Critérium du Dauphiné pre race chat

2

Comments

  • inkyfingers
    inkyfingers Posts: 4,400
    Or maybe he's gone back to Colombia to ride some real mountains.
    "I have a lovely photo of a Camargue horse but will not post it now" (Frenchfighter - July 2013)
  • DeadCalm
    DeadCalm Posts: 4,249
    Richmond Racer wrote:
    DeadCalm wrote:
    Just noticed that Quintana has been removed from the Movistar team on the Cyclingfever site and isn't down to do the TdS. I do hope nothing is wrong with him.

    Edit: RR beat me to it. Anyone know what the deal is? That's not ideal preparation surely?


    They could just be protecting a young rider from over-racing pre-Tour? Or he has a slight niggle that they want to nurse
    He's not raced since Liege apparently. That's a heck of a lot of protection.
  • greeny12
    greeny12 Posts: 759
    Interested to see how "mad" Thomas De Gendt goes - he doesn't seem to have put together any consistent week-long performances this season and surely he's going to have to show something with his stated target the Tour just around the corner...
    My cycle racing blog: http://cyclingapprentice.wordpress.com/

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  • Richmond Racer
    Richmond Racer Posts: 8,561
    DeadCalm wrote:
    Richmond Racer wrote:
    DeadCalm wrote:
    Just noticed that Quintana has been removed from the Movistar team on the Cyclingfever site and isn't down to do the TdS. I do hope nothing is wrong with him.

    Edit: RR beat me to it. Anyone know what the deal is? That's not ideal preparation surely?


    They could just be protecting a young rider from over-racing pre-Tour? Or he has a slight niggle that they want to nurse
    He's not raced since Liege apparently. That's a heck of a lot of protection.


    Hmmm. Well, as inky says, maybe he's gone back to Colombia for a while. I know Uran does this part-way through his seasons.
  • RichN95.
    RichN95. Posts: 27,253
    inkyfingers wrote:
    frenchfighter wrote:
    Still, Valverde is racing so the fans still have a rider from this team prepared to sit in the wheels all day and jump them with 250m to go

    Made a slight adjustment Frenchie.

    :wink:

    I can't see him attacking from that far out. 50m usually does the job.
    Twitter: @RichN95
  • DeadCalm
    DeadCalm Posts: 4,249
    Richmond Racer wrote:
    DeadCalm wrote:
    Richmond Racer wrote:
    DeadCalm wrote:
    Just noticed that Quintana has been removed from the Movistar team on the Cyclingfever site and isn't down to do the TdS. I do hope nothing is wrong with him.

    Edit: RR beat me to it. Anyone know what the deal is? That's not ideal preparation surely?


    They could just be protecting a young rider from over-racing pre-Tour? Or he has a slight niggle that they want to nurse
    He's not raced since Liege apparently. That's a heck of a lot of protection.


    Hmmm. Well, as inky says, maybe he's gone back to Colombia for a while. I know Uran does this part-way through his seasons.

    I hope so. I am really looking forward to seeing what he can do in the Tour and would be disappointed if he wasn't competitive due to being under-prepared.
  • bigmat
    bigmat Posts: 5,134
    inkyfingers wrote:
    frenchfighter wrote:
    Still, Valverde is racing so the fans still have a rider from this team prepared to sit in the wheels all day and jump them with 250m to go

    Made a slight adjustment Frenchie.

    :wink:

    Isn't that just good tactics? I mean, if you can do it, why not? I'm very much not a Valverde fan, for the record...
    http://www.flickr.com/photos/41991871@N ... otostream/
  • roypsb
    roypsb Posts: 309
    Looking forward to this race, one of my favourites.

    Just hope pubehead valverde doesn't win.
  • RichN95.
    RichN95. Posts: 27,253
    BigMat wrote:
    inkyfingers wrote:
    frenchfighter wrote:
    Still, Valverde is racing so the fans still have a rider from this team prepared to sit in the wheels all day and jump them with 250m to go

    Made a slight adjustment Frenchie.

