CUF TOUR DE FRANCE PREDICTION CONTEST

[creekster]

The 2009 Tour de France is upon us. Starting Saturday we will begin to have our many questions answered:

-Can Lance win the big one once again?
-Is Lance even the second best rider on his own team?
-Will Contador change teams before the race gets to the Pyrenees?
-Can Basso look supernatural in the mountains again without drugs?
-Will Cadel Evans beat someone up for touching his stuffed lion? (Don’t ask)
-Will a French rider even sniff the podium?

To honor the Grande Boucle I present the first annual CUF Chain Ring contest. Here’s how it works: pick the top three finishers in order of predicted finish in each category. You will be awarded 5 points for picking the right rider in the right place. You will receive 2 points for picking a top three finishers but not in the correct place of finish. Thus, each category offers a total possible point award of 15. You don’t need to make choices in all categories but if you don’t you will have fewer chances to accumulate points. Team entries are allowed. All entries should be made before the prologue begins Saturday morning. However, you can make entries up to and including Monday July 6, 2009 (except for the prologue, of course). Time of entries will be determined by the time and date stamp on your posts that I see on my computer. I am the final judge. Here are the categories:

1. Yellow Jersey

2. Green Jersey

3. Polka Dot Jersey

4. Prologue ITT

5. Stage 4 Team Time Trial

6. Stage 7 Barcelona to Andorra Arcalis (mountain top finish)

7. Stage 18 40k ITT

8. Stage 20 Finish at the top of famed Mt. Ventoux

Tiebreaker: Highest placed French finisher.

Top Prize is a scraped up chain ring from a shimano 600 gruppe circa 1989, lovingly mounted in kiln dried Douglas fir. Enter soon. Enter often.

May the best person win!

[creekster]

Hello? Ferris? Anybody?

[SteelBlue]

Making us predict 3 deep will make this a time consuming task. I won't be able to get my predictions in until this evening.

[beelzebabette]

Hello? Ferris? Anybody?

Expect me to treat this like I did my university education. I should come rolling in with my picks about 10 minutes before the deadline.

[creekster]

Making us predict 3 deep will make this a time consuming task. I won't be able to get my predictions in until this evening.

you dont have to go three deep, but doing so will make it more likely you can win.

[creekster]

Expect me to treat this like I did my university education. I should come rolling in with my picks about 10 minutes before the deadline.

Lol. DOnt bother doing a draft, either.

[cougjunkie]

I predict Lance for all of your questions. What do I win?

[ERCougar]

I have no idea where to even research this kind of stuff. I don't even know what half of the events are. I don't think I'm going to win.

[I.J. Reilly]

I have no idea where to even research this kind of stuff. I don't even know what half of the events are. I don't think I'm going to win.

We've got a ringer, folks.

[Jarid in Cedar]

I have no idea where to even research this kind of stuff. I don't even know what half of the events are. I don't think I'm going to win.

This is exactly why you will win. Its akin to someone's wife winning the FB pool every week because she picks it based on uniform color.

[bluegoose]

Alright, I'll go first, seeing as how I am going to skeedaddle out of here pretty soon.

These pics are based on about 10 minutes of research over lunch today, so hold your laughter until I am safely logged off.

1. Yellow Jersey - A. Contador, C. Sastre, D. Menchov

2. Green Jersey - M. Cavendish, O. Freire, T. Farrar

3. Polka Dot Jersey - A. Schleck, R. Gesink, Soler

4. Prologue ITT - F. Cancellara, Armstrong, F. Pellizotti

5. Stage 4 Team Time Trial - Astana, Columbia, Saxobank

6. Stage 7 Barcelona to Andorra Arcalis (mountain top finish) - A. Schleck, R. Gesink, I. Basso

7. Stage 18 40k ITT - L. Armstrong, C. Evans, Levi

8. Stage 20 Finish at the top of famed Mt. Ventoux - C. Sastre, A. Contador, D. Menchov

Tiebreaker: Highest placed French finisher - C. Moreau, T. Voekler, Jean-Luc Picard

[creekster]

Alright, I'll go first, seeing as how I am going to skeedaddle out of here pretty soon.

These pics are based on about 10 minutes of research over lunch today, so hold your laughter until I am safely logged off.

