulting myself. What I’m getting at is that only the other day I read about Vino’s links with Dr. Ferrari -http://www.cyclingnews.com/news.php?id=news/2007/jul07/jul06news3
- and yet I question Orizio. What a stupid ***************** I am!!! Maybe I’m just reading so many reports of cheating and what not that I’m becoming immune to the stuff. And now I hear that Zabel is to be stripped of his 1996 Green jersey. And Kessler has been given the boot by Astana - http://www.cyclingnews.com/news.php?id=news/2007/jul07/jul14news2 - how much more of this can we take and indeed how much more can the sport of cycling take before the whole thing collapses?

Chips Lovell

Dude, there's a lot more to come. Around 100 riders were said to have been treated by Fuentes and that's only one doctor. So far, we've only got three who've confessed or were suspended (Basso, Ullrich and Jaksche). I don't think there's more doping going on, just that the authorities are cracking down hard on it. There's a long way to go yet.

Hermy

Yeah I hear what you’re saying. Although it is terrible that every other day another rider hit’s the headlines for the wrong reasons, yet I know that for Pat McQuaid and the U.C.I. to really get to grips with this thing we shall have to put up with more bad news for the foreseeable future.

Pride Fighter

Rasmussen won an epic 8th stage and is in the yellow jersey. Where did Gerdemen come from. He is deadly!!

iregk

Pride Fighter wrote:

Where did Gerdemen come from.

Germany! sorry couldn't resist.

Today should be interesting for the young lad. He looked shot the past couple of days, all be it from giving it a right good go. Maybe the rest day came at the right time for him?

On a different note did anyone else find it strange the way Astana were gearing everything about Vino. Now I know he is the leader but at the moment the man is in bits after his crash and to call back Kloden of all people to help him was a touch strange. Surely get one of the others further down the pecking order to drop back?

Chips Lovell

iregk wrote:

Surely get one of the others further down the pecking order to drop back?

There were no others. The only Astana rider up the road was Kashechkin, who's as much a GC contender as Kloeden.

iregk

el tonto wrote:

There were no others. The only Astana rider up the road was Kashechkin, who's as much a GC contender as Kloeden.

ah good point.

Mchucifer

iregk wrote:

ah good point.

I agree with Iregk's initial point and disagree with this being a good point. I dont think Kacheskin is anywhere near a GC contender as Kloden is.

Kloden is a proven contender 2nd and 3rd in the tour in his last 2 tours. Kascheskin is unproven and why he wasnt called back was very strange. Its even bad enough that they have kloden playing second fiddle for Vino in the first place.
He's lost some time because of that team order but I still think Kloden is the man. He'll wipe them all away in the TT.

iregk

T-Mobile rider Sinkewitz has been banned for the moment due to testing positive in his A sample during the team training camp pre tour. Listening to the team manager last night if sample B comes back positive then T-Mobile are droping him.

I have to say I was quite impressed by the team manager last night the way he was talking about them testing their own members out of comp. Its a step in the right direction and can only help to clean up the sport. With this news however came some bad news. Two of the largets networks in Germany have stopped all coverage of Le Tour due to the positive test.

Pride Fighter

Whats the story with Rasmussen? He is not allowed cycle in the olympics due to a Rio Ferdinand type thing. Not sure what to make of it.

iregk

Actually is very much a Rio Ferdinand type thing. When training abroad your supposed to tell the relevant bodies in your home country exactly where you will be and when. He didn't do this, nor apparently did he answer any phone calls so they couldn't find him to test him out of competition.

Technically not guilty but a hint of what was he trying to hide by going to ground.

finbarrk

Vino going well today in spite of his injuries.

E@gle.

finbarrk wrote:

Vino going well today in spite of his injuries.

nice to see him winning a stage today

el tel

Does anyone know of any sites/sources where speeds and times of various mountain ascents in the TdeF over the years can be compared?

I would like to see how this year's 'clean' competitors compare to those of the days gone by.

Hermy

Who are these 'clean' competitors El Tel?:rolleyes:

Limestone1

iregk wrote:

Actually is very much a Rio Ferdinand type thing. When training abroad your supposed to tell the relevant bodies in your home country exactly where you will be and when. He didn't do this, nor apparently did he answer any phone calls so they couldn't find him to test him out of competition.

Technically not guilty but a hint of what was he trying to hide by going to ground.

Rasmussen actually missed 4 tests since April 2006. Normally missing 3 incurs an automatic 2 year ban but it seems he missed 2 tests each for 2 different organisations - one Danish and one international.

AndyP

Story here...

http://velonews.com/tour2007/details/articles/12910.0.html