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Le tour

00:15 / 06.07.05

is anyone else engrossed in the tour de france? australia's ethnic broadcaster, sbs (which someone the other day referred to as 'sex between soccer', which is an excellent summary!), is showing every stage live - which means middle of the night down under.

but we get an unmissable half hour highlights at 6pm every night, which, funnily enough, i don't miss!

i find it engrossing and the french scenery beautiful... my dad was a cyclist of note and so i have long had a fascination for cycling races, their psychology and sheer energy. these guys are androids!! but the battles and the history and the the legends make this surely the greatest sporting event in the world, including perhaps football's world cup, but i would defer to debate on that...

will lance win no. 7? he sure looks good. and who will win green? as an aussie, i have considerable interest in this question... but we have a rider who might surprise in the gc, michael rogers. and robbie mcgee is getting serious about gc, too. go us!

what you say? anyone?

06:48 / 06.07.05

Lance's sprint time was amazing - especially considering that he isn't a sprint rider. There was a nasty accident as well, the day before, and yesterday's rainy stage really led to some horrible looking slips. I've been half watching highlights, half reading about it (think channel 4 have lost it to ITV?). Lance Armstrong does look amazing, anyone know how Geoff Thomas is doing (ex footballer, beat cancer, doing it for charity)?

08:11 / 06.07.05

dunno about thomas - can't find his name anywhere on the offical site

haven't heard about this - they let people ride the course the day before the tour riders, mebbe he's doing the whole thing as this?? can't imagine a non-team rider in the tour... what if he won! sacre bleu!

08:34 / 06.07.05

Yeah he's doing it a couple of days ahead of the tour. He's not in the race. They showed a little doco about him on the weekend.

08:51 / 06.07.05

Oooh yes, the tour. I'm obsessing over it, reading the BBC's live web coverage each day and then watching the highlights on ITV2. I was really upset at Zabriskie's fall yesterday, as I really wanted CSC to win and Z to keep the jersey. Not that I wildly like Zabriskie, he seems kind of dopey, but I like CSC and Basso.
I'm really mixed up in my opinions of Armstrong. He's so impressive you can't help but admire him, but he's so arrogant I can't like him. I half hope he wins and half want someone else to get a shot! Ullrich looks like a lost cause thus far, but we'll see. I'd love Basso to win, but that's just a dream, I think.
And Australians - what's the view down there of McEwan's 'Glasgow kiss' technique? You're a rowdy lot...

nedrichards is confused

13:57 / 06.07.05

Am sitting now where I have been for most of the week now. Watching le Tour on Eurosport, home of the finest commentators in the world, able to vamp for some 8 hours stright on nothing much in particular. I really want Lance to win, simply becuase he's a great champion but also since it's his final pro race.

All Acting Regiment

15:14 / 06.07.05

I was in France a few years back, and was actually at the side of the road as they went past. All I can say is they're like human steam engines. I'd never apprecciated how controlled they are and how much exertion goes into it. Seeing it on TV just doesn't get the same effect across, I find.

Dances with Gophers

19:23 / 09.07.05

Ooooh first mountain stage today, I just love watching those descents. I used to belong to a local cycling club (never raced though) and got quite good at descending (I was always getting dropped on the climbs during club runs) so I really appreciate the skills involved.

I'll second Astrjax's statement that this is the best sporting event and this year is shaping upto be a good one.

Don't know what Ullrich's form is like just yet, if he has concentrated on climbing during preparation for the tour this could be why his time trialling ability is off. I'll wait and see what happens tomorrow.

nedrichards is confused

19:45 / 09.07.05

Yes, i all gets serious with the first Category 1 climb of the year. As of now I still can't see anyone going past Armstrong but as we know from the last few years all it takes is one long hot day and a big hill to decide the destiny of the tour.

16:55 / 10.07.05

One long hot day and a big hill just about sums up my day. Been out on a glorious ride in the Borders, home now and planning to lie on the couch with a beer and watch people do it all so much better than I could ever dream of.
Yesterday was fabulous - watching Wiening and Kloden (apologies if the spelling's wrong!) come down that hill was fantastic - and Wiening's so cute and happy about winning. If, indeed, he did - that was so close it was crazy.

01:36 / 11.07.05

I know this is going to sound horribly petty, but I'm rather hoping Lance bites it this time around, simply because I'm so sick of his face/name being plastered across everything I see. (I live in his hometown, and the city has a bad case of Lance worship. Lance, this, Lance, that, Tour de Lance, let's throw Lance another parade, let's paint all the buses yellow, why aren't you wearing your LiveStrong bracelet?...)

It's a bit much.

06:29 / 11.07.05

I can imagine. I'd like someone else to win too, but he is incredibly strong, physically and mentally. And I have to say that I'm warming to him - I'd always disliked him, thought him arrogant and annoying, but each interview I've seen this week has just shown a smart, analytical man who is happy to talk about what's gone well and also what's not.

