Tour De France
Jul. 8th, 2003 06:52 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
redfiona99I thought I might as well post something about it since it's the main reason for me being more or less quiet.
Any basic information that you might need can be found here - http://www.tourdefrancenews.com/tourdefrance/facts/article/0,6721,4605,00.html
The basic happening are roughly this.
David Millar is in the lead of the prologue time trial, his bike chain breaks, he ends up losing the time trial by 8 hundredths of a second. He is not a happy bunny and complains.
As he is the team leader, the bigwigs listen and the Cofidis team manager gets sacked. There is general tutting from all over the rashness of this, including from inside his own team. Fassa Bortolo, who's leader Ivan Basso was competing against Millar for the white (best young rider) jersey last year, take this opportunity to do the 'nah, nah, nah, nah, nah' thing.
Brad McGee is the winner of the time trial and therefore the yellow jersey. Picture here http://sports.yahoo.com/sc/photo?slug=1057429417.cycling_tour_de_france_tdf127&prov=ap
Picture of the start of the prologue from underneath the Eiffel Tower http://sports.yahoo.com/sc/photo?slug=afp-cycling_fra_tour_mcgee&prov=afp
On the second day and first proper stage there is an almightly pile up, taking out about 2/3 of the riders. Luckily only two riders have to pull out immediately, but unluckily, they're both Rabobank riders.
Picture of quite why one of them had to pull out - http://sports.yahoo.com/sc/photo?slug=1057514788.cycling_tour_de_france_tdf146&prov=ap
Picture of a Gerolsteiner rider dragging his bike across the finishing line after the crash http://sports.yahoo.com/sc/photo?slug=1057510475.cycling_tour_de_france_tdf139&prov=ap
Tyler Hamilton breaks his collar bone in two places but is continuing (because he is insane). Actually he says he wants to carry on until the team time trial to repay his team for all the help they give him. FYI it's easier to win the team time trial if you have more riders. Hence Rabobank's disadvantage. Picture of the madman http://sports.yahoo.com/sc/photo?slug=1057623116.cycling_tour_de_france_tdf114&prov=ap
Jimmy Casper of the France De Jeux (or FDJeux) is carrying on wearing a neck brace. Again, just because he's nutty.
Other damage wrought http://sports.yahoo.com/sc/photo?slug=1057592971.cycling_tour_de_france_tdf119&prov=ap
Stage won by Petacchi. Meanwhile all, including the almighty Lance Armstrong blame the organisers for the pile up.
On the next day, the second stage is won by Baden Cooke, team mate of Brad McGee, but get this, Brad McGee, the yellow jersey wearer, worked as his lead out man. Quick FYI a lead out man is someone who clears the line for the sprinters, keeps the wind off them, distracts the opposition in the final spurt.
The yellow jersey was acting as a lead out!!!!! Most teams, if someone had it, they'd be treated like a king, not have to do the work and be generally pampered. Not McGee, he volunteered to be lead out man. Which speaks volumes about him. Brad McGee - http://sports.yahoo.com/sc/photo?slug=1057599646.cycling_tour_de_france_pdj105&prov=ap
FDJeux team manager attributes success to team spirit.
- Alessandro Petacchi wins again, but continous hard work by Jean-Patrick Nazon (of the Jean Delatour team) results in him being given the yellow jersey. Which is good for French cycling since it's the first time since 2001 that there's been a French rider in yellow, and it's good for the Jean Delatour team since they only got in on a wild card and needed to prove their worthiness. This is our new yellow jersey wearer http://sports.yahoo.com/sc/photo?slug=1057687055.cycling_tour_de_france_tdf130&prov=ap
I'm both happy about this because he has been plugging away, and sad because I like McGee. As an added plus for Nazon, his wife's family come from the area so there was mass cheering.
Absolutely beautiful photo of Petacchi (winner of stages 1 and 3) here - http://sports.yahoo.com/sc/photo?slug=afp-cycling_fra_tour_win&prov=afp
And just for fun
- a really fun picture of Jan Ullrich - http://sports.yahoo.com/sc/photo?slug=1057332618.cycling_tour_de_france_tdf107&prov=ap
Cute picture of Erik Zabel and Jens Voight - http://sports.yahoo.com/sc/photo?slug=1057676894.cycling_tour_de_france_tdf103&prov=ap
Any basic information that you might need can be found here - http://www.tourdefrancenews.com/tourdefrance/facts/article/0,6721,4605,00.html
The basic happening are roughly this.
