Tour de France

[JungleJim]

Exciting day today. I can't even imagine WALKING up those climbs. Lance was the ultimate team player with 2 great riding displays in 2 days.

[fitfan]

Originally Posted by Surferjer

That settles that. Lance is merely a good rider now. 5 years ago he would have paced Contador and then smoked him in the last few kilometers. Yes, very impressive riding by Lance, but Contador is in a class by himself now.

top 10 overall in the tour is more than "merely a good rider" there are 170 other (of the worlds best) cyclist that wish they were up there.

but i get your point - and i have been saying it - Lance is not winning the tour. duh! don;t listen to the lying to you media... i am a little suprised how solid hes riden in the alps, and a little suprised how poor he time trailed.

andy only lost like 15-20 seconds in the TT to Lance?!?! wtf?! i expected 1 - 2 minutes. andy rode great, lance was wiped out from the alps and was definatly "mearly a good tt rider".

i think my tour highlight will be thor husovd - blasting off the front, in the hardest mountain stage of the tour to get the points. thor?!?! in the green jersey! in a solo breakaway in the mountians?!?!!? awesome!!! i have allways liked him as a rider, i hope he has an awesome spring 2010

tour low light will be george hincapi (USED to be one of my favorite riders up until this point) riding like a sissy in the his breakaway, and then crying like a baby that "boo hoo, no one should have raced today and given me a yellow gift, snif snif"

i am still going with a cavandish for the stage win in paris. don't see andy losing white, thor should hold onto green and contador has time to stop for an espresso and get a foot massage along the way.

[fitfan]

Originally Posted by JungleJim

Exciting day today. I can't even imagine WALKING up those climbs. Lance was the ultimate team player with 2 great riding displays in 2 days.

we timed a section of the 2003 time trial (the climb) and rode it the day after (on road bikes not TT bikes that are theoretical slower up climbs) and i forget the exact time but i think it took jan ulrich like 6 mins and it took us ~11 ... hahahaha!!!! and i thought i might puke, pretty much sprinted that climb.


mountain climbing is a matter of rythm. those that can climb regardless of rythm are great climbers!

[fitfan]

well thats that!!

no big suprises:

contador with an "easy" win of the 2009 tour de france.

best young rider is also #2. congrats with a stunning TT (well that ride DID suprise me).

Lance blew it in the TT but rode great in the alps

so i would have to say it all played out pretty much exactly the way it was expected, but what a great tour - amazing rides... some real dissapointments with sastre... thor should keep green in paris, he deserves it! i head cavendish took back anything bad he said and congratulated thor on that ride, nice to hear cavendish realize that

[mopho]

Sort of sad it is over, been great inspiration to get me out riding

[mopho]

some great photos 2009 Tour de France - The Big Picture - Boston.com

[milehitom]

My cross-the street neighbor is a former national criterium champ, now a 40 year old father of two. This spring. he's got back on his bike now that his girls are older. He doesn't have Versus, so I've been making daily dvds of the stages for him. He'd watch them that night and then break down the strategy and tactics for me the next day as he picked up his next dvd. It's been like having my own Phil Liggett. It's been a fun Tour, just what was needed after some of the Tour's recent black eyes.

Tom

[fitfan]

^^ i am curious.. black eyes???

[milehitom]

Originally Posted by fitfan

^^ i am curious.. black eyes???

Winner Floyd Landis' 2006 disqualification; Astana's 2008 team ban...Jan Ullrich's 2006 ban; Michael Rasmussen leading in 2007 after 11 stages and getting booted from the race...and on and on...

Tom

[fitfan]

ahh.. intersting perspective of black eyes.

cycling is the world leader in quality and quanity of sport drug testing, and the harshest penalties and suspension of any other sport. cycling is the gold standard. the fact they are catching them AND suspending them is something to really be proud of!

your examples go to prove - even the top "money making" athletes, the darlings, their "heros" will get thrown out instantly and without a second thought. where would a "barry bonds, clemens, mcguir" be? those loser jerks wouldn't last a month in pro tour cycling. baseball has the black eye, not cycling, imo. the tour would risk everything and toss out cheaters, you think the world series would kick out people like that 5 games int othe world series? or revers standings due to testing? no way - they are pathetic and spinelss.

letting athletes get away with it.. not enforcing penalties even if they do get caught, or such lax testing they "intentionaly" won't get caught. thoose are the shamefull sports.... every sport has cheaters, the question is what is their sport doing about?

