This year's Tour de France starts tomorrow so does anybody see someone else than Lance Armstrong win (assuming he reaches Paris)?

Jan Ullrich is the most talented rider in the world, but he has a serious atitude problem. As if his mother's biscuits causing him some extra 10 Kg weren't already legendary, but this season was a disgrace for him: firstly, a knee problem that puted him out of the Tour, then a car crash, while driving drunk, and finally, this week, a positive doping test. It's maybe the end for him. What a pitty, potentially, he is in my opinion the most gifted rider of the last 20 years.
So, now it will be either Armstrong or a spaniard. If the american is in the shape of last year, then he is untouchable, and will only loose if he falls. So far, the pre-race tests were quite positive, with the overall victory in the Midi-Libre.
The direct menace comes from ONCE, which is certainly the strongest team in the race. Joseba Beloki will be the man to watch, but US postal must take care with Igor Galdeano too. They're all very strong, I think that the team's time trial will go for this spanish team. Their handycap: a history of successive failure in this race. Will it be this year?
Another man to watch closely will be Oscar Sevilla from Kelme. Last year's Vuelta a España runner-up is now a year older and the future is his. Maybe it's too soon for the Tour, but the podium in Paris is not ask for too much.
And if Lance Armstrong fails, US Postal can allways look at Roberto Heras, another spaniard. Another strong candidate would be Angel Casero, who won last year's Vuelta, but I think his new team was not invited. I'm sorry for him.
I'm also curious to watch the performance of Levy Leipheimer, now that he left US Postal, to try to make a carreer for himself.
From Italy, I don't see anyone capable, which is a low point for the greatest cycling nation in the world. And France is even worst. Their only man is Morreau, but it needs a lot of luck to bet on him.
And what can one say about the consecutive suicides that Franck Vandenbroucke continues to carry on. The last news from him is an 18 months ban.
Let's watch and enjoy!

It will be Lance, no question.
And if the U.S. team's performance in the World Cup didn't shock the heck out of everyone, consider this:
There are nine U.S. riders in this year's tour, which has got to be a record. Of those, three are team leaders: Armstrong (US Postal), Levi Leipheimer (Rabobank) and Tyler Hamilton (CSC-Tiscali).
Europe, be scared: We're after yet another one of your sports!

Does it bother any other Americans that the Postal Service is always complaining they're poor, yet they can sponsor Armstrong? I mean, they just raised our rates yet agian, they're talking about stopping saturday delievery, and possibly closeing post offices.....

Lance is going to win no doubt about it, he is such a great athlete with a great attitude.
To Franklyn: to be honost with you, if somebody like Armstrong is around I don't want anybody else to win the Tour as he is an example to everybody. The way he came back after had cancer and winning the Tour several times, one can't do anything else than taking his hat off for this man. That he is American is not important in such a case.

Very true civ1-addict!

I just hope that there won't be any doping related problems during the tour and then the best one should win, no matter where he comes from.

Originally posted by civ1-addict
Lance is going to win no doubt about it, he is such a great athlete with a great attitude.
To Franklyn: to be honost with you, if somebody like Armstrong is around I don't want anybody else to win the Tour as he is an example to everybody. The way he came back after had cancer and winning the Tour several times, one can't do anything else than taking his hat off for this man. That he is American is not important in such a case.

I agree,
Lance is a person I respect very much and I hope he will win the Tour.

Originally posted by Myartar
Does it bother any other Americans that the Postal Service is always complaining they're poor, yet they can sponsor Armstrong? I mean, they just raised our rates yet agian, they're talking about stopping saturday delievery, and possibly closeing post offices.....

I've wondered about this. 37 cents to mail a letter...

Who remembers paying 29 cents?

That was so long ago...

Armstrong has won the prologue. A bit too early to be in yellow as defending it costs a lot of energy which he will need in the mountains. I think he will not defend it but will reclaim it in the mountains and then keep it until Paris!

