Tour of Catalunya - *Spoilers*
Comments
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ddraver wrote:TailWindHome wrote:Jonathan Vaughters @Vaughters 2m
Bzzzzzt.... alert, alert.... SkyBoy cannot compute!!!!! Bzzzzt....
*think he means SkyBot
Cos he'd be doing something different if he was a Sky DS I suppose :roll:
That is correct yes. Who do you think created this.
Contador is the Greatest0 -
Grantmk wrote:In that case surely you shouldn't be complaining about the Sky train. Shouldn't you should be complaining that other riders aren't racing like racers to disrupt the Sky train?
I would like the riders to attack more. Sustained and frequent attacks manages to destabalise the train sometimes. Problem is that it is very hard to attack off the front of a train and hold it.Contador is the Greatest0 -
Paulie W wrote:dab_32 wrote:Sky have no plan b, when the train fails the GC boys can't determine or haven't the form to go on their own. Froome couldn't do it in Tirreno and Wiggo didn't or couldn't today. You assume if he had the legs he'd have gone with Quintana and if he missed that then Rodriguez. Tactically naive.
Hilarious!
Why thank you. Counter opinion?0 -
DeadCalm wrote:
Pinot was 10th at 1:08frenchfighter wrote:I wonder where Pinot came in.
Nieve and Anton also.
Rujano also.
Excellent, thanks.Contador is the Greatest0 -
Look good for tomorrow too.Pain hurts much less if its topped off with beating your mates to top of a climb.0
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Great ride from Dan Martin, great to such a brave move rewarded, and proof that the strength of Sky doesn't have to kill races if other riders are prepared to take some risks to win.To be fair to Sky though, they've been quite aggressive here, at least compared to their normal style.
I've long wanted Martin to show a bit more than the fairly irregular flashes we've seen in his career so far, hope he can stay fit and that Garmin give him some more chances.
As others have said, last stage is made for J Rod, can see him putting in his usual attack on the final climb to gain a handful of seconds, the time bonuses and the overall victory. Penultimate could shake things up as well though, if somebody else is brave enough to have a go like Sky did on stage 1."I have a lovely photo of a Camargue horse but will not post it now" (Frenchfighter - July 2013)0 -
Quite a brilliant response I think
Jonathan Vaughters @Vaughters
Who was the guy busting my balls for hiring "also rans" yesterday? I know we don't pump out consistent wins, but win we do. And with emotionPain hurts much less if its topped off with beating your mates to top of a climb.0 -
Danlikesbikes wrote:Quite a brilliant response I think
Jonathan Vaughters @Vaughters
Who was the guy busting my balls for hiring "also rans" yesterday? I know we don't pump out consistent wins, but win we do. And with emotion
Good comment. Dan Martin doesn't win often but when he does it is a slammer.
Contador is the Greatest0 -
frenchfighter wrote:Danlikesbikes wrote:Quite a brilliant response I think
Jonathan Vaughters @Vaughters
Who was the guy busting my balls for hiring "also rans" yesterday? I know we don't pump out consistent wins, but win we do. And with emotion
Good comment. Dan Martin doesn't win often but when he does it is a slammer.
So sitting in the wheels then sprinting with 150m to go is now a good way to win? Sorry, I get confused on the rules.
Was a good stage that, Wiggins put the hurt on, dropping J Rod among others.
As I said though, I like Martin, even more after today."I have a lovely photo of a Camargue horse but will not post it now" (Frenchfighter - July 2013)0 -
deleted due to gross incompetence."I have a lovely photo of a Camargue horse but will not post it now" (Frenchfighter - July 2013)0
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What he lacks in looks he makes up for in effort!! He looks a bit zombie in the bottom photo!
A great effort from Martin and Quintana, well set up for the next few stages.0 -
Did the peloton pretty much just sit up for a couple of minutes when Valverde crashed then? One minute they were just over 2 minutes out and closing and then it was over 4.0
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dab_32 wrote:Paulie W wrote:dab_32 wrote:Sky have no plan b, when the train fails the GC boys can't determine or haven't the form to go on their own. Froome couldn't do it in Tirreno and Wiggo didn't or couldn't today. You assume if he had the legs he'd have gone with Quintana and if he missed that then Rodriguez. Tactically naive.
Hilarious!
Why thank you. Counter opinion?
OK, I'll bite. Perhaps in your wisdom you could elaborate on what exactly was naive about the performance today?
This is the kind of bullsh!t post that gets rolled out every time Sky doenst win a race and it's pretty boring.0 -
Paulie W wrote:dab_32 wrote:Paulie W wrote:dab_32 wrote:Sky have no plan b, when the train fails the GC boys can't determine or haven't the form to go on their own. Froome couldn't do it in Tirreno and Wiggo didn't or couldn't today. You assume if he had the legs he'd have gone with Quintana and if he missed that then Rodriguez. Tactically naive.
