Le Tour de Pharmaceutical 2012

The tour is starting early this year, no doubt because of the Olympics. Looks just as challanging as last year & includes two individual time trials which should suit Cadel. There are 9 flat stages,
4 medium mountain stages - one with a summit finish
5 mountain stages - two with a summit finish
2 individual time-trial stages
1 prologue
2 rest days

Have been watching a bit of the Dauphine, Wiggens looks pretty good. 2 time trials will help him.

Euro, le tour, Wimbledon, Olympics then footy finals.

Does it get better than this?

The markets could be going up.

Some very wasted mountain stages in there which won't cause any gaps in the GC, like stage 14

Wiggins has looked mental in all the time trials this year, beating Tony Martin, the World TT champion, all five times they've faced each other. The downhill finishes and the mountains are where he could lose time.
Evans hasn't had the same success he had last year, but his preparations are looking quite good for the Tour itself. Still think he's favourite along with Wiggins.
Andy Schleck's done sweet fark all in the whole season and abandoned pretty much every race he has entered, podium is a long shot the way he's ridden, or not, this year.
Nibali, Gesink (if he can stay upright), Leipheimer, Horner and a Garmin rider should top 10 this year, not to mention the qunt Valverde (who still says he innocent of doping).
Cav will be Wiggins' biggest stumbling block for Wiggins considering his possible need for team mates on the flat stages, but considering his effort at the Giro d'Italia, he may not necessarily finish the Tour. Especially with the Olympics.
Wiggins Evans looks the main battle.

would be good to see Michael Rogers have a good tour after his many injuries over recent years.

Aye, he was pretty decent yesterday at the Dauphine, and has won the Bayern Rundfahrt this year. He's not going to have a free role though, Porte, Rogers and Froome, if he rides, will all be Wiggins' men up the mountains.

Well it looks like Andy finally won a Tour..

Contador's record expunged.

Big Dog wrote:Well it looks like Andy finally won a Tour..

Contador's record expunged.

It's ridiculous that they award the Tour to whoever came second. The fact is that everyone rides against the Yellow jersey, not who is coming second. If Contador hadn't been in the Tour then there would have been a whole different dynamic.

To his credit, Andy has always said that he wouldn't feel like a Tour winner if he officially won under these circumstances.

JGK wrote:

Big Dog wrote:Well it looks like Andy finally won a Tour..

Contador's record expunged.

It's ridiculous that they award the Tour to whoever came second. The fact is that everyone rides against the Yellow jersey, not who is coming second. If Contador hadn't been in the Tour then there would have been a whole different dynamic.

To his credit, Andy has always said that he wouldn't feel like a Tour winner if he officially won under these circumstances.

Agree

So Wiggins won the Dauphine, his third stage race win this season, ahead of Rogers and Evans.

As for the points classification, Sagan seems to be in some brilliant form. He does everything well bar the high mountains.

Samuel Sanchez may have cracked ribs after his crash, podium must be tough now, and Dan Martin (Stephen Roche's nephew) also got a minor injury in the Dauphine, he was targeting the polka dots.

2 poms and 2 Aussies at the top of the GC. Strange days indeed.

It's the Kenyan in Froome, he rode for Kenya in the 2006 Commonwealth games. He did nothing after his 3rd at the Vuelta and now suddenly a 4th here, just seems to be cured of his bilharzia virus in recent days.

Paul Keating wrote:Euro, le tour, Wimbledon, Olympics then footy finals.

Does it get better than this?

A Federal Election?

skully wrote:

Paul Keating wrote:Euro, le tour, Wimbledon, Olympics then footy finals.

Does it get better than this?

A Federal Election?

wont happen for at least 14 months ...and you wont like the result

That's crazy talk.

Andy Schleck ruled out with injury. Good news for Wiggins' prospects I guess but not for the Tour as a spectacle, who's going to try and blow things apart in the mountains now? Frank surely won't be strong enough to have an impact on his own. Suspect it will be back to the cagey mountain stages of a few years ago with the main contenders waiting for the deciding time trial to make their move.

Here's a surprise

STORY

"The letter alleges that Armstrong, who won the Tour every year from 1999 to 2005 after surviving testicular cancer, used EPO, blood transfusions, testosterone, corticosteroids and masking agents, and that he distributed and administered drugs to others"

That's a bigger cocktail than Vilky takes prior to lipsyncing in front of the mirror to Blancmange's Livinig on the Ceiling

beamer wrote:Andy Schleck ruled out with injury. Good news for Wiggins' prospects I guess but not for the Tour as a spectacle, who's going to try and blow things apart in the mountains now? Frank surely won't be strong enough to have an impact on his own. Suspect it will be back to the cagey mountain stages of a few years ago with the main contenders waiting for the deciding time trial to make their move.

Aye. Having a desparate Contador and Shleck last year made for some great stages.

G.Wood wrote:Here's a surprise

STORY

"The letter alleges that Armstrong, who won the Tour every year from 1999 to 2005 after surviving testicular cancer, used EPO, blood transfusions, testosterone, corticosteroids and masking agents, and that he distributed and administered drugs to others"

That's a bigger cocktail than Vilky takes prior to lipsyncing in front of the mirror to Blancmange's Livinig on the Ceiling

Who were the 7 2nd place getters that will step up once Armstrong is finally stripped of his Tour victories?

Well Jan Ulrich was runner up several times and he was just as doped up.

Which is why they shouldn't award the title to whoever came second.

A fair call, MrK.

JGK wrote:Well Jan Ulrich was runner up several times and he was just as doped up.

Which is why they shouldn't award the title to whoever came second.

Reasonable postulation but wouldn't leaving the winner as "Nul due to drugs" be even more of a taint on the event (if that is possible)

I don't think so. It should encourage the sport to find the cheating qunts before they race.

Lance Armstrong and Chuck Muralitharan - the two biggest cheats in sporting history.