Tour de France 2007

yaaaay

I'm honestly wondering if my dad's going to watch this year. (And I never thought I'd be thinking that.)

does anyone in the uk know how to watch it on tv this year? ideally i'd watch it on eurosport uk, but there doesnt seem to be any way apart from paying hundreds of pounds to sky or for that laughable topuptv box. i assume itv has still got the terrestrial rights - will they bother showing more than 1 hour of highlights day at 1am (ie 15 minutes of the race, 45 minutes of "hey looks at teh cheeses from teh region" lifestyle bollox) like they usually do? as its starting in london i thought they'd make some sort of effort at the start, but surprise surprise the uk F1 race is the same weekend. le sigh.

Have they really still not decided what to do about Floyd Landis? That's crazy. Rubbing Barney Rice's name off isn't really going to solve anything much: realistically they probably ought to rub off nearly every name from the last 50 years.

From my other post coz I couldn't find this thread/didn't know it existed.

So, Vinokourov looks pretty good this year.

I'm personally hoping (v patriotically)that Cadel Evans goes well, he looks pretty fit. And McEwen for the green.

And Moreau! What a dude. But I tend to agree with Vino's recent call that Moreau's form is all downhill from here after he smashed up Ventoux in the Dauphine. Dude's pretty old and must have hurt himself in that race.

Goddamit Raggett, I was all ready to start a TdF 07 thread with a wacky line in the title...

Also Millar for teh prologue win

x-post -- Ya snooze ya lose

I would have stripped Pedro Delgado's "win" before Riis', but whateva.

So anyway, I hear Le Tour is departing this year from a small island off the northern coast of France. Hmmmm.

Vino and Team Uzbekistan are my faves since Vino is the only one of the main contenders not caught doping yet.

McEwen to punch and kick his way to another green, natch.

Yeah Astana look fucking strong. I think after about the first week it'll just be those dudes dragging the peleton around the whole race.

..That's if Vino, Kashechkin, or Kloden manage to get the yellow jersey early on.

There was a big promotion for it on Streatham Common this week! It's not even going through our neighbourhood!

I wish I knew who's going to win because I fear Vino will fuck it up, and that Cadel and Rodgers might not be good enough.

We need a new Indurian and for everyone to ignore all the drug taking. Le Tour is just getting far too exciting.

I've decided I'm going for CSC in GC with Sastre & Schleck, and O'Grady in some wrong breakaways.

I reckon the green jersey's going to be a complete shit fight this year. Loads of great sprinters. McEwan, Petacchi (probably), Boonen, Bennati, Cavendish, etc. Is Zabel riding?

Yeah I don't think Evans and Rodgers will win.

I'm gettin' pretty excited about it all.

Petacchi's definately out now.

And I've still got the chubb for Millar to win the prologue. He's such a bro.

i so so want one of the 'tour london' posters that are on all the bus shelters, to give my dad as a 'father of the bride' pressie. no info online, emailed ken's office, rien.

if anyone will steal an intact poster from a bus shelter, i will pay you for it. seriously. my dad is VERY hard to buy presents for.

10 minutes to go.

Evans for yellow, McEwen, O'Grady, Rogers to pick up multiple coloured jerseys.

Event renamed Le tour de Australie.

Guys guys guys, I'm here, I'm drunk and I'm watching Le Tour in London on the TV!

Stuey O'Grady crashed? Not cool, holmes.

And nobody got kicked out this morning for being on drugs? Good start!

On screen graphics say they're in some town called Londres??

The things you learn.

According to people in the know (Paul Sherwen), The Queen is on holiday yet she didn't rent out Buckingham Palace. Why? That's the best view on the course. She could have got $200 for the day.

Damnit, the tour is in my town and I am in a local TV news studio in Tampere, Finland.

Finns aren't what they should be.

I have to hurt you now.

Wait until I start the Uzbekistan jokes when Vino rolls out.

And before anyone says "you mean Kazakhstan jokes", I stay that it's the damn joke.

Ugh. I am drunk and I'm feeling like Tricky Dicky caught with a busload of EPO.

I have been here to 10 hours and I need a BEER.

No chateaus for Paul to talk about today; he's going off about the Eye and the Gherkin instead.

Looks like Cancellara has won this prologue. Good for him. I was worried for a few minutes that Kloden might have won it and got the first yellow, so it's all good.

Bloody good ride from Cancellara actually. Beat Kloden by 10 secs!

I was 'watching' from the side of the Serpentine in Hyde Park. The crowds were so big it was difficult to see anything and we had no idea who anyone was as they whizzed past. Had to queue for about half an hour to get onto a special footbridge out of the loop in the middle of the course.

Oh man! The commentary, and the pronunciation in particular, gets better with each passing year.

It's Millar (and a few other blokes) Time by 4'20" with 71km to go today in Kent.

No chateaus today for Phil and Paul, but plenty of castles!

I wonder if any of those wonderful people who performed for the environment at Live Earth in London last night have come down to Le Tour today to see the lads on their very environmentally-friendy bicycles?

...what do you mean they went to the British Grand Prix instead?

All but one of the breakaway caught; David "Sorry 'Bout The Drugs" Millar probably has the polka dots for tomorrow.

Yes, it's Col de Farthing Common!

Punctures for everyone! Well, for McEwen and Cavendish who have to chase now.

McEwen is back in the peleton BUT HAS HE SPENT ALL HIS ENERGY?? Tom Boonen might not need the happy pills today.

HOLY SHIT MCEWEN COMES OUTTA NOWHERE TO WIN THE STAGE!!

How the FUCK did he do that??

fuck yeah, I was asleep with the tv on but woke up just in time for the bunch sprint.

wow, McEwen, he's all heart. I hope his wrist isn't broked. ]:

I was watching on the big screen in Hyde Park and the crowd, whcih had been quiet up to that point, suddenly errupted in roars when McEwen's name was finally mentioned right on the line. That was brilliant sport.

If McEwen can win after getting to the back of the peleton at 7km, get through it and all with a bung wrist...then how the hell are the other sprinters going to beat him?

Today, we're back in France...and going to Belgium. Hmmm. I wonder if they like cycling there?

McEwen's like a ghost - nobody sees him until it's too late. Incredible ride today.

Yes, it's the Tour De France on SBS...and now it's time for a commercial break...oh look, a television commercial for erection problems!

You'd think they could draft in Mario Cippolini for those SBS erection problem commercials for the duration of the Tour.

Then again, the UCI would go insane if they saw anyone take pills for "erection problems".

well he certainly wasn't afraid of showing off his anatomy

TOM BOONEN IS TAKING A SHORT CUT ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE CANAL!!!

CRIMEWATCH: someone stole Mark Cavendish's sunglasses yesterday. If you saw anyone suspiciously loitering on the road near Canterbury yesterday afternoon, please notify the Kent Police...

SHOCK NEWS: Belgians are drinking beer!

And yes, it's raining now.

wahhhhh itv why won't you show non-uk part of tour ;_;

SHOCK NEWS: Belgians are drinking beer!

We can't have that.

I just hope they aren't eating frites with mayo too.

BREAKING NEWS: the peleton is taking an urination break. I repeat, the peleton is taking an urination break.

HUUUUUUUUUGE CRASH! Cancellara doesn't look too good.

Well, the Quick Step Train won today. McEwen arsed up his sprint after all that chaos.

