The UCI Cycling World Tour Thread

[LittleOzzy]

Tour de France


Giro d'Italia


Vuelta a España


The UCI World Tour consists of 27 events. These events are made up from:

The three Grand Tours
The five Monument one day races
Nine further stage races in Europe
Six further one day races in Europe
One stage race in Australia
Two one day races in Canada
One stage race in Asia

Join in on the discussion for all the major events of the world tour.

[LittleOzzy]

HESJEDAL BECOMES FIRST CANADIAN TO WIN THE GIRO D'ITALIA

Canada's Ryder Hesjedal didn't realize history was within his grasp until he was about five kilometres from the Giro d'Italia finish line.

Aware he had a chance to overcome Joaquin Rodriguez's 31-second overall lead in Sunday's final stage, Hesjedal broke out onto the streets of Milan determined to keep victory from slipping away.

Only near the end did he find out he would become the first Canadian to win one of cycling's three major tour races.

"Nothing anyone could have said to me could have changed how hard I rode," he said.

Hesjedal took 34 minutes 15 seconds to complete Sunday's 28.2-kilometre individual time trial in sixth -- 20 places ahead of his Spanish rival. His 16-second margin of victory was the second closest in Giro history.

"It's just been an unreal experience from day one, what the team was able to do. It's unbelievable," said the Victoria native, who finished the race in 91 hours 39 minutes two seconds.

"This is incredible. It's a dream come true."

http://www.tsn.ca/cycling/story/?id=396986

[mhectorgato]

Congrats Wiggo & Team Sky ... a dominating performance right down to the last stage. The Chartres sprint by Cavendish was just astounding.

Great effort by Voekler to get a podium finish.

[Oscar71]

Armstrong stripped of Tour wins by USADA... somewhere Floyd Landis (and others) are preparing testimony.
No end to this drama it seems...

[ash_k]

So what they have been trying to make us believe that only Lance was the best in the big tourS but that he was the best at masking the dope too???!!!

No way, he got tested too many times, he would have tested positive at least once..
Floyd Landis, Tyler Hamilton..all got caught..they were on the same team..why didn't they catch Lance?? at least once..

I will remain on Lance's side on this one; the others their careers and reputations are finished (and not getting any of that LIVEStRONG money) of course they are going to lie about Lance..

LiveStrong Lance!!!

[TNBT]

Defending Armstrong here? Surely you're joking, yeah?

There is just waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay too much evidence and witnesses for this to be a witch-hunt or whatever your excuse is. Given how much of a hero he is to so many people (especially Americans), do you honestly think authorities would take the steps that they have against Lance Armstrong without having a pretty bloody water-tight case?

[ash_k]

So he was bullying his teammates into taking dope , rrrrrrrrrrrright???

The insurmontable evidence being All those people that witnessed him using those doping techniques ...some of his teammates' wife witnessed it too, correct?? if so, rrrrrighht!!

Until I hear it from Lance's mouth, my version is this;
The 2 ashamed cyclist knowing they were finished tried to get some money from him; Lance said No
Those folks have watched Lance become a multi-millionaire and icon; and wanted a piece of it: Lance said "NO"
The folks were like OK Lance we are going to go along with the ashamed cyclists THamilton and Landis.

[TNBT]

Two ashamed cyclists? Last I heard, there were over 30 witnesses who all testified under oath that Armstrong was involved in doping. We've had two former cyclists here in Australia alone who have come clean about their own doping and Armstrong's involvement. I get that he's a big hero to you and you're patriotic, which is an admirable quality, but it's time to wake up and smell reality mate.

[vlietinho]

Rabobank just announced they will withdrawl as a pro-cycling team sponser per 31-12...

Guess it won't be the last one

[ash_k]

There are plenty of highly ranked officials telling Americans than the economy is getting better and another group of highly ranked officials telling Americans than economy is doing worst and worst...What is reality;Which one is reality "Mate"?

The 2 ashamed cyclist were the highest profile cyclist to accuse Lance coincidentally they both got caught.
The "most sophisticated doping system" than "every one" (cyclist's wives and all) could see, so sophisticated? isnt it?.

"Evil" Lance was bullying all the poor angels into doing dope.

[Point forward]

UCI has just stripped LA of all his 7 TDF titles, and no substitute winners will be declared. Cycling has hit rock bottom. Festina scandal, Telekom scandal, Astana scandal, Fuentes scandal, now LA scandal - generations of cyclists have been disgraced.

What I am gonna do? The same thing I have done since the 2006 TDF - not watching this stuff.

[ash_k]

They can't take those down!

[TNBT]

There's different ways to look at the economy. There is no "alternative angles" when it comes to either doing drugs or not. I really can't be bothered arguing this any more with you, so if you want to ignore the mountains of testimony, evidence and confessions that all show without doubt that Armstrong is guilty, and prefer to live in this fantasy land, then that's your problem.

