Tour de France
 

Well, as long as we're talking sports - the Tour de France is finishing it's second week of racing. Rest day Monday and then the Alps.

A Frenchman is in Yellow and he has heart but not enough to hold it through the Alps. The GC riders are close on time and if somebody does not attack in the next few days it may come down to the TT and the edge goes to Evans.

22 teams in this year's TdF. 4 of them American based (lots of foreign riders though) but the US is starting to get some good up and coming young riders.

BMC - HTC - Radio Shack - Garmin

I hear ya.....Haven't been able to watch the last few days, but it has been interesting to say the least. A lot of crashes this yr!!!!

contador is down on time but i say he makes a big move in the alps...cadel looks strong but usually has a one bad day in the mountains...the schleks have tried in the pyrennes but without much success although frank may be a ringer this year...hats off to the american sprinter farrar for his stage win...lots of crashes...radio shack down to 5 riders...the last TT will be big

Contador
 

Depending on how the board rules Contador might be out - forfeting last year's Tour, this year's Giro and this year's Tour if he wins it.

Some are blaiming Contador's poor showing in this year's Tour because "he's riding clean now".

But what they fail to take into account. He was riding on experinced teams. Now he's riding on a team built around him - and he is the head primadona.

He's trying to be one of the few who have won the Giro and the TdF in the same year. He got the Giro but I think it knocked a little of the stuffing out of him.

The reason he's down on time this year is not because of "no juice" but because of bad placement in the peliton and lack of attention - which gets back to him and the team to include the manager and director. I think he's finding out he's not as smart as he thinks he is.

all good points...he's crashed at least twice, doesnt have bruyneel and his program this year, and may be whipped from the giro, but he stuck around his rivals in the pyrennes....i think his team is weak but he's showing smarts by following wheels so far...a natural climber who can time trial i say he goes big in the alps and enters the final time trial less than a minute down...im not a contador fan...im just sayin...

Favorite video
 

Anyone see the rider that was run off the road by the French newspaper car? Lucky Kate Middleton was not in the area!!!

MVP

yes...wow...the french press car actually HIT the spanish rider flecha which downed him...another rider somersaulted into the barb wire fence and received 33 stitches...press car was asked not to return the following day

I managed to find an archive pic of the 1940 Tour de France!

Nice jerseys - must be Team Benz - is that Burghardt's grandfather in the lead? :p

Richard :munchin

Hard to say.
I believe only the French wore yellow jerseys at that time.:rolleyes::D

And those little white bike safety flags to keep from being mistaken for combatants and being run over (French military term; 'overrun' is the US, UK, GE term) by PzKW lll's, Kfz15's, SdKfz's, and the like.

Richard :munchin

Not to mention French staff officers in Renaults speeding toward Dunkirk, or Vichy.:rolleyes:

E&E plan in effect per SOP unchanged since Franco-Prussian War - Pri RP is Rick's Café Américain, Casablanca; Alt RP is Grand Hotel Eastbourne. :p

French Security? (An oxymoron with bikes)
 

It always amazed me how close fans came to riders during the event. After a rider being hit by the media car and now this, I wonder if more riders will be clamoring for better security during events. France used approx. 13,000 national police (including 45 motorcyclists) during last year's event.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O0W__FNIGwA

FYI, for those who don't follow cycling, the rider (Alberto Contador) failed a drug test last year. Most likely why this clown was dressed as a doctor and chasing him with a blood bag.

I have been to a few of the stages in the Alps in previous years and I am utterly amazed that there have been no terrorist attacks during the Tour de France. French security is not that good and it is a target rich environment of innocent bystanders. The perfect terrorist scenario.

Taking a different tone, congratulations to Cadel Evans on his win, though I was kinda hoping that Thomas Voeckler would ride his way into third place today. IMO he deserved it with all of the extraordinary work he has put into this Tour.

Tress