TdF Stage 8 *spoiler*

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Comments

  • afx237vi
    afx237vi Posts: 12,630
    The descent into Gap on Tuesday will be fascinating. Contador has a good pilot in Vino...
  • thamacdaddy
    thamacdaddy Posts: 590
    Isn't getting the yellow jersey so early as a true gc contender more of a disadvantage? Especially for bmc no matter they have one or two decent in the team I am not sure it's so good for them. Having said that it's not like Evans needs teammates on the climbs when only the gc contenders can really compete. I still think saxo and Astana hold all the advantages and although it looks hard I am not going to write wiggins off from top 10 yet he can certainly tt better or as
    Good as most of those in the top 10
  • Kléber
    Kléber Posts: 6,842
    I think Evans and BMC will take what they can get. Besides, many riders have realised that Evans is limpet on their back wheel, he can be hard to shake.

    It all makes for an exciting race, all to play for.
  • Pokerface
    Pokerface Posts: 7,960
    Contador couldn't follow Andy. It didn't do him any good to NOT follow him - he just couldn't.

    Things looking good for Andy - however his TT will still be his downfall unless he can take lots of time from everyone else in these mountain stages.
  • FJS
    FJS Posts: 4,820
    There's plenty of time for Andy to take time off Contador in the Pyrenees - about 2 minutes loss calculated for the TT seems about right, although he might want a bigger buffer.
    And there's Mende too
  • donrhummy
    donrhummy Posts: 2,329
    Yep, losing his brother has made Andy more aggressive! And that was amazing to see two guys ride away from Contador. I think Andy was partially doing it as a test for the later mountain stages, kind of seeing if he could indeed ride away from Alberto or if Contador was going to be like last year.

    And wow, did Lance ever have some bad luck. He had a Rasmussen day! 4 crashes!
  • Pokerface
    Pokerface Posts: 7,960
    donrhummy wrote:
    and wow, did Lance ever have some bad luck. He had a Rasmussen day! 4 crashes!


    Isn't that more of a Menchov day? Speaking of whom - where was he today?
  • frenchfighter
    frenchfighter Posts: 30,642
    Menchov and Gesink rode no sweat with the lead group the whole way. Menchov now 5th on GC.
    Contador is the Greatest
  • Kléber
    Kléber Posts: 6,842
    Stealthy top-10 for Menchov, just.

    People are saying "Lance can't dope because he's under investigation/pressure" but I still think the crash and the effort of chasing uphill, getting back on to the bunch right at the moment when the Ramaz kicked up would take a lot out of anyone. He might still be in with a chance of a stage win.

    One benefit will be that motorbike TV cameras are freed from "Lance detail" and can follow the racing, rather than one rider's swansong.
  • frenchfighter
    frenchfighter Posts: 30,642
    Reuters
    610x.jpg
    AP
    x610.jpg
    Contador is the Greatest
  • Kléber
    Kléber Posts: 6,842
    Any word on Wiggins's relative failure today? Tired legs, the heat?
  • mididoctors
    mididoctors Posts: 18,908
    Kléber wrote:
    Stealthy top-10 for Menchov, just.

    People are saying "Lance can't dope because he's under investigation/pressure" but I still think the crash and the effort of chasing uphill, getting back on to the bunch right at the moment when the Ramaz kicked up would take a lot out of anyone. He might still be in with a chance of a stage win.

    One benefit will be that motorbike TV cameras are freed from "Lance detail" and can follow the racing, rather than one rider's swansong.

    life closing in from all sides as far as LA is concerned...

    surprised he has managed to hold it together at all.. the pressure he is under..

    then a mare of a day...
    "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
  • rick_chasey
    rick_chasey Posts: 75,661
    I thought this kinda climb suits Wiggins?

    1.45 is a lot for a 1st cat finish on a stage that is not the toughest in the Alpes, let alone the Pyrenees.
    _
  • mididoctors
    mididoctors Posts: 18,908
    Kléber wrote:
    Any word on Wiggins's relative failure today? Tired legs, the heat?

    what happened to "cracked"

    it was sky piling on the pressure that dropped lance in the first place... only then did astana hit the front..

    A long way to go in this tour.
    "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
  • Kléber
    Kléber Posts: 6,842
    Rick Chasey wrote:
    I thought this kinda climb suits Wiggins?

    1.45 is a lot for a 1st cat finish on a stage that is not the toughest in the Alpes, let alone the Pyrenees.
    My thoughts too, looks like he exploded after trying to stay on too long. Whilst the others were also suffering and had someone attacked earlier the group would have blown apart, I wonder if Wiggins is riding off the pace because of an injury or if he's just not got it this year.
  • frenchfighter
    frenchfighter Posts: 30,642
    Evans crashed and had the marks on his jersey and hip. Strong as ever.

    I didn't see this crash - waht happened? It looks very odd from this video with riders going down in different places

    http://www.steephill.tv/players/eurospo ... d=20816076
    Contador is the Greatest
  • Kléber
    Kléber Posts: 6,842
    frenchfighter wrote:
    Evans crashed and had the marks on his jersey and hip. Strong as ever.

    I didn't see this crash - waht happened? It looks very odd from this video with riders going down in different places

    http://www.steephill.tv/players/eurospo ... d=20816076
    It was a lively start to the stage, going fast downhill and a touch of wheels did it.
  • frenchfighter
    frenchfighter Posts: 30,642
    The other crashes:
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qcyjge8onvw
    Contador is the Greatest
  • frenchfighter
    frenchfighter Posts: 30,642
    Afterwards Wiggins said: "I felt pretty good for most of the day, especially on the second-to-last climb. But just as we went up the last climb I was overcooked.