Ha! Boonen didn't get past his lead out man - lolllll.

I'll bet Tommy is bloody fuming at that. The crash looked nasty, couldn't work out what caused it but Cancellara looked dreadful as he came over the line.

2 brits in top 5?

I'm reading the Paul Kimmage book at the moment - Rough Ride - it's ace

Is that the book which said everyone was on drugs apart from Boardman?

2 brits in top 5?

That is nice, even if it is only until the first mountain. Also five riders overall, a 4th in the prologue, a lone breakaway, and a King of the Kent Mountains: these aren't bad times for the British interest. I remember when Millar (Robert, not David), Elliot & Yates had gone (and Roche & Kelly) and Channel 4 had to dry to drum up interest in Max Sciandri. Talking of R Millar - apparently he is now a woman.

not so far - he's not actually named any names so far - and mostly it was in criteriums rather than on the tour etc. He seemed to stay away from hormones etc, it's been all about the amphetamines so far.

I read an article this weekend that said the woman thing was bogus, but he had been spotted riding in the pyrenees with bright red hair.

That big German guy in the breakaway was a fucking animal. I like.

Marcel Sieberg.

mind you, every time I see a photo of stephen Roche, all I can think of is Father Larry Duff from Father Ted.

xp - yeah Sieberg seemed like a complete badass

parrently Robbie McEwen banged up his arm in this stage too. Poor dude.

I've ridden in bunches with him once or twice, btw. Guy is tiiny.

but legs are fucking immense.

So, today is the longest stage of the Tour, 236.5 km.

http://www.letour.com/2007/TDF/img/parcours/_TDF_2007_PROFIL_300.gif

I like how the knife-and-fork symbol for the feeding station suggests the riders will dismount for a Proper Meal. "Ah, ce plat des fromages, c'est merveilleux!"

Positively mountainous with that Cat.4, compared to yesterday's stage.

I suggest adding Michelin star symbols next to the knife-and-fork symbol - "best pâté de foie gras, coq au vin and sports gel in this area of France."

I'm obviously not in the Tour habit yet, as I totally forgot to watch the highlights last night :( Very jealous of my parents who are in France until the end of the month and are going to try and see a stage.

I can't believe the Kit Officiel is 20 euros! The Giro d'Italia Kit was only 5. Mind you, it was bright pink. Here is a picture of my friends modelling theirs (they're demonstrating Bike Pose).

They've turned up the excitement on Stage 3 - two French lads are nine minutes ahead while the anglophone riders have a chinwag at the front of the peleton.

"The lottery team, Francaise Des Jeux, always taking a gamble!"

Nyuck nyuck nyuck.

Ha! An Agritubel rider goes around a kerb, does a bunny hop off it and snatches two points at the intermediate sprint. Boonen is all "LOL" about it.

Hey, it's Jean-Marie LeBlanc in his home town. Not that different from Aldinga Beach is it, Jean-Marie?

Bloody hell, they actually put one of the breakway having a "natural break" on the telly! You could see the urine!

Is there much of a headwind, does anyone know, because they appear to be riding pretty slow today?

No, I think they're trying to have a quiet one today to save energy and all that.

This is the slo...ooo...ooo...west stage ever.

Thankfully, two more blokes have joined the breakaway so things might pick up a bit now.

Eurosport's GPS thingy shows that the peleton has jumped up to a more respectable 56km/h

And in short order the breakaway is caught.

WHOA YELLOW JERSEY WINS THE STAGE

Cancellara's got some cheek, doesn't he?

Hell yeah, that was impressive. Boonen would be shitting his pants he hasn't won a stage yet (even though he has teh green).

Also, Zabel was the Milram rider who caused the crash in stage two.

"I had to avoid Boonen, who was riding in front of me."

yuh right buddy. yuh. right.

Phil Liggett sez yesterday's go-slow was because that NOBODY WAS ON DRUGS!!

That's what we in the business call a "lol".

Is bonus seconds for sprints a new thing or have I just now been paying attention?

You haven't been paying attention, they've been around FOREVER.

Yes, it's a Week One Flat Sprinters Stage (TM) - but don't worry, we have hills tomorrow.

Oh look, there's a nuclear power plant!

Thor wins it! Robbie Hunter sez "fuck off"!

And the hills are coming, 1 x category 2 today

http://www.letour.com/2007/TDF/img/parcours/_TDF_2007_PROFIL_500.gif

I like the way the marker for the Cat 2 climb is lower than the all but one of the others.

New Cycling Nickname Alert: From now I'm calling Robert Förster as "Don't Want To Be Grant McLennan".

Uh oh, Kloden went down.

For our Australian viewers, yes the 2008 Tour Down Under route was launched today. As you should know by know with all the TDU advertisements being played tonight. Remember - I used to play footy at Willunga.

Mike Turtur sez that a "HUGE HUGE HUGE RETIRED NAME" is going to turn up at the '08 TDU. Now everything will think Armstrong will be turning up. It'll be funny if Indurain turns up instead and says nothing. Or if Hinault turns up and mouths off at everyone. Or if Der Fattenkaiser (well, he is huge) turns up for a Pie Floater.

WHOA VINO OFF HIS BIKE

Vino way behind the peleton now and Team Borat (except Kloden) is in TTT mode!

LOL at the Lotto rider latching onto the Astana train.

Vino is 1'05 off the peleton with 20km to go!

Astana is losing time; Vino might be quite injured. Shit!

Oh dear, massive bruise on Vino's thigh. He's too fast for the team now and is about a minute behind the peleton...thanks to a little slipstreaming behind the team car.

LOL at Tom Boonen trying to latch onto Vino.

Now Boonen is helping drag Vino back to the peleton. I didn't expect that to happen.

Cancellara tries to attack...and nearly crashes.

Vino's lost 1'20!!

Pozzato wins the stage, FYI.

OLD MAN ZABEL BACK IN THE GREEN?? WHOA!!

a "HUGE HUGE HUGE RETIRED NAME" is going to turn up at the '08 TDU

It'll probs be teh Cannibal.

Nah, he only went to Melbourne last time he was here!

best film ever with a Cannibal cameo:
http://ec1.images-amazon.com/images/I/71F4681PMYL._AA240_.gif

lol, I love Them Dirty Russians in that film.
so bad.

Today's profile:

http://www.letour.com/2007/TDF/img/parcours/_TDF_2007_PROFIL_600.gif

Fun fact: Bresse, the landscape in which today's finish is set, is the home of the only AOC-controlled poultry in France. At least that's what I've heard.

Yippie yay, we have an alpine mountain stage today!

Oh, alright. Just a couple of Cat.3s and a Cat.1 - but still! Col de la Colombière is a 16km climb at 6.8%! And it's some sort of national holiday in France today! Also, we'll find out if Vino can handle the mountains with his injury!

Now, it's time for the Bizzare Cadel Evans Photo of the Day:

http://www.pezcyclingnews.com/photos/races07/tdf07/yellow-evans.jpg

ELVIS LIVES ON THE COL DE LA COLOMBIERE

German lad up front, followed by Spaniards. All the playas in the major group.

There's an awful lot of Australians on this climb.

OH MY GOD WE'RE THE NEW FAT BELGIANS

amazed that vino has managed to hang in there
just looking at tomorrows stage profile makes me feel tired

http://www.letour.com/2007/TDF/img/parcours/_TDF_2007_PROFIL_800.gif

Well, none of the major players challenged today. The real test for Vino and everyone is tomorrow...

