Dubai Tour 2014 *SPOILERS*

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Comments

  • frenchfighter
    frenchfighter Posts: 30,642
    Some great photos here:
    http://velonews.competitor.com/2014/02/ ... e-2_316133

    --

    Garmin should be very ashamed of the appalling helmets / glasses combo.
    Contador is the Greatest
  • tom3
    tom3 Posts: 287
    It is quite obvious that Cavendish is being primed to hit form/peak bang on the Tour. He is soft pedalling these early season openers where as last year he was bang on ready for the Giro.

    This year an all firing Cav and Kittel will be a great watch at the tour this year and I am looking forward to it. Greipel will be an also ran.

    There is no denying Kittel will eventually kick on and become unstoppable as Cav starts to age. I think this will happen maybe next year so this sets up this year to be a cracking ding-dong battle.

    And the nice thing out of all of this. They actually respect each other.
  • MartinGT
    MartinGT Posts: 475
    I watched the highlights of this last night.

    The course was pretty technical I thought. Loads of narrowings due to the construction works. Lots of road furniture, made it pretty interesting.

    People writing Cav off in Feb is a joke tbh.
  • andyp
    andyp Posts: 10,450
    It happens every year though.

    Last year was a poor year by Cavendish's standards, but he still won 19 races last year, including 7 GT stages. His decline is inevitable but when it happens is still unknown.
  • RichN95.
    RichN95. Posts: 27,241
    MartinGT wrote:
    The course was pretty technical I thought. Loads of narrowings due to the construction works. Lots of road furniture, made it pretty interesting.
    If you saw all that then you were watching the wrong race. The run-in was wide, straight and clear. They don't really have road furniture in Dubai.
    Twitter: @RichN95
  • MartinGT
    MartinGT Posts: 475
    andyp wrote:
    It happens every year though.

    Last year was a poor year by Cavendish's standards, but he still won 19 races last year, including 7 GT stages. His decline is inevitable but when it happens is still unknown.

    Aye, he is getting older for sure.

    Will be interesting this year now he has Renshaw and like others have said, he is aiming for the Tour.

    He won more last year than he did at Sky, yet because people were focused so much on the Dawg at Sky and how ace they were, they overlooked Cav's wins. Although he did win the points jersey in the Giro. He missed out on that last year by a point IIRC too. So not a bad season at OPQS!
  • MartinGT
    MartinGT Posts: 475
    RichN95 wrote:
    MartinGT wrote:
    The course was pretty technical I thought. Loads of narrowings due to the construction works. Lots of road furniture, made it pretty interesting.
    If you saw all that then you were watching the wrong race. The run-in was wide, straight and clear. They don't really have road furniture in Dubai.


    Correct, the Run-in was wide, but there was other parts when it was around the Marina etc was pretty technical.
  • thomthom
    thomthom Posts: 3,574
    What a great final 15km
  • thomthom
    thomthom Posts: 3,574
    Cav's still there
  • thomthom
    thomthom Posts: 3,574
    And Kittel
  • thomthom
    thomthom Posts: 3,574
    What a beast!
  • Richmond Racer
    Richmond Racer Posts: 8,561
    Oh. My. God.

    That was absolutely fantastic stuff from Kittel
  • thomthom
    thomthom Posts: 3,574
    Really was. Great last 15km
  • MartinGT
    MartinGT Posts: 475
    Where was Cav?
  • RichN95.
    RichN95. Posts: 27,241
    MartinGT wrote:
    Where was Cav?
    At the back of the front group. Didn't seem to be bothered.
    Twitter: @RichN95
  • andyp
    andyp Posts: 10,450
    If Cav is finished, then presumably Kittel has peaked too early?
  • MartinGT
    MartinGT Posts: 475
    RichN95 wrote:
    MartinGT wrote:
    Where was Cav?
    At the back of the front group. Didn't seem to be bothered.

    Cheers Rich.

    Just using the race for fitness?
  • thomthom
    thomthom Posts: 3,574
    Cav was bothered, just knackered.
  • Pross
    Pross Posts: 43,163
    RichN95 wrote:
    MartinGT wrote:
    Where was Cav?
    At the back of the front group. Didn't seem to be bothered.

    Did it split up due to echelons or something?
  • thomthom
    thomthom Posts: 3,574
    Movistar and Cannondale set a pace up the two hills.
  • Richmond Racer
    Richmond Racer Posts: 8,561
    and there was a fair amount of attacking going on from the likes of Valverde, Tony Martin and Rui Costa
  • frenchfighter
    frenchfighter Posts: 30,642
    dubai14st2_sand_zpsb7fbaadc.jpg

    SPTDW219.jpg
    Contador is the Greatest
  • Richmond Racer
    Richmond Racer Posts: 8,561
    ^There's no other word for it

    HEAVYWEIGHT

    :)
  • Pross
    Pross Posts: 43,163
    Didn't know there were hills in Dubai. Are they man made?
  • smokey_bacon
    smokey_bacon Posts: 1,639
    MartinGT wrote:
    RichN95 wrote:
    MartinGT wrote:
    Where was Cav?
    At the back of the front group. Didn't seem to be bothered.

    Cheers Rich.

    Just using the race for fitness?

    Maybe, but the potential psychological kicking could be huge!
  • phil s
    phil s Posts: 1,128
    Pross wrote:
    Didn't know there were hills in Dubai. Are they man made?


    Hills aplenty outside city http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Hatta001.jpg
    -- Dirk Hofman Motorhomes --
  • frenchfighter
    frenchfighter Posts: 30,642
    In case you havent seen these clowns riding around yet:

    get-pic.php?repID=20144304&picID=216220&t=small

    human%20cannonball_preview.jpg
    Contador is the Greatest
  • RichN95.
    RichN95. Posts: 27,241
    Pross wrote:
    Didn't know there were hills in Dubai. Are they man made?
    Genuine hills. About 80km to the south east by the town of Hatta.

    130838070.mwAOdhLs.IMG_0022aHattaUAE.jpg
    Twitter: @RichN95
  • MartinGT
    MartinGT Posts: 475
    Richmond Racer wrote:
    ^There's no other word for it

    HEAVYWEIGHT

    :)

    :lol:

    dolph-lundgren.jpg
  • Richmond Racer
    Richmond Racer Posts: 8,561
    Frenchie, the Garmin lids and glasses are APPALLING

    Even my sensibilities are offended

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