[mopho]

Originally Posted by fitfan

ahh.. intersting perspective of black eyes.

cycling is the world leader in quality and quanity of sport drug testing, and the harshest penalties and suspension of any other sport. cycling is the gold standard. the fact they are catching them AND suspending them is something to really be proud of!

your examples go to prove - even the top "money making" athletes, the darlings, their "heros" will get thrown out instantly and without a second thought. where would a "barry bonds, clemens, mcguir" be? those loser jerks wouldn't last a month in pro tour cycling. baseball has the black eye, not cycling, imo. the tour would risk everything and toss out cheaters, you think the world series would kick out people like that 5 games int othe world series? or revers standings due to testing? no way - they are pathetic and spinelss.

letting athletes get away with it.. not enforcing penalties even if they do get caught, or such lax testing they "intentionaly" won't get caught. thoose are the shamefull sports.... every sport has cheaters, the question is what is their sport doing about?

While good points, it also creates the appearance of witch hunts and brings to light that there are a lot of cheaters, which mars the sport. From a spectator point of view, perhaps ignorance is bliss, i.e. it is more enjoyable to watch when you are not aware of all the problems behind the scenes

[Raising Arizona]

Originally Posted by fitfan

well thats that!!

no big suprises:

contador with an "easy" win of the 2009 tour de france.

best young rider is also #2. congrats with a stunning TT (well that ride DID suprise me).

Lance blew it in the TT but rode great in the alps

so i would have to say it all played out pretty much exactly the way it was expected, but what a great tour - amazing rides... some real dissapointments with sastre... thor should keep green in paris, he deserves it! i head cavendish took back anything bad he said and congratulated thor on that ride, nice to hear cavendish realize that

Lance did blow it in the TT and a few other stages. Seems kinda unlike him huh? I also wonder about his late responses to the attacks in the Alps and Pyr-Mtns.....? Maybe he's just not there yet, but i can't believe he'd come back to just podium. its not like him. I so badly wanted to see Lance pound those punks into the pavement. especially the Schlecks! not a fan!

So another tour is over. now I wait for the media/drug testing mayhem to begin...

[Bavarian Motorist]

Originally Posted by fitfan

ahh.. intersting perspective of black eyes.

cycling is the world leader in quality and quanity of sport drug testing, and the harshest penalties and suspension of any other sport. cycling is the gold standard. the fact they are catching them AND suspending them is something to really be proud of!

your examples go to prove - even the top "money making" athletes, the darlings, their "heros" will get thrown out instantly and without a second thought. where would a "barry bonds, clemens, mcguir" be? those loser jerks wouldn't last a month in pro tour cycling. baseball has the black eye, not cycling, imo. the tour would risk everything and toss out cheaters, you think the world series would kick out people like that 5 games int othe world series? or revers standings due to testing? no way - they are pathetic and spinelss.

letting athletes get away with it.. not enforcing penalties even if they do get caught, or such lax testing they "intentionaly" won't get caught. thoose are the shamefull sports.... every sport has cheaters, the question is what is their sport doing about?

Don't throw McGwire's name in there. He didn't cheat.


And NFL has the problems. People are caught using performance enhancers frequently and nothing ever comes of it; slap on the wrist, media doesn't care. Shawne Merriman for example suspended 4 games for using steroids (couple years back) Has anyone heard anything about it since?

[fitfan]

Originally Posted by mopho

While good points, it also creates the appearance of witch hunts and brings to light that there are a lot of cheaters, which mars the sport. From a spectator point of view, perhaps ignorance is bliss, i.e. it is more enjoyable to watch when you are not aware of all the problems behind the scenes

yes - i completly agree that (in the common public eye) it is a matter of perception vs reality as you stated. and yes, it is a witch hunt - they are risking it all and there are a few victims along the way, but in general - big picture, they are doing the right thing and the only way they can exterminate it, and they DO bring the media limelight on it intentionaly. they are mostly transpatent, which again, is something realy suprising and (imo) to be proud of that they have the courage to do that to "thier" own sport.

