Quote
kleermaker
But who did that and why?

Dunno. Some idiots ?

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Keep On Rolling

Hello,

Just watched the highlights from today's stage. Tacks, nails? Thanks to some oxygen thief a rider has a broken collarbone: how the culprits managed to do it on a crowded mountain-top is beyond me, let alone why.

Pierre Rolland might find himself ostracised a little: Jens just tweeted that it showed no class. As ususal, Jens is about right.

Brillaint move by L.L.Sanchez to steal away from Sagan. He had to, didn't he?

Le Tour rolls on...

Cheers,

Simon.

Great to see Wiggins holding the pace to wait for Evans.
Great to see Evans giving thanks to the Sky team car when
passing it just before making contact with the waiting peloton.

Wtf tacks???

Wiggins fans did the tacks????

Hello,

Great tweet from Dave Millar:

[yfrog.com]

and followed-up with...

"I'm still half asleep. Climb back into bed trying not to imagine them ripping us to pieces on every climb. All I wanted was blue skies."

That feeling when you realise that you are gonna be giving an absolute shoeing. Ouch!

Cheers,

Simon.

Quote
GOO
Wiggins fans did the tacks????

People who did this are nobody's fans

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© [www.letour.fr]

Stage 15. Monday, July 16th, Samatan / Pau. 158.5 km



Rather flat stage today. Something for the sprinters ?

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Keep On Rolling

Quote
Rolling Hansie
© [www.letour.fr]

Stage 15. Monday, July 16th, Samatan / Pau. 158.5 km



Rather flat stage today. Something for the sprinters ?

De Neel zou gezegd hebben: geaccidenteerd terrein, Hansie. Zeer helaas is hij niet meer onder ons. Bedankt weer voor het schema voor vandaag!

Well, sprinters could be, but also a group ahead or, what would be heroic, a lonesome flyer.

Quote
kleermaker
geaccidenteerd terrein

Ja, mooie uitdrukking.

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It seems a group of 6 will probably stay ahead and keep the whole pack behind them. One of those 6 is Thomas Voeckler who already have won a stage. Well done!



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2012-07-16 16:39 by kleermaker.

Not so sure about that, more than 60 km to go, and the pack is slowly getting closer. And once the pack goes full steam ahead, it will be very difficult for the leaders to maintain their position.

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Koen
Not so sure about that, more than 60 km to go, and the pack is slowly getting closer. And once the pack goes full steam ahead, it will be very difficult for the leaders to maintain their position.

Het is een gelopen (grapje) race, Koen. Alleen de winnaar is nog niet bekend. We kunnen gaan gokken. Kans van minstens 1 op 6.

stage winner today : Pierrick Fédrigo

do you know how much does the stage winner win ?
1er : 8 000€ !!
then,
2ème : 4 000€
3ème : 2 000€
4ème : 1 200€
5ème : 830 €
6ème : 780€
7ème : 730€
8ème : 670€
9ème : 650€
10ème : 600€

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jpasc95
stage winner today : Pierrick Fédrigo

do you know how much does the stage winner win ?
1er : 8 000€ !!
then,
2ème : 4 000€
3ème : 2 000€
4ème : 1 200€
5ème : 830 €
6ème : 780€
7ème : 730€
8ème : 670€
9ème : 650€
10ème : 600€

Not much, but his value and fame are upped by winning a stage in the Tour.

well, bad news for the Tour
Fränck Schleck pushed out of the race because of doping convinced on the 14th of July.
He of course denies the positive control but will have to explain how the illegal substance (xipamide) got into his blood.
I expect a funny explanation like the one Contador gave a few months ago.
He tried to get away with murder by saying that a man gave him excellent meat from Spain which contained clenbuterol.

Sad news indeed about Schleck, and very stupid of him or his team.

From AP:
The Associated Press reports that Fränk Schleck has tested positive for a banned diuretic. The test reportedly took place on 14 July, and the Châtenay-Malabry lab carried out the analysis. The substance, xipamide, is a diuretic, and can be used as a masking agent. It is used to treat hypertension and works to control blood pressure.

