TDF 2011 - Stage 12 Spoiler

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Comments

  • dougzz
    dougzz Posts: 1,833
    ^^^^
    Secretly in a really warm sunny place now his Ivan has showed some form :)

    I thought today was great, some sorting out really started. What's not to like, it's a bike race.
  • iainf72
    iainf72 Posts: 15,784
    dougzz wrote:
    ^^^^
    Secretly in a really warm sunny place now his Ivan has showed some form :)

    I thought today was great, some sorting out really started. What's not to like, it's a bike race.

    Well, yes. I did enjoy that. But it's classic grand tour territory. Being able to recover is the key, so Leopard made the race hard, Liquigas made it hard in the final. It's the process, not an event, and the relentless pressure day after day will make people fall apart.
    Fckin' Quintana … that creep can roll, man.
  • verylonglegs
    verylonglegs Posts: 4,023
    I'm surprised by some of the comments on here, I really enjoyed it and it was pretty much what I expected to be, the GC favourites just sticking within their limits and subtley testing each other. Those who were disappointed...what were you expecting? It was never going to be a day where they all turn themselves inside out and cross the line chucking their guts up.
  • blazing_saddles
    blazing_saddles Posts: 22,725
    Well, I have to admit that the Tour has so far, well and truly kicked the Giro's botty.

    All I felt about today was that an opportunity may, or may not have been missed to dispatch
    Contador.
    IF he gets off the Plateau without further damage, he's got that second rest day to........er.........rest.

    Some big French surprises, today and Gilbert looks like the new Lance, wot, with all that twiddly cadence. 8)
    "Science is a tool for cheaters". An anonymous French PE teacher.
  • alan_a
    alan_a Posts: 1,587
    It was never going to be a day where they all turn themselves inside out and cross the line chucking their guts up.

    I take it you never saw Andy S collapse on the barrier at the finish line. Watch the RHS of the screen as he crosses with Cuddles & Basso. He flops to his left and one of the race officials has to help him upright.
  • pat1cp
    pat1cp Posts: 766
    Basso looked good, Bertie got worked over. Saxo looked, well, lightweight?! Think Bertie is up against it now.
  • IanLD
    IanLD Posts: 423
    Yes! :D

    My man Samu keeps Euskaltel Euskadi winning in grand tours this year. Really enjoyed the stage and great to see how they are all checking each other out.

    God to see Cav keeping interest in the green jersey and Voeckler keeping the yellow on Bastille Day.

    Long way to go but it really is an enjoyable Tour this year.
  • Doobz
    Doobz Posts: 2,800
    No rush!

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  • RichN95.
    RichN95. Posts: 27,253
    ^^^^ I hope there wasn't a boat passing underneath
    Twitter: @RichN95
  • TMR
    TMR Posts: 3,986
    airwise wrote:
    What a charming little pleb you are. Crawl back under a rock.

    I found that boring. Let's see the watts per kilo figures for the final climb - they won't be that impressive I can assure you.

    Pretty pointless discussing such things with foul mouthed idiots like you anyway. Go play with your train set or something.

    Don't post such crap in the forums again then and I won't have to descend to your level.

    There was nothing boring about today.
  • Doobz
    Doobz Posts: 2,800
    RichN95 wrote:
    ^^^^ I hope there wasn't a boat passing underneath

    looks like he has pissed all over his foot!!!
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  • Gazzetta67
    Gazzetta67 Posts: 1,890
    Basso looks in good shape - Tho he needs a better "kick" to attack so nobody can grab his wheel. Dunno about you lot but am still not convinced by Andy Schleck i think he`s not in great form as he says he is. If both the schlecks are strong then why leave it till 2.5kms to go to attack. If this is Contador having a BAD day losing 13 seconds then they better hope the spaniard has a good few punctures in the final TT.
  • oldwelshman
    oldwelshman Posts: 4,733
    Great ride by Thomas today, climbed better than I though he would.
    I did not think younger Shrek looked too comfortable today, looked troubled a few times, Frank looked better but he cant TT.
    If Betie does not ride himself back into form then I think Evans will win this as he is looking strongest of main GC guys and out of them, appart from Bertie, is the best TTer so I think it will be out of Evans and Bertie.
    I have no Idea why they Shreks team took the lead so early in the stage, could see no point in that at all, just tired out their riders and they may pay in next couple of days.
  • eh
    eh Posts: 4,854
    And we found out who our probable random Garmin top 10 guy is, it'll be Tom D :shock:

