That would be the Tour de France, for anyone who doesn't know what I'm talking about. Today was the second day, and an American, Zabriskie, has the maillot jaune, (yellow jersey), for the second day in a row. This is a big deal because it's Zabriskie's first Tour de France, and he's one of a few Americans, besides Lance, to win a stage in the past few years.

Photo content? Watching the tour today I saw saw many moments I would have loved to photograph. The sprint at the end was incredible!

Want to know more about the Tour?

http://forums.roadbikereview.com/forumdisplay.php?f=55
http://www.velonews.com/tour2005/index.php
http://sports.yahoo.com/sc/

We have continuous live coverage on satellite TV.
I just hsd to miss a bit to watch the Grand Prix though :)

Three Americans in the top 5. Of course it is only day two.

There is also the official website which has lots of standings information, links to video and some fairly decent photos. You can also read the varying version of the race. Last year there were rather hilarious discrepancies from one day to the next in the Deutsche and Francaise versions.

Viva Le Tour!


The official site:

http://www.letour.fr/

Not only is Zabriskie an American, he is from Utah!!
The only thing I have to say about Le Tour 2005 is:
LANCE RULES and Jan DROOLS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
:rolleyes: :D :p ;)
I have better Tour photo content! All of the great photographs Gramham Watson (http://www.grahamwatson.com) will be getting of Lance as he wins his seventh consecutive Tour!
Brian
GO LANCE!!!!!!!(x7)
USA! USA! USA! USA! USA! USA! USA! USA! USA! That is one for each US rider in the Tour!(9) Can you name the other 7? There is that number again!!!

Not only is Zabriskie an American, he is from Utah!!

Hey dude, no need to tell us. When he started talking during his interviews, my bro and I knew right away he was a yokel either from the midwest or a mountain state.

Ok, I'm an obnoxious ex-New Yorker, whatdyou expect? But seriously, you have to admit this dude needs to work on his media skills. :D Truth is, I think he was as shocked as anyone to be in yellow at this point.

Georgie Hincapie, Bobbie Julich, Levi Leipheimer, Floyd Landis, Freddie Rodriguez. That's all I can think of without cheating... :cool:

I hear you Steve. Zabriskie is just a rookie at this level, so give him time.
Lance was much the same, maybe even worse when he first arrived.
The others...
Freddy Rodriguez and..
Guido Trenti, who he is? I don't know..
Speaking of riders from Utah. Levi is too!
Brian
GO LANCE!!!!!!!(x7)

So far this has been a great start for the americans, from 3 different teams. Zabriske is no stranger to the podium, having won 3 stages in his first year doing big tours.

Lance's performance in the first stage was amazing, and even though people may think Ullrich didn't do well, he still finished 12th. People were losing two to three minutes so I wouldn't count Jan out. I wouldn't feel so good if I had ran into a window.

I'm just glad that so many different Americans did well, and it's a good omen that American cycling will remain strong without Lance. I've raced for so long to remember that Jacques Boyer was the only person to do the tour. Now we are some of the strongest riders.

My favorite rider is still Freddy Rodriguez of the Lotto team. I hope he has a good sprint, and you never know there may be 4 or 5 different americans winning stages this year. NOW THAT'S AWESOME.

Loren

For as long as I can remember, I have wanted a rider from the USA to win on two certain days... On being today, the "Fourth of July" and the 14, "Bastille Day". And with two strong cyclist from Utah, it would be cool to see them win on the 24th, which is known arround here as "Pioneer Day", when the Mormon pioneers first entered the SL Valley back in 1847.
What else do you know about Freddy Loren? I have never heard of his name in any other race outside of The Tour.
Brian
GO LANCE!!!!!!!(x7)
GOD BLESS AMERICA!

Brian, I listed Rodriguez. The last one is Chris Horner, of the Saunier Duval-Prodir team.

BTW, Trenti was born in Italy, but has an American mother... :cool:

Brian, I listed Rodriguez. The last one is Chris Horner, of the Saunier Duval-Prodir team.