But while Vino kept up today, he merely looked OK and certainly not great. I think the ones who looked really good in that lead group today were the Rabobank boys and Mick Rodgers. But I'll probably be proven wrong tomorrow.

Oh good heavens, I NEED this t-shirt.

http://www.madeinsport.com/fr/descProduit.asp?Univers=LETOUR&IdMdl=24483&Langue=en&Devise=usd&idPtn=letour

I want this one:

http://www.worldcycling.com/graphics/00000002/TM07ASTJ.jpg

It only really works with the matching "KAZAKHSTAN RAILWAYS" shorts in quasi-Soviet font.

Ahhh, the brilliant team strategies of T-Mobile are on show today.

*cough*

CHICKEN IS ON THE LOOSE ALREADY

Mick & Chicken are way ahead on the first of the three Cat.1 climbs. Have they gone too early? We haven't seen Vino yet today.

In other news: apparently, Chicken thinks he can win Le Tour. No, really.

I want this feller:
bauhaus cycling shirt

OH MY GOD BORAT IS ON THE CORMET DE ROSELEND

And he's waving an Astana shirt, natch.

these climbs must be so awful, on Tuesday they went through St Gobain, which Vic and I went to a wee while ago, it's at the top of a bloody steep hill, I'd never make it up the bastard....... and Roche described the stage as a pancake.....

Oh my god some dude just fell over the barrier down the mountain AND THEN OUR SATELLITE SIGNAL WENT AAAARGH

Update kind cycle folx plz!

IS FALL DOWN MOUNTAIN DUDE OKAY??1

Arroyo went arse over tit into the trees and Mick Rogers crashed over his bike. Both are okay (!) and Rogers just rejoined the main group...

Uh oh, that crash has fucked up Mick. He's cracked already.

Yep, Mick is totally screwed and injured. He's even been passed by the Hincapie group...and to think he was yellow jersey on the road about 15 minutes ago!

OH NO CHICKEN ISN'T RIDING INTO YELLOW IS HE

Peleton just went past Mick. Welp, that's his tour over...

Stuart O'Grady crashed and apparently has been to taken to hospital. Someone said that McEwen had been dropped so early that he might be eliminated. Fuck me, this is the worst stage ever for Australia...

And there goes Rogers. Poor fella.

Bloody hell. How must that feel, ready to take yellow and ending up like that instead...

Chicken is now KoM leader and yellow jersey on the road.

ASTANA IS TAKING OVER

VINO WILL CRUSH YOU

Chicken is flying into yellow.

It's the big attack and Vino isn't on it! Kloden and Cadel are!

Dear France Television: stop focusing on Chicken's arse, plz.

Moreau, Evans & Co. are wasting their best chance to put time between them and Vino. Joy.

Indeed, they have wasted it!

Vino is cracking!

I dunno - I think Vino may have just gone off, Sastre is killing him

ha ha x-post

Uh oh, Chicken is totally in yellow.

And he deserves it!

he's a miserable bastard though isn't he?

and a complete weight weenie - dude even weighs all his food, not to mention takes all the stickers off his bike.

HE EVEN REFUSED TO WEAR A LIVESTRONG BRACLET!!

THAT 250 MILLIGRAMS WAS HOLDING HIM DOWN!!

great stage! classification beginning to shape up nicely too. nicer than that borat guy anyway, ugh!

I have a hunch we're going to have a Spanish winner

Apparently there was a big headwind on that final climb so that's why everyone in the Moreau group was making him do all the work...so they say.

Are they calling him fat?

I'd love to see Rasmussen win it. I've always wanted to see a 'pure climber' like Chiappucci or the Pirate win it, instead of a time trial specialist.

Well, yeah, but let's not forget that Armstrong destroyed a lot of 'pure climbers' in the mountains as well as the TTs.

I think I'd like to see Moreau win it. He looks good. For an old man.

Apparently there was a big headwind on that final climb so that's why everyone in the Moreau group was making him do all the work...so they say.

Cadel looked like he was riding defensively aka huuurting.

and apparently O'Grady: 8 broken ribs, punctured lung and fractured shoulder. ;_;

<i>1254: Animal-related accident! A large white dog ambles across the road, homes in on Marcus Burghardt and knocks him off his bike. Both rider and dog appear to be OK, but Burghardt's wheel is not. It folds in half and is quickly replaced.</i>

looking forward to Imlachs puns tonight

Le Doggy is OK. I repeat, Le Doggy is OK.

LOL at SBS voiceover bloke - "it's stupid, it's just like...like my mate said one, it's just like taking a shark to a swim meet!"

Phil & Paul have finally caught onto the fact that Rasmussen's nickname is 'Chicken'. And to prove that, Phil keeps saying "y'know, 'Chicken' is his nickname..." every five minutes.

OK, who let Sarkozy loose on today's route?

Hooray! A Colombian climber always livens up things! Look at 'im go.

NOW HERE'S THE BIG ATTACK

Cadel & Chicken have gone off...Vino hasn't.

Valverde started that attack and is leading it. Vino looks buggered.

Everyone is in this lead group...except Vino.

Evans attacked! Evans attacked!

Contador is amazing

Bloody good ride from Contador. Left Evans for dead.

This downhill ride will be something...

Alps gone and this is still wiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiide open

Cadel has positioned himself quite nicely now. Ride safe until the Pyrénées and it's in the bag.

;_; Vino tears.
http://www.cyclingnews.com/photos/2007/tour07/index.php?id=/photos/2007/tour07/tour079/LCTM-TDF07S9-011

LOL at SBS voiceover bloke - "it's stupid, it's just like...like my mate said one, it's just like taking a shark to a swim meet!"

I hate that retard, but not as much as I hate Tomalaris. Dued is so fucking awkward.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c0dzMp61G5w

Vid of big dumb yellow lab wandering into the race.

Watch as he gets up afterward and just wanders on, with a slight limp, tail still-a-waggin'.

labs r dumb.

The dude's front wheel got utterly destroyed.

That lab was cuet btw.

Dog didn't appear to be too perturbed by the whole event, either

holy fuck.

I haven't posted in the past few days because these transitional stages are so fucking boring and is pissing me off because I want the TTs and Pyrenees NOW. Yes, I am impatient - deal with it.

Anyway, to recap that last few days:
- Chicken is still in yellow.
- Chicken forgot to mail in his urine to the Danish authorities last month.
- Yes, another T-Mobile rider gets caught doping and the Germans take the Tour off TV. That's so fucking retarded. This shows the drug controls are working and the sport is trying to clean up...so you take it off TV because it's such an immoral sport? Cuckoo. But NO OTHER ATHLETES IN EVER OTHER SPORT TAKE DRUGS, so whatever.
- But maybe it's lucky that the Germans missed out on this: http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1271/848810126_6bfd4030d2.jpg?v=0
- LOL at Vino trying to breakaway with 3km to go yesterday. Give it up already!
- Kloden can actually win this tour according to those in the "know".
- Moreau fucked that one up, didn't he?
- Evans will be in yellow after the TT tomorrow! Remember Saint Etienne, Chicken?

