Last mountain stage - I hope Wiggo puts the boot in

Clements753

Wiggo, to me, looks like he is getting stronger and more confident by the day.

Now I know he has been doing what he needs to do to win yellow and that has been fantastic. However if it is just him, Nibs and Froome in the last couple of Km's to the MTF I really hope he allows himself to open up and show us (and the other racers) that he really is the boss going uphill as well as in the TT.

slim_boy_fat

It would certainly shut a few people up! He looked strong and easy in pulling Nibs back but I think he will play tomorrow as he's played the rest of the tour.

dougzz

But he's probably not the boss going uphill, and he knows it. This has been a fantastic example of planning and playing to your strengths. He knew he could take time in the TT, and then all he had to do was stay with the Evans/Schleck/VdB/Nibali/Scarponi etc. group in the mountains. As it happened he's been superior to most of them in the mountains, because of the way they've allowed Sky to control everything. If VdB and Nibali really had the legs would they be sitting behind Porte and Rogers? Froome and Wiggins himself have done precious little leading, typically only at the very end. I'm surprised that after Andy Schleck last year that VdB or Nibali as the serious challenges haven't tried to go away earlier, at least make Sky think about things. This having a go at all the obvious spots, has played right into Sky's hands, they're probably still on plan A, since nothing else has been needed. The only possible tactic for Nibali tomorrow is to attack early and see how Sky respond, if he waits until 4K from the top of the final climb what can he really achieve, sure with an early attack he could lose 3rd, but is that more important than trying to win? I bet if Brad was honest his biggest worry in the last week has been that Froome might go loco and just attack for himself.

Le Commentateur

Evans tried to get away 3 and a half cols from the finish last Thursday. It didn't work and he paid for it at the end.

I think there aren't enough climber-leaders to sequentially attack Wiggins, so he isn't really running out of team-mates on the climbs early enough to become isolated.

esafosfina

He won't be getting 'stronger' physically, but mentally he'll be going from strength-to-strength... which at this time of the Tour is crucial. He'll win. And if he doesn't I'll kick his (now) scrawny arse... and he knows who 'esafosfina' is!

graeme_s-2

esafosfina wrote:

He won't be getting 'stronger' physically, but mentally he'll be going from strength-to-strength... which at this time of the Tour is crucial. He'll win. And if he doesn't I'll kick his (now) scrawny ars*... and he knows who 'esafosfina' is!

If he's deteriorating at a slower rate than the competition then he could be getting physically 'stronger' relatively speaking

Daz555

Wiggins could win tomorrow's stage If he really really wanted it I reckon. However his desire to protect yellow will probably curtail such thoughts. He knows he will take at least 1 min out of the field on the next TT so why risk his ultimate goal for one moment of bravado to prove to people he does not give a toss about that he is stronger than Froome.

Having said that, I'd love to see him have a good dig at Nibs and Froome tomorrow.

dave_1

I think yesterday showed Wiggins has slightly "improved" his climbing relative to Froome...suggests both are getting fatigued now but Wiggins less so. In the pyrenees and stage 7 Froome looked insanely powerful..even Evans said he couldn't beleiev how Froome could lead the whole of last 2kms and then jump away to win the stage by seconds as well. I think Froome is a little more fatigue now hence he and Bradley looked a closer match of power yesterday in the last 5km of peyresourde. As said on another thread, so glad Bert isn't here as he'd cause a world of problems for sky management and wiggo as only Froome could contain Bert

nferrar

Would be good viewing if there's no successful breakaway today and the GC group gets to the bottom of the last mountain together. Even if Wiggo's feeling strong I doubt he'd attack as such (at least not until right near the end) as he wouldn't want to risk unexpectedly cracking, plus he'll want to save himself for the TT. However if Nibali etc. do attack a lot early on I think Froome and Wiggo will set a fairly mental tempo and we'll see the GC group blow apart spectacularly and maybe even Froome go for a stage win if Wiggins is there in the last km - I don't reckon he's actually any stronger in the mountains though just has less to lose.

acidstrato

They will play it safe and wrap up the yellow jersey. As entertaining as it would be Sky wont risk anything today. They havent taken many risks the whole tour just stuck to the game plan that suits wiggo more than anyone else in the peleton...hence why its been pretty uneventful

SteppenHerring

It may be boring to watch, but the strategy of "ride as slowly as possible and cross the finish line in first place" is the way to win races. Nibali has to try something today but realistically he needs to make up the deficit plus a couple of minutes to stand a chance on Saturday.

Mad_Malx

Would also like to see Wiggo do this, but I don't think it will happen, even if he could.

Wiggo's hero is Indurain, and he has followed his strategy throughout this tour - take time on the TT and limit losses on the climbs.

Pross

esafosfina wrote:

He won't be getting 'stronger' physically, but mentally he'll be going from strength-to-strength... which at this time of the Tour is crucial. He'll win. And if he doesn't I'll kick his (now) scrawny ars*... and he knows who 'esafosfina' is!

