TDF Stage 4 spoilers
Comments
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Wiggins should be glad of Uran as he seems to often admit the pressure to be team leader was hard in 2010.
Did anyone think Gilbert should feel a bit ashamed tonight? Definitely time for that chap who might have won to start looking for other teams.0 -
Dave_1 wrote:Did anyone think Gilbert should feel a bit ashamed tonight? Definitely time for that chap who might have won to start looking for other teams.
Don't think so. Van Den Broeck tries to pull him into position, but Vino comes over and cuts him off, leaving him behind Evans instead of VDB. Getting caught the wrong side of Evans, who slipped VDBs wheel when VDB switched sides wasn't all that clever though (not sure why VDB switches, you can see it's not an attack, there's no acceleration, Evans just starts to follow then drifts back to the other side taking Gilbert with him). Gilbert then has to work to make the gap to VDB, but pulls the rest with him and maybe burns out a bit doing so.
If it's VDB you think might have won the stage then I'd make you wrong - he'd put in far too much work to have a dig from that far out, even with the few metres he had.
Gilbert not winning looks to me like a slip of concentration from Lotto after a lot of work done earlier in the stage coupled with some canny manoeuvres from his competitors.Warning No formatter is installed for the format0 -
The thing I dont get is that Gilbert bridged the 30m or so up to his teammate in the headwind.
Either he does nothing and the others dont and VDB gets the win, or the others go and Gilbert follows saving some energy.
Getty
Contador is the Greatest0 -
frenchfighter wrote:Getty
How long have Astana been using Optimus Prime as their team bus?'This week I 'ave been mostly been climbing like Basso - Shirley Basso.'0 -
Not sure that on that type of climb you can be helped much by a team mate0
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Pross wrote:Not sure that on that type of climb you can be helped much by a team mate
The last 500m wasn't that steep, you could get something like a leadout from him there. Other than that probably just for help with position - which is where it looked to go wrong. Was a bit of headwind though. Marginal gains....Warning No formatter is installed for the format0 -
frenchfighter wrote:The thing I dont get is that Gilbert bridged the 30m or so up to his teammate in the headwind.
Either he does nothing and the others dont and VDB gets the win, or the others go and Gilbert follows saving some energy.
Slightly strange, yes, though no way VDB was going to get the win from there.
Miscommunication and failure to improvise when a plan went pear-shaped I guess.
Edit: maybe he just wanted to keep the pace high in his big ring to take the sting out of any attacks to come, whereas Evans looked to lower the pace and attack later?
Dunno.Warning No formatter is installed for the format0 -
No tA Doctor wrote:Pross wrote:Not sure that on that type of climb you can be helped much by a team mate
The last 500m wasn't that steep, you could get something like a leadout from him there. Other than that probably just for help with position - which is where it looked to go wrong. Was a bit of headwind though. Marginal gains....
That's what I thought. With a tow from a team mate, Wiggins could potentially have regained contact with that front group, or at least further limited his losses.
Only a couple of seconds difference either way, but it all counts.0 -
Graeme_S wrote:No tA Doctor wrote:Pross wrote:Not sure that on that type of climb you can be helped much by a team mate
The last 500m wasn't that steep, you could get something like a leadout from him there. Other than that probably just for help with position - which is where it looked to go wrong. Was a bit of headwind though. Marginal gains....
That's what I thought. With a tow from a team mate, Wiggins could potentially have regained contact with that front group, or at least further limited his losses.
Only a couple of seconds difference either way, but it all counts.
He did have a tow from a team mate
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p_1YxURt ... re=related
Especially from 45 to 55 seconds0 -
Contador comments always a pleasure to read.Alberto Contador finished second in Stage 4 today at the Mûr-de-Bretagne, bested by Cadel Evans by only a few centimeters. Commenting about the result, the Saxo Bank-SunGard leader looked at both sides of the coin. “On the one hand, I’m happy because I felt well. In the end, I was the one that had to shake up the race and I jeopardized my options for the win at bit, but today was about seeing how the rivals doing and, over all, seeing if I could put time into another rider. About that, I’m happy.”
On the other hand, however, Alberto said he was “a bit miffed because my team did a lot of work and winning the stage when it was so close would’ve been a huge joy. We’ve begun a somewhat unlucky Tour, but in the end, my goal is victory in the general, and that’s why I’m encouraged by how good I feel.”
The eight seconds of advantage over Andy and other favorites seems like a good payoff, “for a kilometer of climbing, it’s hard to beat,” said Alberto. “Taking back eight seconds in the team time trial meant an incredible effort—everything that trims the gap is good.”
About Cadel Evans, he commented that “it’s still too early to say anything. What we had today was a hill, not a mountain, but Evans’ solidity is considerable. The fact that Andy and whomever else got left a few seconds behind doesn’t mean that that they’re not in shape.”
Contador expected something else on the final climb, namely, an attack by Gilbert. “I waited and waited for him to start, but I saw that he wasn’t going, and—although I wasn’t too comfortable because when I got out of the saddle, sometimes the wheel skated, lost contact and spun (I can’t push big gears)—I’m very happy with the result. Physically, I feel pretty consistent.”
Alberto said that as the stages have passed, “I’ve been feeling better, but you have to take into account that the effort of the Giro is there and I don’t know how I’ll recover after the first week of the race,” in reference to his future performance.Contador is the Greatest0 -
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Rick Chasey wrote:Anyone else notice Gilbert chasing down van den broeck?
I spy a greedy Belgian...
He upset Greipel today, too.
It seems he wants chocolate, waffles and frites.Twitter: @RichN950 -
Rick Chasey wrote:Anyone else notice Gilbert chasing down van den broeck?
I spy a greedy Belgian...
Just wondering ..had Gilbert not closed that gap to his team mate aroud 500m to go then there is a chance the other two or three would hesitate a bit maybe?, gap would grow a bit? more hesitation..win for lotto..but they could still have caught up of course and Gilbert might have had more for a jump on them. He wins so much but might have cost them a win there?? Gilbert is old school a bit maybe?...As for the domestique's motives, that domestique was only trying to lead out and was let go by 2nd rider in line and got a gap..he wasn't even riding selfishly freelancing...Gilbert should have thrown a few crumbs from the table there, to his mate there, not shut him down which let other teams benefit..0 -
Dave_1 wrote:Rick Chasey wrote:Anyone else notice Gilbert chasing down van den broeck?
I spy a greedy Belgian...
Just wondering ..had Gilbert not closed that gap to his team mate aroud 500m to go then there is a chance the other two or three would hesitate a bit maybe?, gap would grow a bit? more hesitation..win for lotto..but they could still have caught up of course and Gilbert might have had more for a jump on them. He wins so much but might have cost them a win there?? Gilbert is old school a bit maybe?...As for the domestique's motives, that domestique was only trying to lead out and was let go by 2nd rider in line and got a gap..he wasn't even riding selfishly freelancing...Gilbert should have thrown a few crumbs from the table there, to his mate there, not shut him down which let other teams benefit..
Pretty much.
Van Den Broeck is hardly a domestique either.0 -
