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I snapped this photo of the live coverage playing on my television this morning (and shared via twitter). Maybe not the best photograph of the day’s action, but my god, I was coming out of my skin! At one kilometer to go, he had just about lost the jersey to Schleck. He turned himself inside out over that last one thousand meters and held on.
His face is a mask of pain.
His actual finish time was 2:21 back. He kept the GC lead by a slim 15 seconds over Andy Schleck.
Schleck, to his credit, threw his Schlecktacles in the waste bin and got on with it. I knew he could ride without having his brother at arm’s length. Today’s stage was utterly fantastic. And, I hope to see more of the same tomorrow.
Full write up: http://velonews.competitor.com/2011/07/news/gutsy-andy-schleck-soloes-for-60k-takes-stage-win-and-positions-for-tour-win_185257.
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Well said.
Voeckler has just assumed top spot in my list of favorite cyclists, ever. It’s nice to see a countryman back up there busting his balls in his Nation’s race
Thomas will be second in Paris ahead of both Shleckticals ! Cadel will win by one minute overall ! Alberto third !
T.V. puts the PRO in proletarian. Top Notch.
Some douche one the Twitter said Voeckler rides with no panache…
I guess gutting yourself daily doesn’t rate.
Evans suffered more than frenchy all day, Voeckler rode his wheel all the way up. Fair wheather fucks who root for whoever is winning, it’s horseshit!
Voeckler’s DS was probably screaming at him in the last km to haul ass. No wait, he threw away his radio on the second climb. He hauled ass “instinctually”. I don’t think he was wrong to ride Cadel’s wheel. He’s in the lead and couldn’t go fast enough to get Ms Andy. “riding a wheel” up a HC 8km climb isn’t exactly gaining any aero advantage… he turned his own pedals. Fucking tough. Considering him for the overall in 2012 is premature though, because they are never letting him go in the break again.
Knife
AFTER Voeckler lost the yellow jersey back in 04 to Alpha Male Alcoholic Asshole, I was still a fan of Voeckler.
BTW, on my ‘list’ of favorites, Voeckler replaced Magnus Backstedt, so no not everyone only roots for whoever is winning. Sometimes we do root for people who are fun and nice to watch and from whom to hear interviews. I always liked Voeckler because he wasn’t a typical whiner or snob. He rode his bike, has been emotional on the bike and on the road, but in front of the camera appears to be quite humble
Hilarious that the French are calling him Andy Stiff-Neck.
I think Voeckler gave everything he had today. I don’t think he could have done any more without blowing. I’m not sure anyone’s ever called Voeckler a wheel sucker – the dude has attacked many times in this Tour. And he seems to be riding a tactically smart race, except he should have used his teammate on the final climb today.
Who would have thought you would see contador dropped from the elite group, containing voeckle no less? Love it. Tour drama.
“Alpha Male Alcoholic Asshole”
Alcoholic ? What over-analyzing BS is that ??
@knife— marking Evans’ wheel was EXACTLY the right thing to do. Bravo, T.V!
Not saying it’s easy to hang with Evans on those climbs, or anyone, he worked his ass off, he had to, I’m sure he’s well aware he will be dismantled by Evans in the TTs. That probably pulled him up those climbs. Seems that everyone is against the shleck girls but they dropped the hammer on this tour and on Contador. They called this, I just think Evans is really ready for this, its his to win.
he’s doping
I’ve been down this road before …. a Class B rider suddenly can climb with the best druggies?
He’s on the sauce.
C’mon people. Don’t go all “I believe Tyler” on me.
Well that could be, we can only hope that dopers get what they deserve. The next two days will sort all this out and then us lot can bicker over who killed who. Ha!
MoTown, how bout the possibility that the top riders can’t dope and now they’re only as fast as the class B group?
The two “girls” you all have been razing just took first and second on the nastiest climb in tour history. How’s that crow taste?
I’ll eat crow but barf it up when I see Andy and Frank crying tenderly in each other’s arms on the podium. Andy gambled and won; Frank didn’t work at all and did a Schleck at the end to nab second. They still cried about the downhills and weather, and that makes them wussies in my book.
Johnthewrench. I agree, I was making a point by referring to them as “girls” . They put on a god damn clinic today and showed they both have the stones to win this bitch! Would Andy be labeled a girl if his chain fiasco would not have occurred last year?
