[DRB]

Don't be surprised to see Cofidis push early especially on the CAT 2 climb near the middle to see if they can get rid of McEwen and Hushovd and gain some points for Stuey.

Otherwise it'll be a field sprint or another breakaway.

How's that for some orginial thought provoking anaysis.....

 

[DRB]

14:00 - Escape Over At 18km Mark
The Francaise des Jeux squad has been at the head of the peloton. This French team has chased down each of the escape attempts in stage 19. They caught Vicioso and Righi at the 18km mark.

 

[DRB]

14:16 CEST
Christophe Moreau (Credit Agricole) and Gerolsteiner's Ronny Scholz went clear on the climb and led over the top. They are now being chased down by eight riders. One of these, Brad McGee (FDJ) took third at the summit.



14:19 CEST 31km/122.5km to go
There are now thirteen riders clear, including Hincapie, Julich, Botero, Jaksche and Zubeldia. But the bunch closes them down - peloton groupé now


Big George hunting another stage.

 

[DRB]

14:25 CEST
T-Mobile's Giuseppe Guerini and Sandy Casar of the Francaise des Jeux team decide life is too cosy in the peloton and clear off up the road. They've got ten seconds and, also, Oscar Pereiro (Phonak) for company.

The Spaniard won stage 16 of this year's race. Guerini won the 1999 Alpe d'Huez stage.

 

[DRB]

110 km Franco Pellizotti (Liquigas) bridges up to the break: Four men -- Pellizotti, Giuseppe Guerini (T-Mobile), Sandy Casar (FDJ), Oscar Pereiro (Phonak) -- 12 sec in front of chase duo Kurt-Asle Arvesen (CSC) and Juan Manuel Garate (Saunier Duval). The pack follows at 40 sec...

Pereiro is sort high up on the overall. The rest are way back.

 

[DRB]

14:47 - Situation At 50.5km
Pereiro (PHO), Casar (FDJ), Guerini (TMO) and Pellizotti (LIQ) lead by 35". The composition of the chase group is Azevedo (DSC), Arvesen (CSC), Grabsch (PHO), Flecha (FAS), Chavanel (COF), Commesso (LAM), Da Cruz (FDJ), Bertolini (DOM), Weening (RAB) and Portal (A2R).
The peloton is now 1’10" behind the leaders.

 

[DRB]

15:05 - Four Leading One Who Leads Nine...
Pereiro, Pellizotti, Casar and Guerini are still in the lead of the stage. They are on the Col des Pradeaux and are being pursued by Commesso (who is 48" behind).
The next group on the road is: Azevedo, Arvesen, Grabsch, Flecha, Chavanel, Da Cruz, Bertolini, Weening and Portal. These nine are 1’00" behind the four stage leaders.
The peloton is at 3’45".
These time checks were taken at the 62km mark.

 

[DRB]

``An individual can never dictate their legacy. That's not my job,'' he said. ``Whatever the people decide it is, it is. I'm a kid from Texas who learned how to ride fast and overcome a life-threatening illness to come back and win the hardest sporting event in the world. I'll let other people write on the tombstone.''

From Lance.

 

[DRB]

15:31 - 10 Counter-Attackers Together
On the descent the counter-attacking riders have joined forces. There are now four riders (Guerini, Casar, Pereiro and Pellizotti) 1’40" ahead of 10 (Azevedo, Arvesen, Grabsch, Flecha, Chavanel, Da Cruz, Bertolini, Weening and Portal).
The peloton is now 3’45" behind the leading quartet.

 

[The Toninator]

if Azevedo can gap my money is on him.

 

[DRB]

Pereiro is 17'10" behind on GC. With the 5' gap that moves him into the top 10 knocking that a$$hat Moreau out. 7' puts Pereiro past Landis and Vino.

 

[Reactor]

Pereiro is 17'10" behind on GC. With the 5' gap that moves him into the top 10 knocking that a$$hat Moreau out. 7' puts Pereiro past Landis and Vino.

Moreau isn't in the counter-attackers either.

