Tour de France 2009 - Guaranteed doping free thread

[JSmitty]

Is their TV coverage? The first stage starts July 4th.

[jonovision_man]

Is their TV coverage? The first stage starts July 4th.

Yup, OLN like previous years.

Second-last stage is a mountain finish... should be awesome.

jono

[Sir Crashalot]

Should be a good race!

[DeltaTrev]

Is their TV coverage? The first stage starts July 4th.

Back to the "real thread"

OLN is covering the event, but they haven't got their schedule up yet, but have some info @ www.oln.ca

Odd it may seem that OLN doesn't have its schedule up, when another website has the full OLN daily TDF schedule www.channelcanada.com/Article2265.html


For the best TDF web coverage (imho) go to www.velonews.com

[garth]

TDF July 4 - 26 on OLN

http://www.oln.ca/details.php?id=67

[La]

Yay! Looking forward to the final mountain stage (Mont Ventoux, July 25). It's the day before my race, so I'll be glued to the TV that morning in Lake Placid!

[La]

I'm not sure which team to root for!

Astana (Lance, Contador, Levi)
Garmin-Slipstream (Ryder Hesjedal)
Columbia-Highroad (Michael Barry)
Saxo Bank (former CSC team, including Cancellara)
Cervelo Test Team (only because I ride a Cervelo - Sastre is the only big name on the team)

[CinC]

Very excited! I love watching the tour (will be PVRing stages to have something to watching while on the trainer for winter months!)

And, FWIW, at the meet and greet with Phil Liggett last week - his prediction was Contador.

[HCcD]

I'm not sure which team to root for!

Astana (Lance, Contador, Levi)
Garmin-Slipstream (Ryder Hesjedal)
Columbia-Highroad (Michael Barry)
Saxo Bank (former CSC team, including Cancellara)
Cervelo Test Team (only because I ride a Cervelo - Sastre is the only big name on the team)

Just curious to see if Lance will, indeed, be willing to play Domestique for Contador / Levi this year ??

[jonovision_man]

Just curious to see if Lance will, indeed, be willing to play Domestique for Contador / Levi this year ??

I can't see him coming out of retirement to play a supporting role... I suspect he's going to do everything he can to get a lead and be the #1 rider.

But look at other teams like CSC, they often enter the tour without a clear favourite. Sometimes it works out, sometimes not so much.

jono

[La]

Team rosters are up: http://www.letour.fr/2009/TDF/RIDERS/us/engages.html

One Canadian (Ryder Hesjedal - Garmin-Slipstream) in the peloton, same as last year.

Will be interesting to see Hincapie (Columbia-High Road) on a team other than one with Lance (Astana)!

Two more sleeps!! First rider goes at 16:00 local time. OLN coverage starts at 9:30 Saturday morning, so 30 minutes ahead of the first rider.

[CinC]

Team rosters are up: http://www.letour.fr/2009/TDF/RIDERS/us/engages.html

One Canadian (Ryder Hesjedal - Garmin-Slipstream) in the peloton, same as last year.

Will be interesting to see Hincapie (Columbia-High Road) on a team other than one with Lance (Astana)!

Two more sleeps!! First rider goes at 16:00 local time. OLN coverage starts at 9:30 Saturday morning, so 30 minutes ahead of the first rider.

can't wait!

Other side note - wonder what commercials will be replayed 5000 times per day on OLN during the tour? Last year was the House Hippo (which I loved!), the Ride to Conquer Cancer (because my sweat is nothing compared to their tears), a couple different Cervelo ones, and usually a 'I am Specialized'......

ahhhh...love July!

[La]

Don't forget Sham-WOW!

[abhainn]

Don't forget Sham-WOW!

Maybe they'll have the slap-chop instead I'm finding Vince oddly compelling with the Slap-chop...


Is the scotish guy in this year? Won a whole bunch of stages last year? Can't remember his name but he was cute

[La]

Is the scotish guy in this year? Won a whole bunch of stages last year? Can't remember his name but he was cute

David Millar. Yes, he's riding for Garmin-Slipstream.

