closest third place in Tour de France

from:
http://www.cvccbike.com/tour/top_ten.html

Closest third place in Tour history:

rank year seconds
1 2007 31
2 2006 89
3 1966 122
4 1987 133
5 1990 149
6 1968 183
7 1977 212
8 1989 214
9 1958 221
10 1956 224
11 1998 248
12 1983 249
13 2003 254
14 1985 269
15 1996 277

So this year's race was the closest podium in race history. Last year was second. Three of the top 10 were won by US riders, none of them Armstrong, with one (this year) with a US rider on the #3 position. A US rider was also #3 in the 11th closest podium.

Dan

And don't forget it could have been 10 seconds closer (well, not quite; 3rd
would have overtaken second so I guess 4 seconds closer) if not for the
car-hold penalty Levi got. Not that he shouldn't have gotten it, of course.
But interesting how something seemingly insignificant at the time can become
a big thing.

--Mike-- Chain Reaction Bicycles
www.ChainReactionBicycles.com


"Dan Connelly" wrote in message
. net...
from:
http://www.cvccbike.com/tour/top_ten.html

Closest third place in Tour history:

rank year seconds
1 2007 31
2 2006 89
3 1966 122
4 1987 133
5 1990 149
6 1968 183
7 1977 212
8 1989 214
9 1958 221
10 1956 224
11 1998 248
12 1983 249
13 2003 254
14 1985 269
15 1996 277

So this year's race was the closest podium in race history. Last year was
second. Three of the top 10 were won by US riders, none of them
Armstrong, with one (this year) with a US rider on the #3 position. A US
rider was also #3 in the 11th closest podium.

Dan

Mike Jacoubowsky wrote:
And don't forget it could have been 10 seconds closer (well, not quite; 3rd
would have overtaken second so I guess 4 seconds closer)

8 seconds....

if not for the
car-hold penalty Levi got. Not that he shouldn't have gotten it, of course.
But interesting how something seemingly insignificant at the time can become
a big thing.

--Mike-- Chain Reaction Bicycles
www.ChainReactionBicycles.com


And What If Kloden hadn't been treated so poorly? What if Rasmussen hadn't traveled to Italy? What if Vino hadn't crashed?

This tour had more "what if's" than any other I can recall.

Dan

On Aug 2, 6:22 pm, Dan Connelly
wrote:
from:http://www.cvccbike.com/tour/top_ten.html

So this year's race was the closest podium in race history.
Last year was second.

http://anonymous.coward.free.fr/rbr/tdf-timegaps.png

wrote:
On Aug 2, 6:22 pm, Dan Connelly
wrote:
from:http://www.cvccbike.com/tour/top_ten.html

So this year's race was the closest podium in race history.
Last year was second.

http://anonymous.coward.free.fr/rbr/tdf-timegaps.png


As usual, Robert's plot makes the point extremely clearly.....

Dan

in message , Dan Connelly
') wrote:

wrote:
On Aug 2, 6:22 pm, Dan Connelly
wrote:
from:http://www.cvccbike.com/tour/top_ten.html

So this year's race was the closest podium in race history.
Last year was second.

http://anonymous.coward.free.fr/rbr/tdf-timegaps.png

As usual, Robert's plot makes the point extremely clearly.....

Yes, but politics had more influence on the podium this year than usual.
All the real champions were excluded from the race before the start, and
when Rasmussen showed that he had it within him to become a champion he
was excluded too - on the flimsiest of excuses.

--
(Simon Brooke) http://www.jasmine.org.uk/~simon/
Ye hypocrites! are these your pranks? To murder men and give God thanks?
Desist, for shame! Proceed no further: God won't accept your thanks for
murther
-- Robert Burns, 'Thanksgiving For a National Victory'

in message , Dan Connelly
') wrote:

Mike Jacoubowsky wrote:
And don't forget it could have been 10 seconds closer (well, not quite;
3rd would have overtaken second so I guess 4 seconds closer)

8 seconds....

if not for the
car-hold penalty Levi got. Not that he shouldn't have gotten it, of
course. But interesting how something seemingly insignificant at the
time can become a big thing.

And What If Kloden hadn't been treated so poorly? What if Rasmussen
hadn't traveled to Italy?

Did Rasmussen travel to Italy? Is there any evidence of that yet?

--
(Simon Brooke) http://www.jasmine.org.uk/~simon/

[ This mind intentionally left blank ]

Yes, but politics had more influence on the podium this year than usual.
All the real champions were excluded from the race before the start, and
when Rasmussen showed that he had it within him to become a champion he
was excluded too - on the flimsiest of excuses.

Seriously? The "flimsiest of excuses?" I think Rasmussen put Rabobank
between a rock and a hard place. They'd deal with allegations of doping in
the past, and saw this as an opportunity to make a very strong point
regarding their direction and standards for how their athletes should
behave. My guess is that they know more than what we've heard so far,
because the cost of a wrongful termination lawsuit by Rasmussen would be
HUGE in this case. I'd be willing to bet they have pretty hard evidence that
he was not where he said he was going to be.

And what, by the way, is your definition of a "real champion?" There was
plenty of great racing going on with the apparently sub-standard peloton
that you felt showed up at the line.

--Mike-- Chain Reaction Bicycles
www.ChainReactionBicycles.com


"Simon Brooke" wrote in message
...
in message , Dan Connelly
') wrote:

wrote:
On Aug 2, 6:22 pm, Dan Connelly
wrote:
from:http://www.cvccbike.com/tour/top_ten.html

So this year's race was the closest podium in race history.
Last year was second.

http://anonymous.coward.free.fr/rbr/tdf-timegaps.png

As usual, Robert's plot makes the point extremely clearly.....

Yes, but politics had more influence on the podium this year than usual.
All the real champions were excluded from the race before the start, and
when Rasmussen showed that he had it within him to become a champion he
was excluded too - on the flimsiest of excuses.

--
(Simon Brooke) http://www.jasmine.org.uk/~simon/
Ye hypocrites! are these your pranks? To murder men and give God thanks?
Desist, for shame! Proceed no further: God won't accept your thanks for
murther
-- Robert Burns, 'Thanksgiving For a National
Victory'

Mike Jacoubowsky wrote:
Yes, but politics had more influence on the podium this year than usual.
All the real champions were excluded from the race before the start, and
when Rasmussen showed that he had it within him to become a champion he
was excluded too - on the flimsiest of excuses.

Seriously? The "flimsiest of excuses?"

Rasmussen is in the vicinity of a trainer with a reputation for doping, having lied to his team about being there, having withheld from the anti-doping authorities that he was there,

Sorry -- lying to your boss about where you are is a good clue you're up to something wrong. Hardly flimsy.

Dan

Dans le message de ,
Dan Connelly a réfléchi, et puis a
déclaré :
Mike Jacoubowsky wrote:
Yes, but politics had more influence on the podium this year than
usual. All the real champions were excluded from the race before
the start, and when Rasmussen showed that he had it within him to
become a champion he was excluded too - on the flimsiest of excuses.

Seriously? The "flimsiest of excuses?"

Rasmussen is in the vicinity of a trainer with a reputation for
doping, having lied to his team about being there, having withheld
from the anti-doping authorities that he was there,
Sorry -- lying to your boss about where you are is a good clue you're
up to something wrong. Hardly flimsy.
Dan

Still flimsy! Where's the video?