My parents are going to see the TT tomorrow and I'm mad with jealousy. Inexplicably, they've decided to avoid the caravane and arrive in time for the contenders (BUT THE FREEBIES! I said, to no avail). I think they're going to aim for the hill between Fabas and Côte de la Bauzié, but I've no idea how close they'll be able to park.

What's the use of going to Le Tour if you're going to skip the caravane and miss out on the PMU clappers??

- LOL at Vino trying to breakaway with 3km to go yesterday. Give it up already!

awwww i was cheering him on, the poor sod knows he's blown his last ever chance of winning overall

- Moreau fucked that one up, didn't he?

now this really was LOLworthy!

Astana's move was sorta borderline, 3k after a feedzone. I don't know where I'd put the line for attacking at the feed, but it would be somewhere around 3k. People gotta get musettes and sort shit out on a long stage. That Moreau chose that time to replace his shoe was not entirely unreasonable, but unlucky. Moreau seemed to take it fairly well, he's been a bit of cryer in the past. And Hinault can complain about Moreau attacking repeatedly and towing others on the cols the other day, but that was some panache at least.

I can't believe I'm giving props to Christophe Moreau again.

LOLers at Vino?! He'd carve your heart out with a spoon and LOLer back.

In bigger allegations: Chicken body + COW BLOOD = Outstanding performance.
http://www.velonews.com/tour2007/news/articles/12851.0.html

What's the use of going to Le Tour if you're going to skip the caravane and miss out on the PMU clappers??

Well quite. Parents are good at doing the inexplicable though, aren't they?

Even though it didn't get them anywhere, Astana didn't half look mean gunning down on the tete de la course yesterday.

Also, I get the willies every time I think about Vino's stitches stretching with every turn of the pedals.

Oh, it's a bit wet in Albi.

People crashed already include TT Champion of the Wooooooorld, Cancellara and one of the Camera Motorbikes.

It'll be interesting when the big guns come out if the weather keeps up like this. And if it does, Bradley Wiggins has already won this TT.

Heeeeeeere's Vino! The race starts now!

Whoa, how the fuck did Vino's knee get all healed up? He's killing everyone right now!

Moreau is burning up the road with...96th at the 38.5km checkpoint. Nice one.

Kloden crashes!

Moreau finishes in 113th! Viva La France!

Holy shit, Chicken hasn't fucked up this TT yet.

Probable Top 3 for the TT:

1. VINO!
2. Cadel at 1.14
3. Kloden at 1.39

Chicken & Co. are still on the road but they won't beat them. But Chicken just might stay in yellow.

Chicken is catching Valverde on the course? I don't fucking believe this!

Chicken does his best TT ever, stayed in yellow and keeps Cadel out of it. What a fucking rotter!!

It was Cadel's yellow today - and that bloody Chicken decides to be good at TTing and stays in yellow by a MINUTE. I don't belieeeeeeeeve it.

GC:

1. Chicken
2. Cadel at 1.00
3. Contador at 2.31
4. Kloden at 2.34

...

9. VINO!

Vino at 5.10, btw.

He needs a really good breakaway if he's going to win.

I loved Boardman's barely veiled suspicions and the talk of yellow jersey confidence and what it can do for a person. Ho ho. I hope their taking samples of his yellow on the hour every hour.

Mum and Dad survived the rain long enough to see Wiggins home (they were 200m from the finish) and then drove back to their warm salon and new telly. Can't say I blame them.

Argh, they're.

Yay, two HC climbs and a mountain top finish!

Moreau is riding today with that world-renowed climber...Tom Boonen.

Now I don't want to be presumptive but am I right in guessing that Moreau has sort of given up?

Because I'm sure he would have been on a high after yesterday's scintillating 133th in the TT.

Wait, they made a movie about Graham Obree and nobody told me?

Vino looks like he's cracked already...

OK, Vino's tour is over. Looks like we might have a showdown on the hilltop finish since all the major playas except Vino (and Mayo is 15 secs back over the first of the two HC climbs) are in the peleton.

Oh, and the Colombian lad is now KoM on the road.

"Cadel Evans is yet to make a wrong mistake", quoth Paul Sherwen.

"He's eating the food there...which is a sign that he might be a little bit hungry", quoth Phil Liggett.

Ahahaha, Soler was just like "hey Chicken, do you want a drink?" and Chicken was like "wtf?" Cheeky bastard!

Chicken attacks!

Oh man, this battle is AWESOME.

Oh shit, Cadel has cracked :-(

THERE'S A BLOKE IN A CHICKEN SUIT!!!!

nobody fucks with Rabo, haha!

Vino just refuses to give up.

ALLEZ! VINO!

No less than four attacks by Contador on the last climb, but Rasmussen hung in there. Contadors first few meters of each attack were incredible and Rasmussen had to give everything to keep up but each time he crawled back. Guess he likes Contador more than the other way around ;-)

Vino wins. Funny guy.

http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2007/07/24/sports/EU-SPT-CYC-Tour-de-France-Vinokourov-Doping.php

PAU, France: Alexandre Vinokourov tested positive for a banned blood transfusion after winning last weekend's Tour de France time trial, and his team will quit the race, the French sports daily L'Equipe reported on its Web site Tuesday.

The positive test took place after the Kazakh rider's victory in the 13th stage time trial on Saturday, L'Equipe said.

The newspaper and RTL radio reported that Vinokourov's team, Astana, was pulling out. Corinne Druey, a spokeswoman for Vinokourov's Astana team, declined immediate comment.

Crap.

Funny guy

Will all this eventually 'clean up' cycling? It's surely making it hard to take any cycler seriously, at the moment. Besides the proven cases, the rumours that surface almost every time someone does something remarkable in this and last year's Tour de France make it difficult to follow everything without having suspicions.
(rumours being: the 'hemopure in shoebox' story involving Rasmussen that surfaced recently (mentioned upthread), the leaked information that a German newspaper came up with yesterday which claims that Contador is a crown witness in the Fuentes case - leaving him off the hook, even though his initials have been found on materials in Fuentes practice).

xpost yes

FUCK FUCK FUCK.

Let's just pretend this never happened... err..

Arsebiscuits.

Hooboy. Definitely calling my dad tonight.

I'm glad I never ordered that Astana top now ;_;

...cos I'll be able to get it at a huge discount soon I reckon >:)

Vino certainly does refuse to give up.

Blood doping that is.

I like Jonathan Vaughters positive spin:

"If you declare war on doping there will be some casualties. Sinkewitz and Vino are both signs that the UCI isn't pulling any punches. Maybe its further damage to the sport's reputation, but it serves to clean it up.

"It's very good news for young riders. If people really want clean sport, this is what has to happen. The majority of the riders have cleaned up, so the few who persist are not trying to even the playing field, but instead are trying to cheat. They stick out like sore thumbs these days, and the UCI knows who they are."

Arse Arse Arse. I was really enjoying this year's Tour.

It's fucking dreadful. Ah well, hopefully the chicken'll get done and we'll have an Australian win.

None of the news articles I've found explain, explicitly, why the whole team withdrew. Why should Kloden and Kashechkin be punished?

From cyclingnews:
The Tour de France's rules state that the organisers may "exclude any rider or team whose presence could taint the image of cycling, the organisation, or the race". In this case, ASO has asked Vino and his team to remove themselves from the race, which they have obliged.

so you could now ask, why wasn't t-mobile booted after Sinkewitz's +ve test?

