The Final Four
After the Alpe d'Huez time trial there are only 4 men with legit shots at the 3 podium spots. By now you already know that Lance Armstrong beat the snot out of everyone to get the stage win. His lead over second-place Ivan Basso is now 3:48. Basso did a respectable time trial, but he still lost big time to Ullrich and Kloden.
OK, Ullrich was weak in the Pyrenees, but he's back on form in the Alps. He was second on Alpe d'Huez, gaining 40 seconds on Kloden and over a minute on Basso. Ullrich still has an ace in the hole for the long time trial on Saturday, so he's a huge threat to move up. Currently, Basso is just more than a minute ahead of Kloden and 4 minutes ahead of Ullrich. The next man is Lance's teammate Jose Azevedo at 9 minutes back, and we know he's not gunning for the podium. Azevedo is just ahead of Mancebo, who has fallen off the map in the Alps.
Now that the boys at OLN have decided the race is over, you might think there is no reason to watch anymore, save the green jersey race on Sunday. But there is a huge race brewing between CSC and Telekom. I already covered the Basso-Kloden-Ullrich triangle, but there is another race for the team competition. Telekom and CSC have swapped the lead each of the last 4 stages. Telekom is now 3:44 ahead, and you can expect that to grow in the final time trial.
So, what is CSC to do with their podium spot and team time at risk? They must strike in stage 17, regardless who's tired from Alpe d'Huez. It's Basso's last chance to gain time on Kloden and Ullrich, and the team's last gasp for the team title (probably). Simply put, Basso must attack on the final climb of the day. If he attacks early on the Galibier, or the Madeleine, it'll be too far from the finish. He'll burn out, and USPS will chace him down. About 100 km after the climb to Madeleine they hit the category 1 Col de la Croix Fry, 12 km at a 6% grade. Basso needs to go all out to put time on his rivals and secure his podium spot. And while he's vying for a podium spot, he needs to act like a team leader and throw his weight around. That means having Bobby Julich and Carlos Sastre set a heavy pace on the penultimate climb in order to weaken Telekom.
Stage 17 profile--CSC vs. Telekom
Kloden is too close to Basso for comfort, and Ullrich is coming too. Basso needs to act now on his terms rather than being at the mercy of his competitors in the time trial.
After the Alpe d'Huez time trial there are only 4 men with legit shots at the 3 podium spots. By now you already know that Lance Armstrong beat the snot out of everyone to get the stage win. His lead over second-place Ivan Basso is now 3:48. Basso did a respectable time trial, but he still lost big time to Ullrich and Kloden.
OK, Ullrich was weak in the Pyrenees, but he's back on form in the Alps. He was second on Alpe d'Huez, gaining 40 seconds on Kloden and over a minute on Basso. Ullrich still has an ace in the hole for the long time trial on Saturday, so he's a huge threat to move up. Currently, Basso is just more than a minute ahead of Kloden and 4 minutes ahead of Ullrich. The next man is Lance's teammate Jose Azevedo at 9 minutes back, and we know he's not gunning for the podium. Azevedo is just ahead of Mancebo, who has fallen off the map in the Alps.
Now that the boys at OLN have decided the race is over, you might think there is no reason to watch anymore, save the green jersey race on Sunday. But there is a huge race brewing between CSC and Telekom. I already covered the Basso-Kloden-Ullrich triangle, but there is another race for the team competition. Telekom and CSC have swapped the lead each of the last 4 stages. Telekom is now 3:44 ahead, and you can expect that to grow in the final time trial.
So, what is CSC to do with their podium spot and team time at risk? They must strike in stage 17, regardless who's tired from Alpe d'Huez. It's Basso's last chance to gain time on Kloden and Ullrich, and the team's last gasp for the team title (probably). Simply put, Basso must attack on the final climb of the day. If he attacks early on the Galibier, or the Madeleine, it'll be too far from the finish. He'll burn out, and USPS will chace him down. About 100 km after the climb to Madeleine they hit the category 1 Col de la Croix Fry, 12 km at a 6% grade. Basso needs to go all out to put time on his rivals and secure his podium spot. And while he's vying for a podium spot, he needs to act like a team leader and throw his weight around. That means having Bobby Julich and Carlos Sastre set a heavy pace on the penultimate climb in order to weaken Telekom.
Stage 17 profile--CSC vs. Telekom
Kloden is too close to Basso for comfort, and Ullrich is coming too. Basso needs to act now on his terms rather than being at the mercy of his competitors in the time trial.
posted by uberschuck at 10:43 PM
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