# Stage 8 **SPOILER**



## dragon72 (11 Jul 2010)

Should be a corker!


----------



## PpPete (11 Jul 2010)

dragon72 said:


> Should be a corker!



And the first day I can't watch it live....GRRRRR

Even money on Bertie attacking today?


----------



## Paul_L (11 Jul 2010)

reckon we'll see several attacks. Bertie will, to assert his dominance, Lance might. He's got nowt to lose. Bearly looking at top 10 GC at the minute. Baso and Sastre could as well as they're well down. In fact the only one who'll be content to sit tight and not attack is cuddles.


----------



## claver58 (11 Jul 2010)

From Eurosport a few minutes ago as they rode past a bagpipe player on their way to the first climb.

What's the difference between a trampoline and a bagpipe?
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
_You have to take off your shoes to jump on a trampoline!!_


----------



## Steve H (11 Jul 2010)

Looks like Lance is really struggling today


----------



## claver58 (11 Jul 2010)

Armstrong down a minute on the GC leaders - Wiggins doing well staying with Contador. Could be Bertie's day fro pulling back time on GC


----------



## dragon72 (11 Jul 2010)

Radio Shack have thrown in the towel!


----------



## Speicher (11 Jul 2010)

A big tangle at the feed stop.


----------



## Speicher (11 Jul 2010)

Excuse the (silly) question, why doesn't Armstrong let Kloden, Brakovij and Horner go on at their own pace, if they can go more quickly.


----------



## montage (11 Jul 2010)

Not good for wiggins


----------



## accountantpete (11 Jul 2010)

Speicher said:


> Excuse the (silly) question, why doesn't Armstrong let Kloden, Brakovij and Horner go on at their own pace, if they can go more quickly.



Probably because Armstrong was clinging to the forlorn hope that there may be a crash in the peloton and he might be able to get back up.

Didn't happen today - shame to see Wiggins drop 60 secs though.


----------



## gavintc (11 Jul 2010)

Yes, a shame. Although it does mark him as not a contender for the top 10. If you cannot keep with the A team; Contador, Schlek, Evans et al you really do not have a hope of making the upper ranking of the Tour.


----------



## montage (11 Jul 2010)

montage said:


> Not good for wiggins




Wiggins seemed devastated in the post-race interview!


----------



## Flying_Monkey (11 Jul 2010)

montage said:


> montage said:
> 
> 
> > Not good for wiggins
> ...



Probably because he was riding really well earlier and seemed to have things under control. Either the feeding strategy was wrong, or he just hasn't got it.


----------



## montage (11 Jul 2010)

Flying_Monkey said:


> montage said:
> 
> 
> > montage said:
> ...



being 6'3 he is going to find it hard to win the climbers war as weight will always be against him.
What a great stage (apart from wiggo being dropped).

I really do feel sorry for Lance though


----------



## mangaman (11 Jul 2010)

accountantpete said:


> Speicher said:
> 
> 
> > Excuse the (silly) question, why doesn't Armstrong let Kloden, Brakovij and Horner go on at their own pace, if they can go more quickly.
> ...



From the team's perspective there was no point in Lance saying to Brakovij (who was suffering anyway) and Horner (who still looked good) go ahead and leave me.

They'd have never caught Leipheimer who had Kloden as a domestique.

Better holding back Horner and Brakovij for later as domestiques for Leipheimer 

I think Lance will fly home on the rest day myself


----------



## Speicher (11 Jul 2010)

Thank you Mangaman for that explanation. I had forgotten about Liepheimer being further ahead.


----------



## Crankarm (11 Jul 2010)

It's no longer the Tour de Lance .............

I bet LA will throw in the towel either in or just after the Alps. Or maybe he decides to continue but instead making sure he gets to Paris without being eliminated on time and really enjoys himself making this his swan song Pro race? A time to build some bridges and big up those who are much younger and able to win the Tour. He's had his time and a very successful time at that.


----------



## Chuffy (11 Jul 2010)

Admin - can we have a schadenfreude smiley please?


----------



## iAmiAdam (11 Jul 2010)

Right, Who am I swapping wiggins for in road.cc?


----------



## lukesdad (11 Jul 2010)

Interesting to see Basso and Sastre in that group, not their sort of climbs today. Considering he wasn t susposed to be doing the tour Carlos didn t get dropped at the start of the climb and gradually moved through the group when he needed to. My wager at 60/1 is starting to look rather good  . I do hope he s been sandbagging and used the Giro as a training exercise.


