Le Tour De France 2012
 

there has got to be at least one other person here that loves cycling.....or at least likes it :)

either way i'll post results and giddy personal highlights :)

so to start....

today was the opening prologue a 6km individual time trial throughout the Belgium town of Liège......

quite an exciting race with the yellow jersey going to team radioshack/nisson's Fabian Cancellara from Switzerland.....who complete the course a whopping 7 seconds ahead!!!!

Cadel Evans finished in a respectable 13th place and was clocked at an astonishing 54kmh!

http://www.letour.fr/2012/TDF/img/lacarte.jpg

now i'm inspired to go for a nice 60 mile ride :)

Ain't me. I don't see the fun in watching cycling, I love doing it myself but watching it doens't move me. Maybe it would if I would know any of these people but nah.

I used to be fanatically into cycling (road racing) in the 90s and 00's. I was in a club and used to train and race a on a regular basis, now I just cycle more for fun. I used to watch the 3 tours and all the classics constantly, so I used to live for cycling for quite a while. Once the race takes shape this year I'll watch it with a passion.

yeah....i'm thinking about stage 7 is when it's gonna start getting crazy

just finished todays stage and albeit long it had some very exciting moments.....specifically the break away fighting for the polka dot jersey.....i had not realized that they change the points for "king of the mountain" so that now anything under a cat 2 climb rewards 1 point to the first climber and no more.....so it was fun watching these two first time riders fight for the right to wear...my personal favorite....jersey.....the end of stage one had quite a bitch of a climb but Cancellara led an amazing and very much a surprise attack hoping to keep his 7 seconds......he lost the stage to another first time rider but kept his lead

tomorrow will be all about the sprinters.....i'm really curious as to what Cavendish will do....as i know his eyes are filled with gold this year and not green....and i'm looking forward too war between Wiggins and Evans

great first stage with very little drama....ie no major wrecks and all 192 riders crossed the line :)

Yer stage seven is where it really starts as they go into the Vosges before hitting the Alps and then into the Pyrenees. Disappointing not to see Andy Schleck at the tour, usually one of the most exciting riders to watch.

Who are the favourites this year?

after today's finish....i'm kind of reconsidering what Cavendish's intent this year is :)

that climb today was fucking mean....a cat 4 with at least 6 switchbacks and almost all cobbles.....just rude :)

i'm with you....i love Andy.....and i feel he deserves a true win

so i'm kind of thinking about Brad Wiggins....although i would have no problems with another Evans win.....i like that guy.....but i also think that maybe with Andy gone....Frank will rise to occasion

but to be honest i would be so happy to see Ryder Hesjedal win :)

freaking epic stage today....the breakaway attacked in the first KM and actually held it down to the last meters of the stage......the crash at 2:14 is horrible.....look at that taco'ed wheel....and poor Peter Sagan slams his back on the curb.....to the mountains on saturday!!!

shitty day for Frank Schleck :(

i think i may have underestimated Peter Sagan ability to compete with the vets.....nice stage win

I've watched the last three stages with great interest, I can't believe that two British riders in Wiggins and Froome are in the top 3 positions! I mean British success in pro cycling has usually been non existent over the last 100 years (with a few exceptions) so much so, that they normally get lumped in with the other anglophile riders from USA and Aus etc, who have been far more successful.

I really believe now that Wiggins may well win the race after the time-trial but Cadel Evans will attack whenever he can and is the main threat, but Wiggins has Froome to support him and that should be enough. Nibali is an outside threat but could spring a surprise.


I know they're in the Alps tomorrow.

that time trial was amazing!

he has a good lead.....but Evans will not sit down thats for sure.....this makes for an awesome bike race....that i think may be decided in that final time trial.....and if wiggins does what he did yesterday there will be no catching him :)....either way the will be pain :)

i would love to see Britain bring this one home :)

and yeah what the fuck is with Froome!?....that guy is a monster :)

In the pre-Alps stage today Nibali tried to attack but I knew it would fail. What was amazing was the four breakaway riders who were all dying at the death and what a finish it was, Voeckler just had that bit extra, but ride of the day was Jens Voigt, can't believe that man got back into contention on the stage after being down and out.