Hilarious!
Why thank you. Counter opinion?
OK, I'll bite. Perhaps in your wisdom you could elaborate on what exactly was naive about the performance today?
This is the kind of bullsh!t post that gets rolled out every time Sky doenst win a race and it's pretty boring.
The naivety comes from having no plan b, if they run out of riders on the train they don't seem to be able to change the plan up, it's quite one dimensional. When it works it's incredibly effective but they need an escape route if they start to run out of riders.
It is partly down to the type of riders they hired, Froome is more dynamic than Wiggins but that's hardly a complement.0 -
Oh man Inky. Let me remind you:
He attacked about 5km out with his cousin Roche (have awesome photo of this) but was too good for him so continued on alone with about 4km to race. He was later joined by Nibali and they both forged on into a block headwind (got a superb photos of this). Froome dragged Wiggins and co up to them with about 1.5km to go, and then Wiggins opened his TT engine for a while. Then 250m to go, Dan Martin still had the strength to sprint to victory.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=pl ... TNECeSGYr8
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Ps. Note how Martin uses the best shaped bars in the business. Class.Contador is the Greatest0 -
dab_32 wrote:Paulie W wrote:dab_32 wrote:Paulie W wrote:dab_32 wrote:Sky have no plan b, when the train fails the GC boys can't determine or haven't the form to go on their own. Froome couldn't do it in Tirreno and Wiggo didn't or couldn't today. You assume if he had the legs he'd have gone with Quintana and if he missed that then Rodriguez. Tactically naive.
Hilarious!
Why thank you. Counter opinion?
OK, I'll bite. Perhaps in your wisdom you could elaborate on what exactly was naive about the performance today?
This is the kind of bullsh!t post that gets rolled out every time Sky doenst win a race and it's pretty boring.
The naivety comes from having no plan b, if they run out of riders on the train they don't seem to be able to change the plan up, it's quite one dimensional. When it works it's incredibly effective but they need an escape route if they start to run out of riders.
It is partly down to the type of riders they hired, Froome is more dynamic than Wiggins but that's hardly a complement.
I don't really see where a plan B fits in? Wiggins isn't an attacking rider and natural explosive climber like Purito so he can't just mash it up the road when the train fails.
Sky ride for their leader and stick to it. What would you suggest they do instead? what would their escape route be?Ps. Note how Martin uses the best shaped bars in the business. Class.
I think classic curve bars are ugly.0 -
dab_32 wrote:Paulie W wrote:dab_32 wrote:Paulie W wrote:dab_32 wrote:Sky have no plan b, when the train fails the GC boys can't determine or haven't the form to go on their own. Froome couldn't do it in Tirreno and Wiggo didn't or couldn't today. You assume if he had the legs he'd have gone with Quintana and if he missed that then Rodriguez. Tactically naive.
Hilarious!
Why thank you. Counter opinion?
OK, I'll bite. Perhaps in your wisdom you could elaborate on what exactly was naive about the performance today?
This is the kind of bullsh!t post that gets rolled out every time Sky doenst win a race and it's pretty boring.
The naivety comes from having no plan b, if they run out of riders on the train they don't seem to be able to change the plan up, it's quite one dimensional. When it works it's incredibly effective but they need an escape route if they start to run out of riders.
It is partly down to the type of riders they hired, Froome is more dynamic than Wiggins but that's hardly a complement.
Surely it would be 'naive' to abandon an approach that is so effective. It has 'failed' twice in the last week, the first time on a crazy parcours and today. And fail is an overstatement in both cases. Wiggins lost time today but still came in 6th and is 30 seconds off the lead. I'm not sure I see what Plan B could be - refusing to ride and making other teams do the chasing perhaps? But why would you do this when in most cases your tactic works?0 -
Really pleased for Dan, I wish he'd do it more often in the bigger races.0
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dab_32 wrote:Paulie W wrote:dab_32 wrote:Paulie W wrote:dab_32 wrote:Sky have no plan b, when the train fails the GC boys can't determine or haven't the form to go on their own. Froome couldn't do it in Tirreno and Wiggo didn't or couldn't today. You assume if he had the legs he'd have gone with Quintana and if he missed that then Rodriguez. Tactically naive.
Hilarious!
Why thank you. Counter opinion?
OK, I'll bite. Perhaps in your wisdom you could elaborate on what exactly was naive about the performance today?
This is the kind of bullsh!t post that gets rolled out every time Sky doenst win a race and it's pretty boring.
The naivety comes from having no plan b, if they run out of riders on the train they don't seem to be able to change the plan up, it's quite one dimensional. When it works it's incredibly effective but they need an escape route if they start to run out of riders.
It is partly down to the type of riders they hired, Froome is more dynamic than Wiggins but that's hardly a complement.
How many other teams have a Plan B?
How does Froome's stage win in Tirreno fit into your analysis?