    How much can Cuddles and Basso afford to give away to the Schlecks, knowing they can TT better?
  • Pross
    Pross Posts: 43,463
    Thought it was a very good stage today. The Schlecks finally got their acts together, superb defence of the jersey from Voeckler, a Welshman nearly going over the Tourmalet first despite two mishaps and a brave effort for Gilbert. Shame about the classes rider who just wheelsucked until getting dropped :wink:
  • moray_gub
    moray_gub Posts: 3,328
    FF i see your rhetoric has piped down a bit this is all a far cry from your bertie will crush em in the mountains stuff you usually spout!
    Gasping - but somehow still alive !
  • Fastlad
    Fastlad Posts: 908
    LOL Musn't write Bertie off yet :lol: I'm looking forward to cuddles spitting the dummy out when he realises he's getting pumped again!!! There, there, poor cuddles....
  • dave_1
    dave_1 Posts: 9,512
    interesting comparative of 2003-2011

    Last 10 Km: Frank Schleck climbed 5.9 W/kg
    Tour de France 2011, Stage 12, Luz Ardiden [ last 10.0 Km ]

    Frank Schleck

    Elevation / Höhenmeter [m] : 782 m
    Distance / Streckenlänge [Km] : 10.0 Km
    Time in seconds / Fahrzeit in Sekunden [sec] : 1750 = 29 min 10 sec = 29:10
    Weight rider / Gewicht Fahrer [kg] : 67 kg
    Weight bicycle, clothes etc. / Gewicht Fahrrad [kg] : 8 kg

    Grade / mittlere Seigung : 7.8 %
    Average speed / mittlere Geschwindigkeit : 20.5 Km/h
    Total weight / Gesamtgewicht : 75.0 kg

    Power : 395.7 Watt
    Power / kg : 5.9 Watt / kg

    Source: [ http://www.rst.mp-all.de/bergauf.htm ]


    The Record [last 10.0 Km]

    Tour de France 2003, Stage 15, Luz Ardiden [ last 10.0 Km ]

    Lance Armstrong

    Elevation / Höhenmeter [m] : 782 m
    Distance / Streckenlänge [Km] : 10.0 Km
    Time in seconds / Fahrzeit in Sekunden [sec] : 1628 = 27 min 08 sec = 27:08
    Weight rider / Gewicht Fahrer [kg] : 72 kg
    Weight bicycle, clothes etc. / Gewicht Fahrrad [kg] : 8 kg

    Grade / mittlere Seigung : 7.8 %
    Average speed / mittlere Geschwindigkeit : 22.1 Km/h
    Total weight / Gesamtgewicht : 80.0 kg

    Power : 458.1 Watt
    Power / kg : 6.3 Watt / kg

    Source: [ http://www.rst.mp-all.de/bergauf.htm ]
  • frenchfighter
    frenchfighter Posts: 30,642
    Interesting Dave, thanks.

    Schleck's need to shake Evans. Definitely the most dangerous.

    Remember that the Dauphine TT was the exact same as the Tours. Wiggins would have destroyed it. Evans also.

    Kolden looks very beat up.

    Go Tom D.

    Voeckler - cant work out whether it was because he rode so well or the others weren't hard enough. I think it is a bit of both but tbh he rode a superb race and I bet Kern would have been up there also. Massive by Rolland also - superb.

    Vandevert - HUGE by him also. One to watch and would bge great with VDB.
    Contador is the Greatest
  • dave_1
    dave_1 Posts: 9,512
    Interesting Dave, thanks.

    Schleck's need to shake Evans. Definitely the most dangerous.

    Remember that the Dauphine TT was the exact same as the Tours. Wiggins would have destroyed it. Evans also.

    Kolden looks very beat up.

    Go Tom D.

    Voeckler - cant work out whether it was because he rode so well or the others weren't hard enough. I think it is a bit of both but tbh he rode a superb race and I bet Kern would have been up there also. Massive by Rolland also - superb.

    Vandevert - HUGE by him also. One to watch and would bge great with VDB.

    The data all suggests the race was quite a lot slower yesterday than in the zenith of the blood doping era -2003

    Evans needs to come to a cash agreement with Basso and sylvester schmidt. Leopard will do that one two attack routine over and over. Evans is looking very much a TDF winner 2011. Contador could come back.
  • moray_gub
    moray_gub Posts: 3,328
    Fastlad wrote:
    LOL Musn't write Bertie off yet :lol: I'm looking forward to cuddles spitting the dummy out when he realises he's getting pumped again!!! There, there, poor cuddles....

