Tour de France - 2005 Tour de France Results

I'm not convinced Ullrich is going to contend this year. I read pre-race Ullrich interviews every year... and he says the same thing, "My fitness is good, no illness or injuries, I'm gunning for Lance". Then we find out after losing he was coming off a cold, not enough training, etc. This guy just has never had it together to beat the best, well sans '97. Blah, blah, blah, blah, we've heard it all from this guy.

Bottom line is Lance had, has, and always will (if he so chose to continue to race) have the psychological edge in any event he focuses on as much as the tour. With a strong team and his performance in the Dauphine, he we will win. He gained a Giro-winning domestique that he didn't have last year. Come on he has got a strong team w/ or w/o Eki! It may not be a blowout like last year due to reduction in training base miles, but he will win nonetheless.

Vino is the biggest threat in my opinion. After sitting out last year, this guy has got to be incredibly focused. Don't forget he's shopping around for a new employer next year, so he wants a win to cement his team leadership wherever he ends up. No win this year until one of the last classics (I forgot which one), and strong, strong performance in the Dauphine. He seems to be peaking at the right time and seems very mature this year - very Lance-esque. He's made good decisions in all the races I've watched this year, and seems to be at the right spot at the right time to attack or defend. I think he will be at least this year's Kloden. I love the look on his face when he rides! This guy is all F***in' business. I think you need to be as aggressive as possible to beat Lance, and it doesn't get any more aggressive than a rider like Vino.

That said, you can't discount other contenders. Their main achilles heel, however, is team depth. I don't think Mayo, Heras, Landis, etc. can pull it off on their own on the penultimate stage and make up enough lost time in the team time trial. Lance would need to crack somewhere at a minimum and also poorly time trial.

In the event I am wrong, the winner will without question come from T-mobile or CSC. CSC has contenders, but Basso didn't impress me much in the Giro other than a new found TT ability. He will be the next big thing but he has more to prove and needs more experience. Perfect example is solo-ing to a Giro win post flu, but then drops 20 mins next stage. He may need to solo to win in July and his recovery ability may be in question. Lance has unquestionably the best ability to recover. Remember the dehydrated TT in '02 (03?). In a few days he was back to normal w/o giving up much time.

Bottom line Lance has a PROVEN winning formula. There are no new faces this year to challenge this formula other than a determined Vino and POSSIBLY and improved TT Basso. I challenge anyone to prove me wrong.

I'm not convinced Ullrich is going to contend this year. I read pre-race Ullrich interviews every year... and he says the same thing, "My fitness is good, no illness or injuries, I'm gunning for Lance". Then we find out after losing he was coming off a cold, not enough training, etc. This guy just has never had it together to beat the best, well sans '97. Blah, blah, blah, blah, we've heard it all from this guy.

Even getting on the podium in the tour is remarkable in itself, making him one of the top riders in the world. He has beaten the best, even if he hasn't beaten Lance in the tour. I find it so stupid when people discredit him simply because he doesn't win the tour de france, arguably the most challenging cycling event in the world.

I can't call all the exact places but, I would say the top 4 could include Basso, Vino, Armstrong and Ullrich. I could see Basso in 1st and Ullrich finishing behind Armstrong.
I think more teams are going to be really trying to keep Armstrong off of the podium. Being he announced early that this would be his last tour I think the whole "I'll be damned if that ******* is going to retire with a win" attitude will come out not only in the competition but possibly in the angry mob of fans too. Drunk angry fans can stop a guy from winning just as well as some heavy competition can!

Lance looks strong again this year to me. I'm not sure why so many folks think different. I thought he was the best climber on Brasstown Bald in the TDG, I know he did not win, but he was working for Danielson that day. He did lose time during the TT of that race, but one thing you never hear much about was that it was raining that day. When Lance started it was pouring! Landis was lucky that day it hardly rained at all when he raced( I was working that race as a course marshal).
As for the Dauphine, Lance looked just about were he needs to be. He does not want to be in top form yet, remember Mayo last year?
For the last few years some fans say Lance has lost it and he will not win the TDF, every year Lance proves them wrong. Unless he gets sick or has a crash I think he will win #7. He is good at the TT and in the mountains. He knows what it takes to win, and he has a very strong team that is 100% there to support him. He is overdue for some bad luck however.


ljb61 Nicely put! I watched Lance and company come over the top of Hogpen Gap. Not only was the climb to a gap, but every mouth but one was gapped as they sucked air at the top. The one mouth that was not gapping with eyes focused, and looking rather comfy was Lance. He pulled from the bottom of the climb to the top without any help, and without any attacks. Sure, they were saving it for Brasstown, but Lance put in a good climb on Brasstown too, even after the Hogpen pull!!!

I winced when you mentioned the "overdue" part. My thoughts, but I hated to articulate them.

