2004 Tour de France

[speedbump]

Was anyone else surprised that Erik Zabel took third place today? Granted, it wasn't the hardest day in the mountains but I thought for sure we'd have a little more shift in the top 10.

I think Thomas Voeckler will survive tomorrow in yellow, but can't see him in it past Saturday which is considered the hardest day of the Tour.

[astrogirl_2100]

Was anyone else surprised that Erik Zabel took third place today? Granted, it wasn't the hardest day in the mountains but I thought for sure we'd have a little more shift in the top 10.

I think Thomas Voeckler will survive tomorrow in yellow, but can't see him in it past Saturday which is considered the hardest day of the Tour.

It seems that all the big guns are waiting for tomorrow to attack. I hope we will soon see some shake-ups in the overall classification.

[speedbump]

It seems that all the big guns are waiting for tomorrow to attack. I hope we will soon see some shake-ups in the overall classification.

Agree. If you look at the terrain profile for friday's race it's flat with one huge climb at the end. Lance hinted that saturday might be more suitable for the big attacks, which leads me to believe he's gonna attack on friday.

Pre-race prediction: Voeckler will retain yellow (barely), Virenque in second follwed by Armstrong, Hamilton, Ullrich and Leipheimer. I sure hope Julich doesn't miss the lead break. Haven't heard much about him so I hope his legs are fresh.

[Zaius]

I really enjoy watching the race everyday, but I must admit that I have been itching to see some real racing begin between the leaders. Right now it's just "Will the peloton catch up to the 3 breakaway unknowns today?" The race is won in the mountains and on time trials though, so I have to be patient and wait for those stages.

[Mariner]

You got your wish today Zaius. The mountains finally opened gaps between the leaders. Armstrong came in second with Basso barely beating him. Ullrich, Hamilton, Mayo and Heras lost valuable time. Ullrich was 2:30 behind Lance in the stage and is now almost 4 minutes behind overall. The race is on!

[speedbump]

I'm thinking the race is now for second place. Unless Armstrong utterly cracks or gets injured, it'll be tough for Ullrich, who is a great time trialist, to make up four minutes.

I was upset that Hamilton cracked as early as he did. I hope he's fresher tomorrow.

[astrogirl_2100]

CSC CSC CSC

You want a good team? Put a Dane in the lead! You hear it here first folks, Danes rule!

[Zaius]

Great racing today! It looks like Lance will blow away the competition right now, but who knows? I'm still cheering for Voeckler! (Yeah yeah, he's probably going to break soon).

[speedbump]

I'm still cheering for Voeckler! (Yeah yeah, he's probably going to break soon).

Agree. He's definitely a fresh feel-good story of the Tour. You almost don't want him to lose the Yellow. However, if we was cracking on today's stage, then he'll probably shatter on tomorrow's. The terrain profile is going to be brutal for the climber's tomorrow.

Four full hours of racing tomorrow if you watch the mroning show (7:30-11:30). Gonna be awesome. Looks like a couple riders from CSC could be giving Lance a little trouble. Also, I hope Ullrich lays down his cards tomorrow. He's been laying low. Time to get some excitement going.

p.s. Am I the only one who cheer's at the t.v. when my favorite rider's make an attack? I'm worse at yelling at the t.v. during the Tour than I am watching football.

[astrogirl_2100]

p.s. Am I the only one who cheer's at the t.v. when my favorite rider's make an attack? I'm worse at yelling at the t.v. during the Tour than I am watching football.

No, speedy, no you're not