It must be hard for Froome, because here is a man that can win the Tour but he has to play as a super-domestique for Wiggins, a lot of riders sadly won't be sneaky and attack their teammates and go for personal glory.:finger:

Looking forward to tomorrow.

wow....what a stage.....Voeckler was simply amazing all day.....i really like his style of pace making....but i have to say i feel Voigt was robbed of the most aggressive rider....i mean what a come back.....for over an hour i had assumed he simply slip[ped back to Wiggins group....and out of nowhere there he is!!!!.....i have no idea what the french equivalent for "mother fucker!" is....but i am positive that is what i read on Voeckler's lips when he looked behind him and Voigt was just sitting there and even better attacked the group immediately!

seriously the most punished thing on earth right now is Jens Voight's bottom bracket!!!! what a masher!

tomorrow should be quite a ride:tramp:

Well the last few days have more or less proved decisive. Wiggins is now sure to win, as he's just so strong and his team are in total control of the race. Riders like Froome who we've already mentioned and riders like Rogers and Porte are just too strong for everybody in the mountains. Evans is out and I doubt will even get on the podium, his attack in the Alps just seemed so laboured and just downright painful and to be honest I think he's a great rider but has always been more suited to the classics than he is to Tours, he only won last year as he was really on form and was far better than Andy Schleck in the time-trials. I've been impressed with his team mate though Teejay Van Garderen who despite being an American, I always seem to think he's Belgian or Dutch;) Could well be a future winner of the race and should take over from Evans as the team leader next year.

Nibali will keep nibbling away (excuse the pun) and I now expect him to finish third. The race though, has really misssed Andy Schleck because if anybody had been capable of blowing the race up in the Alps it would've been him and the whole thing would've been more exciting as well.

Once again a strong disciplined team in the mountains has proved to be the key to success

http://sphotos-b.xx.fbcdn.net/hphoto...64172442_n.jpg

love this picture

major congrats to Bradley Wiggins....hell of a race sir!:thumb:


the horseback riding thread has more responses than this one

no matter

Unknown Soldier....i look forward to chatting with you in our own thread (save the obligatory...."your stupid for watching cycling; not a real sport" post) next year when we celebrate the 100th Tour De France :)

Wow a Little person won the Tour. Impressive that he could get those little legs pumping over the Alps. :p:

It was great to see Wiggins win but to be honest its one of the poorer Tours that I've seen. There was no real challenge to Wiggins throughout the race. Evans was well off from last year, Nibali I don't think is Tour winning material and Froome who could have challenged Wiggins was his team mate. The race missed Andy Schleck, he would've made the whole thing far more exciting.

Anyway, this thread can be used to chat about cycling, as there are the other Tours and the Classics etc.

i would have to agree.....did you notice that even the pace on the flat stages were below average?

Olympic road race in less than a week!

track events start on August 2nd

Olympics, Tour of Lombardy, La Vuelta and the World Championships, especially love the elite mens road race.

All these guys have used performance enhancing drugs right?

I'm 99% certain, when nearly everybody is using them it seems ridiculous to constantly keep prosecuting individual riders.

Shocked to see Lance Armstrong having been stripped of his Tour de France victories for doping! I'm one of these people that believes that nearly every cyclist is involved in some kind of doping, so picking him out is injust when so many others are doping.

I believe the ADA has always had something against Armstrong. They have always singled him out for whatever reason, and he's just given up the fight now.

What's the American Dental Association got to do with any of this:D

Seriously, I think you're right and there often does seem to be a persecution against American cyclists in general by them. I still think its a disgrace that they've waited so long to get him.

What's going to happen now, are the riders who finished second in these Tours, going to be elevated to winner status, when its more than likely they were doing doping as well!

