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[DrM]

What is this, Tour de Carmageddon

 

[bjaelke]

The barbed wire fence left a nasty mark on Hoogerlands F*ck.

 

[Boozeroony]

Those cuts look nasty. Lots of blood. Must hurt .

 

[kottila]

read on twitter

I will speak for my press caravan colleagues in saying we all fear the approach of France 2/3. Consistently over-agro.

 

[Tony Rocky Horror]

Ugh.. Here are the images again.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k9xvzl6zLR8

 

[Kurtofan]

France télévisions lololol

 

[froliq]

Bleh, I feel disgusted for watching todays course. Heck not just today, but almost this entire first week.

I hope Flecha and Hoogerland will be okay and that the remaining weeks will be more fun to watch.

 

[Wes]

What the HELL was that driver thinking? What a complete prat.

 

[Kabouter]

Bleh, I feel disgusted for watching todays course. Heck not just today, but almost this entire first week.

I hope Flecha and Hoogerland will be okay and that the remaining weeks will be more fun to watch.

Yes, this has been a rather sucky Tour de France so far, I want to see athletes performing, not people crashing out and shit :/.

 

[kottila]

Voeckler gets the yellow handed to him because of the massive crash. Unless he's taken down by a spectator or dog.

 

[littleworm]

This tour sucks, all these crashes taking out riders or knocking them out of contention ruins all of the excitement.

 

[Pacbois]

DAMN YOU SANCHEZ D:

 

[kottila]

Easy win for Sanchez, but Voeckler is probably satisfied with the day no matter what. He could have both the yellow and polkadot tomorrow if Hoogerland has to quit.

 

[bjaelke]

Andy took a few seconds on Contador.

 

[Kabouter]

Andy took a few seconds on Contador.

The official tour site disagrees with you.

 

[perryfarrell]

Gotta give it to Voeckler. Great ride, and his happy face when putting on the yellow was priceless.

 

[AndyD]

Yes, this has been a rather sucky Tour de France so far, I want to see athletes performing, not people crashing out and shit :/.

Yep. The car driving into the bikes totally soured today for me.

 

[Kabouter]

Yep. The car driving into the bikes totally soured today for me.

Thankfully, Johnny Hoogerland too was able to finish the stage, and for that he is truly the hero of the day for me. Despite having cuts so bad he needed new pants, and the guy freeing him from the barbed wire having to put in such an effort that he injured himself, Hoogerland still managed to get to the finish and even finish well before many others. He is a legend as far as I'm concerned. I hope he recuperates sufficiently well so that he can continue after tomorrow. Certainly, no one has deserved his rest day more.

 

[Boozeroony]

Hoogerland trapped in barbed wire: http://i55.tinypic.com/2lwnlmb.jpg

Slight male nudity...

 

[-MB-]

Damn, watching him collect the Mountain jersey is heartbreakign to watch, hes crying his eyes out :/

 

[Goldrusher]

Better video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uBAfMml4tno

I hope they ban the driver from the Tour forever.

 

[-MB-]

brrrrr

 

[Diablohead]

I just saw that car knock thing on the news, what the fuck! I know he was trying to avoid the tree but what reckless driving, if that crash has caused one or two of the riders to not be able to compete then the driver really needs seeing too.

 

[perryfarrell]

Another pic of Hoogerland (large)

He has 3 deep cuts and is in hospital. Says he's not blaming anyone.

 

[bjaelke]

The official tour site disagrees with you.

Yeah i was wrong. Looked like there was a gap between cunego and bertie at first glance

 

[-MB-]

 

[NihonTiger90]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ywWr-7uBTD4

In case you want to ride the TDF and have a ton of money to throw away.

 

[Boozeroony]

Jesus

 

[bjaelke]

Saw this list posted over at cyclingnews' forum:

Stage 9
207 POELS Wouter (NED) VACANSOLEIL-DCM withdrawls
192 BRUTT Pavel (RUS) KATUSHA TEAM withdrawls
61 VINOKOUROV Alexandre (KAZ) PRO TEAM ASTANA withdrawls
59 ZABRISKIE David (USA) TEAM GARMIN - CERVELO withdrawls
44 GARATE Juan Manuel (ESP) RABOBANK CYCLING TEAM non-starter
39 WILLEMS Frederik (BEL) OMEGA PHARMA - LOTTO withdrawls
31 VAN DEN BROECK Jurgen (BEL) OMEGA PHARMA - LOTTO withdrawls
26 TXURRUKA Amets (ESP) EUSKALTEL - EUSKADI withdrawls

Stage 8
86 INTXAUSTI Benat (ESP) MOVISTAR TEAM withdrawls
72 HORNER Christopher (USA) TEAM RADIOSHACK non-starter

Stage 7
136 PAURIOL Rémi (FRA) FDJ withdrawls
122 BOONEN Tom (BEL) QUICK STEP CYCLING TEAM withdrawls
111 WIGGINS Bradley (GBR) SKY PROCYCLING withdrawls

Stage 6
87 KIRYIENKA Vasil (BLR) MOVISTAR TEAM outside time limit
28 VELASCO Ivan (ESP) EUSKALTEL - EUSKADI non-starter

Stage 5
186 KERN Christophe (FRA) TEAM EUROPCAR withdrawls
71 BRAJKOVIC Janez (SLO) TEAM RADIOSHACK withdrawls

Stage 4
37 VAN DE WALLE Jurgen (BEL) OMEGA PHARMA - LOTTO withdrawls

18 riders out already. That's just too many in the opening week.

 

[twothunder]

So. 18 riders out. Including big names like Vino and Van Den Broeck.
Geesink ,Contador and many others crashing and going on injured.