Let's wait and see, he's not yet in Paris.
Of course it's sad that Ullrich isn't participating, as he is potentially the strongest contester to Armstrong, which probably would have made the Tour more exiting. But maybe someone else will surprisingly have his big year, as Ullrich did in 1996.

Originally posted by Hitro
But maybe someone else will surprisingly have his big year, as Ullrich did in 1996.

According to my sources Ullrich won the Tour in 1997. :confused:
In 1996 Riis was the surprising winner, when everyone expected that Indurain would win his 6th Tour.

Ullrich did win the Tour in 1997, but that wasn't that much of a surprise. The real surprise was that he came in as second (behind his team leader Riis) in 1996, his first year. Riis' win also was a surprise, but as with Ullrich in 1997, he was already well known and not completely out of everybody's idea.
This year there are also some riders (Beloki, Moreau, etc.) who won't be a complete surprise as winners, that's what I would compare Riis in 1996 with. Ullrich in 1996 was a complete unknown, and that's what I hope for this year. :)

Yes lance is a person where you can take a example at!

Originally posted by civ1-addict
To Franklyn: to be honost with you, if somebody like Armstrong is around I don't want anybody else to win the Tour as he is an example to everybody. The way he came back after had cancer and winning the Tour several times, one can't do anything else than taking his hat off for this man. That he is American is not important in such a case.

Don't get me wrong: I'm 100 percent rooting for Armstrong - not only does he have an amazing life story, but also he's the dominant TDF rider right now. Barring injury or illness, he's unbeatable in Le Tour. His prologue performance shows he's completely dialed into the race.
In my earlier post, I was just pointing out that there are a bunch of Yanks - many of them very good - in a Euro-dominated sport that's watched in the U.S. in far fewer numbers than soccer. I've been watching the Tour since LeMond was riding and winning, and I'm amazed at the quality of recent U.S. cyclists.

I was kind of surprised too when I saw the Rabo team had an American as a leading rider. These guys are better known in Europe than in the USA and so is their sport. Dutch riders have not been in the position to win the Tour in the last years so I don't care what the nationality is of who wins I just like to watch the battles between the favourites, especially in the mountains that is! Good to see an American who likes this sport by the way! (thereby I mean you Franklyn)

I might be the only one.
Of course, cycling has made some inroads here: Last year, a U.S. cable channel (Outdoor Life Network) started showing about 2 hours of live TDF coverage every day. I think that speaks less to the popularity of cycling, though, and more to the fact that there are more TV channels than there is programming ...

:lol:
Well it may be a beginning but I think (know for sure would probably be more appropriate) that cycling will never be a very popular TV-sport in the US. Football, hockey, baseball and basketball are the real American sports.

I like watching bike racing (American #2 now!) but it's never on and my newspaper doesn't cover it much :(

Originally posted by Irish Caesar
I like watching bike racing (American #2 now!) but it's never on and my newspaper doesn't cover it much :(
I've always followed the T de F, tho finding out about was never easy before the internet... The networks showed it for a few years, when Greg LeMonde was winning. I remember watching Armstrong, as well, so maybe it gets broadcast every year...

There has been TDF coverage on TV in the U.S. for the past 15 years or so, ever since LeMond was racing, and maybe before. (I wasn't dialed into cycling until the late 80s, when LeMond was winning his 2nd and 3rd TDFs and I was riding 100-150 miles per week.)
However, that coverage was a 30-minute (or sometimes an hour) nightly highlight show on ESPN (sports-only channel for the non-Yanks out there) or ABC (one of the big four national networks). Since Outdoor Life Network got the TDF contract last year, there's no highlight show, but there is live coverage. I think there should be both, but nobody asked me.

Speaking of highlights, McEwan just won Stage 3, and Zabel took the yellow jersey. Armstrong is in fourth, tied w/ Jalabert, 17 seconds off the lead.

Kind of usual for Zabel, in the green jersey still not winning any stages, he's a great rider: in front in sprints but also quite good in the mountains. It's really unnecessary to look at Armstrong's position right now, he'll make the difference in the mountains!

