There was a small thread on the other sports board but I am talking to myself now that Lance has been removed from contention. BUT! this is still a sports story worth following.

There are certain sporting events that are compelling regardless of the type of sport b/c of the story-line and I think this year's TdF is one of them.

Lance crashed 3 times in one stage early on dropping him from the list of contenders and that combined with the 7:30 am start time has turned off what few fans there were originally watching.

A compelling story-line still exists though, more compelling than the TdF has had in quite some time IMO. Mainly in part due to two men, Alberto Contador and Andy Schlek.

Contador leads Schlek by a mere EIGHT seconds. This after 40+ hours of racing! It is incredibly tight. Yesterday Schlek was in the lead by 31 seconds, Contador (current two-time champ) repeatedly tried to attack on a grueling climb but Schlek wouldn't let him out of his sight. It was mentally frustrating for Contador. Fast forward to today. On another grueling climb Contador could't shake Schlek, then near the top Schlek decides to pull away and he does, only to have his chain come off his bike 10 seconds after making his run. He has to stop and fix his bike. Contador being a puss decides to seize that opportunity and attack. He finishes the climb and races down the mountain, with help (from other riders), and finishes the stage 39 seconds faster than Schlek who essentially did his descent alone. Contador later claimed he didn't know Schlek had mechanical difficulties. Total crap IMO.

Schlek wasn't happy that Contador chose to attack while his ride malfunctioned (In 2001 Lance waited for rival Jan Ulrich after Ulrich crashed). Schlek has promised revenge tomorrow on a stage that features 3 VERY difficult climbs in the Pyrenees.

Tomorrow could determine the entire tour and IMO offers a fascinating plot-line. Tune if you're awake or own a DVR.

This sounds like The Housewives of New Jersey On Bicycles











(I actually do normally keep up - very casually - with the TdF so this is interesting)

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If Contador were to crash and never be able to ride again, my feelings would not be hurt.

take it to the world cup board

The above is a profile of tomorrow's race. Brutal mountain after brutal mountain.

CBatt
I completely agree, definitely up there on my most hated athletes list

The above is also a graph of my emotions throughout the A&M to SEC saga.

(just keeping it board related)

There's been a gentleman's agreement in the TdF that you don't take advantage of bathroom breaks, and similar such. Jan Ulrich slowed when a spectator's bag caught Lance's handlebars, I believe. I don't know that this has ALWAYS been the case, though. I remember one time when Lance strayed off course in an s-turn, he did a great job of getting back on course. Had he not done that, would everyone have slowed to let him catch up? I'm not so sure.

Contador apparently doesn't honor this, and neither does the RadioShack (and former Astana) coach, Johan Bruyneel. They'd take advantage.

If I were in his shoes, frankly, I'd probably have a hard time not taking advantage, too. I can't imagine not shooting ahead -- particularly if everyone else was, as they were. But I wouldn't lie about it, as he seems to have done.

Wrong forum, hobby non-sport, Eurotrash....

This thread fails on so many levels.

Alright I've been thinking about this since about 7 o'clock but....

I understand the idea of sportsmanship involved BUT this is dumb. Would we expect the opposing team football team to not pick up a fumble because the RB pulled his hamstring on the play causing the fumble? Would we expect a baserunner to just walk intentionally step off the base and be tagged out because the ump missed the call? No, in most American sports we consider luck to be a part of the winning formula. Sometimes the ball bounces your way sometimes it doesn't.

Sure he couldn't help his chain slipped, but how do we know the other guys won't today or maybe hell get caught in a pileup. Pandering to the guy in the lead, simply helps him stay in the lead regardless of whether he deserves it or not. That is not racing.

That is a stupid unwritten rule. In competition, you should take advantage of any weakness in the opponent. Good for Contador to try to break this stupid tradition.

[This message has been edited by 1876er (edited 7/20/2010 8:21a).]

as a 'sports' fan just wondering....does riding a bike turn into a 'sport' at the big wheels stage, tricycle stage, training wheels stage....do number of wheels matter? does size matter? gender?

tia

[This message has been edited by Pure Aggie (edited 7/20/2010 9:22a).]

I have to agree that it is stupid to not take advantage of something like that. You are racing each other to win, so do it.

Does that yellow jersey come in ladies sizes?

As A cycling fan who has been following this closely, I understand the unwritten code of ethics among these competitors. Contador clerely was frustrated that Shleck has been the better rider, and he used this excuse to cheat him out of the yellow jersey.