And what happened to Hoogerland... caused by some foolish driver.
I hope he turns out okay. Just looking at the picture -MB- posted hurts.
This is turning out to be one crazy start of the Tour.

 

[speedpop]

Fucking hell. Congratulations to myself for having to head to bed early and missing one intense stage.

Going to go watch the highlights reel then


Can't believe Vino and Van den Broeck are gone. Vino especially since the man has the heart of an ox. Incredibly upsetting watching that car hit Flecha and Hoogerland crashing into the barbed wire because of it. Last thing we need is a rider like Hoogerland getting injured - seems like being able to wear the polka dot jersey is barely compensating for it. Hopefully a full day's rest will help heal whatever damage was done to the both of them.

And looks like Contador was pushed? I understand that there might be some animosity toward him now but fuck me. These guys are supposed to be professionals; we don't watch them to crash and have silly fights.

 

[Tarazet]

And looks like Contador was pushed? I understand that there might be some animosity toward him now but fuck me. These guys are supposed to be professionals; we don't watch them to crash and have silly fights.

Contador said they just got tangled up and it was an accident.

 

[kottila]

Contador said they just got tangled up and it was an accident.

Yeah, if he was pushed there would've been some kind of reaction from him or the other cyclists

 

[Kabouter]

A hectic first week of the Tour is starting to add up for Rabobank, with team mechanic Vinni Hendriks explaining that he will need to order more spare parts in order to make it to Paris.

"The bikes of Gesink, Barredo, Garate and Ten Dam are a total loss," Hendriks told Het Nieuwsblad with each bike costing around 8000 Euros. "It is my eighth Tour, and I’ve never experienced this kind of workload. We have three mechanics, and every day were are working late at night on the bikes to get ready for the next day. "

Costly affair.

Matt Goss was calling it "the most expensive sleep ever" when his phone went haywire in the middle of the night, re-sending entire text message conversations to their recipients.

"Just woke up and seen that my phone had re-sent every msg that was on in, at least once! 2000+ msg... Sorry to anyone that got bombarded with month old messages," he apologised over Twitter.

Hahahah, guess HTC has to win a few more stages so he can pay off that bill

 

[bjaelke]

We have our first positive. Katusha's Alexander Kolobnev. He'll not be suspended unless the b-sample is also positive.

http://www.lequipe.fr/Cyclisme/breves2011/20110711_194407_kolobnev-positif.html

 

[perryfarrell]

18 riders out already. That's just too many in the opening week.

Yep, way too many.

A Belgian broadcaster in an interview yesterday suggested that the Tour should scale back, down-size. The current Tour--with riders, TV cars, motorcycles, huge pelotons all jostling for position on slick downhill roads--is simply too dangerous for everyone involved. Perhaps less flat stages in the first week would also help.

 

[kottila]

We have our first positive. Katusha's Alexander Kolobnev. He'll not be suspended unless the b-sample is also positive.

http://www.lequipe.fr/Cyclisme/breves2011/20110711_194407_kolobnev-positif.html

He's not riding the rest of the tour, so I gess he's no 19

 

[Kabouter]

Yep, way too many.

A Belgian broadcaster in an interview yesterday suggested that the Tour should scale back, down-size. The current Tour--with riders, TV cars, motorcycles, huge pelotons all jostling for position on slick downhill roads--is simply too dangerous for everyone involved. Perhaps less flat stages in the first week would also help.

Others have suggested the same, Rabobank leader I think it was suggested 20 teams with 8 riders each.

 

[bjaelke]

Contador meeting with the girl that caused the crash on the first stage.

Headline should read: "You took my shirt, b*tch!"

He's not riding the rest of the tour, so I gess he's no 19

And Popovych is number 20 The last time this many riders were forced to abandon was '98 and we all remember that "crash".

 

[kottila]

we're off. The sprint teams could try to keep it together until the intermediate sprint, because it's been going 56k/h the first 5km so far.

Weather before start (from Cavs twitter

 

[Kabouter]

we're off. The sprint teams could try to keep it together until the intermediate sprint, because it's been going 56k/h the first 5km so far.

And they were trying, pace was extremely high, peloton was strung out. However, six riders apparently have been able to manage a small break. With many others trying to join them.

 

[kottila]

First crash of the day already, Cancellara, Leipheimer, Leukemans and Gesink involved.

 

[Hanmik]

First crash of the day already, Cancellara, Leipheimer, Leukemans and Gesink involved.

I´m watching a Eurosport stream.. they are only showing footage from the sunday race..

 

[kottila]

I´m watching a Eurosport stream.. they are only showing footage from the sunday race..

The official tv-broadcast hasn't started yet. but there is a live report on letour.fr.

Looks like it went ok for everyone

 

[bjaelke]

I´m watching a Eurosport stream.. they are only showing footage from the sunday race..

Live ticker. They don't start broadcasting for another 20 minutes.

http://gaps.letour.fr/us.php

 

[Leonsito]

First crash of the day already, Cancellara, Leipheimer, Leukemans and Gesink involved.

Here we go again...

 

[Hanmik]

Live ticker. They don't start broadcasting for another 20 minutes.

http://gaps.letour.fr/us.php

thanks for the info..

 

[kottila]

Flecha also went down again. that's got to hurt

 

[kottila]

Aurillac, the start city is the umbrella capital of the world, so shitty weather should be expected. A thunder storm is supposed to hit around the expected finish, so this could be fun..

 

[kottila]

Anthony Delaplace (Saur-Sojasun)
Marco Marcato (Vacansoleil)
Julien El Fares (Cofidis)
Arthur Vichot (FDJ)
Sébastien Minard (AG2R)
Rémy Di Gregorio (Astana)

almost 2min ahead, so thats the breakaway. Everyone is french except Marcato, who is Italian