Is it all over?

[Steve Austin]

bar some fruitless efforts by contador et al?

I'm not sure anyone can take time out of Rasmussen at the moment. Maybe Contador can get some time on wednesday, but will it be enough to take the yellow?

 

[Tetedelacourse]

Something still tells me Rasmussen will not win this tour. What the hell have Discovery been up to? They have the team to support Contador but still it seems they're not pooling together. Why?

 

[Smokin Joe]

I wouldn't say it was over till after Wednesday at the earliest. As we've seen with Vino, one bad day in the mountains and you can be out of it completely. It is not out of the question that Contador could erase the present gap in the final TT, it is very flat any headwind would really hurt an ultra-lightweight like Rasmussen.

 

[Keith Oates]

Although it looks good for Rasmussen at the moment there is still some cycling to do before Paris, although it looks as if the only one that can really challenge him is Contador. However for that to happen Rasmussen will have to have a 'bad day' which doesn't look apparent on hiw showing up to now!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[Blonde]

Contador always looks as if he's finding it harder than Razza though, who appears calm and collected at all times - could all be bluff of course. I think that as things stand, unless Cadel Evans does a spectacular TT at the end and Rasmussen gets a mechanical or crashes in the final TT, Razza willl stay in yellow. That's not taking into account any extra time gained over Evans in the next few mountains either. If Rasmussen can get away from Contador just a few seconds on each climb, that'll definitely lead to him finishing in yellow.

 

[Squaggles]

What makes you say Discovery aren't behind Contador ? Hincapie was waiting for him at the top of the last climb to pace him to the finish , the only problem was he couldn't get rid of Rasmussen .

 

[Two sheds]

Disco very nearly managed something yesterday. If Contador had managed to get any gap at the top of the Peyresourde (and he nearly did), then Hincapie was waiting to pace him to the finish, and could well have put 30sec into Rasmussen.

 

[vorsprung]

The top ten on GC looks like this atm

1 DAN M.RASMUSSEN (RAB) 69h52'14''
2 ESP A.CONTADOR (DSC) à 02'23''
3 AUS C.EVANS (PRL) à 04'00''
4 USA L.LEIPHEIMER (DSC) à 05'25''
5 ALL A.KLODEN (AST) à 05'34''
6 ESP C.SASTRE (CSC) à 06'46''
7 ESP H.ZUBELDIA (EUS) à 07'27''
8 KAZ A.KASHECHKIN (AST) à 07'54''
9 LUX K.KIRCHEN (TMO) à 08'24''
10 ESP M.ASTARLOZA (EUS) à 09'21''

Evans, Leipheimer, Kloden and Sastre are all serious contenders and it would only take one bad day + a time trial to close that gap.

Contador isn't so great at time trials and can't dent Rasmussen as a climber. But he is closer than the others at the moment.

It's not over yet at all.

 

[chris42]

Fireworks tomorrow!!!

 

[cisamcgu]

Just my opinion of course ...

but Vino .. bad few days.. suddenly gets better, wins two stages, then ...

Rasmussen .. suddenly can time-trial like a demon as well as climb like an angel ??????

It stinks ...

 

[Tetedelacourse]

Agreed. And someone else pointed out that Contador was implicated in OP and has worked for Saiz. The upshot is you simply cannot watch a great ride without suspecting that cheating has occurred now.

ps Andrew, 8 pages to go!!!

 

[Tetedelacourse]

What makes you say Discovery aren't behind Contador ? Hincapie was waiting for him at the top of the last climb to pace him to the finish , the only problem was he couldn't get rid of Rasmussen .

True, but had that been Armstrong for example, we'd surely have seen Hincapie pacing him UP the hill, not waiting for him at the top? Instead we saw Boogerd do a job for Rasmussen. Also, Leipheimer was there too, he should have been sacrificed to help out. Popovich was the only one who provided support. That team have the legs but I don't think they pulled together as well as they could have to put Rasmussen in trouble.

 

[Two sheds]

^ It's doubtful that Hincapie pacing Contador could have dropped Rasmussen going uphill, whereas Contador just might have. Looked like a good tactic to me.