So come on, who is esafosfina? You've made a lot of references to your time in the pro ranks, time to spill the beans (don't worry, you still won't be the biggest name on the forum as Gotthetshirt2 has that wrapped up!).

pb21

Mad_Malx wrote:

Would also like to see Wiggo do this, but I don't think it will happen, even if he could.

Wiggo's hero is Indurain, and he has followed his strategy throughout this tour - take time on the TT and limit losses on the climbs.

Surely he has gained time on the climbs?

slim_boy_fat

pb21 wrote:

Mad_Malx wrote:

Would also like to see Wiggo do this, but I don't think it will happen, even if he could.

Wiggo's hero is Indurain, and he has followed his strategy throughout this tour - take time on the TT and limit losses on the climbs.

Surely he has gained time on the climbs?

Indeed, he's lost a handful of seconds to Froome on the climbs and that's it isn't it?

rebs

He doesn't need to so why bother? GC riders don't all have to be masterful explosive climbers.

It''s down to Nibali that other great explosive climber to put the hurt on... oh wait :P

bigmat

Dave_1 wrote:

I think yesterday showed Wiggins has slightly "improved" his climbing relative to Froome...suggests both are getting fatigued now but Wiggins less so. In the pyrenees and stage 7 Froome looked insanely powerful..even Evans said he couldn't beleiev how Froome could lead the whole of last 2kms and then jump away to win the stage by seconds as well. I think Froome is a little more fatigue now hence he and Bradley looked a closer match of power yesterday in the last 5km of peyresourde. As said on another thread, so glad Bert isn't here as he'd cause a world of problems for sky management and wiggo as only Froome could contain Bert

Clean Bert or dirty Bertie?

iainf72

BigMat wrote:

Clean Bert or dirty Bertie?

No one knows what a clean Bert looks like, do they?

nickice

I'd love to see him do it, but what would be the point? Why risk blowing up when he's pretty much got the tour in the bag?

dougzz

BigMat wrote:

Clean Bert or dirty Bertie?

Once a doper.................
Anyway, is 3rd in a controlled manner better than giving it everything trying to win, blowing up and finishing 12th?

symo

BigMat wrote:

Dave_1 wrote:

I think yesterday showed Wiggins has slightly "improved" his climbing relative to Froome...suggests both are getting fatigued now but Wiggins less so. In the pyrenees and stage 7 Froome looked insanely powerful..even Evans said he couldn't beleiev how Froome could lead the whole of last 2kms and then jump away to win the stage by seconds as well. I think Froome is a little more fatigue now hence he and Bradley looked a closer match of power yesterday in the last 5km of peyresourde. As said on another thread, so glad Bert isn't here as he'd cause a world of problems for sky management and wiggo as only Froome could contain Bert

Clean Bert or dirty Bertie?

As seen last year veggie Bertie is not up to the task. To be honest, the final climb yesterday showed that Mr Wiggins could contain Froome and Nibali, when Froome pulled Nibali back it looks as though Wiggins had the capacity to power past. Perhaps this finally showed to some people that SKY had selected the correct team leader.

sheffsimon

Pross wrote:

esafosfina wrote:

He won't be getting 'stronger' physically, but mentally he'll be going from strength-to-strength... which at this time of the Tour is crucial. He'll win. And if he doesn't I'll kick his (now) scrawny ars*... and he knows who 'esafosfina' is!

So come on, who is esafosfina? You've made a lot of references to your time in the pro ranks, time to spill the beans (don't worry, you still won't be the biggest name on the forum as Gotthetshirt2 has that wrapped up!).

Colin Sturgess....IMHO

bigmat

iainf72 wrote:

BigMat wrote:

Clean Bert or dirty Bertie?

No one knows what a clean Bert looks like, do they?

If I was being generous, perhaps last year's Tour? Oh alright, as you were...

kieranb

might keep Phil quiet on ITV4, he's showing a bit of bias for Froome in his commentary to say the least! Froome drags wiggins up, wiggins claws his way up etc, even my son and wife commented on it last night.

sadlybiggins

I'd like to see him do this too, but as others have said it would be crazy for him and Sky to take that kind of risk today if he doesn't need to. I suspect he'll save really opening the taps for Saturday.

Turfle

I definitely think he could win it, but he doesn't need to, so more than likely he won't. It's clear the strongest climbers in the Tour are Froome, Wiggins, Nibali, so if ridden hard you'd expect one of those three.

rdt

kieranb wrote:

might keep Phil quiet on ITV4, he's showing a bit of bias for Froome in his commentary to say the least! Froome drags wiggins up, wiggins claws his way up etc, even my son and wife commented on it last night.

Phil's man-love was in full flow as he said something along the lines of "Froome is clearly sacrificing Tour de France victory in order to pace Wiggins back".