Now that was the kind Racing I have been waiting for! Chapeau Andy, Good on ya Cadel you shut your yap got to work when you realized nobody else could or would go to the front. And Tommy V you got some balls on ya Mister…..You get another day in Yellow and the Big Brass Balls of the day award- funny you never see that ceremony broadcast on Versus/NBC….
This all just makes me anticipate tomorrow even more! There will be blood sweat and tears on L’ Alpe. Good stuff.
Of course, A. Scheck’s doping, just like Evans, Voeckler, Contador, et alii, but a Class B rider? What are you smoking? He’s won Leige-Bastogne-Leige and the White Jersey three times; he’s finished second in the Giro once and the Tour twice; not to mention a handful of top-tens in the Classics and minor tours. Those are the palmares of a Class B rider?
There going to hit the Alpe fresh with just 90K under their belt . I think Alberto will be allowed to leave and he wins it but the Schreck girls will be crying tomorrow when Voekler , Evans , Basso group drops Andy ! Andy needs 2 min on the field to even get close to the first two spots on the podium ! He is the most un aero of the pros on tour .
Might as well add my uninformed opinions.
First I’m in the ABS camp, Anybody But Schleck.
Second, Why the fuck did they let him go? Were they all out of legs?
Third, it was a team victory, not an Andy victory. Two team mates in the break and brother there to mark everyone.
Voekler has been fantastic. He rode his guts out. Tossing the radio and just riding at his limit the whole way. Baller. I hope he gets podium.
@MoTown Motor–WTF? You from the Westside? cause that shit you’re talkin’ ain’t Eastside, bro.
I really wanted AC to kick ass today, but maybe the Giro took too much out of him. The Giro is a racer’s race, IMO. I can root for Cadel or Tommy, NP.
Finally, best Tour in years, and the best may be yet to come. Two tough days ahead.
Say what you will about Andy but it was nice to see a “favorite” race like they want to win the race. If he wins you can only give him props at this point. He (or his DS) took a risk with their tactics and it worked out. Cadel has been riding well enough not to lose the Tour but he better get up and race somebody tomorrow if he wants to win or TV will follow his ass right onto the podium while Andy stands on the top spot. Also, people who race weigh in: it looked to me like Andy had a guy pace him down the mountain (rather than up) so his candy-ass would know what line to take down he decent. Did anyone else notice this? Do you think that was happening? If so, that’s a hell of a strategy for overcoming a glaring weakness in his game. Again, props for racing to win and props to the DS for the tactics.
Well hell yes he had a pacer,everyone has a weakness so you get help, he won the stage and thanked his team, for it would not have worked without them. I do agree evans has got to pin it and dont look back!
To me Cadel put on a clinic today. He is clearly the strongest man right now. His problem has always been that he does not have an explosive attack on the climbs like Contador. He’s a diesel that takes a while to warm up but can really set a high tempo. Cadel will not attack because he can’t. Tomorrow will be all about who recovers the best. Will Andy recover from his 60k time trial to hang on to the Cadel group? In my mind it really will come down to the time trial.
Fuck panache. Panache got tainted by the EPO moto. Like I said a few threads back, the one thing TV doesn’t do is make it look effortless. Step back from the running narratives, and what you take away from today is a fantastic stage: Andy rode his balls off, and you can talk about the DS and the team effort, but he still had to get up that evil bastard of a mountain. Cadel and TV stopped it from being a race-winner.
Beaucoup de fucking chapeaux all round. Your prize? A chance to get up the Alpe first tomorrow.
If Cadel uncorks an unholy ass-whipping tomorrow or on Saturday I’ll give him props. I thought it was weak sauce his DS was whining that no one was helping him work. Help? If you want to win, you have to TAKE IT. All the respect in the world if he does it over the next two days. If not, the plaque for the alternates is in the ladies room.*
* Top Gun reference not to be construed as a sexist comment. Settle down.
I had a picture of tommy v on my fridge the last time he hug out in Yellow.. Can’t believe with all that Andy S threw out there he could not get the Golden Fleece.. Tomorrow should be a good day..
voekler is swinging a long-ass hammer. what do folks think about the committee’s choice to switch to a boxing-style title belt for the race leader next year instead of the yellow jersey?
