Eneco Tour (spoiler)

andrewgturnbull

Hi folks.

This might actually be coming to an exciting conclusion - again!

Can David Millar actually win? Just 6 seconds down on an injured Dekker - what about Gutierrez, current spanish TT champion?

Waddya think?

Cheers, Andy

ajohn9

My final 3
Millar
Gutierrez
Dekker

RCC

This could be a great day for British racing, Millar for the overall and Cav for the points? Who would have thought it?

Millar would deserve this win for the aggresive way he has ridden all year starting with the Paris-Nice. Can he overturn the few seconds deficit he has over a rolling TT course against 2 guys good against the clock (José Ivan Gutierrez, numerous Spanish TT titles and 2nd in 2005 worlds and Dekker 2004 and 2005 National TT champion!!)? I certainly hope so and think he can win it on the hillier sections with his power.

Cav definately deserves this for his great season as a neo-pro and to go a little way to ease his frustration from the TDF.

afx237vi

Dekker looked really bashed up at the end of today's stage. He put his arms up to put em in the jersey on the podium and as he lifted his left one it looked as if it really hurt. Plus the huge swelling on his hip. It's looking pretty good for Millar.

LangerDan

Its funny how only 5 days ago, the Eneco Tour was a second-rate, boring, calendar filler. Now that it looks like Millar is in with a shout for the overall and Cav for the points, it'll be ranked between the Giro and Vueta in importance

RCC

Ranked "between" the Giro and Vuelta, I'd say hovering somewhere just under the TDF and Worlds

drenkrom

All of a sudden the ENECO tour is interesting for you Brits? Good for you.

Maybe that means the Tour of Poland will be a nailbiter or something.

Noodley

RCC wrote:

This could be a great day for British racing.

Hardly "great".

"Mildly less boring than it was" maybe, if that.

Mr Bumble

Despite really hoping that Millar clinches it....

I think it is as Aristotle would agree that peripeteia (reversal of fortunes) can make one hell of a Bike race (or a tragedy)

I mean the Eneco Tour was just getting predicatbly boring..sprinters name in a hat for the win....

CM92S4E

drenkrom wrote:

All of a sudden the ENECO tour is interesting for you Brits? Good for you.

Maybe that means the Tour of Poland will be a nailbiter or something.

I had the urge to reply to this post with the words "shut up".

Millar is British, Millar is close to winning Eneco Tour, British people get interested in Eneco Tour. And as for the Tour of Poland, nobody over here will give much of a snout because its over the Tour of Britain.

Noodley

CM92S4E wrote:

drenkrom wrote:

All of a sudden the ENECO tour is interesting for you Brits? Good for you.

Maybe that means the Tour of Poland will be a nailbiter or something.

I had the urge to reply to this post with the words "shut up".

Millar is British, Millar is close to winning Eneco Tour, British people get interested in Eneco Tour. And as for the Tour of Poland, nobody over here will give much of a snout because its over the Tour of Britain.

Excuse me. I won the Tour of Poland on PTP last year - it is an important race for me to defend. I feel the pressure already.

Serious note - Tour of Poland is Pro Tour, Tour of Briatin is not. I doubt if too many Pro teams will be preparing for the World's in Britain whereas Poland will be a good warm-up for those not riding the Vuelta. Eneco then Poland seems to becoming quite a popular choice. Eneco and Poland will maybe be a better preparation for the World's than 3 weeks of the Vuelta.

If people are not giving "much of a snout" about Poland it is more likely to be due the Vuelta rather than Tour of Britain.

dave_1

Fingers crossed for David Millar tomorrow...I hope he smokes em all in the TT...cycling needs a Millar win, especially with his stance this season, how he´s helping turn the tide off the bike as well as on it

Milram-fan

Anyone feel really sorry for Tjallingi today? He rode brilliantly, very aggressive and deserved something a bit more than the 13 seconds or so he got for his efforts.

Have enjoyed this years Eneco Tour - really hope Millar can get the GC but feel Guiterez is the better time trialist and may be too strong for him tomorrow, Dekker looked pretty battered and bruised afterwards - i wonder how much effort he put into the racing today compared to Millar??

moray_gub

Dave_1 wrote:

Fingers crossed for David Millar tomorrow...I hope he smokes em all in the TT...cycling needs a Millar win, especially with his stance this season, how he´s helping turn the tide off the bike as well as on it

Hard one to call this Millar beat both JIG and Dekker in the Albi TT but lost 5 minutes to JIG in the final TT, though that can maybe be put down to his mechanicals. Think id favour DM here hope he pulls it off.

cheers
MG

dave_1

Moray Gub wrote:

Dave_1 wrote:

Fingers crossed for David Millar tomorrow...I hope he smokes em all in the TT...cycling needs a Millar win, especially with his stance this season, how he´s helping turn the tide off the bike as well as on it

Hard one to call this Millar beat both JIG and Dekker in the Albi TT but lost 5 minutes to JIG in the final TT, though that can maybe be put down to his mechanicals. Think id favour DM here hope he pulls it off.

cheers
MG

I notice david said he´d have won the prologue without rain, quit e a bold statement, so makes me think he might knoiw his form is really good. Certainly, his road stage form and his placing at the one day classic pre Eneco suggest he is in really good form

DaveyL

Millar did a 6:20 in the prologue, in the wet - 11 seconds down on the winner. I thought it was a pretty awesome ride as the guys around him who also had to ride in the wet were coming in doing 6:40s and 6:50s.

I would also discount the final TT in the TdF. Millar said that when he hit the first time check 1:30 down (due to his mechanicals), he decided to cruise round. If he'd been less than a minute he'd have gone for it.

Surely he can beat Gutierrez and Dekker in a 30 km TT? Not long til we find out...

timoid.

Finally a race for Britain. Its about as interesting as a 6am 20 and will be decided by a time trial.

Kudos to Millar if he pulls it off, but this ain't no Dauphinee Libere.

thebikeliker

What happened yesterday?

I set Sky+ to record the Eneco and with Tjallingi seemingly away and going to become leader it stopped.

When will Eurosport get their timings right? Also, if they do change the times can they not tell Sky so it can update the programme times and not finish recording before the end?

Oh well, at least I've found out how to set the Sky+ recorder manually so it will ignore Eurosport's lies!

Good luck to David Millar :P

Now if I can just keep away from the Eneco website so I don't know the result before I watch it at home tonight it should be an exciting race.