Tour de France 2007 thread (4 Viewers)

was watching Tour of the Alps stage 2 today. a young 18 year old French chap who isn't pro yet (!) was riding for FDJ which is allowed in non World Tour races.
Lenny Martinez (b. 11-7- 2003) is a tiny climber and was right up with the best riders today.
then I realised I knew which cycling dynasty he was from:
Grandad Mariano Martinez (b.1948) won the two stages of the Tour plus a KOM jersey and regularly finished in the top 10 of the Tour.
I didn't know Mariano's bro Martin (1946-2012) who rode the Vuelta twice.
Lenny's dad Miguel Martinez (b.1976) was a mountain bike legend and rode one Tour in for Phonak in 2002 (44th) as an experiment that didn't really work out - 20 years? can't believe it was that long ago.
also Miguel's bro uncle Yannick was a pro from 2011-18 w/ AG2R, Europcar and Delko.
 
what do we all think of Remco's great victory in L-B-L yesterday then?

Sorry, but whenever I hear that name all I can think about is this

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20 seconds in. Look what happens. DODGY. AS. FUCK.
 
what do we all think of Remco's great victory in L-B-L yesterday then?

Sorry, but whenever I hear that name all I can think about is this

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20 seconds in. Look what happens. DODGY. AS. FUCK.

and Davide Bramati who took whatever it was out of Remco's pocket, is the nice DS on Quickstep!
look who was with him after he won yesterday: Wlifried Peters and the boss of Belgium Patrick Lefevere - not people I'd want looking after any young person.
It was a huge attack but if the riders chasing had got organised he wouldn't have won. they had two chances to stop Remco - go after him immediately or keep chasing when they got the gap down to 18 seconds. the Slovenians not starting was a big factor too.

in 2002 a break inc Mapei riders Bettini and Garzelli was on verge of being caught after La Radoute when Rabobank appealed for help to share the work with the gap under 10 seconds. then Rabo quickly stopped chasing when no one was bothered helping, the break moved away again and the two Mapei lads took 1st and 2nd.

the main thing I will remember about L-B-L 2022 was the horrific crash with about 60km left
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at least Teuns winning the Fleche was a change. Alaphilppe, Pogacar, Woods etc weren't up to scratch. if Dan had been in that situation a few years ago, he'd have won.

There was a great battle in the women's Fleche on the Muur de Huy.
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Marta Cavalli won the Amstel, then got 5th in Roubaix, won the Fleche and 6th in Liege.

the Tour of the Alps had a nice return to form from Bardet and Pinot. really good race with the last stage being decisive. also no Italian riders finished in the top 10 on GC or won a stage.
one of the best races of middling status.

it wasn't the best April classics but it's always the best time of the years for bike racing.
 
Tour of Hellas 2002 stage 1 (1:24) in Crete
poor guy crashes on line @ 59 secs
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Tour de Romandie 2022 second day had a bad crash w/ 14 km to go took out a few GC riders. then there was a brilliant uphill battle to the finish. Rohan Denis attacked early on the climb and built up an impressive gap...
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Nico Roche was commentating for Eurosport.
unfortunately the only uninterrupted video of the finish I could find on youtube is silent.
 
only heard about this on Sunday night. Sam won in Frankfurt - stunning lead out by Danny Van Poppel who could have won himself. Bora expected victory on home turf and Danny made it easy for Sam.
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never heard of this until now -
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lots of Eritreans of Biniam Girmay's generation showed up at Frankfurt and it got rowdy in the best way
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Oleg Tinkoff has completely fallen out with Putin's regime and isn't afraid to say so.
the war made his bank's value plummet and he claims the sale of his shares was forced.
an insight into oligarch's current opinions on Putin?
 
Harm Ottenbros (1943 - 4 May 2022)
Ottenbros won two stages of the Tour de Suisse in the late 1960's and rode three Tours and a Giro.
He also finished second on four grand tour stages.
Ottenbros was selected for the Dutch team at the 1969 Worlds in Zolder on a very easy course.
He was a late replacement for the great Jan Jansen who took ill.
Ottenbros got in a break with Merckx's domestique Julien Stevens and the Belgians who were confident of a home victory let them go... But in a huge shock Ottenbros outsprinted a devastated Stevens to take the rainbow jersey.

If there is a curse of the rainbow jersey then merely becoming the most unlikely world champ ever was Ottenbros' problem. He never went on to anything of note afterwards and retired in 1976.

