TOB Stage3 Spoiler

RonB
RonB Posts: 3,984
edited September 2011 in Pro race
Just got back from watching the stage reach the last cat2 climb before the finish at Stoke (Commonside?).

All Sky team in a breakaway group of 27, along with Cav and a couple of HTC team-mates, sorry didn't pick-up on the others.

Any updates on the finish please post here.
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Comments

  • Dorset_Boy
    Dorset_Boy Posts: 7,408
    ToB Twitter suggest a Rabobank 1-2 with Lars Boom winning from Michael Matthews.
  • Ringo 68
    Ringo 68 Posts: 441
    Geraint Thomas in 3rd I think.
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  • Snorebens
    Snorebens Posts: 759
    Cav in 4th so Boom takes GC jersey too by 1 sec.

    Confused how Sky only got 3rd when they had all 6 men the right side of the key split and had Dowsett dangling off the front from (around) 6km - 2km to go.

    Uphill finish? Highlights at 7 should show I guess!
  • Dorset_Boy
    Dorset_Boy Posts: 7,408
    http://www.cyclingweekly.co.uk/news/latest/530052/boom-wins-tour-of-britain-stage-three-in-stoke.html

    Provisional result is:
    Boom
    Matthews
    Thomas
    Cav

    With Boom is the IG Markets top.
  • rick_chasey
    rick_chasey Posts: 75,661
    Was reading that Boy van Poppel, son of Jean Paul van Poppel was in the break?

    Hah, class.
    _
  • Dorset_Boy
    Dorset_Boy Posts: 7,408
    Looks like it was Cummings in 4th and Cav in 5th
  • RonB
    RonB Posts: 3,984
    A couple of guys signing in ...

    6144127214_f5246fca8c.jpg

    6143575655_84f9f76ffc.jpg

    ...and the start at Trentham Gardens

    6144128798_71900df0a3.jpg
  • pilot_pete
    pilot_pete Posts: 2,120
    I was watching just after the summit of Gun Hill, then at the end. Epic day......no not for them, for me!!

    Up at 03:30 for work, flying 200 punters to Girona in Spain out of Manchester. I was clock watching from the off, praying that we wouldn't get delayed. Why? Well I wanted to get back for the ToB stage 3 of course!!!!

    All went well on the outbound, landing in Girona at 08:10 UK time. Due out of Girona ta 09:20 but I managed to get the team to pull all the stops out and we departed at 09:10.

    Stage 3 kicked off at 10:30, I was between Bordeux and Nantes at 38,000ft. As luck would have it French ATC asked us to fly faster for separation from an aircraft behind! Oh yes! This continued as we spoke to London and then to Manchester, a high speed descent, oh he was shining on me today!

    Not due into Manchester until 11:35, we parked up and shut down the donkeys at 11:15 and I really started thinking that I might just make it to Gun Hill!

    Drive home to Congleton and I arrive at 12:00. Quick change into cycling gear, grab a bidon and a chewy bar and quick check on the live track shows that they are through Ramshorn and on their way to Bottomhouse. Out the door and off like a bat out of hell, hoping I can catch the peloton before the descend Gun Hill.

    Blast along Dial Lane and overtake a whole bunch of roadies from Warwickshire who had been at the start and were on their way to Gun Hill. A few cheery hellos and I am like a breakaway man possessed. I haven't come this far to miss them!

    I get to the junction just after the summit and the rolling roadblock is already coming through. Phew, this will have to do. Sure enough, the breakaway comes through a few minutes later and the next bunch are only about 20 seconds behind....

    Ended up escorting the Warwickshire lads through the lanes to Hanley so that they didn't miss the finish....they had got navigationally challenged trying to get to Gun Hill and assumed that's where I was going so had just followed!!

    Great finish, followed by a coffee and ride home to see if I make an appearance in the highlights!!!!

    PP :lol:
  • johnboy183
    johnboy183 Posts: 832
    PilotPete
    Epic day! Well done on catching it
  • pilot_pete
    pilot_pete Posts: 2,120
    Forgot to add, just sitting drinking a coffee after the jersey ceremonies and some nice black fella asks if he can have a picture with me.............I told him I wasn't in the race but he insisted saying me and my bike looked cool!!!!!!! How's that for a result! One more picture with a fan than Jens Voight today 8)

    PP
  • Ringo 68
    Ringo 68 Posts: 441
    Nice one Pilot Pete, sounds as though you had a great, and very busy, day.

    I wish some of the pilots I have were trying to get home to watch the cycling, I always seem to get delayed.
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  • warrior4life
    warrior4life Posts: 925
    I was on Gun Hill and was surprised to see Cav looking well within his limits in the front group while lots of domestic pro's where blowing in the groups behind.
  • Ringo 68
    Ringo 68 Posts: 441
    warrior4life wrote:
    I was on Gun Hill and was surprised to see Cav looking well within his limits in the front group while lots of domestic pro's where blowing in the groups behind.

    Interesting.

