Rolland...

natrix

Alwaystoohot wrote:

Wiggo had 2 choices, gain 2 minutes and incurr the wrath of oficionados or simply make a gesture that would have to be returned - he's one day closer to home and hopefully has shut up the whinging media trying to link him with drugs. Win-win, well done Bradley. As for Rolland... what a dick.

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Paulie W

Tom Butcher wrote:

To be fair to Rolland the situation earlier in the Tour when several outside favourites lost time and sprinters lost chances because of that mass pile up wasn't a lot different to yesterday and nobody slowed down then.

I'm sure he just thought Evans had punctured and didn't see that as a reason not to carry out what may have been a planned attack on that descent anyway - at that stage it wasn't clear there had been deliberate sabotage. He may have calculated Sky wouldn't chase him and other teams wouldn't have the numbers up there to do so.

It's not as if Evans is the yellow jersey he's in 4th place - how far down the GC are you expected to wait for people ?

The 'crash' on Stage 6 (?) happened with the breakaway in sight so it was difficult/impossible to neutralise the race at that point - I don't think anyone would have begrudged Rolland going if he'd had a chance of the stage win yesterday but he clearly didn't. If it was planned what exactly was that plan?! To gain 30 seconds on the descent then get reeled in on the flat?

It looked to me that he made a decision to ignore the others and to go for it - perhaps he was thinking about moving up the GC but I doubt it was that thought through - then thought better of it (or at least his team did). Looked like nothing more than youthful impetuousness and he shouldn't be hauled over the coals for it.

Tom Butcher

You may be right but my memory of stage 6 (?) was that if the peloton had slowed for a minute or two everyone would have got back and there was still plenty of time to reel in the break - think it was Green Edge who saw Cav was held up and immediately decided to make sure he didn't get back by sticking everyone on the front. I watched it in a French campsite and couldn't follow the commentary but my thought at the time was that's a bit out of order.

ilm_zero7

natrix wrote:

Alwaystoohot wrote:

Wiggo had 2 choices, gain 2 minutes and incurr the wrath of oficionados or simply make a gesture that would have to be returned - he's one day closer to home and hopefully has shut up the whinging media trying to link him with drugs. Win-win, well done Bradley. As for Rolland... what a dick.

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+1

rick_chasey

S'fun how everything in the Tour gets amplified.

It's probably as much to do with the quality of racing as it is that it's the Tour.

mididoctors

Rick Chasey wrote:

plectrum wrote:

Rick,

Let's be honest putting a further minute between Froome and Evans would be a good idea and it would have pretty much cemented Wiggins' tour so .... they did the honourable thing.

They'd never planned to do anything today.

Evans is barely a challenger anymore. Nibali/Froome are the closest riders.

This just suited their 'plan' - the ones they go on about so much anyway, and they come out with headlines like 'Wiggns le gentleman'.

Let me put it this way. Had sky been slamming it on the final 2km before hand, splitting the peloton, and THEN it'd happened, there's no way they would have waited, just like they didn't wait for van den Broeck on that stage Froome won.

Given all the bad luck contenders had week one I can get why some riders may have thought evans was getting special treatment. OTOH there were differences.

if the tour or podium had been decided by a sabotage incident?

kieranb

well, assuming no punctures and no tacks on the road, the probable outcome would have been no change in GC. Sky have shown they can reel in the GC contenders like Nibs given enough flat road before the finish, Rolland wouldn't have got away, as even if sky hadn't chased lotto would have. I doubt it had been planned, to me it seems he tried to take advantage of the rest of the bunch slowing up. Anyway respect to Nibali for also slowing up.

Pross

frenchfighter wrote:

Rolland is a heavyweight. The Tour needs 25 more of him.

His actions were not attacking due to tacks on the road, just because he has the legs and the spirit. Its a shame he had to sit up.
In case you didnt read the article:

If someone attacks a puncture or a crash, I'd be the first to moan. Had I been aware of anything, I would have waited.