Xidamide is a specified substance, which means that it does not carry an immediate suspension. It counts among a class of substances that the WADA code recognizes as having a possibility for accidental ingestion. If an athlete can prove that he or she ingested the substance unintentionally, the rules allow for a reduced ban. Tainted supplements or food are the most common sources of positives for specified substances.

The UCI confirmed the test in a statement on Monday. Schleck now must decide if he wishes the B-sample to be tested. In indirect terms, the UCI has called upon Schleck's RadioShack team to remove him from the Tour de France, so that the race may continue in "serenity."

In a statement, the RadioShack-Nissan team confirmed that Schleck would not continue the Tour de France when the race resumes on Wednesday. "After being informed by the UCI about the presence of xipamide in the urine sample of Fränk Schleck on July 14, the team has decided to immediately withdraw Fränk Schleck from the Tour de France," said the statement. The team also denied any knowledge of the substance and pledged to collaborate with anti-doping authorities in the case.

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Wednesday, july 18th - Stage 16. 197km Pau / Bagnères-de-Luchon



Could be a great race today. Tough stage.

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Keep On Rolling

Hello,

Awww Frank! Say it ain't so...

I'll be struggling up today's climbs myself in about 5 weeks. Gulp.

Cheers,

Simon.

Quote
Rolling Hansie
© [www.letour.fr]

Wednesday, july 18th - Stage 16. 197km Pau / Bagnères-de-Luchon



Could be a great race today. Tough stage.

On paper it is a very tough stage indeed. But all depends on the behaviour of the big boys: if they decide to take it easy and none of them attacks, it's a piece of cake and a 'nobody' will win. A pity the stage doesn't end up on a mountain.

Quote
Rolling Hansie
Sad news indeed about Schleck, and very stupid of him or his team.

From AP:
The Associated Press reports that Fränk Schleck has tested positive for a banned diuretic. The test reportedly took place on 14 July, and the Châtenay-Malabry lab carried out the analysis. The substance, xipamide, is a diuretic, and can be used as a masking agent. It is used to treat hypertension and works to control blood pressure.

Xidamide is a specified substance, which means that it does not carry an immediate suspension. It counts among a class of substances that the WADA code recognizes as having a possibility for accidental ingestion. If an athlete can prove that he or she ingested the substance unintentionally, the rules allow for a reduced ban. Tainted supplements or food are the most common sources of positives for specified substances.

The UCI confirmed the test in a statement on Monday. Schleck now must decide if he wishes the B-sample to be tested. In indirect terms, the UCI has called upon Schleck's RadioShack team to remove him from the Tour de France, so that the race may continue in "serenity."

In a statement, the RadioShack-Nissan team confirmed that Schleck would not continue the Tour de France when the race resumes on Wednesday. "After being informed by the UCI about the presence of xipamide in the urine sample of Fränk Schleck on July 14, the team has decided to immediately withdraw Fränk Schleck from the Tour de France," said the statement. The team also denied any knowledge of the substance and pledged to collaborate with anti-doping authorities in the case.

How to explain such stupidity? Almost impossible.

At the same time, the whole doping issue will never be solved and one better accepts that. How more severe the rules, the more problems will appear. It's better to provide the best medical assistance and accept that 'doing' the Tour with only potatoes, pasta and fillet steak is impossible.

Anyway I don't like the discussion that now has been provoked.

Btw: does one realize that the bikers drink more then 7 (seven) litres of water (and ice cold cola, can you image that?) during a stage? After the stage their bellies look like those of pregnant women! A diureticum can help to lose the superfluous fluid. But I'm afraid that not the case with our friend Frank S.

Quote
Posted by: kleermaker ()
Date: July 18, 2012 14:50

Quote
Rolling Hansie
Sad news indeed about Schleck, and very stupid of him or his team.

From AP:
The Associated Press reports that Fränk Schleck has tested positive for a banned diuretic. The test reportedly took place on 14 July, and the Châtenay-Malabry lab carried out the analysis. The substance, xipamide, is a diuretic, and can be used as a masking agent. It is used to treat hypertension and works to control blood pressure.

