Tour de France time again

Nesti (Mark) · #1 03-07-2009, 03:05 PM

For those who watch the TDF each year, let's hope an Aussie is on the podium again this year.

However, in 4-6 years time, if an Australian has not yet won the TDF, watch out for these three names; Cameron Meyer, Ben King and Adam Semple. Both are now riding Pro, Ben in the US and Adam in Europe.
http://www.cycling.org.au/?Page=8820
http://www.benking.com.au/?page_id=11
http://www.adamsemple.com.au/?page_id=12

I have raced with all three, but trained huge amounts with Ben over the last 4 years. Aside from being the nicest person you'll ever meet, Cam's the 2009 world track champion, and was the most aggressive rider at last years Tour Down Under. Ben's currently racing around the US and has secured a few good wins as well as some nice day-long break-aways with the likes of Lance Armstrong and Floyd Landis (LOL). On a good legs day, Ben can and does ride off the front for the whole day...even on fast US criteriums, he's that strong. Semp's a pure climber, but is still a strong TT rider. Cam and Ben are incredible TT and TTT riders, both road and track.

If your into the 'Classics', the one day wars and 1 week tours, watch out for Ben. Long tours watch out for Cam. And Poka Dot stuff is Semp.

Ben's capable of one day winning Roubaix!

All three are achieving great things, drug-free.

Gallifreyboy · #2 03-07-2009, 03:48 PM

Good luck to the aussies. Will be watching with interest Team EPO, Team masking agent and Team future drug without an assay test yet.

suma126 (Shane) · #3 03-07-2009, 03:50 PM

I cant wait for the tour de france to start this year might be the one a aussie wins .

okiscopey (Mike) · #4 03-07-2009, 04:27 PM

Not a HUGE cycling fan, but the scenery from the helicopers covering the event is stunning. Recommended!

koputai (Jason) · #5 03-07-2009, 04:42 PM

And I think SBS2 is showing EVERY stage, in full, LIVE !! Awesome!! I might not stay up for every stage, but will for the mountain stages.

Cheers,
Jason.

multiweb (Marc) · #6 05-07-2009, 02:39 PM

Quite out of line

Quote:

Originally Posted by Liz

Yes, looking forward to the TDF, and The Ashes!!

Here is a pic from the 1940 Tour de France

MrB (Simon) · #7 05-07-2009, 02:51 PM

Looking forward to an ALL AUSSIE team in 4-6 years time then, certainly will have the numbers!

Looking forward to FULL coverage on SBS too, gotta love this multiple channel stuff!

renormalised (Carl) · #8 05-07-2009, 04:17 PM

Big bike fan here....love the TDF!!.

Hope to see as much of the action as I can.

I'd love to go over there and watch, one day!!.

MrB (Simon) · #9 05-07-2009, 04:30 PM

Quote:

I'd love to go over there and watch, one day!!.

Ditto. For a fair few years my old man and I have entertained the idea of hiring some mopeds and following the tour around.
Last year my brother rode some legs of the tour on his pushie just behind the tour, he's doing it again this year.

renormalised (Carl) · #10 05-07-2009, 04:36 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MrB

Ditto. For a fair few years my old man and I have entertained the idea of hiring some mopeds and following the tour around.
Last year my brother rode some legs of the tour on his pushie just behind the tour, he's doing it again this year.

Great idea!!!!

Wish I was still fit enough to do that....ride the tour. I could get back into some degree of fitness, but not like I used to be.

Alchemy (Clive) · #11 05-07-2009, 05:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by okiscopey

Not a HUGE cycling fan, but the scenery from the helicopers covering the event is stunning. Recommended!

ditto

lovely scenery

mozzie (Peter) · #12 05-07-2009, 06:28 PM

enjoy watching the tdf one of the sporting highlights love to go and watch the atmoshere would be fantastic
mozzie

Hagar (Doug) · #13 05-07-2009, 08:29 PM

TDF....... A good excuse to go outside and take a few images.

Nesti (Mark) · #14 05-07-2009, 09:25 PM

Did anyone notice Contador's last 30sec up to the time-check at the top of the climb? He was dancing on those pedals and then claimed 2nd next to Mr Huge Quads.

Contador's a climber turned all-rounder, and he looks heaps stronger this year. Remember when he was toying with Rasmussen? Memory refresher here http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=znx9s60lCQo

Backed by Lance and Levi, who climb like there's no tomorrow, the mountain stages are gonna be sensational.

BTW, Lance didn't do the TT early because of the weather forecast, well it had a bit to do with it, mainly he wanted to do an early recon of the course so he could feed it back to Bruyneel for Contador.

stephenb (Stephen) · #15 05-07-2009, 10:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by koputai

And I think SBS2 is showing EVERY stage, in full, LIVE !! Awesome!! I might not stay up for every stage, but will for the mountain stages.

