TdF Stage 4

Postal wins the TTT, Armstrong in yellow. But will they defend the jersey?

Edit: Results

Good showings by Phonak, T-Mobile, CSC and Rabobank. All the main players should still be within a minute of Lance, we'll see when they post the GC.

1 US Postal 1.12.03
1 Phonak 1.13.10
2 Illes Balears 0.08
3 T-Mobile 0.12
4 CSC 0.38
5 Rabobank 0.46
6 Liberty Seguros 1.18
7 Euskaltel - Euskadi 1.28
8 Saeco 1.28
9 Alessio - Bianci 1.50
10 Quickstep-Davitamon 2.22
11 Crédit Agricole 2.25
12 AG2R 2.58
13 Brioches La Boulangère 3.10
14 Domina Vacanze 3.15
15 Gerolsteiner 3.29
16 Lotto 4.12
17 Cofidis 4.26
18 RAGT Sémences 4.30
19 FDJeux.com 6.18

Got home from a ride just in time to watch the last teams crossing the line.

See my TR if you want, but here is a photo from the ride.

Seems appropriate, even if it is from a few years ago.
http://hosting.the-edg.net/TeleAl/DSC03273.jpg

Go Lance!

Pretty amazing that CSC did as well as they did with the blow outs and also for Tylers team dropping people left and right.

I too am awaiting the GC; but, knowing that the mountains are still days away, I don't think the Posties will defend the jersey.

I'll watch the videotape this evening; I decided I should go to work rather than watch the last several teams finish. I couldn't stand it, so I listened to OLN's internet broadcast - other than the buffering interuptions, it wasn't bad.


Go Lance!

Go Postal! :rolleyes:

It looks like the top 3 are Lance, George and Floyd. Maybe they'll try to get George or Floyd the yellow for a few days.

They will defend the time gaps, not the jersey. This should have Ullrich and Hamilton down over 50 seconds and that's time they can't afford to give back.

Quote:

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Originally posted by Artie Fufkin
Maybe they'll try to get George or Floyd the yellow for a few days.

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It would be really great to see George or Floyd in yellow!!!

i don't think they have any reason to defened the yellow jersey this early. It's a long race, and with the last week being as tough as it is, I doubt they'll waste the energy just to keep the jersey on Lances shoulders. what a day!

Overall, Individual & Team Results - Stage 4


TEAM RESULTS - STAGE
1. U.S. Postal Service, 1:12:03
2. Phonak, 01:07
3. Illes Balears-Banesto, 01:15
4. T-Mobile, 01:19
5. CSC, 01:46
6. Rabobank, 01:53
7. Liberty-Seguras, 02:25
8. Euskaltel-Euskadi, 02:35
9. Saeco, 02:36
10. Alessio-Bianchi, 02:57
11. Quick Step-Davitamon, 03:29
12. Crédit Agricole, 03:32
13. Ag2R Prevoyance, 04:05
14. Brioches La Boulangere, 04:17
15. Domina Vacanze, 04:22
16. Gerolsteiner, 04:36
17. Fassa Bortolo, 04:52
18. Lotto-Domo, 05:19
19. Cofidis, 05:34
20. R.A.G.T. Semences-MG Rover, 05:37
21. FDJeux.com, 07:33


OVERALL STANDINGS
1. Lance Armstrong (USA), U.S. Postal Service, 14:54:53
2. George Hincapie (USA), U.S. Postal Service, 00:10
3. Floyd Landis (USA), U.S. Postal Service, 00:16
4. Azevedo José (P), U.S. Postal Service, 00:22
5. Rubiera José Luis (Sp), U.S. Postal Service, 00:24
6. Gutierrez José Enrique (Sp), Phonak, 00:27
7. Viatceslav Ekimov (Rus), U.S. Postal Service, 00:30
8. Tyler Hamilton (USA), Phonak, 00:36
9. Santos Gonzalez (Sp), Phonak, 00:37
10. Bert Grabsch (G), Phonak, 00:41
11. Jens Voigt (G), CSC, 00:43
12. Oscar Sevilla (Sp), Phonak, 00:44
13. Manuel Beltran (Sp), U.S. Postal Service, 00:47
14. Erik Zabel (G), T-Mobile, 00:47
15. Mikel Pradera (Sp), Illes Balears-Banesto, 00:55
16. Jan Ullrich (G), T-Mobile, 00:55
17. KlÖden Andréas (G), T-Mobile, 00:57
18. Bobby Julich (USA), CSC, 01:00
19. Francisco Mancebo (Sp), Illes Balears-Banesto, 01:01
20. Arvesen Kurt-Asle (Nor), CSC, 01:04
21. Levi Leipheimer (USA), Rabobank, 01:08
22. Daniele Nardello (I), T-Mobile, 01:11
23. Matthias Kessler (G), T-Mobile, 01:14
24. Bram De Groot (Nl), Rabobank, 01:14
25. Michele Bartoli (I), CSC, 01:17
80. Pavel Padrnos (Cz), U.S. Postal Service, 04:16
93. Christian Vandevelde (USA), Liberty-Seguras, 05:28



POINTS - OVERALL
1. Robbie McEwen (Aus), Lotto-Domo, 93 Pts.
2. Nazon Jean-Patrick (F), Ag2R Prevoyance, 85 Pts.
3. Jaan Kirsipuu (Est), Ag2R Prevoyance, 74 Pts.
4. Danilo Hondo (G), Gerolsteiner, 74 Pts.
5. Thor Hushovd (Nor), Crédit Agricole, 70 Pts.
6. Erik Zabel (G), T-Mobile, 66 Pts.
7. Tom Boonen (B), Quick Step-Davitamon, 40 Pts.
8. Alessandro Petacchi (I), Fassa Bortolo, 36 Pts.
9. Fabian Cancellara (Swi), Fassa Bortolo, 35 Pts.
10. Stuart O'Grady (Aus), Cofidis, 32 Pts.


