Tirreno-Adriatico 2014 *SPOILERS*

ddraver

Hee hee, I blame the French for giving me hope and then dashing it again!!

blazing_saddles

TailWindHome wrote:

BS, why do your posts resemble
some sort of
poetic style.

Keyboard panache.
Or rather: "It's the way I tell 'em."

RonB

It looks like it would be bold to make a move on the Passo Lanciano given the profile which follows and the wall at the finish. Any thoughts on the technical nature of the descent?

LutherB

Blazing Saddles wrote:

TailWindHome wrote:

BS, why do your posts resemble
some sort of
poetic style.

Keyboard panache.
Or rather: "It's the way I tell 'em."

I think of the style as 'Blazing Koans'

frenchfighter

Given that Contador changed his bike shortly before the climb the UCI weighed it at the finish. It came in only 20g over the 6.8kg limit.

There was a strong headwind on the climb and the pack was climbing at 25km/h. Goes some way to explaining why there were not more attacks. Not easy to get away which puts Kreuziger's move into even better light.

Horner saying everyone was totally cooked and just couldnt squeeze out the extra gas. Very long stage.

Porte and Kwiatek both with good things to say about Contador.

inseine

frenchfighter wrote:

Given that Contador changed his bike shortly before the climb the UCI weighed it at the finish. It came in only 20g over the 6.8kg limit.

There was a strong headwind on the climb and the pack was climbing at 25km/h. Goes some way to explaining why there were not more attacks. Not easy to get away which puts Kreuziger's move into even better light.

Horner saying everyone was totally cooked and just couldnt squeeze out the extra gas. Very long stage.

Porte and Kwiatek both with good things to say about Contador.

Although for a long time it seemed like one against one with only Poels chasing. When it came to the crunch it felt like only Porte was looking to gain time while the others were after the stage win.

Macaloon

Thank the Lord that we've purged those pesky photographs. Congratulations to fearless crimefighters who made this happen.

Yellow Peril

Just caught up with the last few km's . Great finish a handful of riders all having a dig, killer acceleration by Bertie to take it though. Very enjoyable.

tailwindhome

Team Sky ‏@TeamSky · 22m
Richie Porte has unfortunately had to withdraw from #Tirreno this morning due to illness: Full details here: http://po.st/rEBGbM

No_Ta_Doctor

Dammit, that's a bad week for Sky.

frenchfighter

I think there are going to be some hard words from management at Sky. Multi-million pound salary and former TdF winner Wiggins cant even hang with third grade domestiques. Super boy Kennaugh finished down 30mins alongside the trusty Eisel. Stannard who could have been there to big ring it for Porte was down 18mins.

Nieve, a rider who has brought up in a team full of passion who had to work hard to constantly get results, finished down only 25secs.

Porte had no support from expensive riders. I haven't seen him thank Nieve yet.

Again with so much money they should have B and C riders up there for GC in case their A rider crashes or gets ill. So this rider is now Nieve. Am interested to see what he can do now given he will be riding for himself and how well the team can protect him.

Macaloon

To lose one team leader in a week can be considered unlucky. What on earth does it mean to lose THREE?

The dominant domestiques are MIA this year too. Maybe the parcours is uncontrollable? Perhaps they're being saved for GTs (unlike 2013). Or other teams have caught up.

joelsim

They've been found out. Froome should win the Tour but that'll be about all

tailwindhome

Will "Sky are finished" be the new "Cav is finished"

frenchfighter

You know that had Valverde been here he would have won today and he would likely to be favourite for today. He would have been up there on the Sagan stage no problem and would likely put in a decent TT. Add the time bonus in for time lost in the TTT and I would have said he would have won this race, quite possibly even without. It would have changed the GC racing dynamic.

Good to see Peraud right up there.

Neither Barguil or Ellissonde are racing TA or PN.

Pinot and Gesink both DNF.

frenchfighter wrote:

Dan Martin is riding - his first race of 2014. Most of the other guys have some good racing miles in their legs so will be interesting to see how he manages.

Dan Martin is 10mins adrift on the GC.

ddraver

Joelsim wrote:

They've been found out. Froome should win the Tour but that'll be about all

This reminds me of 2 years ago when England beat the All Blacks and we were getting a load of stuff about how England were the future and the all blacks were finally finished

Strange how few English people mentioned that The man of the match that day should be been the Norovirus...

