Tour De France

[pumpdoc 2]

Got to say it's shaping up to be a royal Battle between Astana teamates Contador and Armstrong, yesterdays downhill after the climb was sick to watch 80+kph woo hoo!!! It will be an interesting 2 weeks to go.

[pumpdoc 2]

http://sports.yahoo.com/sc/news;_ylt=AquGPE.G6Sat.WvHNFq80FE5nYcB?slug=ro-tour071309&prov=yhoo&type=lgns

More intrigue/ dirt.

[HandyNZL 1]

I knew i should have got up at 2am to watch the last few hours of the stage to the top of that swiss climb, of which name escapes me....man Contador reminds me of a younger Armstrong. Such accelration on a stage like that...oh I am looking forward to the penultimate stage. An HC climb up a mountain that has only been used 3x before in the TOur, the last time in the 70's and a rider died going up it...yes DIED as in DEAD!! This sounds like a freaking massive climb, and if Armstrong is close enough on time, or one of the Schlecks....FIREWORKS.

THough I must say as an overall, this year has not been as good as last years race. Not enough hill top finishes...through the Pyrenees and hardly an attack. Nice to see the return of the TTT though. Cadel will never win this race - he just hasn't got it in him, I feel. I think his two 2nds will be his best placings. Contador and the Schlecks are just better than him.

Been much better watching the TOur than F1 though...I must say. At least it's unpredictable!

[pumpdoc 2]

I knew i should have got up at 2am to watch the last few hours of the stage to the top of that swiss climb, of which name escapes me....man Contador reminds me of a younger Armstrong. Such accelration on a stage like that...oh I am looking forward to the penultimate stage. An HC climb up a mountain that has only been used 3x before in the TOur, the last time in the 70's and a rider died going up it...yes DIED as in DEAD!! This sounds like a freaking massive climb, and if Armstrong is close enough on time, or one of the Schlecks....FIREWORKS.

THough I must say as an overall, this year has not been as good as last years race. Not enough hill top finishes...through the Pyrenees and hardly an attack. Nice to see the return of the TTT though. Cadel will never win this race - he just hasn't got it in him, I feel. I think his two 2nds will be his best placings. Contador and the Schlecks are just better than him.

Been much better watching the TOur than F1 though...I must say. At least it's unpredictable!

Yeah the climb on Tuesday the HC was followed by a another vicious climb to St Bernard and on the down slope a Saxobank rider bit it good, had to be airlifted out. Yup better than F1 right now.

[HandyNZL 1]

Shhhh...I'll whisper this so the others don't hear....the Tour is ALWAYS better than F1.....

[aussief1 4]

I knew i should have got up at 2am to watch the last few hours of the stage to the top of that swiss climb, of which name escapes me....man Contador reminds me of a younger Armstrong. Such accelration on a stage like that...oh I am looking forward to the penultimate stage. An HC climb up a mountain that has only been used 3x before in the TOur, the last time in the 70's and a rider died going up it...yes DIED as in DEAD!! This sounds like a freaking massive climb, and if Armstrong is close enough on time, or one of the Schlecks....FIREWORKS.

THough I must say as an overall, this year has not been as good as last years race. Not enough hill top finishes...through the Pyrenees and hardly an attack. Nice to see the return of the TTT though. Cadel will never win this race - he just hasn't got it in him, I feel. I think his two 2nds will be his best placings. Contador and the Schlecks are just better than him.

Been much better watching the TOur than F1 though...I must say. At least it's unpredictable!

Cadel win never win when he is riding for Silence Lotto - The team is just not to the standard of others nor does Cadel seem to have the power within the team to really have the team work for him that little bit more. Change of team is what Cadel needs more than anything really that or they get some decent climbers that will help Cadel, so many times he is the soul rider for SL. I think Cadel can win the Tour finishing twice in second by such small margins and having that fall last year they guy is tough, bloody tough. I do agree that Contador is all class, awesome in all aspects.

[HandyNZL 1]

Cadel win never win when he is riding for Silence Lotto - The team is just not to the standard of others nor does Cadel seem to have the power within the team to really have the team work for him that little bit more. Change of team is what Cadel needs more than anything really that or they get some decent climbers that will help Cadel, so many times he is the soul rider for SL. I think Cadel can win the Tour finishing twice in second by such small margins and having that fall last year they guy is tough, bloody tough. I do agree that Contador is all class, awesome in all aspects.

