Velominati Super Prestige: Le Tour de France, Stage 20
Reach for your recovery drink of choice, grab a little massage if you can, load up on carbs tonight, and get ready for the ultimate showdown for final Tour glory tomorrow to be contested in 41 kilometers contra la montre. I’m talking about the fans, not the riders, obviously. Because these last two days have nearly killed us.
This is anyone’s time trial. At 41km, it’s just long enough for Cadel to pull one out, and it’s just short and hilly enough for Andy to retain enough of his lead. Sure, Evans will certainly beat the Grimplette, but by how much? In last year’s final ITT, Andy almost pulled out the upset, until the wind kicked up and the youngster’s sit up and beg TT position had him more sail that sailor. It’s hilly enough to give the climbers a chance of staying in it, and the long descent to the finish will play to the fastmen against the clock.
Will his new Maillot Juane play Redbull to Andy and give him wings? Or will the scent of Yellow drag the Cadelamonster to his prize? Both Andy and Cadel know what it’s like to stand on the second step of the podium. Neither wants to stand there again. And both riders are different men than they were the last time it happened. Both have been hardened by the bitter taste of defeat that lingers long on the tongue.
I, for one, can hardly take it any more. Vive le Tour.
You know the drill, get your picks in by 5am Pacific tomorrow morning. Good luck.
@Leroy
Sorry – forgot to say thanks. You have amused me.
One other thing – all this talk of “racing style” is garbage. You race to win. You use your skills as best you can. If u wish for style (and subjective measures thereof) then maybe the new sport u are after could be diving, figure skating or gymnastics.
VSP PICKS:
1. Fabian
2. Tony martin
3. Cadel
4. Leipheimer
5. Contador
VSP PICKS:
1. Millar
2. Cancellara
3. Martin
4. Evans
5. Boassen-Hagen
@Marcus
Seriously, internet badasses like you are a joke. Whatever you might think of my knowlege or opinions, that you would respond to any cycling fan by telling them to find a new sport makes you a world class douchebag… period, end of story. Dickneck fucks like you are the reason people think roadies are all elitist assholes. Although I do can see how someone who uses “u” and “you” interchangeably could be easily put off by talk of education so apologies for that at least.
It’s clear at this point that you just want to be dick and this isn’t at all about Cadel vs. Andy so rather than continuing to corrupt an excellent site with this thrilling banter… I’ll tell you what, I’m in San Diego… we have gorgeous weather & women and even better roads. You get your sorry ass out here and we can settle this on the asphalt like some real men. My email is badbadleroybrowning@yahoo.com, get at me whenever you’re ready to ante up. Until then, good luck with the whole drooling on yourself while trying to bite your own ear thing you fucking retard.
Pictures. No Words. Not a fan.
Grenoble, this morning.
@Oli
I’m glad you brought that up again actually… Although I think you mean our Rule #20 discussion… as I’ll be the first to admit I know very litte beyond the basics in terms of bike fitting and would generally accept your, and a number of others, knowledge on that. On the Rule #20 discussion though, I forwarded the text of the rule to the head of orthopaedic surgery at my brother’s hospital in Florida, a surgeon for over 30 years who frequently works on athletes from the NFL & NBA among others, and he responded that the calves part wasn’t accurate but that it was otherwise “fairly sound thinking and accurate in terms of the muscular engagement involved”. He did go on to say he hadn’t ridden a bike since he was a teenager and hadn’t had to htfu since med school but I think the point remains the same. I wasn’t going to bring up old shit just to say I’m right but, since you brought it up…
Ah well, now that you’ve brought it up. I was chatting with Stephen Hawking the other day over coffee and just happened to drop our little debate into the old convo – after thinking about it for a nano-second he vocoded that I may not know my orthopaedics, but that my knowledge of the physics of bike positioning was entirely sound. He is drawing up a scientific paper as we speak to reiterate my point that moving forward on the saddle recruits the quads and moving back the glutes and hamstrings. I trust this puts your doubts to rest, my good man.
VSP PICKS:
1. Evans
2. Martin
3. Cancellara
4. Millar
Is anybody here in need of Free Fresh Beer and Friendly Police ? ))
the 2011 TDF is so successful here that all the stands, Buses and training camps are closed to the BIG general public..and as that wasn’t the case with the Dauphiné i didn’t bother to reclaim some accreditations, so..i’m pretty f*cked right now… nevertheless, i’ll try now to ride to the mountains to get some live shots in the wild … we’ll see!
VSP PICKS:
1. Cancellara
2. Martin
3. Evans
4. Millar
5. Leipheimer
Alpin, awesome photos. So cool to see those! Thanks.
Someone needs to look at the pictures, smile, take a deep breath and enjoy the racing. Calm down, dude.
@Ron
But… But… I have to win the Internet. I MUST win the Internet!
@Ron. Spot on. Let’s ease off on the Landis Tea and enjoy the spectacle!
