Tour De France 2011

Yeah I'm a cycling junkie. Wasn't really in to it until a few years ago. Now I'm cycling about 60-100 miles per week.

As of Stage 6, here's the leaders:
Yellow: Thor Hushovd
Green: Philippe Gilbert
Polka-dot: Johnny Hoogerland
White: Geraint Thomas

For more TDF News check out:
http://www.letour.fr/indexus.html

If you guys haven't checked out the strength and endurance of these athletes, I suggest you just watch one stage of the TDF....actually two.

Make sure you watch a section where the sprinters dominate, then watch when the TDF gets in to the mountains. The climbers amaze me. How they can sit down and climb some of these mountains without getting out of the saddle.

I wish I would have gotten involved in cycling when I was younger.

Anyway, after today's stage:

YELLOW: Thor Hushovd
Green: Jose Rojas
Polka-Dot: Johnny Hoogerland
White: Robert Gesink


And for clarification here's what the jerseys mean:

Yellow - the jersey of all jerseys. It is the overall winner of the TDF
Green - the second most coveted jersey. It's the best sprinter, based on points. These guys rarely can win the entire thing but it means money for them and their sponsors.
Poka-Dot - this the best climber.
White - the best young rider under the age of 25.

Today was the first day of climbing. Tomorrow is day two before they head to another few stages of flats before they actually get into THE MOUNTAINS.

Thor held on to his yellow with Cadel Evans 1" behind him.

Andy Schleck is now in 6th place. He and Alberto Contador should begin making their mark felt once they get in to the high mountains.

Stage 9 - seemed to be another stage of wrecks and carnage along the way to the top of the mountain.

For those of you who think cycling isn't a tough sport, take a look at the video of the motocar clipping a rider, sending him to the pavement and another rider into the barbed-wire fence. The motocar was ejected from the race.

http://nbcsports.msnbc.com/id/43704450/ns/sports-cycling/

Today is a rest day and the current standings are as such:
Yellow: Thomas Voeckler
Green: Philippe Gilbert
Polka-dot: Johnny Hoogerland
White: Robert Gesink

http://nbcsports.msnbc.com/id/43701941/ns/sports/

I feel bad for this guy. He somehow ends up behind the guard rail and over about a 20 foot drop. His teammates help him back up to the top of the hill, and then he has surgery to repair his broken leg.

Today's race is the first of the High Mountain Ranges.

This is where Andy Schleck and Alberto Contador made their mark on the race last year. This is also the area where Contador attacked Andy last year when Andy popped a chain (that's against the gentleman rules when the man wearing yellow has a problem). If you didn't catch the interview, Andy pretty much said, "This is the day in age that we forgive people, but I will not forget. He apologized after the race, but if he pops a chain this year I'm not going to stop on the side of the road and wait for him."

Maybe Contador's attack last year is the reason for his multiple wrecks already this year in the TDF. It's going to be interesting as the riders hit the final climb of the day!

Stay tuned....

Great ride up the final climb of the day.

Voeckler is staying with the group (he has the yellow as of now, and will most likely hold it through today's stage), Frank and Andy Schleck have tried to open up some moretime against Contador but Alberto has been able to maintain the pace. There have been a few other attacks up the final climb, but the 2 leaders have been able to increase their lead over the peloton.

A great chess match between Team Leopold-Trek and Saxo-Bank!

Samuel Sanchez put in a final push to win today's stage, but Frank Schleck put the hurt on the peloton as he pushed through the final 2KM. Contador was 43" behind the winner and he's lost another 13" on the day and almost 2' overall.

After today's stage here are the standings:
Yellow: Thomas Voeckler
Green: Mark Cavendish
Polka-Dot: Samuel Sanchez
White: Arnold Jeannesson

stlrtruck wrote:

After today's stage here are the standings:
Yellow: Thomas Voeckler
Green: Mark Cavendish
Polka-Dot: Samuel Sanchez
White: Arnold Jeannesson

Polka-Dot? I think I'd try to slip back to fourth.