I'm sorry but I find people trying to build a meta-theory based on the micro-event that is one stage in one race really annoying.Correlation is not causation.0 -
ALIHISGREAT wrote:What would their escape route be?
This!
Knocks Cancellara's motorbike out of the park!Correlation is not causation.0 -
Inner Ring @inrng 15m
As a child Nairo Quintana lived at 3000m above sea level and rode to school 16km in the valley below. He'd ride back up every day on his MTB
Jonathan Vaughters @Vaughters 3m
@inrng Yes, well, @DanMartin86 lived in Birmingham and took the bus to school, except on occasion, his mum would drive him there.“New York has the haircuts, London has the trousers, but Belfast has the reason!0 -
ATC's attempts to stop procrastinating still going badly...
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TailWindHome wrote:Inner Ring @inrng 15m
As a child Nairo Quintana lived at 3000m above sea level and rode to school 16km in the valley below. He'd ride back up every day on his MTB
Jonathan Vaughters @Vaughters 3m
@inrng Yes, well, @DanMartin86 lived in Birmingham and took the bus to school, except on occasion, his mum would drive him there.
Vaughters has definitely been eating some locally picked mushrooms today...0 -
Richmond Racer wrote:ATC's attempts to stop procrastinating still going badly...
Yes :oops:Correlation is not causation.0 -
Above The Cows wrote:I'm sorry but I find people trying to build a meta-theory based on the micro-event that is one stage in one race really annoying.
ATC with the Riot Act reading:
Great to read about a superb, brave ride rewarded today. (Not that I've seen it yet due to marginal broadband incontinence...)...a rare 100% loyal Pro Race poster. A poster boy for the community.0 -
Above The Cows wrote:Richmond Racer wrote:ATC's attempts to stop procrastinating still going badly...
Yes :oops:
You're not the only one. I'm away on business and really shouldnt have carved out quite SO much in the way of gaps between meetings...0 -
Naivety is thinking that Sky give a toss about this race. Sure they'd like to win it and they'll give it a go but ultimately they know that Wiggins (or anyone else on the team) isn't going to outclimb Rodriguez and Quintana if they are on form, so in the absence of the a time trial they are unlikely to win. If Catalunya was high on their agenda they would have sent Froome or Henao.
What is high on their agenda is the Giro, which will have two hours of time trialling. And supporting Wiggins in that race will be Cataldo, Lopez and Uran so they're riding this as they will the Giro - minimizing loses to the pure climbers who will be battered in a TT.Twitter: @RichN950 -
Macaloon wrote:Above The Cows wrote:I'm sorry but I find people trying to build a meta-theory based on the micro-event that is one stage in one race really annoying.
ATC with the Riot Act reading:
Great to read about a superb, brave ride rewarded today. (Not that I've seen it yet due to marginal broadband incontinence...)
I don't mean to read a riot act, it just gets all a little tedious. I spent all morning with students trying to get them to not do it in their dissertations, its mentally exhausting, hence why I'm still at my desk after not completing the editing I was supposed to do this afternoon.
[cliche alert]At the end of the day [/cliche alert] it distracts from what was a magnificent ride from Dan Martin.Correlation is not causation.0 -
I'm no DS but maybe if they start to lose riders earlier than planned knock the pace back and save some energy so they are able to respond to attacks like Martin's today (which obviously leaves then vulnerable to the Spannish attackers). Or maybe let another team set the pace for a bit, three Katusha domestics sitting behind not working at all on the final climb today. Yes they have to want to work too but blindly plugging away sticking to a plan that you can see is not working on a given day seems futile.
I have no problem with the Sky train, I enjoy watching them rip a peleton apart, shedding riders out the back and it's incredibly effective. The weakness comes, especially in the GT's when riders get tired. Riders like Contador, Nibali etc can do it on their own or with one other team mate. Sky need all 6/7 etc parts of their machine working or the train becomes very vulnerable. They more parts of a machine that can fail, the more likely it is to. That's why they need a plan b.0 -
Above The Cows wrote:Macaloon wrote:Above The Cows wrote:I'm sorry but I find people trying to build a meta-theory based on the micro-event that is one stage in one race really annoying.
ATC with the Riot Act reading:
Great to read about a superb, brave ride rewarded today. (Not that I've seen it yet due to marginal broadband incontinence...)
I don't mean to read a riot act, it just gets all a little tedious. I spent all morning with students trying to get them to not do it in their dissertations, its mentally exhausting, hence why I'm still at my desk after not completing the editing I was supposed to do this afternoon.
[cliche alert]At the end of the day [/cliche alert] it distracts from what was a magnificent ride from Dan Martin.
Very true - turns a celebration of the positive (in the best sense of the word) i.e. Dan's ride, into a diatribe of negatives.
Dan was brave and he was clearly on one of those days when he was totally in the zone. Worth celebrating that.0
