Team HTC-Columbia

I am here.  Glad to be doing this challenge.  Not too much time to check in this weekend, but will be back on line tomorrow.

woohoo!  HTC Columbia- hello team mates.  This is my 1st year for the TDF challenge so I'll need some guidance. 

I will hopefully get a chance to get in a couple of good rides in the next day or so.  Where do we go or post if we want to add to our goals?

-Mark

Hi Team Columbia,

Just checking in to say hello.  This is my 3rd yr on Team Columbia for the BT TdF Challenge.  We should be in for a treat with Mark Cavendish looking to win the green jersey. 

Mark, I see your goals are already entered here - http://spreadsheets.google.com/ccc?key=0An7ZkKfHG1L1dEZUb1ptNWRwQkhtakxaT0cxWE8xamc&hl=en&authkey=CJPniNgJ#gid=0  There will be a spreadsheet to enter the totals later.  In the meantime, I'm just updating my logs as usual.  I've already ridden 3 (of 7) stages.  I sprained my ankle on the weekend.  The bad news is I can't run.  The good news is I'm cycling instead of running, so the TdF Challenge would be completed in no time for me.

In the past yr, I try to post some cool TdF pics and updates 24hr after the stage.  I'll try to do the same this yr.

latestarter - 2010-07-05 11:44 AM Hi there,

Glad to be with HTC-Columbia.   I don't know how to access the spreadsheet.   Can anyone help?  

Thanks.  

Also, am I able to log my 90km race yesterday?

Anne, that was a great ride at Peterborough.  Of course it counts, any ride during the TdF (July 3 - July 25) counts.

Thanks Cat.

I got my 1st stage complete this morning.  47mins.  

id: [email protected]

pw: challengeforum

Thanks for getting the spreadsheet up.  I did my first stage yesterday and hope to do a second one today.  I decided to take one more day off of work and was rewarded by it actually being sunny!

https://spreadsheets.google.com/ccc?key=t0eeHK669zaffldWySLSVfA&authkey=CPz226II#gid=0

Hopefully this link to the spreadsheet works.

So no extra ride today, went running instead which sucked because I haven't run at all this year.  Going back to bike commuting tomorrow so will get in a few more miles.  Now that the weather here is finally warm and sunny, I plan to start riding my tri bike to work a few days and getting in some long rides on the way home.  Now I just have to figure out how to watch the TDF.  Could watch it for free last year but my new work schedule doesn't allow that anymore.  Don't really want to pay Comcast $45 for one month of service so will probably give in and pay for the Versus Online coverage.

Wow, this has been quite a crash filled tour.  Here is a little recap and some pix -

July 3.  Prologue - 8.9km time trial in Rotterdam, Netherlands - World time trial champion Fabian Cancellara (Saxo Bank) donned the first yellow jersey of the 2010 Tour de France after easily winning a rain-soaked 8.9km prologue in Rotterdam on Saturday. 

Tony Martin (HTC-Columbia) had set the early best time of 10 minutes, 10 seconds, and spent much of the afternoon waiting for a challenger who never materialized. But then Cancellara came rocketing through to smash his time by 10 seconds and slip into the maillot jaune. David Millar (Garmin-Transitions) took third on the day at 20 seconds back.

Unfortunately, there were some grusome crashes in the prologue. BMC rider Frank of Switzerland cycles after his fall during the 8.9km prologue.

July 4.  Stage 1 - 223.5 km Rotterdam, Netherlands - Brussels, Belgium - Alessandro Petacchi (Lampre-Farnese) won Sunday’s stage 1 of the 2010 Tour de France, dodging at least three crashes in the final three kilometers that took pre-race favorites Mark Cavendish, Tyler Farrar and Oscar Freire out of the mix.

Fabian Cancellara (Saxo Bank) retains the yellow jersey he took with his dominating win in Saturday’s prologue in Rotterdam. The Swiss TT ace did hit the pavement, though.  HTC-Columbia's Tony Martin retains white jersey.

Riders cycle past a windmill during the first stage

Stage 1 - The peloton crosses a bridge during stage one from Rotterdam to Brussels (Photo: Graham Watson)

July 5.  Stage 2 - 201 km Brussels - Spa - A rainy day in Belgium led to another day of crashes at the Tour, as riders tumbled on the hilly 201-kilometer race from Brussels to Spa. Frenchman Sylvain Chavanel (Quick Step) worked a day-long break over the Ardennes hills ahead of the chaos, ultimately taking the stage win and the overall lead.

Fabian Cancellara (Saxo Bank) sacrificed the yellow jersey he has worn since after Saturday’s prologue, slowing his group to allow teammates Frank and Andy Schleck — along with most of the other GC favorites — to rejoin the front pack following a crash. Cancellara also met with race officials near the end of the race and agreed to neutralize sprinters’ points at the finish.  HTC-Columbia Tony Martin retains white jersery.

TOPSHOTS The pack rides on July 5, 2010 in the start of the 201 km and second stage of the 2010 TdF between Brussels and Spa.

Open wounds: Lance Armstrong also suffered on a second day of carnage

Garmin-Transitions: One of the hardest hit, with five riders crashing, including Julian Dean, Tyler Farrar and Christian Vande Velde, who left the Tour after X-rays revealed broken ribs.  Robbie Hunter also crashed, while David Millar reportedly hit the deck three separate times.  Farrar crossed the line 20 minutes behind Chavanel, heavily bandaged and in tears, and along with Dean and Vande Velde, went to the hospital for x-rays immediately following the stage. Farrar and Dean have no broken bones and will continue.

GC contender for Garmin Christian Vande Velde had to withdraw from the Tour with broken ribs

You can get real time SRM data here - http://www.srmlive.de/Data/Telemetry.html

Recap - July 6.  Stage 3 - 213 km Wanze, Belgium - Arenberg Porte du Hainaut, France - Thor Hushovd wins cobbled stage, Cancellara back in yellow, Armstrong loses time.  Fränk Schleck was the big loser, leaving the race with a broken collarbone.

Stage 3 included only one ranked ascent — the 1.4km Category 4 climb of the Côte de Bothey at 48km. What made it a hard day in the saddle was the inclusion of several sectors of pavé, i.e. cobblestones.  A day on the cobbles is not exactly what the rest of the peloton needed or wanted after Monday’s debacle, which saw nearly half the peloton hit the deck. Christian Vande Velde (Garmin-Transitions) had to abandon the Tour after breaking two ribs and collecting a nasty slash to his left eye that required stitches. Teammate Tyler Farrar cracked his left wrist and sprained his left elbow, but started the stage, albeit sporting a brace and plenty of tape.

Riders fall on the cobblestones during the third stage -