----------



## MacB (11 Jul 2010)

Unless Lance is actually injured from the tumbles then his best move would be to work the rest of the tour for Leipheimmer. Just do domestique duties early in each stage and then keep himself within the time limit by joining the bus. That would be great for his PR and a decent thing to do.


----------



## montage (11 Jul 2010)

MacB said:


> Unless Lance is actually injured from the tumbles then his best move would be to work the rest of the tour for Leipheimmer. Just do domestique duties early in each stage and then keep himself within the time limit by joining the bus. That would be great for his PR and a decent thing to do.



He said he is going to stay in and enjoy the next 2 weeks on his twitter feed. I doubt he will bury himself for the team, but I reckon he will work for levi, and possibly go for a stage (but I can't see him winning any of the stages)


----------



## MacB (11 Jul 2010)

montage said:


> MacB said:
> 
> 
> > Unless Lance is actually injured from the tumbles then his best move would be to work the rest of the tour for Leipheimmer. Just do domestique duties early in each stage and then keep himself within the time limit by joining the bus. That would be great for his PR and a decent thing to do.
> ...



good for him if he does, I'm sure there are plenty of riders in the peleton that wouldn't mind seeing him ferrying some water bottles, setting the pace and providing shelter for other riders.

Regardless of how we view him, from a riders persepctive he's brought a lot of money and interest to cycling, a sort of Tiger Woods effect. A little touch of the common and humble now would see him ending on a popular note.


----------



## rich p (11 Jul 2010)

MacB said:


> montage said:
> 
> 
> > MacB said:
> ...




Seeing him caught bang to rights by Landis's 'evidence' would make a lot of people happy!


----------



## montage (11 Jul 2010)

rich p said:


> MacB said:
> 
> 
> > montage said:
> ...




...and bring the sport to it's knees


----------



## Chuffy (11 Jul 2010)

montage said:


> ...and bring the sport to it's knees


Drivel.


----------



## Chuffy (11 Jul 2010)

..and cobblers.


----------



## rich p (11 Jul 2010)

Hardly Monty. It survived pretty well before. 

Oh, and he didn't discover cancer either


----------



## Chuffy (11 Jul 2010)

He's part of history (should have stayed there) and if the Federal investigation turns up anything then that would be a good thing as it would cut out a festering sore that's been eating away at the sport for many years.


----------



## Chuffy (11 Jul 2010)

rich p said:


> Hardly Monty. It survived pretty well before.
> 
> Oh, and he didn't discover cancer either


No, no Rich, the Tour _needs_ Lance. Without him the Tour will wither and die, taking cycling with it.


----------



## Noodley (11 Jul 2010)

At least the people fo Paris are saved from me running through the streets followed by Chuffy in his red rubber pants - which can only be a good thing...


----------



## rich p (11 Jul 2010)

Ooh, I had a little frisson there


----------



## Crackle (11 Jul 2010)

Noodley said:


> At least the people fo Paris are saved from me running through the streets followed by Chuffy in his red rubber pants - which can only be a good thing...



grumble, gumble, tickets booked, camera cleaned, bl00dy Armstrong, grumble, grumble.....


----------



## Chuffy (11 Jul 2010)

Crackle said:


> Noodley said:
> 
> 
> > At least the people fo Paris are saved from me running through the streets followed by Chuffy in his red rubber pants - which can only be a good thing...
> ...


Well, if you _really_ want it...


----------



## Chuffy (11 Jul 2010)




----------



## rich p (11 Jul 2010)

I'm off for a cold shower to cool my ardour (or 'ardon)


----------



## Noodley (11 Jul 2010)

Rest assured I shall not be posting a pic of what the Parisiens are missing out on!


----------



## Chuffy (11 Jul 2010)

Noodley said:


> Rest assured I shall not be posting a pic of what the Parisiens are missing out on!


----------



## Crackle (11 Jul 2010)

That's not Paris and it's missing Noodley anyway. Edit it away man, have you no shame:..............?

Forget I asked that..


----------



## Chuffy (11 Jul 2010)

Your webcam, I controls it....


----------



## rich p (11 Jul 2010)

Holy bejesus Chuffers. My eyes, my eyes!


----------



## Chuffy (11 Jul 2010)

rich p said:


> Holy bejesus Chuffers. My eyes, my eyes!


As I said to Baggy when I pressed the Search button on my 'naked, ugly, fat' search on Google, brace yourself!


