Macca
Life Member
-
Joined
Everything posted by Macca
-
Yeah , it's gonna be fascinating how it all unfolds . It may come down to how much help either Wiggins or Cadel receive from their teammates in the 'Alps' and the 'Pyrenees' . Stage 3 has a few climbs but we'll probably have to wait until stage 7 (next Saturday) to see how both teams support their man . Can't help but feel that there's a 'Smoky' out there who might surprise the 2 favoured riders . I'll post the profile of tonight's stage and 'Jean-Francois' preview a little later . Last nights finish was a beauty . Pity I fell asleep and missed it 'Live' ! -
Bradley Wiggins has a 10 second advantage over Cadel after yesterday's prologue . Today's stage may not change things but there are some climbs involved . THE VIEW OF JEAN-FRANCOIS PESCHEUX Setting the tone "This stage is no leg breaker, but it still is bumpy enough to dampen the hopes of pure sprinters. In other words, I do not think Cavendish will be among those fighting for the win. I hope I am wrong, but I think he will be dropped before reaching Seraing. The course is less demanding than in 1995, when Bruyneel and Indurain blew the race apart on the road to Liège, but it comes very close to the Ardennes and, at 198 km, the stage distance is nothing to sneeze at. In short, we wanted to preserve the peloton's energy while setting the tone for the rest of the race. We will see..."
-
The sport is dangerous enough without being distracted by these lunatics ! All good though . I've heard the tarts are nice as well ! Of course , I mean that in a purely culinary sense
-
Yeah , I'm certainly not an aficionado on the sport but I definately remember that duel in last years tour . The large argument before last years tour win was that Cadel had to do things on his own too much . I've seen previous winners receive so much support that they've really only had to pull out 2 or 3 really big efforts . If Cadel can receive as much support as Contador and Armstrong quite often got , then his age (35) may not be such a barrier . Wiggins is 32 . Armstrong was 33 when he won his last tour .
-
Yeah , ta for that . Had a read back through the thread and HT and cards said as much in quoting publicised articles . So it's Australia vs England hey ? Being a cricket fan my allegiance and tip can only go in one direction ! Go Cadel !
-
Interesting that Wiggins is a short odds favourite (narrowly from Cadel) and then it's daylight to 3rd favourite (Nibali) . 2 real chances only ? It seems Cadel has never had great support from his teammates on the mountain stages in past tours . Is this likely to change this year and what about Wiggins' team ?
-
Yeah , USADA are certainly going after Lance and they've previously said that at least 10 of his former teammates and associates will testify against him . The sport has done remarkably well to survive and in a lot of ways prosper , despite so many drug cheats . I think even if Armstrong is found guilty (and I hope he's innocent) , the sport will just carry on regardless . I suppose that may mean that the 'Tours' themselves are much bigger than the athletes that compete in them .
-
Well , here we are , day 1 . And 'Le Tour' starts with a 6.4 kilometer prologue . Kicks off at 10pm . The profile below is a bit 'unexciting' but they will get more interesting as the event progresses (stage 3 on Tuesday , for instance) THE VIEW OF JEAN-FRANCOIS PESCHEUX A rare opportunity "6.4 km in the heart of Liège on the very same course where Fabian Cancellara burst onto the scene in 2004. I guess he wants to perform particularly well, even if just to get even for the bad luck which kept him out of the spring classics... Moreover, I have not forgotten he is the defending champion, having won the most recent prologue in Rotterdam (2010). In 2013, the 100th Tour will start directly with a road stage, just like last year’s, so it goes without saying that prologue specialists should do their best to seize this opportunity."
-
-
Federer through after being 2 sets down . However , Roger won the 5th set comfortably 6-1 against a cramping opponent (Julien Benneteau) The Mens competition gets more interesting from here on in , with tonights match-ups including Ferrer (7) vs Roddick (30) , Baghdatis vs Murray (4) and Nishikori (19) vs Del Potro (9) Probably the best Ladies match-up tonight is Serena Williams (6) vs Jie Zheng (25) . This game is 1st up on Centre court .
-
Rafa out ! Well that's a shock , loses to World no.100 Lukas Rosol of the Czech Republic . Opens the door for Andy Murray now , who defeated Ivo Karlovic in 4 sets to advance to the 3rd round .
-
Both out in the 1st round - I can sure pick 'em Yep , Sam won well . Bernard Tomic and Lleyton Hewitt both play tonight . Big ask for Lleyton against Tsonga and don't know much about Tomic's opponent , David Goffin of Belgium .
-
Latest from Papa Roach ..... Macca 8.9
-
Sam is 1st up tonight on court 3 (8.30pm EST) against Carla Suarez Navarro . For those with cable , Fox3 are live from 8.30pm .
-
Wimbledon starts tomorrow night . Only 2 weeks between Grand Slams this year . Though I reckon Djokovic should win , I'm hoping for a Nadal/Federer final (Roger and Novak are in the same half of the draw) . Andy Murray will probably make the semi's . Tomas Berdych may surprise again and the American , John Isner can be dangerous on grass . In the ladies , Sam Stosur will hopefully keep up her good form . Wouldn't it be great to have another Aussie winner ? Otherwise , the ladies winner will probably come from Maria Sharapovo , Venus , Serena , Victoria Azarenka or last years winner Petra Kvitova .
-
-
You've kept us entertained with those clips from SB NATION ! Classic . Well done to the Heat - I think they were my original pick ! Nah , in all seriousness , they were deserved winners and made all the big plays when it counted . OKC should bounce back next year but there are no guarantees in any sport hey ? It's been nearly 2 months of playoffs - I'm all NBA'd out ! Well done to King James - the Americans will need another "They haven't done it yet' type sportsperson or team . Where will the 'Heat' be focused on now !?
-
Yeah , having watched how Miami have closed things out , it seems it's all theirs for the taking . A lot of the chat is how James Harden has struggled . Yet , only a week or so ago the talk was whether Bosh could fulfill his role . Roles reversed in such a short space of time . And then we have 'Super' Mario stepping up with 25 pts today , effectively creating a (new) big 4 ! Miami have that real confidence as well now . I'd like this series to go to game 6 or 7 . Ya never know .
-
-
Nice to see those high 5's hitting the mark ! OKC on the other hand , are missing the mark big time . They go out to a 17pt lead early in the game only to have Miami go on a 16pt unanswered phase that seemed to only last 3-4 minutes of actual playing time . I reckon the Thunder would be more than annoyed to go out in 5 games after playing so well for the majority of these playoffs . Miami , on the other hand , have stepped up to the plate when it has counted . It's theirs to lose now . James has been outstanding . Wade , Bosh and now 'Super' Mario (Chalmers) have been excellent . Do we have one more twist ?
-
Thanks 'Yossarian' , there's some excellent contributors to the thread . Need more though ! Here's another from the 'Neon Trees' to follow up from their hit 'Animal' . Macca 8.8 [media=]
-
Yep , a definite brain fade .
-
-
Ha ! I vaguely remember hearing a few months ago that overall 'hits' and 'home runs' had decreased in numbers since the late 1990's and early to mid 2000's . Hard to find actual figures but there is a bit of talk in the States that scoring is now lower and pitching 'era's' are lower as well . They say that low scoring games are great for the people at the games but not so much for the tv audience . I tend to get really interested during the playoffs but will watch the odd regular season game . Red Sox / Yankees games get my attention . Like the Red Sox , those White Sox need to get on a winning streak .
-
