This weekend we saw the true beginning of the Overall Classification for Le Tour De France 2010... the Alps. We saw men rise to the challenge of the mountains, showing off why they are considered challengers. Spartacus lost his yellow, but that is almost customary at this point. His body isn't fit for the peaks.
So now your GC top 10 looks exactly like what we thought it should look like. All the heads of state are there... well almost. Only one man failed to keep up, and it wasn't because his legs weren't with him. I never thought I would say this as a fan of his, but man, I almost pity Lance Armstrong. Lady Luck didn't just turn on him. She pimp slapped him in public, waited for him to stager back, and then did it again. There is no greater rider of Le Tour than Lance. He is inhuman and brilliant when he's on form. Sadly, form doesn't matter this year for him as flat tires and crashes that he didn't cause have nullified his greatness on the bike and reduces him to the best Domestique anyone has ever had. He will ride like a demon now for Levi, who remains in the top 10.
I would have fear if I was the rest of the riders, as Radio Shack still looks like they are a team with good legs. But now they have focus. I can guarantee you also that Lance is angry. He will personally attempt to push the field as the lead out for Levi. I'm very interested to see how this plays out.
That's what I'm hoping for at least... hard to root for a petulant twat from Spain, a douche from Luxumburg and an also ran from Australia.
Well... there are the sprints...
Rest Day today... watch the Versus recap. Those guys do AMAZING coverage of the race. Phil and Paul are why I know what I know about racing, and they are the most entertaining play by play guys in any sport just shy of Tommy Smyth.
12 July 2010
10 July 2010
Le Tour 2010 - Stage 6
Cavendish looks to be truly back to last year's form. He's now at 2 wins so far, but the guy lurking is the tough bastard that is Tyler Farrah. If Garman can get their tactics together, which they will, Tyler will finally get a stage win. He has the legs now, he just needs the lead. Should be fun to watch next week.
For the weekend tho, The Alps loom. Saturday's stage isn't too brutal, we should see a mild sort out, but I doubt it. Likely Spartacus will lose his Yellow... he's too big a guy to climb well.
Looking forward to a weekend of great sports... Le Tour and the World Cup final. A nice taste of greatness after watching LeBron nut punch a city and his own legacy in the same hour. I have no issue with him wanting to win and going to play with his friends. If it makes him happy and that's what he wants ultimately, then good. Go for it. But could you have been less of a douche bag in how you did it? that was like watching someone dump their girlfriend life on TV. It was... rude and dirty.
Anyway... Le Tour continues with the drama. There was a fist fight at the end of stage 6... no joke... a rider took exception to getting elbowed repeatedly. In frustration, he began to hit his tormentor (no joke) with his rear tire. Fists were thrown, and it was broken up. Surprisingly, neither man was kicked off the tour, just fined $200 Euros each. To be fair, two men who are built like skeletons slapping each other can hardly be called a "fight".
Keep watching kids... Versus is doing a hell of a job as usual.
For the weekend tho, The Alps loom. Saturday's stage isn't too brutal, we should see a mild sort out, but I doubt it. Likely Spartacus will lose his Yellow... he's too big a guy to climb well.
Looking forward to a weekend of great sports... Le Tour and the World Cup final. A nice taste of greatness after watching LeBron nut punch a city and his own legacy in the same hour. I have no issue with him wanting to win and going to play with his friends. If it makes him happy and that's what he wants ultimately, then good. Go for it. But could you have been less of a douche bag in how you did it? that was like watching someone dump their girlfriend life on TV. It was... rude and dirty.
Anyway... Le Tour continues with the drama. There was a fist fight at the end of stage 6... no joke... a rider took exception to getting elbowed repeatedly. In frustration, he began to hit his tormentor (no joke) with his rear tire. Fists were thrown, and it was broken up. Surprisingly, neither man was kicked off the tour, just fined $200 Euros each. To be fair, two men who are built like skeletons slapping each other can hardly be called a "fight".
Keep watching kids... Versus is doing a hell of a job as usual.
09 July 2010
Le Tour 2010 - Stage 5
Well, Cavendish has his head straight it appears. He showed amazing emotion after the race, crying as he got his stage trophy. I love the guy, but then again I also have a fondness for over the top sports personalities. (See my love of pro-wrestling)
Watching the Versus coverage last night and seeing the interviews they did with the Garman squad... from the first interview my reaction was "Farrah is healthy enough to go for it." Felt good to be right. If he had made the correct move, he would have won that stage. This is going to be fun to watch next week when we get back to sprint stages.
