2009 Tour de France - DPChallenge Forums

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07/04/2009 10:39:00 AM · #1

Are you watching? Are you a Lance Armstrong fan? I am.

C_Steve_G

Apple iPhone 12

07/04/2009 10:59:38 AM · #2

Oh, we're on it here, in the land of Levi, who just took the lead in the time trial...

kiwiness

Canon Canon 1d x Mark II

Canon EF 24-70mm f/2.8L USM

07/04/2009 11:23:45 AM · #3

I am watching it at the moment while post processing, although I swore to myself the last couple of years that I wouldn't watch it anymore cos of all the doping scandals going on. But I am kinda interested what Lance will do.

Sigma 24-70mm f/2.8 EX DG Macro for Nikon

07/04/2009 11:28:34 AM · #4

Nobody's beat Levi so far.... 20:02.52 is going to be tough to beat. If I only could, how I would dearly love to be on that motorcycle, shooting that video camera. Oh dear.

twmax

Nikon D300

07/04/2009 11:57:20 AM · #5

Yes, I'm a big Lance fan, and being only ten seconds behind Levi is a great start. I hope Levi's time holds, but there are still a lot of good riders left to start.

It's really one of the most interesting time trial courses I've seen. It starts off with a 7km climb, followed by a very technical downhill, and finishes with a fairly flat run back into town. A rider has to have all of the skills to do well on this course.

As far as the doping scandals have gone, I still think that cycling has done more than any other sport to combat it. A rider who gets caught loses two years out of their career, whereas a football (American) get a few game suspension...I think it's the same in baseball. If you don't watch bicycle racing because of doping, I don't see that you can watch many other sports either.

photodude

07/04/2009 12:04:07 PM · #6

zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

Wake me up if there is a really spectacular crash.

ambaker

Google Glass Google Glass

Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8L USM

07/04/2009 01:05:29 PM · #7

I like Lance, and in the past was a big fan. However, it now comes under the heading of having won his fair share. So if he wins more, fine. If not, that's OK too. The interest point for me, is if he wins this year with all the scrutiny he is sure to get, then it should put to rest the accusations of the past.

C_Steve_G

Apple iPhone 12

Nikon AF Zoom-Nikkor 35-135mm f/3.5-4.5

07/04/2009 01:37:33 PM · #8

Originally posted by photodude:

...
Wake me up if there is a really spectacular crash.

Well then, the sedan race begins later.

These guys certainly characterize gruelling athletic competition and the additional drama of a three week mini-series is intruiging. I, for one, enjoy the entertainment. It's real, violence-free, and not important in the greater scheme of things.

07/04/2009 01:54:27 PM · #9

Besides admiration for all the athletes, I admire the talent of the video photogs. Wow.

07/04/2009 02:31:13 PM · #10

Lance is a huge fan and supporter of the sport of cycling. He respects its traditions and that is primarily why he will not (barring unforseen circumstances) win the Tour de France this year- even if he is capable. The reason? His teammate, Alberto Contador. Teams have one rider they all ride in support of and for the Tour de France and Astana, that rider is Contador. Alberto has won the Giro d'Italia, the Vuelta (which is the Tour of Spain) and also the Tour de France. He skipped doing the Giro this year so he could concentrate on the Tour instead. When Astana faced financial difficulties during the Giro this year and was threatened with losing their team license (and having their racing season ended), Contador entered into negotiations with another team (Garmin) to potentially ride with them for the Tour if Astana did not come through. He is in shape and wants to win this badly. He was not allowed to ride it last year when Astana was suspended for doping charges. He placed second in the Prologue time time trial today, only 18 seconds behind Cacarella of Switzerland. Armstrong and Leipheimer are both good riders- Lance is still better than Levi as an overall rider- and both could end up in the Top Ten or maybe even on the poduim but unless he is taken out by a crash or something, they will both be working to try to secure victory for Contador.

Back in the 1985 there was a struggle for leadership on a team involving an American and a foreign rider. Greg Lemond (who would eventually win a couple titles himself and be the first American to win the Tour) was feeling strong, well placed in the standings, and his team leader, another multi-tour winner- Bernard Hinault was having difficulties. Lemond was just a few seconds behind Hinault and could have secured victory in the mountainous stage. He got into an arguement with the team boss during the climb, pleading his case to be allowed to win but was ordered back to help his captain. Hinault won his fifth title and Lemond was second- 1:42 back. During the climbing stage he was over three minutes ahead of Hinault when he was ordered to wait for him. Armatrong will not put himself in this type of situation. If Contador is the team captain, he will ride as hard as he can to support him and seek a victory for the team- not necessarily for himself.

07/04/2009 02:56:17 PM · #11

Well said,

Panasonic Lumix G 14mm F2.5 ASPH

Mephisto

Nikon Coolpix A

07/04/2009 03:22:04 PM · #12

armstrong has won the tour seven times. he has not come back after three years to not try to win the tour again...

spiritualspatula

Panasonic LUMIX DMC-LX100

Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 24-70mm f/2.8G ED

07/04/2009 03:28:55 PM · #13

In the past, I thought it was cool that Lance won, but I surely wouldn't have called myself a fan at that point. Now, however, I really hope he kicks some ass. All the flack that people have been throwing at the guy has been getting under my skin. He had an interesting article in Outside a few months back. Outside Article

Zigomar

Fujifilm X100T

Lensbaby 2.0

07/04/2009 03:29:38 PM · #14

Originally posted by pixelpig:

Are you watching? Are you a Lance Armstrong fan? I am.

