# McEwen did not make the time cut, now eliminated!



## Vandizzy (Jul 11, 2007)

"Three-time green jersey winner Robbie McEwen failed to make the time limit on today's Stage 8, and was eliminated from the Tour.

McEwen, who won Stage 1 after being injured in a crash, finished 1:09:22 behind Michael Rasmussen on the stage. The time limit was a little over 40 minutes. Also eliminated were Danilo Napolitano of Lampre (@1:16:33) and Cedric Herve of Agritubel (@49:57).

McEwen was the third Aussie out of the Tour on Sunday, joining Michael Rogers and Stuart O'Grady." fromhttp://www.tdfblog.com/2007_stage_8/index.html


What do you think?


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## wipeout (Jun 6, 2005)

I think he's out of the race.


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## Guest (Jul 15, 2007)

Seem to me like he has been suffering from the crash on the first stage.


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## Argentius (Aug 26, 2004)

well, the green jersey competition is a lot thinner now.

Apparently, though, Zabel is a climber now...


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## Vandizzy (Jul 11, 2007)

Who will take green?


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## filtersweep (Feb 4, 2004)

Vandizzy said:


> Who will take green?


I'd love to see Husholvd-- although Boonen would have to drop out for that to happen.


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## oarsman (Nov 6, 2005)

*Boonen*



filtersweep said:


> I'd love to see Husholvd-- although Boonen would have to drop out for that to happen.


Hushvold would be great, but it is going to be Boonen, assuming he makes it to Paris...and I think he will.


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## MikeBiker (Mar 9, 2003)

It was a bad day for the Aussies. Probably too much Foster's in the water bottles.


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## botto (Jul 22, 2005)

Vandizzy said:


> What do you think?


don't really care.


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## rufus (Feb 3, 2004)

Argentius said:


> well, the green jersey competition is a lot thinner now.
> 
> Apparently, though, Zabel is a climber now...



Zabel's always been a pretty good climber, as far as sprinters go. He's gotten a lot of points on stages where the pure sprinters haven't been able to make it over with the main group. And, he's always been able to make it through the mountains, hence, the six green jersey titles.


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## mohair_chair (Oct 3, 2002)

I think if you are going to miss the timecut, do it by a few minutes, so they can find a reason to waive the rule. Missing it by 30 minutes is asking to be tossed out of the Tour.


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## djcrb9 (Nov 24, 2002)

I wish i could say i feel bad for the guy... but i'd be lying. He's always come off as kind of a cocky jerk. O'Grady I'm bummed about, though.


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## teoteoteo (Sep 8, 2002)

djcrb9 said:


> I wish i could say i feel bad for the guy... but i'd be lying. He's always come off as kind of a cocky jerk. O'Grady I'm bummed about, though.



I'm with 'ya there.


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## rufus (Feb 3, 2004)

mohair_chair said:


> I think if you are going to miss the timecut, do it by a few minutes, so they can find a reason to waive the rule. Missing it by 30 minutes is asking to be tossed out of the Tour.


what was his time, anyway? I thought he did only miss it by a few minutes. 

with only four of them, no way would the officials have waived the rule. the thirty or forty other guys who just made the cut should have dropped back with them, and then they'd all have been allowed to continue.


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## oarsman (Nov 6, 2005)

*same here*



djcrb9 said:


> I wish i could say i feel bad for the guy... but i'd be lying. He's always come off as kind of a cocky jerk. O'Grady I'm bummed about, though.


McEwen is highly annoying...though mighty fast. Then again, Boonen can't seem to stop whining. Kind of like to see Zabel in green (would that be seven times?)...he is still pretty strong for an old guy!


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## djcrb9 (Nov 24, 2002)

oarsman said:


> McEwen is highly annoying...though mighty fast. Then again, Boonen can't seem to stop whining. Kind of like to see Zabel in green (would that be seven times?)...he is still pretty strong for an old guy!


Zabel is awesome. I always liked O'Grady, too... no headbutting from either of them, too!


