Tour de France 2010

[Lucian333]

Hi,

If you have anything to say about this year TDF: http://www.letour.fr/us/homepage_horscourseTDF.html why not start from here .

I have something to confess. This year Tour de France will be very special for me as I planned my vacation to be in July . I already booked the plane tickets and if all goes well, I will be on the Avenue des Champs-Élysées on the 25th and hope to see some of you guys there.

Spoiler: show

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jqLoeGm02xc&feature=related

[Papy]

How I see the race (but I don't know which rider will compete or not):
The favourites: Armstrong, Contador, A. Schleck, Evans, Wiggins, Sastre
The outsiders: Kloden, Leipheimer, F. Schleck, Nibali, Kreuziger, Valverde, Menchov, Vande Velde, Valjavec, S. Sanchez
The possible surprises: Mosqueira (if he's doing it), Monfort, Pelizotti, L. Sanchez
The youngsters: Fuglsang, Gesink, Van Den Broeck, C. Sorensen
The dopes: Vinokourov, Basso, Ricco, Mayo (if he get his ban time reduced), Rasmussen (his team will probably not be invited)
The dashed: Cunego, Popovych, Kirchen, Casar, Karpets, Botcharov, Gerdemann, Efimkin
The oldies: Perreiro, Hincapie, Le Mevel, Moreau, Goubert, Garate, Zubeldia, Rogers, Chavanel, Barredo, Anton, Kolobnev, Cobo Acebo

[bambini]

The Tour will pass my house this year!!!
neat.
Mechelen, Belgium.

[twister]

The Tour will pass my house this year!!!
neat.
Mechelen, Belgium.

Now that's something
Enjoy

[Wilko]

This years tour will be good for me too, as I will finally be there. Looking forward to the start in Rotterdam and the mountain stages too. Would love to see the TT, but will make my way to Paris for finish insted.

Not sure on favourites, but Contador, Schleck brothers, would like to see Evans up there, surely he can do better then last year. Will just have to wait and see. Be good to see Vichot there, but think he is too young and this is only his first year as a pro (he was a star here in Adelaide), so maybe he will debut in the next couple years.

[Coup2Jaja]

I've heard about the Vichotmania!! What crazy Australian cyclingfans look very funny^^
But I guess too he's too young to be selected on TDF.

[hans1972]

I'm very lucky the giro starts in my hometown Amsterdam, with the prologue straight through town ending in the Olympic stadium. Also the next day starts in Amsterdam...I can't wait!!! The tour starts in Rotterdam, and I'm not gonna miss that either...Unfortunately they won't pass my house....

[JayD77]

This years tour will be good for me too, as I will finally be there. Looking forward to the start in Rotterdam and the mountain stages too. Would love to see the TT, but will make my way to Paris for finish insted.

I'd recommend the TT over the finish in Paris. Having been at the Annecy TT and Paris finish in 2009, I assure you the TT is far more interesting. At the TT you'll have a very good chance to get near the riders in the warm-up area, and out on the course you can find your own spot. The finish in Paris is very crowded. If you do choose Paris, make sure you're there at least 4 hours before the scheduled arrival for the beginning of the finishing laps, otherwise you'll have a poor viewing spot.

[rblackmoor]

This years tour will be good for me too, as I will finally be there. Looking forward to the start in Rotterdam and the mountain stages too. Would love to see the TT, but will make my way to Paris for finish insted.

I'd recommend the TT over the finish in Paris. Having been at the Annecy TT and Paris finish in 2009, I assure you the TT is far more interesting. At the TT you'll have a very good chance to get near the riders in the warm-up area, and out on the course you can find your own spot. The finish in Paris is very crowded. If you do choose Paris, make sure you're there at least 4 hours before the scheduled arrival for the beginning of the finishing laps, otherwise you'll have a poor viewing spot.

I quite agree having followed the 2004 race from the Alps into Paris. At the time trial stage at Besançon we were able to get on the rail near the start area and had each rider passing at arms length from us, often several times. Great to see all the riders so close.

Contrast that with being 3 rows back from the rail in Paris with riders speeding past so fast you can barely pick out the teams never mind the individual riders.

The best viewpoint though was watching the climb of the Col de la Madeleine (we camped near the top overnight). There was a wonderful party atmosphere. We even forgave the Germans that were singing through a megaphone at 3am in the morning

[HJvK]

It's horrible (I think) that the Rabobank team is the only dutch team in the tour. Yes, it is understandable because there where a lot of other good teams in the line-up for a wild card. But I think it stinks especially because we host the first damn stage in Holland. The Giro did the exact same thing... No offence but I think that just stinks.

Armstrong won't win anyway, how hard he tries he's not up for it. I hope Lars Boom and Robert Geesink will make it good. And I hope the Rabobank does better than last year, man that was just boring stuff...

But seen the results of Bauke Mollema in the Tour of Quatar, Lars Boom in the Paris-Nice, and Kai Reus in the tour of britain at the end of last season and beginning of this season I am feeling that the dutch are back in the game.

Now I just hope that Vacansoleil or Skill (they have a excelent line up for the Ronde van Vlaanderen btw) proves itself in de Ronde van Vlaanderen and in other races so that the people over at the tour and the giro will regret it... But I think thats unlikely