Tour of Qatar STAGE 2 **(Spoiler)***

sonny73
sonny73 Posts: 2,203
edited February 2010 in Pro race
Arvesen injured, gutted fo him if it is collar bone: http://www.cyclingweekly.co.uk/news/latest/441621/arvesen-suffers-suspected-collarbone-break-in-qatar.html
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Comments

  • Quite Frankly
    Quite Frankly Posts: 386
    There is a big split in the peloton. Farrar and Boonen are in a group of about 20 (No EBH or SKY in there) who have a 30 seconds lead over the main peleton.

    Two riders out front have a 12 minute lead with 50km to go.

    Carlton doesn't have a clue as to what has been going on. Nothing new there then.
  • Quite Frankly
    Quite Frankly Posts: 386
    There seems to be lots of groups of about 20 riders all over the place. :shock:
  • blazing_saddles
    blazing_saddles Posts: 22,725
    4 groups chasing the two man break, according to Eurotrash...
    "Science is a tool for cheaters". An anonymous French PE teacher.
  • blazing_saddles
    blazing_saddles Posts: 22,725
    Garmin and Sky leading the chase! :lol:
    "Science is a tool for cheaters". An anonymous French PE teacher.
  • Quite Frankly
    Quite Frankly Posts: 386
    EBH seems to be in next the group 43 seconds behind Boonen but only has Stannard for support.
  • Quite Frankly
    Quite Frankly Posts: 386
    Blazing Saddles wrote:
    Garmin and Sky leading the chase! :lol:

    So Farrar can't possibly be in the Boonen/Cervelo group then. Do we even know who the two breakaway riders are with a 9 minute lead?
  • curium
    curium Posts: 815
    Puncture for EBH
  • Kléber
    Kléber Posts: 6,842
    Justin TV time: http://fr.justin.tv/tvseba00031#r=vObl15k

    EBH has just punctured, he can say goodbye to the jersey.

    It might be early February but these guys are shifting.
  • blazing_saddles
    blazing_saddles Posts: 22,725
    Where are Sky? Something to do with the crash?
    Only Ian Stannard and EBH not in the bus group. :?
    "Science is a tool for cheaters". An anonymous French PE teacher.
  • Quite Frankly
    Quite Frankly Posts: 386
    edited February 2010
    19 riders in the Boonen/Cervelo group. It seems that FARRAR is in there despite Garmin leading the chase behind. :?
  • mididoctors
    mididoctors Posts: 18,908
    edited February 2010
    Blazing Saddles wrote:
    Garmin and Sky leading the chase! :lol:

    I think garmin are actually soft tapping in the echelon there

    hence all the shouting and arm waving
    "If I was a 38 year old man, I definitely wouldn't be riding a bright yellow bike with Hello Kitty disc wheels, put it that way. What we're witnessing here is the world's most high profile mid-life crisis" Afx237vi Mon Jul 20, 2009 2:43 pm
  • Quite Frankly
    Quite Frankly Posts: 386
    The two breakaway riders' advantage is down to 7 minutes. 40KM to go.
  • Quite Frankly
    Quite Frankly Posts: 386
    mididoctors wrote:
    Blazing Saddles wrote:
    Garmin and Sky leading the chase! :lol:

    I think garmin are actually soft tapping in the echelon there

    hence all the shouting and arm waving

    That would make sense.

    Punctures all over the place!
  • Quite Frankly
    Quite Frankly Posts: 386
    Stannard seems to have disappeared. I think EBH might now be in Group 3, 1.15 behind Boonen/Farrar/Cervelo.

    Who said early season racing was boring?
  • DaveyL
    DaveyL Posts: 5,167
    Lionel Birnie on twitter: "People knock the Tour of Qatar, but I can't see why. Every year it throws up fantastic technical racing. It's about brains as well as brawn."

    Someone needs to tell him it's not a proper race like wot they have in Europe, and is really just a nice warm weather chipper.
    Le Blaireau (1)
  • camerone
    camerone Posts: 1,232
    Quite Frankly wrote:
    Stannard seems to have disappeared. I think EBH might now be in Group 3, 1.15 behind Boonen/Farrar/Cervelo.

