Tour De France stage 3

jackhammer111 - banned
jackhammer111 - banned Posts: 245
edited July 2009 in Pro race
let's get together and talk about the race
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Comments

  • blazing_saddles
    blazing_saddles Posts: 22,711
    Just don't start pming people to come to Ohio for a fight. The folks around here are much more polite, than elsewhere.

    The only hope to liven up today if for a crosswind from the Camargue on. Could happen.
    If so Saxo Bank or Cervelo may seek to take an advantage, with an actual attack.
    "Science is a tool for cheaters". An anonymous French PE teacher.
  • Kléber
    Kléber Posts: 6,842
    Yesterday the forecast said a gentle NW breeze, today it's changed to a strong wind.

    But I don't see this troubling Columbia, a big team is unlikely to be caught out since every team has been thinking "it's likely to be flat and windy". It's possible the likes of Astana or Rabo try to play the echelon card but this won't be a surprise. But all this means everyone will be scrapping for a place on the front 20 riders of the bunch.
  • takethehighroad
    takethehighroad Posts: 6,812
    If there are echelons, there will be multiple points in cycling cliche bingo!
  • cswebbo
    cswebbo Posts: 220
    Looking like the usual game, 4 riders with over 11 minute lead in first 25 miles so far.
    I'm guessing Saxo Bank will bluff other teams into riding now. No way they will want to tire out the team before tomorrows ttt.
    I can't wait to see what happens in the two stages without radios.
  • Cumulonimbus
    Cumulonimbus Posts: 1,730
    Copied from deleted thread

    Four out front with a lead already of 11:15. The constituents of the break are Maxime Bouet (FdJ), Samuel Demoulin (Cofidis), Ruben Perez Moreno (Euskaltel) and Koen de Koert (Skil-Shimano). Sometimes the first hour is fast as there is a big battle to get into the break. Not today though with the bunch maybe averaging less than 20mph in the Mediterranean heat. A long way to go yet and the peloton often allows a big gap before they chase them down successfully. However, CSC did hard work yesterday and will want a rest today to give Andy as much help as possible tomorrow. Columbia had their win yesterday and may want to save their energy for tomorrow to win the TTT and give their GC candidates a hand unless they get a lot of help from elsewhere. Garmin will want to save themselves for tomorrow although a successful break would take away their chance of yellow. Cervelo wont want to exhaust themselves in case they lose a load of time tomorrow. Astana wont be interested as none of these guys stand a chance (AFAIK) on overall. Maybe a day for a break to stay away?
  • avoidingmyphd
    avoidingmyphd Posts: 1,154
    can we add SPOILER to the thread heading then? I thought that was why the deleted thread was started separately...
  • disgruntledgoat
    disgruntledgoat Posts: 8,957
    Oh lord cyclingnews' live coverage is awful today

    "Will the peloton decide it's too hot and let the break win?" On stage 2... doubtful

    "The sprinters always want to win" really?

    "Tom Boonen would love to win!" You don't say.
    "In many ways, my story was that of a raging, Christ-like figure who hauled himself off the cross, looked up at the Romans with blood in his eyes and said 'My turn, sock cookers'"

    @gietvangent
  • avoidingmyphd
    avoidingmyphd Posts: 1,154
    wow, you are disgruntled today! the "let the break win" comment is fair enough - surely a sprint finish is not so certain that commentators can't even canvas the alternatives?! And the other comments might be a bit trite but there's not a lot to say at this early stage so some babbling is normal!

