1 Oscar Pereiro (Spa) Caisse d'Epargne-Illes Balears 74.38.05
2 Carlos Sastre (Spa) Team CSC 1.50
3 Andreas Klöden (Ger) T-Mobile 2.29
4 Cyril Dessel (Fra) AG2R-Prevoyance 2.43
5 Cadel Evans (Aus) Davitamon-Lotto 2.56
6 Denis Menchov (Rus) Rabobank 3.58
7 Michael Rogers (Aus) T-Mobile 6.47
8 Christophe Moreau (Fra) AG2R-Prevoyance 7.03
9 Levi Leipheimer (USA) Gerolsteiner 7.46
10 Haimar Zubeldia (Spa) Euskaltel-Euskadi 8.06

Go USA!!!! :) :)

Some serious magic needs to happen tomorrow... That's not a TT-able gap.

DrPete

the kind of suffering it looks like he was going through doesn't seem like the kind of thing you can recover from in 24 hours. but I've been proven wrong before.

It's possible that the sponsors told him to ride a yellow bike. It stands out and is free advertising.

Other note to self: *Never break out the yellow bike until the last day* (Assuming of course Floyd has the yellow jersey)

Looks like the handlebar tape and tires are yellow; I don't think the frame is yellow.
The frame is yellow and black. Its the yellow bike.

It's possible that the sponsors told him to ride a yellow bike. It stands out and is free advertising.

Well, it does match the Phonak jersey better...:D

Go USA!!!! :) :)


Boy, oh, boy! Look at all the Brits up there on GC!!!

;)

Granted they have given the yellow to Pereiro, but Floyd cracking today would have put someone else in yellow anyway.

I'm wondering now if CSC or T-Mobile wish they had helped a bit that day to keep their contenders closer to the top of the GC?

It's all speculation.

This has been such an interesting Tour.

That is correct. Pereiro got lucky, very lucky that day. T-Mobile should be kicking themselves (hey, CSC got the stage win that day, right?).

How far the mighty have fallen..... 8 min Why O why was he climbing alone?

when going 4mph, drafting doesn't help all that much.

Menchov in 6th GC at 3:58 back. Anybody else got the feeling that it's gonna be a dogfight tomorrow among the top riders?

What a mistake giving Pereiro 29 minutes earlier in the tour.

Perhaps a mistake for CSC, T Mobile, and Robobank. but not for Phonak. Pereiro isn't their problem, its the 10 other guys that blew by Landis. Landis had a bad day today, and the lack of team help from Phonak certainly didn't help Landis in limiting his losses. Had Phonak chased in Stage 13, it wouldn't have helped them any, and it would have only made PHonak, and Landis weaker if anything.

And Pereiro isn't likely to be wearing yellow in Paris anyway.

Assuming that Pererio needing a 29' gift to get into the yellow means anything, 2nd through 5th are all within 1:06 of each other.

Who can call it that close?

I'm looking at the TT results to see who looks strongest here, because I don't think the teams will be giving anything up to each other tomorrow. That is, unless, we see big contenders cracking tomorrow like Floyd did today.

After tomorrow, I can't see any breaks involving GC contenders surviving at all...

Should be a good race tomorrow!

Oh, and go Rasmussen! What a guy! He weighs what, 130 pounds or something? Doing all that riding out alone... He might be small, but he's made of iron! Like a finishing nail or something.

Boy, oh, boy! Look at all the Brits up there on GC!!!
We know enough about cycling to be realistic about the chances of Millar and Wiggins. You chaps, however seem to suck up any old piece of hype the magazines and TV throw at you.

Go USA! :) :)

That is correct. Pereiro got lucky, very lucky that day. T-Mobile should be kicking themselves (hey, CSC got the stage win that day, right?).

Okay... CSC's excused.... forgot about who else was up there...

I'd say the critical point was at 16:50 when Menchov attacked and Landis didn't follow.

when going 4mph, drafting doesn't help all that much.
Seems like anything at all will help as they use them all the time. Even if only for mental support, I'd rather climb/struggle with a buddy than alone. Yay for a Canadian bike in second!!!! woohooo:)

What a Tour...WOW!!!

when going 4mph, drafting doesn't help all that much.