 

[The Toninator]

Pereiro is 17'10" behind on GC. With the 5' gap that moves him into the top 10 knocking that a$$hat Moreau out. 7' puts Pereiro past Landis and Vino.

moreau loves you, love him back.

 

[DRB]

15:47 - Discovery & CSC Lead The Peloton
The peloton is being led by the Discovery Channel and CSC teams. They appear content to allow the 14 riders who have gone on the attack to contest the stage win.
Casar (FDJ) instigated the escape at the 30.5km mark. He was joined first by Guerini (TMO), then Pereiro (PHO) and later by Pellizotti (LIQ).
Then a counter attack of 10 riders formed at the 40km mark. They are still behind Casar’s group by over two minutes.


They are 7'17" up. Pereiro is now past Moreau, Landis and Vino into 8th place. That is virtually of course.

 

[DRB]

The gap is getting to 9'. That brings Illes Ballers to the front because of Mancebo's placing.

 

[DRB]

Giuseppe Guerini (T-Mobile), Oscar Pereiro (Phonak), Sandy Casar (FDJ), Franco Pellizotti (Liquigas-Bianchi)
Kurt-Asle Arvesen (CSC), Jose Azevedo (Discovery), Bert Grabsch (Phonak), Pieter Weening (Rabobank), Salvatore Commesso (Lampre), Sylvain Chavanel (Cofidis), Juan-Antonio Flecha (Fassa Bortolo) at 1'43
Carlos Da Cruz (FDJ), Nicolas Portal (Ag2r), Alessandro Bertolini (Domina Vacanze)
Peloton at 8'21

The chase group has shed a few riders. The overall gap is down. But Pereiro would move into 7th place.

 

[Reactor]

Giuseppe Guerini (T-Mobile), Oscar Pereiro (Phonak), Sandy Casar (FDJ), Franco Pellizotti (Liquigas-Bianchi)
Kurt-Asle Arvesen (CSC), Jose Azevedo (Discovery), Bert Grabsch (Phonak), Pieter Weening (Rabobank), Salvatore Commesso (Lampre), Sylvain Chavanel (Cofidis), Juan-Antonio Flecha (Fassa Bortolo) at 1'43
Carlos Da Cruz (FDJ), Nicolas Portal (Ag2r), Alessandro Bertolini (Domina Vacanze)
Peloton at 8'21

The chase group has shed a few riders. The overall gap is down. But Pereiro would move into 7th place.

Past floyd landis? It's not good to PO the yellow jersey... neaky:

 

[DRB]

Someone woke up in the Peleton finally. Illes Ballres, Cofidis and Gerosteiner are all getting a move on. Up front.

Giuseppe Guerini (T-Mobile), Oscar Pereiro (Phonak), Sandy Casar (FDJ), Franco Pellizotti (Liquigas-Bianchi)
Bert Grabsch (Phonak), Pieter Weening (Rabobank), Salvatore Commesso (Lampre), Sylvain Chavanel (Cofidis), Juan-Antonio Flecha (Fassa Bortolo), Kurt-Asle Arvesen (CSC), Jose Azevedo (Discovery), Carlos Da Cruz (FDJ), Nicolas Portal (Ag2r), Alessandro Bertolini (Domina Vacanze) at 1'35
Peloton at 7'21

 

[DRB]

The chase keeps breaking up and reforming and ..

16:29 - Commesso Goes... Again...
Whenever the 10-man chase group reforms, Salvatore Commesso (LAM) attacks them. He’s just done it again but this time everyone has the energy to respond.
Commesso is either going to tow his nine fellow escapees up to the four leaders... or cop a whack in the face for his antics by one of the riders in the chase group.

 

[DRB]

16:41 - Commesso Goes Again...
Let’s just say that the chase group will be attacked by Salvatore Commesso all the way to the finish of the 19th stage. The Lampre rider is content to let his fellow chasers catch up with him for a few minutes before he surges again.
That’s how it’s been since the Col des Pradeaux. The Italian has attacked again and matched again by Flecha et al.

16:40 - Peloton 6’50" Behind
The main peloton is now being led by riders from Davitamon-Lotto and Gerolsteiner. It is 6’50" behind Pereiro’s quartet.

