Stage 18 TDF : Albi - Mende: Spoiler

Eldrack

I was expecting Rasmussen to take time of Ullrich on that climb, its steepness favoring Rasmussens feather weight size. But good on Ullrich for keeping with Basso and Armstrong, same to Cadel Evans. I think Ullrich will definately overtake Rasmussen in the time trial and take the third place he really wants.

peterlip

A question to the experts out there. It's a given that JU will pass MR on the time trial (or will he?)
However, how good a ITT performer is Basso? Does JU have a chance to make up 3:12 on him? Jan definetly seems to be riding better now than he did in the early stages while recovering from various accidents.

MJtje

Yeah me too.....but it turned the other way around! It will be very close and Ullrich might take Rasmussen over in the TT........Rasmussen is clearly at the end of his reserves........

For the rest good attack by basso...........but what can you do to such dominance! Will LA finally win a stage in his last TT? Can't imagine him winning NO stage in this years tour.............

MJtje

In the giro you saw basso improved, however it was a weaker field! Still the highest Ullrich can go is 3th....

jhuskey

I would agree excluding falls and illness. Basso is a climber but he can TT to a degree.

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Sobriety is over rated!

Capt.Injury

Last Year in the Last Time Trial Jan finished 5 minutes ahead of Rasmussen, so I htink the odds are pretty good Ullrich will make up the necessary time, unless Rasmussen rides the TT of his life.
Just For Info
Basso was around a 1'50" behind Jan, so Basso looks pretty locked into 2nd.

Lonnie Utah

Yeah. I think he's worked on it. He got second in the Giro ITT, 1 sec behind Zabriskie....

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limerickman

I've a cupla focail : but our service provider is Chorus and International ES is free.

(I know when I go home to Dublin, my folks have NTL and you can't get the cycling).

jhuskey

Lim should we just skip talking about stage 19 and go straight to the TT. Except for a breakaway I don't see any exciting developments in 19. No GC shake-ups.
Armstrong going for a stage win? I think he will try for the Time Trial.

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Sobriety is over rated!

whiteboytrash

I think its over the top but Riis is saying Basso is better than Armstrong on the climbs......

Riis had just received new evidence to back up his thesis on the Côte de la Croix-Neuve, where Basso forced Armstrong onto the defensive on today’s 18 stage of the Tour between Albi and Mende. On the 3.1km, 10.1% ramp which provided Thursday’s grandstand finish, only Armstrong, Cadel Evans and Jan Ullrich could follow Basso on slopes which on paper looked too steep to suit the Italian’s slow- burning attacks. Basso didn’t drop Armstrong but he did convince Riis and many neutral observers that Armstrong may be retiring just as the balance of power is shifting in Basso’s favour, at least when the road tilts uphill.

“Armstrong had to ride on the defensive,” Riis told journalists at the Aérodrome de Mende this evening, a few hundred metres from where Basso had cruised home in 14th position. “We had planned to try something this morning. Ivan executed the plan to the letter. He may not have dropped Lance but I think that he is the strongest man on the hills now. Once, he might have hesitated to attack on that finale, but not now. When you feel as strong as Ivan does at the moment, confidence comes naturally.

“He may not dropping Armstrong, but now he knows that he can hurt him,” Riis concluded.

A few metres away, team CSC motivational guru BS Christensen could scarcely conceal his delight at Basso’s positive performance. “He has no Armstrong complex anymore. He doesn’t even look at him anymore. He looks straight ahead and goes…”

Basso’s new-found focus was evident when, asked whether he had been surprised to see Cadel Evans keep pace with him, Armstrong and Ullrich on the Croix-Neuve, he replied deadpan: “I didn’t even notice him.”

“I wanted to try something today because it was my last chance – the last summit finish. I’m not taking my second place for granted,” Basso, still one minute clear of third-placed Michael Rasmussen on GC, continued. “The Tour’s not over until the Champs Elysées on Sunday. Before that there’s a very important time trial in Saint Etienne on Saturday. Did I feel stronger than Lance on the climb? I don’t think that the answer to that question really matters…”

He may be on his way to becoming a better climber than LA, but Basso still has some work to do if he is to become a better quote merchant.

tcklyde

I saw this in Leipheimer's diary on Cyclingnews.com July 12:

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Harry

tcklyde

Basso was great today. Armstrong as strong as always. Good for Ullrich to claw back on to the group. I agree with everyone: Rasmussen will have to ride one heck of a TT to hold off Ulle.

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Harry

Ullefan

You never know, if Basso has a bad day and Jan has a very good day, then that 2nd is still possible although far-fetched.

limerickman

Sums it up, Tcklyde.
They appeared to riding their own individual races - again.
All the talk about being a unit this year, was just that - talk.