Professional Cycling For the Fans - Philippe Gilbert is going to win the TdF

You read it here first.

Philippe Gilbert is going to win the Green Jersey.

You read it here first.

Good fix. Especially with Van den Broeck crashing out; now OPL may be riding for only him. Yellow, no. Green, heck yes!

The vert is a formality, the jaune less so. But he's going to do it. I'm 100% sure. Watch him fly up Luz Ardiden like a Golden Eagle.

Good fix. Especially with Van den Broeck crashing out; now OPL may be riding for only him. Yellow, no. Green, heck yes!
what?!?!
Vanden Broeck crashed out?
thanks for the "spoil-alert."

In the crashfest war of attrition that is the 2011 Tour de France, this isn't that unlikely.

You read it here first.

Gee, thanks for the spoiler-alert:mad:

:D

The vert is a formality, the jaune less so. But he's going to do it. I'm 100% sure. Watch him fly up Luz Ardiden like a Golden Eagle.

Not Cavendish? I mean, Cav is faster than Gilbert, so it stands to reason that Cav will win the yellow, no?

Not Cavendish? I mean, Cav is faster than Gilbert, so it stands to reason that Cav will win the yellow, no?

Funny. But have you seen how strong Gilbert has been on the climbs? He's going to surprise everybody on Thursday with a Merckxian attack at the base of the Tourmalet, exploding the peloton and leaving the pretenders in his distant wake. Just you wait and see.

I've subscribed to this post...goin' to hold you to it:)

Please stop with this, because last time that sombody said horner was going to win, horner did not stop having accidents until 2 days ago. Do you want the guy to have a nasty accident aswell??

If you want that put sometihng like... AS will win the tdf, u read it here 1st or something :P

Safe choice. Gilbert is strong and the timing is right for him.
I picture him in green, however.

The vert is a formality, the jaune less so. But he's going to do it. I'm 100% sure. Watch him fly up Luz Ardiden like a Golden Eagle.
I didn't realize the race organizers shortened the stage so that Luz Ardiden is now a 1k climb:p I love to watch Gilbert, but his specialty is shorter climbs.

"at Aviva we treat you like a person not a number". GOD am I getting sick of that woman child's voice.

Funny. But have you seen how strong Gilbert has been on the climbs? He's going to surprise everybody on Thursday with a Merckxian attack at the base of the Tourmalet, exploding the peloton and leaving the pretenders in his distant wake. Just you wait and see.

The climbs so far have been very short. Good for an explosive puncheur like Gilbert. The climbs coming up, on the other hand, are a completely different beastie.

I like Mr 13". If Bertie isnt gonna win it, I'd love to see him win. But it simply aint gonna happen.

I'm rooting for Gilbert...mostly because of the points it will yield my fantasy team.

You naysayers clearly have not been following the career of Philippe Gilbert. He's going to be lugging a peloton's worth of suitcases of courage up Luz Ardiden come Thursday. Watch.

I assume you are just having some fun, Gilbert is clearly in fine form but the high mountain stages don't suit him well. But, if you are serious you may want to lay down a small bet. Gilbert to win is paying as high as 1000/1 at a couple online sportsbooks: http://www.oddschecker.com/other-sports/cycling/tour-de-france/winner You could turn $5 into $5,000 very quickly if you are correct.

Am a little surprised nobody is asking if he's too good to be true.

Andy Schleck is going to win the TdF

You read it here first.



:D

Am a little surprised nobody is asking if he's too good to be true.

I was wondering that when he did the Ardennes triple this spring, but I personally don't see the added value of speculating when there are already scientists testing his pee.

If he was BEATING Cav in sprints and BEATING the Schlecks on climbs, I'd probably break that rule, but as it is, he seems to be an ideal medium-light build Classics guy who is strong enough to contest the sprinters, and light enough to contest the climbers, but not beat either.

That said, I also assume anybody that's really good is probably cheating, but I think there is a possibility, however slim, that Gilbert is not.

Gilbert to win the White Jersey, you heard it here first! :lol:

In seriousness, he's still pretty much a lock for yellow, just biding his time down 20 min or so, lulling the favorites into a false sense of security.

Philippe Gilbert isn't going to win the TdF.

Philippe Gilbert is currently +20mins in GC.

Philippe Gilbert isn't "too good to be true".

Philippe Gilbert is a fantastic classics rider riding every stage as if it was a classic race. He has been a joy to watch in this years Tour.

It should've been obvious to anybody who's been here reading my posts for the last six or seven years that I wasn't being serious about this. Obviously Gilbert never had any chance of winning the Tour.

But seriously, he's going to win the Tour this year. Just wait for his attack on the Agnel, which he'll ascend like an avenging angel.

...Philippe Gilbert isn't "too good to be true".

Please note that I did not say that I thought he was. I have been around here as a moderator for years, and every time a rider has had a run that is even remotely as good as his has been, someone asks the question and sides are taken. I was merely observing that I have not seen this happen with regard to Mr. Gilbert.

maybe not the tour... but stage 16 looks a little tough but doable for him

On Stage 15 during the commentary on Eurosport David Harmon asked Sean Kelly about his going shooting with "Phil Gil". Kelly said that a member of the PG fan club organises wild boar shoots in the Ardenne during the off season and Kelly has been invited along to shoot in the past. Apparently PG does the wild boar beating and it helps to keep him fit. Kelly said he was thinking of organising something similar for his own An Post Team as he felt some riders took it a bit too easy in the off season.

Maybe this is PGs secret. Chasing wild boar (on foot) around the Ardenne in winter.