BTW, Trenti was born in Italy, but has an American mother... :cool:

That's what I meant to put, Steve, he and Trenti are ones I absolutly nothing about.
I kind of figured that was the story about Trenti.
I know a lot about The Tour, but not everything. I have been following ever since I was a kid. It's the only sports event I follow, so I get all of that kind of stuff out in July.
Anyway....
Brian
GO LANCE!!!!!!!(x7)

I've raced for so long to remember that Jacques Boyer was the only person to do the tour.


Remember Mike Neel? I am trying to remember if he was in the Tour, I know he spent some time in Europe and raced for Peugeot for a while I believe?

Another old biker (well I don't ride much due to injury and arthritis ...) in the way back when mindset. Happens every year a Tour de France time!

Boy, what an exciting stage today, the "ttt" (team time trial). It's always one of my favorite stages, simply because it showcases the team aspect of professional cycling so well.

Team Discovery (formally US Postal) have redefined the very concept of the ttt, through a perfect blend of bike technology, training, and motivation. They won today's ttt, making it the third year in a row, and in doing so catapulted Lance Armstrong into the leader's yellow jersey.

We couldn't have asked for a more exciting finish, as Discovery beat out Team CSC by TWO SECONDS, but man your heart has to go out to poor David Zabriskie, who crashed within 1.5K of the finish, instantly ending his chance to hold on to the Tour lead.

To me the worst part was, if he had crashed inside of the last kilometer of the race course, he would have still been given the same time as his teammates who finished, most likely holding on to the yellow jersey for one more day.

Terrible luck for that to happen when and where it did...

Yeah, that was a sad and ugly crash. I feel really bad for him. In the big picture, he made a big statement at his first tour. I gotta love a good Utah boy going big.

Crashes happen at the worst times, Lance knows this, Jan, Beloki do as well, and now so does Zabriskie.

YES! It was a VERY EXCITING Team Time Trial, Lance and Co have dominated it for the past few years!
The intricacies of The Tour rules are strange. I don't quite get them myself, but what to do..
Cycling is very much a Team Sport, there is a lot of strategizing going on.
Discovery's strategy will be to protect Lance and keep him out of harm's way.
I am sad to see Zabriskie be out of Yellow, but it wasn't meant to last for him. He's a rookie, and I am sure will finish, which for him will be a memorable Tour. I am sure we haven't seen the last of Dave Zabriskie in maillot jaune, in future Tours.
I believe tha Lance will WIN! I don't think he is the type to do it, if he couldn't go out on top.
I'd also like to mention that the top five consists of three Americans and three Discovery Channel riders.
Lance, George Hincapie and Bobby Julich, who was third in 1997. The other Discovery rider is Luis Jose Rubiera, who is fifth. He is from Spain.

Brian
EDIT: More info..
I just read a bit more on Zabriskie's injuries. Not much yet, but from what I read, the word pain is mentioned a lot. GOD BLESS YOU DAVE!!


GO LANCE!!!!!!!
GO DISCOVERY!
USA! USA! USA!

Yeah, that was a sad and ugly crash. I feel really bad for him. In the big picture, he made a big statement at his first tour. I gotta love a good Utah boy going big.

I remember reading about Zabriskie in Cycling Utah (http://www.cyclingutah.com) coming up through the local clubs and what not. He is a good racer I am sure he will go far.
Don't forget there is a second Utahan, in The Tour. Levi Lephimer.
I know, UTAH ROCKS!
:rolleyes: :D :p ;)
Brian
GO LANCE!!!!!!!

FWIW, Lance grabbed the yellow jersey today.

FWIW, Lance grabbed the yellow jersey today.

YEP! And he isn't going to let it go!
Brian
GO LANCE!!!!!!!(x7)

YEP! And he isn't going to let it go!
Brian
GO LANCE!!!!!!!(x7)

I would imagine if we see a break away take place we won't see team Disco out there trying to reel it in unless one of lance's main rivals gets involved in it. That might mean Lance loss the yellow jersey but he is sure to take it back in the mountains.