1. Yellow Jersey - A. Contador, C. Sastre, D. Menchov

2. Green Jersey - M. Cavendish, O. Freire, T. Farrar

3. Polka Dot Jersey - A. Schleck, R. Gesink, Soler

4. Prologue ITT - F. Cancellara, Armstrong, F. Pellizotti

5. Stage 4 Team Time Trial - Astana, Columbia, Saxobank

6. Stage 7 Barcelona to Andorra Arcalis (mountain top finish) - A. Schleck, R. Gesink, I. Basso

7. Stage 18 40k ITT - L. Armstrong, C. Evans, Levi

8. Stage 20 Finish at the top of famed Mt. Ventoux - C. Sastre, A. Contador, D. Menchov

Tiebreaker: Highest placed French finisher - C. Moreau, T. Voekler, Jean-Luc Picard

Excellent picks. Really. I hope Farrar does some in third for green. It is also sort of amusing that Jean Luc Picard has as much chance to win the TdF as any other french rdier.

OTOH, it is sort of sad to see that Moreau is your pick and that that might be aogod pick. Is he still riding? Sheesh. We can expect him to have a flamboaynt but ultimately doomed effort during the first half of the race. And I think we can expect little Tommy Voeckler to put on a display of menainglessness duinrg one mountain stage, where ona sunny day he will struggle up a long climb jersey unzippoed, elbows a kimbo, and tongue hanging out. It almost makes me feel bad for Les Francais. Almost.

Very cool avatar, btw. Eddy was/is the greatest. The Cannibal rules.

[creekster]

I have no idea where to even research this kind of stuff. I don't even know what half of the events are. I don't think I'm going to win.

Here is a good place to start, although this site has a real Lance/ american bias.

http://www.bicycling.com/tourdefrance

also check this out:

http://www.velonews.com


and:

http://www.cyclingnews.com

[bluegoose]

Excellent picks. Really. I hope Farrar does some in third for green. It is also sort of amusing that Jean Luc Picard has as much chance to win the TdF as any other french rdier.

OTOH, it is sort of sad to see that Moreau is your pick and that that might be aogod pick. Is he still riding? Sheesh. We can expect him to have a flamboaynt but ultimately doomed effort during the first half of the race. And I think we can expect little Tommy Voeckler to put on a display of menainglessness duinrg one mountain stage, where ona sunny day he will struggle up a long climb jersey unzippoed, elbows a kimbo, and tongue hanging out. It almost makes me feel bad for Les Francais. Almost.

Very cool avatar, btw. Eddy was/is the greatest. The Cannibal rules.

Farrar has really impressed this year. His coming out party at the ATOC was impressive, and it turns out it wasn't a fluke. The dude can sprint. Its fun to imagine how uncomfortable the Euros may get with an American as a serious green jersey threat. I like his team being able to get him to Paris as well.

Re: the Frenchies, I scanned the team rosters to see if anyone stood out and nothing grabbed me. I wonder if Moreau's days are numbered. IIRC, he started to fade a lot earlier than usual last year.

[RC Vikings]

1. Yellow Jersey Alberto Contador (ESP),Andy Schleck (LUX),Carlos Sastre (ESP)

2. Green Jersey Mark Cavendish (GBR),Tyler Farrar (USA), Thor Hushovd (NOR)

3. Polka Dot Jersey Frank Schleck (LUX), Linus Gerdemann (GER), Andy Schleck (LUX)

4. Prologue ITT Fabian Cancellara (SUI), David Zabriskie (USA), Levi Leipheimer (USA

5. Stage 4 Team Time Trial Garmin - Slipstream, Cervelo TestTeam, Astana

6. Stage 7 Barcelona to Andorra Arcalis (mountain top finish) Alberto Contador (ESP), Carlos Sastre (ESP), Sebastian Lang (GER)

7. Stage 18 40k ITT Levi Leipheimer (USA), Cadel Evans (AUS), Christian Vande Velde (USA)

8. Stage 20 Finish at the top of famed Mt. Ventoux Alberto Contador (ESP),Andy Schleck (LUX), Andreas Klöden (GER)

Tiebreaker: Highest placed French finisher. Sandy Casar (FRA)