----------



## Chuffy (11 Jul 2010)

It just needs a crisp packet to add more class...


----------



## mangaman (11 Jul 2010)

MacB said:


> montage said:
> 
> 
> > MacB said:
> ...



After thinking he'd probably bugger off on the rest day, it makes more sense for him to stay now I've thought about it.

As a PR thing, he could even win over the French, if he sticks to the end, works for Levi and makes a few comments about how privilaged he's been to be able to ride so many tours etc.

Personally I hope he abandons tomorrow. I'm not sure I could face a "new, humble Lance - who'se always respected the sport and the tour". 

It'd be hypocrisy of the highest order.


----------



## Crackle (11 Jul 2010)

I wouldn't mind if he left, it would at least stop me screaming at the telly to feck off back to the front of the race to where it's all happening.


----------



## Chuffy (11 Jul 2010)

Anyway, back on topic...

I don't know Mangaman. It was said of Merckx that the French only truly liked him after he completed the Tour, despite being injured, because to abandon would cheapen Thevenet's victory. 

I reckon Tex owes the team a few water bottles and that the decent thing would be to ride for the rest of the team. I dare say that Team Spinstrong will go to work, but hey, that's life.


----------



## Chuffy (11 Jul 2010)

Crackle said:


> I wouldn't mind if he left, it would at least stop me screaming at the telly to feck off back to the front of the race to where it's all happening.


Not just me then! I did love the way that Phil was desperately trying to rescue things by banging on about how clever they were to have Levi up front.


----------



## Crackle (11 Jul 2010)

Chuffy said:


> Crackle said:
> 
> 
> > I wouldn't mind if he left, it would at least stop me screaming at the telly to feck off back to the front of the race to where it's all happening.
> ...



I was thinking about that. They just take the feed though don't they. It's the French editors doing all the Armstrong lingering. I'd still like to see the footage of him loving the cobbles, unless they're the ones outside the patisserie when he rides off for the teams morning croissants.


----------



## Stange (11 Jul 2010)

Seen it before but i just loved the way A Schleck waited until Bert looked the other way before going for it! Wiggins found his level today, sad to say. As for Lance, bad day. Life goes on, on the tour he's had several very lucky years, what goes around..... 

oh yeah, happy for cuddles too. He loves those little lions.


----------



## mangaman (11 Jul 2010)

Chuffy said:


> Anyway, back on topic...
> 
> I don't know Mangaman. It was said of Merckx that the French only truly liked him after he completed the Tour, despite being injured, because to abandon would cheapen Thevenet's victory.
> 
> I reckon Tex owes the team a few water bottles and that the decent thing would be to ride for the rest of the team. I dare say that Team Spinstrong will go to work, but hey, that's life.



I agree Chuffy - my 1st thought was he would bugger off home, then I realised the PR men will be all over him telling him to limp to Paris as a super-Domestique and regain the respect of the French.

I just had a horrible vision of throwing up all over my newish TV watching Lance suddenly trying to be humble / respect the sport etc. I'd rather he'd go back to Texas and shag C-list celebs again and we could concentrate on a great race.

If Schlek can really hurt the others in the mountains - which it looks as if he can - we could come down to one of those Fignon/LeMond type nailbiting TTs with Schlek in front, but Contador, Evans and even Menchov capable of hammering him in a TT

. I'd hate to see the press obsessing over the increasing irrelevancy that is Armstrong.


----------



## MacB (11 Jul 2010)

if it goes well for Andy then maybe someone's going to have to be Frank with Frank


----------



## Keith Oates (12 Jul 2010)

I don't think anyone needs to be Frank with Frank as frankly speaking he should be able to Andy the situation!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


----------



## Crackle (12 Jul 2010)

Does anyone think Sky's tactics were a bit odd yesterday. If they hadn't driven it at that point then maybe Wiggins wouldn't have cooked. I heard Wiggins say if they didn't someone else would. Maybe but maybe not. Once again Sky are missing from the sharp end of the race as it hots up.


----------



## raindog (12 Jul 2010)

Crackle said:


> Does anyone think Sky's tactics were a bit odd yesterday.


Absolutely. They don't have a climber who can compete at the front or win that kind of stage so it wasn't their place to up the pace or put pressure on at the front. They could've just sat back and waited. Not that the result for them would've been any different.


----------



## Chrisc (12 Jul 2010)

Crackle said:


> Does anyone think Sky's tactics were a bit odd yesterday.