I remember when LeMonde edged out Laurent Blanc by something like 8 seconds for the whole tour. Some looneys in a math department calculated that Blanc's ponytail had cost him the Tour de France. The additional drag created by the ponytail, they estimated, added at least a minute to his total time over the 2000 km. Had he cut his hair, he would have been champion (all other things being equal, of course). :p

LeMond beat Fignon in '89, and you're right about the ponytail -- that cost Fignon the TDF that year, which was the closest finish in Tour history. Of course, LeMond was helped by his aero helmet and time-trial bike, both of which were relatively recent innovations at the time.

Today's update: ONCE won team time trial. Gonzalez now in yellow. Beloki (3rd place last two years) is probably second. Results have not yet been posted. Oh, and US Postal finished second, and nobody crashed this year.

update: I meant no USPostal riders crashed this year -- Vande Velde, who did wipe out last year, wasn't on the team this year because of this.
Standings:
1st. Gonzalez Galdeano, in yellow
2nd. Beloki, 4 secs back
3rd. Armstrong, 7 secs back
The top-placed French rider, Laurent Jalabert, fell to 15th, 37 secs. back.

Yes, kind of unusually... already the fifth day, and as far as I know, no rider has left till now... but I think some will have to leave today because of this 25% of winning time rule :(

And suddenly quite some riders leaving, it's hard to continue with some broken bones.....:(

I think it'd be crazy fun if they didn't have legs to the TDF, riders just rode as far as they could and rested at thier own will. Would make things really cool IMHO. I just can't get into bike racing if it's not a 20" bike, on dirt, and has people doing flips, maybe my changes would help.

1 Karsten Kroon
2 Servais Knaven
3 Erik Dekker

Today the first three in the stage were all Dutch. Wow.....:)

Yep, great work, especially by Rabobank.

Jörg Jaksche from Germany still on 3rd.

Hey,Armstrong said,if galdeano wins the time stage tomorrow with some time before him he'll have to rethink his strategy.But we'll have to wait till the Pyrennes until we can really see who is able to win,I think.

Nothing can be said about the eventual winner until the mountains, in the mountains the real differences are being made, not in the flatlands they are in now.

Originally posted by Franklyn
LeMond beat Fignon in '89,
O yeah, Fignon :o Blanc plays footie for the frogs... It's been a while, I get my famous frenchmen mixed up as the years go by. ;)

Looks like the same procedure as in the last three years now.

Right... It's gonna be pretty boring this year...

Let's concentrate on the Green Jersey;McEwen and Zabel have same number of points,McEwen only wears it because of more won Sprint stages.That's what I call interesting.

As an American, I've followed the Tour since the early 80's. The first year I watched it, there was one American (I don't think it was LeMond). TV coverage varies - I cannot get Ourdoor Life, so I am stuck with half hour highlight shows on Fox Sports Net which are delayed by over 24 hours. I liked it better when ESPN had nighlty shows - I just had to make sure that no one told me the results from the internet. I am from Dallas, Texas and have been aware of Armstrong since the mid 80s when he was just a local kid winning triathlons. I am hoping that he wins 6 Tours, but it would be nice if some other riders stepped up to make it more dramatic. TV coverage of "minor" sports suffers in the US. One year, our local tv stations aired an infomercial instead of the scheduled Prefontaine Classic track meet and we were treated to a meaningless baseball game instead of the last day of the '99 World Track & Field Championships. They will not show a track race in full if it is greater than the 1500 or mile. The standard procedure is to show the first couple of laps of a distance race and then cut away to commercial, only to cut back to the race near the end after the decisive move has been made.

Armstrong will win win for sure this year, those two mountain stages he won were just so great. Today Mont Ventoux....I'll be at the TV for a coupe of hours I can tell you!
At least no Pantani who he gives the stage to so I hope he will win this one, or give the victory to Heras for helping him.