    Do you think he has a chance of GC?
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  • johnboy183
    johnboy183 Posts: 832
    Old news maybe? Just seen that Cav's win on Sunday was the 500th for HTC in all it's guises. How fitting for the man and apt because of the success recognition etc that he has brought them
  • gsvbagpuss
    gsvbagpuss Posts: 272
    Great story, am very jealous! Must get organised for next year...
  • gsvbagpuss
    gsvbagpuss Posts: 272
    Bah, this forum doesn't like iPads
  • warrior4life
    warrior4life Posts: 925
    Ringo 68 wrote:
    warrior4life wrote:
    I was on Gun Hill and was surprised to see Cav looking well within his limits in the front group while lots of domestic pro's where blowing in the groups behind.

    Interesting.

    Do you think he has a chance of GC?

    I have no idea, It was just interesting to see the difference between the standards, if you listened to the media and internet you'd think Cav climbed like a club rider.

    I've had many discussions with friends regrading the standards, People who expected downing after winning the tour of Ireland to be top 10 in a grand tour and also say as a rider that Downing is better than Cav..
  • Tom BB
    Tom BB Posts: 1,001
    warrior4life wrote:
    I was on Gun Hill and was surprised to see Cav looking well within his limits in the front group while lots of domestic pro's where blowing in the groups behind.

    Just shows the gulf in class between Pros and domestic riders......I reckon that Cav could have a shot at GC especially with the bonus seconds that he can pick up with stage wins...

    Stage started and finished within 3 miles of my house and took in all of my regular training route-I was stuck at work all day :(
  • thegibdog
    thegibdog Posts: 2,106
    Don't think Cav has a chance for GC he will have been going for the stage win today, the uphill finish put paid to that though. I wasn't surprised to see him looking comfortable on Gun Hill, it's a pretty short climb, but was slightly surprised to see he was in the main front group.
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  • Pross
    Pross Posts: 43,201
    I was thinking Sky had got their tactics sorted this year with all their riders in the front grouo after they drove on in the cross winds. Then Dowsett went and all looked good but Rabo outdid them to take the top 2 places. Think they took G by surprise as he seemed to be closing but ran out of road. Be nice if he took the lead on home soil tomorrow.
  • cornoyemade
    cornoyemade Posts: 180
    Yawn. sh*t small race.
  • cornoyemade
    cornoyemade Posts: 180
    Yawn. sh*t small race.
  • iainf72
    iainf72 Posts: 15,784
    cornoyemade wrote:
    Yawn. sh*t small race.

    7/10

    A good effort. Turning Cavendish's words back on himself is good thinking. I'd score you higher, but although it was well executed, it's been done before.
    Fckin' Quintana … that creep can roll, man.
  • LeicesterLad
    LeicesterLad Posts: 3,908
    iainf72 wrote:
    cornoyemade wrote:
    Yawn. sh*t small race.

    7/10

    A good effort. Turning Cavendish's words back on himself is good thinking. I'd score you higher, but although it was well executed, it's been done before.

    :lol:

    I can't get enough of this new points scoring system!
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  • andyrr
    andyrr Posts: 1,822
    cornoyemade wrote:
    Yawn. sh*t small race.
    No,. not deserving of 7/10 : maybe a small race but a tough route, fairly tough finish, smallish group got to the finish and Cavendish did not have any semblance of a lead-out train and was still 4th : good performance I'd have said.
  • Pross
    Pross Posts: 43,201
    iainf72 wrote:
    cornoyemade wrote:
    Yawn. sh*t small race.

    7/10

    A good effort. Turning Cavendish's words back on himself is good thinking. I'd score you higher, but although it was well executed, it's been done before.

    wssn't Cav talking about the good ole US of A's best effort though? You know the one, the 4th Grand Tour specially for vets to win :lol:
  • pilot_pete
    pilot_pete Posts: 2,120
    I regularly ride Gun Hill and don't think it is that hard. Ok, they go up it much quicker than me, but it is short, with a few steep bits and the way they bigged it up on the commentary you'd think it was harder! Is there really a 25% section, I'd never of thought that any of it's slopes were that steep?

    They came down from the Mermaid to Thorncliff before Gun Hill, which I reckon going the other way - up from Thorncliff is a harder climb than Gun Hill, and there are some tougher climbs just a few miles further into the Peaks.

    I wouldn't have thought that Gun Hill would be much of a tester for the pro-peloton, yes it may be quite steep, but it is very short and so far from the end to almost be insignificant.

    PP
  • andy_wrx
    andy_wrx Posts: 3,396
    No, Gun Hill isn't hard.

    Like you, personally I quite like it - it's short and never very steep, has several bits where it ramps-up and then eases-off again so you can recover and then hit the next one.

    It's hyped bigtime by the Tob and by the ITV4 commentary team - you would think it equal to Alpe d'Huez :roll:

    Let's face it though - whilst for the domestic teams it's a big thing, for the Pro teams the ToB is a chipper...
  • greasedscotsman
    greasedscotsman Posts: 6,962
    andyrr wrote:
    cornoyemade wrote:
    Yawn. sh*t small race.
    No,. not deserving of 7/10 : maybe a small race but a tough route, fairly tough finish, smallish group got to the finish and Cavendish did not have any semblance of a lead-out train and was still 4th : good performance I'd have said.

    I thought Cavendish was so totally amazing he could win with or without a leadout train?

    :D
  • andyp
    andyp Posts: 10,460
    The KoM points table tells you the quality of the race. :wink:

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