Dauphine thread



Jep landaluze was not smart. As for axel merx good friend of armstrong. Maybe that had something to do with it. Or just the peloton 'relaxing' after two hard days and tomorrow again a very hard day!



musette said:
I agree; Landaluze should not have been allowed to ride off like that.
 
MJtje said:
Jep landaluze was not smart. As for axel merx good friend of armstrong. Maybe that had something to do with it. Or just the peloton 'relaxing' after two hard days and tomorrow again a very hard day!
I missed the coverage.
Landaluze is a brilliant climber. Why is he not that smart?

Of course he has like, what, only three teammates left in the race to help defend the jersey.
I dont understand why Gerolsteiner let the jersey go.
I mean, yes, freekin EVERYONE now says the Dauphine is a warm up, a tune up blah blah blah for the Tour (not just Lance) but winning the Dauphine is huge.
Given Gerolsteiner and Discovery clearly were working together yesterday there must be a plan or maybe Disco said we aint working today and Gerolsteiner couldnt summon the strength.
Landaluze looks like he can handel himself but???
 
Since Leipheimer was in yellow, it was incumbent upon Gerolsteiner to do the work.

""Phonak was helping, but (the break) was still taking time out on us. We just lost control of the race," admitted Leipheimer, who eventually crossed the line with the leading favorites at 9:36 back. "I'm surprised that T-Mobile didn't help. They were just counting that Landaluze will crack tomorrow, but he finished with us yesterday (on Ventoux)."

"No one wanted to help us work today except Phonak."
(Gee, Levi, could that have been because you were in the maillot jaune? :cool:)

DC and TM are trying to get Gerolsteiner and Phonak to do the chasing. Gerolsteiner really should have done a better job at controlling the race.
 
Read the posts before I was referring to Gerolsteiner/disco or anyone from the peloton not chasing landaluze. Because he is good! Tomorrow will lay down the overall.....



hombredesubaru said:
I missed the coverage.
Landaluze is a brilliant climber. Why is he not that smart?

Of course he has like, what, only three teammates left in the race to help defend the jersey.
I dont understand why Gerolsteiner let the jersey go.
I mean, yes, freekin EVERYONE now says the Dauphine is a warm up, a tune up blah blah blah for the Tour (not just Lance) but winning the Dauphine is huge.
Given Gerolsteiner and Discovery clearly were working together yesterday there must be a plan or maybe Disco said we aint working today and Gerolsteiner couldnt summon the strength.
Landaluze looks like he can handel himself but???
 
Graham Watson's observations on LA website re: today's dynamics:

"What part Lance and his team played in today’s racing is hard to say, but he seemed to enjoy the discomfort experienced by Levi Leipheimer, Alexandre Vinokourov and Floyd Landis as they watched Inigo Landaluze race away into the yellow jersey and threaten their teams’ overall plans to win this race. The fact is, neither Gerolsteiner, Phonak or T-Mobile had the organisation to chase down Landaluze and his fellow escapers, and they probably have become complacent assuming Discovery Channel would chase the break down for them. But Lance wasn’t playing that game today, and his rivals were left looking rather stupid in Grenoble, for Landaluze is now quite a threat overall, and may take some shifting as he can climb as good as almost anybody in this race when he has to."

"It is fun and slightly mischievous to consider that in the big escape of the day, at least half of them are known to be chummy with Lance. Juan Antonio Flecha and Axel Merckx are two of his closest buddies, and add the fact that his own teamate Benjamin Noval was in the break as well, you can then hypothesize that Lance and his team had quite a hand in letting that escape get away – and then sat back and watched the others struggle to comprehend what was going on.... But all in all, it was a strange day’s racing, at the end of which I knew less about bike-racing than when the day started." ;)
 
All hail DC and LA!!
you can then hypothesize that Lance and his team had quite a hand in letting that escape get away – and then sat back and watched the others struggle to comprehend what was going on....

Wow, the other teams must have been all lost, I mean, riders attacking from the peleton?? has this happend before?
 
