Le Tour de France

Here are the standings now:

Top 10:
Rasmussen - Denmark - RAB
Contador - Spain - DISCO - 2:23
Evans - Australia - PRL - 3:04
Levi Leipheimer - USA - DISCO - 4:29
Kloden - Germany - ASTANA - 4:38
Sastre - Spain - CSC
Kasheckin - Khazikistan - Astana
Astarloza - Spain - EUS
Valverde - Spain - CGE
Popovych - ??? - DISCO

Sastre and below are all 5+ mins behind, the #10 spot (Popovych) being just under 11 Mins away.

Vinokorouv lost something close to 30 minutes today, dropping down to 30th Overall, 34+ Minutes behind. His race - and career - is over as he is set to retire at the end of the Tour.

 

No paranoia please.

Are Pantani, Riis, Indurain or Ulrich American ?

In the recent past Jalabert and Virenque were doped too.

Really, your comments make no sense, are Americans pissed off when a foreigner wins the Indianapolis F1 race ?

Well, maybe YOU are

About Armstrong, well...just ask Ferrari and Lemond lol

I was just afraid you were naive on this subject, but I can see I was wrong, so it's allright

 

Another exciting race today. Group of 25 had at one point close to 9 minute lead. Vinkorouv won the stage by a few minutes, but isnt a contender for overall anymore. Rasmussen and Contador finished a minute ahead of the other 8 contenders, but if Contador had attacked earlier on the last climb, he might have gained on Rasmussen who was definately in trouble after one of the 5 attacks Contador launched.

I think Cotnador has a good chance at GC now, still 2 mins behind but i think better TT. Rest day tomorrow, but then another big mtn stag.Top 10 riders positions didnt change, just dropped more time to Rasmussen.

 

(((That's OK, I forgive you for being in error - as does ;-))

 

Same here, that's what I tried to explain to you when I said that the "anti US jealousy" YOU were talking about was about as stupid as implying the Indianapolis F1 race winner was despised in USA because he was a foreigner winning a race in USA.

So YOU brang the national "it's jealousy towards US runner winning the Tour de France" crap in this doping discussion, not me, don't do this again, if you please.

BTW the mentionned runners are Italian, Spanish, German, Danish and French.

Lemond is an American runner, he won the TdF 3 times ! and there were no attacks against him because he was American, and at the times, his direct opponent to win the race were French runners, which proves how miserable are the "Anti American" theories behind which Armstrong and a bunch of simple minded people hide themselves.

Ferrari was Armstrong's medical preparator. The man said in 1994 that EPO was not more dangerous than 10 liters of orange juice, and was sentenced 1 year emprisonment in 2001 for sport reglementation fraud and illegal pharmacology.

This does not change the fact that he was the best runner of his generation, you don't win 7 times just because you are better dopped than your opponent (and dopped they were, like Basso for example).

To speak in the way Mussolini (our Mussolini, not the syphilitic facist whale) did above, whatever dope he took or not, he is one of the greatest bicycle rider ever, and I guess we can all agree on this

But at a given age, one just has to turn the page of fairytales and Santa Klaus lol

 

Well, the reason the French are all over Armstrong and not Lemond is that Armstrong dominated the Tour for 7 straight years. He beat the records set by the greats and he drew a lot of attention to the sport, all loud and obnoxious American fans. A good deal of them are no longer into the Tour de France as LA isnt in it anymore. The Tour came to be about 'how are we going to beat Lance' rather then 'how are we going to win'. The Directors even implemented changes and rules that were to try and prevent Lance from winning again, but obviously they failed. That is why the French hate him. Not to mention the whole Iraq war thing ('Freedom' Fries) and all.

 

If it was true, Indurain would have earned a lot of hate when he won 5 times in a row, which is not the case.

And I don't think people would have hated Armstrong when he won in 1999, 2000, 2001 and 2002, in anticipation of the 2003 war in Irak lol

Armstrong is not hated, that's what he's hiding behind when his performances are questionned, and you've always got some people to buy this - happy the simple minded as it's written somewhere

And my first post on the subject was not singling Armstrong AT ALL !!! He's history now, I was talking about doping, having a big laugh at the dope fest the Tour de France has always been is being anti american ?

I was only talking about doping, I said they all were, since ever, whatever the nationality.

And some overheated brains, reacting like only guilty/uneasy/uncomfortable feeling people do, jump on me and give me the "it's anti american jealousy" crap...

 

Indurain was Spanish, not American. Cycling in Europe is recieved a lot differently then in the US. I am sure the first American to race in the Tour did so long after the first Spaniard. Indurain was also very quiet and really only dominated the Time Trials, not every aspect of the race.

LA, pre-cancer, was a very rowdy person. Not respectful to the veteran riders or anything. That could be part of the reason. But i think the political climate of the period is why the French hate Americans. There are countless reasons, but i do believe the beginning of the Iraq War Era plays a large part in it since the US hated France and vice-versa. You cant say it hasnt contributed. Look at when accusations of him doping come out - only towards the end of his career.

I dont think we have anything to worry about this year. They hated Floyd too (still pending his investigation) but Levi wont win it this year. It would be interesting if Rasmussen held on to the win, given the alleged doping he did, but i think that Contador might steal the wind and i think just about everyone will be OK with that. Whats not to like about a 24 year old with a titanium plate in his head?

 

Well, I think that the polemics with him started long before Gulf War 2, his first victory in 1999 occured the year after the Festina scandal, and I remember the big laugh about the measurement of how many energy he was producing.

Maybe they were less mediatized in USA because Armstrong himself was not the star he would become a few years after.

But I agree, after GW2, some assholes from both side of the Atlantic heated up and threw at each other heads all they could, from Freedom fries to chemical Texans lol.

