TdF Spoiler

in message <[email hidden]>, Stross

('mail@REMOVETHISstevenrossDOTplusDOTcom') said:

Well, I'm looking for someone who has watched todays stage to spoil it
for me. Please!

Being stuck in the office all day, I was left with the eurosport.com
website updates rather than a comfy chair in front of the telly. As the
remaining distance dropped, the excitement level grew and grew so that
by the final 5k all work was forgotten, and the refresh button was the
only relief I could find.

So what I need to know, was this a true idea what was unfolding in the
race? Even without team/rider preferences or alliegances, it *seemed*
an amazing show of strength and ability from the two at the front at
the end.

The four at the front at the end. Rasmussen was out-manouvered. He's
young and inexperienced, and got the tactics wrong in the last 500
metres. He wasn't out-climbed; in fact of the four he looked the most
composed and the least fatigued. Valverde finished well but he did have
a teammate to support him - although Mancebo looked all in, and probably
couldn't have hung on if the climb had been another hundred metres
higher.

As for Vinokourov... what? Ullrich and Kloden were dropped but managed to
reorganise and help each other, and both finished climbing well.
Vinokourov disappeared into the also-rans. If this represents (as I
suspect it does) internal tension within T Mobile then they are not
going to get back into this race.

Who to watch for? Rabobank are interesting with some very strong young
riders. Rasmussen is now second in GC and looked fitter than Armstrong
on today's climb. Will his team be willing and able to rally round him?
CSC are not out of it. They're currently first overall in the team
standings, and Basso was able to hang on until the last couple of
kilometers.

The question is, how much has Armstrong taken out of /himself/ on this
climb, and how much has he taken out of Rasmussen, Basso and, to my
surprise, Ullrich. I thought Ulrich was beaten on stage one. I thought
he was beaten on Sunday. Now, I'm not so sure. But unless he can hold
his team together, he's beaten anyway.

--
[email hidden] (Simon Brooke) http://www.jasmine.org.uk/~simon/

;; I'll have a proper rant later, when I get the time.

Stross came up with the following;:

Quoted message said:

Well, I'm looking for someone who has watched todays stage to spoil it
for me. Please!

Being stuck in the office all day, I was left with the eurosport.com
website updates rather than a comfy chair in front of the telly. As the
remaining distance dropped, the excitement level grew and grew so that
by the final 5k all work was forgotten, and the refresh button was the
only relief I could find.

So what I need to know, was this a true idea what was unfolding in the
race? Even without team/rider preferences or alliegances, it *seemed* an
amazing show of strength and ability from the two at the front at the end.

Yes, it was.

Absolutely fascinating race, and showed the differences between youth /
exuberance and experience / mental strength, IMHO.

--
Paul ...
(8(|) Homer Rules ..... Doh !!!

Simon Brooke said:

The four at the front at the end. Rasmussen was out-manouvered.
He's young and inexperienced, and got the tactics wrong in the
last 500 metres.

It was a brilliant surge by Armstrong. He caught everyone napping by
squeezing through a tiny gap by the crowd control barrier when everyone
was expecting him to come through, if he had anything left, on the
other side.

Quoted message said:

He wasn't out-climbed; in fact of the four he looked the most
composed and the least fatigued

He looked cool enough but that may have been "the mask". All four of
them would have been at the limit of their endurance at that point. I
also thought Rasmussen looked set to take the stage, and I wondered
whether Armstrong himself had not blown when his previous kicks had
failed to shake off the last three. But when he kicked for the last
time Rasmussen was unable to respond.

In was an exhibition of raw courage from all the leading riders.
Watching that stage finish, only cyclists could have any idea what they
were going through.

--
Dave...

thanks itv2 for putting tonight's stage forward 30 min; I tuned in to
watch them going up Galibier having missed Vino's break; but hey what's
a bike race?

MartinM said:

thanks itv2 for putting tonight's stage forward 30 min; I tuned in to
watch them going up Galibier having missed Vino's break; but hey what's
a bike race?

There's a game of kickingball you know? Much more important :-)

Julesh

If you have constant access to the internet, why don't you look at the official TDF site, they have continual updates all the way along the stage.
See http://www.letour.fr/2005/TDF/LIVE/us/1100/index.html

Justin

"Stross" <mail@REMOVETHISstevenrossDOTplusDOTcom> wrote in message news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Well, I'm looking for someone who has watched todays stage to spoil it
for me. Please!

Being stuck in the office all day, I was left with the eurosport.com
website updates rather than a comfy chair in front of the telly. As the
remaining distance dropped, the excitement level grew and grew so that
by the final 5k all work was forgotten, and the refresh button was the
only relief I could find.

So what I need to know, was this a true idea what was unfolding in the
race? Even without team/rider preferences or alliegances, it *seemed* an
amazing show of strength and ability from the two at the front at the end.

TIA
Stross

"MartinM" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

thanks itv2 for putting tonight's stage forward 30 min; I tuned in to
watch them going up Galibier having missed Vino's break; but hey what's
a bike race?

Fair do's, they did announce the changed time for today at the end of
yesterdays episode.

--
Tumbleweed

email replies not necessary but to contact use;
tumbleweednews at hotmail dot com

Justin Case said:

If you have constant access to the internet, why don't you look at the official TDF site, they have continual updates all the way along the stage.

The small matter of looking like I'm doing some work ;-)

I must have missed the bit about TdF being on 30 mins early. Problem
today is going to be whether my 12yo remote freeview control droid is
around at 1900 or out chasing girls