Anyone find anyone that streams the OLN audio stream? Last year they had it on their site but not this year. Only thing I have found this year is Eurosport.com but their commentators are pretty terrible.

I have been having difficulty with OLN's online coverage. I have been going to Yahoo.
Brian
GO LANCE!!!!!!!(x7)

Watching the Tour.......yep yep. I just made the people in the Williamsburg Hooters watch the team time trial. Most couldn't figure out how they could turn left AND right, let alone not burn fossel feul.

[QUOTE=mtbbrian]NoGramham Watson (http://www.grahamwatson.com)QUOTE]


I picked up his book at the Boston bike show this winter. truely inspiring. Bri are you going to the RMH gatherning? I'll be there friday and saturday.

No, I won't be able to make that gathering Bri. I hope you get some great pics though!
I have been spending a lot of time with this passion lately, haven't been riding all that much.
I bet that Graham Watson book is AWESOME!
Brian

GO LANCE!!!!!!!(x7)

Hey Brian,

Freddy has been racing for a long time. I've seen him race in the bay area when he was with Saturn and it was a different world.

He's a fast sprinter, and has been national pro champion for at least two years. If it wasn't for the breakaway this year, he would've won it again.

As for the tour, I feel bad for Zabriske because the CSC team probably would've won the TTT had it not been for the crash, and he would still be wearing the yellow jersey.

Loren

Thanks for the info on Freddy Loren.
Like I have mentioned, I have only heard of his name in The Tour.
Brian
GO LANCE!!!!!!!(x7)

I'm just glad that so many different Americans did well, and it's a good omen that American cycling will remain strong without Lance.
Loren

As another racer I'm hoping this is true. However, I am concerned. The emphasis is the tour de lance, not tour de france. People who watch still don't get it. I think this is unfortunate.

Tennis, another highly international sport, went through this in the US. The big emphasis was Pete and Andre. When they stopped being dominant, or retired, tennis viewer ratings went down. The people in the US only watched because of P and A. Now, and I do notice this, USTA is trying to emphasise the sport over, let's say Andy.

I've already noticed a cutback on overall cycling coverage. For a couple of years they were showing the gyro, vuelta, and the classics as their own shows. But lance didn't do these, the ratings flopped, and the shows got yanked. This is why I was hoping lance would focus on other races this year and skip the tdf. It may have helped US cycling more in the long run.

As a racer, it kind of annoy's me all these people who are so pro lance instead of pro cycling. Personally, I wouldn't mind seeing lance get beat. A change of guard. Don't get me wrong, it would be nice in another american one. Another non-retireing american winning at least get decent covereage next year. Or, if the sport was promoted over lance....

Pro American Cycling YES! Pro Lance YES!
I thought OLN covered the Giro this year?
I LOVE watching "The Tour", I would watch it no matter what, but I especially love it when there are American riders doing well. The trouble is there are only nine Amercian riders, when compared to the 35 Germans and so on. I'd feel the same if it were Freddy, Guido or Chris.
As far as I am concerned Lance has done a lot for American Racing.
I say as long as one American racer is doing this well it can only help American Racing no matter what.
I say give Lance his due for Seven and it will do wonders for the up and comers, like Zabriskie, Landis, Leiphimer, and beyond.
I am sure it is doing a lot for road racing. Now if something would ever spark American mountain biking racing all would be well!!
:rolleyes: :D :p ;)
Brian
USA! USA! USA! USA! USA! USA! USA! USA! USA!
GO LANCE!!!!!!!(x7)

All they have this year is cyclismo sunday on OLN. They'll recap races like the giro. In some instances they will also show the last hour or so of the race. No live coverage.

Most of the americans at the tdf were juniors when I began racing in my 20's. Back then, I was older than most people racing. We considered Kent Bostic the "bostosaurus" because he was in his 30's.

