Dauphine Stage 3 - SPOILER

124

Comments

  • iainf72
    iainf72 Posts: 15,784
    DaveyL wrote:
    So what we can summarise from today. If a rider is going well, it's possibly dodgy. If a rider isn't going well, it's possibly dodgy.

    Sweet.

    No no. If a rider is going well but was riding worse than me until recently, then it's dodgy.
    Fckin' Quintana … that creep can roll, man.
  • blazing_saddles
    blazing_saddles Posts: 22,725
    Looking at the new GC and the fact that Contador isn't going to bust a gut, I can't see a scenario whereby the mountains become a battleground.
    Brajkovic is simply a better climber than the rest.

    I think we are going to have a rather dull race, when recent past editions have been rippers.

    Chancers to chance. A red train to pull. Etc etc.
    "Science is a tool for cheaters". An anonymous French PE teacher.
  • Gazzetta67
    Gazzetta67 Posts: 1,890
    It was obvious to see that Contador was not flat out in this TT today - He`s prob glad that the jersey is off his shoulders. - Contador could ride a raleigh chopper up alpe d huez on saturday and still take mins out of Brajkovic. There will be a lot of "bluffing" going on regarding who`s in good form or bad.
  • FJS
    FJS Posts: 4,820
    Blazing Saddles wrote:
    Looking at the new GC and the fact that Contador isn't going to bust a gut, I can't see a scenario whereby the mountains become a battleground.
    Brajkovic is simply a better climber than the rest.

    I think we are going to have a rather dull race, when recent past editions have been rippers.

    Chancers to chance. A red train to pull. Etc etc.

    You might be right, but let's hope for some fireworks from, well, uhm - Considering the route this race is curiously devoid of climbers
  • Doobz
    Doobz Posts: 2,800
    without a doubt Contador will test his climbing legs on one of the mountain top finishes. and I seriously doubt anyone will be able to hold his wheel when he goes..

    My prediction is Saturday :)
    cartoon.jpg
  • calvjones
    calvjones Posts: 3,850
    FJS wrote:
    Blazing Saddles wrote:
    Looking at the new GC and the fact that Contador isn't going to bust a gut, I can't see a scenario whereby the mountains become a battleground.
    Brajkovic is simply a better climber than the rest.

    I think we are going to have a rather dull race, when recent past editions have been rippers.

    Chancers to chance. A red train to pull. Etc etc.

    You might be right, but let's hope for some fireworks from, well, uhm - Considering the route this race is curiously devoid of climbers

    I wonder if its just too far away from the Tourmalet, time wise to be useful? That and Evans and Sastre doing the Giro and sitting it out of course.

    Oh, and Valv sitting on his sofa popping a Sol and a pack of Pringles of course.

    An on form Menchov could spank the Shack boy on the Alpe, no problem.

    He'll be a handful, unless he's lost nearly an armful by then.
    ___________________

    Strava is not Zen.
  • jimmythecuckoo
    jimmythecuckoo Posts: 4,718
    Did E B-H win then?
    http://fendrieneu.home.blog
    My blog and pod...
    Beers of Belgium Cycling Club UK
  • dave_1
    dave_1 Posts: 9,512
    Contador will not have been happy with that TT, shown some chinqes in his armour...Millar, maybe naive , probably am, but wanna believe that he is what he says-clean and on a no needles policy....which says something about the impact of the bio passport and other pressures. He could never have done this ride in 2007, only on EPO in 2003 Dauphine
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NKBacb2V ... ata_player
  • William H
    William H Posts: 61
    Thomas back in Green
  • moray_gub
    moray_gub Posts: 3,328
    Dave_1 wrote:
    Contador will not have been happy with that TT, shown some chinqes in his armour..

    I agree despite all the bluster he really wanted to do well in this TT and ok he finished in the top ten but really for a man of his abilities against the clock he rode like a true lightweight .
    Gasping - but somehow still alive !
  • DaveyL
    DaveyL Posts: 5,167
    Grabsch 11th, 2:16 down.
    Le Blaireau (1)
  • blazing_saddles
    blazing_saddles Posts: 22,725
    Moray Gub wrote:
    Dave_1 wrote:
    Contador will not have been happy with that TT, shown some chinqes in his armour..

