**Unofficial** Tour de France 2006

[mjh]

T-Mobile was all over the place today. Matthias Kessler, the rider who was caught with about 50 meters left yesterday, managed to win today's stage.

Stage 3 results:

1 Matthias Kessler (Ger) T-Mobile 4.57.54
2 Michael Rogers (Aus) T-Mobile 0.05
3 Daniele Bennati (Ita) Lampre-Fondital
4 Tom Boonen (Bel) Quick-Step-Innergetic
5 Erik Zabel (Ger) Milram

GC after stage 3:

1 Tom Boonen (Bel) Quick-Step-Innergetic 14.52.23
2 Michael Rogers (Aus) T-Mobile 0.01
3 George Hincapie (USA) Discovery Channel 0.05
4 Thor Hushovd (Nor) Crédit Agricole 0.07
5 Paolo Savoldelli (Ita) Discovery Channel 0.15

Alejandro Valverde, one of the favorites to possibly win the Tour de France, was forced to quit after he broke his collarbone. "Fast Freddy" Rodriguez, lead out man for Robbie McEwen, also had to quit because of a possible broken collarbone.

 

[manly]

Problem Is: Doping Begets Doping

 

[GarfieldtheCat]

Damn....Valvrede is out with a busted collarbone. Another GC guy gone.

 

[mjh]

Results from stage 5:

1 Oscar Freire (Spa) Rabobank 5.18.50
2 Tom Boonen (Bel) Quick-Step-Innergetic
3 Inaki Isasi (Spa) Euskaltel-Euskadi
4 David Kopp (Ger) Gerolsteiner
5 Robbie McEwen (Aus) Davitamon-Lotto

GC after stage 5:

1 Tom Boonen (Bel) Quick-Step-Innergetic 25.10.51
2 Michael Rogers (Aus) T-Mobile 0.13
3 Oscar Freire (Spa) Rabobank 0.17
4 George Hincapie (USA) Discovery Channel
5 Thor Hushovd (Nor) Crédit Agricole 0.19

The first major GC shake-up will occur on Saturday (first ITT). Things are only going to get a bit more interesting.

 

[GiLtY]

Originally posted by: DaShen
Too bad about Hushovd. I hope he heals up soon.

Hincapie though is a beast right now. He isn't much of a climber from before, but this season he has shown promise in that department. There may be a chance for him yet.

I'd love to see Hincapie, Landis, and Leipheimer duke it out in the mountain stages.

--GiLtY

 

[vegetation]

What a great time trial stage! Aside from miracles, Levi will not get a podium position, looks very iffy Hincapie can win, and as long as there's no more mechanicals plaguing Landis at the worst possible times, the odds are very much in favor of him.

 

[morkus64]

Originally posted by: vegetation
What a great time trial stage! Aside from miracles, Levi will not get a podium position, looks very iffy Hincapie can win, and as long as there's no more mechanicals plaguing Landis at the worst possible times, the odds are very much in favor of him.

I wouldn't speak so soon... The mountains are going to completely change this picture. Anyone can gain or lose minutes on any given day in the mountains.

 

[vegetation]

Originally posted by: morkus64

Originally posted by: vegetation
What a great time trial stage! Aside from miracles, Levi will not get a podium position, looks very iffy Hincapie can win, and as long as there's no more mechanicals plaguing Landis at the worst possible times, the odds are very much in favor of him.

I wouldn't speak so soon... The mountains are going to completely change this picture. Anyone can gain or lose minutes on any given day in the mountains.

Yea, but Landis is a solid climber. Like I said, unless he suffers more mechanicals, crashes, etc, he's a shoe-in for the win.

 

[morkus64]

Originally posted by: vegetation

Originally posted by: morkus64

Originally posted by: vegetation
What a great time trial stage! Aside from miracles, Levi will not get a podium position, looks very iffy Hincapie can win, and as long as there's no more mechanicals plaguing Landis at the worst possible times, the odds are very much in favor of him.

