Probably the most entertaining Tour I saw was 2003. Lance was off his game that year (he had been sick just before the Tour started) and Jan Ullrich pushed him to the edge. Lance won but his margin was only just over a minute. If I recall, Ullrich crashed on the last time trial and might have beaten Lance were it not for that crash.
Short term goal: 17:59 5K
Mid term goal: 2:54:59 marathon
Long term goal: To say I've been a runner half my life. (I started running at age 45).
Labrat
and it looks like I was wrong about the podium being set.
Valverde drops off it. Frenchmen in the #2 and #3 spots.
5K 20:23 (Vdot 48.7) 9/9/17
10K 44:06 (Vdot 46.3) 3/11/17
HM 1:33:48 (Vdot 48.6) 11/11/17
FM 4:13:43 (Vdot 35.4) 3/4/18
The best finish I ever remember watching was a year - 1989 - that saw the Tour finish with its last stage being a time trial. Greg Lemond trailed Laurent Fignon by 50 seconds going into it. He told his team he didn't want to hear any splits and just went all out. He beat Fignon by 58 seconds to claim what is the closest finish in Tour history. It was short, something like 25 km, so it was even more incredible that Lemond was able to make up that time against a very accomplished former champion.
I remember Lemond breaking out the clip-on aero bars and aero helmet. Fignon had solid disk wheels like Lemond but went helmet-less with standard handlebars. It was amazing to see Lemond finish and watch Fignon basically collapse knowing he had just lost the Tour on the last day.
and it looks like I was wrong about the podium being set. Valverde drops off it. Frenchmen in the #2 and #3 spots.
Oooooh. I've been setting the DVR and watching it in the evenings so I'll have to check this out when I get home.
time trial will change top ten tomorrow...except for nibbles who is safely ahead....has been a great tour...
marathon pr - 3:16
I can't help but wonder what this tour would have been like if Froome and Contador hadn't crashed out. But, such is the nature of the Tour. It is a fickle mutha.
Hip Redux
We get the tour on tv at the hotel!
Great ride by Teejay today moving himself up into the top five. As long as he doesn't make any mistakes like he did this year, he has a great chance at a podium finish. (For those who don't watch it obsessively as I do, the mistake he made this year was not eating enough on the second rest day. Then he bonked on the last climb the next day).
Well done NIbali and Astana, they deserved the win this year.
I just wish NBCsports wouldn't fawn over Pantani as they did in the show Sunday.
He was a great climber, but a outed doper (EPO and others) and drug abuser (Cocaine killed him).