TdF Stage 17

**Artie Fufkin** · 07-20-2005, 08:59 AM

Awesome finish, Paolo "Il Falco" Savodelli takes it right at the line. Great to see the Disco riders kicking ass. The post-Lance era for this team is looking good.

**InspectorGadget** · 07-20-2005, 09:01 AM

Oh my hell! They kept talking about Hinault's heart rate being pegged - my heart was racing watching Paolo real in Arvesen. Great finish!!!

**truth** · 07-20-2005, 09:09 AM

Great race today. Unemployment during the TdF rocks.

**ulty_guy** · 07-20-2005, 09:23 AM

too bad il falco hasn't gotten the proper props for winning the giro (again). a guy on any other team would have some swank pink helmet and other goodies, but i guess lance casts a long shadow. mega props for the win today, certainly can't say he whell sucked like hincapie a couple of days ago.

**truth** · 07-20-2005, 09:32 AM

Originally Posted by ulty_guy

certainly can't say he whell sucked like hincapie a couple of days ago.

I still can't believe the shit talking about George's win. The only reason he would have worked in that break at the end was if they were going to be caught. His tactics were perfect. His win was textbook. Anyone who pulls his rival to the line deserves to be beat.

**Mr. Altagirl** · 07-20-2005, 09:48 AM

Originally Posted by truth

I still can't believe the shit talking about George's win. The only reason he would have worked in that break at the end was if they were going to be caught. His tactics were perfect. His win was textbook. Anyone who pulls his rival to the line deserves to be beat.

Word! Add to that that the same thing happened yesterday to Cadel Evans by the SAME GUY who pulled Hincappie. Good win for both, road cycling is just as much about stratagy as anything else. (I felt for Evans but he did what he had to do to put time into everyone else.)

**ulty_guy** · 07-20-2005, 10:47 AM

it's about conflicting ambitions. evans had more to ride for on the g.c., so he was better off keeping the pace high, and negating the cat/mouse stuff in the last few miles that can seriously slow things down, especially when the break has some space. i'm not taking much away from hincapie, to the victor's team goes the spoils and the opportunity.

**Artie Fufkin** · 07-20-2005, 11:25 AM

Originally Posted by truth

I still can't believe the shit talking about George's win. The only reason he would have worked in that break at the end was if they were going to be caught. His tactics were perfect. His win was textbook. Anyone who pulls his rival to the line deserves to be beat.

Exactly, it's not always the strongest rider that wins, but the sometimes the smarter/more tactical riders. Hincapie used good tactics and won Stage 15, Il Falco used some strong riding and good tactics and won Stage 17, and Pereiro(who bitched about George sucking his wheel in Stage 15) used tactics, sucked wheel and won himself Stage 16.

Edit for GC/Team standings, Disco jumps TMob:

General classification after stage 17

1 Lance Armstrong (USA) Discovery Channel 72.55.50
2 Ivan Basso (Ita) Team CSC 2.46
3 Michael Rasmussen (Den) Rabobank 3.09
4 Jan Ullrich (Ger) T-Mobile Team 5.58
5 Francisco Mancebo (Spa) Illes Balears-Caisse d'Epargne 6.31
6 Levi Leipheimer (USA) Gerolsteiner 7.35
7 Alexandre Vinokourov (Kaz) T-Mobile Team 9.38
8 Cadel Evans (Aus) Davitamon-Lotto 9.49
9 Floyd Landis (USA) Phonak Hearing Systems 9.53
10 Christophe Moreau (Fra) Credit Agricole 12.07

Teams classification

1 Discovery Channel Team 216.19.20
2 T-Mobile Team 0.37
3 Team Csc 22.04

**truth** · 07-20-2005, 12:22 PM

The team standings might make for some interesting racing the rest of the week.

**peterslovo** · 07-20-2005, 12:29 PM

Originally Posted by truth

The team standings might make for some interesting racing the rest of the week.

I agree, though I'm still quite interested in the 2nd-3rd place battle in the GC.

**Artie Fufkin** · 07-20-2005, 12:56 PM

Originally Posted by peterslovo

I agree, though I'm still quite interested in the 2nd-3rd place battle in the GC.

I don't think Basso is leaving 2nd place, I think the biggest changes will be between 3rd and 7th place, based on his lack of TT skills Rasmussen is definitely off of the podium, no one is going to let him get that far. I think Jan is the best bet for 3rd and I think Levi has a good chance for 5th.

Tomorrow's stage looks interesting, couple short but steep climbs could mix things up:

**atomicboy** · 07-20-2005, 02:05 PM

1. Hincapie takes the Queen stage.
2. Salvodelli wins today.
3. LA cruising toward Paris on auto-pilot.
4. Popo in white.
5. Disco leading the team classification.

This is just a slaughter. You can almost add #6 LA wins stage by destroying the ITT

Now for todays stage...I like the TM twinkies..I mean pinkies but how in the fuck do you lose 19 minutes in the team classification in one day. Lets see Disco has two in the break I am sure they won't get too far in front so lets just send one rider up to join them..stupid stupid stupid. Everyday I wake up thinking it can't get any worse for them but it does. The only thing they had to show for this Tour was the team classification. Now they have zero nothing.

What is downright HILARIOUS though....is that the one guy on T-Mobile who has a stage win, Vinokourov, got that win wearing his national kit instead of T-Mobile colors and ALSO is the guy who announced he is leaving the team!

This is a complete and total failure for T-Mobile on every level. They can't even effectively use Vino's win for promotional stuff! They get outsmarted today and lose the lead in the teams competition. They are basically leaving this race empty-handed.

For all the criticism lodged at vino, he's the only one that will leave this tour with a major prize, after they way they bungled the team prize today.

vino won a prestigious mountain top finish stage
vino won the cima coppi (or whatever the french call it)
vino got a stage placing and podiumed on the time trial stage
vino won most combative on a few stages
vino should finish in the top 6

good thing tmob brought vino or they would have nothing.

**TeleAl** · 07-20-2005, 02:39 PM

Originally Posted by atomicboy

1. Hincapie takes the Queen stage.
2. Salvodelli wins today.
3. LA cruising toward Paris on auto-pilot.
4. Popo in white.
5. Disco leading the team classification.

Yup. This was the talk here today. I didn't know about the team standings until the announcer mentioned it, but the rest is obvious.

I especially liked it today when Disco didn't let T-Mobile finish in front of them.
T-Mobile doesn't deserve it.

As for Hinault, he was being a dick the whole way,
right up and until he stopped pedaling (100m from finish).
Salvodelli earned it, especially after his last contender, Arvesen,
cried like a baby, to which the 3 slowed down, and then Arvesen attacked.

Disco looks good. Other teams should take note.

**Cornholio** · 07-21-2005, 11:01 AM

Originally Posted by TeleAl

I especially liked it today when Disco didn't let T-Mobile finish in front of them.

Actually, Disco closed the gap in the team overall by driving that group. Word is, they were driving hard to get Evans and Vino ahead of Landis in the GC, in retrobution for something Floyd said in L'Equipe.