Contador has dropped in my value in the last few days. He was very wrong to say what he said about Lance, and Lance is very right in saying that it takes a team to win the Tour. In a way, Alberto reminds me of a young, pre-cancerous Lance, who was the American everyone loved to hate on the pro circuit, because he wasn't much of a team player. I watched all the mountain stages, and it was pretty plain to see that Armstrong played the ultimate team mate - he could have gone with Contador on all but one of the attacks. If he stays fit in the next year, and gets the right team mates with him on Radioshack, then he would be even money for an 8th Tour.

Swinging back to the little robot dancer, Cadel (yes - he dances like a robot - I met him back in the day when he was mountainbiking, and after World Cup race parties are always funny) - they brought in Dario last year to help him in the climbs - a guy that when they were both mountainbiking together, used to smoke Cadel up the hills...but he got left behind in the mountains by Cadel. I agree his team isn't strong enough, but I don't think Cadel himself is strong enough to command the right people to be recruited around him. Lance is that sort of person. Alberto is that sort of person. And the Schlecks have each other Being an 'ocker in a very very very European sport also goes against him.

One has to bear in mind that his second last year was after two leaders were ejected for different reasons, and there was no Contador, and the Schlecks were too young, and they had to look after Sastre. Now they are joint number ones on Saxo Bank, and rightly so. The next five years of the tour are going to be amazing with those two riding. Cadel is a bit like Jan Ullrich - can time trial, and can ride up a hill better than most...but has no explosive power in the hills....which is what ya need.

So, I'm sorry Nate, but I stand by my opinion that Cadel will never podium again in the Tour. Unless he signs up with Lance at Radioshack.

And hoepfully Julien Dean is allowed to race for a stage next year by his team. He's been a good lead out rider for the past five years...time for him to be lead out, me thinks.

[kiko01 0]

Contador has dropped in my value in the last few days. He was very wrong to say what he said about Lance, and Lance is very right in saying that it takes a team to win the Tour. In a way, Alberto reminds me of a young, pre-cancerous Lance, who was the American everyone loved to hate on the pro circuit, because he wasn't much of a team player. I watched all the mountain stages, and it was pretty plain to see that Armstrong played the ultimate team mate - he could have gone with Contador on all but one of the attacks. If he stays fit in the next year, and gets the right team mates with him on Radioshack, then he would be even money for an 8th Tour.

Couldn't disagree more... I will not say Contador is an angel but can't believe you bought the storie the american side of Astana and Bruyneel have been teling. Armstrong ows his podium finish to the Astana no doubt about that, Contador ows nothing to the team (when have you seen the leader of the tour and by far the strongest man of the race without the possibility of being aggresive because they have to protect another one's possition? Remember the old times of discovery channel? How many times did Armstrong did not attack in order to help anyone within his team? Come on... Ask Roberto Heras) Armstrong in any other team would have been 9th, 10th, no more than that. Not among the best in the chronos (Alberto was the best overall) not among the best in the mountains (again, Alberto was the best)Hadn't it been for the team chrono and the absolutelly stupid over protection the whole team have been giving him he would have been far away from podium possitions. I can perfectly understands Contador feels he ows nothing to the team, anyone not blind can tell you that. Are you gonna tell me that the guy who has been talikng rubish about AC all the time and the guy that announced he was creating a new team the day his team mate was grabbing the "maillot jaune" is the team player? Contador won it fair and square, LA is a pathetic looser, he's the one that has dropped in my value...

[pumpdoc 2]

Sorry but Contador i

s a young yahoo, he'll learn this next year, he has no class.

[kiko01 0]

Sorry but Contador i

s a young yahoo, he'll learn this next year, he has no class.

Hi Pump, how have you been?

Well apparently the only persons whithin the peloton that think that way (he has no class) about Contador are Amrstrong and Bruyneel. Pls, if you have the chance read what Andy Schelck have said about Contador (he's a gentleman) and about the possibility of joining Armstrong's team next year (after what he saw this year with Alberto Contador he would never be in the same team than the american)Probably the whole world has no class and LA is the right one.

Can you pls tell me what has AC exactly done to deserve the title of man with no class? yeah, next year Contador will probably win the tour again and Armstrong will do exactly the same thing he did this year. Nothing but crying