His name became with associated being an unworthy winner and Harm was happy to put cycling behind him.

But his later life was interesting and very worthwhile:
Harm seemed to go off the cycling radar completely and in 2002 when the worlds returned to Zolder (Cipollini won) the press wanted to know what he had been up to.
An article in the UK cycling press said he spent time squatting with some hippy folks and he said had become a carer for disabled children and was happier with life post cycling.
The renewed attention in 2002 was unwanted and Harm said he had long put bike racing career behind him.
BUT here's his own website which shows him cycling in his 70's
Hard to find much other info on Harm Ottenbros but his wiki is good:
Found this great video (7 mins+) with Harm having fun coming to terms with his cycling past:
seems he threw his bike off a bridge or something and they go looking for it!!!
also has footage of the day he became world champ:
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anyway I had a fascination with Harm Ottenbros for a longtime - R.I.P. Harm - you were cool!
 
The Ras finished yesterday in Blackrock, Co.Louth. I went out to the start in Tallaght last wednesday. Its normally an 8-day race but, due to difficulties with sponsors, then covid, it was the first running since 2018. It was lighter on top-tier teams (conti or pro-conti), but it was still great to have it back. Hopefully the race will continue to grow and grow and we'll see an increase in standard, at least back to where it was. And this kind of leaves me with mixed feelings on how the week went. On the one had it was great to see so much Irish success (overall and most stages), but on the other, I'd love to see Feeley, Townsend, Teggert, etc, up against the bigger guns to see how they'd fare, cos I think they'd do just fine.

Feeley is a machine. He came second in the nationals last year to Ryan Mullen. This year's nationals are on next week (in Cork, I think). Haven't seen the course profile, so not sure what kind of rider it would be suited to. Also not sure if the pro lads will come back for it or not. I hope they do, but regardless, if its any way hilly (which I expect it will be if its in Cork), you'd have to expect Feeley to be in the shake-up again.

In other news we have Geraint Thomas winning the Tour of Suisse, and the Slovenians still taking the piss in every race they do. Was very generous of Pogachar to gift a stage to Majka in the tour of Slovenia, where UAE rode like Gewiss. In fairness to Thomas, I thought a week-long stage race would be about the height of his powers, but given he was at Sky during the Bradley years, and that he won a tour de France, which is an absolute joke, he doesn't deserve the benefit of any doubt.

For me cycling is dirtier than it was in the EPO era. No one gives a flying fuck anymore, and as long as there are people thick enough to believe what they see, the sport will have a great future.

At least we still have the Ras.
 
great news. I'll go and watch this! I had no idea this was happening near me.
I am not in the loop at all. I didn't even realise the Ras was back until it started.

Sam Bennett is in trouble at the moment. he's getting great leadouts from Bora (inc Mullen) but not finishing the job off. lead out man Danny Van Poppel is riding so well he could be winning himself.
the Tour of Limburg a few weeks ago was particularly bad.
like in Frankfurt Danny could have won himself but after Sam (4th) blew up in the sprint Danny still held on to get 3rd.

yesterday at the Tour of Belgium Quickstep boxed in Tim Wellens in the golden mile sprint (3 different sprints in 1 km with bonuses of 3, 2 and 1 second each @ 5 km to go) to stop him getting time bonuses which gave Mauro Schmid the GC as he and Wellens finished on the same time - total cheating.
 
Women's Giro Donne prologue on Eurosport now since 1 pm to 2:30 pm.
Cecilie U-L is just about to finish.
Which reminds me - Wicklow man Chris Juul Jensen will be only Paddy at the Tour...
was just looking through the start list and was thinking the same thing.

Its an uninspiring lineup. Pogachar will coast to victory and the rest of the world will have lost interest by the middle of week 2.
 
Women's Giro will be better and women's Euros soccer is on in a week if TdF is crap!

The 16 km bridge in Denmark looks lethal - as in the lads could be blown off their bikes.
Remember Alaphilppe among others being knocked in gust of wind in Strade Bianche?

Was at the TT nationals outside Nenagh a week ago.
Was a bugger to walk out to because it was farside of M7 and I had to walk 7 miles to Nenagh from home.