The mountains loom... well the first set anyway. Saturday is the first Alpine stage (and then the World Cup final, great sports TV day).
Watching the Versus coverage last night and seeing the interviews they did with the Garman squad... from the first interview my reaction was "Farrah is healthy enough to go for it." Felt good to be right. If he had made the correct move, he would have won that stage. This is going to be fun to watch next week when we get back to sprint stages.
The mountains loom... well the first set anyway. Saturday is the first Alpine stage (and then the World Cup final, great sports TV day).
08 July 2010
Le Tour 2010 - Stage 4
Not a lot of carnage yesterday, we just your average first week flat/sprinters stage. Great drama at the end with that sprint, however. What does look promising is how many guys from Garman/Slipstream are in good health. As Tyler Farrah gets healthy, we could be looking at some serious output from that team.
Most of the riders interviewed seemed okay with the way the first three stages played out. "That's a bike race" is what you heard most often. *grumble* I suppose... still... brutal course selection has led to an entire Peleton in bandages.
Most of the riders interviewed seemed okay with the way the first three stages played out. "That's a bike race" is what you heard most often. *grumble* I suppose... still... brutal course selection has led to an entire Peleton in bandages.
07 July 2010
Le Tour 2010 - Stage 3
Cobblestones were as brutal as advertised. I've never seen the classics that feature them... that is just a rough ride.
Another GC guy goes down in Frank Schleck... the site of him laying on the side of the road was painful enough to watch, but word that he has 3 fractures to his collar bone makes it that much more cringe worthy.
Tyler Farrah is a bad bad man. Fractured wrist and a score of bumps and bruises, but the man is still in the race. I was already rooting for the dude... but now it is magnified. Hope he can make it to Paris and show just how tough an SOB he is. If he even manages to sprint in a stage or two, well, he's made of iron.
Lance's flat tire sucked, but his form looks outstanding. He looks like a man who is ready to win the race. I'm hoping he didn't lose too much yesterday for it to hamper him.
All in all, not as much carnage as day 2, but still... Le Tour is about suffering on some level, but the race planners this year are bordering on Sadists with some of the route choices. While yesterday made for compelling television, it was because of the effort of Armstrong, Contador, Andy Schleck, Spartacus and Thor. It shouldn't be easy, but I think this is a bit much.
Flat stage today, if anyone has the gas left for a sprint, it should be a fun finish.
Another GC guy goes down in Frank Schleck... the site of him laying on the side of the road was painful enough to watch, but word that he has 3 fractures to his collar bone makes it that much more cringe worthy.
Tyler Farrah is a bad bad man. Fractured wrist and a score of bumps and bruises, but the man is still in the race. I was already rooting for the dude... but now it is magnified. Hope he can make it to Paris and show just how tough an SOB he is. If he even manages to sprint in a stage or two, well, he's made of iron.
Lance's flat tire sucked, but his form looks outstanding. He looks like a man who is ready to win the race. I'm hoping he didn't lose too much yesterday for it to hamper him.
All in all, not as much carnage as day 2, but still... Le Tour is about suffering on some level, but the race planners this year are bordering on Sadists with some of the route choices. While yesterday made for compelling television, it was because of the effort of Armstrong, Contador, Andy Schleck, Spartacus and Thor. It shouldn't be easy, but I think this is a bit much.
Flat stage today, if anyone has the gas left for a sprint, it should be a fun finish.
06 July 2010
Le Tour 2010
"So I guess this year they don't care about skill, just if you have enough to survive" - The Crowbar
That's paraphrasing, but the sentiment was captured. This years Tour de France, the first two stages at least, have been more about making it through to the end than anything else. We were robbed of a sprint finish on Stage 1 by three successive crashes. Then Stage 2 treated us to what can be accurately be described as cycling carnage. I've been an avid watcher of Le Tour for a decade... I've never seen anything like this. Seeing Andy Schleck with what has to be a severe shoulder/collarbone injury stand by the side of the road in shock summed it up. This isn't fair... this isn't because someone was better on a mountain... this is because the road was too narrow for that many riders... and then it rained. To lose out of the finish because of nonsense like that goes beyond sport... it is simply cruel.