Even getting on the podium in the tour is remarkable in itself, making him one of the top riders in the world. He has beaten the best, even if he hasn't beaten Lance in the tour. I find it so stupid when people discredit him simply because he doesn't win the tour de france, arguably the most challenging cycling event in the world.

You are correct in your assessment of Ullrich, he is one of the best. But when an elite rider finishes second to Armstrong time after time, you would think he understands that Lance has a winning formula and something needs to change. The same 'ole Ullrich winter partying and weight gain just isn't gonna cut it. When Ullrich says he's been riding in Nov/Dec in crap weather to get the miles in to be 1% better than he was at the same time last year, then I'll eat crow and give him a shot at beating Lance.

I just hope the race is more exiting than last year, when the outcome was pretty well decided after the cobbles on State 3. What I would love to see is Vin, or Basso, actually gain a huge amount on one stage so that Armstrong would have to win the last one from behind.

I really think Armstrong will easily (is it ever easy?) win this. Dont forget, there a few guys on Discovery (Beltran, Azevedo... maybe Rubiero) who could be legitimate condenders in their own right, so team depth is really a factor in his favour.

I just hope the race is more exiting than last year, when the outcome was pretty well decided after the cobbles on State 3. What I would love to see is Vin, or Basso, actually gain a huge amount on one stage so that Armstrong would have to win the last one from behind.

I really think Armstrong will easily (is it ever easy?) win this. Dont forget, there a few guys on Discovery (Beltran, Azevedo... maybe Rubiero) who could be legitimate condenders in their own right, so team depth is really a factor in his favour.

It is not over until it is over - it only takes one unfortunate incident to end one's contention in the tour.

sky....Ullrich is looking really good of late. I've never seen him look so fit. This is the one guy in the race(other than Lance) that is a prior Tour winner....not to mention a plethora of podiums to boot. I think he has been really professional this year. he has done his training well...and he seems to be peaking now. He was just getting in the miles at Tour de Suisse with the exception of the time trial...which he won impressively. Something tells me that Ullrich's fitness is such this year that he is really ready to mount a considerable challenge to Lance. I am afraid that Jan may be at his all time best this year. We are finally going to see the real jan Ullrich with all the usual baggage finally stripped away. I believe in Ullrich this year! next in line is Basso. Perhaps he is one of Lance's most well rounded challengers....perhaps one of the most complete challengers since Lance started winning. he has a climbing edge on Ullrich...and now he can time trial pretty darn well too. Yes, I see three or four real challengers this year(Don't forget Vino). You are right Sky..they are never easy. This one in particular will not be so easy. I am sooo impressed with Ullrich this time around. T-Mobile would be smart to dedicate everything to Ullrich. I hope they can contain the boiling ambitions of Vinokourov.

hey, one. I actually hope that Ullrich brings his best game to the tour. It will make it more exciting. I personally love events like my last three. In each case prior national/state champions showed up - I love it. I want to beat them so badly, and could care less about taking home gold against mediocre competiton. I'm sure Lance feels the same way. I can't wait until Saturday - the prologue is going to be super exciting! I will be there watching every day.

Yes Sky...I suspect that you are awaiting that 1st day's time trial with great anticipation.

There will be slick colorful skin suits. Carbon aero frames from the space age. Disc wheels. Stylish booties. Riders exiting the starting ramp one by one....in pursuit of their 2005 Tour destiny. 5....4....3....2....1...beeeeep! Go! Go! Go!

The legs will be tanned, ripped and freshly shaven. The riders thin, fit and fast. They'll ride so hard that they'll be cross eyed when they come through the finish line.

Hundreds of thousands of fans will line the road side....while millions more watch around the globe. The clock, as always, renders the final verdict. The clock will not lie. It is the race of truth! The Tour de France. Our super bowl now begins! The suffering begins.

one, you missed your calling (assuming that you are not an author) - that is an incredible piece of descriptive prose! You really have me pumped now!! :)

BTW, I received that DVD that you told me about, and I can't wait to find time to watch it.

it would appear that instead of TTs being a place where Armstrong makes up time, it now seems like a place where he can just manage to hold his own or lose a little bit of time or to a guy like Ullrich, he might lose a good chunk of time...

OK...

Until/unless he's beaten its hard to pick against LA. That's a bettor's logic but it's valid.

I don't agree that Ullrich is the greatest talent despite LA playing mind games by saying he is and then the chorus begins to echo. JU cannot climb as explosively as LA that's a consistently obvious and fatal flaw.

1. LA
2. Basso (hopefully putting to bed the idea you have to be a specialist)
3. Ullrich
4. Unknown TBA
Wildcard: Cunego (see notes for Basso)

FWIW

:beer:


Walter got the top 3, nice job! :D Basso has proven he is for real. It will be exciting next year.....