    I agree despite all the bluster he really wanted to do well in this TT and ok he finished in the top ten but really for a man of his abilities against the clock he rode like a true lightweight .

    Could have been even worse.
    http://www.guardian.co.uk/sport/2010/ju ... ic-cycling

    Brajkovic, who is set to make the RadioShack squad aiming to help Armstrong win an unprecedented eighth title in the Tour, told reporters: "I had to change bike after the climb and I lost some 30 seconds. I was upset but [sports director] Alain Gallopin told me I was the fastest so I continued to go full gear."

    That would have put Contador 2'-15" down to Lance's 4th best domestique.
    He must be a worried man, tonight.
    "I couldn't get into the right rhythm. I tried to take the pace, especially at first," said Contador. "It was an extremely rough road and although I thought to push a little at the end, it was a not super day".
    "Science is a tool for cheaters". An anonymous French PE teacher.
  • pb21
    pb21 Posts: 2,171
    I read somewhere he wanted to do some tests in the TTs. I expect he was never planning to perform 100% today in terms of time.
    Mañana
  • dave_1
    dave_1 Posts: 9,512
    Moray Gub wrote:
    Dave_1 wrote:
    Contador will not have been happy with that TT, shown some chinqes in his armour..

    I agree despite all the bluster he really wanted to do well in this TT and ok he finished in the top ten but really for a man of his abilities against the clock he rode like a true lightweight .

    I'll bet it's raised a few eyebrows in the peloton and among people who matter...way off par even in TDF prep mode.
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NKBacb2V ... ata_player
  • micron
    micron Posts: 1,843
    So is this another case of motodoping? :wink:
  • Arkibal
    Arkibal Posts: 850
    micron wrote:
    So is this another case of motodoping? :wink:

    or the good old dr Ferrari is back at work for the Team??

    Where is the outrage when a climber skinner than even Contador smashes the field in a long TT? He took more time after the climb, on the flat part, and also had time to change his bike!
  • avoidingmyphd
    avoidingmyphd Posts: 1,154
    Arkibal wrote:
    Where is the outrage when a climber skinner than even Contador smashes the field in a long TT? He took more time after the climb, on the flat part, and also had time to change his bike!
    What makes him a climber? His only previous wins have been in TT's.
  • emadden
    emadden Posts: 2,431
    Blazing Saddles wrote:
    Soler must have had a bad crash to lose so much time. That's him eliminated, by a country mile.
    Which begs the question: If he's that hurt, why carry on when you've got no chance to make the cut? :?

    How do these guys become pro riders... I mean Soler's bike handling skills are no better than a muppet
    **************************************************
    www.dotcycling.com
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  • msw
    msw Posts: 313
    Contador claims he eased off after hearing how far back he was at the first checkpoint:
    Brajkovic topped the times at the first checkpoint after 15.5km where Contador, last to start from the field, was trailing by 32sec.

    The Spaniard said it was seeing that significant deficit to Brajkovic that prompted him to take his foot off the gas for fear of crashing.

    "I was pushing it really hard but once I saw by how much I was trailing I decided I wasn't going to take risks trying to go for the win. Some of the corners were quite dangerous,"

    http://www.bikeradar.com/racing/racesta ... tage-3-774
    "We're not holding up traffic. We are traffic."
  • avoidingmyphd
    avoidingmyphd Posts: 1,154
    emadden wrote:
    Blazing Saddles wrote:
    Soler must have had a bad crash to lose so much time. That's him eliminated, by a country mile.
    Which begs the question: If he's that hurt, why carry on when you've got no chance to make the cut? :?

