Tdf Stage 4 *Spoiler*

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Comments

  • rick_chasey
    rick_chasey Posts: 75,661
    He also apologised to van Hummel for giving him an earful after yesterday's intermediate sprint.
    _
  • rick_chasey
    rick_chasey Posts: 75,661
    shakey88 wrote:
    iainf72 wrote:
    This thread has meant I need to update my system.

    Cav not winning because of a crash caused by his team mate = fewer posts than Cavendish winning


    Don't know where you got the idea that eisel caused the crash? He seems to think it was goss.

    http://velonews.competitor.com/2012/07/ ... out_227548
    Eisel said so himself on Sporza, as did Farrar.
    _
  • Yellow Peril
    Yellow Peril Posts: 4,466
    knedlicky wrote:
    Yellow Peril wrote:
    Cav will stay in as long as there is a sniff of a win and his presence isn't detrimental to the main goal of the team.
    Yeh, your 'detrimental' is what I mean with 'liability'.
    Eisel might be more a rider for one-day races nowadays, but in his youth he was a hill-climb specialist, so in that sense when they reach the real mountains, this year he's better being the first part part of Wiggins' climbing team rather than hanging around at the back trying to get Cavendish over the hills, like in the past.
    Cavendish will tag on to the gruppetto, but we know sometimes he's needed Eisel to even do this. I don't think Cavendish will be eliminated, I think he'll drop out with Prud'homme's permission about the Pyrenees, maybe after the sprint finish at Pau (he can't really leave beforehand, now that Sitsou's gone).

    That's fair comment. If he can do without the train and still win by pinging off others I'm sure Bernie can go off and do a job of work for Wiggo whilst Cav holds other coat tails, especially as they are a man down.
    @JaunePeril

    Winner of the Bike Radar Pro Race Wiggins Hour Prediction Competition
  • Yellow Peril
    Yellow Peril Posts: 4,466
    Rick Chasey wrote:
    He also apologised to van Hummel for giving him an earful after yesterday's intermediate sprint.

    Perhaps because they are both going to be spending a lot of time together playing "I spy with my little eye" in the mountains this year :lol:
    @JaunePeril

    Winner of the Bike Radar Pro Race Wiggins Hour Prediction Competition
  • rick_chasey
    rick_chasey Posts: 75,661
    Anyone see Sagan's bike paint job? Terminator theme with the "tourminator " name tag. Filth.
    _
  • Yellow Peril
    Yellow Peril Posts: 4,466
    Rick Chasey wrote:
    Anyone see Sagan's bike paint job? Terminator theme with the "tourminator " name tag. Filth.

    Didn't it get a bit banged up yesterday? Slightly presumptious but the boy is doing the business adn is already being labelled as a shoe-in for the green jersey. Not bad on your first Tour after 4 stages!!
    @JaunePeril

    Winner of the Bike Radar Pro Race Wiggins Hour Prediction Competition
  • RichN95.
    RichN95. Posts: 27,253
    Rick Chasey wrote:
    Anyone see Sagan's bike paint job? Terminator theme with the "tourminator " name tag. Filth.

    In the film the Terminator was stopped by Kyle Reese. Therefore, I expect teams to turn to UnitedHealth rider Kai Reus as their best hope of stopping him.
    Twitter: @RichN95
  • nweststeyn
    nweststeyn Posts: 1,574
    RiderPicture.asp?TeamId=18&RiderId=1047&RefDate=01.01.2009

    Only Kai can save us all from certain uphill sprint victory boredom!!!
  • thamacdaddy
    thamacdaddy Posts: 590
    Cav looked so angry on the bike yesterday riding into the finish and when he got off the bike at the bus that I am not surprised there are reports he lost it on the bus. Now I am a Team Sky fan, I really thought they were going to split the team for both jerseys but it seems they have gone for the safety of all eggs in the Wiggo basket.

    With the comments of the last stage win where Cav said he is basically on his own here as a bonus rider I worry (as a team fan) that although he is fully supportive of a wiggins yellow attempt that cav is slightly miffed at not getting any protection at all.

    Sky have a good set of Rouleurs there who could be helping more in the final 5km I think but then again perhaps they all should just keep brad safe. Yesterday where Cav was riding back to the line on his own just felt a bit weird not even one team member came in with him. I know they didn't need to get back onto the peloton or anything but I just thought it might have been a bit of team solidarity. Then again I was surprised Cav also didn't wait to ride it back with Bernie.