[ash_k]

I watched a show 2 weeks ago " The World According to Lance Armstrong" on CNN, a french reporter and a french scientist that tested Lance's blood (without know it was Lance's) said there were OVERWHELMING evidence than Lance tested positive for blood doping in '99 due to some blood test results:

The problem with that... scientists to date are unable to detect blood doping thus some experts keep saying Cyclists are still using it as it is undetectable unless someone catches your pack of your blood at the doctors place.

Now you have wives of cyclist saying Lance said he took such such drugS (in front of them) to the doctor during a doctor's appointment though the same doctor said he never said that. (folks would be like Lance paid those doctors! ok)

Tyler Hamilton's story about the team's favorites treated differently and his wanting to be a favorite made him took the PED (as the favourites were) and witnessed Lance taking some (cough cough).

A story about Lancy paying UCI to shut them up; OK I am sure if those things were so high-level and so sophisticated(as USADA saying) paying an organisation could have been kept silent as there is so many methods to pay a group of people discretely.

At the end, you cannot win 7 Tour De France in the row randomly ....by doping.

7? not sure if you folks follow cycling...accidents happens,..all type of stuff can happen ...Ullrich dropped him in the mountains..

[TNBT]

The guy has just admitted it on Oprah, which is shown on television in a huge amount of countries around the world. How much more plain and simple does it have to get? Most of us could see the blatantly obvious facts for a while now, but surely this has to have satisfied even the biggest Armstrong homers, right?

[ash_k]

The guy has just admitted it on Oprah, which is shown on television in a huge amount of countries around the world. How much more plain and simple does it have to get? Most of us could see the blatantly obvious facts for a while now, but surely this has to have satisfied even the biggest Armstrong homers, right?

Which blatant facts could you see exactly other than "Hearsay"/testimonies? One should require a "little" more physical proof before accusing someone of anything.

They are saying he has confessed on her show taped yesterday and to be aired on Thursday:
As they were all doing it, Lance was simply the best among them.

Everybody doped then (Greg Lemond, Miguel Indurain, everybody), Greg Lemond should confess too.

[G R E Y]

Lance gave it up, but he didn't give it all up. Those who were directly affected by his lies said on CNN that he wasn't completely forthcoming ie/ his role as ringleader on the cycling team. He also downplayed the coverup, but it is truly one of the most sophisticated drug rings ever in any sport.

Now that the floodgates have opened, the 'why now' question looms. Statute of limitations has run out (lying in court) so that's out, although civil suits loom. Some say it's leverage to get leniency so he could compete in triathlons. If that's the case, then I hope they don't lower his ban. The guy seems like he's addicted to controlling the message or manipulating. He's back in the news in a big way, telling what he wants to tell, downplaying what he wants to minimize. More fessing and attention later, then...

Cardinal rule: never negotiate with an addict.

I'm still amazed at how many people knew for so long and yet for how long it took for the truth to even start leaking out.

Seriously, what an ****.

[TNBT]

The guy has just admitted it on Oprah, which is shown on television in a huge amount of countries around the world. How much more plain and simple does it have to get? Most of us could see the blatantly obvious facts for a while now, but surely this has to have satisfied even the biggest Armstrong homers, right?

Which blatant facts could you see exactly other than "Hearsay"/testimonies? One should require a "little" more physical proof before accusing someone of anything.

They are saying he has confessed on her show taped yesterday and to be aired on Thursday:
As they were all doing it, Lance was simply the best among them.

Everybody doped then (Greg Lemond, Miguel Indurain, everybody), Greg Lemond should confess too.

You're still pushing that bull up hill? I get that you're a big admirer of Armstrong, and given what he has accomplished and the money he has raised for cancer awareness, it's quite deserved. To keep defending him as an athlete though is just sad. "Hearsay"? If that's what you call over 30 witnesses testifying to the same story, then that's up to you I guess. To any SANE person, the evidence was right there in front of us. Still defending Armstrong is like claiming that Osama bin Laden never participated in terrorism at any stage in his life. I always enjoy reading the thoughts of unusually-wired people, and to be honest, the crap that you keep coming up with to defend him, and the way that you actually believe it, is fascinating to me. The guy has just admitted it on international tv and you're still looking for excuses.

As for your new excuse (everyone else was doing it, so Lance must have still been better)... really dude? Wake up and smell the roses. If everyone in your family were jumping off the Empire State Building, does that make it ok for you to do it?

[Point forward]

Now it should be obvious that Jan Ullrich is the real winner of the 1999-2005 Tour de France editions!

[ash_k]

Now it should be obvious that Jan Ullrich is the real winner of the 1999-2005 Tour de France editions!

Ullrich had history of doping too.