2012 Tour De France Spolier Thread

Daz555

cjcp wrote:

pitchshifter wrote:

What happens if Wiggins punctures and Froome's up the road..? There is no 3km security net on a mountain stage.

They did the right thing for the team's goals.

Quite.

Sky said they'd produce a British TdF within five years.

Agw, they'll hit their target in three.

That is the reason for the bitching from some other teams. Many laughed at Sky and mocked Wiggins for joining them. Facts are though that right now everything British Cycling touches turns to gold and Sky is no exception.

First.Aspect

Cav -> Sky

No one else could afford him. Cycling is finding funding a bit tough just now. Even the Luxembourg super team with both Schlecks (until the other day) and Cancellara are going bust.

Cav will get an army to support him at Milan San Remo, flat WC's and so on. He'll make a better long term impact on the sport than being lead to masses of stage wins in the first week of successive tours. He will still pick up a few by McEwaning his way to the front, but he needs more classics.

He will never win many green jerseys - he needs to hoover up too many flat stages because he gets dropped on cat 3 climbs past the first week. There'll always be a Boonen, Zabel, Hushovd, now Sagan type rider better suited to a grand our points competition. HTC was an exceptional situation for him, but was never going to last.

Giro -> interesting

Ish. Its just not the same watching almost the top riders battle it out with a smattering of the top guys tuning up for the tour. Its a bit like watching F3 racing. Fast, loud, great drivers. Lots of overtaking. But the tension of a processional Monaco GP is always more interesting because the stakes are so high.

Other than the Simoni-Cunego grudge match, I've found Roubaix, Flanders, the World Championships or Olympic road races more gripping, because you are watching absolutely the best riders for those types of races putting everything on the line.

rolf_f

All I want to know is why ITV4 have got Hitler on their pundit team.....

chilling

I think Cav is at Sky partly for the money, and partly the promise of the Sky guys doing him the HTC impression in London if they don't have to expend energy on him in the tour this year and so can concentrate on the GC.

I'm sure the chance of being the World and Olympic champion in the same year has history and marketability written all over it.

Sky will try and deliver Paris if Brad is still in Yellow I'm sure, just for the kicks. And Cav's had a quiet 3 weeks training whilst a lot of his rivals have been really giving it some, and collected a stage to boot. When he took his turn on the front in the hills I was thinking, there's Cav training to to stay with the herd for the Box Hill bits.

Would have liked to see Froome off the leash at the end today though.

daviesee

First Aspect wrote:

Giro -> interesting

Ish. Its just not the same watching almost the top riders battle it out with a smattering of the top guys tuning up for the tour. Its a bit like watching F3 racing. Fast, loud, great drivers. Lots of overtaking. But the tension of a processional Monaco GP is always more interesting because the stakes are so high.

I guess that's where people will always disagree on their preferences. I always found Monaco to the most boring race.
Each to their own.

Kieran_Burns

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-18899902

BBC in good article shocker!

twist83

Rick Chasey wrote:

Publicity, probably. Having the world champion is a big deal, especially since he's a Brit.

Someone who's in a position to know told me that the expenditure on the sky cycling team is so small it doesn't even have its own entry on the end of year figures. It's just rolled up into advertising.

I can quite imagine that. Sky are raising their prices by a few quid in September. I suspect their overall budget wouldnt even touch the sides of the few extra quid from each Subscriber and where ever you look there is SKY. Anyone who thinks of cycling in Britan (especially those new to the sport) will think SKY!! Cheap advertising really.

They are doing a lot for british cycling. It would be good to see Cav win the Champs stage. I was a bit dissapointed that Wiggins wasnt able to match Froome and catch Val yesterday. Froome has certainly taken one for the team. Both him and Wiggins have been amazing. Was good to see them put a massive chunk into Nibbles as well.

Shame Cav got wrapped up in a flag and fell off as well.

jonginge

While I don't think they meant it to happen allowing Movistar to win a stage (and save their tour) was probably a good consequence. You need friends in the peloton and appearing too dominant and chasing down every break isn't the best way to do that.

Next up for Froome after the oylmpics is the Vuelta?

rjsterry

twist83 wrote:

Rick Chasey wrote:

Publicity, probably. Having the world champion is a big deal, especially since he's a Brit.

Someone who's in a position to know told me that the expenditure on the sky cycling team is so small it doesn't even have its own entry on the end of year figures. It's just rolled up into advertising.

I can quite imagine that. Sky are raising their prices by a few quid in September. I suspect their overall budget wouldnt even touch the sides of the few extra quid from each Subscriber and where ever you look there is SKY. Anyone who thinks of cycling in Britan (especially those new to the sport) will think SKY!! Cheap advertising really.

They are doing a lot for british cycling. It would be good to see Cav win the Champs stage. I was a bit dissapointed that Wiggins wasnt able to match Froome and catch Val yesterday. Froome has certainly taken one for the team. Both him and Wiggins have been amazing. Was good to see them put a massive chunk into Nibbles as well.

Shame Cav got wrapped up in a flag and fell off as well.