1 Inigo Landaluze (Spa) Euskaltel-Euskadi 20.41.15
2 Axel Merckx (Bel) Davitamon-Lotto 2.32
3 Levi Leipheimer (USA) Gerolsteiner 2.51
4 Lance Armstrong (USA) Discovery Channel Pro Cycling Team 3.12
5 Alexandre Vinokourov (Kaz) T-Mobile Team 3.17
6 Floyd Landis (USA) Phonak Hearing Systems 3.38
7 Andrey Kashechkin (Kaz) Credit Agricole 4.51
8 Santiago Botero (Col) Phonak Hearing Systems 5.16
9 Jose Gomez Marchante (Spa) Saunier Duval-Prodir 5.44
10 Marzio Bruseghin (Ita) Fassa Bortolo 5.58
11 Oscar Pereiro (Spa) Phonak Hearing Systems 6.07
12 David Moncoutie (Fra) Cofidis, Le Credit Par Telephone 6.36
13 Christophe Moreau (Fra) Credit Agricole 7.30
14 Denis Menchov (Rus) Rabobank 7.59
15 Wim Van Huffel (Bel) Davitamon-Lotto 8.16
16 Nicolas Fritsch (Fra) Saunier Duval-Prodir
17 Mikel Astarloza (Spa) Ag2r Prevoyance 9.38
18 Francisco Mancebo (Spa) Illes Balears-Caisse d'Epargne 9.55
19 Massimo Giunti (Ita) Fassa Bortolo 10.12
20 Didier Rous (Fra) Bouygues Telecom 11.11
Landaluze is a threat, if he can hang on until the last climb until tomorrow then limit the damage done there then he is home and dry.

I reckon that tomorrow the teams of T-Mobile, Gerolsteiner and Phonak are going to be pushing hard at the beginning of the race over those nice big cat 1 climbs to try and make Landaluze get dropped, afterall he does only have a couple of team mate left to help him. Discovery could be up their too, they have a lot of good climbers around to put the pace up very high if they want too.
 
Watson always pumps Lance's tyres..... good reason why the Disco boys did not chase was because they were farked...... Rubi fell on Ventoux and can hardly ride, Lance was suffering like a heroin addict looking for a fix (see the look in his eyes), Poppy got something wrong with his gut, Hincape can hardly climb so spent the day with a goofy look on his face and Novel was doing what exactly ? so they have have sat back waiting for the water and phone boys to do something but maybe and just maybe they did'nt have it today ? Since the TDF being the main objective they just decided to rest like everyone else..... Saturday will tell the story.... we will see, we will see..... Sunday's ITT in Swizterland will tell another story...... things are shaping up for a very good Tour me thinks.

musette said:
Graham Watson's observations on LA website re: today's dynamics:

"What part Lance and his team played in today’s racing is hard to say, but he seemed to enjoy the discomfort experienced by Levi Leipheimer, Alexandre Vinokourov and Floyd Landis as they watched Inigo Landaluze race away into the yellow jersey and threaten their teams’ overall plans to win this race. The fact is, neither Gerolsteiner, Phonak or T-Mobile had the organisation to chase down Landaluze and his fellow escapers, and they probably have become complacent assuming Discovery Channel would chase the break down for them. But Lance wasn’t playing that game today, and his rivals were left looking rather stupid in Grenoble, for Landaluze is now quite a threat overall, and may take some shifting as he can climb as good as almost anybody in this race when he has to."

"It is fun and slightly mischievous to consider that in the big escape of the day, at least half of them are known to be chummy with Lance. Juan Antonio Flecha and Axel Merckx are two of his closest buddies, and add the fact that his own teamate Benjamin Noval was in the break as well, you can then hypothesize that Lance and his team had quite a hand in letting that escape get away – and then sat back and watched the others struggle to comprehend what was going on.... But all in all, it was a strange day’s racing, at the end of which I knew less about bike-racing than when the day started." ;)
 
Bjørn P.Dal said:
Wow, the other teams must have been all lost, I mean, riders attacking from the peleton?? has this happend before?

Yeah, imagine guys being allowed to break away and stay away : hey that sounds like racing !

(some of the waffle spoken about here, is priceless : last week they were taking bets about how much LA would win by on Ventoux, now when he isn't performing, he's letting his close buddies win ! Do Vino and LA send each other X-Mas cards too ?)
 
Have you not heard ? Its the new rule in the Tour if one of your buddies wins you get credited with the it..... LA will be able to win three more Tour's after he retires.....



