Tour de France 2010

[irishstu]

Starting in Rotterdam and heading down through Belgium on it's way to France.

http://www.letour.fr/indexus.html

Running from Saturday July 3rd to Sunday July 25th 2010, the 97th Tour de France will be made up of 1 prologue and 20 stages and will cover a total distance of 3,600 kilometres.
Distinctive aspects of the race

* le Tourmalet climbed twice,
* a hint of the Classics and cobblestones,
* 2 rest days,
* 23 level 1, level 2 and highest level mountain passes.

52km individual time trial on the penultimate day (which is, of course, the last day for all intents and purposes) should make things interesting.

[Wookiee]

Starts this Saturday.
Got to figure out how to get TV coverage.

[the bear]

Starts this Saturday.
Got to figure out how to get TV coverage.

too right....here's all the links from steephill. http://www.steephill.tv/tour-de-france/
It's hard work finding a good one that doesn't kick you off randomly.
There's a Japanese channel in most pubs satellite packages that has full coverage, but no English.

[Mother Theresa]

Well, it's begun.


The Dutch cyclist Maarten Tjallingii was one of 197 riders in the Tour de France’s five-and-a-half-mile prologue stage in Rotterdam

In what came as no surprise to the other riders and teams at the Tour de France, the Swiss cyclist Fabian Cancellara won Saturday’s prologue, earning the yellow leader’s jersey the first day of the three-week race.

Cancellara, the 2008 Olympic time trial champion and Team Saxo Bank rider, used his thick, powerful legs to motor his way through the 5.5-mile course in this city in 10 minutes, edging Germany’s Tony Martin by 10 seconds.

“That was a great opening for me and the team,” Cancellara said, sounding giddy after his late-day win. He was the second-to-last rider on the course. “It’s an amazing day. I’m really happy.”

The biggest surprise of the day, though, was the man who finished fourth: Lance Armstrong. In what he has said would be his final appearance at this race, Armstrong — a seven-time Tour winner — finished 22 seconds back. Afterward, he said, “in my heart it was a surprise,” that he had fared so well. At 38, he is one of the oldest riders competing at the Tour.

The defending Tour champion Alberto Contador of Spain, Armstrong’s rival at this race, finished sixth, five seconds back of Armstrong and 27 seconds back of Cancellara. . . .

[MEANWHILE, like a rash that won't go away] In an article published Saturday in The Wall Street Journal, Landis, who was stripped of his 2006 Tour title for doping, gave additional details about his use of banned doping products and again accused Armstrong and his teammates of receiving blood transfusions during the 2004 Tour. . .

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/07/04/sport ... your.html?hp

[irishstu]

Woohoo!!!

[Mother Theresa]

Duuuude, is that all you can say? How about some substance?

Lance Armstrong was happy to simply finish the first stage of the Tour de France in one piece after several other high-profile riders crashed.

Armstrong has had his share of crashes since returning to competition last season, breaking a collarbone last year and injuring his left elbow in May, but avoided the three crashes Sunday that marred the 138.9-mile stage between Rotterdam and Brussels.

The 38-year-old Texan, the winner of seven consecutive Tours from 1999 to 2005, held his nerves when a group of riders crashed in front of him and stopped just in time to avoid a fall. His biggest rival, defending champion Alberto Contador, scraped up a leg bumping a bike in front as he braked.

Armstrong is fourth overall after finishing third last year. He leads Contador by 5 seconds after the Sunday stage won by Italy's Alessandro Petacchi. . . .

Giro d'Italia winner Ivan Basso and third-place David Millar fell off their bikes after the dog ran into the peloton. . . .

Armstrong's teammates, Andreas Kloeden, Levi Leipheimer and Janez Brajkovic, were among the several high-profile riders who crashed.

"Everybody is OK. It just shows how crazy it's going to be on Tuesday," the cancer survivor said about the race's third stage that will feature seven dangerous and treacherous cobblestone sectors. "Same situation, very small roads. A lot of turns, the nerves and the intensity will be high."

. . . overall standings remained unchanged with Fabian Cancellara of Switzerland leading Germany's Tony Martin by 10 seconds. Millar was third, 20 seconds off the pace, ahead of Armstrong, who was another 2 seconds back. . .

http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/art ... 80?index=3


Lance Armstrong of the US, center, rides in the pack during the first stage of the Tour de France cycling race over 223,5 kilometers (139 miles) with start in Rotterdam, Netherlands and finish in Brussels, Belgium, Sunday July 4, 2010.

[irishstu]

Duuuude, is that all you can say? How about some substance?

Duuuuuuude. I haven't watched any of it yet. That was a cry of excited anticipation.

[Mother Theresa]

Duuuude, is that all you can say? How about some substance?

Duuuuuuude. I haven't watched any of it yet. That was a cry of excited anticipation.

Duuuuuuuuuuuuuude, I haven't watched any of it yet, either. I hope you'll be recording it again this year. Nudge nudge. Even just the highlights last year lasted something like 20 hours, but I watched every minute of them, and found only about two stages to be slightly boring.

[Abacus]

ELTA is carrying the Tour also. Sweet. And it's on at the perfect time every night (unlike soccer).

[urodacus]

Why on EARTH did the Cancellara group wait for the Armstrong group (at 20km to go)? they gave the doper back a whole 1.30.