2006 Tour de France

[East Texas Parrothead]

Wow! Mattias Kessler (T-Mobile) had legs today. After leading out at the end yesterday, but getting eaten alive by the peleton, he hit the final short, steep climb right at the finish line today and took the stage win.

Seems to me that the peleton "sat up" for Kessler and gave him the stage and then, when they knew he would hit the white line first, they burst into a race for second.

Tom Boonen has the yellow jersey, which is fitting. He's Belgian and they start in Belgium tomorrow. He's only got 1 second, but that's enough for the bragging rights. First yellow jersey for the sprinter.

Valverde is out with a broken collar bone. He was a favorite for the overall title. Freddie Rodriguez (American) is out with a gash to the head. Erik Decker is out, too. Both to hospital. Stuart O'Grady (from Creeky's part of the world) crashed with Valverde and limped in, but he seems to be okay.

The heat was incredible today. 122 degress on the asphalt. Lots of mechanical problems....tires blowing straight up....water bottles everywhere. The peleton was incredibly "nervous and jumpy" today...I think fatigue played a factor in the crashes, as the weather was clear. Just a fraction of an inch either way in the packed peleton can be disastrous.

The Discovery Team has 2 in the top 5. Salvodelli was with Hincapie for every pedal tick today. Impressive that they were up front all day. And, still no bobbing. Steady as a rock. Our boys are ready and in top condition. Incredible job by Team Director Johan Bruyneel in bringing the team to the line ready to roll.

So far, the sprinters are dominating the stages and overall GC, but this is to be expected during the first, flat week of the tour.

It's a wide open race this year and such a joy to watch.

[East Texas Parrothead]

I know almost nothing about the Tour except that a bunch of guys climb on bikes and ride around France. I do know that Lance Armstrong won seven times. I don't know one team from another or one rider from another, and have no clue about the strategies involved. But I love coming to this thread each day and reading the reports from ETP and others, and listening in on the discussion. Thanks, y'all!

You're welcome, SGH.

Bikes = road bikes for the racing stages. Time trial bikes for the days when the team rides as one or the guys race against the clock. Time trail bikes have 'discs' for their back wheels, as they're more aerodynamic that way. Most professional bikes start at about $10K. And that's just the basics. For real.
Bunch of guys = peleton
Ride around France = France, Germany, Luxemborg and Belgium this year . . . over 2,000 miles in all.
Climb = catageory 1 - 5, depending on the incline. A few BC *beyond category* = where everyone suffers

We'll make a tour junkie outta you yet!

[East Texas Parrothead]

Oh, my. The fabulous sprinter Stuart O'Grady (from Jenny's part of the world) has a fractured vertebrae in his lower back. Dadgum. His return to the peleton tomorrow is questionable. He finished today, but limped in.

Chris Horner (American riding for Davitamon-Lotto) went down, too, but seems to be okay.

Valverde. Luca. Dekker. They're out.

O'Grady is questionable.

The cycling gods are so fickle. Kinda like their TIKI cousins, huh?

[SchoolGirlHeart]

Oh, my. The fabulous sprinter Stuart O'Grady (from Jenny's part of the world) has a fractured vertebrae in his lower back. Dadgum. His return to the peleton tomorrow is questionable. He finished today, but limped in.

Chris Horner (American riding for Davitamon-Lotto) went down, too, but seems to be okay.

Valverde. Luca. Dekker. They're out.

O'Grady is questionable.

The cycling gods are so fickle. Kinda like their TIKI cousins, huh?

Damn.....

Hate to see any athlete taken out by injury after working so hard....

[East Texas Parrothead]

An article on the Austin paper's website says the Valverde/O'Grady crash was caused by a drunk.

Valverde broke a collar bone.

I hope they NAIL the drunk.

[SchoolGirlHeart]

An article on the Austin paper's website says the Valverde/O'Grady crash was caused by a drunk.

Valverde broke a collar bone.

I hope they NAIL the drunk.

Oh, nooooooo..............

Nail his SKIN to the wall...............

[East Texas Parrothead]

Wow, SGH. You are scary sometimes.

Nail his SKIN to the wall! Is that an Irish thing?

[East Texas Parrothead]

Robby McEwen gets the sprint stage win today.

Several crashes during the ride in. We'll have to see if there's any serious damage done.

Several flats, too. The heat must be brutal.

Stuart O'Grady started today, despite a fractured lower vertebrae. Can you imagine?

Good news for Discovery. Egoi Martinez was out with the breakaway all day and won several points in the intermediate sprints, which I *think* puts him in the top 20 overall . . . or maybe the top 10. That means Discovery has three riders at the top end of the overall GC (general classification) . . . which means they're still the lead team.

Ride on, Discovery. Ride on.

[East Texas Parrothead]

O'Grady made it today, but was in horrific pain.

There are three Disco boys in the top 10. Hincapie (3) - Martinez (5) and Savoldelli (7).

American Floyd Landis (Phonak) is 9th.

Spanish rider Iban Mayo (Euskaltel-Euskadi) is looking back on form.

Saturday's Individual Time Trial will weed out the weak and injured. ITTs are brutal. It's just the rider, the road and the clock.

[East Texas Parrothead]

Another day for the sprinters.

Freire (Rabobank) nipped Boonen (still in yellow) at the finish line today.

Martinez (Discovery) hit the deck, but finished. Hope he's not too bunged up.