    How do these guys become pro riders... I mean Soler's bike handling skills are no better than a muppet
    does anyone know what happened to him?
    The splits page on the official website show him coming in 24 mins down, but the final result screen doesn't show him at all (as if he DNF), and the rider profile shows him as abandoning the stage.
    I wonder if he abandoned, and just rolled in.
  • dave_1
    dave_1 Posts: 9,512
    Contador is saying he couldn't find his "rhythm" today...you mean you were tired AC..say it.

    I bet you he tries to rip it apart in the next few days-contradicting his stated plans now he's been frightened like that. These guys make half their plans , more than that even, on the go frankly, depending on who landed a blow
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NKBacb2V ... ata_player
  • iainf72
    iainf72 Posts: 15,784
    Yes, coz Contador didn't lose time in last years CLM in the Dauphine.

    I'm sure he's bricking himself. :roll:
    Fckin' Quintana … that creep can roll, man.
  • Kléber
    Kléber Posts: 6,842
    iainf72 wrote:
    Yes, coz Contador didn't lose time in last years CLM in the Dauphine.

    I'm sure he's bricking himself. :roll:
    Word is he just rode at threshold. Sixth place for cruising at a high tempo without dipping into the red is good going.
  • samb01
    samb01 Posts: 130
    andyp wrote:
    I thought he was rubbish Iain?
    Before the season started he also said that BMC had a really exciting team.

    Someone who doesn't understand the function of tribalism ('countries are such a 19th century idea') are almost certainly not aware of their own (involuntary) cognitive biases. Iain didn't make a bad prediction/silly statement (I don't know what specifically is being referred to), rather EBH is probably doping.

    Now, if only EBH could learn to time his juice-use a little better and stop peaking for rubbish races like the ToB and Eneco Tour...
  • iainf72
    iainf72 Posts: 15,784
    samb01 wrote:
    Someone who doesn't understand the function of tribalism ('countries are such a 19th century idea') are almost certainly not aware of their own (involuntary) cognitive biases. Iain didn't make a bad prediction/silly statement (I don't know what specifically is being referred to), rather EBH is probably doping.

    Having lived a chunk of my life in Africa I probably have a far better understanding of the impact of "tribalism" on people that most Europeans thank-you-very-much. :wink:

    And I'm taking the mickey a lot of the time. I think EBH is overhyped, because as you pointed out, he peaks for crap races. And for the official record, I do think he's talented and I don't think he's goofed up. But I also don't find him that interesting as a rider.
    Fckin' Quintana … that creep can roll, man.
  • takethehighroad
    takethehighroad Posts: 6,821
    Kléber wrote:
    Word is he just rode at threshold.

    Where does this word come from?
  • dave_1
    dave_1 Posts: 9,512
    Kléber wrote:
    iainf72 wrote:
    Yes, coz Contador didn't lose time in last years CLM in the Dauphine.

    I'm sure he's bricking himself. :roll:
    Word is he just rode at threshold. Sixth place for cruising at a high tempo without dipping into the red is good going.

    Rominger stated he would not ride over a heart rate of 150 bpm at the 1993 Tour De Suisse as he was preping for TDF...you could he see him drifting back off the group most days...but they were already well up the cols when he was easing off...contador is not so clear as TR was. Either AC eased off to lull people into believing he's weakened or he was poor...I'd argue the prologue and his attempts to attack in the next few days will show how changeable his plans are. On the face of it...a very poor TT
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NKBacb2V ... ata_player
  • blazing_saddles
    blazing_saddles Posts: 22,725
    Nice to see our "neutrals", aren't quite as "neutral" as they would have us believe.
    What a surprise.
    "Science is a tool for cheaters". An anonymous French PE teacher.
  • Kléber
    Kléber Posts: 6,842
    TakeTheHighRoad wrote:
    Kléber wrote:
    Word is he just rode at threshold.

    Where does this word come from?
    One of the team members - staff, not rider - explained it to someone who passed it on to me.
  • afx237vi
    afx237vi Posts: 12,630
    TakeTheHighRoad wrote:
    Kléber wrote:
    Word is he just rode at threshold.

    Where does this word come from?

    No-one really knows: http://www.answerbag.com/q_view/96226

    HTH.

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