dstrong 

So today, Andy lost about 20 seconds per k to Wiggins...granted, Wiggins killed it today. There's 116k of TT in this year's edition of the TdF. So to neutralize his lack of TT skills, AS will need to put about 39 minutes on Wiggins in the mountains and have at least 11 minutes on him going into the final TT.

DXchulo

So now Schleck crashes in the TT and he has another excuse. His fans are going to tell you that you can't take anything away from today's stage.

It's not even about Schleck at this point, honestly. If Wiggins is going to beat the World TT champ by 34 seconds and Evans by 1:43, everybody is in trouble. Schleck would have to magically improve his TTing up to Evans' level to be within striking range.

ultraman6970

I read the web about this and I agree, he says that the wind blah blah blah... that he is too light for the wind, that the other guys weight more blah blah and more blah. That the wind pull him to the side and got the accident blah blah and more blah. Darn wiggo is like him and did not have a single problem almost catching up with evans. Even Vino that has not raced did way better, oh... vino can handle the bike, that's the detail.

Wiggo really killed it today, he won the darn race just today. Cadel needs to test the mountains, so sure he will try to get some time back from wiggo. Thing we have not seen from evans, sure he will go to the attack in the mountains, will be interesting to see.

If AS gets dropped off the back in the next stages I bet he will say that is because of today's accident and that he doesn't feel good. The worse is that I see those two things happening big time.

Dstrong i was doing the math today also and I really dont see him taking even 15 mins total out of all the GC contenders between all the mountain stages combined. If a disaster happens that forced him to attack in all the mountain stages the guys for sure will keep him in sight to just die in the middle of the road and run over him while going down hill. Well lets see what happens from her to sunday, sure he will get drop off and will be off the race because he doesnt feel good after the super accident that broke 50 ribs, and cracked his hip and caused him to lose 90 litters of blood.

reef58

I don't think they counted on Tommy V covering most of the attacks. I don't think anyone is scared of Frank anyway.

ultraman6970

Voeckler has more heart than anybody in the peloton IMO. He had to go and cover the attacks to defend the jersey. The other thing was that nobody was attacking because none but contador were pure climbers and contador was dead already, and to finish they were able to spare minutes off AS because his TT is really bad, they were going to get the time back anyways, well at least Evans did. This year will be a different race because RS have to start chasing from stage 1, everybody, even voeckler can TT better than any of the brothers combined. Secondly in the mountains if they tough the race hard enough like in the Giro, the brothers will be neutralized and none will be able to take more than a couple of minutes out of the GC guys, all of them should be climbing more (thing to see tomorrow) than ever maybe, oh and you have the canadian that every body thought was not able to climb and ended up attacking in the giro w/o any problem. If nothing happens and if wiggo is climbing good then the TdF imo will be between the canadian and wiggo.

Add to all of that, there is a slight chance that the baby will quit the race tomorrow if sky tough the race a lot, his excuse will be his hands because looks like the manicure was messed up with today's fall. If he quits and doesnt finish nobody will care about him no more. And even if he wants to run solo in the TdF, after seeing the giro doubt Garmin, Liquigas, BMC and Sky will let him go too far this year.

canam73

Is english a second language for you or did you post this from a bar?

ultraman6970

Like the 5th tongue plus a bar and 10 beers Are you seated at the other side of the bar???

seanthebear

I think we can stop discussing Andy from now until he pops up on a climb 2nd or 3rd week of TDF. He's no longer a contender, he's just a pitiful wreck. Kinda feel sorry for him and I hope he does magically find some form.

daveF

When has Andy been good in May or June? I don't remember him ever being really good in those months with the exception of the 2007 Giro.

Bacciagalupe

He's just extremely anti-Schleck. And, presumably, very pro-Wiggins.

gear

Actually he won it in 2010.

Bacciagalupe

He usually sucks pre-Tour, though it does seem like he's doing worse now than he did at this time last year.