McEwen got caught out too early . . .

Hincapie and Salvodelli are still in the top 10, with Landis right behind Salvodelli.

Had to come to work this morning, so followed the results on www.velonews.com. Will have more tonight after seeing it on TV.

[East Texas Parrothead]

Another day in the world of Robbie McEwen. He comes from nowhere and wins the stage.

Tomorrow will be the end of sprinters' paradise. We'll see the Individual Time Trials. Landis is pegged to do well. Will be interesting to see how Team Discovery does. Also, look for Zabriskie. Can't wait.

Two Disco boys in top ten. We're good to go. For now.

[Quiet and Shy]

Great recaps, ETP...thanks!

[sunseeker]

I know almost nothing about the Tour except that a bunch of guys climb on bikes and ride around France. I do know that Lance Armstrong won seven times. I don't know one team from another or one rider from another, and have no clue about the strategies involved. But I love coming to this thread each day and reading the reports from ETP and others, and listening in on the discussion. Thanks, y'all!

they all have cute butts....ya'll eve notice ...I have a butt fetish????

[East Texas Parrothead]

I love to be at the back of the peleton! GREAT view!

[East Texas Parrothead]

Weird day at the Tour. Well, not weird for everyone, but certainly way weird for the Americans.

Individual time trials . . . Levi Leipheimer (Gerolsteiner) said he thought he could win. Nope.

Dave Zabrieski (CSC) was thought to be a contender. Nope.

George Hincapie (Discovery) missed winning last Saturday's Prologue by .007 . . . and riding well all week . . . Nope.

The Americans boinked. Big time.

Except for Crazy Floyd Landis (Phonak). 2nd in the ITT . . . and he had to change bikes. Prolly woulda won barring the mechanical problems. His handle bars cracked, says OLN. He has a new aerodynamic position . . . look for it to be popular after today. Body way down .... not as hunched over .... arms way out front .... elbows and knees not knocking like other riders. Good for him.

Horrific crash for American Bobby Julich (CSC) . It was as bad a single crash as I've seen. Not for the blood, but for the sheer horror of hitting the pavement so hard, he bounced. Was going around a corner. Lost control. Slid for what seemed like miles. Not only did he hit the pavement, he hit the curb with his hip and wrist. Reports from hospital are that he broke his wrist. Can't believe he walked away. I thought his hip was broken for sure. He hid harder and slid further than Beloki did in 2003 when he fell and Lance had to ride through that field to avoid crashing, too. Out. CSC has now lost their pre-Tour favorite Basso (doping scandal) and their 2nd in command, Julich. This is just way sad.

Who would have thought that T-Mobile would have 4 riders in the top 10? They have taken control of this race.

Their boy Honchar won the ITT . . . his first TdF career win. He also took the maillot jaune (yellow jersey). Good for him. He was beside himself on the podium. Good boost for the T-Mobile team, who took a huge hit when their leader and pre-Tour favorite Jan Ullrich was sent home in the wake of the blood doping scandal.

Discovery boinked, too. We'll see what Bruyneel (Discovery Team Director) can pull out of his hat.

The tour was ripped open today. It's anybody's race.

I would *kill* to be at some of the team's dinner tables tonight.

Tomorrow, it's back to the sprinter's world.

[East Texas Parrothead]

The peleton must be very tired, as they let a breakaway rider from AG2 stay out and take the stage today.

Disappointment continues to ripple through Team Discovery. They blew straight up during yesterday's ITT and it will be most difficult to make up the time gaps. Hincapie's sitting 2:30 behind the leader heading into the mountains. It's not impossible, but it's not a laydown, either. Both Salvodelli and Ekimov rode better than Hincapie yesterday. That's a shock. Eki's 40 years old! What the heck happened?

Landis is sitting pretty in the number 2 slot.

T-Mobile is the leading team now. I'll bet Bruneeyl (Discovery Team Director) is fit to be tied. He hates to lose.

Rest day tomorrow, which you'd think they would enjoy. Not. The riders hate rest days. Their bodies grow accustomed to the pain, so the day after a rest day is hell for them.



Do ya'll want me to keep doing these daily updates?

[SchoolGirlHeart]

Do ya'll want me to keep doing these daily updates?

I enjoy them, unless they're becoming a pain in the neck for you.

[East Texas Parrothead]

No pain here. Well...I'm in pain, but it's got nothing to do with the reports. I'm still in shock of the blowup of Team Discovery. It's almost fishy, if you know what I mean. Like that time that Lance played sick and stayed at the back of the peleton all day until it was time to ride up Alp d Huez (I think it was Alp d Huez) and then he blew everyone's socks off.

I can't believe the guys just sat up like that. Or...it could be that the other teams have been sandbagging since day 1 and we just *thought* we were looking strong.

Can't wait to talk to my cycling buddies tomorrow. They'll have insight into this prickly mess.

*Poof*

[Quiet and Shy]

Your updates are awesome to read!!

I felt that poor guy bumping along the pavement as I read your ITT update. I don't get to watch all of it but it really does get captivating. Thanks again ETP for taking the time to keep us in the race.

[hawaiiboy]

Do ya'll want me to keep doing these daily updates?

I enjoy them, unless they're becoming a pain in the neck for you.

WJS

I look forward to your updates, especially on
the days when I have to work and can't watch