Is there anyone thinking Floyd won't win TDF?

[Andrija]

After today's stage and super strong ride from Floyd, with ITT left (Floyd's ground) to make final changes in GC, I think there isn't much fans who think Landis won't win.
But somehow, after all excitement in past seven days of racing, I'm not sure about final outcome.
Landis in yellow after ITT is surely thing to expect, but tell me, are you totally convinced in that?

 

[BikeLBK.com]

After today's stage and super strong ride from Floyd, with ITT left (Floyd's ground) to make final changes in GC, I think there isn't much fans who think Landis won't win.
But somehow, after all excitement in past seven days of racing, I'm not sure about final outcome.
Landis in yellow after ITT is surely thing to expect, but tell me, are you totally convinced in that?

Floyd Landis Favored to Win Tour After Attack in Alps (Update1) July 20 (Bloomberg) -- Floyd Landis, whose collapse yesterday handed the Tour de France lead to Oscar Pereiro, stunned his main rivals by winning the final climbing stage to become the race favorite. Pereiro keeps the leader's yellow jersey.

``I had something to prove,'' Landis, a 30-year-old U.S. cyclist, said on his team's Web site. ``I came here to win the Tour de France. I'm very, very happy, and also optimistic.''

The Phonak rider moved from 11th place to third, 30 seconds behind Pereiro. Landis started the day more than eight minutes behind after slumping on the last climb yesterday. Pereiro has a 12-second lead over fellow Spaniard Carlos Sastre, who finished second today.

Landis is now looking to the last stage but one, the individual time trial July 22, to try to pass the two Spanish riders. He was second in the race's first time trial, finishing more than a minute ahead of Sastre and almost two ahead of Pereiro.

Today, he attacked on the day's first ascent up the Col des Saisies and gained as much as nine minutes on the leaders. He clocked five hours, 23 minutes and 36 seconds for the 200.5 kilometers (124 miles) between St. Jean-de-Maurienne and the ski resort of Morzine in the Alps.

``Landis was exceptional,'' Sastre told Television Espanola. ``He turned the race around.''

`Too Much'

Landis had all but lost his chance of a spot on the podium in Paris on July 23 after he was unable to keep up with rivals including Sastre, Pereiro and Germany's Andreas Kloden on yesterday's last climb. He said all that appeared possible was perhaps a stage win today.

``Eight minutes is too much,'' Landis had said. ``But I'll fight. You never now what can happen.''

Landis, who became the 10th American to claim a stage of the Tour de France, is now the 1-3 favorite at betting exchange Betfair, meaning a successful bet of $3 would return a profit of $1. After yesterday's collapse, Landis's odds drifted to 239-1.

``It wouldn't be any fun if I told you what was going to happen next,'' Landis said. ``The only decisive day left is the time trial and I'm fairly confident in my time-trialing ability, assuming I didn't overdo it today.''

Broke Free

The American, who was raised in a Mennonite family in Pennsylvania, broke free from the main peloton on today's first of five climbs. He rode solo for most of his attack in heat that reached almost 40 degrees Celsius (104 Fahrenheit) on the road as the main group gave him a gap of nine minutes before accelerating the pace near the last climb to cut his advantage.

Landis passed another group of riders searching a stage victory on the ascent up Col des Aravis, while four of them jumped behind him, including a teammate of Kloden and Sastre. By the time he reached the foot of the Col de Joux-Plane, the final climb that includes some sections that are so steep they can't be classified, he was riding alone again and was about seven minutes ahead of the chase group that included Sastre, Pereiro and Kloden.

Landis, who constantly doused himself with water during the stage to help avoid overheating, kept up the pace on the 12- kilometer climb. Sastre attacked halfway up Joux-Plane, leaving behind Pereiro and Kloden, who dropped to fourth place, 2:29 minutes behind.

Spain on Podium

Sastre, seeking to reduce Landis's advance as well as take over the yellow jersey, was able to get within 5:30 minutes before Landis added time during the 12-kilometer descent to Morzine and gained a 30-second bonus for winning the stage. Spain, whose last winner was Miguel Indurain in 1995, hasn't had two riders on the final Tour de France podium since 1973.

``Floyd was sensational, incredible,'' Pereiro said. ``I didn't have a very good day. The race is a little bit lost.''

That Landis, a former teammate of Lance Armstrong, even competes is no small feat. He shattered his right hip after crashing during a training ride near his home in California in 2003 and after several unsuccessful operations, he'll have a new one implanted.

``What we realized about Floyd is that he's very tough,'' Armstrong told France2 television. ``He's a fighter.''

 

[longbottom]

Under normal circumstances, Landis should win now. However, this Tour so far was anything but normal. Maybe Fothen should attack tomorrow. The other teams will probably let him gain half an hour or so, and he could win the Tour.

 

[meehs]

Under normal circumstances, Landis should win now. However, this Tour so far was anything but normal. Maybe Fothen should attack tomorrow. The other teams will probably let him gain half an hour or so, and he could win the Tour.

Pretty much what I was going to say. On paper it seems like Floyd should win fairly easily. But there have been so many strange turns of events this year that I'm not comfortable saying that I'm sure Landis will win. I wish him luck (which he hasn't had much of so far [except the bad kind])!

 

[acpinto]

Pretty much what I was going to say. On paper it seems like Floyd should win fairly easily. But there have been so many strange turns of events this year that I'm not comfortable saying that I'm sure Landis will win. I wish him luck (which he hasn't had much of so far [except the bad kind])!

Same here! Maybee tomorrow he doesn´t pass in a hill!!!!