Deutschland Tour

[JRMDC]

My point was that my 3 favorite riders were not involved in the tour therefore my interest level was low. I was not indicating that I felt these riders should ride. It is clearly obvious that you would not want to ride a 9 day tour after the TdF. Unfortunately in the USA we get the NBA and for some odd reason hockey, but hardly any cycling. If we had it on TV, I would probably watch the German Tour.

No problem, I just didn't care to see yet another thread make reference to the serious issues in our sport - it was your last sentence in that post that bugged me, not the first.

And we get hockey because it is a great sport!!!! Actually, we hardly get any hockey at all, really, it's slipping down to cycling-like levels of coverage. Americans just prefer to watch poker, I guess...

 

[cyclingheroes]

You can watch it live at www.cycling.tv but you have to pay for the premium channel. You get one year of service and they show pretty much all races except the TdF. It cost me around 20 or 30 dollars if I remember right.

Correct. On http://www.radsport-aktiv.de you can see the end of the stage (online after the race, in the evening CET) with German comment. It's short but for free. At radsportnews.com they have (also in german) every day a video with interviews from after the stage. Cycling.tv premium is in English and live.

 

[JRMDC]

Voigt wins today's stage as Rebellin almost crashes in the finale. Kashechkin was third, Zabel wins the small field sprint for fourth, 4 seconds back, Gusev keeps the yellow. This all from a babelfish translation of the live ticker.

 

[JRMDC]

Gusev, Vino, Levi, Sinkiewicz, Piepoli, Totschnig all in the 4-second group of 32 riders. There was another big group 52 seconds back.

 

[Eldrack]

The sprinters have a good chance of taking yellow, two flat stages next and both Zabel and Bazayez are within 20 seconds of Gusev so can take yellow through time bonuses. Don't expect Gusev to last too much longer, he doesn't really have a team left to support him. He was the only DC in the front group and two of his teams where HD today (as far as I can make out).

 

[JRMDC]

TDon't expect Gusev to last too much longer, he doesn't really have a team left to support him. He was the only DC in the front group and two of his teams where HD today (as far as I can make out).

I was struck by that weakness when I looked at the results. No other DC in the 4-second group, two in the 52-second group. Only three riders in the first 99! Neither of the two, Barry or Devolder, is a type to provide mountain support. And two of the three riders that finished over three minutes behind the grupetto were DC!

Furthermore, and I should say now that this isn't a criticism of the individual, everyone chases their dream, some more successfully than others, but at this point does Jason McCartney deserve to be in the European peloton? Is he taking up a slot that should be given to someone else? He seems to regularly be in the grupetto or worse, as today.

Or do I have it wrong, and someone like McCartney comes forward during a different type of stage, and it is not an inherent sign of weakness for him to finish 14 minutes back today, but rather an extreme degree of specialization?

 

[JRMDC]

It appears that I am developing a liking to Gusev. Nominal 4th in Roubaix, other good results.

Given DC's recent history, the prohibitive favorite for overall success at next year's Three Days of DePanne (won by DC for the last three years with three different riders).

 

[Cunego22]

No problem, I just didn't care to see yet another thread make reference to the serious issues in our sport - it was your last sentence in that post that bugged me, not the first.

And we get hockey because it is a great sport!!!! Actually, we hardly get any hockey at all, really, it's slipping down to cycling-like levels of coverage. Americans just prefer to watch poker, I guess...

Isn't that great? I love switching to ESPN on a Tuesday night and seeing the world series of poker. I wouldn't actually want to see a sporting event, no way, we need more dominos and spelling bees.

 

[JRMDC]

Isn't that great? I love switching to ESPN on a Tuesday night and seeing the world series of poker. I wouldn't actually want to see a sporting event, no way, we need more dominos and spelling bees.

Well, ESPN did stand for ENTERTAINMENT and Sports Programming Network... They are just returning to their roots!

 

[glh]

Isn't that great? I love switching to ESPN on a Tuesday night and seeing the world series of poker. I wouldn't actually want to see a sporting event, no way, we need more dominos and spelling bees.

Let's not forget cheerleading!

 

[JRMDC]

Stage 3 finishes in a sprint, Gerald Ciolek of Wiesenhof, from Zabel, the eternal second, and then Greipel of TMobile.

Between winning at least one intermediate sprint and second in the finale, Zabel will take the points jersey from Gusev.

 

[JRMDC]

Zabel gains 6 seconds from intermediate sprints, and six seconds from his placing in the final, and he had been 12 seconds back of Gusev. But he doesn't get the yellow, by a fraction of a second. So now there are three riders within a second of the lead, the third being Gerdemann of TMobile.

Another flat stage tomorrow, the climbing begins Sunday. Look to Zabel to get the yellow tomorrow, I expect.

 

[Eldrack]

Yep, yellow for Zabel tomorrow, I expect Milram to work pretty hard to keep the breakaways in touch.

 

[JRMDC]

It just occurred to me...

Why didn't Gerdemann go for an intermediate sprint somewhere along the way, in any of the stages? He's been one second behind the entire time! One would think TMobile might want one of their riders to wear the yellow in their home tour.

 

[Eldrack]

He did try for one, tried to break out of the peloton a distance before the sprint but gave up because he couldn't hold the speed. Fair enough, he's not really a sprinter. He might have been able to do it if Zabel wasn't on the case for as many bonus seconds as possible.

 

[lwedge]

It just occurred to me...

Why didn't Gerdemann go for an intermediate sprint somewhere along the way, in any of the stages? He's been one second behind the entire time! One would think TMobile might want one of their riders to wear the yellow in their home tour.

I don't know.

The way things are going at TMob these days, DS probably told him not to win, hold back.

lw

 

[cyclingheroes]

Yep, yellow for Zabel tomorrow, I expect Milram to work pretty hard to keep the breakaways in touch.

The weather is terrible here but after the bad turnout during the prologue there are lots of spectators on the streets again. Some with anti-doping banners.

 

[JRMDC]

The weather is terrible here but after the bad turnout during the prologue there are lots of spectators on the streets again. Some with anti-doping banners.

Very interesting!

 

[cyclingheroes]

Very interesting!

I think so, the prologue (as the prologue of the TdF) was a desaster. Maybe about 5000 - 6000 spectators (i was there). I have received police figueres about the TdF, Valkenburg expected 600.000 (same as the previous tour stage that ended in valkenburg, i believe that was in 1992), turnout 150.000. In the long term that developement would be the end of pro cycling, no spectators, no money etc. etc.

 

[TrekDedicated]

Well, ESPN did stand for ENTERTAINMENT and Sports Programming Network... They are just returning to their roots!

I hate ESPN so much. I don't care about Rock Paper, Scissor tournaments and spending 10 minutes talking about it, or the other completely useless things they talk about.


For the race, it seems Levi isn't up to par? I apologize if I'm wrong, I've been out of the loop the past few days... What's his status? I know he is 49 sec back.. Is he waiting for the mountains? I am not too familiary with this Tour.