I’m building up a lugged guerciotti with new athena for a mate today. Tv on, ipa open and a little ride planned later.
Keep it smiles!
@joe
Made me smile. Sounds fun.
Internet opinions: a dime a dozen
Oli: priceless
Yikes. My (likely deluded) picks seem to have disappeared! Try again…
VSP PICKS:
1. cool refreshing millar.
2. faboo the fab
3. panzer wagen
4. ebh
5. cuddles
@xyxax
Yeh I was thinking Oli’s counter attack was full of panache too.
joe, sounds awesome! Take some photos of the build up, love to see them. Maybe you could post them in the “Bikes” section, even if it is a mates’ bike and not yours.
I’ve have to do some work, going to have to watch the ticker and then watch it later today. Can’t wait for the racin’!
@Alpin
Awesome pictures! Well. looks like I missed this SP. Porte just now tops Faboo’s time.
@Leroy
Bertie has hardly been standout, granted yesterday was great but to be fair he either left the whole thing (a stage or two) too late or he was cooked and while stage glory was in on his radar it was a last roll at pulling something out of this tour. Eitherway, Bertie’s heroics were never going to have a major impact on the overall.
@Leroy
Calling people out on the net, priceless, but San Diego, not very Rule #9, is it?
@xyxax
+1.
@Leroy
I’ve been thinking on this and I still can’t quite figure it. Are challenging him to some sort of daylight brothel-crawl roadtrip challenge?
@Oli
Feel free to email me your contact info at the email address above and I’ll forward you a copy of the email exchange… You can read it for yourself.
@Chris
I do agree about Alberto. Up to yesterday, there was nothing going there but there was a moment yesterday that it looked like he might just turn things completely on their head and, even in his failure, he drew out the field and really changed the race. I just have a tremendous respect for the defiance of his go down swinging last gasp. As for the drivel, can’t disagree there either… I’m an admitted hot head and quick to get sucked in. I’m not gonna go back and forth on the internet all night though about whos opinion is more awesome though so, if he’s willing to put his money where his mouth is I’m willing to risk getting my ass handed to me. And, no not very Rule #9 at all… in fact, there is so little Rule #9 to be found in SoCal that I actually get excited when it rains.
@Leroy
Hmmmmm…
@Alpin
Sir (and this is said with sarcasm and jealousy that can’t be conveyed over the ‘net), you suck!
Thanks for the great photos! Wish I was in your camera bag.
Well, I’m doomed already. Faboo was poo poo today.
If it’s close at the end of today, will they race to the death?
Richard Moor, author of Slaying the Badger “Even if there’s only a second between Cuddles and one of the Schlecks, I don’t see any racing on the Champs-Élysées. That’ll be it. Game over”
Frandy is frantically appealing to the UCI right now to let them ride the course together.
@alpin
As ever, stellar work. Thanks.
@marko
When they retire, they’ll start showing up at local races riding in the Masters Tandem category.
OK Faboo is not having a very good year. lame.
@brett
Yeah, as I was watching the stage, phil’n’paul were saying that nothing like Andy’s ride had been in modern cycling. Obviously Landis’ ride was one they didnt want to recall..
@Frank and the others who make this site happen.
Thanks for all the work that goes into the VSP’s, and TDF topics. Has made Le Tour more enjoyable as well as more stressful!
Thanks.
oh yeah – Go Cadel!
Sporting the caps and getting ready for the TT of their lives.
Alpin – Awesome!
Uran’s handle bars – how cool!
Phillpe Gilbert will now be referred to as Phillipa Gilbert as he’s left his testicles on his top tube.
My bet is that the Omega Pharma Lotto mechanic will be wearing his own tesicles around his neck after the number of chain slips PhilGil had.
Dammit, missed the deadline as I was avoiding all internet to watch yesterday on the Tivo. Oh well, what great racing this year.
@mouse
Ouch – That looked like it hurt.
@Rob
You mean it looked like it hurt the frame. Cos his balls are solid steel.
Monfort brushing with Belgian Toothpaste this morning.
Is there anyway to get these comments scolling across the bottom of our TV screens, like the news channels? Almost as entertainingas the TT.
Andy, my dear…why, oh, why the yellow shorts? Your kits have been so classy until I see that.
@frank
Good point the man of steel! I stand corrected – chapeau!
Evans looks calm and cool waiting the Schleckles geekie…
Gogogogogogogo Cadel!
Allez Bumchin!!!!
Go Andy Go!!!
Andy’s crazy face was… disconcerting…
Live tracking shows Cuddles is currently only 42 seconds away from the Maillot Jaune after the first 7 (?) km
@earnest
Duh, skinsuit. I forgot.
Still ugly.
This is sooo intense like Lemon and the professor
Good Cadelephant 21s down on Martin at the 1st check…C’mon Cuddles!!!