CLIMBER - OVERALL
1. Paolo Bettini (I), Quick Step-Davitamon, 19 Pts.
2. Janeck Tombak (Est), Cofidis, 14 Pts.
3. Jens Voigt (G), CSC, 9 Pts.
4. Bram De Groot (Nl), Rabobank, 7 Pts.
5. Pineau Jérôme (F), Brioches La Boulangere, 3 Pts.
6. Franck Renier (F), Brioches La Boulangere, 3 Pts.
7. Bernhard Eisel (A), FDJeux.com, 2 Pts.
8. Jakob Piil (Dk), CSC, 2 Pts.
9. Richard Virenque (F), Quick Step-Davitamon, 1 Pts.
10. Christophe Mengin (F), FDJeux.com, 1 Pts.


YOUNG RIDER - OVERALL
1. Matthias Kessler (G), TMO, 14:56:07
2. Tom Boonen (B), Quick Step-Davitamon, 00:48
3. Fabian Cancellara (Swi), Fassa Bortolo, 01:11
4. Mark Scanlon (IRL), Ag2R Prevoyance, 01:16
5. Mikel Astarloza (Sp), Ag2R Prevoyance, 01:25
6. Pineau Jérôme (F), Brioches La Boulangere, 01:25
7. Sylvain Chavanel (F), Brioches La Boulangere, 01:31
8. Michele Scarponi (I), Domina Vacanze, 01:33
9. Thomas Voeckler (F), Brioches La Boulangere, 01:46
10. Filippo Pozzato (I), Fassa Bortolo, 02:08

What's with the new rule for the TTT, I don't quite understand it, I think it's ridiculous though that they limit time losses.

Quote:

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Originally posted by Telephil
What's with the new rule for the TTT, I don't quite understand it, I think it's ridiculous though that they limit time losses.

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agreed. the new rules are bunk. the frogs instituted them to limit the posties from blowing the frenchy team and riders outta contention so early on in the TTT.....I mean, whats the point of having a super-strong team for the TTT is you only get 20 seconds, even if ya beat another team by a full minute!?

Quote:

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Originally posted by freshies
whats the point of having a super-strong team for the TTT is you only get 20 seconds, even if ya beat another team by a full minute!?

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Is that what the rule is? You can't lose more than 20 seconds in it?

4 US riders in the top 10. 3 in the top 5. Pretty sweet, hopefully it'll get bigger in the states with results like these.

Quote:

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Originally posted by Telephil
Is that what the rule is? You can't lose more than 20 seconds in it?

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It's some kind of sliding scale, 20 seconds was the maximum loss for the second place team even though they lost by more than a minute. The time loss increases as the placing decreases up to a maximum time loss of 2:30 for the last place team. Yeah, it's farked.

Sure its a bit farked, but the Posties threw down and now everyone knows that wresting number six away from Mr. Armstrong is going to take a race of the ages.

Quote:

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Originally posted by Cosmic Bandito
Sure its a bit farked, but the Posties threw down and now everyone knows that wresting number six away from Mr. Armstrong is going to take a race of the ages.

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true dat!

chris carmichael break-down of how the new TTT rules impacted todays outcome:

Just one day after they used their combined strength to put Euskaltel Euskadi leader Iban Mayo four minutes behind in the overall standings, the US Postal Service again showed their collective power by winning a wet and sloppy team time trial this afternoon.

With a finishing time over one minute ahead of the second placed Phonak squad, and 1:19 faster than Jan Ullrich’s T-Mobile team, Stage 4 could have opened up significant time gaps between the favorites for the yellow jersey. Instead, the new regulations governing the Tour de France team time trial reduced those time gaps to just 20 seconds over Phonak and 40 seconds over T-Mobile. Even so, the US Postal Service’s strong ride put Lance Armstrong into the yellow jersey with 36 seconds in hand to Tyler Hamilton and 55 seconds to Ullrich.

The new team time trial regulations put increased importance on where you placed in the stage as opposed to how much time you actually lost. Finishing fourth, for instance, set the maximum time loss at 40 seconds, though T-Mobile could have lost less than 40 seconds with their fourth place finish if they had crossed the line less than 40 seconds slower than the winning time. The T-Mobile team lost 1:19 to US Postal, and since that was greater than the maximum 40-second loss for fourth place, Jan Ullrich only lost 40 seconds to Lance Armstrong in the overall standings.

Actually, these team time trial rules aren't new. I believe they are a reversion to how the rules were back in the mid 80's.

That said, I don't like them. Time lost should be time lost.

old or new those TT rules are pretty communist.

about Postal's standings though... after the team TT last year they had a majority of riders in the top 15 as well, with Pena in the yellow jersey. it didn't hold of course, everything gets shaked out in the mountains.

their dominance has been shown though, and i think they are right on track to get Lance #6.