    cumulonimbus, I like your breakdown of how several teams have a different incentive to let the break go today. I'm not sure I agree columbia have any GC hopes (especially plural haha!) that are high enough to divert them from delivering Cav to bunch sprints. But it would be nice (for the race) if you your other comments all added up to Columbia having to work hard for it today.
  • Cumulonimbus
    Cumulonimbus Posts: 1,730
    This is stage 3 and on stage 3 last year the winner was... Samuel dumoulin from a breakaway! It can happen this early. As i remember it seemed as though the sprinters' teams couldnt decide on who should do how much work and so the chase was fractured. I agree about the Columbia GC hopes, i dont think they are the top priority at the moment given the other prizes but if they have to do pretty much all the work then they will really struggle tomorrow. Cav may want to win the TTT tomorrow anyway - he often says how much he appreciates his team. Might also want to beat Garmin too. :twisted: We'll see.
  • Cumulonimbus
    Cumulonimbus Posts: 1,730
    This is stage 3 and on stage 3 last year the winner was... Samuel dumoulin from a breakaway! It can happen this early. As i remember it seemed as though the sprinters' teams couldnt decide on who should do how much work and so the chase was fractured. I agree about the Columbia GC hopes, i dont think they are the top priority at the moment given the other prizes but if they have to do pretty much all the work then they will really struggle tomorrow. Cav may want to win the TTT tomorrow anyway - he often says how much he appreciates his team. Might also want to beat Garmin too. :twisted: We'll see.
  • afx237vi
    afx237vi Posts: 12,630
    Saxo Bank are on the front already, bringing the gap down to 8 and a half minutes. I don't see the point. It's not putting much faith in the Schlecks if they're knackering themselves to keep the jersey for Cancellara.
  • Cumulonimbus
    Cumulonimbus Posts: 1,730
    True. If they work really hard today as well as all the work done yesterday then it must have a serious impact tomorrow meaning Cancellara loses the jersey and Schleck loses time. I had been thinking about how the CSC tactics have been different this year as last year they didnt do much at all before the mountain stages - Cancellara didnt even win the TT! Mind you there were in a much stronger position last year so could use the team later on.

    Just read on cyclingnews that the forecasters are going for gusts up to 55mph later!!! If true then that is surely going to cause some serious problems.
  • RichN95.
    RichN95. Posts: 27,241
    I can't take it seriously when (as just now on Eurosport) Tom Boonen is asked about Columbia.

    When they asked why they don't try and stop the train from Columbia I half expected him to say "Because that's what brings me my cocaine".


    (Yes pedants I know the country is spelt Colombia)
    Twitter: @RichN95
  • blazing_saddles
    blazing_saddles Posts: 22,711
    Iain must be loving this! :lol:
    RichN95 wrote:
    When they asked why they don't try and stop the train from Columbia I half expected him to say "Because that's what brings me my cocaine".
    (Yes pedants I know the country is spelt Colombia)

    Still a good one though! :wink:
    "Science is a tool for cheaters". An anonymous French PE teacher.
  • jackhammer111 - banned
    jackhammer111 - banned Posts: 245
    Blazing Saddles wrote:
    Just don't start pming people to come to Ohio for a fight. The folks around here are much more polite, than elsewhere.

    .

    then we won't have a problem :D
    evidently vulgar, profane sexual insults to my family isn't out of bounds on that forum, but an angry defense is.

    good morning!
  • Pokerface
    Pokerface Posts: 7,960
    Advantage of the 4 leaders is back up to 12 and a half minutes again. 115KM to go still.
  • afx237vi
    afx237vi Posts: 12,630
    Pokerface wrote:
    Advantage of the 4 leaders is back up to 12 and a half minutes again. 115KM to go still.

    And here come Saxo again...
  • disgruntledgoat
    disgruntledgoat Posts: 8,957
    Another Thomas Voekler waiting to happen out there today? Can't see them letting it go, and if they put the hammer down late on, somebody's gonna get caught out.
    "In many ways, my story was that of a raging, Christ-like figure who hauled himself off the cross, looked up at the Romans with blood in his eyes and said 'My turn, sock cookers'"

    @gietvangent
  • Mettan
    Mettan Posts: 2,103
    Phil: - feed stage 3.

