[robdamanii]

I'd be surprised if this didn't do MAJOR damage to the morale of the top of the GC list. This morning he was not of much concern. Then he ran away from them and is threatening again. If you saw the look on Pierero (sp) face when Landis was heading up the yellow jersey group, he was almost saying "you want us to keep this pace?" Not 2 minutes later, he looked back at Pierero, stood up, stabbed the pedals and took off.

The yellow jersey group just looked stunned that he was making a move.

Wonder if they'll go hard at him tomorrow?

 

[brungeman]

I had a doctors appt. and missed a good portion of it but rushed home to watch Floyd finish.... and watch the clock count.... I have to admit I had eyes that fealt like a spring was about to erupt as I watched the time climb... the guy is amazing, and this could have been the best stage of all the tours I have watched (for the single person effort perspective)

 

[The Toninator]

heard 20 minutes into the race:

hahahah look at landis going off the front
hahahha he'll never stay away

4 hours later:

uhhh dudes 9 minutes is really a long time....

 

[Heidi]

Go Big Or Go Home.

 

[Westy]

Yesterday

Today
http://www.ridemonkey.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=88090&d=1153409730

 

[The Toninator]

that guy is my new hero:

- what about the win today
- I dont care about the 'win' today at all, it's about winning in paris...

 

[Cant Climb]

Would anybody like to continue the argument I started yesterday about the strongest single set of legs win the Tour, not the team?
Hell, the whole peloton could not bring him back.
Anybody....... Hello?..........

all the teams are in tatters this year......none of them had the strength or organization to limit the break. Generally it takes a strong team to win it......this year guys are going off the front and sticking it more than usual. Floyd used that to his benefit this time when it put him into poor situations earlier in the tour.

 

[Westy]

Anyone notice how OLN stopped airing the Landis tough guy commercials yesterday. Methinks they will be back.

 

[Jeremy R]

all the teams are in tatters this year......none of them had the strength or organization to limit the break. Generally it takes a strong team to win it......this year guys are going off the front and sticking it more than usual. Floyd used that to his benefit this time when it put him into poor situations earlier in the tour.

Yep, this morning when his lead was up to about 8 minutes or so,
the main peloton looked wasted. Nobody even felt like chasing.
Finally CSC came up, but it was too late.
I don't think they ever "let" him get too big of an advantage.
He just took it.
I can't remember a better sporting moment that I have witnessed.
This year's tour is the sauce.

 

[Westy]

Oscar put in one hell of an effort to keep yellow today too. Quite Voekleresque.

 

[sanjuro]

That was one of the greatest rides I have ever witnessed. Almost as great as Lemond winning the Paris TT!

The peleton did not let him escape. He rode away from them, and despite 3 teams chasing after him, they could not bring him back. Amazing!

 

[The Toninator]

it was good so see christoph give it a go, he's one of my favorites.

 

[Cant Climb]

Incredible tour.

Next year will be back to powerhouse teams. That will be good but this year is special. If Floyd shows up next year with a plastic hip the UCI might make him where extra weight around his neck...

 

[binary visions]

I liked watching Armstrong in the Tour, but that was mostly because I enjoyed seeing him be so dominant.

This has been a lot of fun for me to watch, because the past couple days have been so unexpected. Awesome Tour.

 

[MtnbikeMike]

Man, if this stage doesn't win an ESPY next year.....not that it matters, cause I already know it's the best sporting moment ever.

I mean c'mon, teams are chasing him down with everything they have and he still rides away. I also love the fact that he never even looked to the other guys in the break for help, not once.

 

[ghostrider]

Wow, that was insane. This tour is absolutely crazy - I wonder what tomorrow will bring?

 

[sanjuro]

I liked watching Armstrong in the Tour, but that was mostly because I enjoyed seeing him be so dominant.

This has been a lot of fun for me to watch, because the past couple days have been so unexpected. Awesome Tour.

The first Tour was stunning that a cancer survivor and an one-day specialist could win. The second was "let's see you do it again". The next couple was just domination, and the last two was just how good Lance and Discovery was.

 

[Ian F]

I just got into the office from a site survey...

First thing I did was log onto Velonews...

"YEAH!!!!!"

Oops... did I say that out loud? :

 

[binary visions]

The first Tour was stunning that a cancer survivor and an one-day specialist could win. The second was "let's see you do it again". The next couple was just domination, and the last two was just how good Lance and Discovery was.

Unfortunately, I didn't follow any coverage of the first couple. The last three I've watched, the last one in particular I kept up on the coverage every single day. And then this one, which I missed the first couple days of but have been watching since.

 

[narlus]

typical N8...he'a all anti-roadie, unless somehow an american flag gets in the picture.

 

[T-Dog]

Wow, that was insane. This tour is absolutely crazy - I wonder what tomorrow will bring?

I keep thinking it's time for the rest of Phonak to step up and do their jobs- they better protect his postion tomorrow, if it kills 'em. They can take it easy on saturday, and be ready to take him to Paris on sunday. Hell, if Lance thinks it's important to bring the jersey back to the US, he should quietly suggest that the Disco boys help out.

 

[rooftest]

.... Hell, if Lance thinks it's important to bring the jersey back to the US, he should quietly suggest that the Disco boys help out.

I was thinking about that. The popularity of cycling would grow a bit, which would mean more $$ for Lance, so it would be in his best interest.

 

[OGRipper]

typical N8...he'a all anti-roadie, unless somehow an american flag gets in the picture.

