Who wins the Tour now?

Leafer

Hey now, you heard Johan, George just had good legs that day.

phillop

with the anouncement of another climb that peaks at WAY over 2000 meters, does any one see mauricio soler as a chance at winning the tour? he looks to have improved his time trialing and with col d'agnel, col de la lombarde, col de restenfords, col du galibier, col de la croix de fer, all in the alpes. could the share amount of time spent climbing at such high altitudes seriously affect the general classification? me thinks yes, and some one such as soler could be come a real threat. any thoughts? could this change in route seriously impact the result?

Eldrack

Top ten definitely, because by the looks of things his TTing has improved. Maybe even top 5. Winning? I'm not sure, but I can't see him beating Evans this year, though with the other two favourites (LL, AC) out who knows?

obxbes

It will be an empty victory without Astana in the race. Two of the best riders, Contador and Leipheimer are not even in the race.

thunder

Evans is not as strong in the Alps. He prefers the shorter and steeper Pyrenees.

The advantage might be his team has the control of the peloton, and it is slower. But slower on the first 2 mountain passes on a queen stage, might mean the last final climb is faster. Who knows. The will have to attack him and break his team. I think he is susceptible with the new longer climb.

Soler can win. His support will be shit. All hands on deck for Hunter. Lost Siutsou. He has Augustyn, a neo (2nd year). Cardenas is too old.

Be funny if Soler gets the yellow, what happens. The speed will be off. Another team might control it.

Soler has improved his tt, and was never a bad tter. He will not lose much to those behind Evans. One minute max to the guys like Valverde, Kirchen, Gerdemann, Cunego, Sastre, Schleck.

Might lose more to Menchov and Rogers, but not much.

lucybears

Soler 24/1

https://www.unibet.co.uk/betting/cy...3672.odds?ufc=8

earth_dweller

No it won't. It's going to be an open race with hopefully the contenders fighting til the end.

thunder

Menchov should be respected too.
Rogers must have some latent improvement.
Valverde likely to contend for the podium, and this course will suit Sastre.

It should be between Evans, Menchov, Sastre, Soler, Valverde and Rogers. I would not be surprised to see 5 of them separated by 2 minutes.

thoughtforfood

Im willing to bet, and call me crazy, but whoever wins will savor their victory just as much then as they would have regardless of who was in the race. That is the beauty of sport. I have coached, and can tell you the the thrill of victory for a team or individual is the same regardless of the level. If you believe that you are not elated beyond belief when your team beats their most hated rival, or wins the biggest tourney they can enter, you are insane. The only people who will miss Astana in the tour this year are Astana, and all those miserable hacks who need to identify with them to fell ok about their lives.

I cannot wait for the GT's to begin because I love following the intense competition. I will have my favorites, and feel down if my guy gets dropped. I will also enjoy every minute of competition that is devoid of doping scandal. With Astana out, we have a much better chance of that this year.

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Two things are infinite: the universe and human stupidity; and I'm not sure about the universe.
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Crankyfeet

Just a quick question from an ignoramus. Are the UCI handling the doping controls/tests as per normal at this year's TdF or is it a Paris-Nice situation?

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Crankyfeet

I hear Astana are racing the Tour of Qinghai Lake in China instead. I am going to try and watch that. The Tour's going to be a borefest with that Aussie chick Carmel Evans snaking up the mountains trying to find a wheel amongst a bunch of second rate actors...

Go the Aqua Armada, Vive Astana, America's team!...

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hawkeye87

Now I've read it all!

LOL!

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"You miss 100% of the shots you don't take." -- Wayne Gretzsky

Bro Deal

I thought he was named Camel Evans. Sturdy, reliable, not too flashy.

Rock racing will be at Qinghai. Hamilton aims to be in form for that one. It's gonna be a bad boy showdown.

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"You are like the wind and I like the lion. You form the tempest. The sand stings my eyes and the ground is parched. I roar in defiance but you do not hear. But between us there is a difference. I, like the lion, must remain in my place. While you like the wind will never know yours." -- Mulay Hamid El Raisuli, Lord of the Riff, Sultan to the Berbers, Last of the Barbary Pirates

Crankyfeet

Just to be clear here... I have no idea whether Astana are in the race or not.

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