So far Schleck hasn't abandoned, but he *has* to be hurt and that will impact his chances in the mountains. VanDeVelde continues his snake-bit dance with the Tour, cracking 2 ribs, lacerating his freaking eye-lid and generally having his body destroyed after 3 successive crashes. If Tyler Farrah can keep sprinting with the pain he must be in (jacked up wrist, general falling injuries) it will be heroic to watch. Farrah vs Cavendish was a reason to watch the Tour this year... now it might be a never was.
At least most of the GC remained up right. Fabian "Spartacus" Canchelara is to thank for that. He slowed the Peleton, even convincing it to neglect the sprint finish. Sure his team leader fell down, but the man is a titan in cycling. He is a old school professional who wants to win things on the road because he or his team was better than another man, not because they were able to avoid a wreck they had no hand in causing. The fact alone that Contador and Armstrong were caught behind the series of wrecks and had to push hard to get back to the lead group is enough to tell you this was a crap day. Those guys hug the front. They live on the front of the Peleton, specifically for days like this. That's how bad it was... people scanning likes hawks for wrecks, knowing they would come still got caught up.
And all this is before Stage 3... 200k on freaking cobblestone roads. I know cyclists have pain tolerances that are truly inhuman, but Good Lord. This is like making golf courses longer to "Tiger-proof" them, except instead of length they added MMA fighters to protect every green. Wait... that would be awesome... contemplate the visual of Brock Lesner on the 18th hole of the Masters, staring down Lefty McManboobs ready to pounce. Who wouldn't watch that?
But I digress... we will see how all this hits the contenders as the race progresses. It would be a shame if the Le Tour 2010 dies a slow death because every contender is broken long before the mountains can crack them.
Thoughts?
That's paraphrasing, but the sentiment was captured. This years Tour de France, the first two stages at least, have been more about making it through to the end than anything else. We were robbed of a sprint finish on Stage 1 by three successive crashes. Then Stage 2 treated us to what can be accurately be described as cycling carnage. I've been an avid watcher of Le Tour for a decade... I've never seen anything like this. Seeing Andy Schleck with what has to be a severe shoulder/collarbone injury stand by the side of the road in shock summed it up. This isn't fair... this isn't because someone was better on a mountain... this is because the road was too narrow for that many riders... and then it rained. To lose out of the finish because of nonsense like that goes beyond sport... it is simply cruel.
So far Schleck hasn't abandoned, but he *has* to be hurt and that will impact his chances in the mountains. VanDeVelde continues his snake-bit dance with the Tour, cracking 2 ribs, lacerating his freaking eye-lid and generally having his body destroyed after 3 successive crashes. If Tyler Farrah can keep sprinting with the pain he must be in (jacked up wrist, general falling injuries) it will be heroic to watch. Farrah vs Cavendish was a reason to watch the Tour this year... now it might be a never was.
At least most of the GC remained up right. Fabian "Spartacus" Canchelara is to thank for that. He slowed the Peleton, even convincing it to neglect the sprint finish. Sure his team leader fell down, but the man is a titan in cycling. He is a old school professional who wants to win things on the road because he or his team was better than another man, not because they were able to avoid a wreck they had no hand in causing. The fact alone that Contador and Armstrong were caught behind the series of wrecks and had to push hard to get back to the lead group is enough to tell you this was a crap day. Those guys hug the front. They live on the front of the Peleton, specifically for days like this. That's how bad it was... people scanning likes hawks for wrecks, knowing they would come still got caught up.
And all this is before Stage 3... 200k on freaking cobblestone roads. I know cyclists have pain tolerances that are truly inhuman, but Good Lord. This is like making golf courses longer to "Tiger-proof" them, except instead of length they added MMA fighters to protect every green. Wait... that would be awesome... contemplate the visual of Brock Lesner on the 18th hole of the Masters, staring down Lefty McManboobs ready to pounce. Who wouldn't watch that?
But I digress... we will see how all this hits the contenders as the race progresses. It would be a shame if the Le Tour 2010 dies a slow death because every contender is broken long before the mountains can crack them.
Thoughts?
05 July 2010
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)