Tour de France

Forostar said:
One accident (copying the French champion a bit earlier) was him entering a backyard!
Bloody funny! I laughed my ass off.
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He wasn't the only one, some guy (not sure who it was) also entered that same backyard about 2 or 3 minutes before Voeckler!

But yeah, the next 2 stages will be absolutely massive (and ones I will definitely be watching, saw only a little bit of today near the finish).
 
Unknown One said:
He wasn't the only one, some guy (not sure who it was) also entered that same backyard about 2 or 3 minutes before Voeckler!
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That's what I said:

Forostar said:
(copying the French champion a bit earlier)
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Unknown One said:
But yeah, the next 2 stages will be absolutely massive (and ones I will definitely be watching, saw only a little bit of today near the finish).
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Will be exciting indeed!  :)
 
Today the Tour could be decided. After yesterday, Andy Schleck has the initiative, and Alberto Contador is more or less out of the race for 1st. In my opinion, the question is - how much can Andy Schleck gain on Cadel Evans? Evans is stronger than him on individual-start time trials, so Schleck will probably need to widen the gap today. And with two tough climbs, the second being the famous Alpe d'Huez, he will surely try. If Evans manages to hang onto Schleck today, he is my favourite to win the tour. If Schleck can widen the gap to 1-2 minutes, he will be most likely to wear yellow in Paris.

I was really impressed by Voeckler yesterday, but today I really think he will have to surrender that yellow jersey to Schleck.
 
Fantastic performance by Pierre Rolland. He did an amazing job as the domestic of Thomas Voeckler and now he wins Alpe d'Huez. Also, first French win in this year's tour, there were only two tours without a Frenchman winning a stage, 1926 and 1999, we were close to another one but Rolland didn't let this happen.

Now Andy Schleck has the yellow jersey and Cadel Evans just got 2 seconds from him on this stage but there is a huge difference between them in the time trial. Tomorrow will be really great.
 
Evans could do it tomorrow.

The Flash said:
Also, first only French win in this year's tour, there were only two tours without a Frenchman winning a stage, 1926 and 1999, we were close to another one but Rolland didn't let this happen.
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Too bad, I hoped it would have happened again.  :D
 
What a magical performance by Cadel Evans. He was trailing by 57 seconds before the time trial and he finished the time trial 1'37 ahead of Andy Schleck. Well deserved win for the Aussie.
 
Forostar said:
Evans could do it tomorrow.
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He did it! Cool. So well deserved. The first Australian victor in the Tour!

Andy "Big Mouth" Schleck can try it next year again. First he should learn how to do a good time trial when it's the most important. Also I am glad that the French still don't have a Tour winner since Hinault (1985).