Yeah, even if Heras was there to do an EPO-fueled pull for Landis today, it wouldn't have helped much.

We know enough about cycling
EURO, spokesman for a nation :D

this race is coming down to the TT. It's unlikey there will major time differences amongst the top 5 tommorow. There's 12k of descending between the Col de Joux-Plane and Morzine, which will tend to neutralize any time gains on the Joux-Plane.

Granted they have given the yellow to Pereiro, but Floyd cracking today would have put someone else in yellow anyway.

I'm wondering now if CSC or T-Mobile wish they had helped a bit that day to keep their contenders closer to the top of the GC?


Pereiro looked awesome today, but who will still have energy tommorow?

There's a great article by Andrew Hood of ESPN.com about Floyd Landis. How prescient:

"There are still six riders within three minutes of Landis. Any miscalculation could prove fatal to his hopes."

"He's pegging his entire strategy on rolling out of three days in the Alps with enough gap to cement the victory in Saturday's decisive 57-kilometer time trial."

"My objective is to not lose time before the time trial because that's my strength against the others and I have confidence in my time trial," Landis explained. "My whole strategy is to get to the time trial in position to win."

There's still tomorrow...maybe.

well, it's time to start guessing what happened to floyd, before we get the official answer. it looked to me like he just bonked. his cadence over that last climb was a lot lower than what i've been watching him turn during the other climbs. that's usually a sign of low energy. any other guesses?

If he pulls it off I'll pee in my pants.

Kudos to Pereiro for hanging tough on l'alp and today. He deserves to wear yellow.

Mark

well, it's time to start guessing what happened to floyd, before we get the official answer. it looked to me like he just bonked. his cadence over that last climb was a lot lower than what i've been watching him turn during the other climbs. that's usually a sign of low energy. any other guesses?

That was the speculation from Robbie Ventura, his coach/trainer in the end-wrap on OLN - that he didn't have enough calorie intake on the climbs, and couldn't take on food or enough drink on the descents b/c they were so tricky, so he must have bonked.

Just a bad day for Landis. Not much more to be said, there's nothing anyone can do about it. Pereiro looked super, however. As did Klöden, Sastre, and Evans. Klöden is in a great position now because he is by far the best time trialist out of the top five guys.

My personal favorite Cunego looked good again today too. I hope he's able to take the white jersey off of Fothen's shoulders.

I'm not a Floyd hater, but even Lance had to fight it out on his own at times in the Alps. A strong team really helps, but there comes a time when either you have it or you don't. I don't think Landis had it today.

Exactly. And this didn't surprise me. Floyd is not that kind of rider.

When Floyd couldn't ride Tom Danielson off his wheel in that last climb in the Tour of Georgia, how could he expect to win the Tour in the Alps.

And he is no Miguel Indurain in the TTs.

Seems like anything at all will help as they use them all the time. Even if only for mental support, I'd rather climb/struggle with a buddy than alone. Yay for a Canadian bike in second!!!! woohooo:)

What a Tour...WOW!!!

going up a 10% grade at 5mph, only 1% of your energy goes into overcomming air resistance.

http://www.mne.psu.edu/lamancusa/ProdDiss/Bicycle/bikecalc1.htm

Anything can happen tomorrow, but losing 10 mins on a stage is usually a killer. Then again this is a very different tour and we've seen all of the current GC guys lose time on previous stages.

Message to Michael Rasmussen:

Don't. Crash. In. Final. Time. Trial.

Message to Michael Rasmussen:

Don't. Crash. In. Final. Time. Trial.


You may want to try sending that message through Rasmussen's alter-ego, Nicole Richie.

http://www.vh1.com/sitewide/flipbooks/img/shows/maxim_hot_100_2005/38_nicole_richie.jpg

Mark

We know enough about cycling to be realistic about the chances of Millar and Wiggins. You chaps, however seem to suck up any old piece of hype the magazines and TV throw at you.

