2009 Tour de France(updates/stage results and SPOILER ALERT!)

Seems to have been updated ...

Total Distance: 94.84 miles
Start Elevation: 2680.45 ft
End Elevation: 2988.85 ft
Minimum Elevation: 1564.96 ft
Maximum Elevation: 6427.17 ft
Elevation Ascent: 16030.18 ft
Elevation Descent: 15721.78 ft
Track Points: 527

 

16,000 feet? lol these guys are freaks

 

TT is over..

My prediction for the podium in Paris..

1) Contador (Of course)
2) Andy Schleck
3) Frank Schleck

 

BREAKING NEWS:
LANCE TO FORM NEW TEAM IN 2010

 

Did he mention that is was stained green? Deal with it Cav, you won a ton of stages and had a great tour. Don't ruin it by becoming, errr, continuing to be a whiner.

I hope Armstrong and Kloden round it out, but what a great race the Schleck's have had. I am not a cycling historian but this would have to rank as one of the best family finishes of all time...

 

Lance needed more than a 23 second buffer on Frank going into Saturday..The way the Schleck bros. are climbing, I see a repeat of stage 17 on Saturday.

The Schleck brothers are amazing climbers for sure. The crazy thing is, this years tour is a climbers route, and AC is still winning all the TT's!

I'm afraid while AC is healthy, I don't see anyone coming up (or coming back) that can beat him.

He's 24 years old. He could break some records for sure...

The one I want him to repeat is win all three tours in the same year. Merx style

 

i'm no cycling historian either, but i think an armstrong podium finish would rank as high as any of his individual tour wins. one of the great comeback stories either way, especially w/ the broken collarbone.



"...an incredible cinderella story. the crowd is deadly silent, tears in his eyes as he lines up this last shot. former greenskeeper about to become the master's champion...it's in the hole!"

:beer:

 

I am thinking AC won't be on Radio Shacks Team...

 

I'm thinking he could pretty much write his own ticket after this dominating performance, just one of many over the last three years.

 

Contador is a putz attacking the Schlecks on 17. He was simply a carrot for them to go after and they certainly did.
Not only that, but watching his body and face as he climbed after the attack, it looked like he was starting to really hurt. They were able to bridge back up to him easily! In the meantime, he alienated Kloden and Armstrong, who apparently knows HOW to be a good team mate hanging back with Wiggins!
I have yet to see Kloden say anything in the press that Contador asked him to go with him on an attack. Until he does, Contador is not a team player in my book.
He could have gone down in history (last done in 1914 apparently) as being on the team that had 3 team mates on the podium.
Lance seems to be missing the accelerations but he does seem to have the staying power.
I don't see him getting dropped on Ventoux but I would be surprised if he won.
The brothers are going to play him hard! Frank needs to attack to beat Lance and Lance needs to attack to beat Andy!
Saturday is going to be fantastic!!:bang:

 

Alberto proved himself not to be a team player. Kind of like Lance did in his first tour. Difference here is AC arrogant. He'll get picked up by a good team but most will have nothing but dislike for him unless he changes his attitude.
He's a really good bike rider but I'm not going to say he's great.

I think the brothers will work together and this will beat LA out of a podium. He's only got 11 seconds on Frank and with Andy working for Frank it doesn't look good for LA.

 

You are right, Lance was a bad tactician when he began his career, just like Alberto is now. They called Lance arrogant too. When Condator learns to be a better tactician in a few years, he will also be at a peak age physically. Just like Lance.

 

AC can redeem himself tomorrow on Mt Ventoux: Somewhere midway up the climb Lance attacks, breaks away from the Schleck brothers and builds up 1 miute 20-30 seconds lead through the finish, in order to guarantee him secnd place. Meanwhile AC and Kloden stay back with the Schlecks, bog them down and make sure they don't attack. Lance takes the stage victory on the most important stage (which he gave up in 2000 as a gift to Pantani) and secures 2nd. That would be justice considering how many times he played the trustworthy teammate to AC on earlier stages...

 

I love it! Sounds like an episode of 24...only during the stage of a bike race..I can almost hear the dramatic music going with it...

I like the ticking time bomb scenario..highly unlikely..but fun to imagine.

 

Contador attacked to drop his own teammate, then gave the stage win away to an opposing team...so I highly doubt he'll be helping his own teammates tomorrow.

 

Agreed - unlikely he will play it out as the considerate teammate. Wishful thinking on my end.

 

Haha, that's what I was thinking too.

I'll bet that talking-to was a good one, cause he did not dare creep an inch past his position as anchor today.

Next years gonna be very interesting.

 

wohooh Lance podiums. Wait till next year when he puts the hammer on that little punk cantador.:lol:

 

Nice collection of Tour photos here:

http://www.boston.com/bigpicture/2009/07/2009_tour_de_france.html