06 July 2007

Les maillots, parte II

If you have chosen le maillot à pois rouges, you are competing for King (Queen) of the Mountains! The Polka Dot Jersey identifies the best climber of the Tour. It is all about stamina as you pedal up up up to the top of the mountain. And from what some knitters have told us when they signed up, their projects for this category are all uphill! Here are some of the riders who might inspire us to keep on pedalling to the top!

from: www.feltet.dk

Name: Michael Rasmussen
Home: Denmark
Team: Rabobank
His website: http://www.feltet.dk/michaelrasmussen/news.php

From wiki: Specializing in climbing, Rasmussen has shown a propensity for attempting spectacular stage wins in mountain stages in which he breaks away from the peloton early and rides alone for most of the stage...In the 2006 Tour de France, he finished well in the overall GC but wasn't the team leader, that honour went to Russian Denis Menchov. Rasmussen nevertheless won the King of the Mountains polka dot jersey for the second year in succession and claimed stage 16 in the process. On Stage 16 he broke away after just 4km and took the Henri Desgrange prize for the highest point in this year's Tour de France at the top of the Col du Galibier (2645m), also bagging 5000 euros for his efforts. He led over all of the climbs and won stage 16 by over a minute to the nearest chaser, Carlos Sastre of Team CSC.

from: www.cyclingfans.com

Name: Frank Schleck
Home: Luxemburg
Team: CSC
His site: http://www.schleck.lu/

From: wiki: In the Tour de France [2006], he won stage 15 from Gap to Alpe D'Huez, where he broke away from Damiano Cunego 1.5 km from the finish to record one of his most famous victories. He is particularly known for the way he keeps his knees in while pedalling. He also rides a very high cadence, like Lance Armstrong, when climbing. Furthermore, he rides, especially during climbing, with his jersey open to keep him cool.

from: commons.wikimedia.org

Name: Damiano Cunego
Home: Italy
Team: Lampre-Fondital
His site: http://www.damianocunego.it/ (English to come, but you can translate with Google)

From wiki: In his first Tour de France, Cunego captured the maillot blanc (or white jersey) in the Best Young Rider classification at the 2006 Tour de France from Markus Fothen on the last time-trial stage. He finished 2nd on stage 15 to L'Alpe D'Huez, after losing to Fränk Schleck, who broke away in the final 2 km. He also finished 3rd on stage 17, on the road to Morzine.

There's no doubt about it, some of the greatest moments of le Tour are experienced in the Mountain Stages and the scenery in these stages is amazing. Even if you're not a big fan of cycling, get behind one of these mountain climbers and you will not be disappointed by the drama of the early mountain breakaway, and the thrill of victory as the summit is reached!

Next up - the youngsters of the Tour (white jerseys) who are hoping to show these experienced guys a thing or two!

15 comments:

Moze said...

Ooh, gotta go with Frank Schleck. Because eye candy is always a nice sight to knit to.

Elaine said...

What about Damiano Cunego? Talk about eye candy!

Cindy said...

Personally, my money is on Rassmusen, as I think CSC will be putting Schleck as a posible yellow jersey winner.

Don't count out Jens Voight: he's been known to do some crazy solo breaks that eat up a lot of points (and not a few red numbers for most aggressive rider)

Anonymous said...

Love Rasmussen! There's just something about a guy in polka dots...

Anonymous said...

Hey, I found a great info site about the Tour, and in English!

http://www.steephill.tv/2007/tour-de-france/

Elaine said...

Because it's starting in London, there is lots of detailed info on the opening ceremonies etc in English. Try http://www.tourdefrancelondon.com
and go on from there.

Nikki said...

oh la la! What nice men to watch with those great polka dots!

Meg said...

My lovely co-host did a fantastic job putting together the run-down on all the contenders didn't she! I was a little worried that my favourite aussie, Cadel Evans, didn't rate a mention... but we'll see, maybe she's got him down as a yellow jersey contender?!

knitseashore said...

Meg, have no fear!!! :)

Sarah said...

I'm not sure what looks tougher to me, struggling up the mtns or screaming down them at top (scary) speeds!

Chelsea said...

Dang! Why the heck did doping have to come into the scene? I still think that Basso is friggin' hot! Sorry - I was looking at Cunego's pics and I found this one: http://tinyurl.com/26ysgl

Sigh. Basso has got to be one of the cutest riders- I'm so mad. :(

Auntly H said...

I'm going to have to ride on Frank's coat tails. I need to keep up my German and refresh my French!

As far as pretty goes, Frank's brother, Andy, isn't hard on the eyes, either.

Heidi Raatz said...

Don't overlook Iban Mayo, even though he dropped from the 2006 tour he's an amazing climber and certainly one to watch for the Polka Dot jersey.

Westozcaat said...

Hi I am just joining at the last minute with two projects. My entry for the polka-dot jersey is the MS3 (to be knit only on mountain stages)- BTW do we aussies have a mountaineer rider?

Anonymous said...

[p]Oakley makers consist of a complete set of the merchandise data card, a microfiber storage bag, a warranty registration card, and many other folks . Oakley Sunglasses Sale





Related Articles - Oakley Sunglasses Sale, Oakley Sunglasses Cheap, Oakley Sunglasses Outlet,





Email this Article to a Friend!

Receive Articles like this one direct to your email box!Subscribe for free today! . Oakley, such as any premium brand, is more exclusive than its lesser valued counterparts since they are made in lower volume . They are very conveniently available in any [url=http://discountsunglasssaleuk.webstarts.com]discounted sunglasses[/url] shop or in the Internet . Principally geared in the direction of sporting reasons, Oakley sunglasses have risen from the design ranks in recent times which has a assortment style and design mainly in the direction of a wonderful aesthetic . You won't ever see a celebrity without a killer set of designer sunglasses like Oakley and which should certainly be your first clue since the importance of this must--have accessory . Oakley sunglasses products on the concept of a subversive glasses handy, practical, artistic, integration.[/p][p]In [url=http://discountsunglasssaleuk.webstarts.com]cheap sunglasses uk[/url] turn, they provided discounted deals in their products, such as cheap snowboard gear . Often representing styles of rebellion and even a youthful nature, the Oakley brand has had a important impact when it comes to the attraction they have with youthful celebs and sports athletes . But before you do therefore, it may be a good idea to add up the buying price of all the pairs of sunglasses you've discarded and wonder when the money would've been better spent on a single pair of Oakley's . com online store . They are going to also make your deal with appear longer than it in fact is . Oakley believed serious [url=http://discountsunglasssaleuk.webstarts.com]sunglasses sale[/url] athletes were quick to recognize the superior technology and performance of its products . outlet-oakleyssunglasses.[/p]