    Not writing Bertie off yet though he does look off form whether that down to his knee or more likely a lack of perfomance enhancing drugs who knows but that said he is still factor in the race .
    Gasping - but somehow still alive !
  • moray_gub
    moray_gub Posts: 3,328
    Dave_1 wrote:
    interesting comparative of 2003-2011

    Last 10 Km: Frank Schleck climbed 5.9 W/kg
    Tour de France 2011, Stage 12, Luz Ardiden [ last 10.0 Km ]

    Frank Schleck

    Elevation / Höhenmeter [m] : 782 m
    Distance / Streckenlänge [Km] : 10.0 Km
    Time in seconds / Fahrzeit in Sekunden [sec] : 1750 = 29 min 10 sec = 29:10
    Weight rider / Gewicht Fahrer [kg] : 67 kg
    Weight bicycle, clothes etc. / Gewicht Fahrrad [kg] : 8 kg

    Grade / mittlere Seigung : 7.8 %
    Average speed / mittlere Geschwindigkeit : 20.5 Km/h
    Total weight / Gesamtgewicht : 75.0 kg

    Power : 395.7 Watt
    Power / kg : 5.9 Watt / kg

    Source: [ http://www.rst.mp-all.de/bergauf.htm ]


    The Record [last 10.0 Km]

    Tour de France 2003, Stage 15, Luz Ardiden [ last 10.0 Km ]

    Lance Armstrong

    Elevation / Höhenmeter [m] : 782 m
    Distance / Streckenlänge [Km] : 10.0 Km
    Time in seconds / Fahrzeit in Sekunden [sec] : 1628 = 27 min 08 sec = 27:08
    Weight rider / Gewicht Fahrer [kg] : 72 kg
    Weight bicycle, clothes etc. / Gewicht Fahrrad [kg] : 8 kg

    Grade / mittlere Seigung : 7.8 %
    Average speed / mittlere Geschwindigkeit : 22.1 Km/h
    Total weight / Gesamtgewicht : 80.0 kg

    Power : 458.1 Watt
    Power / kg : 6.3 Watt / kg

    Source: [ http://www.rst.mp-all.de/bergauf.htm ]

    Lance also crashed half way up the climb as well that day.
    Gasping - but somehow still alive !
  • airwise
    airwise Posts: 248
    Interesting Dave thanks for that.

    Do we have a time for when the attack came out of interest?

    I'd be interested in the last 4km when the fireworks started. See how it compares with Contador's attack on Etna and Horner's in the Tour of California which were both over 6.5 w/kg.
  • TheStone
    TheStone Posts: 2,291
    Watching that last night, I'd say Basso is a real threat to Schleck*

    Evans looks the best I've seen him, but you still get the feeling something will go wrong or he'll burn out. Has put in a lot more effort so far than the others.

    Contador .... can't write him off, but looks well below par.

    Sanchez, that's probably the high for his tour, but there's a few interesting descents coming up that he might pinch some time on.

    * I'm gonna start referring to both of them in the singular.
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  • FransJacques
    FransJacques Posts: 2,148
    Good opening argument by Dave_1 for the government, but now a rebuttal from the opposition:

    There were more actors yesterday than in '01, we started with 2 plucky breakaways who were dancing the ice follies on the way down the Tourmalet. The yellow jersey fell off as well, that must have skipped a few French heartbeats.

    Jensy was awesome up the climbs as well - memories of him and Cancellara pulling hard on the Tourmalet-Hautacam stage in 08.

    Then up the final climb we had Frank going not once, not twice, but 3 times to make a nice attack stick. Never mind that on 2 of his attacks he wasn't even breathing hard - which gave me sickening memories of Basso in the '06 Giro.

    Watching Contador flail on his bike like a trout out of water was very different from the robo-pro in the Giro. He was courageous though.

    Evans' face as he drove the final 3/4 kms was a gurn to last the ages. Was he trying to burn off Bertie or catch Frank?

    To see Cunego and Basso stick with the best was a great way to round out the top 10.

    And finally, to see a Frenchman 7 seconds behind the best climber in the world, cross the line in yellow, and embrace his teammate in cooperation was rather emotional.

    That is what makes a Tour stage so special. I don't mind Chav's gobby gnashers, but he himself says most of his victories are precisely 13 seconds of effort. Yesterday, most of the riders had to keep pedalling after they crossed the finish line, the road as still going up. Sanchez almost came to a stop as he was celebrating. That's riding.
    When a cyclist has a disagreement with a car; it's not who's right, it's who's left.
  • andyp
    andyp Posts: 10,549
    There's no rebuttal there whatsoever.

    There's more comparisons here;

    http://cyclocosm.com/2011/07/a-tale-of- ... -and-2011/
  • rick_chasey
    rick_chasey Posts: 75,661
    TheStone wrote:
    Watching that last night, I'd say Basso is a real threat to Schleck*



    * I'm gonna start referring to both of them in the singular.

    Should just call them 'the Schleck'.
  • dave_1
    dave_1 Posts: 9,512
    take your hat off to Jan Ullrich..what he did in 2003 by trying to isolate Armstrong with the attack on the Tourmalet with Luz to come...when he had GC in his sights..not the green jersey but yellow
  • BarryBonds
    BarryBonds Posts: 344
    Dave_1 wrote:
    take your hat off to Jan Ullrich..what he did in 2003 by trying to isolate Armstrong with the attack on the Tourmalet with Luz to come...when he had GC in his sights..not the green jersey but yellow

    Best rider of a generation.