    EDIT: Actually nevermind the Dutch crew Brailsford himself aludes to a bit of high emotions on the bus: http://www.itv.com/tourdefrance/news/br ... mpic-team/
  • ddraver
    ddraver Posts: 26,695
    Ach come on, he was pissed off, good! That means he ll win tomorrow! It's not like he has nt been in crashes before even with a team - FFS, look at this years Giro or Qatar

    I know Peta wants 8 men all around her man but that was never going to be the way it worked this year and no one knew that better than Cav! He was right "up there" amongst the sprinters, he could nt have been anywhere else. Sky have nt put together sprint trains as well as Lotto did yesterday yet (granted, partly because they had no competition)
    We're in danger of confusing passion with incompetence
    - @ddraver
  • ddraver
    ddraver Posts: 26,695
    http://www.teamsky.com/gallery/0,27401, ... ml#photo=0

    Great photos from modcycling again....

    Can't post them qs I'm on t phone, the shower one is great!
    We're in danger of confusing passion with incompetence
    - @ddraver
  • thamacdaddy
    thamacdaddy Posts: 590
    ddraver wrote:
    Ach come on, he was pissed off, good! That means he ll win tomorrow! It's not like he has nt been in crashes before even with a team - FFS, look at this years Giro or Qatar

    I do totally agree I just wonder how cool with not having any protection Cav really is. I know he signed the contract etc so you have to think he is cool with it. I do think Sky could provide him protection in the last 5k, Evans is getting taken up front by a good set of teammates and there is no reason Sky couldn't do the same with wiggins benefitting cav and protecting him a little more. Wiggins is great but Cav is defo their media guy and they should keep both sweet in my opinion.

    I feel like that split in loyalties between cav and wiggo everyone was talking about might actually be starting to happen.
  • greasedscotsman
    greasedscotsman Posts: 6,962
    ddraver wrote:
    http://www.teamsky.com/gallery/0,27401,25884_7869471,00.html#photo=0

    Great photos from modcycling again....

    Can't post them qs I'm on t phone, the shower one is great!

    Think this one is the best...

    IMG-4814_2790181.jpg
  • greasedscotsman
    greasedscotsman Posts: 6,962
    thamacdaddy wrote:
    ddraver wrote:
    Ach come on, he was pissed off, good! That means he ll win tomorrow! It's not like he has nt been in crashes before even with a team - FFS, look at this years Giro or Qatar

    I do totally agree I just wonder how cool with not having any protection Cav really is. I know he signed the contract etc so you have to think he is cool with it. I do think Sky could provide him protection in the last 5k, Evans is getting taken up front by a good set of teammates and there is no reason Sky couldn't do the same with wiggins benefitting cav and protecting him a little more. Wiggins is great but Cav is defo their media guy and they should keep both sweet in my opinion.

    I feel like that split in loyalties between cav and wiggo everyone was talking about might actually be starting to happen.

    I though Eisel caused the crash? Maybe Cavendish would have been better without anyone trying to help him.
  • ddraver
    ddraver Posts: 26,695
    Cav crashing and Greipel winning is pretty much the worst case scenario from an inner chimps point of view too, if Farrar had won, I bet he'd have been less angry....
    We're in danger of confusing passion with incompetence
    - @ddraver
  • dougzz
    dougzz Posts: 1,833
    Cav's always been really good at the 'team' and praising the right people. Peta really isn't helping him. If you want to split things up the Mrs interring is a perfect way. Yoko needs to shut it and engage brain before she tweets.
  • natrix
    natrix Posts: 1,111
    dougzz wrote:
    Yoko needs to shut it and engage brain before she tweets.

    Spill the beans, what did she tweet?????
    ~~~~~~Sustrans - Join the Movement~~~~~~
  • dougzz
    dougzz Posts: 1,833
    ddraver wrote:
    Cav crashing and Greipel winning is pretty much the worst case scenario from an inner chimps point of view too, if Farrar had won, I bet he'd have been less angry....
    Is there any evidence that Farrar can really sprint. He's always mentioned and talked about, but he's rubbish, EBH and Sagan would have him on a flat stage, never mind all the more full on flat sprinters. I know he's won stages, but he's really not a serious flat sprinter any more, if he ever was.
  • disgruntledgoat
    disgruntledgoat Posts: 8,957
    I think we've seen this week that there is no split in loyalties, Cav rides the sprints and the team rides for the GC. It's hardly Hinault and Lemond is it?