Wallace108 wrote:

stlrtruck wrote:

After today's stage here are the standings:
Yellow: Thomas Voeckler
Green: Mark Cavendish
Polka-Dot: Samuel Sanchez
White: Arnold Jeannesson

Polka-Dot? I think I'd try to slip back to fourth.

The Polka-Dot jersey is for the person with the leading points as the best climber! It's not necessarily the person in 4th place.

Today's last climb to the top was an amazing battle in the last 15KM. Andy Schleck vs. Contador vs. Evans vs. Voeckler vs. Frank Schleck.

Andy did a lot of pulling up the mountain, as the others have to respond to his game of cat and mouse as they close in on the finish line.

You want to talk about amazing athletes, just watch these guys climb the French mountains, and the flat land sprints at 45-50 MPH.

With a flat stage tomorrow, Voeckler could very well hold on to the yellow through the weekend. However there's another 4 days of mountains starting on Tuesday, and it's in those mountains that Andy Schleck will need to make his move if he intends on taking the yellow to the finish line next Sunday.

Today's stage was the first of 4 days climbing in to the mountains. It wasn't a difficult climb and also had a easy run to the finish.

Thor (pronounced TOUR) Hushovd won the stage going away and will most likely improve his standings.

Alberto Contador lead an attack against Voeckler, only to see Cadel Evans match his attack and then beat him by about 10" to the finish line. The big loser for the day is Andy & Frank Schleck of Team Leopold-Trek, losing minutes to Voeckler and allowing Contador to gain minutes on their position.

Tomorrow brings the first day of hard climbs in to the mountains, where the air is thin and roads get nasty!

i never really got into it but my hats off to those guys. it really does look hard. i would have looked at that mountain and quit

vasteeler wrote:

i never really got into it but my hats off to those guys. it really does look hard. i would have looked at that mountain and quit

It's amazing that they can average about 45 MPH and barley look like they're breaking a sweat!

I would have at least tried to climb the mountain...and guessing I would have made it, just probably in the time it took them to do the entire ride.

Andy Schleck attacked the peloton today and gained over 2' time back on the yellow, putting him in prime position to take control of the race in tomorrow's highest climb of the race. Contador fell off the back of the group with Voeckler in it, leaving breathing room for Voeckler, Evans, and Schleck.

Voeckler still holds on to the yellow but only by about 16".

GO ANDY GO!!!

Wait a second, the Tour De France actually ends? I thought it was a 365 day event?

With the length of those climbs, I'm surprised it doesn't take all year!

Today's race is shaping up to be a great day!

Todays' stage was an excellent end the mountain climb.

Contador was third in the stage and gained 34" against Andy, but Andy Schleck currently is wearing the Yellow jersey!

As of today's finish here are the standings:

Yellow: Andy Schleck
Green: Mark Cavendish
Polka-Dot: Samuel Sanchez
White: Pierre Rolland

Overall Standings:
Andy Schleck
Frank Schleck 53"
Cadel Evans 57"
Voeckler 2'10"
Cunego 3'31"
Contador 3'55"


Tomorrow is a time trial where Andy was well within a minute of Contador last year, but the biggest test will come in the form of Cadel Evans, who can sprint very well.

Sunday's ride in to Paris was just that...a ride.



After spending 3 weeks traveling through France and part of Italy, the Tour De France came to an end yesterday. Andy Schleck was unable to hold on to the yellow jersey after the time trial as Cadel Evans put a fantastic time on the clock (finishing second overall for the day) and Andy was unable to match his efforts, losing over 2 minutes on the day, finishing the tour 1 1/2 minutes behind Cadel Evans.



Final Results:

Yellow: Cadel Evans

Green: Mark Cavendish

Polka-Dot: Samuel Sanchez

White: Pierre Rolland



For Andy Schleck it was another second place finish, but the silver lining is that Andy is still young enough to come back next year and attack, and hopefully end the race in yellow.