[abhainn]

Is the scotish guy in this year? Won a whole bunch of stages last year? Can't remember his name but he was cute

David Millar. Yes, he's riding for Garmin-Slipstream.

Nope, not him. Maybe he was British? Liverpool accent?

eta: the team wore argyle

[Pat Menzies]

Mark Cavendish?

[abhainn]

Mark Cavendish?

That's him. Thanks

Is he in this year?

[La]

Mark Cavendish?

That's him. Thanks

Is he in this year?

Yes. Team Columbia-High Road.

ETA: Garmin-Slipstream is the team that wears argyle, though. Bradley Wiggins is a Brit who rides for this team.

[La]

I'll still be rooting for my BD twin, Ryder Hesjedal!

[DeltaTrev]

David millar....a scotman, with an english accent, loves the "good life", served a 2 year drug ban, but is now squeeky clean.....and broke

Bradley Wiggins....a Belgium by birth, but is English now ( ), with a bit of a weird accent......I would love to see him be allowed to "have a go" from about 1.5k out from the finish rather than lead out for others in the sprint.....this guy can really move, just not as fast as the pure sprinters, but I think he would be hard to stay with for an all out 1.5k

Mark Cavendish.....a Manx (not a Manxman, who is someone who only lives on the Isle of Man, and not born there).....fastest man on his own 2 wheels, and someone that should win at least 4 stages this year, and the green jersey.

Big time shame that Svein Tuft, of Langley, BC, didn't make the Garmin team for the Tour, he is a really strong time trialist (Silver in the TT at last years world champs)...and having watched him win the Tour de Delta 3.2k prologue last year, averaging 51.5k, with 4 tight turns in the course, he could have done some damage in the Tour.

I wonder what the Vegas odds are for a Team Astana podium sweep ??, with Contador on the top step

[jonovision_man]

Lance likely out of Astana at end of Tour... hopefully this doesn't impact the Tour too much, but seems to me they're going to want Contador to be the man.

http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/kazakh- ... eam-astana

As for the team structure, the newspaper indicated that Bruyneel and Armstrong would be removed and thus be free to establish their own team. They were on the verge of presenting the team as new at the Tour, the newspaper says, with new jerseys and a made-over coaching staff, but one of the partners cancelled at the last minute.

Alberto Contador would continue as the captain of the new Astana team. "We will meet with Alberto Contador to offer him a contract extension," said Nikolaï Proskurin, the vice-president of the Kazakh cycling federation. "He will be our sole leader for years to come. He will be able to pick out the riders he wants to ride with him. In our mind, the team will be composed of Spanish and Kazakh riders, including Alexandre Vinokourov."

jono

[DeltaTrev]

Alberto Contador would continue as the captain of the new Astana team. "We will meet with Alberto Contador to offer him a contract extension," said Nikolaï Proskurin, the vice-president of the Kazakh cycling federation. "He will be our sole leader for years to come. He will be able to pick out the riders he wants to ride with him. In our mind, the team will be composed of Spanish and Kazakh riders, including Alexandre Vinokourov."
jono

Why does this not leave a warm fuzzy feeling ?.........There's no way if Vino is in the team, even with Contador as defending champ does this team race the TDF next year.

....and Mr Proskurin could do a whole lot for cycling by actually paying the current Astana riders their salary....Lance ponied up the cash for the missed money, otherwise the team wouldn't be in this years Tour.

[DeltaTrev]

Tom Boonen offically in the Quickstep starting line-up.......Mark Cavendish just got some competition for the green jersey.

[drghfx]

Don't forget Sham-WOW!

Maybe they'll have the slap-chop instead I'm finding Vince oddly compelling with the Slap-chop...

I think it's ironic that Vince, who had been charged with beating up a hooker (charges subsequently dropped) is promoting the Slap-Chop!