Stage 13 : Vittel - Colmar *spoiler*
Comments
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My, what a cynical bunch you are! This stage was never going to shake up the GC. We've had crap weather, loads of attacking, tactical chasing, riders faltering out of the blue and a winner who got there by having more bottle on the wet descent than his co-escapee. If that's a non-event to you, life must be pretty dull. It's way out of the "Eneco Tour" category of boring.
So the GC doesn't move for a long while. It's hardly the first time. It will have to shake up at one point, unless everyone is happy with Nocentini taking the overall, which I doubt. Until then, there's some good riding going down, even if it's not from the "big guys".0 -
Dunno whether to be pleased I can now go down the pub and miss another dull stage or annoyed that the pro peleton seems to have decided to take their tactics from a 3rd cat race?
I don't understand this race at all, the general consensus is that in effect the TDF GC will be based on a 1 day classic on the Ventoux, combined with a 10TT done 3 weeks before? Pish. :evil:0 -
Thor picked up a bunch of points on Cav today. Green to him?0
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Yes, he's in green.
I hesitated over Velits for the PTP
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Hushovd was 6th :shock:
They must have been really taking it easy due to the rain.Contador is the Greatest0 -
Yup. 5 points up on Cav now. :twisted:0
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So those so called mountains couldn't have been that tough coz Thor was still in the bunch, so the Heinrich Maneuver wasn't such a surprise....0
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Maybe France can get a roof fitted for next year :shock:0
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Hushovd was bawling him down at the line wasn't he? "They were supposed to be MY points!"
Story of the day: Matteo Tossatto came 18th0 -
I feel like I've been robbed of an afternoon, I was looking forward to some action but nothing. I know conditions were hard but this is still the most prestigious bike race in the world. You'd think some of the lesser GC contenders would have a go?
Roll on Sunday when the road to Verbier has some 8% slopes and the riders will have to do something. Although I fear they leave it all until the last 5km!0 -
Hushovd can only blame himself. He wasn't paying attention. Velits can sprint and hardly is a nobody (U23 world champion)0
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This green jersey is gona go down to teh intermediate sprints. Cav has to win tomorrow to have a chance of getting it back before Paris.0
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Pokerface wrote:Astana REALLY don't want that Yellow Jersey. It looks safe with AG2R until the ITT.
NOBODY wants the yellow jersey.
Thank goodness they had those radio's switched on today, eh? Otherwise, it would be dark before the wusses finished.
Undoubtably, the dullest Tour since 2002 and at least it had an excuse. Beloki was the only joke challenger to what's his name.Kléber wrote:Roll on Sunday when the road to Verbier has some 8% slopes and the riders will have to do something. Although I fear they leave it all until the last 5km!
No joke, but I think that is extremely optimistic.
"Science is a tool for cheaters". An anonymous French PE teacher.0 -
GC contenders gave up today, organizers have made the most boring tour route for years not enough mountain top finishes they wasted the tourmalet day, none of the gc guys are going to bother if thers 20 - 30k after the last climb. when the route was announced everyone focused on th tourmalet, seems like the racers are doing the same.
and cav loses green, he should really have kept up no excuses for being 20 mins down on a day like that0 -
Bollocks with Hushovd I had points riding on Velits
Do you not think with having the Ventoux as penultimate stage has worried the favourites a bit, and too many are playing their cards on that day.Either that or LA has them all pooing in their pants and scared to attack him.If it hadn't been for the breaks it would be an awful tour,maybe it is anyway,but with Wiggins so high up and Cav chasing wins and green jersey it's been ok for me.
I think high road will go for the first sprint tomorrow and hope a big break goes clear without Thor. :roll:0 -
What a boring stage!0
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We have a green jersey that only 2 people want, a mountains jersey that a few people are possibly interested in (but to be honest it is a pointless jersey) and a yellow jersey that no-one seems to want yet. If I was a sponsor of any team bar a couple I'd be very disappointed with the exposure my company name has got.
This Tour could have been contested over 10 stages and we'd have lost nothing. Having said that, most versions of the Tour have too many dead stages compared to the Giro. Do we really need the race to be 3 weeks anymore?
Thank god I didn't convince any friends to give the Tour a look this year. I was just thinking earlier about how I heard a radio presenter saying last week that cycling was the most boring sport on the planet, with his co-presenter agreeing. Based on this race they have a point! Thank god there is cricket to switch over to the next few days.0 -
The only GC spark has come from my favourite rider Contador. If it wasn't for Bruyneel he would have also lit up Tourmalet. Put him in Caisse colours and he will rip all the others to pieces. Cadel played his part too, but Hincapie's crony as well as (sadly) Cancellara had to give him an earful.Contador is the Greatest0
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Whats rubbish is that in the great tours people fight back sometime to win, sometimes to fall just short e.g. 86, 87, 2003. However, this tour isn't going to be like which is a real shame, it'll just be down to who happens to have the legs on 1 or 2 days over 3 weeks, boo.
Squired I think you are right about sponsers, I'd be well p*ssed off if I wasn't with a french company or Columbia.0 -
1985 Stage 14
These days are long gone.
http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_I4Snyzw2IMM/S ... stage14jpg
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FroJW_51Y5wContador is the Greatest0