Absolute crap. He didn't attack until just after Wiggins had done his first round of riding around the group asking them to wait. Wiggins was aware that Cadel had a mechanical even if he didn't know the cause. Rolland was a fool and someone will make him pay for it in the next week. TJVG was even more stupid (unless Cadel shouted at him to keep going), not good for a young rider to get a reputation of not being a team player.

rebs

MrTapir wrote:

Well thats what he says. Or thats what Velonation says that he says.

Hey Rebs, whats this about TJVG making excuses?

When Evans puntured he shouted at TJVG who was next to him. JT turned around to look at them then continued to ride. He admited to knowing Evans had puntured but didn't think of stopping. The interview with him after teh stage was quite funny. Kind of like he knew soon as he got on the team bus he would have been given the hair dryer treatment.

avoidingmyphd

If what Rolland did was right, he wouldn't have to tell lies about it afterwards.

frenchfighter

Well here is the video

http://www.dailymotion.com/video/xs6mpp ... rch_algo=1
http://www.dailymotion.com/video/xs6mq3 ... rch_algo=1

frenchfighter

Did they wait on Jurgen van den Broeck when he had a mechanical on ‘La Planche des Belles Filles’ and lost almost 2 min.?

jonginge

When the race is on? On a 6km finishing climb? No way

When it's gruppo compatto with a 40km downhill to the finish with no chance of the stage win. Yes

Pross

frenchfighter wrote:

Did they wait on Jurgen van den Broeck when he had a mechanical on ‘La Planche des Belles Filles’ and lost almost 2 min.?

Bit different though isn't it? No-one out of the favourites were racing yesterday at the time of the punctures, Rolland started racing after the punctures. Compare and contrast with the approach to the first (of very few) summit finishes and first proper climb of the race.

LesDiablesRouges

Rolland either didn't hear about it or he made a mistake. Eitehr way he sat up and returned so it's sensationalism to villify him. Nothing was gained so I don't have too much beef about it.

TJVG is the guy who really made a big error and he's should be incurring the wrath. White Jersey or no he should have waited.

I guess the riders had to make up for the poor course by manufacturing drama.

It's always been a soap opera but it seems even more heightened the last few years. Never seen such belly aching, whining and complaining in my life from the Tour.

ilm_zero7

[/quote]TJVG was even more stupid (unless Cadel shouted at him to keep going), not good for a young rider to get a reputation of not being a team player.[/quote]

it depends what Cadel said to TJVG - was it "Attack attack attack" ,, or "A Tack, A Tack , A Tack" !?

jmcc500

Is it really wrong for TJVG to not stop? Cadel is not realistically going to win now, so shouldn't they focus on delivering something achievable (white jersey)?

Le Commentateur

Perhaps he couldn't hear properly? I'm sure Cadel's squeaky little voice wouldn't carry far in the noise produced by the surrounding fans.

Mind you, Cadel standing holding his bike just might have suggested something was wrong.

Read Cadel's diary entries he doesn't seem to mention TJVG much compared to the other BMC riders, so perhaps being in the white jersey competition means he's off the leash – or he has taken himself off the leash?

LesDiablesRouges

jmcc500 wrote:

Is it really wrong for TJVG to not stop? Cadel is not realistically going to win now, so shouldn't they focus on delivering something achievable (white jersey)?

I like TJVG quite a bit and I fancy him for a few TDF GC wins down the road but in this instant he made a mistake. He even knew he made mistake when you watch his post race interview. He was extrmely hesitant and came across very guilty of failing to play his domestique role.

Believe me I think TJVG lost a chance at a stage win and an outside shot at a podium finish when he nursed Evans on Stage 11 on la Toussuire. II think he might have had the best legs on the day. He would have finished at least with the Yellow jersey which would have put him in 6th about 5 '27 out. Given his TT'ing prowess it's certainly possible he could have reeled in Zubeldia, JVDB and even Nibali on the final TT.

The white jersey should be TJVGs barring a massive collapse in the final mountain stages as he took 4minutes from Pinot and 4 1/2 from Rolland in the first TT and the second one is 12km longer which would suggest he should get nearly 5 minutes or more from both.