pillowy star Posted July 28, 2007 Share Posted July 28, 2007 gosh yes. great race between the top three. i thought we were going to have a top 3 mix up but evans was able to conserve his lead over a charging leipheimer. below is a pretty good perspective of the clean riders within the peloton: Of the supposedly clean riders would be more appropriate methinks Quote Link to post Share on other sites
jenbobblehead Posted July 28, 2007 Share Posted July 28, 2007 i would love to be a fly on the wall during dinner at Discovery Channel Team's table tonite. What will happen tomorrow??! Levi said he wasn't going to chase down Evans, but how can he not try to move up? Won't Cadel try to move up on Alberto? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Spawn's dad Posted July 28, 2007 Share Posted July 28, 2007 no Quote Link to post Share on other sites
pillowy star Posted July 29, 2007 Share Posted July 29, 2007 I really hate this "Tour d'Honneur" or however they call that last stage where there is that unwritten law of not attacking the yellow jersey. What happened to the wonderful finishes a la Greg LeMond & Laurent Fignon back in 1989 ? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
welch79 Posted July 29, 2007 Author Share Posted July 29, 2007 I really hate this "Tour d'Honneur" or however they call that last stage where there is that unwritten law of not attacking the yellow jersey. What happened to the wonderful finishes a la Greg LeMond & Laurent Fignon back in 1989 ?the difference there is that situation was an individual time trial, like yesterday's stage. the last stage this year, and in several years past, is a full-field stage (less easy to attack). the last stage has typically been a parade into the champs, take one lap, then the sprinters go to work (unless you alexandre vinokourov, then you attack and try to leap-frog people in front of you). just tradition, man. it's how the other riders honor the hard-earned leader in yellow. now, if there were only like 10 seconds difference, then i think tradition goes out the window. but given this year's situation, evans is 23 seconds back from contador. there are two time bonuses from cat. 4 climbs (12 secs. total possible if he crosses 1st across each climb), and a finishing bonus of 20, 12 or 8 for 1-3 on the line. because the teams will be riding to defend, it would be very unlikely for evans to be able to pull all those climbing bonuses off, much less finish ahead of the sprinters boonen, hushovd, hunter, etc. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
pillowy star Posted July 29, 2007 Share Posted July 29, 2007 I know, I know, and all the past years I have been the one to explain all that to people who thought they'd been made fun of, watching that last stage with the riders toasting each other etc But as this year everything is different really, and nobody knows who to honor and who not, my humble opinion is that it also might be a good idea to break with this tradition and create some tension other than "who's gonna be the next to fall off his bike dead due to doping"? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Spawn's dad Posted July 29, 2007 Share Posted July 29, 2007 it has nothing to do with tradition. a marked podium finisher isn't taking 20 something seconds out of someone on a flat stage. it doesn't work that way. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
welch79 Posted July 30, 2007 Author Share Posted July 30, 2007 it has nothing to do with tradition. a marked podium finisher isn't taking 20 something seconds out of someone on a flat stage. it doesn't work that way.ok. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
pillowy star Posted July 30, 2007 Share Posted July 30, 2007 Glad that someone explained Quote Link to post Share on other sites
pillowy star Posted July 31, 2007 Share Posted July 31, 2007 Iban Mayo was tested positive on EPO. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/main.jhtm...1/sobren131.xml Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Aeglos Posted July 31, 2007 Share Posted July 31, 2007 the more the better... makes you wonder if riders are as closely examined in the Giro and the Vuelta Quote Link to post Share on other sites
SquashedFrog Posted August 1, 2007 Share Posted August 1, 2007 What took so long!!! You knew this was coming... "August 1, 2007German authorities said Tuesday they have received documents from doping expert Werner Franke that he claims show Tour de France winner Alberto Contador of Spain was involved in doping. Franke said he has documents from the Operation Puerto doping investigation last year in Spain that show that Contador, who won the doping-marred Tour on Sunday, had used a testosterone booster and an asthma product called TGN. ''We can confirm we have received the documents, and they will be incorporated into procedures of the district attorney's office,'' Christian Brockert, a spokesman for the Federal Criminal Police Office in Germany, told the Associated Press. Contador, who rides for the Discovery Channel team, missed the 2006 Tour when his former team, Liberty, was disqualified because he and four other riders -- plus the team director and doctor -- allegedly were linked to Operation Puerto." Quote Link to post Share on other sites
pillowy star Posted August 2, 2007 Share Posted August 2, 2007 I can't believe that this was being held back for so long. Like you said, everyone knew it, and Mr. Franke has been literally screaming during the Tour that Contador was doped and needed to be taken out. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
cryptique Posted September 20, 2007 Share Posted September 20, 2007 Landis loses verdict, must forfeit Tour title Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.