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## rufus (Feb 3, 2004)

I don't think Boonen makes it through the Pyrenees. I think the green jersey is Zabel's to lose.


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## oarsman (Nov 6, 2005)

*Boonen in the Pyrenees*



rufus said:


> I don't think Boonen makes it through the Pyrenees. I think the green jersey is Zabel's to lose.


Yeah, I do wonder if Boonen can make it through the Pyrenees. Those stages look gut wrenching, one HC climb after another. And...with Rasmussen leading the charge up the steeps to have any chance at yellow, the pace is sure to be high. The GC contenders can't let the Chicken get too far ahead. I don't think he will abandon, but Boonen might have a hard time making the time cut.


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## Vandizzy (Jul 11, 2007)

rufus said:


> what was his time, anyway? I thought he did only miss it by a few minutes.
> 
> with only four of them, no way would the officials have waived the rule. the thirty or forty other guys who just made the cut should have dropped back with them, and then they'd all have been allowed to continue.


McEwen, who won Stage 1 after being injured in a crash, finished 1:09:22 behind Michael Rasmussen on the stage.

sad to see o'grady go as with rogers from that lead out


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## Fredke (Dec 10, 2004)

djcrb9 said:


> He's always come off as kind of a cocky jerk.


I don't only watch bike racing for the personalities. Robbie is a jerk, but he makes field sprints much more exciting to watch. His bike handling is 
absolutely beautiful and his acceleration is jaw-dropping. Go back and watch last Sunday's finish to see how much speed he puts on in no time at all to blast past Hunter and Hushovd. Life would be much more boring if all we got to see were duelling lead-out trains.

I'm also bummed about Stuey. I've had a great fondness for O'Grady ever since I saw Paul Sherwen's interview with him at the start of the 2001 Paris-Roubaix, where Stuey gets a wicked gleam in his eye as he talks about how sick the race is going to be with all the rain and mud. The memory of that interview made me especially savor his win this year.


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## Einstruzende (Jun 1, 2004)

Do I gotta school everyone here?

Boonen has finished the tour before. He has made it through the Pyrenees. He has the green jersey, and finished comfortably in the autobus. Barring crash or sickness, he wins green.


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## SilasCL (Jun 14, 2004)

Boonen has not dominated. I can see Zabel somehow winning even if Boonen makes it to the finish.

But if I was wagering on it...Boonen all the way.


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## biker_boy (Sep 10, 2002)

I like McEwan. He's a BAMF -- go to youtube and look for the video of him schooling the kid who tried to nab his water bottle a few years ago. It's wicked awesome.

Being an ex-BMXer myself, I've got a soft spot for McEwan. Cocky? Yes. Hella fast? You bet your @$$ he is.


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## JohnnyChance (Dec 13, 2006)

oarsman said:


> McEwen is highly annoying...though mighty fast. Then again, Boonen can't seem to stop whining. Kind of like to see Zabel in green (would that be seven times?)...he is still pretty strong for an old guy!




it would be seven with an asterix. one of his titles has been stripped from him for admitting to using PEDs.


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## JohnnyChance (Dec 13, 2006)

biker_boy said:


> I like McEwan. He's a BAMF -- go to youtube and look for the video of him schooling the kid who tried to nab his water bottle a few years ago. It's wicked awesome.
> 
> Being an ex-BMXer myself, I've got a soft spot for McEwan. Cocky? Yes. Hella fast? You bet your @$$ he is.



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K7O1yMRYSQo


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## Tugboat (Jul 17, 2006)

Robbie has since talked about how, despite his painful knee injury, he wasn't going to abandon the Tour (he's finished his previous 9). He battled on despite the pain, knowing that he was well outside the time cut just to finish the stage... that's gutsy and I doff my hat to him.


As for the green, I'd love to see Hushovd get up and win it. Zabel could potentially chip away getting points over the tougher stages as he's the best climber of the sprinters and I don't think that Boonen will get through the mountains. When it comes to the flat stages it'll come down to how Hushovd is feeling (as he wasn't 100% coming into the Tour) as I think he has the better leadouts of anyone on the wheel of Julian Dean.