Now I'm 40 and I'm younger than most people racing! You can check the usa cycling statistics on age. I was just at Iron Horse. The vet categories outnumber senior men like 10:1. Michael Carter won the pro 1,2 race. He was an Andy Hampsten Motorolla teamate in the early 90's. Kudo's to him for winning. I won't take anything away from him (though I have posted a faster time than his in the past, for what it's worth it only got me 7th). However, a 40+ year old ex pro winning a race like iron horse states the level of competition. When I read other results they are mostly the same people that were consistantly winning when I was serious.

I've raced against several of the guys at the tour (including lance). I still remember gettting to the top of mogulon after the hottest most brutal day racing I can recall to hear Chris H. outsprinted S. Van Court for the win. Sprinting1?!?!?

Lance himself, among others at the tour, has made comments about who's going to replace them because of the lack of young riders racing in the US. Danielson and Zabrisky are the up and comers. Still, they are in their cycling prime (~26-28yrs old), not necessarily young bucks like a tom boonen.

Hopefully this will change and the sport will pick up. Even if it is "only" mtbing :D

Just saw the big crash. Still not sure of the standings. Who's in the top ten right now?

Top Ten after Stage Six:

1 001 Lance ARMSTRONG USA DSC 17h58'11.000'' 00.000''
2 004 George HINCAPIE USA DSC 17h59'06.000'' 55.000''
3 019 Alexandre VINOKOUROV KAZ TMO 17h59'13.000'' 1'02.000''
4 028 Jens VOIGT GER CSC 17h59'15.000'' 1'04.000''
5 023 Bobby JULICH USA CSC 17h59'18.000'' 1'07.000''
6 008 José*Œuis RUBIERA ESP DSC 17h59'25.000'' 1'14.000''
7 007 Yaroslav POPOVYCH UKR DSC 17h59'27.000'' 1'16.000''
8 005 Benjamin NOVAL GONZALEZ ESP DSC 17h59'37.000'' 1'26.000''
9 021 Ivan BASSO ITA CSC 17h59'37.000'' 1'26.000''
10 022 Kurt-Asle ARVESEN NOR CSC 17h59'43.000'' 1'32.000''

GO LANCE!!!!!!! (x7)

Yesterday I told my boss that I'll be coming in late so that I can watch the Tour every morning without getting up at 5 AM. In our office, everyonen understands that decision :D

Since I watched the first day, I've been hooked. I've never watched it consistently and I am absolutely loving it. I was always interested and thought it was cool. But watching it every day is different. I've started to see some of the subtlety and recognize more riders. I'm interested in the sprints, the breakaways, and all of the peleton strategizing and jockeying. And now I really want to make the trip and shoot the Tour. Maybe in a couple of years. I think I'll try Paris-Roubais first.

And now I think it's time to move this thread to the off-topic board. Can't be showing any favoritism...

And now I really want to make the trip and shoot the Tour. Maybe in a couple of years. I think I'll try Paris-Roubais first.

And now I think it's time to move this thread to the off-topic board. Can't be showing any favoritism...


I am with you John, I would love to photograph "The Tour", it would be cool to assist Graham Watson!

I figured you'd move this thread eventually.

I have been watching "The Tour" since I was a kid.
I used have this "course" I'd ride in and around my neighborhood, it could have been a mile long, it could have been 10..
I would "race" this course in the summer racing the likes of LeMond, DelGado, Fignon, Hinault, etc, in tow. I would cross the finish line with them sprinting behind me, my arms raised victoriously.
I LOVE THE TOUR!
Brian

GO LANCE!!!!!!!(x7)

I thought OLN covered the Giro this year?

...but it wasn't on TV. They offered a live daily (M-F) webcast. All three weeks for only $6! Each weekday during the tour I had one of my monitors with the Giro on while I did work on the other. Their TV coverage was on the weekends...

