OT - Tour de France stage 19
At last, Alpe d'Huez, the one and only:
After 18 stages, about 2,000 miles and nearly 80 hours of riding, the top four riders are separated by just 72 seconds:
Thomas Voeckler : 79h 34'06"
Andy Schleck : +15"
Frank Schleck: +1'08"
Cadel Evans: +1'12"
It's their last chance to break each other on the mountains. It should be fun.
(EDIT: Not sure why the images won't shrink. Well, it is a larger-than-life stage.)
Voeckler finished on the Col du Galibier 1'29" before Contador. If you'd bet on that happening, you'd be a rich man. The guy is amazing.
...sure didn't leave anything left in the tank. His face was white when the were propping him up at the finish. What a stage!
I expect all the favorites to be together at the bottom of Alpe d'Huez. I think Andy needs another 30 seconds to hold off Cadel in the TT, and here is where he needs to get it. Voeckler has been riding possessed these past few days, but he cracked towards the end of Stage 18, and I think he'll crack early on d'Huez.
I think that Cadel and the two Schleck brothers will be riding up together and the Schleck's will alternate attacks until Cadel cracks and both or one of them ride away at the end. Should amount to an exciting climb with many attacks on the 21 switchbacks.
I think Frank will try to go out on the pack like his brother did today. The announcers were saying he had a relatively easy ride today. I watched the end of today's stage and I don't know how they could call anything less than riding in a car up that last climb easy but I do see their point. Frank looked like he was putting out a lot less energy than the other riders.
Clearly, I need to tivo MGoBlog.
Hey, you shouldn't have clicked on the thread! I have always made sure not to put spoilers in the thread title.
...the sort of drugs that you might find your favorite athletes using if anyone bothered to test for them. I'm just saying.
Stage 18 is on Versus right now.
I don't know how you can continue to root for Voeckler. Andy Schleck's attack yesterday was one for the ages. If it wasn't for Evans, he'd be wearing the yellow jersey today.
You still gotta respect Voeckler giving everything he has to hang on to the maillot jaune against all odds. He is a fighter.
...do too much complaining, but he's got a long way to go before he unseats Cadel Evans. Expect him to blame his mechanics (again) if he loses time on today's stage.
Except the problem is that Andy's attack was as much about the GC guys letting him just walk away as it was his attack. No way two men should put time into a big group of GC riders like Andy and Max did on the valley floor.
Schleck is a more talented cyclist than Voeckler; no one denies that. But Voeckler has squeezed every last bit out of himself to do as well as he has. You've got to respect that. He's like a mid-major reaching the Final Four. You don't expect him to win, but you've got to pull for him. Plus, he's been wearing a UM-esque helmet:
Voeckler slips back... Cadel completely stops.
Pineau is doing work for Voeckler
It's rare to see this, he's doing it for France and to help his friend. I love it.
Why is Contador pacing Schleck? Now Schleck pushes Contador in front of him to ride his wheel. Wow, cheeky move, I'm beginning to like him. Voekler hanging on by threads, got to love this guy, he'll be on the podium.
The pushing happens all the time. In races and stuff I'll have to gently push people to remind them I am there. You also do it if you tell someone you won't pull, but they try to get you to pull anyways. Or if you want to play a joke on your friend, you hold onto their saddle rails and take a little tug.
Alberto and Andy (at least claim) are BFF's. I bet they made a deal. To Alberto the stage, and Andy the Tour. Contador is probably also getting a jump on his training for the Vuelta.
good grief. alpe d'huez never gets old does it... titanic battle up the fabled slope. france will rejoice for with Rolland's win.
That was sick. The french fans will be going wild. Sucks that Voeckler gives up the yellow jersey though.
I don't think Schleck will retain the yellow after the TT. Evans is too much better than he is...unless he doesn't have much left in the tank. Evans has been working way too hard these last few stages. Sorry for you guys who want Voeckler...he's had a good run, and quite frankly has done much better in the Alps than I would have expected.
Maybe the craziest single day of riding in the Tour that I have ever seen.
Pierre Rolland is a rising star. He played a huge role in Voeckler's success, while sacrificing his own chances before today. It's incredible that he could be as high in the GC as he is when he's been doing gruntwork as a mountain domestique all Tour. If he'd been heading his own team and had guys riding in front of him, he might have finished in the top 5. As it is, he should finish with the white jersey.