From Wiggins press conference, I got the impression that it was not so much that he couldn't have caught Valverde, but that he realised he'd all but won the tour, and while all that was hitting him, he went a bit misty eyed and took his foot off the gas. Froome then paused to see why his boss had slowed down, and that was it: opportunity for the stage win gone. Of course that might be post-rationalisation.

spasypaddy

Thats how to sprint

jonginge

DonDaddyD wrote:

clarkey cat wrote:

DDD - a couple of days ago you were saying that Cav had lost form, now Wiggo not going for stage wins is 'poor form'... He was absolutely right to 'let' Froome take the stage win on stage 7. Reward for his hard work in keeping Wiggo at the front of the pack.

You seem intent on begrudging Team Sky delivering the first ever British TdF winner.

#justsayin

Cav has lost form; it is sad seeing the rainbow jersey, and a great sprinter at that, reduced to the Bidon carrier.

Payback. Delivered by the maillot jaune and Cav went into orbit. Excellent.

rjsterry

JonGinge wrote:

DonDaddyD wrote:

clarkey cat wrote:

DDD - a couple of days ago you were saying that Cav had lost form, now Wiggo not going for stage wins is 'poor form'... He was absolutely right to 'let' Froome take the stage win on stage 7. Reward for his hard work in keeping Wiggo at the front of the pack.

You seem intent on begrudging Team Sky delivering the first ever British TdF winner.

#justsayin

Cav has lost form; it is sad seeing the rainbow jersey, and a great sprinter at that, reduced to the Bidon carrier.

Payback. Delivered by the maillot jaune and Cav went into orbit. Excellent.

Indeed. Just saw that on the Guardian blog (it had been such a dull stage that they spent most of the time discussing who should be considered the all-time best British Sportsperson). Marvellous. A repeat for the Champs Elysee please, chaps!

dhope

:shock:

rick_chasey

Was very good.

Contests 3 sprints, wins 2.

Now joint most stage wins for a sprinter.

SimonAH

What an awesome finish! Cav on the tour bus "come on guys, please please give me a chance today!"

Whoooo yeah!

rjsterry

That's some margin.

SimonAH

Yeah, from the camera angle it looked wheel-on-wheel until they pulled back and showed the overhead shot which was jaw dropping!

Gizmo_

Rick Chasey wrote:

Was very good.

Contests 3 sprints, wins 2.

Now joint most stage wins for a sprinter.

That record is going to last two more days.

There's going to be a Gizmo-shaped dent in the sofa this weekend (apart from a nice little ride on Sunday morning, I think).

rick_chasey

Watch the TT on highlights...

bigmat

Rick, how are you rating Cav's Olympic prospects at the moment? He seems to be coming out of the Tour with good form at least.

rick_chasey

BigMat wrote:

Rick, how are you rating Cav's Olympic prospects at the moment? He seems to be coming out of the Tour with good form at least.

Or everyone else in the Tour has worse form.

I still think he'll get dropped far enough back on the boxhill loops that he won't stay in, but I've been saying that since we knew the route.

I'm not sure if it's better or worse for Cav that Boonen won't be in it.

Few guys over in pro-race reckon the 60km flat run in will work well enough in Cav's favour given the other 4 team mates are a shoo-in for a 100km TTT. When the Belgians saw the course they figured it'd be too tough for any pure sprinter to survive - and an in form Boonen would manage.

We shall see.

I certainly saw a noticeable selection with one lap during the test event. It'll also be tailwind on the way in .

SteppenHerring

Sanchez reaction when he saw Cav go past was priceless.

jonginge

Boonen may start the oylmpics:
http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/boonen- ... -prospects

rick_chasey

JonGinge wrote:

Boonen may start the oylmpics:
http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/boonen- ... -prospects

He's spent Mon -Tue off the bike and Wed wasn't a proper training session.

Even if he's there, he's not in top form.

clarkey cat

Cav has lost form; it is sad seeing the rainbow jersey, and a great sprinter at that, reduced to the Bidon carrier.

Lost form my chewbaca's gunshot wound.

pitchshifter

Gilbert has a dodgy wrist after hitting a dog today... Is that the Belgians out the running ?

rick_chasey

pitchshifter wrote:

Gilbert has a dodgy wrist after hitting a dog today... Is that the Belgians out the running ?

Was never in the running TBH.

Sagan is favourite.

pitchshifter

Rick Chasey wrote:

pitchshifter wrote:

Gilbert has a dodgy wrist after hitting a dog today... Is that the Belgians out the running ?

Was never in the running TBH.

Sagan is favourite.

Really? Say he goes in a group with 2 laps to go, are they going to tow him to the line? I think not.. Team GB will also get more help compared to the worlds.

rick_chasey

Of the people expected to get over 9 Box Hills, Sagan is the fastest, so it figures.

For sure, you bring Cav to the line, he wins, but that's not a given.

The teams are much smaller more generally - it's a lot harder to control. Maximum of 5.

jzed

Bookies have Cavendish just ahead of Sagan.

Bet 365 seem to have Sagan at 8/1- worth a flutter.