...but it wasn't on TV. They offered a live daily (M-F) webcast. All three weeks for only $6! Each weekday during the tour I had one of my monitors with the Giro on while I did work on the other. Their TV coverage was on the weekends...


OK, I thought I saw something about it then.

Brian

GO LANCE!!!!!!!(x7)

I want to follow, and photo, the giro! It's lower key so you can get closer. Plus, I'd be standing on the road side with mostly Italians! I think it would make a fun 3 week vacation.

The MAIN thing I want to know is what Lance and Bernard talk about! Hinault is one of my all time favorite riders. The guy won on the Champs wearing the yellow jersey. Twice! If the opportunity showed itself, I'm sure Lance would try and win a flat stage. Maybe just to avoid a crash? Hah! Remember when Indurain caught the pack sleeping in Belgium and attacked?

John, you may want to consider the Tour of Flanders (Rhonde Vlaanderan) or Liege-Baston-Leige. Both 1 day 170+ mile classics with some cobbles too. What's neat with these is the courses fold back on themselves so you can just keep going from cobbled hill to cobbled hill while the race takes the long route.

Mike

I had heard that Hinault, "welcomed" Lance to the club back in 2003. The Five Time Winner Club, that is.

Brian

I had heard that Hinault, "welcomed" Lance to the club back in 2003. The Five Time Winner Club, that is.

Brian

They seem to get along well. Cheryl was even invited to ride in the car with Hinault the other day.

Mike

Welcome to the club, MB man. :) For me, the best thing about the Tour is not simply the team and individual strategies, but rather how those strategies CHANGE as the race goes from the flat coastal stages to the mountain stages.

Team Discovery is arguably the best overall team in the tour, but their true talent reveals itself in the mountains. Their main goal now is to get Lance safely through these crazy early flat stages without allowing any of his main rivals to gain much time on him.

Defend or don't defend the yellow jersey now; it all depends on what the other teams and rivals do.

But when Team Discovery gets to the mountains, they will become like a highly trained combat unit, with Lance and Team Director Johan Bruyneel the commanders, George Hincapie the field general, and the group of top mountain specialists (Azevedo, Beltran, Rubiera, etc.) the lieutenants. This team was specifically assembled with the mountain stages in mind.

If all goes according to plan, the team will work together like surgeons to slowly dismantle the competition one by one and set Lance up for incredibly strong finishes and substantial time gaps in these stages.

Last year it was a thing of beauty...

The trouble is there are only nine Amercian riders, when compared to the 35 Germans and so on.

Cycling in general is so much more accessible in Europe. If only it could be more accessible here. I truly wish there were more (and safer) ways to bike from place to place in America ... seems only the big cities are bike-friendly ... and that suburban/rural drivers knew how to drive safely around cyclists.

Last year Azevedo took 5th overall. Putting things into perspective, that bad ass! A result most can only wish for.

Cycling in general is so much more accessible in Europe. If only it could be more accessible here. I truly wish there were more (and safer) ways to bike from place to place in America ... seems only the big cities are bike-friendly ... and that suburban/rural drivers knew how to drive safely around cyclists.

Part of this has to do with the popularity of the sport. This is even more true in the rural areas. People know who the stars are by name even if they don't follow cycling. You will see these guys on billboards and commercials. It's analogous to people in the US knowing who Michael Jordan is. Even people who aren't BB fans know him. Therefore, nobody in belgium would want to run over Tom Boonen.

At least that's how a friend of mine who raced proffesionally in europe put it.

Well said Steve, but I have a point of contention of your post...
It's not "if things go as planned, it's they will go as planned!
:rolleyes: :D :p ;)
Under Lance's leadership Discovery will slowly and meticulously wear down the peleton. Yesterday's crash at the end shows how thought out and rehearsed Discovery is, George and Popovych did their jobs and did them well!
I can't wait for the "mountain stages", I will as I am sure Lance will to Alp de Huez.
Brian
GO LANCE!!!!!!!(x7)

Well said Kelly.
Even then, cycling here in the USA is still looked upon as recreational rather than utilitarian.
Brian

They seem to get along well. Cheryl was even invited to ride in the car with Hinault the other day.