Xidamide is a specified substance, which means that it does not carry an immediate suspension. It counts among a class of substances that the WADA code recognizes as having a possibility for accidental ingestion. If an athlete can prove that he or she ingested the substance unintentionally, the rules allow for a reduced ban. Tainted supplements or food are the most common sources of positives for specified substances.

The UCI confirmed the test in a statement on Monday. Schleck now must decide if he wishes the B-sample to be tested. In indirect terms, the UCI has called upon Schleck's RadioShack team to remove him from the Tour de France, so that the race may continue in "serenity."

In a statement, the RadioShack-Nissan team confirmed that Schleck would not continue the Tour de France when the race resumes on Wednesday. "After being informed by the UCI about the presence of xipamide in the urine sample of Fränk Schleck on July 14, the team has decided to immediately withdraw Fränk Schleck from the Tour de France," said the statement. The team also denied any knowledge of the substance and pledged to collaborate with anti-doping authorities in the case.

How to explain such stupidity? Almost impossible.

At the same time, the whole doping issue will never be solved and one better accepts that. How more severe the rules, the more problems will appear. It's better to provide the best medical assistance and accept that 'doing' the Tour with only potatoes, pasta and fillet steak is impossible.

Anyway I don't like the discussion that now has been provoked.

Btw: does one realize that the bikers drink more then 7 (seven) litres of water (and ice cold cola, can you image that?) during a stage? After the stage their bellies look like those of pregnant women! A diureticum can help to lose the superfluous fluid. But I'm afraid that not the case with our friend Frank S.

Maybe if fans accepted a less grueling tour with shorter stages the race could
become bearable for most riders. But I don't think that will take care of the
competitiveness of riders and their search for the edge to get there first.
I'm afraid that only better dopping controls and harsh punishments will help
the problem...until medicine comes up with a new way to cheat that's not detectable.

well lets' switch back to the real sport !
T Voeckler is doing a great show in this stage, he might be the best climber of the Tour 2012
What a pity he's so far from B Wiggins in the general results !
C Evans is totally cracking up !

Bien fait, Voeckler!

A pity that Van Garderen had to be the servant of Evans until now. He could have been in a better position if the leaders of his team saw the same as what I saw: that Van Garderen was/is stronger than Evans. The latter is too old anyway to win (35), with all due respect.

Mes félicitations pour monsieur Voeckler.
What a wonderful race he rode today.
And this time he really did it himself.
Absolutely splendid.

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Thursday, july 19th - Stage 17. 143.5km Bagnères-de-Luchon / Peyragudes



Another killer stage, with this time, the finish on top of a mountain.

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Now I think that the die is cast.
B Wiggins is gonna win the Tour unless to a serious accident. Don't know if Froome will second him.

Quote
Rolling Hansie
© [www.letour.fr]

Thursday, july 19th - Stage 17. 143.5km Bagnères-de-Luchon / Peyragudes



Another killer stage, with this time, the finish on top of a mountain.

Looks promising indeed. I would like to see Wiggins doing something special today, so I hope Nibali will seriously attack. Until now Wiggins is comfortably following in the mountains. But a yellow jersey must show more than that and a fabulous contre le montre.

Well done Valverde, but a disappointing stage. Wiggins was weaker than Froome. He didn't dare to let Froome go at the end. Otherwise Froome certainly would have won this stage.

If nothing strange will happen, Wiggins will win this tour, but he didn't convince, let alone lead, in the mountains. What would have happened if Froome hadn't to be Wiggins' servant? He makes the strongest impression on me. But well, strategy, tactics, team interest ... all the well known elements of The Tour.

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kleermaker
Wiggins was weaker than Froome. He didn't dare to let Froome go at the end. Otherwise Froome certainly would have won this stage.

Absolutely totally unbelievable. I understand teamorders (although I don't like them) but this was ridiculous. There was no danger for Wiggins' yellow jersey. How wonderful would it have been, and how much greater would it have made Wiggins if he let Froome go for the stage victory ? A missed opportunity for the SKY team.

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