    Cav can hardly complain, afterall, he knew where the focus of the team lay when he signed, he stated that the Tour wasn't his focus this year and that he's been preparing for the Olympics and (in my mind) he's wasting his time putting himself through 3 weeks to get to Paris.
    "In many ways, my story was that of a raging, Christ-like figure who hauled himself off the cross, looked up at the Romans with blood in his eyes and said 'My turn, sock cookers'"

    @gietvangent
  • ddraver
    ddraver Posts: 26,695
    dougzz wrote:
    ddraver wrote:
    Cav crashing and Greipel winning is pretty much the worst case scenario from an inner chimps point of view too, if Farrar had won, I bet he'd have been less angry....
    Is there any evidence that Farrar can really sprint. He's always mentioned and talked about, but he's rubbish, EBH and Sagan would have him on a flat stage, never mind all the more full on flat sprinters. I know he's won stages, but he's really not a serious flat sprinter any more, if he ever was.

    Completely agree, he was just another name....
    We're in danger of confusing passion with incompetence
    - @ddraver
  • rick_chasey
    rick_chasey Posts: 75,661
    This is standard Tour stuff.

    Crashes and everyone is on edge.

    If it wasn't the Tour this wouldn't be news.
    _
  • ddraver
    ddraver Posts: 26,695
    We nées to het the page count up for Iain's graph though...
    We're in danger of confusing passion with incompetence
    - @ddraver
  • disgruntledgoat
    disgruntledgoat Posts: 8,957
    Rick Chasey wrote:
    This is standard Tour stuff.

    Crashes and everyone is on edge.

    If it wasn't the Tour this wouldn't be news.

    Nor if his missus took a deep breath before hitting "submit"
    "In many ways, my story was that of a raging, Christ-like figure who hauled himself off the cross, looked up at the Romans with blood in his eyes and said 'My turn, sock cookers'"

    @gietvangent
  • iainf72
    iainf72 Posts: 15,784
    ddraver wrote:
    We nées to het the page count up for Iain's graph though...

    Thanks DD. Didn't want to modify the model
    Fckin' Quintana … that creep can roll, man.
  • dougzz
    dougzz Posts: 1,833
    BBC Story showing the tweet. http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/cycling/18712646
    Telegraph story http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/others ... o-win.html

    It's not like the tweet itself is that divisive. It's the way it gets reported, and she must know that'll happen.
  • inkyfingers
    inkyfingers Posts: 4,400
    I can totally understand her getting upset, if i'd just watched somebody I love hitting the tarmac at 50kph then i'd be pretty emotional. She just needs to hide her phone in the last 10KM of stages and save the tweeting for when she's a bit calmer.
    "I have a lovely photo of a Camargue horse but will not post it now" (Frenchfighter - July 2013)
  • frenchfighter
    frenchfighter Posts: 30,642
    inkyfingers wrote:
    I can totally understand her getting upset, if i'd just watched somebody I love hitting the tarmac at 50kph then i'd be pretty emotional. She just needs to hide her phone in the last 10KM of stages and save the tweeting for when she's a bit calmer.

    Pretty much. Especially as he came down due to someone trying to protect him.



    I like this shot. Lots of captions can be thought for this one!
    IMG-4826_2790182.jpg
    Contador is the Greatest
  • ddraver
    ddraver Posts: 26,695
    hmm, I dunno, I think it's quite interesting to hear what she's thinking..She did qualify it with an "of course I'm Biased" tweet a bit later....

    (apologies for my auto-correct exploding above)
    We're in danger of confusing passion with incompetence
    - @ddraver
  • nweststeyn
    nweststeyn Posts: 1,574
    Do you have dutch auto-correct? :D
  • graeme_s-2
    graeme_s-2 Posts: 3,382
    The ITV4 podcast makes an interesting listen. They suggest that Bernie Eisel was misquoted/mistranslated when he seemed to blame himself for the crash, and Chris Boardman says that when he's watched the reply it's clear to him that someone's knee got under Eisel's bars and lifted his front wheel off the ground, at which point there wasn't much Bernie could do other than face plant.

    Looking at the great set of photos above reminds me again just how hard all of these guys are. I don't think any of us would be getting back on a bike the day after injuring ourselves like Eisel above, yet that's not even the worst injury this tour that a rider will carry on with.

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