    :wink:

    Isn't that just good tactics? I mean, if you can do it, why not? I'm very much not a Valverde fan, for the record...
    I think Inky's point is that Valverde isn't the atacking rider that Frenchie seems to think he is. In over ten years he might have attacked once at most. In reality he is exactly the sort of rider Frenchie hates - Simon Gerrans with a hair weave.
    Twitter: @RichN95
  • frenchfighter
    frenchfighter Posts: 30,642
    Yeah for sure he is not an out and out attacker but he does entertain and he does attack at points. He is not my favourite rider.

    Check his attack in last years Tour as well as his attack on the Ventoux. Classified as heavyweight.
    Contador is the Greatest
  • RonB
    RonB Posts: 3,984
    Latest on the team front - Brajkovic out of the Astana lineup.
  • inkyfingers
    inkyfingers Posts: 4,400
    RonB wrote:
    Latest on the team front - Brajkovic out of the Astana lineup.

    He's doing TdS.
    "I have a lovely photo of a Camargue horse but will not post it now" (Frenchfighter - July 2013)
  • Dorset_Boy
    Dorset_Boy Posts: 7,556
    Don't forget Frenchie's favourites tend to be unrepentent drug cheats. :wink:

    Shame the tennis will mess up coverage - do people really want to watch endless tennis accompanied by incestant grunting? :(
  • ddraver
    ddraver Posts: 26,695
    http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/contado ... or-wiggins

    Non article from Dirty Bertie, does nt sound like he was given much to work with in terms of questions though...
    We're in danger of confusing passion with incompetence
    - @ddraver
  • bigmat
    bigmat Posts: 5,134
    No Wiggins in either this or Tour de Suisse. That's going to leave him seriously undercooked for the Tour isn't it? Odds on a DNS for the reigning champion?
    http://www.flickr.com/photos/41991871@N ... otostream/
  • Richmond Racer
    Richmond Racer Posts: 8,561
    BigMat wrote:
    No Wiggins in either this or Tour de Suisse. That's going to leave him seriously undercooked for the Tour isn't it? Odds on a DNS for the reigning champion?


    Sky still not announced their line-up for either race. Supposed to announce at least the Dauphine's today. If he needs more recovery time than either race allows, there's also Route de Sud - much lower-key but with climbing action.
  • milton50
    milton50 Posts: 3,856
    It's interesting how the Tour winner from the last few years has had a really poor following season.

    Contador won in 2010 then went on to get a ban and didn't have a great Tour anyway

    Evans won in 2011 but looked like a completely different rider the following year

    And now Wiggins, who basically won every stage race he wanted to last year can't seem to buy a win
  • Richmond Racer
    Richmond Racer Posts: 8,561
    Its interesting. During the Giro, Matt Rendell tweeted the following in relation to Wiggins and Hesjedal's abandons:

    Matt Rendell ‏@mrendell 18 May
    Is cycling now so extreme that a clean GT win closes your body down for a year?


    At around the same time Kenny Pryde and Jeremy Whittle were musing along the same lines on Twitter.

    Piecing together the thread:

    Jeremy Whittle ‏@jeremycwhittle 16 May
    Reinforced today that Europe's Grand Tours are all very different beasts. And that there's a reason why Giro-Tour doubles don't happen often

    Jeremy Whittle ‏@jeremycwhittle 17 May
    Had interesting talk with @millarmind a while back; he says the spring is the hardest part of the season, whole peloton motivated and firing

    Jeremy Whittle ‏@jeremycwhittle 17 May
    ...and that slides, as riders get sick, tired, lose form, but everybody wants to win big early on. Another reason why Giro is tough perhaps.

    Kenny Pryde ‏@KenBobPryde 17 May
    @jeremycwhittle I'd say it does illustrate change. Finely tuned riders on the limit. Merde alors, you can't even take Synacthen with a TUE!