I wouldn't speak so soon... The mountains are going to completely change this picture. Anyone can gain or lose minutes on any given day in the mountains.

Yea, but Landis is a solid climber. Like I said, unless he suffers more mechanicals, crashes, etc, he's a shoe-in for the win.

Still, you never know what's going to happen after a rest day... Always an exciting stage!

 

[DaShen]

Originally posted by: vegetation
What a great time trial stage! Aside from miracles, Levi will not get a podium position, looks very iffy Hincapie can win, and as long as there's no more mechanicals plaguing Landis at the worst possible times, the odds are very much in favor of him.

Stage 8 was freaking crazy!!!!!!!!! :Q

 

[morkus64]

Just wait till stage 11... 4 category 1 climbs, plus an HC

 

[JulesMaximus]

Floyd Landis in yellow!!!

Awesome stage for him today. He finished 3rd in the stage but jumped up to first in the overall standings!

Man, I'd love to see him win the Tour this year. An American winning 8 straight Tours! Imagine how the French will cry. :laugh:

 

[morkus64]

Originally posted by: JulesMaximus
Floyd Landis in yellow!!!

Awesome stage for him today. He finished 3rd in the stage but jumped up to first in the overall standings!

Man, I'd love to see him win the Tour this year. An American winning 8 straight Tours! Imagine how the French will cry. :laugh:

hehe... I'm still pulling for a Discovery win. It's getting less likely every day, but I still believe it's very possible. Come on George!

 

[DaShen]

Floyd Landis :Q What a hoss even with the compacted hip, he is leading the pack.

Today is a rest day and tomorrow is when the Tour starts going into the Mountain stages. Any predictions?

 

[DaShen]

Originally posted by: GiLtY

Originally posted by: DaShen
Too bad about Hushovd. I hope he heals up soon.

Hincapie though is a beast right now. He isn't much of a climber from before, but this season he has shown promise in that department. There may be a chance for him yet.

I'd love to see Hincapie, Landis, and Leipheimer duke it out in the mountain stages.

--GiLtY

Agreed. That would be very interesting.

 

[DaShen]

What is Landis doing!!!!!???? :Q Crap, it looks like he conked in the mountain stage today.

 

[UTmtnbiker]

Man, looks like Landis has cracked spectacularly. From malloit jaune to 11th place and 8 minutes behind. His tour is over (Levi has passed him in the GC).

Haven't had a chance to watch OLN's coverage yet today, but it'll be interesting to see what happens tonight on the prime time coverage.

 

[vegetation]

Landis has now lost the race and wont podium. Don't know what happened to him today but he cracked harder than anyone in yellow I've ever seen.

 

[DaShen]

Poor Landis. With the hip surgery coming up, who knows if this will be his last real strong race or not.

 

[UTmtnbiker]

Just goes to show that there are no locks on the sure thing this year. He looked pretty good yesterday going up L'Alpe D Huez and I thought he was going to carry the yellow to Paris after yesterday. Interesting to see what he (or more likely the Phonak team director) has to say after today.

 

[vegetation]

Wow! What a stage. Landis just won a stage all on his own from the beginning. Now only 30 seconds from taking the win, with a time trial to go (Landis' strength).

BTW, today's stage blew away anything that Lance ever did, so if you aren't watching, you've missed out on a lot.

 

[Mursilis]

Simply amazing riding. Looks like this one's going down to the time trial!!

 

[morkus64]

madness, i tell you, it's all madness!

 

[spasticnationboy]

Landis went to my High School, so I was really rooting for him to win, but alas, he won't, being so far behind........Hopefully the surgery goes well, and he can get back into it down the road........

 

[morkus64]

Originally posted by: spasticnationboy
Landis went to my High School, so I was really rooting for him to win, but alas, he won't, being so far behind........Hopefully the surgery goes well, and he can get back into it down the road........

You haven't watched today's stage, have you?