He actually pointed the riders this morning and said they were allowed to attack because they were his mates….

limerickman said:
Yeah, imagine guys being allowed to break away and stay away : hey that sounds like racing !

(some of the waffle spoken about here, is priceless : last week they were taking bets about how much LA would win by on Ventoux, now when he isn't performing, he's letting his close buddies win ! Do Vino and LA send each other X-Mas cards too ?)
 
whiteboytrash said:
Have you not heard ? Its the new rule in the Tour if one of your buddies wins you get credited with the it..... LA will be able to win three more Tour's after he retires.....



He actually pointed the riders this morning and said they were allowed to attack because they were his mates….

Yeah, LA'd better make a lot more friends who can win, quick, 'cause his palmares is still way behind Kelly, Indurain, Merckx, Hinault......................

(I saw Vino smile at LA once - at the time I never realised that there was anything it but now that you mention it...................................).
 
LOL ! In some sports this would be race fixing but in cycling you are allowed to let your mates win..... makes for very exciting racing.... they will publish the results of the Tour stages before they are actually ridden this year.......
____________________

As a side note from the Procycling website Belgium's Wim van Huffel said the following, "It’s simple. This is a legendary mountain, but it’s a mountain like any other mountain, and from the moment I saw Lance didn’t look like he was in super shape, I immediately attacked," explained the Belgian after finishing third in his first meet ever with the Mont Ventoux.



Just as well he’s not riding the Tour as Lance wouldn’t let him win !


limerickman said:
Yeah, LA'd better make a lot more friends who can win, quick, 'cause his palmares is still way behind Kelly, Indurain, Merckx, Hinault......................

(I saw Vino smile at LA once - at the time I never realised that there was anything it but now that you mention it...................................).
 
whiteboytrash said:
LOL ! In some sports this would be race fixing but in cycling you are allowed to let your mates win..... makes for very exciting racing.... they will publish the results of the Tour stages before they are actually ridden this year.......
____________________

As a side note from the Procycling website Belgium's Wim van Huffel said the following, "It’s simple. This is a legendary mountain, but it’s a mountain like any other mountain, and from the moment I saw Lance didn’t look like he was in super shape, I immediately attacked," explained the Belgian after finishing third in his first meet ever with the Mont Ventoux.



Just as well he’s not riding the Tour as Lance wouldn’t let him win !

Yep, Van Huffel would have to sign on the dotted line in blood, swearing total
and utter loyalty to LA.

(as an aside, Van Huffel climbed very well in this years Giro - maybe LA should have cycled the Giro to support his new very bestest best friend, Paolo "whatisname again" !!!!!!!!!!)
 
MJtje said:
Btw why do stage racers come to rabo, I never understand. The team is build for stage wins and classics not a GT win or anything close...
Try money, maybe? :)
 
What was not mentioned is that Levi had a fall yesterday that earned him bruises in hand and buttock. After that I think it wasn't the case for Gerolsteiner to chase down the breakdown.
Also Vino after the Ventoux stage he claimed that he's not SOOOO interested to win the GC. So why chase anyway?
I mean everyone had good excuses not to wear themselves yesterday (DC included) and that the Watson's excuses were naive (a gentle comment :rolleyes: ) and as published on LA's website, rather harmful for Lance himself. Does he really need to prove something more from what he is? Apparently not!
 
Penultimate stage and with one climb to go it seems that one of Botero, Moreau, Mancebo, Pereiro, Moncoutie, Bruseghin are about to nail today' s victory.

Bad news for Liberty though. It seems that young prospect Alberto Contador somehow caught his fingers in the wheel and he was transported by helicopter seriously injured!!! :(
 
Ah, and Lance stops by the road... to get his saddle height fixed??!?!? :confused:
 
Armstrong is off the back of the peleton with Hincapie, Landis, Jaksche, Merckx..... should be able to re-join..........

Dimos said:
Ah, and Lance stops by the road... to get his saddle height fixed??!?!? :confused:
 
Correction ! These 4 are 45 seconds ahead of the peleton !

whiteboytrash said:
Armstrong is off the back of the peleton with Hincapie, Landis, Jaksche, Merckx..... should be able to re-join..........
 

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