Anyway there was hand powered and tandem as well as all trad categories.
Ronan Rafferty, Kevin McCambridge, Eve McCrystal (solo), Katie-George Dunleavy (w/ new partner), Annalise Murphy (yes - that Annalise was 4th), Ben Healy and Eddie Dunbar among those in action in out and back to Birdhill route on old Dublin - Limerick road which wasn't closed...
 
Women's Giro will be better and women's Euros soccer is on in a week if TdF is crap!

The 16 km bridge in Denmark looks lethal - as in the lads could be blown off their bikes.
Remember Alaphilppe among others being knocked in gust of wind in Strade Bianche?

Was at the TT nationals outside Nenagh a week ago.
Was a bugger to walk out to because it was farside of M7 and I had to walk 7 miles to Nenagh from home.

Anyway there was hand powered and tandem as well as all trad categories.
Ronan Rafferty, Kevin McCambridge, Eve McCrystal (solo), Katie-George Dunleavy (w/ new partner), Annalise Murphy (yes - that Annalise was 4th), Ben Healy and Eddie Dunbar among those in action in out and back to Birdhill route on old Dublin - Limerick road which wasn't closed...
did you see the union jack on Ben Healy's bike? Outrageous

7 miles. In that weather. Horrendous.
 
did you see the union jack on Ben Healy's bike? Outrageous

7 miles. In that weather. Horrendous.
No didn't see the enemy flag - my eye sight is shit. Ben's helmet covered up his lovely hair!
also Declan Quigley was there filming everything.

Thursday last week was maybe the warmest day of the year about 22 degrees. so I walked 7 miles just to get into Nenagh in the afternoon.
by 5:10 pm it had thankfully cooled down a lot. as it was the far side of M7 I went on backroads to get under the motorway. I started walking out to the Five Alley Pub where TT started I took a wrong turn on roads I didn't know and ended up half back into Nenagh! so I missed the first starters when I finally got there at nearly 6:50 pm (hand powered riders and some of tandems).
with the Juniors still to finish I headed back to Nenagh at least now knowing a shorter way and got a lift home from far side of Nenagh.
so I walked about 16 miles in total. I've got very unfit in the last few years so that was hard.
 
No didn't see the enemy flag - my eye sight is shit. Ben's helmet covered up his lovely hair!
also Declan Quigley was there filming everything.

Thursday last week was maybe the warmest day of the year about 22 degrees. so I walked 7 miles just to get into Nenagh in the afternoon.
by 5:10 pm it had thankfully cooled down a lot. as it was the far side of M7 I went on backroads to get under the motorway. I started walking out to the Five Alley Pub where TT started I took a wrong turn on roads I didn't know and ended up half back into Nenagh! so I missed the first starters when I finally got there at nearly 6:50 pm (hand powered riders and some of tandems).
with the Juniors still to finish I headed back to Nenagh at least now knowing a shorter way and got a lift home from far side of Nenagh.
so I walked about 16 miles in total. I've got very unfit in the last few years so that was hard.
still great to see the nationals. I've never seen the TTs but always try to get to the RR when its within reasonable distance (say, within Leinster). Always a good old day out.
 
still great to see the nationals. I've never seen the TTs but always try to get to the RR when its within reasonable distance (say, within Leinster). Always a good old day out.
ah yeah - great day out. really enjoyed it, just I was knackered the next day.
when the Nenagh Classic used to be on they would run a TTT on the same course but I never got out to that.
Can't be many team time trials in Ireland??

Eddie Dunbar twice won the Nenagh 2nd Cat race aged 16 and 17.
the last time I remember the Ras being in Nenagh Shane Archibold won in a sprint.

apart from Nationals and GAA there wasn't much sport on for a few weeks I wanted to watch - which is fine - there is an avalanche of stuff coming this month
 
I am pissed off that Yves Lampaert won first Tour stage.
Lampaert somehow wasn't banned for blatantly blocking Tim Wellens @ Tour of Belgium last month, preventing him getting time bonuses. Wellens finished level on time w/ Lampaert's Quickstep team mate Mauro Schmid and Wellens correctly blamed Lampaert for him not winning the race.
excellent explanation by Sticky Bottle w/ video:
I deleted what I wrote after reading the above superior account.
blatant cheating as I said in post #1,512. this kind of bollocks is very rare but it should never be tolerated.
a fitting punishment would have been banning Lampaert from the Belgian nationals and not letting him ride the Tour.
instead he was just declassified from the Tour of Belgium.
 

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