OT - Welshman 2nd in Tour de France

[guest18]

http://www.guardian.co.uk/sport/2010/jul/06/tour-de-france-2010-geraint-thomas

Hurrah for Wales! (and Britain  ) Jesting aside, awesome stuff, about 27mph average over 132 miles of cobbles and roads, and that is after two days of similar and weeks to come with a total mileage of 2,185 miles over the three weeks 
Hope he survives it and continues to do well 

I struggle to comprehend how these athletes do it (yeah I know some are probably doping, but some aren't!) 

[guest27]

There was a good article in last weeks New Scientist about using algorithms and max potential of bodies etc to highlight those people performing outside the 'norm' and thus potentially using drugs to get themselves to the top. If I remember rightly cycling did throw out a high degree of abnormality - most abnormal of all was Lance Armstrong, who has a performance out of kilter with many of the norms and his own body.  But he is also one of the most tested athletes of all time.  So maybe the algorithms are wrong.

Was a good un though  And even if they are doped up, they are real hard men of sport, the number that ride with great lumps striped off them fro crashes etc makes most sports look real softies...

R

[guest7]

What a first week of Le Tour it's been eh? Geraint Thomas finally slipped out of 2nd place today, but for a while he was a potential yellow jersey wearer... and when did that last happen?

Mark Cavendish found his form and his two stage wins now put him in exalted company in terms of Tour stage totals.

Lance is a bloody mystery isn't he? I'm in the middle of his second book and it's plain to see that the arrogance that made him so unpopular prior to his illness seems to be creeping back. There are two schools of thought on Lance (if you discount the third option, the French universal hatred of the man), either he's a unique and gifted cyclist who doesn't take drugs or he's a unique and gifted cyclist who has the best (undetectable) drugs. Whatever the truth he's technically brilliant and just watching him spin a gear up a col is a masterclass in cadence, pace and tactics.

What's really good about the British contingent like David Miller, Bradley Wiggins, Mark Cavendish and Geraint Thomas is that they are almost certainly drug-free because the British cycling scene is all about talent and development, not doping.

The one scary thing about this year's Tour is the crash rate. Who fancies hitting the deck at 40mph wearing a plastic veg strainer on your head and clothing that would make a pole-dancer feel overdressed?

GC

[guest27]

Was watching some post crash footage - bloke on bike next to car with the 'Dr' leaning oout of the car cleaning and dressing wounds as the cyclist tryst to keep up with the peloton. Ranks alongside the Welsh back dislocating his fingers in a tackle, running to the side lines to get them put back and then sprinting across the field to take a pass and move the game on.  Eeeeeeek hard men all.

R