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Fri Jun 30, 2006 8:31 am  |
| any cycling fans out there? anybody following the latest scandal that seems to be stripping many of the favourites out? does this make this year's race an utter farce (Ullrich, Basso, Mancebo, and maybe more on the eve of the race)? is it now more exciting because it's so open??? i'm not sure what to think, but i'm also pretty pissed about the timing of the 'investigation.' |
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Fri Jun 30, 2006 9:11 am |
| Oooh Oooh Oooh, I'm a fan!!! I've only heard that there is a scandal but I haven't yet found out what it is because I haven't really been checking. I'm sure it will make for a more entertaining year though. I think it's just another media grab like trying to accuse Lance of performance drugs and attempting to tarnish his rep when he is so clearly the best Tour De France rider in all time. My next fav has got to be Basso since I'm trying to support my native paesans. I really hope he wins this year. Ulrich just really bugs me for some reason. Don't why, but he just does. LOL |
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Fri Jun 30, 2006 9:34 am |
take a gander at the web, wildflower -- Basso is OUT! Ullrich is OUT! Sevilla is OUT! Mancebo is OUT! they don't even get to start the race. they're just plain out. no innocent until proven guilty here. even if they're innocent, they will have lost this chance to win the tour, cut and dry there are many more top riders named that may be out before it starts tomorrow or shortly thereafter based on the same allegations. this isn't the media trying to hog the limelight.
my friend claims 'It's the curse of the year 6. All of the weird things that have happened in the TDF happen in years that end in 6.' i am just dumbstruck here.... |
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Fri Jun 30, 2006 10:13 am |
| now i see that Beloki is out as well! well, at least Vino is back in. it's going to be a weird weird race.... |
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Fri Jun 30, 2006 10:30 am |
"Six" factor adds to Tour mystery
By Jean-Paul Couret
PARIS, June 29 (Reuters) - The end of Lance Armstrong's seven-year reign heralds a wide open race on the roads of the 2006 Tour de France.
Another factor adds to the mystery of the 93rd Big Loop: all the Tours run in a year ending with the number six closed an era and produced an unexpected winner.
ADVERTISEMENT
In 1956, Louison Bobet threw the Tour into disarray when he pulled out of the race he had won the three previous years.
Charly Gaul, winner of the preceding Giro d'Italia, became the favourite but the Luxembourg rider had neither the will nor the means to control the peloton.
In the seventh stage between Lorient and Angers, 31 riders broke away and gained a lead of 18 minutes.
Among them was Roger Walkowiak, a young rider who had not been judged good enough for the French national team and was wearing the jersey of the North-East-Centre regional team.
The French team led by Andre Darrigade were watching Gaul and the Luxembourg climber was waiting for the mountains. He attacked in the Pyrenees and then in the Alps, but to no avail.
Walkowiak claimed the yellow jersey after keeping up with Gaul in the Col de la Croix-de-Fer, the final climb of the Alps, and defended it all the way to Paris. It was to be the one moment of glory in his career.
Gaul ultimately enjoyed his moment of triumph when he won the 1958 Tour.
ANQUETIL PLOY
In 1966, Jacques Anquetil, winner of five Tours de France, and Raymond Poulidor, his arch-rival, resumed their duel.
In the second stage Poulidor crashed and Anquetil attacked. From then on, the two French riders concentrated on countering one another, paying little attention to the others.
On the first day in the mountains, in Pau, they lost nine minutes to a group of nine riders. Lucien Aimar, 24, was representing Anquetil's team.
In the Alps, in dreadful weather conditions, Anquetil realised that, at 32, he did not have the strength to win a sixth Tour. He decided to play the Aimar card to stop Poulidor.
He helped his former "domestique" until the end of the Alps and retired. The race was to be Anquetil's last Tour and Aimar's only major win.
Poulidor was fated never to win the Tour.
BELGIAN SUCCESSION
In 1976, five-times winner Eddy Merck pulled out of the Tour, burned out by his long career.
Bernard Thevenet, who had beaten the Belgian to win the Tour the previous year, Luis Ocana of Spain and Dutchman Joop Zoetemelk were in line for the succession.
The surprise came from a young team director, Cyril Guimard, and his leader, Lucien Van Impe, a Belgian climber who had never been regarded as potential overall winner.
Van Impe won the Alpe d'Huez stage but Guimard decided it was too early in the race to defend the yellow jersey. He and Van Impe let the favourites fight each other.
When they reached the Pyrenees, Thevenet, Zoetemelk and Ocana were worn out.
Van Impe attacked from behind in the Col du Portillon and dropped his last rivals on the final climb at the Pla d'Adet, crossing the line with a three-minute lead over Zoetemelk. Frenchman Raymond Delisle, second overall, was 10 minutes adrift.
The next year Van Impe contented himself with the King of the Mountains prize. Guimard went on to win seven Tours in 10 years with Bernard Hinault and Greg LeMond.
LEMOND TRIUMPH
In 1986, Bernard Hinault entered the Tour eyeing an unprecedented sixth triumph.
The whole of France was supporting him but did not know that, the previous year, he had made a pact with his promising team mate Greg LeMond.
"You help me to win the 1985 Tour and I'll help you to win next year," the Frenchman had told the American.
Laurent Fignon, winner of the race in 1983 and 1984, and the Swiss climber Urs Zimmermann, were their main challengers.
Hinault took the yellow jersey in the first mountain stage, in the Pyrenees but, at 31, did not have the stamina to stay with the specialist climbers in the Alps.
He cracked the next day, LeMond won the stage and took the overall lead at the skiing resort of Superbagneres.
In the Alps, Hinault kept his word, more or less willingly. The photo of the two riders crossing the finishing line at l'Alpe d'Huez hand in hand illustrated the transfer of power.
INDURAIN BEATEN
In 1996, 20 years after Merck and 10 years after Hinault, Miguel Indurain was aiming for a sixth win but cracked four kilometres from the last summit of the first mountain stage at Les Arcs.
The Spaniard's reign was over and a new race began. Indurain had named Alex Zuelle and Tony Rominger, both from Switzerland, and Bjarne Riis of Denmark as his main rivals.
Riis sealed victory in the Pyrenees at the Hautacam summit with the help of a young German team mate named Jan Ullrich.
As Hinault had done 10 years before, Riis was to bow to his team mate the following year.
found at: http://sports.yahoo.com/sc/news?slug=reu-toursuspense&prov=reuters&type=lgns |
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Mon Jul 03, 2006 3:22 pm |
| la vie en rose wrote: |
take a gander at the web, wildflower -- Basso is OUT! Ullrich is OUT! Sevilla is OUT! Mancebo is OUT! they don't even get to start the race. they're just plain out. no innocent until proven guilty here. even if they're innocent, they will have lost this chance to win the tour, cut and dry there are many more top riders named that may be out before it starts tomorrow or shortly thereafter based on the same allegations. this isn't the media trying to hog the limelight.
my friend claims 'It's the curse of the year 6. All of the weird things that have happened in the TDF happen in years that end in 6.' i am just dumbstruck here.... |
I found this all out after posting my last message and I'm amazed as well. At least now I don't feel so bad for missing it all this year. (No TV) What a crappy thing to happen. |
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Mon Jul 03, 2006 3:29 pm |
| I wanna buy a LV handbag in Paris if I were there. |
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Tue Jul 04, 2006 12:52 am |
It makes for an interesting tour this year, though it is quite strange that the teams pulled the riders out, not the officials of the tour. Being an Aussie i am hoping that Cadel Evans does well and along side him his team mate Robbie McEwan.(though that is a given being that he is a great sprinter and has won the green jersey  |
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