Mr_Christopher

As far as their chances for the overall win, is team RadioShack done at this point, barring a miracle? I'm not savvy enough to know if someone from their team can still take the overall lead. I suppose we should wait until a few monster mountain stages before writing them all off. But still, can someone from their team realistically make up all the time they've eaten?

Me

rogwilco

They never had a very good shot imo, but obviously Armstrong losing time on Contador and Schleck on the pave-stage doesn't improve his chance of winning. I don't think it reduced his chance by much either though.

But I really hope Team Radioshack has a life after Armstrong, would be important for the sport.

mzd

i'm new to it too. but it seems as though he hasn't lost enough time to be out yet. all the GC contenders seem pretty comfortable finishing with the pack on these sprint stages. the ones fighting are those looking for the green jersey.
i think he is holding out for the mountains and the TT. he is only down 2'30" which isn't that much.

USAZorro

Out? No.
Not looking great? Yes.

SunSwingsLow

Theres alot of riding left and RadioShack has 3 quality riders heading into the uphills. Kloden, LL, LA. And the rest of the team is pretty solid as well. With FS gone from Saxo i think team RS has some real upward capability in theis years TdF.

chipcom 

It's only the first week for chris' sake.

msu2001la

2 minutes isn't some guaranteed win or loss for any of the GC riders. A lot of time can still be made up and/or lost in the mountain stages and TT.

Let it play out a bit more before sticking a fork in Team Radioshack.

chipcom 

Yep, Brajkovic, Horner, Popo, Paulinho, Muravyev and Rast round out a pretty darned strong team.

Keith99

Things always can happen. Marco Pantani put almost 10 minutes into Jan Ulrich on one mountian stage the year Marco won the Tour.

BUT from the beginning AC was a strong favorite. That he has gained time on everyone in Team RS on hte cobbles, one of the few places people were expected to put time into AC does not bode well for anyone (except AC and Vino).

In team sports during the regular season there is a line, for them a clear line, are you in control of your own fate. Simply put if you win out do you move on. For the Tour this is not a clear line, but the idea still exists. I'd say Radio Shack is no longer in control of their fate. At least not for the number 1 spot. They need AC to falter. For 2 and 3 it is premature to say. Cadel and Andy have the advantage, but Cadel has a history of folding and Andy is vunerable in the ITT.

They sure are not done when it comes to getting TV time, but on the US coverage they will get that well after they are toast for and podium spot.

SunSwingsLow

Are we talking about the team competition or the battle for the MJ?

Mr_Christopher

MJ

Thanks for all the replies, sounds like a few of their riders still have a fighting chance and they'll need to prove it in the mountains. Cool.

SunSwingsLow

If Kloden can find some climbing legs on just a couple of days he could threaten the podium as could LL. Im dont think LA can generate the power for an attack on the steeps anymore so him putting time into any of the top contenders seems unlikely to me.

I just think AC is the class of the field by so much that it just wont matter what any of the other teams do. Hes just so much better for the grand tours than anyone else right now.

kimconyc

Kloden is old.
Levi is a poor man's Cadel, at best.

Keith99

If they are allowed to ride for their own placing. If they have to spend their energy helping Lance they may be too far down to even dream of a podium by hte time they are allowed to try.

Laggard

Yes. The big problem is that team Radio Shack must be supplied with regular geritol shipments.

Garthr

Too old? Get a grip. Let the race play out, then we'll see how the "old guys" do.

msu2001la

This.

If the discussion is "does Team Radio Shack have a shot at the yellow jersey" then we may as well just say "does LA have a shot". These guys will ride for LA, they won't be attacking they will be towing Lance until they can no longer go, then Lance will do the attacking.

DMF 

Tune in tomorrow.

Laggard

Y'all can keep pretending that age doesn't affect riders but the reality is that in the last 40 years only four riders over 30 have won the TDF and no one over the age of 36 has EVER won.

DMF 

No one had ever won six, either, until someone did it. Things change. 50 is the new 30. (ha!)

Keith99

I thought the cobbles were where experience was going to give them an advantage. We have already seen how that played out.

Experience helps, but it can not overcome better younger legs unless those legs make a mistake. Getting time on the pave was their best chance to put youth into a position where mistakes were reasonably likely.

Quel

I thought it was HTC-Columbia that was done? You know, the other teams figured out their strategy and Cavendish wasn't in proper form? Or was that the talking point from two days ago?

It's the 6th day of the Tour for petes sake. Talk to me in two weeks and I'll let you know who's "done".

Mr_Christopher

Yeah I am REALLY looking forward to Saturday and Sunday.

Garthr

The "old guys" were doing just fine on the Pave'. Armstrong's flat was just bad luck. Mechanical's don't discriminate by age. Look at Evans ..... he's no spring chicken either..... he did well on the Pave'.

Sure, rat shack isn't going to win the TDF, but they are still going to be one of the best teams. Youth is great and all for recovery, but for the most part young riders don't have the endurance that the older guys have. Contador is an exception, not a rule.

Look at all the TDf riders ,and see how many older riders there are, not just on rat shack.

Saying there "done" or "too old" is teenage talk. There isn't one person in this forum who could keep up with these "old guys" on their worst day and riding a 30 pound mountain bike. .. . so the smack talk is very cheap.

erader

how many stage wins are you predicting?

erader