I'm please that an 38 years "old" rider finished 3rd. Also, I had always admired Armstrong's best achievement, to win the Tour after beating cancer, and the right message that he is sending to society in the fight against cancer. However:
IMHO Saint Lancey has become and old grumpy twart. Twitter blogs included.
He thinks that 7 tours and a long-term relationship with George W Bush can made him to beat the best rider in the world, at the moment, Contador; the best young climber, Andy S.; and the rest of the riders that have been competitive in the last 4 years.
If it weren't Wiggins' first real Tour or Cadel Evans or Menchov had had a "normal" tour, Lancey would haven't been on the top-5. Even his "loyal" friend Leipheimer could have beaten him, not to talk about Kloden, who by team orders had to work for Lancey when he could have gone for podium easilly otherwise.
He looked like a miserable git on the podium, and he didn't congratulate his team mate.... As they used to say in the old days: Yankee go home...Retirement home!!!
I'm pretty sure there were times earlier in the race when Kloden was riding with Lance under team orders - for example the mountain top finish where Kloden paced Lance up and then rode off in the last 50 metres or so.
After Leipheimer abandoned Kloden was the one doing all the work for Contador and Armstrong. He only got passed by Lance after Colombiere because he'd been doing a lot of the work in the lead group trying to shake the Schleks for Contador, while Lance had been (quite rightly) sitting on Wiggo's wheel.
And yes, there was Stage 15 when Kloden paced Lance up after Contador went off the front - he'd certainly have been with the Schlek/Wiggins group 20s up the road.
Kloden did what ever job he had been told (and paid) to do, And if you don't do that you find yourself looking for a new team (carrying a reputation as a trouble maker), There are only 5 or 6 people capable of winning a Grand Tour and NONE of them can do it with a team
I watched live on Eurosport everday apart from Sunday
I think that's the point I was trying to make Dave. It's fair to say that if Kloden hadn't been constrained by doing his job & helping his team leaders he'd have finished higher.
Sorry I was in agreement, But it is amazing how many people don't understand that it is a team sport and that Kloden et al (Mark Renshaw a prime example) give everything for the cause
Zanzinger, Paulinho not Paulini, the guy is Portuguese not Italian.
So, in your opinion Muravyev and Horner did nothing, didn't they? nothing at all... maybe in Eurosport they didn't cover that part.
JD, I watched the second week with my eyes closed, appart from the 2 stages in the Pyrenees. Nice time for siesta, specially when Pedro Delgado is making jokes about the good old days and the temperature outside is 35C.
Comments
JD Equipe we very nice about Lance, complimentary all the way thro the piece.
Sorry I didn't bring the paper home, or I would have scanned it in...
I'm please that an 38 years "old" rider finished 3rd. Also, I had always admired Armstrong's best achievement, to win the Tour after beating cancer, and the right message that he is sending to society in the fight against cancer. However:
IMHO Saint Lancey has become and old grumpy twart. Twitter blogs included.
He thinks that 7 tours and a long-term relationship with George W Bush can made him to beat the best rider in the world, at the moment, Contador; the best young climber, Andy S.; and the rest of the riders that have been competitive in the last 4 years.
If it weren't Wiggins' first real Tour or Cadel Evans or Menchov had had a "normal" tour, Lancey would haven't been on the top-5. Even his "loyal" friend Leipheimer could have beaten him, not to talk about Kloden, who by team orders had to work for Lancey when he could have gone for podium easilly otherwise.
He looked like a miserable git on the podium, and he didn't congratulate his team mate.... As they used to say in the old days: Yankee go home...Retirement home!!!
I'm pretty sure there were times earlier in the race when Kloden was riding with Lance under team orders - for example the mountain top finish where Kloden paced Lance up and then rode off in the last 50 metres or so.
After Leipheimer abandoned Kloden was the one doing all the work for Contador and Armstrong. He only got passed by Lance after Colombiere because he'd been doing a lot of the work in the lead group trying to shake the Schleks for Contador, while Lance had been (quite rightly) sitting on Wiggo's wheel.
And yes, there was Stage 15 when Kloden paced Lance up after Contador went off the front - he'd certainly have been with the Schlek/Wiggins group 20s up the road.
Zanzinger, Yes I did watch the Tour (3 hours live every day, not ITV or BBC highlights like you) so maybe I do know what I'm talking about.
Besides, the way you answer people....Jezz, no good manners. Free time today? Maybe, there is no hangings of underaged prisioners in Texas today.
So few people understand it's a team sport
Kloden did what ever job he had been told (and paid) to do, And if you don't do that you find yourself looking for a new team (carrying a reputation as a trouble maker), There are only 5 or 6 people capable of winning a Grand Tour and NONE of them can do it with a team
I watched live on Eurosport everday apart from Sunday
how did you stay awake in the second week?
to be fair to lance, andy shrek wasn't smiling either from what i saw. i guess lance had mentally moved on already to tdf 2010.
Zanzinger, Paulinho not Paulini, the guy is Portuguese not Italian.
So, in your opinion Muravyev and Horner did nothing, didn't they? nothing at all... maybe in Eurosport they didn't cover that part.
JD, I watched the second week with my eyes closed, appart from the 2 stages in the Pyrenees. Nice time for siesta, specially when Pedro Delgado is making jokes about the good old days and the temperature outside is 35C.
First one busted :-
http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/other_sports/cycling/8178940.stm
Garmin has proved that Wiggins is clean.
It must be very frustrating that you have to prove you are innocent even when nobody can prove that you are guilty.