The team time-trial (TTT) is making a comeback in the Tour de France after a 3 year absence, but with one major change: the time recorded on the line will be taken into account without tables. Previously there was a maximum amount of time a team could lose. Real time is still the absolute rule at the 2009 Tour. That is also why the route in Montpellier is short, the last 2 TTTs were almost 70km in length, this is just 39km.
results from the TTT at the 2009 Giro - 20.5km
1st - Columbia 21.50
2nd - Garmin + 0.06
3rd - Astana +0.13
at the 2008 Giro it was Garmin (called slipstream at the time) beating CSC and Columbia by 6 seconds.
The only other TTT on a stage race of any note this year was the Tour de Romandie (in Switzerland) but it is no team rode that race with the same or even a similar TdF roster.
Tour de Romandie
1 Team Columbia-High Road 18' 37"
2 Caisse d'Epargne + 10"
3 Team Saxo Bank + 16"
I would think that Columbia, Garmin, Astana and Saxo-Bank are the big guns here.
Riders like Cadel Evans face the prospect of losing time to other big name GC contenders tonight, it is a real test of team strength. The time is for the first 5 riders across the line. Garmin have a very very good TT outfit, Millar, Vande Velde & Zabriskie area all super TT riders. We know Astana has Lance, Levi & Contador, Columbia goes very well too though and saxo bank have a unit of good all rounders as well as big Fabian, the best TT rider in the business.
The combined times of the fist 5 riders from the ITT in stage 1 was thus:
1 Astana 00:59:46
2 Team Saxo Bank +00:31
3 Garmin - Slipstream +00:44
4 Liquigas +01:25
5 Colombia +01:46
The betting reflects that.
$1.77 Astana
$5.10 Garmin- Slipstream
$7.80 Columbia - HTC
$9.10 Saxo-Bank
Every other team is greater than $100 on betfair!
We are going for the upset here, i think this stage is the sole focus of the 2009 Tour for Garmin - we will back them to win.
but some insurance:
Rider in Yellow at end of Stage 4.
Fabian Cancellara $1.50
Lance Armstrong $3.20
Tony Martin $6.60
If Astana get enough time off Saxo Bank (40 seconds) and they beat Columbia (by 7 seconds), then Lance will be in Yellow at the end of this!
$3.20 for that - yep, take it as well, much better than the price for Astana winning.
Stage 4 Betting
Garmin to win $5.20
Lance in Yellow $3.20
Great work by Lance last night.
ReplyDeleteIf he is wearing Yellow after tonight's stage, the "Tiger" and "Roger" factor will come right into play.
Mr Invincible?
Intriguing stuff.
Steve,
ReplyDeleteTwas great to watch (I actually watched it) but I think that Astana cost themselves & Lance the yellow jersey. Most of the GUN teams when they got inside the final km were picked up and dragged over the line by the leader, Cavendish & Cancerella was superb in driving Saxo.
Lance relinquished the front to Contador who also relinquished the front? and they go down by milli seconds... For me this is a sign of weakness in the team, they don't truly know who the leader is/should be...
Cadel is GOOOOOOOOOONE! terible performance by Silence Lotto.
Matt how unlucky with Garmin what a courageous effort to do what they did with the bare 5 for most the journey.
Meant Cavendish for Colombia..
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