Tour de France stage 15 *spoiler*
Comments
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Andy also seemed to make quite a meal of sorting his chain out, if he had managed it first time he would have stayed with the group. Pretty bad luck for him, you could see him shaking quite a bit trying to put it back on, but it was a great ride to get back up to the top of mountain0
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AS instigated the attack - the fact that he couldn't follow-it through is tough $hit - Saxo burned themselves off earlier and left their leader exposed. Sanchez and Menchov would have attacked anyway - what should AC have done?Make mine an Italian, with Campagnolo on the side..0
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iainf72 wrote:Doobz wrote:Meh.. shleck needs to stfu and admit that this happens its bike racing not cricket... I personally would not have waited and watched Menchov and Sánchez just ride away while shleck fixes his sh|t?
That's what Riis said.
And personally I have no problem with this attitude. But for AC to have the gumption to say he didn't realize Andy had a problem is just BS.
He loses credibility for his lame/weak explanations.0 -
What should he have done? He SHOULD have been more sportsman like and eased up. Andy has stated he would have, if contador had a mechanical!! I believe Andy Schleck but i really don't believe Contador. Andy will need to toughen up and i think we'll see that in the next couple of days. It was written all over Contadors face at the finish, he knows he's lying! They might well be good friends but whatever Andy said to him behind the podium wasn't too friendly, judging by the shocked look on Contadors face.0
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The point isn't weather Contador should have attacked or not.
It's weather your actions mean you deserve the yellow jersey.
By all means get it when your opponents are down. But deep down we all know it's not a fair fight, which is why people are p1ssed.
Only those who are happy are partisan and even they would have rather see Contador win it by attacking Schleck and Schleck's legs not being able to follow, rather than his bike.
The cobbled argument doesn't fly with me. When it's on cobbles there are different rules.0 -
Ignoring whether it was right or not, the one thing that struck me was when Contador closed the gap on Andy - and subsequently swung around to pass him - he didn't slow up at all.
These two have been playing cat and mouse all Tour. One would attack - and the other would jump on the wheel, but never counter-attack. It was always a matter of closing the gap and once whoever was in the lead was caught, the pace would slow again.
This time Contador didn't merely catch up to Andy, but blew by him like he was standing still (as he virtually was). And to me - that is a clear indication that Contador knew he had a problem - and decided to make the most of it.
So for him to say he didn't know anything was wrong seems like a giant lie.0 -
What happened on the cobbles? Did Andy attack while Contador had a mechanical? Did I miss something?0
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contador responds -
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XdOJLuePexs
Andy must have done some serious damage to his legs today.. I wonder if he is going to be able to recover by tomorrow or he could see his podium place get chomped up by menchov and sanchez..
in a way I am sympathetic to his situation but no one dropped his chain apart from him so he needs to just look at it as if its part of racing and move on.. It should make him alot stronger if he can keep it together..
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If Contador waited, he would have been a hero. Instead he attacked, leading both Menchov and Samu.0
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Rick Chasey wrote:
The cobbled argument doesn't fly with me. When it's on cobbles there are different rules.
Why not? Andy messed his change up himself today. Bert lost time on the cobbles through Franks inability to control a bike properly.
The whole "rules" thing is complex. What if Bert had been 5 meters in front of Andy when he did his shoddy change. Should he have backed off then?
People are getting all excitable about this because it somehow makes this dirge of a race more interesting.Fckin' Quintana … that creep can roll, man.0 -
Contador was caught on the wrong side of a split caused by Frank's crash. But to be honest he should have stuck to Andy like glue for that stage and paid the price.Bike lover and part-time cyclist.0
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And who was wearing the Yellow Jersey during the cobbles stage? (I know it was Chanvel).
My point being - this whole thing about waiting - is about waiting for the Yellow Jersey - not waiting for your biggest rival.
People who say Andy should have 'waited for Contador' in the cobbles stage are confusing the two things.0 -
Pokerface wrote:And who was wearing the Yellow Jersey during the cobbles stage? (I know it was Chanvel).
My point being - this whole thing about waiting - is about waiting for the Yellow Jersey - not waiting for your biggest rival.
People who say Andy should have 'waited for Contador' in the cobbles stage are confusing the two things.
and when chavanel punctured? did everyone wait for him when he was in yellow?
e2a: punctured twice0 -
I hate to say it, but I think Andy would have done the exact same thing had the tables been turned today. Even though he says differently.0
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Fckin' Quintana … that creep can roll, man.0
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Doobz wrote:Pokerface wrote:And who was wearing the Yellow Jersey during the cobbles stage? (I know it was Chanvel).
My point being - this whole thing about waiting - is about waiting for the Yellow Jersey - not waiting for your biggest rival.