Vino's using the "it's the same french lab, it's a mistake/conspiracy, I never used anything" defense.

ASO vs. UCI: FITE!

oh wait

STOP FITING!

so you could now ask, why wasn't t-mobile booted after Sinkewitz's +ve test?

Well, Sinkewitz's test was carried out in early-June, long before the race. T-mobile make a point of publishing all their riders' blood test stuff to try to show that they're not cheating, but this doesn't help for testosterone (which is what Sinkewitz was caught for). So you could argue that his team were in the dark and that it wasn't directly related to the Tour.

Vino, on the other hand, was a much higher profile rider: the team leader desperate for victory in his last chance of winning the tour. All eyes were focused on him, especially after he crashed and was struggling so badly. This offence (assuming that he doesn't get cleared) must have taken place during the tour, shortly before the time trial stage. For him to have a blood transfusion mid-Tour without his team noticing seems very unlikely, so that suggests Astana were complicit in it. Also, he must have known he would get tested, he was drawing so much attention to himself with his recent dramatically erratic performances (just like Landis this time last year).

I feel pissed off about it all because this has been such a good tour to watch in the mountains, but (especially if Rasmussen gets thrown out too) it will soon be rewritten as having never happened.

Phew, I was worried that Le Tour was going to go without a huge doping scandal that would further taint the sport! Thanks Vino!

In all seriousness, I'm very disappointed in Our Man from Astana but very happy that he's been caught. Of course, the problem when the UCI & ASO catch someone and come down hard on them - as they should - is that people roll their eyes and go "oh look, teh cyclics r on teh drugzz again!!1!" instead of appaluding the fact that they've busted a cheat and sent him packing.

Now Kloden is going home, who is going to pace Cadel up the final mountain three minutes behind Chicken & Cantador today?

On an aside, I wouldn't be surprised if Chicken is caught doping. I wonder how he does it, considering he looks like an AIDS victim when he climbs the podium to get his yellow jersey everyday...

ineffectual protest at the start of todays race, riders refuse to start for a couple of minutes.
this was the best tour in years, and now its 1998 all over again. sad.

The ineffectual protests, a great tour tradition!

1998 like it started on an island and a bald climber wins??

Or at least shaved bald.

I'm shocked that some of you are actually saying that you were enjoying the Tour but now won't be able to enjoy it any longer. Cyclists dope. This isn't news. Some guys get caught, some guys don't. It's not like Vino, Astana and all their wicked ways have ruined the whole Tour for all the other riders. That would only be the case if every other rider was clean. They're not.

No matter who we root for, we simply have to accept that there's a reasonable, if not probable chance that that person or team is cheating. It's simply part of watching cycling, or nearly any other sport for that matter.

I'm shocked that some of you are actually saying that you were enjoying the Tour but now won't be able to enjoy it any longer. Cyclists dope. This isn't news.

Ideally no one would dope, or a small number would and they would get caught and excluded. In reality, for a long time we had a situation where perhaps 90% of the riders doped, but hardly anyone ever got punished, and you could say "well, it's OK because everyone's doing it" (except it wasn't very fair on the minority who refused to dope). What's frustrating at the moment is that we don't seem to be in either situation: it seems to be about 50/50, but with a major crackdown to try to catch the cheats. As a consequence a lot of major riders are either getting kicked out or riding under a lot of suspicion. It's not so much that people are angry because they're watching the Tour and thinking "that looks good, but I bet he's on drugs" - this was arguably always the case. It's more that it's difficult to keep your enthusiasm going for a race where each day there is a significant possibility that more major players are going to be exposed, kicked out and airbrushed out of history. It's difficult to get excited about an amazing time trial or mountain top victory when there's a real chance that the winner will soon be kicked out and the result declared invalid.

I'm shocked that some of you are actually saying that you were enjoying the Tour but now won't be able to enjoy it any longer.

i don't think anyones said this? i'm just going to enjoy it less than i was as there is no Kloden, Vino etc. i hope Contador pulls away from Chicken today, he should have made the attempt sooner the other day.

1998 like it started on an island and a bald climber wins??

lol! yer boy Cadel is now 19-1 with the bookies btw

Phil Liggett sez THE JOURNALISTS FEEL LIKE THEY'VE BEEN RAPED

LOL at Chicken riding off at the start while the rest stay behind "protesting".

More doping news (another positive test) from the UCI is on the way very soon, is the breaking story on (french newspaper) L'équipe's site.

http://www.lequipe.fr/Cyclisme/breves2007/20070725_125642Dev.html

press conference in half an hour

(yes, that's DURING today's stage - this IS a war between UCI and ASO, isn't it?)

So I do like this:

''I heard that I made a transfusion with my father's blood,'' Vinokourov said. ''That's absurd, I can tell you that with his blood, I would have tested positive for vodka.''

but I don't want to waste time in proving my innocence

yeh what a waste of time that would be

They really need to invent another way to describe test results, though. Positive is good! Yay, positive!

Two small explosions on the (Spanish) road after everyone had passed? (ETA has threatened something like this)

that half an hour has come and gone, still no news - they're still saying there will be something later today.

Petacchi has been cleared of doping btw, he overused his asthma inhaler.

I like the vodka comment. Vino can always try Tricky Dicky's legendary "without the knowledge of my own free will" excuse.

Also, LOL at the UCI and ASO fucking up what's left of the sport with their petty handbag fights.

Some of the riders in the Tour staged a protest at the start of today's stage in Orthez, with the French teams and the Gerolsteiner squad - all of whom came together to form the new 'Mouvement pour un cyclisme crédible'

Oh god, now it's the French Teams vs The World. It's like...ASO vs UCI.

Fans reportedly booed Rasmussen, the race's overall leader, who has been the subject of criticism and official warnings by the UCI for failing to report his whereabouts to antidoping authorities several times over the past year.

Oh snap.

Yesterday, on flemish TV: "Bjorn (don't know his last name, but he's not participating in the tour and he's flemish), you're in the top 50, so the UCI has to know where you are at all times. Did you know that?" "What? I had no idea."

Robert Förster (no, not The Go-Between - the Gerolsteiner sprinter) eloquently explains the situation: "All of cycling is deep in the shit now."

According to german TV (ARD), eight riders were tested after that 11th stage:

The doping user is not stage winner Hunter, nor is it Rasmussen, but - if the ARD has the right information - it's supposedly going to be one of these names that will be revealed today: Erik Zabel, Maksim Iglinski, Christian Moreni, Lilian Jégou, Patxi Vila or Kim Kirchen.

Surely Zabel couldn't be that, stupid...or could he?

If it's Maxim Iglinski, you can close the book on Vino and Astana.

odds update : evans in to 10-1, sastre started about 40, at the height of the breakaway was 20 and is now 70 & on his way out. chicken 1.8, contador 2.7

CHICKEN DANCE!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KybAH9BOgm0

it's Christian Moreni (cofidis), by the way.

Should the (french) Cofidis team leave? (he's Italian)

(ok, sorry for the conspiracy crap)

Taking into account Cofidis manager Eric Boyer's comments on Vino/Astana yesterday (something along the lines of "I suggest the entire Astana team now leave the TdF") I think your question has been answered even before you asked it!

...and they've just announced their withdrawal..

