reef58

Incorrect

Richard

SunSwingsLow

oh...i completely misunderstood that jersey.

thank you.

dropinloads

No not really. If he didn't flop yesterday and was still sitting within the top 10 there is no way they would have even let him go today. It was a nice ride today but that was the only reason he won.

plainsdrifter

You can watch the Versus coverage here:

https://pages.tvunetworks.com/channels/#

fixiechick

Ah, I see. By "they" do you mean Rasmussen & co. or the others in today's breakaway group (Cobo, etc.)?

dropinloads

Robo, Disco, and the pregnancy test boys...

Ganesha

By they he means every GC contender and team members the could would have followed him and not let him get away. You can't chase every break if your a GC contender so you let the people who don't matter get away. This is why Rasmussen is in yellow, given his past TT performance, most GC guys thought...

1) he was just out for his ol' KOM run like he did the last two years.
2) they would easily get that time back in the TT.

IMO, the only two that deserver to win this year are Rasmussen and Contador cause they've shown their the only guys who want to win and speak with their actions.

gmason

Simply heroic!

ttopaz

When Cadel Evans was asked about team Astana, he said that they are not a good team and they lost the podium today. I think, this was a very good description of today's ride.
I like Vino, but today's selfishness going to cost Astana and Kloeden. Vino said that he is going to help Kloeden on Wednesday, but it is going to be too late.

godspiral

Kloeden, Levi, Evans lost another minute today... I'm not sure what Vino could have done by riding with them that would have made them lose much less time... or drop one of the other 2. Though going out and promoting Vino as the legend of his own tour, probably doesn't give Kloeden a supported feeling. Bottom line, though is none of the 3 can keep up with the 2 best climbers.

One question... Have they been keeping cameras with the evans group when MR and AC have broken off? Would we know if those 3 were attacking each other or not?

superslomo

Merckx would have won the white jersey, along with the green, yellow, and polka dot in his first win, but they didn't have the white jersey at the time.

I don't know why, but I'd like to see the Chicken win this thing. Contador certainly did try to put him in hurt on the way up, but I don't know why he waited that long today, and on top of that, he only bested Rasmussen by around 30 seconds in the last ITT. That's not exactly smoking him, though who knows what happens in the next few days.

No on knows what Ras can do, no one knows what Contador can do in these situations, because Ras was never a real GC contender (with all the strategy that goes with it), and Contador is too young to have been here.

Frankly, www.cyclingnews.com (which I read at work during the stage) made it seem like Rasmussen was way more beaten down by those moves than it looked like on versus tonight when I got home. I saw Contador doing everything he could think of and not shaking Rasmussen with it the whole way up the last of the last Col.

godspiral

The VS comentators were lividly describing the attacks as AC destroying MR for reasons I didn't see either. Media roots for perspectives in interesting ways.

gmason

But that was after a tough TT. He has a rest day now before the next climbing stage.

superslomo

I think it's because maybe Disco buys them drinks and helicopter rides all summer?

maalea

I agree to some extent but what exactly did it cost Astana?

The third step on the podium?

In the eyes of the Astana which is more important, a Vino stage win and lots of TV coverage or maybe a
3rd place finish?

serpico7

Cadel Evans also said this, referring to the attack/chase by AC/MR: "I could not go with them because I was alone . . . Unfortunately that is the way it is, you have to play the cards as they fall," he responded. "Unfortunately, the team does not have the budget to buy a rider who can close those gaps for me." Chris Horner was the last Predictor rider to stay with the team's captain.

1. How exactly did Astana lose the podium? What could Vino have done to help Kloden short of throwing a bottle in AC or MR's spokes? OTOH, he did get his team a stage win.

2. Ummm, at that point, nobody else in that group had anyone to close the gap for them. If you had it in you, you would have jumped on MR's wheel. You didn't. Don't blame it on your team. Even if you couldn't have closed the gap, you could have put time into Kloden and Levi. You didn't.

Cadel Evans, you need to harden the f*** up and ride, not talk.

ttopaz

He could lead the group instead of leaving Kloeden alone. Beside Predictor-Lotto, Astana had most to loose in this group. I think that a podium position is more important to teams than a stage win.

Layback

Assuming that there isn't a major bonk by Contador or Rasmussen I think that it's gonna come down to these two guys after today. Levi has been a joke. He's nothing more that a glorified domestique with a nice team to pull him. In fact, I will be upset if he wins - he has done nothing to earn respect. Not sure who I'd like to see win more - the chicken or the spaniard. I'd love to see Rasmussen win and shove it in the face of the dutch cycling federation but then again Contador is just so darn impressive. I wish I could climb 1/4 as good as that guy...

Ceya

Hincapie is such an all around rider. He is there when you need him.

They messed up on some stats having Evans as finishing 12th instead of Hincapie.

I need to watch this stage.

S/F,
CEYA!

ttopaz

Hincapie is such a great teammate. Too bad he didn't win a stage.

maalea

Hinault won the TdF as a 1st year rider and in his second year he won the tour and the points jersey. In his final tour he won the grimpeur jersey.

gmason

???

skinny

Your restraint is an example to us all.

acape

Contador is impressive. One thing's for sure, I'm looking forward to some Contador/A. Schleck battles in the next year or so.

TYB069

Does it really matter? Once they got gapped, it was just a matter of how much time they would lose to the other two. Besides I would rather see Ras and Contador attacking each other as opposed to Evans attacking someone's slipstream.