    "There came a point where I just had to back off because otherwise I would have completely exploded. It just became a damage limitation exercise from that point in."

    "It's a long old race and I don't mind admitting that I just wasn't good enough today.

    "I've struggled with the weather the last few days but I did my best and that's all you can do in that situation. There came a point where I just had to go at my own tempo and try and limit losses."

    http://www.teamsky.com/tour-de-france/a ... 83,00.html
    Contador is the Greatest
  • Sgt_Pepper
    Sgt_Pepper Posts: 172
    frenchfighter wrote:

    I didn't see this crash - waht happened? It looks very odd from this video with riders going down in different places

    One of the Footon riders went down after what seemed to be a wheel touch, then when he stood up more riders crashed into him.Then they all came tumbling down.
    Lance fell down a small grass hill to the side.
  • donrhummy
    donrhummy Posts: 2,329
    Pokerface wrote:
    donrhummy wrote:
    and wow, did Lance ever have some bad luck. He had a Rasmussen day! 4 crashes!


    Isn't that more of a Menchov day? Speaking of whom - where was he today?

    No. Don't you remember 2005? Rasmussen was sitting in 3rd place with just a TT left to go and he crashed 5 times and needed two bike changes, and he almost crashed a 6th time going around a corner. Completely blew his podium spot.
  • donrhummy
    donrhummy Posts: 2,329
    Kléber wrote:
    Any word on Wiggins's relative failure today? Tired legs, the heat?

    Stupid team tactics, actually.
  • Mettan
    Mettan Posts: 2,103
    Sgt_Pepper wrote:
    Evans doesn't look like he'll have an answer if Schleck, and Contador put the preasure on.

    Agreed.
  • donrhummy
    donrhummy Posts: 2,329
    BTW, did anyone else see Vino going back to the team car to get bottles and then ride back to the front MULTIPLE times!! Vino! What a teammate!
  • Gazzaputt
    Gazzaputt Posts: 3,227
    frenchfighter wrote:

    Cadel in yellow is good for Contador and likely why he didn't attack.

    Not at all surprised with Lance. Hopefully he will now drop out of the Tour completely as it is sickening having to listen to P+P and really annoying having a camera on him all the time - I would MUCH rather they had a camera on the grupetto. So much for Levi saying the Whack Shack has the best mountains

    Shame you have to read so much drivel on here sometimes. :roll:
  • mididoctors
    mididoctors Posts: 18,908
    donrhummy wrote:
    Kléber wrote:
    Any word on Wiggins's relative failure today? Tired legs, the heat?

    Stupid team tactics, actually.

    does look somewhat daft in hindsight... brad is going to have to explain to flecha why his legs hurt for little gain...

    OTOH if he hadn't cracked and stayed in the front group they would have been the boys who put paid to the shack..
    "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
  • BikingBernie
    BikingBernie Posts: 2,163
    What an excellent day, rode to Morzine and up to Avoriaz, went for a beer and something to eat, found a spot with a couple of hundred metres to go right opposite the big screen, laid on the grass and for the first time in years actually enjoyed watching the Tour.

    Best of all it was another day for Armstrong to 'be the nail, rather than the hammer'. OK, so he took a small tumble but he wasn't the only one and the bottom line was that he didn't have the legs. I wonder if he will pack or will stay in the race in order to delay his appointment with the feds? :lol:

    As I thought would be the case, the Ramaz played a pretty important role in the selection. On the big screen people were going out the back on the second corner!
  • BikingBernie
    BikingBernie Posts: 2,163
    mididoctors wrote:
    life closing in from all sides as far as LA is concerned...

    surprised he has managed to hold it together at all.. the pressure he is under...
    He keeps telling everyone that it is such pressure that motivates him...

    Having done a bit of racing in my time I think it is no coincidence that he managed to get involved in two crashes today. In the past he tended to keep kept near to the front and so avoided all the problems that happen further down the field - it's the first rule of racing. Today it looked like he was trying to hide in the wheels, and paid the price.
  • mididoctors
    mididoctors Posts: 18,908
    BikingBernie wrote:
    mididoctors wrote:
    life closing in from all sides as far as LA is concerned...

    surprised he has managed to hold it together at all.. the pressure he is under...
    He keeps telling everyone that it is such pressure that motivates him...

    Having done a bit of racing in my time I think it is no coincidence that he managed to get involved in two crashes today. In the past he tended to keep kept near to the front and so avoided all the problems that happen further down the field - it's the first rule of racing. Today it looked like he was trying to hide in the wheels, and paid the price.

    +1 IME physical and mental pressure = crash prone
    "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
  • pat1cp
    pat1cp Posts: 766
    BikingBernie wrote:
    What an excellent day, rode to Morzine and up to Avoriaz, went for a beer and something to eat, found a spot with a couple of hundred metres to go right opposite the big screen, laid on the grass and for the first time in years actually enjoyed watching the Tour.

    Best of all it was another day for Armstrong to 'be the nail, rather than the hammer'. OK, so he took a small tumble but he wasn't the only one and the bottom line was that he didn't have the legs. I wonder if he will pack or will stay in the race in order to delay his appointment with the feds? :lol:

    As I thought would be the case, the Ramaz played a pretty important role in the selection. On the big screen people were going out the back on the second corner!

    Enjoying someone's bad day ain't good IMO.
    http://tinyurl.com/332edp
    http://tinyurl.com/2nu7r3

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