Tour de France

[El Loto]

Starts in Strasbourg on Saturday. I'm going to say Jan Ullrich will win it. We'll have to wait till the 23rd to find out though. I hope you'll be keeping an eye on proceedings Will!!

[bags]

BREAKAWAY!

[Narcissistic Nihilist]

I'm going to say Jan Ullrich will win it.
No, he wont!

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/other_sports/cycling/5132320.stm

[El Loto]

I'm in total shock. I read it on Ceefax and my face just dropped. I'll say Floyd Landis or Alejandro Valverde.

[Jackal]

That's crappy. I wanted to see if Ullrich was going to win.

Why don't they just test each rider every night for drugs?

I got interested due to Lance Armstrong's story, but now I will keep watching. Le Tour is the ultimate challenge of strength and endurance.

[El Loto]

Well its what the riders are doing in Winter and during breaks from competition. These riders have been named in an investigation there is no proof against them but the Tour can say, and has in the past said, "We don't want to damage the image of the race". I think the image of the sport is being damaged, yet again. I'm 17, and to see that people I look up to are possible dopers really doesn't help with my perception of my favourite sport. I can't help but feel doping is rife. It pains me to say.

[Jackal]

Oh. I don't understand the drugs they use. I didn't think about them training on drugs and then doing the race normal. That would still be cheating.

If they are doping, it would be a huge dissapointment.

[El Loto]

I fear that most are doping.

[El Loto]

I can't back Valverde actually. I don't trust him anymore. Looks like it'll be another American victory.

[DrHibbert]

Looks like it'll be another American victory.
Wow, did you ever think you'd say that?

I hope it is another American victory. And I hope they test the shit out of all of the American riders and they pass every test and win the tour.

edit: maybe you did think you'd say that, as you're only 17. For so long Americans never had a chance.

[El Loto]

Well seeing as Basso and Ullrich were the overwhelming favourites, the top US riders would only be competing for third place. Now the race has been blown wide open. Valverde looks bloody good though, he was good yesterday.

[aria]

is a lot of Kraftwerk

[El Loto]

The album as a whole is quite poor.

[Cool As Ice Cream]

Tom Boonen! Grabbed yellow and green today. :)

And apparently they're visiting Belgium tomorrow.

[El Loto]

Tomorrow's stage starts in Huy

[Cool As Ice Cream]

"I Fought the War, I Fought the War, I Fought the War but the War Won"
Horrible lyrics, in my opinion. I was listening to this album yesterday and it bugged me.

The only good thing about it is that it sounds a lot like "I fucked the war" which doesn't make much sense but it makes me giggle hehehe "fuck"...

[El Loto]

Horrible lyrics, in my opinion. I was listening to this album yesterday and it bugged me.

The only good thing about it is that it sounds a lot like "I fucked the war" which doesn't make much sense but it makes me giggle hehehe "fuck"...

Old World Underground is much better. I find Monster Hospital an insanely catchy song though. Have you ever been to Huy? I wanted to go there this year and also to visit Valkenberg.

[Cool As Ice Cream]

I cannot remember going to Huy, although it is not impossible I've been there. All those villages/cities in the Ardennes are the same to me.

[El Loto]

I've been to Slenaken in Limburg. I forgot how beautiful the area is until I saw it on telly today. What an exciting stage though. Well done Kessler and Mr. Boonen. Two Belgians have told me that Flanders is shit. Is this so?

[Cool As Ice Cream]

And why the hell would you want to visit Huy? It is probably the most boring place on earth. Nothing to see there.

And are you talking about Valkenburg in The Netherlands, related to Amstel Gold Race or some other famous bike thing? I've been there twice last year and it's the biggest tourist trap I've ever been to. Horrible. And nothing to see there, except for some (rather pathetic) castle restants. Definitely not worth the trip. I have decided to never go there ever again. And I won't.

I strongly suggest you never go visit those places.

[Cool As Ice Cream]

Two Belgians have told me that Flanders is shit. Is this so?
Were those Belgians from Flanders?

Anyway, they're right. Flanders is flat, mostly. And there's nothing worth seeing. Except for nice cities, like Ghent for example.
Well, there's more, but you have to like it. The North Sea? WWI graveyards?

[El Loto]

And why the hell would you want to visit Huy? It is probably the most boring place on earth. Nothing to see there.

And are you talking about Valkenburg in The Netherlands, related to Amstel Gold Race or some other famous bike thing? I've been there twice last year and it's the biggest tourist trap I've ever been to. Horrible. And nothing to see there, except for some (rather pathetic) castle restants. Definitely not worth the trip. I have decided to never go there ever again. And I won't.

I strongly suggest you never go visit those places.

All we did when in Limburg was go to Aachen, Liege (it was shit) and not much else. Nice scenery but Valkenberg and the Cauberg looked mad today.

[El Loto]

Were those Belgians from Flanders?

Anyway, they're right. Flanders is flat, mostly. And there's nothing worth seeing. Except for nice cities, like Ghent for example.
Well, there's more, but you have to like it. The North Sea? WWI graveyards?

Yes they were from the North. Apart from telling me they also spoke Flemish, which I hear is just like Dutch.

[Cool As Ice Cream]

Flemish = Dutch

There are local differences, but so are there between two different places in Flanders or two different places in Holland.

[Cool As Ice Cream]

When you visit these places, what are you doing? Do you play tourist or do you go biking?

[El Loto]

When you visit these places, what are you doing? Do you play tourist or do you go biking?

I spoke to them in Portugal. When we were in Limburgh we were tourists. It was summer 98

[i]

Go Cadel Evans! Err. Is he even in this year's tour? I can't believe he started out as a mountain biker.

Anyway I haven't really been following it besides hearing about Jan Ullrich.

I feel like doping is pretty much standard in the sport, unfortunately. It seems like it's just a matter of doing it right so you never get caught. Even despite that it's still freaking amazing how much energy and fitness these guys have.



I am kinda celebrating Le Tour tho anyway tho by going out and buying a basic bike to ride around in. I left both my bikes in Australia.

[El Loto]

Go Cadel Evans! Err. Is he even in this year's tour? I can't believe he started out as a mountain biker.

Anyway I haven't really been following it besides hearing about Jan Ullrich.

I feel like doping is pretty much standard in the sport, unfortunately. It seems like it's just a matter of doing it right so you never get caught. Even despite that it's still freaking amazing how much energy and fitness these guys have.



I am kinda celebrating Le Tour tho anyway tho by going out and buying a basic bike to ride around in. I left both my bikes in Australia.

Cadel is still in it. He is 2.56 behind the surprise leader Oscar Pereiro. Floyd Landis, my pre-race favourite crumbled on the La Toussuire climb. I bet everyone regrets letting Pereiro grab half an hour on that breakaway on Saturday. I reckon he will be able to hold on as long as he doesn't lose too much time to Andreas Kloeden tomorrow on the Joux Plane. It's not a summit finish though so it could come back together on the run in to Morzine. Kloeden would be his biggest threat in the TT on Saturday.

[El Loto]

Floyd is a legend. He has to win it now. What a rider!!! This year's Tour is too exciting.

[El Loto]

How many people can say they have a dodgy hip at 30 and be a Tour de France winner?

[DrHibbert]

I wish just once it could be a photo finish.

[El Loto]

It almost was. Most unpredictable race in almost 10 years. 1989 will still be remembered for the 8 second gap.

[DrHibbert]

Wait, it's not over right? Don't they still have the final pansy stage left? If so, do you know if any leader has ever crashed during this stage?