Go USA! :) :)

'We' and 'realistic'? That's not what I've observed over the last 25yrs, whether David Millar or Robert Millar!

GO UK! :D

(Provided for easy reference below)

General classification after stage 16

1 Oscar Pereiro (Spa) Caisse d'Epargne-Illes Balears 74.38.05
2 Carlos Sastre (Spa) Team CSC 1.50
3 Andreas Klöden (Ger) T-Mobile 2.29
4 Cyril Dessel (Fra) AG2R-Prevoyance 2.43
5 Cadel Evans (Aus) Davitamon-Lotto 2.56
6 Denis Menchov (Rus) Rabobank 3.58
7 Michael Rogers (Aus) T-Mobile 6.47
8 Christophe Moreau (Fra) AG2R-Prevoyance 7.03
9 Levi Leipheimer (USA) Gerolsteiner 7.46
10 Haimar Zubeldia (Spa) Euskaltel-Euskadi 8.06
11 Floyd Landis (USA) Phonak 8.08
12 Pietro Caucchioli (Ita) Crédit Agricole 13.27
13 Frank Schleck (Lux) Team CSC 13.48
14 Michael Boogerd (Ned) Rabobank 13.52
15 Marcus Fothen (Ger) Gerolsteiner 15.04

Wow. Poor Floyd. There must be myriad thoughts in his head right now, and NONE of them could be very good. Although his coach said he seemed stoic at the end, what I saw was pain. That's gotta hurt--especially when you've already brought out the yellow bike.

Still, that's pro cycling--bringing the pain.

going up a 10% grade at 5mph, only 1% of your energy goes into overcomming air resistance.

http://www.mne.psu.edu/lamancusa/ProdDiss/Bicycle/bikecalc1.htm

That is not the point - everyone gets it, that you're on your own at some point. However, it can't be denied that it still helps to have a couple of teammates on a mountain at 5mph, for moral support, even carrying extra water/food and ready to swap a bike/wheel.

General classification after stage 16

1 Oscar Pereiro (Spa) Caisse d'Epargne-Illes Balears 74.38.05
2 Carlos Sastre (Spa) Team CSC 1.50
3 Andreas Klöden (Ger) T-Mobile 2.29
4 Cyril Dessel (Fra) AG2R-Prevoyance 2.43
5 Cadel Evans (Aus) Davitamon-Lotto 2.56
6 Denis Menchov (Rus) Rabobank 3.58
7 Michael Rogers (Aus) T-Mobile 6.47
8 Christophe Moreau (Fra) AG2R-Prevoyance 7.03
9 Levi Leipheimer (USA) Gerolsteiner 7.46
10 Haimar Zubeldia (Spa) Euskaltel-Euskadi 8.06
11 Floyd Landis (USA) Phonak 8.08
12 Pietro Caucchioli (Ita) Crédit Agricole 13.27
13 Frank Schleck (Lux) Team CSC 13.48
14 Michael Boogerd (Ned) Rabobank 13.52
15 Marcus Fothen (Ger) Gerolsteiner 15.04

What a wild, wild tour. There was a point when Levi was 62nd and Landis was either 1st or 2nd; now Levi is two places higher than Landis - unbelievable, inconceivable, with how strong Landis looked until today, and how badly Levi TT'd and rode that one stage in the Pyrenees.

Popovych lost 25 minutes today too.

Exactly. And this didn't surprise me. Floyd is not that kind of rider.

When Floyd couldn't ride Tom Danielson off his wheel in that last climb in the Tour of Georgia, how could he expect to win the Tour in the Alps.

And he is no Miguel Indurain in the TTs.

Ridiculous…Danielson is the one that was trying to ride Floyd off of his wheel in Georgia. Why would Floyd risk blowing up when all he had to do is stay with the guy to win the GC? Floyd rode tactically well in Georgia, just as he has done during the Tour. Phonak has done what they could to keep the team fresh and not overextend Floyd, while marking all of the riders they viewed as contenders for the GC.