    http://www.ustream.tv/channel/mundanetv
  • afx237vi
    afx237vi Posts: 12,630
    David Harmon's "dummies guide to the Tour de France" was so confusing I'm not sure that I understand how the Tour works any more :shock:
  • Pokerface
    Pokerface Posts: 7,960
    Not sure anyone cares, but lead of 7 mins with 80KM to go.
  • afx237vi
    afx237vi Posts: 12,630
    Now Garmin seem to be coming to the front, which I find completely bizarre. Did they not see the finish of yesterday's stage?
  • frenchfighter
    frenchfighter Posts: 30,642
    Columbia have no GC riders - Kirchen and Rogers are not the right material. They are riding exclusively for Cavendish, so I would imagine they would want pull the lead back.
    Contador is the Greatest
  • afx237vi
    afx237vi Posts: 12,630
    frenchfighter wrote:
    Columbia have no GC riders - Kirchen and Rogers are not the right material. They are riding exclusively for Cavendish, so I would imagine they would want pull the lead back.

    Which doesn't explain why Garmin are helping to pull the break back. They're making Columbia's job even easier.
  • disgruntledgoat
    disgruntledgoat Posts: 8,957
    afx237vi wrote:
    frenchfighter wrote:
    Columbia have no GC riders - Kirchen and Rogers are not the right material. They are riding exclusively for Cavendish, so I would imagine they would want pull the lead back.

    Which doesn't explain why Garmin are helping to pull the break back. They're making Columbia's job even easier.

    That's easy, they think that Tyler Farrar is a sprinter and want the break to get caught to keep Wiggins up there for yellow tomorrow.
    "In many ways, my story was that of a raging, Christ-like figure who hauled himself off the cross, looked up at the Romans with blood in his eyes and said 'My turn, sock cookers'"

    @gietvangent
  • Pokerface
    Pokerface Posts: 7,960
    afx237vi wrote:
    frenchfighter wrote:
    Columbia have no GC riders - Kirchen and Rogers are not the right material. They are riding exclusively for Cavendish, so I would imagine they would want pull the lead back.

    Which doesn't explain why Garmin are helping to pull the break back. They're making Columbia's job even easier.

    Perhaps they think that if Farrar gets enough points from finishing second often enough - he could go for some of the intermediate sprints also and they could steal the Green jersey for him?

    Cav and Columbia have stated they won't chase intermediate sprints - leaving the door open for someone who WILL.

    Plus there's always the chance that Cav will got caught in a crash, or get too cocky again and Farrar (or someone else) can still beat him on the line. If you don't try - you don't get.
  • jackhammer111 - banned
    jackhammer111 - banned Posts: 245
    afx237vi wrote:
    Now Garmin seem to be coming to the front, which I find completely bizarre. Did they not see the finish of yesterday's stage?

    i'm sure they saw that they had a rider with a chance to win. great first result.

    good job by the Japanese guy too.
  • afx237vi
    afx237vi Posts: 12,630
    Meh. If I was a DS I just wouldn't want my team helping Columbia at all.

    Rabobank are taking it up a bit now. Maybe because of the crosswinds rather than for Freire. Popo, Armstrong and Berto are right near the front too.
  • Cumulonimbus
    Cumulonimbus Posts: 1,730
    I think Garmin will want the break to come back so that Wiggins has a chance of yellow tomorrow. They dont want to do too much work though so they'll be hoping they can bring it down to a manageable level and then other teams will take over allowing their guys to take it easyish towards the end (apart from Farrar and his lead-out men). Quickstep should do a bit of work for Boonen - i wouldnt have thought they would be too bothered about the TTT tomorrow not having a GC guy? Maybe Boonen is still suffering.
  • frenchfighter
    frenchfighter Posts: 30,642
    edited July 2009
    afx237vi wrote:
    frenchfighter wrote:
    Columbia have no GC riders - Kirchen and Rogers are not the right material. They are riding exclusively for Cavendish, so I would imagine they would want pull the lead back.

    Which doesn't explain why Garmin are helping to pull the break back. They're making Columbia's job even easier.

    errr...CVV is a major GC contender for GRM.
    Contador is the Greatest

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