Tour de France

[brgnorway 0]

Ok, this is the time to forget about hooligan sports. The worlds toughest sportsarrangement is due to start soon. Who's going to win this year?

[ralphwiggum 6]

lance armstrong?

[brgnorway 0]

I have a feeling he's not going to do it this year. Too much interest in alleged epo-use. So he's going to be carefull. No, I think Damiano Cuengo; the winner of Giro d'Italia 2004 is among the favourites. It would be nice if Tyler Hamilton could pull it off though!

[blackdog~ 0]

I really don't dig hundreds of dudes in short spandex shorts riding bicycles.

But I think Lance will win, since he's on steroids.

[Colossus 2]

There is a Tour de France this year?

lol I forgot that becouse of something called ¨football¨  

Anyway I don't have a favorite this year but I think, as brgnorway said, Lance Armstrong is not gone win this time.

[Guest]

I really don't dig hundreds of dudes in short spandex shorts riding bicycles.

But I think Lance will win, since he's on steroids.

Firstly...that's about EPO, not steroids. Secondly when asked about supplements Lance has freely admitted that he uses a number of supplements that are not banned...however "immoral" some may consider them. Thirdly if he IS on EPO, he is hardly the only one....which means he STILL out performs everyone else by a good margin and is still a better cyclist on the Tour than everyone else over the last few years.

I'd love to see Stuart O'Grady do well (being an Aussie) but I suspect Lance will win again. It strikes me that he will retire the day he thinks that he doesn't have a good chance....the guy only really cycles to win the Tour, not any other of the races throughout the year.

[WhoCares 0]

Not to forget Jan Ulrich, despite the loss of Alexander Vinokurov (3rd last year) for the T-Mobile Team.

Beloki doesn't start either - another strong opponent from last year...

[cozza 24]

bahhh toar de france. toar de central kynton. I ride my bike with no rubber on the tires and i still go faster.

[brgnorway 0]

I'll keep an eye on two of my personal favourites in the sprint stages: "The lion king" Cipollini and Thor Hushovd (and Stuart O'Grady of course) . And of course there's the Saeco Cannondal team - the Ferrari of bikes!

[Apollo 0]

Well if you wanna gamble on sprinters i can only nut promote 1 nmae: Pettachi !

The tour in it's whole will probably be won by Lance Armstrong ,and Green is usually a fight between Zabel, Mcewen and o'Grady.

The mountain jersey? i wouldn't know ,there are no outspoken favourite climbers this year.

As usual ,Italy will probbably get the record in number of stage won followed by Spain.

[denoir 0]

I really don't dig hundreds of dudes in short spandex shorts riding bicycles.

Ditto. I don't really understand the attraction to the sport. Especially not when there's a football turnament.

[ran 0]

I really don't dig hundreds of dudes in short spandex shorts riding bicycles.

Ditto. I don't really understand the attraction to the sport. Especially not when there's a football turnament.

I watch the tour just because of the landscape and the folklore personally

[Veovis 0]

I find "football" to be THE most boring sport to watch on TV. I would rather watch golf. Hockey, now there's an exciting game to watch.

[SpongeBob 0]

I watch it for the same reasons I watch auto racing: crashes.

[Winters 1]

Until someone beats him my moneys on Lance Armstrong.

[Postduifje 0]

I watch the tour just because of the landscape and the folklore personally

Exactly my thoughts . I don't really care who wins it, but it gives this summer feeling sitting on the couch with a beer after a swim, watching people cycle thrue the beautifull french landscape.

[ran 0]

I watch the tour just because of the landscape and the folklore personally

Exactly my thoughts . I don't really care who wins it, but it gives this summer feeling sitting on the couch with a beer after a swim, watching people cycle thrue the beautifull french landscape.

Yeah, and you get to discover new places ... and people must admit that France is one of the nicest countries in the world

[farmcoot 0]

My money is on fellow Texan Lance Armstrong.

[xela89 0]

lance amstrong like every year

you should have named this topic who will be the second?

[sanctuary 19]

I really like the Tour de France , i watch it on tv each years for the great landscapes

It is very nice on some of the stages, especially when it involves mountains.

Now on who will win the Tour de France ?

My best guess is for those 5 names we will see at the end, as usual each of the years :

1st : Product used to Mask others

2nd : E.P.O.

3rd : Hormons

4th : Corticoids

5th : Steroids

Or the sames , but not in those exact places

[ozanzac 0]

I watch the tour just because of the landscape and the folklore personally

Exactly my thoughts . I don't really care who wins it, but it gives this summer feeling sitting on the couch with a beer after a swim, watching people cycle thrue the beautifull french landscape.

In all seriousness, rather than watching other people do it, you should do it yourself. (Not enter the Tour de France, but ride a bike through the countryside)

I manage to get around to blowing the cobwebs off of my mountain bike for a big ride once a year now during spring, And ride 140 kms's or so in a day at a leasurly pace. See wildlife I rarely get to see, sample great food at spots I'd otherwise never have the time to stop at and take in the culture of various communities. Last year it was the Barossa Valley. This year I'm thinking about taking in part of the Heysen Trail.

It's amazingly refreshing, and if your not too sore about it the next day, you can say to yourself 'wow, I'm still fit!'.

[Konyak-2 0]

Anyone here ride road bikes on a regular bases? Part of a club? Just restored an old Peugeot 15 speed racing bike and have re-discovered the great feeling and efficiency of this mode of transport. Especially zipping by the idiots who buy mountain bikes to ride around in town on

On topic, I'd say Armstrong could pull it off again. But wasn't there some incident last year that gave him a little lead? A penalty on a competitor?

Konyak

[cozza 24]

Last year it was the Barossa Valley.

ahhh i remenber the berrosa vally. Lots of vineyards there right. I went to Adalaide to see Esseden beat Adelaide back in 2000.

[Veovis 0]

I used to bike a lot. I did a 4 day, 350 mile trip every year for four years. Even did 100 miles in one day once.... but then I got a car, and have since ceased to see the point

[Postduifje 0]

I watch the tour just because of the landscape and the folklore personally

Exactly my thoughts . I don't really care who wins it, but it gives this summer feeling sitting on the couch with a beer after a swim, watching people cycle thrue the beautifull french landscape.

In all seriousness, rather than watching other people do it, you should do it yourself. (Not enter the Tour de France, but ride a bike through the countryside)

I manage to get around to blowing the cobwebs off of my mountain bike for a big ride once a year now during spring, And ride 140 kms's or so in a day at a leasurly pace. See wildlife I rarely get to see, sample great food at spots I'd otherwise never have the time to stop at and take in the culture of various communities. Last year it was the Barossa Valley. This year I'm thinking about taking in part of the Heysen Trail.

It's amazingly refreshing, and if your not too sore about it the next day, you can say to yourself 'wow, I'm still fit!'.

I do that sometimes, but then I'll cycle a little more close to where I live, the dutch Arnhem-Nijmegen region where I can view the old battlefields of Market Garden, and that all in a more relax temperature then the 35 degrees southern France

But you know, the tour is different than that. It's the atmosphere that comes with it, along with these weird large things they have comming out of the ground, called mountains I believe