David Millar is in the lead of the prologue time trial, his bike chain breaks, he ends up losing the time trial by 8 hundredths of a second. He is not a happy bunny and complains.
As he is the team leader, the bigwigs listen and the Cofidis team manager gets sacked. There is general tutting from all over the rashness of this, including from inside his own team. Fassa Bortolo, who's leader Ivan Basso was competing against Millar for the white (best young rider) jersey last year, take this opportunity to do the 'nah, nah, nah, nah, nah' thing.
Brad McGee is the winner of the time trial and therefore the yellow jersey. Picture here http://sports.yahoo.com/sc/photo?slug=1057429417.cycling_tour_de_france_tdf127&prov=ap
Picture of the start of the prologue from underneath the Eiffel Tower http://sports.yahoo.com/sc/photo?slug=afp-cycling_fra_tour_mcgee&prov=afp
On the second day and first proper stage there is an almightly pile up, taking out about 2/3 of the riders. Luckily only two riders have to pull out immediately, but unluckily, they're both Rabobank riders.
Picture of quite why one of them had to pull out - http://sports.yahoo.com/sc/photo?slug=1057514788.cycling_tour_de_france_tdf146&prov=ap
Picture of a Gerolsteiner rider dragging his bike across the finishing line after the crash http://sports.yahoo.com/sc/photo?slug=1057510475.cycling_tour_de_france_tdf139&prov=ap
Tyler Hamilton breaks his collar bone in two places but is continuing (because he is insane). Actually he says he wants to carry on until the team time trial to repay his team for all the help they give him. FYI it's easier to win the team time trial if you have more riders. Hence Rabobank's disadvantage. Picture of the madman http://sports.yahoo.com/sc/photo?slug=1057623116.cycling_tour_de_france_tdf114&prov=ap
Jimmy Casper of the France De Jeux (or FDJeux) is carrying on wearing a neck brace. Again, just because he's nutty.
Other damage wrought http://sports.yahoo.com/sc/photo?slug=1057592971.cycling_tour_de_france_tdf119&prov=ap
Stage won by Petacchi. Meanwhile all, including the almighty Lance Armstrong blame the organisers for the pile up.
On the next day, the second stage is won by Baden Cooke, team mate of Brad McGee, but get this, Brad McGee, the yellow jersey wearer, worked as his lead out man. Quick FYI a lead out man is someone who clears the line for the sprinters, keeps the wind off them, distracts the opposition in the final spurt.
The yellow jersey was acting as a lead out!!!!! Most teams, if someone had it, they'd be treated like a king, not have to do the work and be generally pampered. Not McGee, he volunteered to be lead out man. Which speaks volumes about him. Brad McGee - http://sports.yahoo.com/sc/photo?slug=1057599646.cycling_tour_de_france_pdj105&prov=ap
FDJeux team manager attributes success to team spirit.
- Alessandro Petacchi wins again, but continous hard work by Jean-Patrick Nazon (of the Jean Delatour team) results in him being given the yellow jersey. Which is good for French cycling since it's the first time since 2001 that there's been a French rider in yellow, and it's good for the Jean Delatour team since they only got in on a wild card and needed to prove their worthiness. This is our new yellow jersey wearer http://sports.yahoo.com/sc/photo?slug=1057687055.cycling_tour_de_france_tdf130&prov=ap
I'm both happy about this because he has been plugging away, and sad because I like McGee. As an added plus for Nazon, his wife's family come from the area so there was mass cheering.
Absolutely beautiful photo of Petacchi (winner of stages 1 and 3) here - http://sports.yahoo.com/sc/photo?slug=afp-cycling_fra_tour_win&prov=afp
And just for fun
- a really fun picture of Jan Ullrich - http://sports.yahoo.com/sc/photo?slug=1057332618.cycling_tour_de_france_tdf107&prov=ap
Cute picture of Erik Zabel and Jens Voight - http://sports.yahoo.com/sc/photo?slug=1057676894.cycling_tour_de_france_tdf103&prov=ap
