2009 TDF stage 7: Barcelone - Andorre Arcalis 224 km - Page 6

nonns · #76 07-13.-2009

Don't think you dozed off. I took that comment to be referring to the contentious day on which Lance went with the break and gained a bit of time on Contador which Contador then made up on the Stage 7. Then again I don't have full coverage of the Tour so perhaps Lance made another attempt.

Ho hum the last two days have been boringsville.

swampy1970 · #77 07-13.-2009

Quote:

Originally Posted by limerickman

I think Astana will provide the winner of this years Tour de France.

In respect of their team, if you saw yesterdays stage, you would have seen the Astana team had the biggest presence if the elite group (Kloden, LA, AC, and Leipheimer) - all pedalling away with no obvious signs of stress.
They're a very formidable team.

I haven't see enough of either rider in this race to say who is the stronger of the two.
Personally I would say AC is the stronger given he is younger, fitter and he did not fall part in the Dauphine as much as LA fell apart in the mountains in the Giro.
Before the LA chamois sniffers get huffy with me.........it is perfectly logical for a 37yo to struggle in a grand tour.
I don't know what I would do if I were Kloden or Leipheimer in that situation - do you support the man who has years of career ahead or do you support the guy who may be around for only one more season.
Hard one to call.

I agree with this - but Astana look very very strong thus far and no other team can go head-to-head with them.
If a team like Saxo could get say, Rabo, to work with them, they might have a chance of doing a job on Astana.
But maybe Astana's petrodollars speak more loudly!

I don't know if the likes of Saxo, Rabo, Silence and Cervello have the horsepower or combined tactical know-how to beat Astana. There's only so much that Voight can do before the Shrek brothers have to do something, Evans isn't capable of doing anything useful on his own (doesn't have the kick), "Mench-off the back" has been more noticable by his inability to keep his time trial bike upright again and missing breaks which kinda rules out the Rabo since Gesink is out too... Sastre looks like the bigger threat - but against Armstrong, Leipheimer, Kloden and Contador?

Lance has actually impressed me the most so far which has been a surprise. Enough nouse to stay far enough up the field all the time and he was doing some monster pulls on the front during the team time trial and still a fair kick in the hills when chasing down breaks. He looks a very different rider to that a few weeks ago in the Giro. Maybe not the Lance of a few years ago but I think he's doing better than expected.

What about Wiggo... Christ on a stick. Not bad for a trackie from the land of flat caps and whippets.

The next time trial should be most interesting as far as the Astana pecking order goes.

JAPANic · #78 07-13.-2009

Some devious expectations that wouldn't surprise me.
Contador to get a few punctures... 2 or 3 in succession or some dirty water bottles and Lance's buddies on Team High Road to give a bit of a hand.
As Jan used to say. 'All is fair in cycling'.

artemidorus · #79 07-13.-2009

Quote:

Originally Posted by TheDarkLord

It was a small attempt shortly after the break went away. Oops, that was in stage 9 and not stage 7.

Thanks. (We were talking about stage 9 in the wrong thread.)

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