Great tour so far. Today’s stage was a joy to watch. Voekler rode inspired, and Evans is looking strong.
A question for all of you that use “girl” as a pejorative: ever ask your mothers/wives/daughters/girlfriends how that makes them feel? Find a better adjective. There are many thousands to choose from.
Oh for fuck’s sake.
rogbie, dont be such a little girl…
I only use the word girl to describe actual little girls or the average man.
That of course includes rogbie. Both ways.
Evans rides like a bitch. He might win but he is no champion.
@rogbie— don’t be gay.
(NOTE: ATTEMPTED HUMOR.)
Anyone see Contador pop the guy in the surgical get up in the face (Stage 19)? Need that in slow-mo if anyone has found video!
Whats a pejorative rogbie ? YoRo , Cadel is a great champion with a rainbow jersey ! Your an armchair dumbass who doesnt know shit !
Contador punches fan dressed as a doctor:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O0W__FNIGwA
Every time I think I’m out, someone like Voeckler drags me back in.
If wheel sucking is your thing, he is your man.
YoRo , You obviously missed Cadel work solo for 30 k and close 2 min. on Andy yesterday after being down by 5 min. !how many grand tour favorites on his wheel ? who cranked it up on the lower Alpe today with the first move ? tomorrow is the test of truth where the riders compete solo against each other with no wheels to suck ! As I stated before , you dont know shit .
I’ll go out on a limb, and say tomorrow will put Evans in yellow, and Contador will prove, once again, he is a fighter, and may be on the podium Sunday.
ABS.
combativity prize for Alberto!
http://twitpic.com/5u4j3s
in spite of the many prominent GC contenders crashing out early, this Tour has been excellent, one of the best and most entertaining in a long time (even though the Pyrenees were a bit of a dud as far as GC goes). Gilbert, Thor and Hagen, Tyler’s tribute to Wouter Weylandt, Hoogerland and Flecha, Voeckler and Rolland (and the rest of Europcar), and then the last two epic days with Andy, Cadel and Alberto in now-or-never mode…and the performances seem a bit more human. awesome, I’m sad it’s almost over.
stm, good points, I guess I just don’t like his style. Hiding until action is necessary gets boring and makes for a dull race. I’ve been inspired by a lot of bold and brave efforts this year, none of which belonged to CE.
YoRo- pretty sure CE is trying to win the Tour de France, not inspire a bunch of jackasses on the Internet.
Sleepy, that is the same as all the other riders, whether for the overall, the green, the mountains or for a stage. Day in and day out I have seen great effort. Those are the movers, they are the straws that stir the drink, they are great moments that inspire.
Regardless of who wins, I will remember a lot of great rides and efforts from this tour. I will probably not remember a guy who hid at every corner.
I will remember Thor.
I will remember Cavendish.
I will remember Contador.
I will remember the ride by the young Frenchman who Thor took the stage from at the end.
I will remember two brothers working together at the pinnacle of a sport.
I will remember Voekler!
It has been a great tour.
And without a doubt I will remember two riders getting knocked off their bikes by a car and displaying guts and courage by continuing to race!
@ YoRo, Z, TripleF, mikey, and stm:
You’re not making better cases for yourselves.
On a more poignant note, Thomas Voleker and Cadel Evans made great examples today.
Gee whiz, if only Cadel had ridden himself into a hole in the first two weeks by his own incompetence, or simply never had a realistic chance to win in the first place so the peloton would have let him go on some long solo attacks, then I would think he was a much better bike racer than if he, oh I don’t know, basically did everything perfectly and pretty much quietly owned the race from start to finish.
quietly, ever so.
Cadel is in a great position, the others get what they deserve.
Hey rogbie, in case you missed the “NOTE: ATTEMPTED HUMOR” appended to my message, I was, you know, attempting to make a joke. Am I to believe you’re not only thin-skinned, but humorless? Sorry, I may not be able to help. Ride on, brother.
Juss kiddin friend, of course. Cadel on the podium with a tear in his eye.. layed it all out there today.
You gotta love the Aussie ! “Step on my dog I’ll slit your throat . ” I’m pretty sure there will be getting “pissed ‘ in Austrailia tonight !
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