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As A cycling fan who has been following this closely, I understand the unwritten code of ethics among these competitors. Contador clerely was frustrated that Shleck has been the better rider, and he used this excuse to cheat him out of the yellow jersey.

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The only way Contador would have "cheated" him out of the jersey would be if he had sabotaged Shleck's bike. Shleck sounds like a whiny b**** to me, and this thread only serves to reinforce my decision to not watch competitive cycling. Shleck is responsible for his own equipment, not any other rider.

“I play real sports. I’m not trying to be the best at exercising."- Kenny F-ing Powers

I bet Rocky is real fun to play games with.

I love the tour and am very disappointed that riders are starting to disregard the rules of the road.

Contador is a punk regardless of this result. He has reeled in his own teammates causing them to not win the stage while he didn't win himself. He has blatant disregard for his team and fellow competitors.

[This message has been edited by wurmhole (edited 7/20/2010 10:02a).]

It's an unwritten rule of decorum and they are a part of all sports. It is similar to helping a football player up after you just sacked him. Do you step on his hand or poke him in the eye just because it might give you an advantage? Do you walk in the line of your opponent's putt in golf just to throw him (or her) off?

The Tour has almost 200 riders and goes on day after day for thousands of miles. They know what is considered appropriate and what is not.

I'm sorry, I'm not gonna watch bicycling cause I watch real sports. I don't want to see who's the best at exercising.

To make things even more dramatic Schlek woo'ed Contador's girlfriend at the Tour de France dance last night.



[This message has been edited by Beware of Doug (edited 7/20/2010 10:04a).]

The fact that the football board has the highest readership is not a reason to post something totally unrelated (and something that 90% of us don't care about).

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Tour d' France is to "honor" as LeBron James is to....

...well...

...honor


Sorry, I think competitive cycling is a great sport and I marvel at the physical conditioning that it takes to navigate the TdF course. But to make it about honor is just ridiculous. It's probably my least favorite cycling competition - just because of all the external drama that surrounds it.

I believe in good sportsmanship. When the play is over, you help the other guy up. After the game, you shake their hand. If a plyer is injured, you take a knee when the play is over. But if their shoe comes untied in the middle of a play, and they stop to tie it, you keep going. It's not the same as stepping on them while they are down. Why should one guy's time in a stage be negatively affected because another guy had an equipment malfunction?

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It's an unwritten rule of decorum and they are a part of all sports. It is similar to helping a football player up after you just sacked him. Do you step on his hand or poke him in the eye just because it might give you an advantage? Do you walk in the line of your opponent's putt in golf just to throw him (or her) off?

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No offense but this is ridiculous reasoning. Walking in front of someone's putt isn't part of the game (except when I play a select group of friends.) And yes many football players step on hands, poke eyes and refuse to help opposing players up and many people have no problem with that.

A better comparison would be if a golfers putter broke would you wait for him to get a new putter or miss your shot on purpose to stay even? Hell no. Your putter sucks..haha

Or how about if a football players helmet comes off would you stop the play so he can put it back on?

Equipment is part of the game. Probably moreso than any other sport in Cycling. His anger should be directed elsewhere. You think after that leg they tried to figure out what went wrong with his chain? Made some adjustments?

I don't see how taking advantage of someone's equipment shortfall is considered a violation of some 'gentleman's agreement.' There's a big difference in a fan interfering and equipment issues. Maybe next year I'll enter on my $1200 Trek and ***** because they don't wait up.

When a club breaks in golf then you can only use what is left in the bag. That's a rule in golf. We are talking about unwritten rules, which can be and are broken, but tend to result in the person breaking the rules losing respect. If you don't care for having any respect then break all the unwritten rules you want.

I actually meant would you wait for someone to go buy a new putter.

What I and many others are trying to figure out...why is that even an 'unwritten rule?' It shouldn't be. It's your responsibility to purchase maintain and use your equipment properly. It's a race not a MS 150 ride.

You are not allowed in tournament play to replace a club that breaks in golf. It is a rule, not an unwritten rule. Most weekend golfers do not follow this rule along with many, many others. They probably borrow one from friend and continue unless one of the other players objects.

I do not know the specifics of why waiting for the yellow jersey holder to repair their bike before continuing is an unwritten rule. It is simply a longtime tradition in the Tour that all riders are familiar with.

In my opinion the event is pretty weak if players lose respect for not following imaginary rules. If you had to stop in the middle of a play because a players shoe came untied, or else lose respect and be called a cheater, I wouldn't watch football either. If your bike still works, you keep riding.

Why follow tradition? You would think that Ags would understand following tradition or losing respect. Guess not.