Professional Cyclists

[harrymcnallysblueandwhitearmy 1,685]

It was last week, but the Topsport Vlaanderen-Mercator team rider Frederiek Nolf has died while competing in the Tour of Qatar. On the toss of a coin, he went in here instead of the Belgians thread.

[Cowboy Ronnie 78]

It was last week, but the Topsport Vlaanderen-Mercator team rider Frederiek Nolf has died while competing in the Tour of Qatar. On the toss of a coin, he went in here instead of the Belgians thread.

From the article: "As a mark of respect, Thursday's fifth stage has been shortened to 40km and neutralised, meaning that it will not be contested by the riders."

 

I thought they only did that when a French rider died.

[DevonDeathTrip 2,358]

Spanish cyclist David Cañada, 33, is suffering from melanoma.

[harrymcnallysblueandwhitearmy 1,685]

Ah excellent, it's a beautiful morning and le Tour starts today. I was on the blower to Armitage the other day and he showed a surprising knowledge of cycling, though I'm sure the fat bastard's not been near a bike in 40 years. Anyway, he asked me to pass on his tip for le mellow johnny - a certain Andy Schleck at 8/1. If he won he'd become a famous Luxembourger, which is even rarer than a famous Belgian.

[DevonDeathTrip 2,358]

I'm hugely enjoying this years Tour, I think it's going to turn out to have been one of the best for years.

 

Television highlights never really show what's happening behind the peloton, which is a shame as we miss out on seeing the specialist sprinters and the injured floundering up mountains, falling further and further down the leaderboard. You can keep up with the race for last place on the excellent Lanterne Rouge blog.

 

http://tdflr.blogspot.com/

 

Wim Vansevenant, who finished last overall in 2006, 2007 and 2008 (an unprecedented feat) has retired from cycling to become a farmer.

[harrymcnallysblueandwhitearmy 1,685]

I'm hugely enjoying this years Tour, I think it's going to turn out to have been one of the best for years.

 

Television highlights never really show what's happening behind the peloton, which is a shame as we miss out on seeing the specialist sprinters and the injured floundering up mountains, falling further and further down the leaderboard. You can keep up with the race for last place on the excellent Lanterne Rouge blog.

 

http://tdflr.blogspot.com/

 

Wim Vansevenant, who finished last overall in 2006, 2007 and 2008 (an unprecedented feat) has retired from cycling to become a farmer.

Nice effort from Brad 'Britpop' Wiggins today. Probably a flash in the pan though.

 

I loathe Lance Armstrong, by the way - cancer, please come back, baby*. Thankfully, the flight of the Contador will see him off this time.

 

*[Edit: that wasn't a very nice thing to say. He's been pretty respectful on this Tour and he's done a lot of good over the years. Stay away, cancer]

Edited July 26, 2009 by harrymcnallysblueandwhitearmy

[DevonDeathTrip 2,358]

I'm hugely enjoying this years Tour, I think it's going to turn out to have been one of the best for years.

 

Television highlights never really show what's happening behind the peloton, which is a shame as we miss out on seeing the specialist sprinters and the injured floundering up mountains, falling further and further down the leaderboard. You can keep up with the race for last place on the excellent Lanterne Rouge blog.

 

http://tdflr.blogspot.com/

 

Wim Vansevenant, who finished last overall in 2006, 2007 and 2008 (an unprecedented feat) has retired from cycling to become a farmer.

Nice effort from Brad 'Britpop' Wiggins today. Probably a flash in the pan though.

 

I loathe Lance Armstrong, by the way - cancer, please come back, baby.

 

Wiggins was superb today, but I think the Alps might get the better of him. I agree with you that this could be Andy Schleck's year, but I must admit I'm finding studying the form for last position just as interesting.

[harrymcnallysblueandwhitearmy 1,685]

I'm hugely enjoying this years Tour, I think it's going to turn out to have been one of the best for years.

 

Television highlights never really show what's happening behind the peloton, which is a shame as we miss out on seeing the specialist sprinters and the injured floundering up mountains, falling further and further down the leaderboard. You can keep up with the race for last place on the excellent Lanterne Rouge blog.

 

http://tdflr.blogspot.com/

 

Wim Vansevenant, who finished last overall in 2006, 2007 and 2008 (an unprecedented feat) has retired from cycling to become a farmer.

Nice effort from Brad 'Britpop' Wiggins today. Probably a flash in the pan though.

 

I loathe Lance Armstrong, by the way - cancer, please come back, baby.

 

Wiggins was superb today, but I think the Alps might get the better of him. I agree with you that this could be Andy Schleck's year, but I must admit I'm finding studying the form for last position just as interesting.

My money's on Phil Drabble on his modified tractor-bike.

[themaninblack 2,112]

Armstrong will put in a valiant effort, but even at this stage, it's Contador's to lose...

[DevonDeathTrip 2,358]

Two entries in this years Tour, Julian Dean and Oscar Freire, were both shot with an air rifle during Friday's mountainous stage, they only sustained light injuries. During today's stage, a spectator was killed by a police motorbike.

 

In the race for the Lanterne Rouge title, if Kenny Robert Van Hummel can make it all the way to Paris, he'll almost certainly last overall. He is putting in a peerless preformance and is now twenty six minutes behing the second to last placed rider.

[harrymcnallysblueandwhitearmy 1,685]

In the race for the Lanterne Rouge title, if Kenny Robert Van Hummel can make it all the way to Paris, he'll almost certainly last overall. He is putting in a peerless preformance and is now twenty six minutes behing the second to last placed rider.

He couldn't face the shame and dropped out on today's first climb.

