Le Tour '11 - Revenge of the Chain Drop!

Whichever side of the Schleck/Contador/chain drop thing you were on, I think we can all agree that the end of the '10 Tour was not as crunchy and satisfying as it should have been. We, as fans, were denied part of the amazing battle between the two. Well, the time for Schleck's revenge is upon us, and between those two, in-form Cadel and Wiggins, very strong Horner and Levi, and a list of wildcards a mile long, the Top 5 hasn't been so wide open in years.

On the flatter stages, the sprints promise blistering speed and their own share of rivalries. Greipel/Cavendish is my favorite, but Garmin/HTC will always be fighting. Not many new faces, but I believe Galimzyanov has beaten Cav so watch for him.

You all know the deal. Predictions, complaints, discussions, whatevs.

Prediction 1:

Top 5 will include Evans, Schleck, Contador, two to be decided later.

Prediction 2: Stage 1 is for Gilbert or Cancellara.|||As promised I'm here

I'm torn this year. Saxo Bank Sunguard is the first ever succesfull danish team, so I've followed and routed for the Schlecks ever since Fr�nk drove his first tour. And I have never liked Alberto Contador - especially not after this "bad steak" episode. My sympathy are however still with Saxo Bank - for danes it is always quite special when danish teams/athletes do well. Probably because it's such a little country.

Predictions:

- It will be close! With only one TT I believe that the distance between Contador and Schleck will be less than one minute.

- Boasson Hagen will win at least one stage

OT:

PCM: You're a biker too? On a competitive level or?|||He's Freakishly dedicated to it.



Like in Breaking Away the Movie?

Re: Your Tar:

Turn It on Salvador|||Never watched Breaking Away. I guess that would be a nice pre-Tour activity.

- and not a bad song at all "Brutally offensive but never a bore" yay!|||Also, I need a good Tour news-site. All the danish ones suck. Any suggestions?|||Breaking Away is an awesome movie. One of the best sports movies ever made.|||All right, I'm going to show you guys how to call the tour!

In reverse order (for dramatic effect)

5. Wiggins, 31? Too old! And English on top of it...

4. Hesjedal, He's from Canada, eh. He's got to be in good shape to ride all the way from Canada...eh.

3. Gesink, because the Netherlands rule!

2. Schleck, three in a row?

1. Contador, (Assuming he is not banned) because...well, just because!

Where do I pick up my prize?|||No, substitute Cadel for Gesink and Horner or Levi for Ryder. Ryder in top 10, though. I think the biggest wild card is Basso, he will either suddenly find legs and excel on Plateau de Beille or just continue to be mediocre.

The white jersey looks very interesting this year, almost better than the yellow because it is so wide open. I count Gesink, Taramae, Uran, Intxausti, Roche (I think) and maybe Gadret as possibles. Taramae and Gesink will be fighting for the GC, as will Roche, but if they find themselves bunched up things will get good. It would be cool to watch Contador vs Schleck and Taramae vs Gesink going on at the same time.|||I agree on the white jersey thing - that has thought has occured to me aswell. I also think it will be interesting to see if Cavendish really can take the green jersey now that the new rules are in play.

I do not believe in Basso. Maybe as a winner of one of the big stages, but not in the GC.|||i would want a yellow jersey. better for road safety IMO.

Contador will win as he has 'advantages'.