TDF Stage 4 Tours - Blois TTT : Spoiler

limerickman

The time difference on Eurosport today showed that Discovery beat the CSC time by 1.97 seconds, in the TTT.

DZ had two seconds to spare on LA before the start of todays stage : so if DZ had fallen within the final 1000 metres, he would still be in Yellow tonight, because 1.97 secs, isn't 2 secs.
It's an academic discussion anyhow because DZ fell before 1,000 metre mark.

whiteboytrash

Nice return of serve ! ) Armstrong only has one ball so couldn't really compare him to the great Peter North.....

ilpirata

lim, It is quite possible that had he not fallen, his team would have finished first. That would not only keep him in yellow but would be a nice feather for the sponsor.

limerickman

I reckon CSC would have won the TTT if he had stayed on board : they were flying as it was.
Did you see Voigt ? He was blasting.

tcklyde

I agree with this. What position was DZ in at the time? Looked like about five back to me, but I can't remember. Anyway, those behind him would have to get around. I can't believe no one else went down.

__________________
Harry

limerickman

You're right.
DZ was slap bang in the middle of the group : it is a wonder that other CSC riders weren't brought down.

vadimivich

It's a real shame because DZ is an absolute monster against the clock. He was certainly one of the key engines in the CSC train.

Still, looking at the DC roster ... even losing by 2 seconds to them is a heck of an accomplishment.

hillelos

ca be any surprises? maybe valverde?

Lonnie Utah

For those that haven't seen it, video highlights from today.

Thanks to velonews...
http://v12.velonews.com/tour2005/video/tdf.php?s=4

If that one doesn't work (It's stopped working for me), try this one.
http://[url="http://xgen.vitals...package=1841298[/url]

L

__________________
Cheap, Strong and Light.
Pick any Two.

MJtje

Well it's easy this years TTT was deadflat except for the last bit. So everyone knew the gaps would be a lot smaller............last years TTT was lots harder!

Nonetheless a very good ride by T-Mobile and liberty. Phonak and gerolsteiner disappointed me!

And Zabriskie well it's sad........but that's bike racing too!

MJtje

Dude they had tailwind.........wind in there back. Every team broke the record of gewiss........nothing to do with what you are implying!

musette

I just watched the Dave Z accident on TIVO. He looked so sad slowly pedaling on after he got back on the bike. And B Riis sounds so sad on the CSC website:

"We were extremely unlucky and of course we lost everything in that crash. With three kilometers to go we had six seconds on Discovery Channel, so it's obviously a hard blow to lose both the jersey and the stage win like this. On the other hand, it's in tough situations like these we have to stick together as a team and show people what we're made of," said Bjarne Riis after the dramatic finish."

LA is very happy with Popo:

"That win was for Eki,” said Armstrong... “It’s a real shame that he couldn’t be here with us, but Popovych did an incredible job. We kept exactly the same riding order as last year, with ‘Popo’ a straight swap for Eki and Savoldelli replacing Floyd [Landis]. Eki is perfection when it comes to team time trials, and I think ‘Popo’ rode with Eki’s spirit today. That kid’s a real gamer.”

... and politically astute. Early on, asks Eki a lot of questions and befriends a person very much respected on the team. Even in the TTT, Popo might have been careful to not be at the front at the end, where LA and others on the team cold take a more prominent role. He understands the situation at DC.

I guess DC didn't particularly mourn Z's fall. From velonews, I believe:

"With CSC still out on the road, Armstrong's men climbed inside the Discovery Channel bus. TV reception was sketchy and Armstrong said he wasn't sure what happened when Zabriskie crashed. What soon became evident was that they'd won by two seconds. Armstrong's teammates jumped up and down and hugged each other. Discovery Channel was back on top."

And Dan O, the head PR guy at DC, has a write-up that is not necessarily 100% sympathetic:

"The stage was a nail biter without the added drama of the crash, an unfortunate trait Zabriskie has been known for over the years. Add one more to his list of accidents, this one – in yellow, barreling down the finishing straight en route to a possible stage win to keep the jersey – more difficult to swallow then them all."

limerickman

......a lot harder for every team last year.....as it was a lot easier for every team this year.

The time gaps are relative......and thus Mobile TTT improved or Discovery TTT have dropped back, this year.