[DevonDeathTrip 2,358]

In the race for the Lanterne Rouge title, if Kenny Robert Van Hummel can make it all the way to Paris, he'll almost certainly last overall. He is putting in a peerless preformance and is now twenty six minutes behing the second to last placed rider.

He couldn't face the shame and dropped out on today's first climb.

 

Not so, Harry. Kenny finished the stage in last place today, twelve minutes behind everybody else, after cycling by himself for two hours.

[harrymcnallysblueandwhitearmy 1,685]

Very nasty crash for Jens Voigt today, hopefully he's not too badly hurt. At least Eddie the Eagle managed to finish another stage, in last place as usual.

[Anubis the Jackal 77]

It was a nasty one. Showers of sparks coming off the pedals as they dragged along the tarmac. Rubberneckers, form a line to the left please.

Very nasty crash for Jens Voigt today, hopefully he's not too badly hurt. At least Eddie the Eagle managed to finish another stage, in last place as usual.

[harrymcnallysblueandwhitearmy 1,685]

In the race for the Lanterne Rouge title, if Kenny Robert Van Hummel can make it all the way to Paris, he'll almost certainly last overall. He is putting in a peerless preformance and is now twenty six minutes behing the second to last placed rider.

He couldn't face the shame and dropped out on today's first climb.

 

Not so, Harry. Kenny finished the stage in last place today, twelve minutes behind everybody else, after cycling by himself for two hours.

OK, OK, he's out this time, for sure. Crashed and abandoned.

 

Contador pretty much wrapped it all up today, but the race for second is hotting up and tomorrow's TT should be good.

Edited July 22, 2009 by harrymcnallysblueandwhitearmy

[Tomb raider 9]

Oh, what a shame I never noticed this thread before! I would have loved to make fun of the new dutch hero Kenny van Hummel - without any doubt the worst climber I've ever seen. I was abroad at the time, though, visiting France and the Tour at Mont Ventoux. I really was prepared to waiting for Kenny for four hours, but he already stepped out. The bastard.

 

I'm a huge fan of the sport, and I was checking if anyone mentioned the terminally-ill Laurent Fignon. (The obvious answer was: yes.) A tour-champion is supposed to get an obit in the UK, isn't he?

[time 8,595]

Irish champion cyclist Paul Healion has died following a crash.

[Lady Grendel 139]

The Tour of Britain came through the Scottish Borders this morning and passed by my office (a good excuse for us to skive off for ½ an hour). What surprised me was the amount of police motorcycles, from forces all over the UK, along with a lot of support cars, they were so close to the cyclists, weaving in and out, and I wouldn't be surprised if at some point on the tour there's a crash.

 

The biggest cheer was for some poor local guy who was cycling home from the shops with an Asda carrier bag hanging on his bike. He looked very bemused at the crowds cheering him while they waited for the Tour to go by.

[Handrejka 1,903]

Johnny Bellis is in a coma in Italy

 

http://www.iomtoday.co.im/news/Cyclist-Jon...tion.5680262.jp

[DevonDeathTrip 2,358]

Belgian cyclist Frank Vandenbroucke, has died at the age of 35 after "a succession of drugs problems, rows with teams, suicide attempts and finally being disowned by world cycling. His former wife described him as a cocaine addict"

[I.R.Baboon 221]

Belgian cyclist Frank Vandenbroucke, has died at the age of 35 after "a succession of drugs problems, rows with teams, suicide attempts and finally being disowned by world cycling. His former wife described him as a cocaine addict"

Tragic guy, great talent.

[VSBfromH 74]

Franco Ballerini

 

"Italy cycling coach Franco Ballerini has died after an accident in a rally car ... The 45-year-old, who picked the Italy teams for the Olympics and cycling's annual world championships, was a successful rider himself winning the Paris-Roubaix classic twice"

[Tomb raider 9]

Ferdinand Kübler, winner of the Tour de France in 1950 and nicknamed the 'pedalling madman' or 'the eagle of Adliswil', is not only the oldest Tourwinner alive, he's the oldest ever. He's now 90 years old, and as no former Tour champion has ever made it to nonagenarian status (second-oldest Lucien Buysse, the winner of 1926, made it to 87), I'd say he makes a decent DDP-pick.

 

Kübler had been the inspiration for many strong cycling stories. He sometimes had huge amounts of mucus hanging out of his mouth, which led his fellow cyclist to the warning: 'don't come close to the madman, he might infect you with rabies!' He also had the rather strange habit of talking about himself in third person, always naming himself 'Ferdi'.

 

Out of the 33 Tour champs that have already died, only 15 made it to 60. There seems to be some curse involved, as three of them died in WW I (Faber, Lapize, Petit-Breton), and there were several suicides (Pantani, Pottier, Ocana), some rather fishy accidents (Koblet) or even murder (Bottecchia, Pelissier) involved. Picking former Tour champions might be a good idea, that's why Kubler ánd Fignon are at my team.

 

O, and when it comes to Fignon: his terminal pancreatic cancer played a role in that too.

[DevonDeathTrip 2,358]

Floyd Landis, who won the 2006 Tour De France title and was then stripped of his crown for doping offences, has finally admitted his guilt after four years of protesting his innocence. He has also taken the opportunity to accuse his former team mate Lance Armstrong of using preformance enhancing drugs. Nice article here by William Fotheringham about how banned cyclists often so emphatically deny cheating, that they start to believe their own lies.

[DevonDeathTrip 2,358]

There was a spectacular crash today at the finish of fourth stage of the Tour de Suisse. Mad Manx sprinter Mark Cavendish was in the thick of it, but only seems to have sustained superficial injuries.