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## djcrb9 (Nov 24, 2002)

biker_boy said:


> I like McEwan. He's a BAMF -- go to youtube and look for the video of him schooling the kid who tried to nab his water bottle a few years ago. It's wicked awesome.
> 
> Being an ex-BMXer myself, I've got a soft spot for McEwan. Cocky? Yes. Hella fast? You bet your @$$ he is.


Hella fast? Not hella fast enough to make the cut today...


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## sm1000 (Dec 2, 2005)

Tugboat said:


> Robbie has since talked about how, despite his painful knee injury, he wasn't going to abandon the Tour (he's finished his previous 9). He battled on despite the pain, knowing that he was well outside the time cut just to finish the stage... that's gutsy and I doff my hat to him.


Cocky, I won't argue against that. Bike handling skills, determination and acceleration, I won't argue against that either.

I will miss not seeing Robbie for the rest of the Tour. He is one of the main reasons I watch the Tour. 

Plus, I just like seeing him pull wheelies on his race bike.


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## SilasCL (Jun 14, 2004)

JohnnyChance said:


> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K7O1yMRYSQo


Can anyone translate what he yells at the kid when he sees his bottle cage is busted.

That's a great clip btw :cornut:


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## snowman3 (Jul 20, 2002)

sm1000 said:


> Cocky, I won't argue against that. Bike handling skills, determination and acceleration, I won't argue against that either.
> 
> I will miss not seeing Robbie for the rest of the Tour. He is one of the main reasons I watch the Tour.
> 
> Plus, I just like seeing him pull wheelies on his race bike.


Yeah, I'm bummed to see that he's out. He's *ONE* of the reasons I watch the tour, but not the *MAIN* reason. In past years, he was a little to cocky/jerkish for my taste, but over the past couple years he seems to have mellowed out a bit (or maybe I've just grown more accustomed). 

Would have liked to see him in green. But like he said in an interview, the best sprinter doesn't win green. I was hoping that Boonen would withdraw and that maybe Robbie could make a list minut hail mary or something.....

Glad to see him win stage1 though. That was a hell of a comeback and at least he didn't abandon.


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## innergel (Jun 14, 2002)

Those guys are all fully aware of the time cut and whether they are going to make it or not. At least they pushed through and finished the stage instead of abandoning. I think it's a class move for all of them.


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## Pablo (Jul 7, 2004)

Watching these great sprinters suffer through the mountains brings it all back home for me. Itt'll be a war of attrition to see Boonen try to get through the mountains. 

Considering his ability in Flanders, I'm pulling for Boonen.


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## shabbasuraj (May 14, 2005)

Someone should have given robbie a MTB granny ring for his triple and maybe he would have saved say 10 minutes.. but then he would have still failed the time limit...


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## 32and3cross (Feb 28, 2005)

djcrb9 said:


> Zabel is awesome. I always liked O'Grady, too... no headbutting from either of them, too!


Zables thrown a few headbutts in his day its part and parcel of being a sprinter hes been dq for it too in the tour.


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## CoLiKe20 (Jan 30, 2006)

not too much love for Robbie in here 
the guy is good.


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## mtbykr (Feb 16, 2004)

*well*

I think it sucks that robbie didn't make the cut...he could have easily given up and hopped in the team car but he gutted it out.....they have made exceptions in the past I would have liked to see them make one here. Especially for a sprint favorite, stage winner, popular guy, and one that is nursing a bad injury.

I'm gonna miss Robbie coming out from under his "harry potter invisible cloak" to take a stage


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## snowman3 (Jul 20, 2002)

mtbykr said:


> I'm gonna miss Robbie coming out from under his "harry potter invisible cloak" to take a stage


Robbie is what draws me to the sprints. I love watching the replay and playing "Where is Robbie" trying to pick him out of the bunch. You can't see him, but you can feel his presence and know that he's there. He's the anti Kaiser Sosay. In a flash, poof, Robbie can appear out of nowhere.


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