Chicken ruled again today! (with or without dope, doesn't matter cause Contador is a regular visitor @ doc Fuentes)

(xpost) Cofidis were one of the teams that sat down before the start this morning and are also part of "The eight teams - six from France plus German outfits Gerolsteiner and T-Mobile - (that) have formed a Movement for a Credible Cycling, asking for all teams to abide by their good behaviour charter of 2005."

... which is why I half expected them to stay and only point at the individual who made the "mistake".

But they have indeed left, well done, Cofidis.

poor Wiggins, guess its back home to listen to some Jam albums for him

LOL wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cristian_Moreni

Moroni came in 102nd on this stage and was therefore likely one of the randomly tested riders.

Poor Bradley Wiggins. Some interesting debate in the comments after this article: http://blogs.guardian.co.uk/sport/2007/07/25/how_vinokourov_was_blooded_int.html

RASMUSSEN'S OUT

Rabobank pulled him out because he's supposed to have broken "internal rules"...
This is all at the moment, just out on dutch ceefax.

Just been on belgian news as well - not yet clear whether the rest of the Rabobank team will start tomorrow.

See, when I started this thread, I didn't expect it to get this tragic/comical (choose as appropriate).

Apparently he's been seen training in the Dolomites in june when he said he was in Mexico.

That was one of his clones (they've got 20 Rasmussen clones who are bred simply for their blood - that way it won't be foreign blood cells). (possible movie scenario, hollywood!)

so... does Contador get to wear the yellow jersey tomorrow morning? Or do they wait until after the stage?

Oh dear.

Oh fucking fuck. The whole thing's completely fucked now.

Hay guyz! Hows the fun this year??

oh.

I get what you're saying, NB&S about Sinkewitz. But I think one could easily make a case that his "presence could taint the image of cycling".

And yuh it's all totally fucked. But the tt will be worth watching. Contador did pretty well in the last one.

So uh, go Leipheimer?

NO! That little weird dude Cadel ftw!!1!!11

Hehehe

C'mon, it's time for an American to win, as one hasn't won since...oh wait.

And now he's out of the team too? Great!

What's next guys?

I like this! It's kind of like a "last man standing!"

Everything I said about Formula One, except with added cheating.

You have no soul.

Cadel is going to win this Steven Bradbury-style.

Oh right, so Predictor-Lotto is planning to sue Vino and Astana for loss of the "publicity benefits associated with a stage victory in the prestigious race".

..for Cadel's 2nd place in the tt obvs.

I think if Cadel and Vino had a fite, vino would crush skulls.

Cadel is going to win this thing.

I think we're in "worse than 1998" territory. At least in '98 fans/police/teams were reacting to events as they happened. But firing a guy months after he "breaks team policy"? Rabo could have dealt with all this a long time ago. Plus, the Danish national team went public with the Rasmussen thing not because of any pressing need to do so, but to fuck with the Tour organizers. Naturally, if Rasmussen had been 50th on GC then nobody would care about any of this.

Plus: roadside bombings! Jesus.

The Danish team revealed the details the day after Rasmussen himself had complained in a Danish newspaper about how he wasn't asked for the Olympics or World Championship. So they explained...

Rasmussen insisted he was in Mexico during the missed doping-controls and Rabobank believed him. Only when information kept coming their way (amongst others via former Rabo-cyclist Sørensen, who heard from former cyclist Davide Cassini that he'd seen Rasmussen training in the Dolomites last june) they lost confidence in Rasmussen and decided to pull him out of the Tour. And sack him.
It looks like the other Rabo-riders will continue to Paris.

I don't buy that. These guys are supposed to be available 24/7/365 for testing. Their teams need to know where they are at all times. That's the issue -- not whether one biker heard from another biker that they saw Ras in Italy when he was supposed to be in Mexico. He was already caught in a lie when he failed to appear for testing on a few occasions (either because a) he knew he'd test positive, or b) he wasn't training where he claimed he was training and couldn't show up to be tested for those reasons), and claims that people physically saw Ras in Italy don't meaningfully enhance the case against him.

He admitted to Van Rooij that he had indeed lied to the team about his whereabouts after they found out (yesterday) that he hadn't been in Mexico, so they had no choice. They couldn't have fired him before yesterday, because they still thought he hadn't lied to them.

He was already caught in a lie when he failed to appear for testing on a few occasions

Before yesterday, his explanation was that he had made an administrative error because he's always late with papers and other official stuff (i.e. what he said at the press conference two days ago). He had to pay 10.000 euro to his team for that, but it still wasn't a crime, if true.

Yesterday, when everyone found out that he had indeed lied about Mexico/Italy (numerous times, even), it became clear that that "administrative error" had been a lie too, so there had to be a second punishment.

He still hasn't been caught using anything illegal, though. It's easy to suppose a lot of things, but it's not automatically what everybody thinks - what if he (don't know, just an example) is married and is cheating on his wife with an italian woman? That could be a reason to lie about his whereabouts as well.

Uh, I just said that I'm not buying that. Rabo knew *before* the Tour that he'd been kicked off the Danish team. They knew about all the missed tests -- spanning over a year -- which was already a clear violation of policy. They already had enough reasons to believe that he had been lying to them all along, but they wanted Ras to ride the Tour, so they let him off with a fine and ignored the issue, hoping that nobody would make a big deal of it. Once he ended up in yellow (which wasn't their plan going into the Tour because Menchov was technically the team leader) then everything they hoped to keep quiet became public knowledge. Rabo had to switch to damage control mode and their current claims of "oh, we have shiny NEW evidence that he was lying to us so now he's off the team" is simply their way of avoiding blame for allowing Ras to ride the Tour despite everything they already knew.

oh, ok!

I mean "administrative error" is just fancy talk for "I forgot" and it's exactly the type of excuse that athletes use in these situations. If he says he forgot, then there's no way to prove otherwise. It's not an excuse that holds water when stacked up against a string of missed tests.

cool, xpost

It appears that Contador will be wearing his white jersey today - the yellow one will be awarded tonight after the stage.

You have no soul.

Haha, I knew that would get someone riled. I know the comparison is crass; F1 has actually grown more exciting in recent weeks, and I feel slightly ashamed of my forthright damnation, although it's looking increasingly like every race will be won by one of two teams (has this happened before?). Nice to see Webber get a podium. As for the Tour de France, well, I appreciate that under normal conditions it's the toughest, most high-profile, most mentally and physically draining endurance test officially staged in world sport, and I appreciate that it is France's flagship event, but you expect me to take it seriously with all the hundreds of doubts and revelations in recent years? Not a goddamn chance.

You mean in the brief window before he's found to be doped up to the eyebrows on ketamine and angel dust? (x-post obv)

I think Evans is too nerdy to dope. Dude is seriously uncool.

Louis, it's the "toughest, most high-profile, most mentally and physically draining endurance test officially staged in world sport" bit that makes it so addictive. In a way the drugs issue ADDS to the tension - proof that only the most supreme of athletes can do it. Man, Cadel Evans has been a whiny loser throughout this tour but if it turns out he's actually the best clean rider - hence his lack of explosive power, his consistency without excellence, then damn he'll be a worthy champion.