Still, the mark of a truly great Grand Tour rider is that they improve over the course of the event. It's foolish to write off Andy unless he is down gobs of time by the end of Stage 11.

daveF

Actually, he lost time in the TT (and chaingate) and was awarded the win due to someone else being banned. He even doesn't consider it a win.

daveF

He'll be there for the mountain stages, but he is going to have to pull several Floyd's in order to win. I thought that under Bruyneel his time trialing would improve dramatically, but it doesn't appear to be. I'm not basing that on yesterday's performance. He was shreaded when he came to the finish & the coverage didn't show him before his crash. So, not a good judge of his training. I do think he is a long shot.

gear

Maybe he doesn't and maybe you and many others don't either. Never the less, he is in fact the winner and it goes into the books that way. There is no asterisk next to his name. He won. If this upsets anyone, they should direct their anger towards the appropriate person: AC. I love watching AC ride but he got caught cheating and he should man up and make the appropriate gesture to AS regarding the 2010 TdF results.

daveF

No anger, just stating undisputed facts.

ultraman6970

+1

Doubt scarponi likes his 2011 giro win as well. Bitter sweet wins.

ultraman6970

Is not that i'm anti-shcreck or pro wiggins, but look what wiggings has showed in the last 6 days. Today i saw a tiny bit of the last climb and he showed too solid, Evans was like always but was climbing relaxed as wiggo did. And to finish the last 2 last stages darn evans ran off the group going downhill today again.

I liked AS years ago he looked pretty good but since chain-gate he just turned plain annoying. Talking as a ex-racer ok? all racers know how hard and time consuming is to be dedicated to the sport, sure you know. Sure many here had left family aside just for the sport, specially the ones that did or are practicing the sport really seriously. So is not only the sacrifice of the people in the team but from the family aswell. In general lines serious cyclists are people really tough because the sport is darn tough.

Taking in consideration do you think is enjoyable to see a kid with a lot of potential just complaining and whyning for almost everything? Too cold, Dont know how to shift please wait for me I dont want to get behind, a couple of years ago cancellara neutralize a stage just because frandy got caught in an accident like 3 minutes behind the rest of the favorites.

Last year we saw Hoogerland crash and his @ss with 40 stitches after a car run him. He literally could have died, he finished the stage and then continue to finish his darn tour with 40 stitches in the @ss, did he cried about it? dont remember suing anybody for it besides saying that was hard to ride but he did finish. Then you have JB, he went off a darn cliff, climbed up, grabbed the bike back and continue racing... after that you see that he doesnt finish, today he got off the race again... is just annoying man.

LiamSkymom

Okay, I am pro-Wiggins and thought he would have won the TDF last year if he hadn't crashed out, but completely agree with you on AS.

ijsbrand

RTL Luxemburg has announced that Andy Schleck will not take part in the 2012 Tour de France. He has broken a vertebra when he fell in the Dauphiné.

DXchulo

The Vuelta suits him much better.

6 summit finishes
2 rest days
16 km. team time-trial
40 km. individual time-trial stage
37 mountain passes and hills

The bad news is that Contador will be back. With 100+ TT kms in the TDF this year, he should have planned on a Giro/Vuelta schedule from the start. No offense to Ryder, but he would have had a good chance to win the Giro, also.

ultraman6970

Vuelta suits him better? They have nasty climbs in the vuelta, besides as you said, contador will be there. Even if he is rusty thing i doubt because he was going to race other stuff before, there is a big chance that Contador will decimate the peloton just because he is pissed off. His team needs points aswell, more heart than the bros to race aswell. If contador makes a Giro performance Schleck has no chance but race for 2nd.

Lance will be there also, so who knows... maybe after a week of having LA hammering in his head, big chance after the 1st week Schlep might be sent to a mental institution or just drop himself from a cliff or something. Race the vuelta in that team won't be funny at all, specially for the weak of will and mind. Lance will eat all of those for breakfast.

reef58

Wtf?

Hornbiker

Oh, for God's sake, people. The April Fool's joke that never ends. https://velonews.competitor.com/2012/...ironman_211554 Check out the byline: Mary Prankster. Get it? LANCE IS NOT RACING THE VUELTA. Oy.

Bacciagalupe

gaah

Unfortunately, it sounds like he isn't racing anything any time soon, but that's another story/thread....