Originally Posted by Bavarian Motorist

Don't throw McGwire's name in there. He didn't cheat.


And NFL has the problems. People are caught using performance enhancers frequently and nothing ever comes of it; slap on the wrist, media doesn't care. Shawne Merriman for example suspended 4 games for using steroids (couple years back) Has anyone heard anything about it since?

yes, agree - i just use baseball as an example because its the most "popular knowledge" of cheaters in sports (since i am pretty much ignorant of stick and ball sports) but certainly nfl, nba, soccer, etc all... -even body building allows steroids (all you have to do is cycle of prior to competition!), and compete "naturaly")

you example is excelent - a little slap on the wrist and "lets not talk about that".... i would liek to see out of competition random testing in the nfl !

[lotusland]

Originally Posted by fitfan

so i would have to say it all played out pretty much exactly the way it was expected, but what a great tour

Really? I thought it was pretty boring. Once it became apparent that Lance could not overcome Contador -- and I still think he would have if he could have -- there was nothing left. The overall GC was static for almost the entire Tour! There were no good breakaways, no interesting tactics really other than the one blunder by AC. I don't see any part of this Tour making a highlights reel except the awful crash by JV. When Pelizotti made a break for Ventoux it looked like there might have been some excitement, but even that failed.

I really hope LA and AC end up on strong opposing teams next year. That could make for a Tour that lives up to the marketing hype.

And I think I owe some people a beer on a group ride sometime!

[kgalgas]

Originally Posted by JungleJim

Exciting day today. I can't even imagine WALKING up those climbs. Lance was the ultimate team player with 2 great riding displays in 2 days.

Below are some of the climbs around the Malibu area, sorry for format, cut and paste from excel. The only 2 CAT 2's are Rockstore and Deercreek, most cyclists stay off the Deercreek and Decker climbs. Deercreek do to the average 10%, then the next 6 miles on Yerba and Decker for the 18% to 22% max on opposing sides.

After riding 80 miles on Saturday, was suppose to go on a recovery ride yesterday, but ended up going up rockstore, down encinal, up decker for the coast, I was standing on my pedal's turning over the 39/25 at 50rpm's for the first 1.25 miles wishing I had put on my 27-12, which was on the wheel in the shop.

Came home and watched the DVR on yesterday's knowing who won, as I was getting race updates on the ride. After I finished, I will have to watch the tour of spain, to easy my TDF withdrawals.



Sundance Cycles Official Road Climb Chart for the Santa Monica Mountains
Elevation Gain Distance Elevation Gain Distance Gradient
Road Section m km ft miles Average Max Cat
Mulholland Highway 7-Minute Hill 125 3.17 406 1.97 3.9% 7.0% 4
West Bound from LV Rd 134 2.80 436 1.74 4.8% 8.6% 4
Rockstore 266 3.73 865 2.31 7.1% 11.4% 2
Kanan to Encinal "Y" 66 1.23 215 0.76 5.4% 10.0% 4
PCH to Little Sycamore 457 11.51 1,485 7.14 4.0% 10.0% 3
Total 1048 22.44 3,406 13.9128 4.7% 4
Encinal Road Malibu Golf to "Y" 180 2.97 585 1.84 6.1% 8.0% 4
Detention Camp to Lechusa 106 1.82 345 1.13 5.8% 13.3% 3
PCH to Lechusa Rd 449 8.89 1,459 5.51 5.1% 8.2% 3
Total 735 13.68 2,389 8.48 5.4% 4
Old Topanga Road from Mulholland 124 2.19 403 1.36 5.7% 8.8% 4
from Topanga 229 6.21 744 3.85 3.7% 6.5% 4
Total 353 8.40 1,147 5.21 4.2% 4
Little Sycamore Road PCH to Triunfo Pass 216 4.38 702 2.72 4.9% 10.0% 3
Fernwood-Pacific/Saddle Peak Road 518 8.15 1,684 5.05 6.4% 11.7% 3
Piuma Road from Coastside 102 1.46 332 0.91 7.0% 10.0%
from Monte Nido 487 9.36 1,583 5.80 5.2% 10.3%
Total 589 10.82 1,914 6.71 5.4% 4
Kanan Road Troutdale to Agoura Rd 111 2.07 361 1.28 5.4% 8.8%
Agoura Rd to Troutdale 87 1.34 283 0.83 6.5% 8.2%
Total 198 3.41 644 2.11 5.8% 4
Latigo Road PCH to 1st Summit 587 11.11 1,908 6.89 5.3% 11.7%
Newton Cyn to 2nd Summit 98 1.74 319 1.08 5.6% 12.0%
Kanan Rd to 2nd Summit 118 1.74 384 1.08 6.8% 11.4%
Total 803 14.59 2,610 9.05 5.5% 4
Decker Road Lake Eleanor to Mulholland 249 3.61 809 2.24 6.9% 22.5%
PCH to Lechusa 472 8.48 1,534 5.26 5.6% 17.5%
Total 721 12.09 2,343 7.50 6.0% 4
Portrero Road Hotel California Grade 278 4.62 904 2.86 6.0% 13.6% 3
Yerba Buena Road PCH to Triunfo Pass 679 12.83 2,207 7.95 5.3% 12.0% 3
Deer Creek PCH to First Summit 407 3.72 1,323 2.31 10.9% 13.5% 2
Cotharin Road Yerba Buena Road to Summit 138 1.74 449 1.08 7.9% 13.3% 4