Mike


¿Yeah?
I just don't care for Cheryl Crow..
Brian
GO LANCE!!!!!!!(x7)

Back In YELLOW!
Because He's Baaack, Baaack, Back In YELLOW!
He's Back In Yellow!
Brian
GO LANCE!!!!!!!(x7)

I have to admit that I don't know much about it, but have heard a lot lately on NPR. They interview a lot of people who have some interesting insight in what's going on. Obviously, it takes a crew to do what he's doing, but the guy is just a machine. Incredible. Go Lance!

Is it OK to admit that I like Sheryl Crow? She has been seen playing bass, after all! ;)

Is it OK to admit that I like Sheryl Crow? She has been seen playing bass, after all! ;)

No sorry Steve, not acceptable whatsoever!
:rolleyes: :D :p ;)
Brian


GO LANCE!!!!!!!(x7)

The satellite wasn't working right this morning, so a friend and I resorted to shortwave, the internet feeds, and hoping that our language skills were still good enough!

The announcers were rather excited! The final sprint ( I'd love to have seen it) really seems to tell the tale that Lance is up to the task!

Tomorrow should separate Le Tour winner from the field. Check out the profile for tomorrow, Stage 15, 4 cat 1climbs and and ending climb Beyond Category. Ouch.

http://www.letour.fr/2005/TDF/LIVE/us/1500/dprofil.html

Go Lance!

au revoir

Today's stage was INCREDIBLE!!!
Lance increased his lead, AGAIN, and...
An American and fellow Discovery Channel team member, won the stage!
You Go George!!
I hope Lance wins a stage! I know it's been done before that a TDF winner has won without winning a stage, but It's just the same!
Brian
GO LANCE!!!!!!!(x7)

The historical irony and significance of this stage was so thick today, I don't think anyone could have scripted it any better.

This marked the ten year anniversary of the death of cyclist Fabio Casartelli, and this was the stage where he had his fatal crash in 1995. He was a teammate of Lance's at the time (on Team Motorola), and Lance has always paid a special tribute to Fabio when the Tour passes through this part of France.

Besides the usual extra motivation for Lance to win this stage, Fabio's wife and child were also at the race today.

Well, as we know, the early break prevented Lance from taking the win on this emotional day, but it did leave the door open for George Hincapie, and with team director Johan Bruyneel's blessing, he had an amazing finish and was able to take his first Tour stage victory.

BTW, in 1995, when Casartelli made the Motorola team for the Tour, he got the final slot. That meant a young American rider was left off the squad.

His name? George Hincapie...

I hope Lance wins a stage!

Brian,

Lance obviously has a shot at winning Tuesday's final day in the Pyrenees, but it's likely that many will try to attack and break away again, and he has very little incentive at this point to chase them down (doubtful they will be GC contenders). He's more apt to spend the day marking Ivan Basso to make sure he doesn't gain any time.

His best chance for a stage win will come Saturday with the Individual Time Trial in St. Etienne (which, btw is French for Saint Steven!). The ITT is one of Lance's specialties, and with it's length (55.5km), plus the fact that he will go last and know the times of all the other riders, he's got a great shot.

And in case he needed any additional motivation, he would absolutely love to win the final ITT of his career, and put the hammer down emphatically for Sunday's ride into Paris...

BTW, in 1995, when Casartelli made the Motorola team for the Tour, he got the final slot. That meant a young American rider was left off the squad.

His name? George Hincapie...

You are right about all of that Steve.
Fabio and Lance were very close.
I remember reading about his crash, and how Lance was very distraught.

I didn't know that about George, it makes today even more memorable.
I hope that Lance wins a stage! There are a few real opportunities for a stage win for Lance, including the Time Trial on Saturday!
Brian

GO LANCE!!!!!!!(x7)
Go George!
God Bless You Fabio!