"You must spread some Reputation around before giving it to narlus again."

:trophy_br

 

[sanjuro]

Better, much, much better. This is the sort of epic badassery that legends are made of. This is how Chuck Norris would win the tour.

Lemond used fancy-pants technology to squeak it. If any squeaking occurs here in Paris it will have been made possible by a truly monstorous effort from a man who had appeared beaten and broken, and who has a necrotic hip. A man who once passed Gunnar Shogren and I on a climb at Snowshoe in a no handed wheelie playing delta blues on the harmonica.

Lemond can't even play the harmonica.

Well, you could say Lemond won the time trials thanks to his Scott aero bar, but this was widely used technology by triathletes, and you have to acknowledge Lemond for being innovative.

However, Lemond was on an extremely weak ADR team, being the only team to take a chance on a rider who was two years from being shot in chest, and I believe only 2 teammates finished the Tour.

The amazing part of his victory was staying with Fignon and his stacked Systeme U team thru the last mountain stages with no team support.

Not to take away from Landis, however. One of the OLN announcers mentioned how we haven't seen a breakaway like this for many years, where the winner rides away from pack early and holds them off despite their best efforts. It was very Merckx-esque.

 

[Westy]

It seems Lelangue called his papa and papa said "ATTACK MUTHA ****A ATTACK!!"

My father called me after Wednesday's stage and told me, 'the race is not over'," said Lelangue, whose father was once a domestique for the elder Merckx. "Eddy Merckx was also on the phone trying to give us some advice. He said that the race is not over, and that we had to attack."

 

[douglas]

..................the Disco boys help out.

 

[jacksonpt]

typical N8...he'a all anti-roadie, unless somehow an american flag gets in the picture.

oh, is that it??? I thought perhaps there was an HD plasma in the back of that vehicle that I couldn't see...

 

[DRB]

Go Big Or Go Home.

Couldn't have said it better.

 

[reflux]

Not to take away from Landis, however. One of the OLN announcers mentioned how we haven't seen a breakaway like this for many years, where the winner rides away from pack early and holds them off despite their best efforts. It was very Merckx-esque.

A couple years back, Laurent Jalabert (sp?) did something similar for two or three consecutive stages. Does anyone remember if they were mountain stages, and if he won one of them? My tdf memory was never really that good to begin with.

 

[Ian F]

A couple years back, Laurent Jalabert (sp?) did something similar for two or three consecutive stages. Does anyone remember if they were mountain stages, and if he won one of them? My tdf memory was never really that good to begin with.

Also a couple of years ago Pantani attempted a similar attack in a mtn stage and it failed when he imploded on the last climb (I think that was the last year he raced). The leaders were probably expecting a similar result today: "Oh... let him go... he won't be able to hold that pace..."

I've had this stupid grim on my face, muttering "yeah!" under my breath as I walk around the office...

 

[sanjuro]

A couple years back, Laurent Jalabert (sp?) did something similar for two or three consecutive stages. Does anyone remember if they were mountain stages, and if he won one of them? My tdf memory was never really that good to begin with.

Jalabert was going for the Mountains Jersey, and the main GC competitors allowed him to escape as he was no threat to the overall lead.

If I remember correctly, he would often get caught on the final climb, but he had accumulated so many points from cresting the early mountains, he easily had the lead.

 

[Cant Climb]

A couple years back, Laurent Jalabert (sp?) did something similar for two or three consecutive stages. Does anyone remember if they were mountain stages, and if he won one of them? My tdf memory was never really that good to begin with.

you're probably talking about 2002 when he was racing his last tour and wanted to go out as a "lion"......fighting and being tough on his way out. He wasn't in contention though....

 

[reflux]

Thanks for the info guys, it's much appreciated.

 

[Wumpus]

A couple years back, Laurent Jalabert (sp?) did something similar for two or three consecutive stages. Does anyone remember if they were mountain stages, and if he won one of them? My tdf memory was never really that good to begin with.

In 2001, Jaja went in a couple of breaks and won two stages(4 and 7 -- 7/14 Bastille Day) then got in a couple of mountain stage breaks and secured the polka dot jersey.

 

[llkoolkeg]

It seems Lelangue called his papa and papa said "ATTACK MUTHA ****A ATTACK!!"

Papa said knock you out! Papa said knock you out!

The best was how Floyd was just towing Patrik Sinkewitz up and down the course for 55km then he accellerates up the Col du Joux-Plane and drops that remorah like a spent butt! I was cheering so loud at that point my coworkers came into my office to investigate what all the ruckus was about. It was the first time anyone was even aware of what I've been listening to for the past two weeks.

 

[golgiaparatus]

Denise Demir, Physician: "Floyd Landis drank 20 bottles of water today."

 

[The Toninator]

It seems Lelangue called his papa and papa said "ATTACK MUTHA ****A ATTACK!!"

guys a ****ing genius. Merkx’s daddy said the same thing.

 

[The Toninator]

that's 2.2 gallons.

 

[DRB]

everybody in the team has a heart, and they believed in me. They deserve nothing less than the same from me. So yeah, it was for them, you saw what they did again. My team was very strong and determined.

Embrassment is a strong motivator. I think of the year when Lance had such a bad start that he couldn't even look at his team. Then he crashed, broke his bike and crushed everyone.

 

[Westy]

Floyd affect. I normally never see anyone else on a bike on my afternoon rides, today there were at least 20 other people on the road.