DAMMIT Moreau is back in the top 10. I think he might be MMike.

 

[DRB]

with 20km to go
Giuseppe Guerini (T-Mobile), Oscar Pereiro (Phonak), Sandy Casar (FDJ), Franco Pellizotti (Liquigas-Bianchi)
Salvatore Commesso (Lampre), Sylvain Chavanel (Cofidis), Kurt-Asle Arvesen (CSC) at 2'18
Nicolas Portal (Ag2r) at 2'28
Bert Grabsch (Phonak), Carlos Da Cruz (FDJ), Juan-Antonio Flecha (Fassa Bortolo), Pieter Weening (Rabobank), Jose Azevedo (Discovery), Alessandro Bertolini (Domina Vacanze) at 2'45
Peloton at 6'34

The first four are going to decide the stage. I got my money on Casar.

 

[DRB]

Wait Moreau might not be in the top 10.

They are inside 10km with a 2' lead over the first chasers.

 

[DRB]

17:01 - Moreau Trying To Organize His Troops...
Pereiro began the stage in 13th place. His current advantage on the peloton (around 6’00") is enough to push him into the top 10. The rider who stands to lose out to today’s attack, Christophe Moreau (CA) is trying to get his team-mates to cooperate with the peloton’s pursuit of the four-man escape group.

Forget it pu$$y we are saving ourselves for Vino next year. We hate you.

 

[DRB]

17:04 CEST 149.5km/4km to go
Guerini takes a turn, then eases off and tightens his shoe straps. The pace in the break drops as they get to the outskirts of town. Under a railway bridge and through a few roundabouts, and it's 4 km to go.

 

[DRB]

17:06 CEST 150.5km/3km to go
Will this be a four man sprint? They're still all working together.

Under a viaduct with 2.5 km to go. And now through the tree-lined streets.

17:07 CEST 151.5km/2km to go
Pereiro does a strong turn in front, probably interested in his GC as well. Top 10 in the Tour is not too shabby. But can he add another stage win?

 

[DRB]

17:07 CEST 152km/1.5km to go
Pereiro signals for Casar to come through, but the Frenchman doesn't. Guerini attacks!

17:08 CEST 152.5km/1km to go
Guerini has putin a huge attack and the other three just watch Pereiro. Guerini has 5 seconds with 1 km to go. He's got it.

It was that shoe adjustment.

 

[DRB]

17:09 CEST 153.5km/0km to go
Giuseppe "Turbo" Guerini rides up to the finish and wins the 19th stage in Le-Puy-en-Velay. He looks back and realises he has plenty of time to celebrate, and he does. Casar takes second from Pellizotti and Pereiro at 9 seconds.

Now let's see Moreau get torpedoed out of the top 10.....

 

[DRB]

17:12 - Peloton In Final Kilometer
The peloton is being led by riders from the Cofidis team in the final kilometer of stage 19

Moreau crashes in a bloody heap in the middle of the road is hit by every single rider in the peleton. Even Guerrini comes back and gets his lick in.

 

[DRB]

17:14 - Peloton Led Home By McEwen
The peloton was led to the finish line in Le Puy-en-Velay by Robbie McEwen who beat Thor Hushovd in the sprint. The bunch was 4’30" behind Guerini at the end of the 153.5km stage.

 

[DRB]

YES.
General classification after stage 19

1 Lance Armstrong (USA) Discovery Channel
2 Ivan Basso (Ita) Team CSC 2.46
3 Michael Rasmussen (Den) Rabobank 3.46
4 Jan Ullrich (Ger) T-Mobile Team 5.58
5 Francisco Mancebo (Spa) Illes Balears-Caisse d'Epargne 7.08
6 Levi Leipheimer (USA) Gerolsteiner 8.12
7 Cadel Evans (Aus) Davitamon-Lotto 9.49
8 Alexandre Vinokourov (Kaz) T-Mobile Team 10.11
9 Floyd Landis (USA) Phonak Hearing Systems 10.42
10 Oscar Pereiro Sio (Spa) Phonak Hearing Systems

 

[I Are Baboon]

Two stages to go!!! :dancing: