TDF 2013 Stage 9 *SPOILER*

kleinstroker

The Mad Rapper wrote:

kleinstroker wrote:

DeadCalm wrote:

TJVG lost another 22' 43'. Pinot lost over 25 minutes. Both youngsters possibly burdened by too much expectation and hype.

Yup, both big letdowns really, especially TJVG. I hope BMC rethink there approach to Cadel now.

Cadel needs putting out to pasture. TJVG needs to be brought on.

But in the meantime he's nearly 30 minutes behind Cadel!

dolan_driver

Looking through the articles in the L'Equipe link, Pinot seems to be suffering with all the talk of he being the "next big thing" since the 2012 Tour. It seems his poor performance on the descent yesterday was the last straw and he cracked badly today.

DD.

hangeron

Bizarre twitter exchange of the day:

Probably a reference to this from Liege Baston Liege

mroli

Great stage today - we saw what happens when teams take their courage in their hands and actually attack - and fair play to Movistar and Garmin for that.

Interesting that no-one is muttering about Movistar having 6 people up the road when Sky had just Froome though...

Valverde is looking like the key threat in this race - but if I was Froome, I would be worried. I cannot see how Contador cannot come back into some form in this race, he's too tried and tested over 3 weeks. Having said that, having a go at Valverde for not counterattacking when Quintana was brought back could apply to Contador and any number of that fairly large front group.

Really, really good to see Schleck riding well. I know his brother was caught doping and he is a bit wet, but some of his riding is exquisite.

RichN95.

hangeron wrote:

Probably a reference to this

I know that. It was the WWF replying that was bizarre.

rick_chasey

RichN95 wrote:

hangeron wrote:

Probably a reference to this

I know that. It was the WWF replying that was bizarre.

Their PR scan twitter for tag words like panda - endangered animals etc. Usually get a junior or intern to do it.

PuttyKnees

It seems a solid tactic from Movistar to me. Quintana's attacks are designed for attrition, not a critical blow. With Quintana sacrificing himself, there doesn't seem any need for Valverde to take it up until Froome is weakened. What a difference to last year. Yes, a super effective blow yesterday, but I guess we see the consequences today: the rest of the team toasted. I hope we see more of this.

LeicesterLad

PuttyKnees wrote:

It seems a solid tactic from Movistar to me. Quintana's attacks are designed for attrition, not a critical blow. With Quintana sacrificing himself, there doesn't seem any need for Valverde to take it up until Froome is weakened. What a difference to last year. Yes, a super effective blow yesterday, but I guess we see the consequences today: the rest of the team toasted. I hope we see more of this.

Not to mention missing Kiryienka - I think it's easy to underestimate just what a big deal that is.

iainf72

Ferrari wondering if Sky did too much turbo before stage and that's why they got shelled so early.

Squirrelpie

This was a big kick in the teeth for Sky but we don't know how much Movistar burnt out there own team as pushing hard over 5 mountains has to be more taxing than 2.

frenchfighter

milton50

Just watched the highlights of yesterday's stage. Kiryienka outside the cut-off? What happened there? That is a big loss with two weeks still to go.

ddraver

LeicesterLad wrote:

PuttyKnees wrote:

It seems a solid tactic from Movistar to me. Quintana's attacks are designed for attrition, not a critical blow. With Quintana sacrificing himself, there doesn't seem any need for Valverde to take it up until Froome is weakened. What a difference to last year. Yes, a super effective blow yesterday, but I guess we see the consequences today: the rest of the team toasted. I hope we see more of this.

Not to mention missing Kiryienka - I think it's easy to underestimate just what a big deal that is.

I meant to use this as a reply to your blog LL, but for Movistar and Saxo to have Froome THAT Isolated and not to take a single measly second from him is a disaster! They may never get rid of Porte or Pete so easily again (ever, let alone in this tour). Plus, Valverde, Quintana and Bertie need to put time IN to Froome in the mountains.

If they re racing for second then fine, but if they actually want to win, that was a fail...

ddraver

Seriously!!!

Daz555

Yesterday showed that Sky took too many good men to the Giro and also showed that on the next big MTF Froome is going to wipe the floor with these guys yet again.

frenchfighter

Bahamontes with Quintana

Richmond Racer

Daz555 wrote:

Yesterday showed that Sky took too many good men to the Giro and also showed that on the next big MTF Froome is going to wipe the floor with these guys yet again.

Hmm. Think Surdave needs to rethink any lofty goal of winning all 3 GTS in the same season...

Pross

I wonder if Sky might be reconsidering Richie being their number 2 rider at the expense of Wiggins? There's certainly too many passengers on the team at present. EBH nowhere near last year's form, Lopez, have hardly seen Kosta then G and Stannard through injury (although I doubt Stannard could have helped much on yesterday's stage). Hopefully G will recover a bit over the coming week and be able to provide a meaningful contribution in the Alps and I really can't see Froome being as vulnerable again on this race.

ddraver

Just listening to the ITV pod and Boardman makes the point that Ritchie hung on a minitue or so behind a group being pulled by SIX (1 2 3 4 5 SIX!) Movistar riders for the best part of 80km over 3 climbs before sitting up.