Yep, wondered what the hell they were doing, Flecha toasted himself for nowt. 
Doubt we'll see that again.


----------



## montage (12 Jul 2010)

Crackle said:


> Does anyone think Sky's tactics were a bit odd yesterday. If they hadn't driven it at that point then maybe Wiggins wouldn't have cooked. I heard Wiggins say if they didn't someone else would. Maybe but maybe not. Once again Sky are missing from the sharp end of the race as it hots up.




It was certainly an ill timed mistake, but good to see sky had the ability to cause such carnage.


----------



## raindog (12 Jul 2010)

....to themselves


----------



## Keith Oates (12 Jul 2010)

Perhaps they thought Wiggins could have mixed it a little better than he did!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


----------



## rich p (12 Jul 2010)

Where was Steve Cummings? He did well on the clmbs in the last 2 Giros ( or Giri, si preferete)


----------



## PpPete (12 Jul 2010)

Only just watched the highlights. Am I right in thinking it was Sky pressing on that did for LA ?

In which case "respect" is due, even if it turned out that Wiggo couldn't hold on at the end.	And I'm not saying that because I don't Lance. If Sky can dispose of GC podium contenders then fair enough. Don't suppose they can deal with the others as easily though.


----------



## MacB (12 Jul 2010)

To be fair Wiggins only dropped away with about 3.5k to go, he said in interview that he knew he was flagging and wanted to get to 4k and then minimise his losses. Had he been able to hang in with the bunch then we'd all have been singing his, and Skys, praises.


----------



## dragon72 (12 Jul 2010)

rich p said:


> Where was Steve Cummings? He did well on the clmbs in the last 2 Giros ( or Giri, si preferete)



Hate to be an italophone nitpicker, but...
"s_e_ prefer_ite_"


----------



## Stephen-D (12 Jul 2010)

i watched it on Eurosport and i thought it was Astana that turned up the pressure at the right moment to distance Lance, i am thinking im wrong?


----------



## threebikesmcginty (12 Jul 2010)

The climb yesterday looked brutal in that heat and there were some pasty looking riders who were all feeling the heat. Wiggins is in a group of half a dozen all 2 minutes odd off the lead and there are some good riders in that bunch, can't all be written off yet surely.


----------



## rich p (12 Jul 2010)

dragon72 said:


> Hate to be an italophone nitpicker, but...
> "s_e_ prefer_ite_"




Mi dispiace!! You are correct of course!


----------



## Ludwig (12 Jul 2010)

rich p said:


> Mi dispiace!! You are correct of course!


----------



## Crackle (12 Jul 2010)

MacB said:


> To be fair Wiggins only dropped away with about 3.5k to go, he said in interview that he knew he was flagging and wanted to get to 4k and then minimise his losses. Had he been able to hang in with the bunch then we'd all have been singing his, and Skys, praises.



Even if he'd finished in the bunch I thought it was odd. They're not going to get rid of any GC favourites at that point and no, Armstrong was not a GC favourite and as Stephen-d says, it was Astana who did for Armstrong.

I thought Wiggo's best chance was to stay with the GC's on the climbs, look for a weakness and exploit it and then do the TT of his life because he's not a climber, certainly not enough of one to attack. I was surprised to see them burning the team up at that point, though arguably, come the final climb, there'd have been no team to burn up.


----------



## Flying_Monkey (12 Jul 2010)

Armstrong was not a GC favourite? You are having a laugh. He may not be now. But he certainly was before this stage.


----------



## Chuffy (12 Jul 2010)

Flying_Monkey said:


> Armstrong was not a GC favourite? You are having a laugh. He may not be now. But he certainly was before this stage.


Theoretically maybe. Before Stage 3 you might have been right but by yesterday he was over a minute down on Evans and Contador and we know from last year that he can't match Contador in the mountains, so that minute equates to a significant gap. He was only a serious GC threat if Contador fell off, closely followed by Evans, Schleck, Basso, Kreuziger, Wiggy, Sastre and Menchov

I think Bertie was just taking the opportunity to get some payback for last year and Sky were riding last years race, trying to drop Tex from the podium in favour of Wiggy.


----------



## Crackle (12 Jul 2010)

Flying_Monkey said:


> Armstrong was not a GC favourite? You are having a laugh. He may not be now. But he certainly was before this stage.



You think? He realistically had a chance of beating Contador or Schleck or even Evans and a host of others this year. I thought he had an outside shot of a podium place at best.


----------