    Who said early season racing was boring?

    the fact several teams are after entry to the tour is helping? where are sky? peleton attacks sky already!!
  • EKIMIKE
    EKIMIKE Posts: 2,232
    Haussler vowed that Cervelo would blow the race apart after yesterday's time penalty. Looks like they've done a great job.
    Canyon Endurace CF 2014 | Canyon Ultimate CF 2010
  • Quite Frankly
    Quite Frankly Posts: 386
    camerone wrote:
    Quite Frankly wrote:
    Stannard seems to have disappeared. I think EBH might now be in Group 3, 1.15 behind Boonen/Farrar/Cervelo.

    Who said early season racing was boring?

    the fact several teams are after entry to the tour is helping? where are sky? peloton attacks sky already!!

    Sky have been blown apart in the desert.

    I think Stannard is still in the second group. EBH is in the third group now 2 minutes behind Boonen/Farrar/Cervelo, so GC chances over for him.
  • teagar
    teagar Posts: 2,100
    Nice to see Boonen and Gilbert getting stuck in when it gets windy. You can take the Belgians out of Belgium....
    Note: the above post is an opinion and not fact. It might be a lie.
  • blazing_saddles
    blazing_saddles Posts: 22,725
    2 minutes for the two breakaways is a lot, in Qatar.
    "Science is a tool for cheaters". An anonymous French PE teacher.
  • teagar
    teagar Posts: 2,100
    edited February 2010
    Good win for Topsport...

    Especially considering their traumatic experience last year in Qatar.
    Note: the above post is an opinion and not fact. It might be a lie.
  • blazing_saddles
    blazing_saddles Posts: 22,725
    Not a Sky rider in the top 20. Most are still riding.
    "Science is a tool for cheaters". An anonymous French PE teacher.
  • Quite Frankly
    Quite Frankly Posts: 386
    From Champions League winners to also-rans in the space of 24 hours.
  • micron
    micron Posts: 1,843
    Think there's probably a place for all flavours and qualities of racing, DaveyL, at least I would hope so. Guess it depends on what you were brought up with :wink:

    Don't know about this 'great technical racing' - Boonen gave an interview to Equipe in which he said winning Qatar wasn't hard, it was all about staying at the front of the peloton. Object lesson in doing that for Sky today - bit surprised EBH wasn't cannier in staying up there in the front group.
  • shawman
    shawman Posts: 76
    Great stage, very entertaining, like a European classic rather than a stage race.
  • teagar
    teagar Posts: 2,100
    EBH is only young.

    Gilbert, Haussler, Boonen, Hammond - they've all been doing this kind of windy racing for years and years.
    Note: the above post is an opinion and not fact. It might be a lie.
  • DaveyL
    DaveyL Posts: 5,167
    micron wrote:
    Think there's probably a place for all flavours and qualities of racing, DaveyL, at least I would hope so. Guess it depends on what you were brought up with :wink:

    Or maybe it just depends on whether you take a race at face value and don't judge it on where it's taking place and what its history is. :wink:
    Le Blaireau (1)
  • afx237vi
    afx237vi Posts: 12,630
    Interesting stuff. That was a quality group near the front... Boonen, Gilbert, Ballan, Burghardt, Haussler. Great effort by Mol and Steurs though.
  • The Prodigy
    The Prodigy Posts: 832
    Fantastic for EBH to be taught a lesson in a race like this, better now than when the real racing starts.
  • William H
    William H Posts: 61
    micron wrote:
    Don't know about this 'great technical racing' - Boonen gave an interview to Equipe in which he said winning Qatar wasn't hard, it was all about staying at the front of the peloton. Object lesson in doing that for Sky today - bit surprised EBH wasn't cannier in staying up there in the front group.

    Sky probably missed Arvesen, whose experience would have been useful. EBH is still young.

    Of course, Flecha is no callow youth and he seemed to be nowhere today.

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