People who say Andy should have 'waited for Contador' in the cobbles stage are confusing the two things.
and when chavanel punctured? did everyone wait for him when he was in yellow?
e2a: punctured twice
No one ever waits when the guy in Yellow gets a puncture. It's not in the (unwritten) rulebook0 -
I see.. this is most interesting..0
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OK, can anyone tell me where I can get this rulebook as I'm very confused. Your supposed to wait for the yellow jersey if he has a "mechanical", but not if it's in the first week or the final week or maybe the middle week. A different set of rules apply on cobbles, it's every man for himself, so your brother can then take out rival by falling off in front of him. And then if everyone falls off because it's raining and a bit slippery then racing stops for the day, unless your ahead of the crash and managed to get through the exact same stretch of road without crashing, then your allowed to race, but nodody else is or something? Have I got that right, I'm very confused...0
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Pokerface wrote:I hate to say it, but I think Andy would have done the exact same thing had the tables been turned today. Even though he says differently.
You think? I think Andy's the Gentleman of the peleton. I admire his attitude and his integrity. I just can't see him doing that, let alone lying through his back teeth, like Contador. It's just not in the guy.0 -
greasedscotsman wrote:OK, can anyone tell me where I can get this rulebook as I'm very confused. Your supposed to wait for the yellow jersey if he has a "mechanical", but not if it's in the first week or the final week or maybe the middle week. A different set of rules apply on cobbles, it's every man for himself, so your brother can then take out rival by falling off in front of him. And then if everyone falls off because it's raining and a bit slippery then racing stops for the day, unless your ahead of the crash and managed to get through the exact same stretch of road without crashing, then your allowed to race, but nodody else is or something? Have I got that right, I'm very confused...
PM me your address. I'll send you a copy of the rulebook. Oh wait - I can't. It's unwritten. 8)0 -
iainf72 wrote:
that pretty much says what everyone who has any sense has been saying all afternoon.. I fail to see what the big problem is..
some people are saying he had 10meters to see AC had dropped his chain.. 10 meters when your pushing full gas up the side of a mountain in a race situation is pretty much a split second. there are far too many variables to take into account to place the blame on bertie..
e2a: I would love to know what the spectator says to ac on the climb and ac responds to him..0 -
Imagine if Andy returned a + test.
The internetz would explode with irony.Fckin' Quintana … that creep can roll, man.0 -
greasedscotsman wrote:OK, can anyone tell me where I can get this rulebook as I'm very confused. Your supposed to wait for the yellow jersey if he has a "mechanical", but not if it's in the first week or the final week or maybe the middle week. A different set of rules apply on cobbles, it's every man for himself, so your brother can then take out rival by falling off in front of him. And then if everyone falls off because it's raining and a bit slippery then racing stops for the day, unless your ahead of the crash and managed to get through the exact same stretch of road without crashing, then your allowed to race, but nodody else is or something? Have I got that right, I'm very confused...
The crowd understood it fairly well during the celebrations. I envy their infallible comprehension of the unwritten rules.0 -
Pokerface wrote:greasedscotsman wrote:OK, can anyone tell me where I can get this rulebook as I'm very confused. Your supposed to wait for the yellow jersey if he has a "mechanical", but not if it's in the first week or the final week or maybe the middle week. A different set of rules apply on cobbles, it's every man for himself, so your brother can then take out rival by falling off in front of him. And then if everyone falls off because it's raining and a bit slippery then racing stops for the day, unless your ahead of the crash and managed to get through the exact same stretch of road without crashing, then your allowed to race, but nodody else is or something? Have I got that right, I'm very confused...
PM me your address. I'll send you a copy of the rulebook. Oh wait - I can't. It's unwritten. 8)
I think Fabian has a copy, doesn't he? Maybe they should have waited for him!0 -
greasedscotsman wrote:I think Fabian has a copy, doesn't he? Maybe they should have waited for him!
Why would he have a copy of the rules? He's the one who makes them up in the first place.Twitter: @RichN950 -
Mooro wrote:Andy also seemed to make quite a meal of sorting his chain out, if he had managed it first time he would have stayed with the group. Pretty bad luck for him, you could see him shaking quite a bit trying to put it back on, but it was a great ride to get back up to the top of mountain
Yeah, I think Saxo have called in Brad Wiggins to train them in chain replacement after his astonishing chain fix in the Giro
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lolled @ thisQuote of the day
Astana directeur sportif Giuseppe Martinelli in Bagnères de Luchon: "The most important thing for me is to have a clear conscience and I have that tonight. I didn't tell him to wait, that's for sure..."
andTop Ten Gift Ideas For Andy Schleck's 26th Birthday*
*by Alberto Contador
1. A signed yellow jersey
2. A new groupset
3. A dream holiday to somewhere other than Curaçao
4. An apology
5. DVD highlights of stage 15 of the 2003 Tour de France, Bagnères de Bigorre - Luz-Ardiden
6. DVD highlights of stage 2 of the 2010 Tour de France, Brussels-Spa
7. The Lion King soundtrack, particularly track two - "I Just Can't Wait To Be King"
8. A bicycle repair manual
9. A new Spanish pen-pal
10. A dog-eared copy of "How To Lose Friends And Alienate People" by Toby Young0
