Is this year's Tour exciting????

cmonie

It could be much more exciting if it weren't for the whole team concept. It is a shame that the team can make more of a difference than the individual. Case in point, Lance's last year win by 61 secs may have been mostly due to the team time trials. This year, Basso is behind by about 80 secs, 50 of which came from the team time trials and would be more if not for the new format, which discounts the margin of time difference.

Another reason that it is boring is that the leaders mostly LA, just sit back and let their teams carry them up the hill. It has gotten to the point where you don't even need to sit through 2 hours of OLN, "we love Lance coverage", but simply tune into the last 20 mins. Just once I'd like to see LA out front besides the last 200 meters.

Furthermore, the King of the Mountain competition makes absloutely no sense, you get points for being first up the mountains, but it is of little consequence when the same guys first up the earlier mountains are no where to be seen where it counts, being first up the last mountain.

Lastly, the whole idea of having a rabbit or someone pace another to win is ridiculous and is a major reason that major track or swimming events namely, the Olympics, only allow for competitors who are qualified for the entire distance and not simply a portion of it.

patch70

It has been a disappointing tour for me. Lance really is dominating and deserves the win. However, I would have loved to see someone at least give him some decent competition. T-mobile has been a major disappointment with Vino being injured, Cadel not selected, and Jan not being up to it. Other obvious disappointments are Mayo, Heras, Hamilton. As jhuskey said, I am not sure if it that LA/USPS are way ahead or if the others just aren't performing their best... I am bored with seeing a race for second place!
I hope Basso goes for a break, even if Lance is not "showing weakness". I'd rather he got third or forth but know he gave it a red hot go rather than staying comfortable and getting second.

cmonie

I hear you. That is why I respect Ulrich for what he attempted today and think Voigt should go to hell, resting and coming back to help USPC. That was weak.

If Basso does not go for it Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday, then the whole TDF is a farce. What's the point? If he has this god given talent, hell, then he should use it to win, not to come in second or third. This is not about just playing the game, it is pure and simple about winning. Ask Ulrich last year in the final time trial, despite the rain, he went for it and crashed. This TDF needs more of that. Right now it just attrition and teams carrying the day.
I am tired of watching the TDF year after year, come down to three or four days out of 22.

These guys need to find their damn sacks and go for the win!!!

Lastly, can anyone tell me why Ulrich doesn't get his big ass out of the saddle more often, especially when Lance is tinkerbelling around him....

Beastt

Perhaps you just need a bit of sugar for your grapes. Sounds to me like people are confusing a boring Tour for one in which the results so far just aren't what they were hoping for. Watching one competitor soundly trounce the competition isn't boring. But depending on who you were hoping would win, it might be disappointing.

cmonie

No, it is more about seeing good competition. I think even a fan of LA or the Yankees or whatever dominant team or individual, likes to see a competitive match, race, or whatever. Otherwise, it is not worth watching a foregone conclusion. Time could be better spent elsewhere.

I am just hoping some besides Lance shows up at the starting line with his gonads tomorrow.

DarrylZ

I am just hoping some besides Lance shows up at the starting line with his gonads tomorrow.[/QUOTE]

Having followed this tdf religously, i think a few things came to mind,
- with all the excitement of last years tour, it sort of made people expect the same.
- Im not convinced that the new route has been that successfull if so many riders have been injured and crashed.
- I decided that a solution to this blue train domination(& im a LA fan) would be to make the teams smaller, say a max of 4 riders per team. That would change the whole scene in the tdf, because then the entire team would have to work, and not just sit in the pack until hometime.
- But all in all can't say that i have'nt marvelled at some of the new talent that is coming through, and nice to see there are a few left with some spirit and making breaks here and there.
-Lets hope this week left will some some action, you never can tell with this race.

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If your not bleeding, it's not hurting

rumbafum

that´s is way of riding. He´s not so explosive as Armstrong, but he can endure a race a lot when he is at is best, remember tdf 97.

jhuskey

Yes Armstrong rides at a higher cadence in a lower gear for the most part and Jan rides in a higher gear with a methodical cadence which works on most of his competitors but Armstrong has the ability to change those gears in the last Km and kick butt. He just seems to have a little extra gas. Stage 15 he looked like he was at his upper limits for the first time this year. Nobody is waiting on him. I still predict 2 minute lead after the TT fo Lance.
It was important for him to take yellow to be able to go last in thr TT.

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Whenever I can't get excited about riding I just fantasize about someone else's bike.

flysolo1

everybody is forgetting that last year vino, beloki and mayo were attacking armstrong to make the tour exciting. for me he has demoralized each and every rival one by one. just look at the video of tyler getting in the car and mayo trying to quit on world tv. the only one that has some pride is ulrich he locked himself his room and the next time out proved he has some left. i have to agree with lance that they should have put in a tt in the middle of the week of flat stages. i think we will see today who is who in the tt which is very exciting.

jhuskey

Agree,except I believe the Tyler had issues beyond Armstrong's performance.

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Whenever I can't get excited about riding I just fantasize about someone else's bike.

Beastt

Yeah, 1997 -- two years before Armstrong came back to the Tour from cancer. The next year Pantani beat Ullrich and Armstrong has taken over from there, beating both Pantani and Ullrich in 2000. As I recall he dropped them both by 6 minutes on a single climb after they had both reportedly stated that his '99 win was only due to the fact that neither the 98 winner, (Pantani), nor the '97 winner, (Ullrich), were present in 1999.

I agree that Ullrich would not improve his ability by standing more often. I'm sure if there were anything to be gained from that his coaches would have worked that into his training years ago. But as decisively as Ullrich can steam roll past other riders, even this year which has been his worst, I just can't imagine how he does so while glued to that saddle. If I encounter anything much larger than a speed bump I have to stand or my legs whimper, buckle and die.

Beastt

Competition can certainly add excitement but marvelling at the ability of one man who has such control over a race like the Tour de France is also very exciting to watch. Last year was exciting and filled with anxiety from day to day because Lance was losing the yellow jersey along some of the routes, only to snatch it back up just before the line. This year is a different race with the Armstrong of years past simply owning the race. I don't find anything boring about watching as he shows what dedication, genetics, training and an extreme will can do.

Incidentally, for what it's worth, Lance only brings one gonad, (singular), to the starting line.

musette

Beastt -- I agree. This year was very exciting, in the sense of wondering which stages LA would win, which USPS domestique would contribute most to a stage, what tactics Bruyneel would use, and how T-Mobile and CSC might fit into all of this. For example, it was very exciting to see the ideal execution of race strategy on Stage 3 when Mayo's changes were squashed, to see the wonderful coordination of the USPS team members as they TTT'd, to wonder about whether Noval would make the elimination time limit during the TTT and to see the increased confidence of Noval, to see the progression in Hincapie's climbing capabilities, to see how Simeoni's hopes were squished, to see how well Ace replaced Heras (even though this was a sad situation for Heras), to see how Floyd Landis has progressed as a rider in his own right, to see Rubiera finish within the top ten in today's ITT....