© 2002 - Data subject to revision. Seek your heart specialist's permission before attempting any of these climbs.

[fitfan]

Originally Posted by lotusland

Really? I thought it was pretty boring. Once it became apparent that Lance could not overcome Contador -- and I still think he would have if he could have -- there was nothing left. The overall GC was static for almost the entire Tour! There were no good breakaways, no interesting tactics really other than the one blunder by AC. I don't see any part of this Tour making a highlights reel except the awful crash by JV. When Pelizotti made a break for Ventoux it looked like there might have been some excitement, but even that failed.

I really hope LA and AC end up on strong opposing teams next year. That could make for a Tour that lives up to the marketing hype.

And I think I owe some people a beer on a group ride sometime!

yeah - often the gc race is not the most exciting part, and on average it plays out like that.

but thor on a solo break in the hardest mountian stage? come on - dude that was EPIC!

andy's TT... stunning!!i a lot of teams will be re-working their math after that.

columbia's total lead out domination - untouchable!

vocklers stage win, sergi's heavy spanking of the break away, hincapies baby whining, astarloza'a brilliant ride. !! awesome wins. this year seemed to have more succesful breakaways then usual to me.

[Raising Arizona]

Originally Posted by fitfan

yeah - often the gc race is not the most exciting part, and on average it plays out like that.

but thor on a solo break in the hardest mountian stage? come on - dude that was EPIC!

andy's TT... stunning!!i a lot of teams will be re-working their math after that.

columbia's total lead out domination - untouchable!

vocklers stage win, sergi's heavy spanking of the break away, hincapies baby whining, astarloza'a brilliant ride. !! awesome wins. this year seemed to have more succesful breakaways then usual to me.

I flat out don't buy Lance's TT run. He's a TT rider along with everything else. Something smells like fish on beer can beach. I really think Lance could have won and for reasons I can't explain (LMAO) he didn't.

Monday after the Tour and no drug media hype?

[Kjakk]

No drug hype but there are stories of the 'feud' heating up. Contador has "no respect" for Lance, etc. Since their 'battle' was nonexistant on the road this year, I guess they need to build it up now so next year people will watch again hoping for some drama. Personally I dont think Lance has any chance at all against Contador, but I also thought Thor had no chance to keep the green from Cav, but he did. It will come down to the team that Contador is on next year since they will probably keep the TTT next year and that knocked a lot of guys out of GC contention this time.

[fitfan]

Originally Posted by Raising Arizona

I flat out don't buy Lance's TT run.

really? why? - he was obviously digging very deep to hang in the alps, contador looked with in himself in the alps. Lance came into the tour not in shape to win the tour, seems like a spectacular result for him, and a testimony to Lances abilities.

like that old saying... you have one book of matches, and you need to be very careful where you burn your matches because when you run out....