Whatever happened today to Floyd (hip, bonk, ?) was not the result of bad tactics. Having teammates might have helped, but he would have lost major time regardless.

Exactly. And this didn't surprise me. Floyd is not that kind of rider.

When Floyd couldn't ride Tom Danielson off his wheel in that last climb in the Tour of Georgia, how could he expect to win the Tour in the Alps.

And he is no Miguel Indurain in the TTs.

Maybe, but remember in that first TT, 20 minutes before the race the UCI changed his handlebars, then IN the TT the handlebars broke and he lost time to stopping the bike, getting off it, getting on a new bike and reaccelerating and he STILL placed 2nd overall. That's pretty solid TT ability.

Popovych lost 25 minutes today too.

So who is Lance predicting will win from Discovery now?

:p

While I want Floyd to win, I have to say this stage has now made this the most exciting Tour in years! Now what we need is for Floyd to win tomorrow's stage by 7 minutes over all the other top guys and then win the TT and the tour by 7 seconds. ;)

I may know what cracked Floyd. The day before, while he didn't go for the stage win, he went harder than anyone thought:

"Phonak's Landis clocked 38:34 for the final 14km of the stage (the climb up L'Alpe D'Huez) in finishing fourth overall."

Correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't that one of the fastest times ever for that climb in the tour? (Marco was 36:50?)

Whatever happened today to Floyd (hip, bonk, ?) was not the result of bad tactics. Having teammates might have helped, but he would have lost major time regardless.

I agree completely until he got dropped he was in perfect postion. Let everyone else work hard and just don't loose your positon and then lock it up in the TT. He didn't have it today and unless he is strong tomorrow and the rest collapse Landis will be shooting for a TT win and top 5 finish.

Yeah, I may have to re-think my new signature after today's stage :o

I don't think Floyd's got a snowball's chance in hell of coming back to yellow, or even 2nd or 3rd. He'll be lucky to finish top 10, unless the rest of the Tour is phenomenal for him and horrible for everyone else. Possible, but not very likely.

Crazy Tour...this is great entertainment!

Now what we need is for Floyd to win tomorrow's stage by 7 minutes over all the other top guys and then win the TT and the tour by 7 seconds. ;)

Perhaps the tooth ferry could just put the Yellow Jersey under his pillow. Both are equally probable

Kloden's podium chances are looking good. If he can hang tough for one more day in the Alps he should be able to hold his own placing after the TT. T-Mob looked stronger than ever this year to support their displaced and disgraced Captain.

Now what we need is for Floyd to win tomorrow's stage by 7 minutes over all the other top guys and then win the TT and the tour by 7 seconds.

Between LeMond, Armstrong, and Landis, there's just too much personal drama for me. I think I'm going to start following the stars of the Professional Bowlers Association.

Go Sastre!!!

Kloden has a great shot with his TT'ing skills.

Wow! Two spanairds at the top. I bet that helps the Spanish morale in light of Op Puerto.

When Floyd got isolated in that group I started worrying about him. I was wondering how he was going to get water bottles with no one to bring them. I thought that may have been why he dropped to the back of the pack for a while, hoping to get to the team car without getting dropped. I wonder if he just didn't get enough fluids in today? I wouldn't be surprised to see OP in the Yellow in Paris though. He looked good on the stage today and he can keep up with the others in a TT. With almost 2 min. lead, all he has to do is not get dropped tomorrow and ride a good TT on Saturday. Should be exciting!

Go Sastre!!!

Wow! Two spanairds at the top. I bet that helps the Spanish morale in light of Op Puerto.

I was thinking the same thing today when Sastre attacked, and it became clear Pereiro was getting the yellow back.

It doesn't look like Caisse d'Epargne, CSC, or T-Mobile, are missing Valverde, Basso, or Ullrich. Who needs favorites to make a great race!?

Floyd didn't bonk, he didn't run out of fluids and he didn't miss his team. He simply isn't fast enough.