Tour de France 2009

[Bram Hengeveld]

A few more weeks to go and then the cycling event of the year is starting again. What are your expectations? Will Armstrong win it for the 8th time? Will it be Contador? What about "Le Tour Dopage"?


http://www.letour.fr/2009/TDF/img/tourParcoursGlobal.jpg

 

[Maurice Hurkmans]

I hope Mentsjov Rabo ftw!!! But i fear that it will end again into a Tour de Dopage

 

[James Johnson]

Mark Cavendish He won 4 Stages Last year but had to pull out.

 

[Neil Farren]

I'll be looking for Cavendish to get more stage wins as he did last year and in this years Giro. As for the winner, who knows, that's what's great about it since the Armstrong years came to an end. Several riders could win it. As for Armstrong, he was starting to look pretty good towards the end of the Giro and he might just peak at the right time. Not sure he has the team around him to win it.

As for the doping, the more that get caught, the less there should be going forward, I'm sure there will be one major doping scandal but lets hope it doesn't affect the results this year.

 

[Kevin Ascher]

Tour has died for me when that doping **** became obvious.

 

[Neil Farren]

Tour has died for me when that doping **** became obvious.

The Tour is probably cleaner now than it has ever been, sure there are going to be idiots who still take the chance but it will only survive and prosper if we support it and the riders who speak openly about beating doping, like Wiggins etc.

 

[Bram Hengeveld]

The Tour is probably cleaner now than it has ever been.

You think so? Doping is still there and will always be as long as Giro's and Tour's ask a maximum performance from the human body. It's now essential they take drugs that can't be traced with modern techniques.

Armstrong is already building up the tension again by calling Hinault a wanker on his twitter (yes he twitters too ) as a reaction where Hinault said he would like to see that Armstrong never raced in the Tour again.

Let's see how it develops in the upcoming weeks. Lance races best when everybody is against him.

 

[Neil Farren]

You think so? Doping is still there and will always be as long as Giro's and Tour's ask a maximum performance from the human body. It's now essential they take drugs that can't be traced with modern techniques.

Armstrong is already building up the tension again by calling Hinault a wanker on his twitter (yes he twitters too ) as a reaction where Hinault said he would like to see that Armstrong never raced in the Tour again.

Let's see how it develops in the upcoming weeks. Lance races best when everybody is against him.

I agree that there are still plenty of people in the peleton who are doping. But I'm sure there are a lot less than there has been historically.

And I totally agree about Armstrong he needs to be angry to win and he seems to like to get angry by upsetting the French so they say nasty things about him lol.

 

[Bram Hengeveld]

In all honesty i think all drivers use dope in the pro divisions of cycling. Only some are not exposed because of new variations that the UCI can't find (yet).

Vorsprung durch technik Audi would say

 

[Valentijn Scholten]

disaapointing day for rabobank, let's hope menchov recovers from this.

gesink was pretty good, good things will come on the longer climbs.

 

[GAIAjohan]

I think the first part of the Tour is kinda heavy this year for the sprinters. And only sprinters who can climb a little bit, like McEwen could in the past, but he's not participating and Freire can do a kinda good job. They won't finish out of time like some other sprinters will do in the difficult stages.

I believe Freire has a good chance for the green jersey. I'm afraid Menchov has already thrown his Tour away. You won't win that distance easily on the Astana drivers and Evans. I mean Menchov is not the best climber but also not the best time attacker.. And Astana just has a team that is far too strong, and I think no team can ever compete with a team with Armstrong, Klöden, Contador, Leipheimer and Zubeldia who can all win the yellow jersey...

It's a bit like Ferrari in 2002 and 2004, far too strong compared to the others...

 

[Bram Hengeveld]

Day 2 seemed to be a sprinters day after all

Enjoying it to the max so far, bring on the mountains!

 

[Neil Farren]

Can anybody beat Cavendish? His team give him the perfect lead out and he just puts distance between the rest with every push of the pedals in the last two hundred metres.

 

[Ross Balfour]

Team Columbia are looking the brightest ones in the field, very smart move by them! Go Cav Go!

 

[Bram Hengeveld]

Cavendish is complete idiot and a liar! He made so much amok on TV yesterday that somebody from the Skil squad hit him. Today's dutch coverage proved him wrong. He was the one that literally tried to take somebody out by pulling him almost to the ground before the mass sprint and that guy reacted by punching him back. (next time hit him on the face bud!)

Bad morals and he is completely disrespected now! n00b!!

Lance on the other hand was ace today!! Brilliant move by ditching Contador and getting away with the Columbia train and sneak into the top 3! Awesome performance by Mr Twitter

 

[Bram Hengeveld]

Who on earth selected today's course for the team time trial ? What a mess.

 

[Ross Balfour]

Lol at BBox Telecom!!

 

[Ross Balfour]

Is Oscar Freire or Tom Boonen even in this tour? Seems Hushovd and Cav are the only sprinters here!

 

[Bram Hengeveld]

Oscar & Tom's doping probably works less good in the first week.

 

[Ross Balfour]

:lol: It probabaly hasnt kicked in yet Oscar didnt dope did he? I knew Tom did. Wheres Robbie McEwen???