2009 TDF: Stage 3 : Monday 6 July : Marseille > La Grande-Motte : 196kms - Page 5

Hmm yeah he's a bit leaner now!

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Steve
CyclingForums.com

Does anyone know exactly what happened when the split occured?

I didn´t see the race but saw one rider basically blamed Contidor for the split saying something to the effect that there were 29 in the break and Conti was the 30th or 31st rider when the split occured and he just didn´t follow.

I tried to get some images on youtube. I found one video of when the split supposedly occured. I saw like 4 Columbia riders peel off the front of the pack in 3 seconds and Hincapie come charging to the front and put the hammer down.

Did Armstrong know what Columbia was doing so he could position himself at AC´s expense?

Did Conti know also and cause the split intentionally?

Does Armstrong really think he can win or is this all a ploy to put Armstrong in yellow for a few days as Conti is going to be to strong for LA in the mountains and finish in yellow in Paris either way?

Any opinion out there?

It didn't look to me that the split was pre-planned (at least to me, it didn't).

Where the split occured was where the road started to veer leftwards.
At that point it looked like Columbia knew what to expect and had formatted themselves for take turns at the front and ride in formation.

From what I saw it looked like the bunch either did not understand what was happening or they thought that Columbia were not going to be able to keep that acceleration up.
The small gap that appeared suddenly opened up to a 30sec gap and try as they did, the chasing bunch just could not close the gap because Columbia, three astanas, some skil riders and a couple of saxos worked together.
Although it was noticeable that Cacellara, for example, was constantly looking over his shoulder expecting (hoping?) that the gap would close.

In terms of astana : I think AC is just biding his time.

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.."But finally the last thing I’ll say to the people who don’t believe in cycling, the cynics and the sceptics. I'm sorry for you. I’m sorry that you can’t dream big. [I]I'm sorry you don't believe in miracles. You should believe in these athletes, and you should believe in these people. I'll be a fan of the Tour de France for as long as I live. And there are no secrets - this is a hard sporting event and hard work wins it" - Armstrong 2005 TDF
morelike hypocrisy.

Some other things that could add fuel to make this a great conspiracy theory.
Beppu Skil rider. (Ex- Discovery) He took some strong pulls at the front.
Hincapie (Ex US Postal/Discovery) Wherever Hincapie goes Lance is in his shadow.
M Rogers has also been very friendly with Lance lately.

If Astana were to cease to exist...what team would Lance want to ride in?

Who did Lance give a big hug to at the end of the stage from Highroad?

Certainly pays to have friends on other teams.
How many friends does Contador have?

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Find your ideal riding partner. Anywhere in the world!!!

Interesting ideas, Japanic.

These sort of alliances are quite common in stage races : riders reach an "on road" agreement to cease hostilities and work for each other.
Money is often a motivator.
Of course there is nothing wrong with that.

Riders would be advised to get cash first before helping.

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.."But finally the last thing I’ll say to the people who don’t believe in cycling, the cynics and the sceptics. I'm sorry for you. I’m sorry that you can’t dream big. [I]I'm sorry you don't believe in miracles. You should believe in these athletes, and you should believe in these people. I'll be a fan of the Tour de France for as long as I live. And there are no secrets - this is a hard sporting event and hard work wins it" - Armstrong 2005 TDF
morelike hypocrisy.