Year Name winner Age winner Country

1903 Maurice Garin 32  Frankrijk
1904 Henri Cornet 19  Frankrijk
1905 Louis Trousselier 24  Frankrijk
1906 René Pottier 27  Frankrijk
1907 Lucien Petit-Breton 24  Frankrijk
1908 Lucien Petit-Breton 25  Frankrijk
1909 François Faber 22  Luxemburg
1910 Octave Lapize 22  Frankrijk
1911 Gustave Garrigou 26  Frankrijk
1912 Odiel Defraeye 24  België
1913 Philippe Thys 22  België
1914 Philippe Thys 23  België
1919 Firmin Lambot 33  België
1920 Philippe Thys 29  België
1921 Léon Scieur 33  België
1922 Firmin Lambot 36  België
1923 Henri Pélissier 34  Frankrijk
1924 Ottavio Bottecchia 29  Italië
1925 Ottavio Bottecchia 30  Italië
1926 Lucien Buysse 33  België
1927 Nicolas Frantz 27  Luxemburg
1928 Nicolas Frantz 28  Luxemburg
1929 Maurice De Waele 32  België
1930 André Leducq 26  Frankrijk
1931 Antonin Magne 27  Frankrijk
1932 André Leducq 28  Frankrijk
1933 Georges Speicher 26  Frankrijk
1934 Antonin Magne 30  Frankrijk
1935 Romain Maes 22  België
1936 Sylvère Maes 26  België
1937 Roger Lapébie 26  Frankrijk
1938 Gino Bartali 24  Italië
1939 Sylvère Maes 29  België
1947 Jean Robic 26  Frankrijk
1948 Gino Bartali 34  Italië
1949 Fausto Coppi 29  Italië
1950 Ferdi Kübler 31  Zwitserland
1951 Hugo Koblet 26  Zwitserland
1952 Fausto Coppi 32  Italië
1953 Louison Bobet 28  Frankrijk
1954 Louison Bobet 29  Frankrijk
1955 Louison Bobet 30  Frankrijk
1956 Roger Walkowiak 29  Frankrijk
1957 Jacques Anquetil 23  Frankrijk
1958 Charly Gaul 25  Luxemburg
1959 Federico Bahamontes 31  Spanje
1960 Gastone Nencini 30  Italië
1961 Jacques Anquetil 27  Frankrijk
1962 Jacques Anquetil 28  Frankrijk
1963 Jacques Anquetil 29  Frankrijk
1964 Jacques Anquetil 30  Frankrijk
1965 Felice Gimondi 22  Italië
1966 Lucien Aimar 27  Frankrijk
1967 Roger Pingeon 26  Frankrijk
1968 Jan Janssen 28  Nederland
1969 Eddy Merckx 24  België
1970 Eddy Merckx 25  België
1971 Eddy Merckx 26  België
1972 Eddy Merckx 27  België
1973 Luis Ocaña 28  Spanje
1974 Eddy Merckx 29  België
1975 Bernard Thévenet 27  Frankrijk
1976 Lucien Van Impe 29  België
1977 Bernard Thévenet 29  Frankrijk
1978 Bernard Hinault 23  Frankrijk
1979 Bernard Hinault 24  Frankrijk
1980 Joop Zoetemelk 33  Nederland
1981 Bernard Hinault 26  Frankrijk
1982 Bernard Hinault 27  Frankrijk
1983 Laurent Fignon 22  Frankrijk
1984 Laurent Fignon 23  Frankrijk
1985 Bernard Hinault 30  Frankrijk
1986 Greg LeMond 25  Verenigde Staten
1987 Stephen Roche 27  Ierland
1988 Pedro Delgado 28  Spanje
1989 Greg LeMond 28  Verenigde Staten
1990 Greg LeMond 29  Verenigde Staten
1991 Miguel Indurain 27  Spanje
1992 Miguel Indurain 28  Spanje
1993 Miguel Indurain 29  Spanje
1994 Miguel Indurain 30  Spanje
1995 Miguel Indurain 31  Spanje
1996 Bjarne Riis 32  Denemarken
1997 Jan Ullrich 23  Duitsland
1998 Marco Pantani 28  Italië
1999 Lance Armstrong 27  Verenigde Staten
2000 Lance Armstrong 28  Verenigde Staten
2001 Lance Armstrong 29  Verenigde Staten
2002 Lance Armstrong 30  Verenigde Staten
2003 Lance Armstrong 31  Verenigde Staten
2004 Lance Armstrong 32  Verenigde Staten
2005 Lance Armstrong 33  Verenigde Staten
2006 Óscar Pereiro Sio 28  Spanje
2007 Alberto Contador 24  Spanje
2008 Carlos Sastre 33  Spanje
2009 Alberto Contador 26  Spanje
2010 Alberto Contador 27  Spanje
2011 Cadel Evans 34 Australië
 
Well done Evans. I followed today's stage and the Norwegian commentators were not exactly in a high mood today - neither were Hushovd and Hagen. But watching the TdF at least let me take my thoughts off yesterday's events for some time ...

Congrats, Evans. It is deserved.
 
The arrangers made sure that there was one minute of silence before the start of today's stage, in memory of the victims on Friday. A nice and appropriate gesture from the Tour de France. Thor Hushovd and Edvald Boasson Hagen, as well as Hagen's entire team, are wearing black armbands on today's stage.
 
Hagen became second! Man, would have been great if he won, but Cavendish is hard to beat. And his team set him up excellent.
 
Trying to beat Cavendish from his rear wheel is near impossible. I think the only way to beat him is to try to stay in front of him with a team-mate at one's rear wheel (to keep Cavendish away from it). His acceleration on the last 20-30 meters is just too strong.

Cavendish is now the first one to win three successive Champs Elysees-finishes. Impressive. But I think it is great that Hagen got second. In addition, Hushovd helped Farrar to fourth, so both Norwegians did their job well.
 
Who's following this year's Tour? My country (or part of it, at least ;-) is pumped, since it has the honour of hosting the Grand Départ again.

In 2015 the Tour de France will start in Utrecht. After five years, the biggest annual sporting event returns to the Netherlands. The Grand Départ is cycling spectacle perfect for bicycle city Utrecht. It is the chance for inhabitants and visitors to experience the excitement of the Tour de France from upclose.

Yesterday's team presentation:
 
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I followed Tour de France for four years in a row from 2009 to 2013 when I had cable TV. Once I switched to satellite Eurosport was gone thus ending my Tour de France run.
 
SixesAlltheway said:
I might watch a few stages. Most likely when they hit the mountains, that's when it's worth watching I think :)
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The first weeks have lots of hard stages as well. The biggies have to be careful and reach the mountains unharmed / without too much timeloss.
 
Haha LC :D

But yes that's true Forostar. But for a casual fan like me it's not too exciting watching a flat stage for 5 hours or whatever that ends in a sprint at the goal line. :)
 
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