Well, you could argue that whereas in F1 the manufacturers who create the best cars tend to prevail, no such provision is permitted in cycling whereby teams are allowed to dose up their riders with whatever dope they can lay their hands upon. Legalising performance-enhancing drugs would have a fairly interesting effect upon the Tour. Perhaps this is the satirist in me making his voice heard too loudly, but all the mid-race heart-attacks, mood-swings, and the absolute rejection of the event by the French public (and the media) would conversely persuade the riders and teams to ditch all the crap and play it as a sport again, as it was intended. Then folks like Cadel Evans would prevail, without any doubts as to whether they were the best.

I will accept that if I weren't aware of the drugs, I'd find it gripping. It is gripping. Watching their faces, watching one rider creep up inexorably behind another is gripping. I just wish that if there were cheating, it would be the comical old-school stuff like taking shortcuts when no-one's looking, dropping tacks onto the road behind you, or putting glue on your rival's tyres before the start.

How about: legalise performance-enhancing drugs, but only if the user DISCLOSES their intake. (Disclosure ensured by upkeep of testing.) Then we could point and laugh at the winners: "Yeah, you won on DRUGS." The pious ones would form a breakaway faction, the drugged winners would feel empty at the lack of respect and fulfilment their achievements have brooked, and the sport would slowly revert. I can't believe the IAAF (for instance) hasn't thought of this before.

I don't see a problem with the current situation. Keep testing, keep banning offenders, keep making sure the tests become more accurate all the time. Never ever legalise/allow doping, it's unfair and unhealthy.

it's unfair and unhealthy

Exactly. Instead of brushing the locust off our greatcoats only for it to spring back on board as soon as our hand rests, why not fat it and fat it until it explodes? Removing the incentive to win at a policed competition would make the drug-takers and their achievements look absolutely pathetic. Would they be feted as heros? No, they wouldn't, they'd be reviled. Newspapers would refer to the 'true' winners, the first-placed riders who weren't on drugs, and pretty soon it would be clean.

And then the cycle could begin anew... :-D

Like wrestling and body building stopped existing once everyone silently accepted that everyone was using doping?

Like wrestling and body building stopped existing once everyone silently accepted that everyone was using doping?

no, but they dropped the pretense of being actual sports.

They were only ever niche sports. This is France's flagship! Perhaps I'm too happy to rub my hands at the prospect of media chaos and the cathartic purging of drug culture, but I think that legalising performance-enhancing drugs could actually save the Tour de France's long-term reputation. Until, as I say, the cycle repeats, and the next chapter in this great satire is written.

LOL @ athletics too: 800m indoor world record holder Jolanda Ceplak has been caught using EPO

http://lequipe.fr/Aussi/breves2007/20070726_095552Dev.html

(just for laughs, here she is in 2002, rejecting claims she cheated: http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/athletics/specials/european_athletics/2182003.stm )

(and the comments too
http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/sports_talk/2182854.stm )

Kelly Holmes is typical of the English. She is a pathetic loser.
H4r1sh-ch4ndr4, Cyprus

you are typical of cyprus, a belligerent, opinionated tosser. ahem.

oh, and LOL @ holmes being a 'loser'

It's not 1998 until the riders have a go slow then stop in the middle of the stage for an argument.

Which will probably happen today.

This just in: *I* promise to pay $20 Australian Dollars (that's 12.84 Euros!) if a sports writer can come with a story, an article or a feature on the dope scandals engulfing Le Tour without using the slightly cliched "TOUR DE FARCE" phrase.

LOL at Pegleg Tom's introduction to tonight's SBS coverage: "only those who tell the truth and play by the rules have been invited to play!"

Holy shit, Bjarne Riis got fat. No wait, that's just the spokesman for Rabobank. Nevermindthen.

PAUL SHERWEN IS RAPPIN' TO THA KIDS - LOOK AT THE GOOD GUYZ

Rabo knew *before* the Tour that he'd been kicked off the Danish team. They knew about all the missed tests -- spanning over a year -- which was already a clear violation of policy. They already had enough reasons to believe that he had been lying to them all along, but they wanted Ras to ride the Tour, so they let him off with a fine and ignored the issue, hoping that nobody would make a big deal of it. Once he ended up in yellow (which wasn't their plan going into the Tour because Menchov was technically the team leader) then everything they hoped to keep quiet became public knowledge. Rabo had to switch to damage control mode and their current claims of "oh, we have shiny NEW evidence that he was lying to us so now he's off the team" is simply their way of avoiding blame for allowing Ras to ride the Tour despite everything they already knew.

This is a very cynic view and I kind of understand where it's coming from but I refuse to concur. Also, he wasn't kicked out of the Danish team until july 19, at least that the day the Danish cycling union made it public.

In a danish newspaper, Rasmussen said he didn't confess to Rabo-manager de Rooy that he had been in Italy instead of Mexico, as was reported yesterday. He insists he was in Mexico, unreachable because he didn't have a computer, his cell wasn't able to find a connection and he "isn't cycling around carrying a fax on my back".

Cassini apparently saw him in Val di Fassa, training in the pouring rain. They talked for a bit and he (Cassini) was impressed at Rasmussen training under such heavy conditions (this was mentioned in an interview with Cassini that was taped during yesterday's stage).

Menchov quits.

A man with a hilariously large helmet takes Denny's number.

ah.. i missed Menchov quitting.. too bad, i was just starting to like him.

I've worked out what's wrong with the Tour - it's a flat race. A few fences in there would keep the riders honest.

This just in: Denny & The Boogeyman are this year's joint winners of the "Axel Merckx Award" for pushing themselves over the limit all tour for their drug cheating team leader!

Ludo - as a person or as a cyclist? I've never been really impressed by his cycling I must say.

i tend to like obscure Russians.. i mean the guy is famous for never speaking a word.
:)

(so indeed as a person. his cycling is ok, just your regular top 10 rider)

I don't why Phil & Paul are still shocked that David Millar is allergic from the sun. HE'S SCOTTISH FOR FUCK'S SAKE.

OK, so he's a Scot that's never been to Scotland. He's still got the genes.

Can't wait until we find out who's telling the truth, Cassini or Rasmussen. There's bound to be a lot of clues (plane tickets, hotel reservations, bank card statements), or won't those be checked because it won't be turned into a police investigation?

I think Cadel Evans looks a bit like Spider Pig. I've lost track of who's in and who's out, it's like Project fecking Runway. Actually, if Heidi did the arsekicking, that'd be great.

"Can't wait until we find out who's telling the truth, Cassini or Rasmussen"

remember Rasmussen admitted he was in Italy.

Which he now denies as ever having said/confessed to de Rooij. Sounds like he's spun a web/dug a hole he can't get out of.
Oh, and to correct my own typo - the Italian rider's name is Cassani.

Duh - I checked this thread to see if it was cassini or cassani :-)

(Cassini is that space thing! http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cassini-Huygens )

That's me, always with my head in the clouds.
But you're right Stan, all Rasmussen has to do to show he's really telling the truth is just come up with plane tickets, hotel bookings, bicycle repair bills et al. Hell, maybe he even kept his pharmacy receipts.

Rasmussen's parents in law confirm that he was indeed in Mexico in June.
But they don't know where he was on June 13th and 14th.

So this is how it's going to be played? He was in Mexico AND Italy in June, the rest was a misunderstanding?

Not the most objective of sources, surely...

Ah well, the gap between peleton and escapees only has to grow another ten minutes and Rabobank regains the yellow jersey.

Breaking News: software developers to create "Where In The World Is Michael Rasmussen?" game for the kids.