But I can tell you he's got countless fans here, just like any other sport superstar.

For this year, when I look at Rasmussen, I have the feeling he's really suspect, and maybe we'll have just another scandal. Even if it takes 10 years to come out, like for Riis.

I don't see Contador beating him, the real contestor would have been Vinokourov, but it looks like even good doctor Ferrari can't do much against falling injuries

I enjoy more the short races (the "classics") over TdF, Giro etc... because, even if it's the same runners, it is less demanding and requires less supernatural performances.

 

Well, if yesterday was any case, i think Cantador can rack Rasmussen tomorow in the final hill climbing stage. I also think Contador has done better then Rasmussen in the TT too, so if its close after tomorrow, who knows!

Cadel Evans has looked poor in the Mtns. so far, just managing to stay in there with the main group. I'd expect to see lots of attacks tomorrow as they realize its their last shot at beating Rasmussen. None of them will gain 5 Mins in the TT.

But yeah, Rasmussen doesnt look like a winner. Way too skinny to be able to have that sort of power each day. He is called the 'Chicken' for a reason. His team mates are gonna be wiped out trying to defend the Yellow tomorrow. This is a well placed Rest Day, i think. Everyone will be 'fresh' (how Fresh can you be after 2 weeks of racing?) for the last Mtn stage tomorrow. The Sprinters will form their little group to get themselves through the stage, but i'd expect a group of 15 (including the GC Contenders) to dominate once again.

 

skinniness has nothing to do with power from inside as the man is a master climber and has proven it here and in past TdF's as well as other races. Will he stay yellow till the end in Paris ? probably not.

think we can stil count on another 3-4 surprises rom other contenders before the end..............they have to make their presence known, including Leipheimer who I think personally plus the discovery team is a bunch of goofs this year

let's face it since last year the supposed Landis awakening win the major leaguers are all plagued by dope whether they were part of the scene or not. this years TdF is run by unknowns which I find refreshing. You can almost bet whomever pulls this thing off is going to be hounded by the doping masters

pro-cycling has been forever tainted

 

I think its all crazy. I think its more the European standard then anything. You get caught doing drugs in the Cycling Community you get banned for two years. You get caught doing doping in the NFL you sit out two games and get to go to the Pro-Bowl. The Drugs are in every sport, Cycling just happens to be a European Sport and subject to different standard.

Bonda, McGuire, Giambi all dope but still got to play.
Merriman is only as good as he is because he is on steroids.

 

Muss that is my point, the brightly clad spandex chaps get their pants dropped, tested and the world goes nutz.

~ At home in baseball and football and other sports like swimming it is a matter of just saying "oh well........don't do it again."

 

off the versus web-site. why does this not surprise me............idiot !

Astana Quits Tour!

By Phil Liggett
July 24, 2007

Alexandre Vinokourov’s positive blood test announced Tuesday has stunned everyone from riders to organisers. Since his crash, he has been portrayed as a limping hero of what, so far, has been a marvellous Tour. Now, he seems to have been caught introducing homologous blood into his system just before the time trial he won in demonstrative fashion.

His Astana team has withdrawn at the invitation of the organizers and Vinokourov suspended by Astana pending the confirmation of his positive test in his B analysis. It is very unusual for the second test not to confirm the first. In short, Vinokourov, one of the most respected riders in the peloton will now leave the sport in disgrace.

British rider David Millar, himself a reformed drug taker has been leading the campaign to clean up the sport and his comment during his own Saunier Duval team’s press conference in Pau, sums up the feelings of most: “I just feel like crying right now.”

Paul, Bob and I are, for once, speechless. We are all very upset and such a stupid action at a time the sport looked to be putting its own house in order. It is incomprehensible that Vinokourov could do such a thing when he must have known he was under suspicion because of his dealing with disgraced doctor Michele Ferrari in Italy. He must have known he would be tested at every opportunity and the time trial was the perfect occasion.

Tomorrow we will know more.

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Wow - thats news to me but doesn't surprise me all that much given how much he dominated the Time Trial compared to the following day where he lost 30 minutes overall.


Still, i think the UCI etc needs to investigate that French Lab. For starters, it shouldnt be a French Lab doing the testing. They botched up enough samples already (the Landis case, for instance, claims that the 'positive' blood sample was actually some one elses, but a Tester who didnt write down his name like he should following protocol scratched out the other persons numbers and put Floyds on instead) and have proven they aren't very capable in any matter dealing with it. Maybe the Swiss need to get involved and sort things out...

With Astana out, that narrows the field down even more. No more Kloden. I imagine Russian TV will no longer broadcast this years Tour, like Germany once that rider who dropped out tested positive?

 

lol ! I promised I did not knew when I posted this !!

And there's more to come, another runner has been busted positive on testosteron, the official announce should come out soon.

 

Will be interesting to see Rasmussens blood work come back too. Perhaps he is the one? Another great stage today, but unless Rasmussen messes the TT up big time, it looks like he will be the winner. Great showing by 24-year-old Contador though! And Levi finally showed his colors, finishing 2nd in the stage. I still dont see how Rasmussen performed the way he did with out looking tired at all while all the other 150-remaining riders are wiped out.

 

Muss it's all part of putting the pain somewhere else, whether it's 100 miles or doing a long ugly double century in one day. Ras may just put it down low and not show emotion. There is always the possibility that Ras, Cont and others are under the influence of strange liguid substances.

the whole affair is so stupid it is hard to conceive, of course we are at the stages of life in the world you have to cheat to get ahead

 

There's been a bomb attack on the race by ETA. No-one reported injured-
BBC NEWS | World | Europe | Blasts hit Tour de France route

 

Seems a rather half-hearted attempt if anything. Like that article says, more so to draw attention to their cause then anything. If they were serious about killing fans/riders, it would be a different story.