Dances with Gophers

10:56 / 11.07.05

This year Lance appears to have more rivals than usual, maybe between them they'll be able to wear down the Discovery team.

00:10 / 12.07.05

rasmussen is a chance, no? i watched his second hill stage live (well, the last hour or so, and he was remarkable! voigt looks good, too, but is no threat. great to see stu o'grady make it to the line. four aussies in that main peleton - go us!

but watching lance on the first day in the mountains, when his team inexlicably abandoned him (did anyone find out what happened there? what if he'd got mechanical problems??), he looks every bit ready to do it all again. countered every attack... he makes it look easy!

rest day yesterday, then more hills. o boy, o boy!

Sjaak at the Shoe Shop

12:10 / 13.07.05

To be honest, if Lance doesn't win, who will?
What I am a bit surprised at is how passive the other teams are. Again, in yesterdays stage to Courcheval, it was Discovery who tore the peleton apart. Everybody hurt, but nobody seems to come up with an alternative plan.

Similarly, in the two early mountain stages in the Alsace it was obvious both Armstrong and Discovery were in trouble, again nobody (well, no team who considers himself a serious CG contender) did anything. I don't understand this passive attitude, or is it simply that they cannot do better?

I have mixed feelings about Armstrong. He clearly is a great rider. However, I think it was two years back, there was some footage of him in the Tour that really upset me.

Another rider (a young guy, don't recall his name) had broken the Omerta and spilled his guts to the police about doping usage. In his first ride since he was riding in a break with Armstrong and a couple of others. Armstrong sent him back out of the break to the peleton, clearly indicating why (making a gesture of closing a zipper across his mouth). Ouch.
Surprisingly this has never been shown since. Anybody have some more info on this?

22:22 / 16.07.05

does it look like lance is headed for an unimaginable seven straight tours?? who can beat him? twice without his team he has prevailed, in style each time. vinikurov cracked, ullrich is prob'ly too far back and rasmussen couldn't keep up.

is this man a machine?

isn't france beautiful!

11:11 / 18.07.05

God, yes, Loomis and I have been sitting dreaming off a wee trip to France.

And yes, it looks like Lance is going to do it again. And I'm coming round to liking him - he's so impressive, and charming when he's interviewed. And I was so thrilled for Hincapie yesterday - what a sweet man, and what a lovely result.

Sjaak at the Shoe Shop

12:06 / 18.07.05

Restday..
How do I get through another day at the office? Bwaah

Anybody who rides the tour is a hero. Especially those team-mates, (like Popovich yesterday) who goes to the back of the peleton, collects ten bidons for his team, speeds to the front (uphill) and takes the lead again going up a cat 1 mountain.
Is there any other sport that is so tough? Can't think of any.
So, this rider whose name nobody knows finishes in Paris with 1 hr on the GC from Lance, on 3600 km that is exactly 1 second per km...
Awesome

07:36 / 19.07.05

I must confess to having been hooked by this. I studiously avoid all news of it during the day so we can watch the highlights each night. I want to sit on the side of the road in France with a case of beer and a cow bell.

I don't know much about cycling but even an amateur like me can see how much in control Armstrong is. It's hard not to be impressed by someone that good. He puts the work in and he deserves his results. But it's also great to see the stage victories by the lesser known riders. I hope Rasmussen can hang onto his polka dots.

Am I the only one who wants to shoot some of those idiotic fans who keep getting in the way?

nedrichards is confused

09:40 / 19.07.05

You are not alone, mainly becuase they lack cowbell. More cowbell.

21:06 / 19.07.05

well, the tragedy in germany where the australian women's road team was hit by an errant young driver, killing amy gillet and seriously injuring three others, and less so two more, spurred cadel evans on to a great ride! it was a shame he couldn't take a deserved stage win, but his effort got him to seventh overall; what a ride by the ex world mountainbike champ! there is a lot of potential there...

will be treated to some serious sprints from here to paris, apart from the time trial. it'll all be over too quickly! (mebbe then i can get some sleep - the stages are live here every night, but don't wind up til half one)

vale amy.

06:32 / 20.07.05

Has he said that was what spurred him on?

And god, what an awful accident that was in Germany.

07:58 / 20.07.05

yes, he said before the race he'd attack and he was interviewed by aust tv and said he couldn't express in words what he felt; he'd let his legs answer on the road...

a strong sentiment.

not that the first breakaway group are apparently very pleased with him, some threatening not to talk to him again. so much for 'racing'!

21:52 / 23.07.05

oh no, just one last stage to go...

my money is on robbie macewan to take the stage, but not the green jersey. unless cadel evans does something wild and sneaks up four places! (can't see them letting that happen)

what chance lance winning? [the stage...]

21:00 / 24.07.05

seven in a row - write that in stone.

bit of an anti-climax finish with the rain, though vinikurov did his best to liven things up. but lance's retirement throws open the doors wide for next year. could be a thriller! roll on july again and vive lance, vive le tour...