Alas, the Basque National Team is now trying to stop The Boogeyman from getting too far up in the GC.

Haha, Sandy Casar stole that one!

Nah, he did it very clever. He made perfect use of that particular turn of the road.
Too bad for Boogerd but his powers were pretty much drained when they came to the final 5 km.

Boogerd = Boogerd until his career is over. :)

(i.e. 2nd place til' I die.. wait 4th today right..)

If Rasmussen really was in Mexico when he should've been there, there should be some easy proof for him.. Which he obviously doesn't have, otherwise he would've come up with it during the press conference.)

Maybe something like a stamped passport? Somebody tell Chicken that, he'll be cleared and...oh, the phone's gone dead.

Today, Australia's Cadel Evans has the chance to win le Tour de France. Over a 55km TT, he needs to get about 1'50 back from Contador. You could say he's about to buy a lottery ticket for the yellow jersey jackpot...

http://www.pezcyclingnews.com/photos/races07/tdf07/yellow-evans.jpg

What a wonderful picture.

http://fay.uw.hu/pics/tbmardi/defoe.jpg

The plot thickens!

Cadel Evans = Davide Cassani!

http://i10.tinypic.com/4qsfitu.jpg

Leipheimer is going nuts!!

I don't think 55km is long enough to get rid of Contador - he's losing seconds, but not enough

There's still a stage tomorrow, isn't there? Or do they HAVE to relax the final day?

There's still a stage tomorrow, isn't there? Or do they HAVE to relax the final day?

Well, it would be considered a bit of a breach of etiquette to try and steal the yellow jersey on the champs elysee, but that's kind of irrelevant, because the chances of the second-placed rider managing to break away from the bunch, open up a sufficient lead over the first-placed rider to become leader on the road, and then maintain that lead all the way to the finish along flat, straight roads in Paris while the yellow jersey's team combine with the teams of all the remaining sprinters to whip the bunch up into superfast speeds to chase them down... is approximately zero.

So they have this automatic anticlimax built in? Strange.

Well, it would be considered a bit of a breach of etiquette to try and steal the yellow jersey on the champs elysee, but that's kind of irrelevant

I rather believe LeMond took care of that consideration some two decades back, yes?

I rather believe LeMond took care of that consideration some two decades back, yes?

Yes, the decent thing would have been to pace his time trial effort so that he exactly matched Fignon's time.

Yeah, the built-in anticlimax is kind of lame. They should put the last time-trial back on the last day. But, time can be won tomorrow! Two intermediate sprints (6, 4 and 2 seconds for the first three) and 20, 12 and 8 seconds for the first three at the finish line.
Don't think Evans stands a chance. Would be fun if he tried, though.

x-post -- I still have fond memories of that day because, due to the tape delay of broadcasting and so forth, we actually knew the results before my dad did -- a friend of his and my mom called the house to say, "Wow LeMond won! Total surprise!" So my mom and I decided to keep quiet about this and sit with my dad to watch the broadcast just to gauge his reaction -- he was a bit downcast but wanted to see what the day would bring. Seeing his eyes almost pop out of his head and the grin on his face when he realized what was going to happen was utterly worth it.

Evans has announced he's going to win 3 sprints which brings him @ 5 or 6 seconds.. And then it's time for a Vinokourov win :)

And in the end, Contador by 23 seconds.

yeah no surprises..

fascinating Tour though. (confusing too)

The question will always be.. if Rasmussen wouldn't have lied about things.. would he have been the same rider and thus won anyway.. In that case he better be full of regret right now, instead of hating the world for stealing his victory.

"Sorry I didn't win it, I did my best. I did what I could, but it's only my third Tour so there's a few more good years left in me yet, and let's try again next year."

Isn't Cadel cute?

German doping investigator Werner Franke (or Francke)'s interview with German TV station ZDF is quoted in a couple of Belgian newspapers today, he's saying that Contador's win is the biggest fraud in the history of sports. He says he has proof that Contador's name was on more than one of Fuentes' lists and that UCI and Spanish justice dept. have cut a deal just before the tour to protect spanish cyclists from (further) punishments.

(for German readers: http://news.google.de/?ncl=1104944210&hl=de )

Iban Mayo caught using EPO during the Tour, sacked by his team.

http://sport.guardian.co.uk/breakingnews/feedstory/0,,-6815829,00.html

Dude h4kkt Rasmussen's email a/c.

Danish police in Copenhagen released a statement on Tuesday stating that a hacker had gained access to Michael Rasmussen's e-mail inbox. The hacker's intention was to gather information on the rider to hand it over to the press, according to the statement.

The Danish newspaper B.T. was contacted by the hacker, who admitted that he had gained access to sacked rider's email account. The hacker allegedly found an email from the Rabobank team informing the rider of his termination, Danish press agency Ritzau reported. There were also details surrounding the activities of the ex-mountain bike world champion during June, one month before the Tour.

The Danish paper emphasised that it hadn't intended to use the information. "We would never buy or use information that was obtained in an illegal manner," declared B.T.'s head of sport Peter Brüchmann.

The hacker has not contacted any other media outlets and his identity is not yet known by the police.

Theo De Rooij (Rabobank team manager) resigns.

http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2007/08/03/sports/EU-SPT-CYC-Rabobank-Resignation.php

Mike Turtur sez that a "HUGE HUGE HUGE RETIRED NAME" is going to turn up at the '08 TDU. Now everything will think Armstrong will be turning up. It'll be funny if Indurain turns up instead and says nothing. Or if Hinault turns up and mouths off at everyone. Or if Der Fattenkaiser (well, he is huge) turns up for a Pie Floater.

-- King Boy Pato, Friday, 13 July 2007 01:04 (3 weeks ago) Bookmark Link

IT IS GOING TO BE BIG MIG!!!!

Whose blood was found in Vino? Maybe Kash's:

Kashechkin positive:

http://sport.guardian.co.uk/breakingnews/feedstory/0,,-6835548,00.html

I always get a sinking feeling when this thread bumps up.

Yeah, looks like we won't have a lot of good news for a long time.

e.g.: Tour winner Contador under investigation by WADA, not wanted in German races, will make a statement repeating he's innocent (probably) on Friday

Fuck this shit.

Discovery are no more
http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/other_sports/cycling/6940614.stm

Bruyn33l's leaving is he? Good riddance. I bet we will hear his name soon, in a court room. (Mus33uw also stopped when the investigation into his doctor/veterinary drug dealer got a little too close)

I've seen more than one documentary on Belgian TV where Bruyn33l's been exposed as one of the legendary pharmacists in the peloton ever since he was still riding, but people seem to have short memories or are very forgiving in cycling. Eddy M3rckx has been caught more than once, for instance, but he was the 3rd Greatest Belgian in the TV show. Whatever.

http://www.cyclingnews.com/news.php?id=news/2008/feb08/feb13news3

Astana (Contador's team) booted from 2008 Tour.
Evans ftw!

fyi This was an excellent revive

;__;

which drug cheat will step to cadel now??

astana have been booted off the Giro too - along with Team Hhigh road, which has right royally screwed Wiggins and Cavendish

http://sport.guardian.co.uk/cycling/story/0,,2256258,00.html

Sounds like the Tour organisers are much more keen on cleaning things up than the UCI are

20 Euros says they'll ban all non-French teams from the TdF by July.