    Jeremy Whittle ‏@jeremycwhittle 17 May
    @KenBobPryde maybe that's big debate here - ten years ago would leaders have been pulled in the same way? maybe today signifies progress?
  • Richmond Racer
    Richmond Racer Posts: 8,561
    If you want live coverage with English language commentary in the stages before Eurosport can be a$rsed, and are willing to pay the sub, Cyclingtv are showing all the stages live. They've lined up Sean Yates as co-commentator - working out exactly what he's saying may prove a challenge but there you go... :wink:
  • wombly_knees
    wombly_knees Posts: 657
    Richeze and Palini in Lampre's team? Hope they've gotten some rest, they just completed the crazy tour of Japan a couple of days ago.
  • inkyfingers
    inkyfingers Posts: 4,400
    Richmond Racer wrote:
    If you want live coverage with English language commentary in the stages before Eurosport can be a$rsed, and are willing to pay the sub, Cyclingtv are showing all the stages live. They've lined up Sean Yates as co-commentator - working out exactly what he's saying may prove a challenge but there you go... :wink:

    I reckon that's why Froome went loco in the 2012 Tour, because he couldn't understand a word Yates was saying in the team talk or on the radio.
    "I have a lovely photo of a Camargue horse but will not post it now" (Frenchfighter - July 2013)
  • ddraver
    ddraver Posts: 26,695
    Richmond Racer wrote:
    If you want live coverage with English language commentary in the stages before Eurosport can be a$rsed, and are willing to pay the sub, Cyclingtv are showing all the stages live. They've lined up Sean Yates as co-commentator - working out exactly what he's saying may prove a challenge but there you go... :wink:

    Cor that would be interesting! Still in Algeria though so pointless for me (Yes I'm after sympathy).
    We're in danger of confusing passion with incompetence
    - @ddraver
  • Yellow Peril
    Yellow Peril Posts: 4,466
    I'm interested to see how Little Pete goes in this. I'm sure he'll be looking to impress for a place in the Tour squad.
    @JaunePeril

    Winner of the Bike Radar Pro Race Wiggins Hour Prediction Competition
  • blazing_saddles
    blazing_saddles Posts: 22,725
    Richmond Racer wrote:
    BigMat wrote:
    No Wiggins in either this or Tour de Suisse. That's going to leave him seriously undercooked for the Tour isn't it? Odds on a DNS for the reigning champion?


    Sky still not announced their line-up for either race. Supposed to announce at least the Dauphine's today. If he needs more recovery time than either race allows, there's also Route de Sud - much lower-key but with climbing action.

    I reckon this is where Wiggo will end up. Tough little race without the pressure or the heavy media coverage.
    4 or 5 days racing should put a bit of an edge back on.
    The big gap this year, between the Pyrenees and the Alps, may be part of the thinking.
    "Science is a tool for cheaters". An anonymous French PE teacher.
  • LeicesterLad
    LeicesterLad Posts: 3,908
    Yellow Peril wrote:
    I'm interested to see how Little Pete goes in this. I'm sure he'll be looking to impress for a place in the Tour squad.

    He better do something special enough to justify Brailsfords comments soon or i'm going to give up on him.
    http://www.twitter.com/InTheGC http://www.InTheGC.com http://www.facebook.com/intheGC
  • andrew_s
    andrew_s Posts: 2,511
    Richmond Racer wrote:
    Sky still not announced their line-up for either race. Supposed to announce at least the Dauphine's today. If he needs more recovery time than either race allows, there's also Route de Sud - much lower-key but with climbing action.
    Wiggins is on the reserve list for both the Dauphine and the TdSuisse, which leave things open for last minute changes
  • RonB
    RonB Posts: 3,984
    Inrng with, as usual, a v.thorough guide to the race.

    http://inrng.com/2013/05/2013-dauphine-preview/
  • tailwindhome
    tailwindhome Posts: 19,434
    RonB wrote:
    Inrng with, as usual, a v.thorough guide to the race.

    http://inrng.com/2013/05/2013-dauphine-preview/

    Why no start list, are teams playing their cards close to their chests?
    “New York has the haircuts, London has the trousers, but Belfast has the reason!
  • RonB
    RonB Posts: 3,984
    Not sure why there is no link in that guide. The Cycling Fever one I posted at the start of the thread seems most up to date...

    http://www.cyclingfever.com/editie.html?detp=view&_ap=startlijst&editie_idd=MjM2Nzk=
  • danlikesbikes
    danlikesbikes Posts: 3,898
    CW's lowdown on the top riders for the race - http://www.cyclingweekly.co.uk/news/lat ... l-win.html
    Pain hurts much less if its topped off with beating your mates to top of a climb.

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