STAGE 1, July 8, London-Canterbury, 203km

[Ernesto Schwein]

http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b268/halimec05/_TDF_2007_PROFIL_100.gif

[Ernesto Schwein]

I say Freire (if his arse has mended).

[Kris Flatlander]

Bennati ftw

[2wheeled]

Hushovd, he's usually up their in the early stages otherwise McEwen.

[ekimeno]

Mark Cavendish :)

[POTFH]

Boonen is due

[a_fire_inside]

Petacchi all the way.





j/k I'm picking McEwen.

[Blaireau]

Did Millar really get dropped on the climb?

[Blaireau]

if getting dropped means that he couldn't hold the blistering tempo set by the guys who were sprinting for the GPM points. yes.


But he's still in the breakaway group, right?

[a_fire_inside]

But he's still in the breakaway group, right?

Yes he is.

[Treefox]

I find the French listing of all the place names at the bottom of the screen (at least on ITV) kinda funny - Translating the names of churches and hills and such - 'Cote de Goudhurst' - yeah....

[Treefox]

that crash looked nasty, and WTF happened to the rear window of the caisse d epargne team car's rear wndow?

Eh? What's that about?? Didn't see any of that....

Saw two guys go down at a pedestrian crossing - an Aussie in blue and someone else...

[Treefox]

Millar is out of the break.

(with Grivco)

[Treefox]

Why, on the back of the Rabobank shorts, does it say 'Robeco' on some riders and 'Rabobank' on others?

Slightly different font too. In any non-Pro Tour ride I'd guess old kit, but can't imagine they'd do that in the TdF...

[Treefox]

Are people wanting spoilers here?

[Treefox]

Well I wanted to ask what happened to two certain riders, one of whom has changed his bike and is off the back and the other seems to have hurt his arm....

Any non-spoiler answers? Or is everyone getting the same commentary? (Botto? You must not have the Brit commentary?)

[Treefox]

missed the bit with the arm. what team?

Predictor-Lotto (yeah, obvious who I mean) - commentators were remarking that he looked like he'd hurt his wrist or arm - still going though, if on the back.

[Treefox]

Quite the win!

(would've been cool if the guy from Barloworld got it though)

[Treefox]

Nope; didn't bother him at all.

I hope Cavendish is still in it...


Great (not really) interview with Millar here - He thanked the British people, told everyone they were all wonderful, then seemed to pick up and leave to go faint or something.

[Treefox]

McEwan interviewing here - thought he'd broken his wrist at first.

[S. cerevisiae]

Predictor-Lotto (yeah, obvious who I mean) - commentators were remarking that he looked like he'd hurt his wrist or arm - still going though, if on the back.

Sand-bagging maybe? Wouldn't put it past an Ozzie...

I can hear the team directors over race radio, "He's hurt his arm. Concentrate on Hushovd..." Them, BAM! RM sneaks in at the end as he always seems to. One has gotta love that guy for his tactics and knowledge of his own ability. Wonder what it's like to know exactly how many meters of sprint one has at any one point?

[a_fire_inside]

Sand-bagging maybe? Wouldn't put it past an Ozzie...

I can hear the team directors over race radio, "He's hurt his arm. Concentrate on Hushovd..." Them, BAM! RM sneaks in at the end as he always seems to. One has gotta love that guy for his tactics and knowledge of his own ability. Wonder what it's like to know exactly how many meters of sprint one has at any one point?

I had thought about the sand-bagging as well. Either way, it was an impressive win.

[classic1]

That win was a bit special. Even at 1km to go McEwen was still 25 riders back.

[bad timmy]

mcewen came from nowhere and blasted everyone. sandbagging? nah, the guy was just far too quick!! there were no tactics by the time he hit the front, everyone was going flat out and mcewen appeared from nowhere, went past the world's best sprinters (bar petacchi) like they were standing still, and that was that.

pure class. amazing rider.

[chinotex]

The commentary on VS needs some work... I'm watching the replay right now, and its the pregame show, and I keep hearing the announcers saying "I've got nothing" when they think their mics aren't on.

[2wheeled]

The commentary on VS needs some work... I'm watching the replay right now, and its the pregame show, and I keep hearing the announcers saying "I've got nothing" when they think their mics aren't on.

Are you sure that's not Hushovd & Boonen ;)

[TrekDen]

that crash looked nasty, and WTF happened to the rear window of the caisse d epargne team car's rear wndow?
Here's the story about that window.
The peloton is down to 188 riders. Sadly, Spaniard Eduardo Gonzalez claimed the first unwanted statistic of the Tour de France Sunday following a spectacular crash which forced him out of the race.
Gonzalez, who rides for the modest French team Agritubel - one of two 'wildcard' teams on the race - crashed early in the 203km stage from the heart of London to Canterbury.

The 24-year-old Spaniard, riding his second Tour de France, could not avoid a car from the Caisse d'Epargne team which had braked suddenly in front of him.

According to French television, Gonzalez went over his bike and crashed into the back windscreen, which promptly shattered.

[bbattle]

Ca anybody say Jan Ullrich?


Not to mention David Phinney.

[Socalcycling]

Robbie!!!

[Bullseye]

Anyone know what happened to Zabriskie today? I noticed he lost two and a half minutes on the stage...

-Bullseye

[ElJamoquio]

Yikes! Perhaps he was involved in that not-well-covered McEwen, etc., crash?

[jaxgtr]

Is it just me or does it always seem that Boonen waits 2 seconds to long to start kicking it in the butt and by then McEwen has blown by him.

[meb]

Are people wanting spoilers here?

Yes, individual stage threads are the place to put spoiler comments, else they need clearly be identified as spoilers and not have a spoiler subject title. The stage threads let people discuss current issues?

[dutret]

I've been thinking about this and it is starting to seem to me as though mcewens win, especially the magnitude of it, came about precisely because he was forced to attack from the back.

Attacking from the back is always a very strong though risky move. If it works you have 5mph on everyone as you blow past them giving them no chance of getting your wheel. However, you also run the risk of getting boxed in and are of course forced to make your move a bit early.

It seems as though the former situation is what happened today. Everyone was lined up behind hunter waiting for someone else to go first. Robbie went early from the back and by the time they could react he was past giving them no wheel to catch.

The amazing thing to me was that he was able to catch the pack and make his way back to the front and still have a sprint. I want to watch it again but the fact that he was able to win from 10th or whatever seems to have happened purely because everyone elses strategy of waiting for the last second to attack played perfectly into his hands.

Also WTF was with the announcers suggesting that hunter had any chance larger then a giant pile up behind him.