Ok he was nt riding where he was supposed to be but he was hardly riding poorly. If he'd had a puncture we'd have said it was a heroic attempt to get back on stifled by evil Spanish people!

Anyway, my new bikes just arrived....

frenchfighter

«C’était une étape incroyable. Il faut vraiment saluer Valverde. Il a attaqué si loin de l’arrivée et il fallait une bonne paire de c… pour oser. »
Porte

frenchfighter

Mark Cavendish ‏@MarkCavendish 17h
After days like today, the simplest things can be the most touching. @ramunas88 just offered me a @Ride_Argyle tortilla wrap. I almost cried

frenchfighter

"We still hope that we can beat Froome," Unze said.

"We realised yesterday that he was the strongest. What he did yesterday was worthy of a grand master. That’s the truth.

"Can we form an alliance with Contador? We’ll certainly try, but it’s a question of whether you have the strength to take advantage when the opportunity arises."

fleshtuxedo

I don't much like hearing about teams trying to form alliances rather than competing with their own resources, and Movistar aren't exactly lacking in firepower as it is. It seems very un Sky-like but I wonder if DB will be going old skool and getting the Murdoch millions out. Who would they team up with? Garmin? BMC if they're not still under any delusions?

frenchfighter

I doubt Sky would know how to do that. I also doubt that there will be much of a Spanish alliance. Valv and Contador are not what you would call friends and there is a lot of Spanish pride in being the top dog. Also as you say, Movistar has a very strong team.

Richmond Racer

FleshTuxedo wrote:

I don't much like hearing about teams trying to form alliances rather than competing with their own resources, and Movistar aren't exactly lacking in firepower as it is. It seems very un Sky-like but I wonder if DB will be going old skool and getting the Murdoch millions out. Who would they team up with? Garmin? BMC if they're not still under any delusions?

Erm...I think you really are living in the old days....

frenchfighter

Pross

Yep, all the talk of a pact between Valv and Bertie seems unrealistic. OK, if it was just to blow Froome out of contention early on like the Vuelta last year I could see them trying but ultimately neither of them are going to risk losing their position to the other whether that's going for 2nd behind Froome or the win if they did break him. Saxo were particularly disappointing yesterday, I don't know if they helped cause the initial damage but they did nothing to help Movistar in all the time I was watching. I suspect that Contador himself wasn't fully recovered and was just glad to be in the front group with a few team mates.

Richmond Racer

Pross wrote:

I wonder if Sky might be reconsidering Richie being their number 2 rider at the expense of Wiggins? There's certainly too many passengers on the team at present. EBH nowhere near last year's form, Lopez, have hardly seen Kosta then G and Stannard through injury (although I doubt Stannard could have helped much on yesterday's stage). Hopefully G will recover a bit over the coming week and be able to provide a meaningful contribution in the Alps and I really can't see Froome being as vulnerable again on this race.

I think Richie's performances all year have justified his place here, added to his compatability with Froome. Just think back to P-N, CI and the Dauphine. How many other riders on other teams have racked up results like that this year? I think he just went so deep on Sat, and then had to do too much early doors for Froome yday with li'l Pete having crashed and everyone else having fallen away. He then had a bad couple of hours, and then recovered enough for a helluva chase to get back on - I mean, he got to within sight of the cars behind Froome.

Wiggins and Froome can never ride together again for the same squad in the same race - that seems pretty clear - not just from Wiggins perspective, but also Froome's. Now if Froome were to absolutely collapse over the next couple of weeks - not because of lack of team support, but a personal collapse, the pressure gets to him, whatever...that would present a very interesting scenario for Brailsford for next year.

The poor form of Lopez and Siutsou from the very start of the race has been disappointing to say the least. EBH seems to have dropped a level from the Dauphine. Kiryienka was terrific on Sat, but I'd noticed him slipping off the back on a couple of stages last week (like Lopez and Siutsou on several stages) which makes me think he didnt come in at 100% to start with.

Froome had a lot of say in the squad selection, and my feeling (based on things I've heard both Shane Sutton and David Walsh say) is that Froome wanted riders he 'trusted'...inference being that the likes of Eisel and Knees are too linked in his mind to Wiggins. Now I'm not saying that Eisel or Knees would been fighting alongside Froome over the Cat 1s yesterday - but they are both extremely reliable and consistent performers who know their way around the peloton, and are both capable riders over the lumpy stuff.

frenchfighter

Contador`s sensations were much better yesterday but as he rightly said, it was pointless attacking when there was a huge descent. Effort to reward for an attack on that stage towards the end wasn`t great.

RichN95.

Movistar would be better off making an alliance with Sky, securing the podium spots with Froome, Valverde and Quintana and taking it to a 2 v 1 showdown on the Alpe.

And the connections are there. Sky's DS is ex-Movistar and a friend of Valverde (Lopez & Kiryienka also ex-riders), Quintana lives with two Sky riders and they both ride Pinarellos.