Who isn't doping? What ever happened to earning titles honestly?

Honesty has never existed in pro-cycling, the sport is just too hard to do without some kind of performance enhancing drugs. Its regarded as the toughest sport to do along with cross country skiing.

Haha! Anti Doping Agency, apparently. All they were saying on the news was "ADA"

Ah I see. It does look very intense I must say. What is the point of the competition if everyone is going to cheat?

Yes, many of the cyclists doped...the fact that he cheated to 7 titles is why he is getting all the publicity..he needs to come clean...damning evidence...samples from 99', many colleagues, teammates and friends have come out....he knows he would've lost in court when all these witnesses come to testify under oath..even his sponsor(Oakley) said he was a fraud.

what evidence?

floyd landis says he saw him using PEDs....FLOYD LANDIS!

there is none....this is public massacre....and bullshit in my opinion....the USADA is singling Lance out for a witch hunt style public prosecution.....they have not in any way shape or form submitted "damning evidence"

my only issue with this is....why would you just stop fighting....i mean he lost a counter suit....so what....you won the Tour de France 7 times man....on drugs or not...this is a major feat....why would you be willing to possibly give that up

also the USADA should in no way have the right to strip him of anything....it should be up to the Olympic comity and the Tour de France governing board

But if nearly everybody is doing doping, is it really cheating?

Floyd Landis yer its friggin hilarious:)

Agree the USADA are out of order here and it should Tour de France governing body that should have the right to do this, after all the so called "crime" took place on their soil.

Lance almost pulled off the greatest fraud in history though Milli Vanilli begs to differ!

Jonathan Vaughters who worked closely with Armstrong.

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/08/12/op...=1&ref=opinion

Lance's best friend, Hincapie testifies against him. He then provided evidence about Armstrong and the organized doping on their teams to the antidoping agency.

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/07/18/sp...pagewanted=all

It is cheating no matter even if they are all doing it, it doesn't mean it's right.

I'm not saying its right, its just the way things are.

You have to remember that cycling is a sport of extremes, I very much doubt the high levels of excitement could be achieved if the riders were not on some kind of drugs. These riders need some help as well, in being able to recover between races and natural rest I doubt could do it sufficiently. I once remember reading that doing a Tour de France could take 3 years off a man's life, whether that is true or not, it demonstrates the severity of the sport.

Blimey that's awful, it makes you wonder if it's even worth it. Well if most riders do it because it's necessary then why are they always getting drug tested so much?

This reminds me of our steroid free Kiwi shot putter Valerie who unfortunately came second to a woman who was on steroids, thus Valerie was then given a gold medal. I think dopers are dispicable, they're taking away opportunities to win from honest and hard working athletes.

They're getting tested because doping in sport can't be condoned and rightly so, but cycling is the exception imo. The only solution is for everybody to expect less from the riders and to make the cycling calender less demanding, but will they do that? I think not because as always money is involved.

Very good point, money is one of the main drivers of cycling in competitons as well as recognition as being the top cyclist in the world. There are plenty of egos that need boosting so doping is the easier way to achieve glory.

Shame Neil Armstrong won't get to be in any more Tour De Frances. :(

:laughing:

The teams demand success from their riders and the sponsors demand success from the teams. The teams have a quota of how many riders they can have due to budget restrictions. So if you're a rider that's going for glory you're going to take whatever help you can get, especially when you think that your rivals are probably doing doping as well. Also the lesser known riders who run on yearly contracts. have got to fight to stay in a team or lose their place to an up and coming amateur, therefore they'll consider doping to maintain or improve their level and stay on a team.

Every single year a whole load of riders of all levels are banned for doping for a set time period, they say its going down and the sport is cleaning up, but over the last decade I've noticed roughly the same amounts of riders being caught for doping. Also this year a rider called Frank Schleck was banned for doping in the Tour de France, now if anybody had asked me which riders probably didn't do doping, I would have suggested him! So what does that tell you about the extent of doping in the sport.