Everybody is a Lance Armstrong fan!

kiwiness

Canon Canon 1d x Mark II

Canon EF 24-70mm f/2.8L USM

07/04/2009 03:32:37 PM · #15

Originally posted by Zigomar:

Originally posted by pixelpig:
Are you watching? Are you a Lance Armstrong fan? I am.

Everybody is a Lance Armstrong fan!

The French aren't :)

Zigomar

Fujifilm X100T

Lensbaby 2.0

07/04/2009 03:34:04 PM · #16

Originally posted by kiwiness:

Originally posted by Zigomar:

Originally posted by pixelpig:
Are you watching? Are you a Lance Armstrong fan? I am.

Everybody is a Lance Armstrong fan!

The French aren't :)

They're just too proud to admit it ;-)

SteveJ

Canon EOS-7D

Canon EF-S 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS STM

07/04/2009 03:53:58 PM · #17

I always watch the Tour and I would love to see Lance win again, all the publicity he carries for Cancer research has helped thousands battle against it just as he did.

Let's just hope is a good well fought race with plenty of drama:))

twmax

Nikon D300

Sigma 24-70mm f/2.8 EX DG Macro for Nikon

07/04/2009 04:40:41 PM · #18

Originally posted by JeffryZ:

I think that if Contador emerges as the strongest man on the team, Lance and the others will ride in his support. It may take a stage or two in the mountains to find out who is on best form. Most likely, it will be Contador, but there are potentially four or five riders on Astana who could win this race.

In an interview this morning, Lance said that he has come to the Tour to win. I fully expect to see him fight early to earn the leadership role.

Canon EF 24-105mm f/4.0L IS

07/05/2009 02:55:06 PM · #19

From the BBC: Contador to Lead Astana Team
//news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/other_sports/cycling/8119316.stm
"Alberto Contador will be Astana's team leader in this year's Tour de France, which begins on 4 July.

The announcement means seven-times Tour winner Lance Armstrong, who returned to racing in January, will be one of the Spaniard's support riders. "

Melethia

Canon EOS-80D

07/05/2009 05:29:31 PM · #20

Astana is certainly capable of putting forth several GC contenders. I do think it'll be a "we're riding for Alberto but will see how it goes" kind of situation. Should Lance prove significantly stronger in the mountains, there could be a switch. But I think Contador will hold his own just fine.

Canon EF 24-105mm f/4.0L IS

07/07/2009 12:09:57 AM · #21

In today's relatively uneventful race, Lance finished in a group slightly ahead of Alberto Contador and moved ahead of him in the standings- fourth place now if I recall correctly. In a post- race interview he mentioned a couple of things. One is that he is the seven time winner of the race (hinting he may deserve a shot at winning another one) and second that he saw an opportunity and that he should take advantage of any opportunities he gets. Hmm. Could be some controversy brewing. Having three guys who could win the race on the same team is not always a good thing if it divides the team and they start working against instead of for each other. Team time trial tomorrow (Tuesday) with some hills coming the next few days already. This will be a fun Tour to watch this year. Mark Cavendish (from Britain) of Team Columbia (despite the name, a US based team) is making a lot of excitement as the top sprinter following in Erik Zabel's footsteps. I heard Zabel has been coaching him.

Melethia

Canon EOS-80D

07/07/2009 12:21:07 AM · #22

I wondered about Armstrong's move yesterday as well - he could have easily popped over the team radio and let Contador know he needed to get his butt in that breakaway, couldn't he? Then again, we don't know the circumstances.

I will give HUGE props to Team Columbia - they got all nine in that breakaway and gave Cav the perfect lead-up for another sprint. Very cool! Let's hope they kept a bit of that for the team time trial today - and I think I'll be leaving work a bit early this afternoon.... So glad they brought that back - it's a joy to watch.

caba

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Nikon AF-S Zoom-Nikkor 28-70mm f/2.8D IF-ED

07/07/2009 12:52:35 AM · #23

"Versus" does a fantastic job covering the tour, I love it when they shoot a landmark and veer over to the bikes from the air. It's hard to pull away from the TV.

kaiser_chief

Nikon D90

Nikon AF Zoom-Nikkor 28-105mm f/3.5-4.5D

07/07/2009 01:18:13 AM · #24

Well, I am a massive Lance Armstrong Fan, but also have my eye on another brilliant rider, who this year hopefully can go one better than he did in the last two, Australia's Cadel Evans..........with all of the Astana talk (and they have a brilliant team) people are forgetting that there are a number of other challengers out there.

Watch for Lance Armstrong to be in Yellow tomorrow, after Astana tear up the timetrial course. Predicting them to win by a clear margin tonight.........

The fact that Contador was not in the breakaway, and Lance was, is due to a number of factors, not least Lance's experience, and habit, of always riding near the front of the pack to ensure he doesn't miss these breakaways, and can avoid the trouble that exists midpack and behind. There was always going to be trouble at that point of the course, and Contador did not have the experience, the guidance or the legs to make sure he wasn't caught out......

As for Lance winning, if he hits the mountain stages in form, I am sure the team have given him a guarentee that he can ride for himself......however I am not sure he will get the support as that will go to Contador. Of course, Astana are also doing this to ensure they have someone ready to pounce come the last week of the tour (and the 2nd last day) so they will try and have as many riders as possible (they are aiming for 4) in the top 10, with at least 2 (prefer all 4 - Contador, Armstrong, Leipheimer and Kloeden) of those possibly able to win entering the Mountains in the final week. Therefore, if Contador is not travelling well (or gets injured, or has a crash), they can throw their resources at getting Armstrong(or Kloeden, or Levi) on the top step come Paris.................