Virenque won because he had over 7 minutes when he got to the beginning of the Mont Ventoux rise. Armstrong was the strongest again, which is nice on the one hand, as he is a great sportsman, but it's also a bit disappointing that there's no real contender.

I think it would suddenly be very weird when something happen to Armstrong and he is out of the tour....
Just think of it

Armstrong was good again! Wow....but I do hope that in the near future somebody will stand up who is just as strong, just to get some more excitement in the Tour.
But again, my hat is off for this guy!

Well, I don't have a problem with armstrong. He's a great guy it seems, and a cancer survivor. He also rides a bike like no other.

Originally posted by Hitro
It's also a bit disappointing that there's no real contender.

Beloki's no slouch -- he finished third in each of the past two years. Galdeano beat Armstrong in a TT earlier this year, and Botero won the TT in this year's TDF. So there's plenty of competition. It's just that there's no one who can put it all together for three weeks a la Lance.

IIRC, Indurain didn't have a whole lot of competition either. By my count, he won his five tours by an average of about 4 and a half minutes -- an eternity in tour time. And Eddy Merckx, the greatest cyclist ever, won his five by an average of about 12 minutes.

Anyone who wants to check my math -- or check out a pretty handy TDF reference page, go here (http://www.cyclingnews.com/results/1998/tour98/tdf98db.html).

Originally posted by Franklyn


It's just that there's no one who can put it all together for three weeks a la Lance.



That's exactly the problem... unless you can do this, you're no real contender.

I am a great Tour de france fan. Ik have seen al great days. (across the mountains)

Today our Dutch hero Boogerd has won. :D :goodjob:

I was following the stage through the internet while at work, it was quite nerve-wrecking. The only thing that was shown was the route he still had to cycle and the time he had left on Armstrong following him....
But he won! So nice to see a fellow-countryman win a stage! :D

Civ1 addict: If you're stuck at work during tour hours, go to the TDF's site at this address (http://www.letour.fr). They post newsflashes every minute or so that keeps up with who's attacked, who's leading and (most importantly of all) where Lance is lurking on the course.

And congrats to Boogerd -- he rode a tremendously brave race. I thought he was going to cave near the end (Armstrong made up about 6 minutes in just a few km), but he somehow found another gear, and he had just enough to hold off Armstrong.

Of course, Boogerd's victory today pretty much means that everyone's conceded the race to Lance. Leipheimer was farther up in the GC than Boogerd, but Boogerd pretty much rode for the glory of self and country. You can't fault him, though: He accomplished both, and with style. Hats off too him.

Well,Jalabert and Armstrong were no suprises since the first few stages.But the fight between McEwen and Zabel was very close,unfortunately our man lost. :sad:

Originally posted by Kennelly
But the fight between McEwen and Zabel was very close,unfortunately our man lost. :sad:


Yes, it's a bit sad... but McEwen was clearly better throughout the whole tour, so I think he deserved the green jersey.

Just wondering if anyone knows the contract status of Roberto Heras with USPS? He looked damn good in the early mountain stages and with a little work on his time trials, might he get offers to be a team leader somewhere?

My guess is that either Hears will get a team lead offer when
his contract expires, OR there is a deal in place where Heras succeeds Armstrong. BTW, don't know exactly when Heras' contract expires. But IMO there is no question that Hearas will
be a team lead, and in the not very distant future.

I think his contract expires either this year or next. And BTW, Heras was already a team leader before joining US Postal. He raced for Kelme until 2000 and won the Tour of Spain that year. Actually I think it was a mistake for him to join USP in the first place. He was 26 and had already won the Vuelta, which is almost as big as the Tour, and was already considered perhaps the best climber in the world. This way he has to race for Amstrong in the Tour, and does not have the same suport in the Vuelta, that Lance Armstrong has for the Tour. Everyone seems to believe that Armstrong will retire in 2004. If Heras waits until 2005 to get the team leadership, he will be 31 and his best years will be gone. IMHO, if he wants to win the races he is capable of (and I'm talking about the Tour here), he must find a top place in a good team as soon as possible.