It all comes down to tomorrow's time trial (Tour de France)

[Beano's Fourth Chin]

Good Luck to Landis, hope it doesn't end up being his last tour regardless, but if it is, it would be cool to go out on top.


American Floyd Landis remained in third place in the Tour de France, while Matteo Tosatto of Italy won Friday's 18th stage in which the top contenders rode together in a trailing pack. Spain's Oscar Pereiro retained the yellow jersey as the Tour's overall leader after the relatively easy 122.4-mile stage from Morzine to Macon, which followed three tough days in the Alps.
That sets the stage for Saturday's time trial, the last major test before cycling's premier race ends Sunday on the Champs-Elys Dees in Paris.
Saturday's race against the clock, in which riders leave one by one in reverse order of the standings, measures 35.4 miles from Le Creusot to Montceau-les-Mines. Going in, Pereiro holds a 12-second lead over countryman Carlos Sastre, and a 30-second advantage over Landis.
"I know Floyd is better than me in the time trial, but I'm going to go all out," Pereiro said.
Landis, a Pennsylvania native, said he was "optimistic" about Saturday's stage.

[jk the sooner fan]

why would it be his last tour?

[royalfan5]

why would it be his last tour?
He has a advanced degenatrative hip condition.

[mdklatt]

why would it be his last tour?

If another American wins the French are going to permabane us from competing.

[jk the sooner fan]

oh, i read about that........when he had that surgery, they put pins in his hip, but the bone compressed, leaving the screw tips sticking out, and rubbing against the tendons

he raced in the tour 9 weeks after having the screws removed

THATS tough

[StoopTroup]

Real Mennonites would have wooden dowels put in their hip...not screws.

[hurricane'bone]

It's going to be exciting. His ride yesterday was awesome.

[GottaHavePride]

I live near where he grew up (Lancaster County, PA). His parents are Mennonite; no TV. They are interviewed every night for local sports; very nice folks. Mennonites are NOT Amish but have similiar outlooks on life's work ethic and pleasures or lack thereof. That's all I know. Can I have another boilermaker?

I thought the difference between Amish and Mennonite was that Mennonites use electricity, drive cars, so on and so forth. Just wondering because a girl I knew in high school married a Mennonite and she works for a TV station doing the computer graphics for the weather department last I heard...

[Penguin]

Yet another Tour de France thread?


This should really have its own forum.

[Newbomb Turk]

I thought they were still playing that soccer thing over there. :confused:

[GottaHavePride]

The general sports forum is like OLN. No one knows where the heck it is.


;)

[Okla-homey]

Anyone ever check-out that Lumberjack skillz competition on the OLN? Those flannel-wearers are dope.

[hurricane'bone]

Floyd finishes 3rd in the time trial, takes the overall lead by 59 seconds.

http://www.letour.fr/PHOTOS/TDF/2006/1900/live_52_jaune.jpg

[jk the sooner fan]

awesome.......a virtual lock to win the race tomorrow......another american win!!!!!!!!!

[Scott D]

not if the german in second has anything to say about it.

[hurricane'bone]

Oscar is Spanish.

Kloden is in third.

[SoonerInKCMO]

awesome.......a virtual lock to win the race tomorrow......another american win!!!!!!!!!

This is what I'll never understand about this stupid sport. The #2 guy is 59 seconds back and #3 is 1:29 off the lead and they have 90+ miles to go tomorrow... why do they just give the race away to the guy in the lead? If I've spent the last three weeks riding 2000+ miles in my sport's most prestigious event and find myself 59 seconds off the lead, I'm going to try to win.

[jk the sooner fan]

i dunno, i dont know enough about the sport to understand that either

i suppose the theory is that you earn the victory in the mountains, and that the ride into paris is for show

i remember a couple years ago, a couple riders tried to sprint way ahead of Armstrong and the main group.....a few other cyclers went after them to bring them back because what they had done was showing up the winner (who hadnt actually won yet)

weird

[walkoffsooner]

Texas has won the last 5 now the usa might get one.;)

[StoopTroup]

Nice to have hold of the Yellow Jersey going into the last stage.

GO USA ! ! !

Tour de Fruit (http://www.olntv.com/tdf)

http://cdn.dayport.com/olnimg5/images/oln-tour-home7-8.jpg
http://cdn.dayport.com/olnimg/tdf/img/maps/map20.gif

TOTP BEYONCES ! ! !

[Oldnslo]

This is what I'll never understand about this stupid sport. The #2 guy is 59 seconds back and #3 is 1:29 off the lead and they have 90+ miles to go tomorrow... why do they just give the race away to the guy in the lead? If I've spent the last three weeks riding 2000+ miles in my sport's most prestigious event and find myself 59 seconds off the lead, I'm going to try to win.
Lemond won it on the last day. First use of aero bars in the Tour, too.

anyway, here's why you cain't hardly do it: it's almost impossible, due to aerodynamics, to just ride away with the race. Without a train, you're working much harder cutting into the air than some other dude who is riding behind his buddies. So, if you're pedaling your brains out, all the leader has to do is follow you. You get to cut the wind and work (some pretty huge % more) while he saves his energy behind you, just biding his time to make the pass. "Wheelsucking" is the not-so-nice term for not taking a turn at the front.

So, unless Landis is injured or in a wreck, he's all but got it in his pocket.

[Gandalf_The_Grey]

Now if we can figure out that pesky soccer sport...the whole world can hate us!!