Cheers,
Jason.

The one good thing about digital TV

.

TDF and cycling in general is about the only sport I am interested in. Go Aussies,

should be a promising year.

Chippy (Nick) · #16 05-07-2009, 10:49 PM

I've been watching the TDF fanatically for the past 10 years or so. I absolutely love it... the scenery, commentary, and of course Aussies winning stages. Would love to see Evans win it this year, but Contador and co. will be VERY tough to beat of course. Robbie McEwen is my favourite rider, but O'Grady, Rogers, Evans, etc are all great.

I love watching Robbie explode from the pack in the bunched sprints. This will probably be his last year (maybe one more) with a realistic chance of winning another stage. Hope he can do it again!!

rider · #17 06-07-2009, 07:21 AM

Astronomy, I have found, is the natural enemy of Cycling.

Its hard to get up at 3:30am to meet the guys for training when you have been up till 1:00am looking at stars.

Then comes the TDF, - 3 weeks of half a dozen bodies strewn around my lounge room in sleeping bags, too much beer and almost no sleep at all.

Hey Chippy, McEwen isn't riding this year because he has just had a knee reconstruction but keep an eye on the pom Cavendish, - very similar style and a great lead-out team, something Robbie has seldom had.

The best part about this years race is the mountain stage on the second to last day. no one can let their guard down with that looming.

Rider

Enchilada · #18 06-07-2009, 11:38 PM

Watching Stage 3 now.
Boy, wish I was right now in Marseille in the brilliant Provençal. After the weeks miserable weather here, even a few days being in this part Mediterranean coast would be absolutely great. Really do love this part of the world!

Really forget only viewing just the race. Better seeing for the landscape and places in France.

Magnifiqué!

Go Evans

Chippy (Nick) · #19 07-07-2009, 12:24 AM

Yeah I just found out about McEwen's knee surgery. Hope he makes it back for next year's tour. I'm NOT a Cavendish (or Boonen) fan, no matter how good they are... LOL

Nesti (Mark) · #20 07-07-2009, 01:30 PM

Stage 3, well what can you say; it seems the entire Pro Peloton has just been taught a major lesson in Belgium road tactics by Team Columbia-Htc; brilliant play, they deserve to win!!! Cavendish, rode and led his team like a TDF winner. He rolled through with his team to establish the break and then directed from the last wheel. I haven't seen that control since the days of Super Mario (Cipolini). McEwen didn't have that.

My little rant:
When a 40-50 strong train drags a break back to 18sec and failed to close the gap, because it failed to keep the pressure on, because it failed to communicate, that's embarracing, that's B Grade racing!!! I bet there was some serious yelling going on in the hotel rooms last night, especially in the Silence-Lotto rooms who failed dismally under pressure. Although I like him and desperately want him to win, I'm sorry, but from a tactical standpoint, I'm now totally convinced that Evans doesn't have what it takes mentally to be a TDF winner. Last year Evans didn't win because he was bounced around by a very strong CSC. His team wasn't strong enough to help. This year Evans HAS a very good team...but where's the leadership, where's the control, where are the decisive moves which separate a TDF winner from a good all-rounder??? You watch the excuses he comes up with when an SBS commentator interviews him. Again, I'm sorry, but it is the truth.

A Pro riders with tour aspirations DOES NOT miss the oldest trick in the European racing book. Armstrong and Cancellara read the play 15km before it happened and positioned themselves accordingly. Contador, Schleck, Evans and Sastre have some serious soul-searching to do, sitting in the ladies lounge reading the paper is not the tactic of a TDF winner.

Personally, I think the use of team radios places more responsibility on the Director Sportif (Mgr's) than on the riders themselves. And even with the radios and on-board TVs, the managers still couldn't position their men. I mean, Armstrong's in the first 1/10th and his own team leader (past-tense if he keeps it up), Contador, is playing scrabble and knocking back martini's with Evans in the middle somewhere...it's a headwind-cross on the flat with 30ks to go, when the road winds to become a cross, it's time for "Full Gas". For those who don't know cycling, that is THE OLDEST trick in road racing...and what's Bruyneel doing, playing virtual scrabble with the boys???

All-in-all, that was one of the best stages of any TDF. It shows the newcomers and reminds the established, that cycling is all about thinking on the fly; communicating and controlling while suffering in the red zone. It has also demonstrated to me that Armstrong still has it in him; using his brain to pick-up an easy 40 seconds and that team managers cannot replace a brain on the saddle...about time!!!

Cheers