Is Porte doing MSR? Can't help but feel there may be a link between him and Gee this week...

frenchfighter

You would have thought Kwiatek would struggle in the final hurdle here and even yesterday he is talking about the 'climbers' almost like he doesn't consider him a top one. He has also mentioned about having worked a lot on his climbing over the last year. However he bossed the steep stuff in Strade Bianche and has finished 5th on the Mur de Huy.

If I was Movistar and Saxo I would not want to leave it to chance especially as he has a superb TT and I would try and blow it up as soon as they get onto Passo Lanciano. It is a beast of a climb and has a very hard first 1/3 where all but the top tier or two could get blown out the back. 30ks descent though but worth giving it a shot - even if they do make it back they will have had an extra sting in their legs from the chase up and down the climb. 200km stage as well so tiredness will be evident.

It would be nice to see Pozzovivo take this.

Mac9

Disappointing news about Porte. I was looking forward to seeing how he'd handle today.

What's the story with Wiggins? Fair enough, he was coming into this as domestique for either Froome or Porte but has any reason been given for his rather meek performance yesterday?

I see no reason why he couldn't have stayed with that group yesterday. Considering he was talking recently about wanting to be in the same form as 2012 early season performance-wise and how well his winter has gone compared to last year it seems strange that he wasn't closer.

Maybe he's saving it for the TT?

petemadoc

Mac9 wrote:

What's the story with Wiggins? Fair enough, he was coming into this as domestique for either Froome or Porte but has any reason been given for his rather meek performance yesterday?

I see no reason why he couldn't have stayed with that group yesterday. Considering he was talking recently about wanting to be in the same form as 2012 early season performance-wise and how well his winter has gone compared to last year it seems strange that he wasn't closer.

Maybe he's saving it for the TT?

Or maybe he's just full of sh1t. I am a fan of Wiggins and have a lot of respect for the guy but boy does he spout some rubbish. I hope he does have the form he is talking about though.

rayjay

Sky don't give a sh%% about these races . They let Porte and over at the P-N Thomas have their day to keep them happy. Their only goal is to win the tour with Froome, anything else is a bonus. Wiggins gets them a bit of media coverage and they will be hoping he will do some work at the tour, although I think if he does go to the tour he will try and win it if he can . If it's not going well he will drop out.

Riders are on some crazy gearings today.

Sram boys can use the WI FI. Contador has been riding the Wi Fi for a while.

Sky will have to adjust their rear mech's, Going compact will not be enough . Be interesting to see if their riders have any issue's on the last climb.

Lets have some early attack's and get this race blown apart.

andyp

My theory is that Sky have decided to tackle the "are they doping" lobby by being crap for most of the season. Stannard obviously missed the memo at Het Nieuwsblad.

rayjay

andyp wrote:

My theory is that Sky have decided to tackle the "are they doping" lobby by being crap for most of the season. Stannard obviously missed the memo at Het Nieuwsblad.

I agree

Macaloon

rayjay wrote:

Sky don't give a sh%% about these races .

Staggering collapse, from the most dominant stage race squad since the invention of Rapha, to not giving one. Maybe both positions are a touch extreme?

By the way, 's should be shunned like the Van Halen end of your guitar.

frenchfighter

Benjamin King (Garmin Sharp), Adam Hansen (Lotto Belisol), David De La Cruz (NetAPP Endura), Matthias Brandle (IAM), Andriy Grivko (Astana), Yaroslav Popovych (Trek Racing Factory), Luca Paolini (Katusha), and Simon Geschke (Giant Shimano)

have 12mins with 100km to race.

No Movistar or Saxo in that break.

Mac9

Do you expect a similar gearing to those used on the Angrilu and the like considering the gradient?

34x28? maybe even a 30 ring on the cassette? Makes me feel a little better about my pathetic gearing!

Sorry to go off topic, but is it true that Pantani used to have 54/44 x 11/23 gearing for each stage regardless of the profile? Even doped up to the eyeballs that is impressive! I remember watching him and Ullrich powering up the Madeleine in the big ring in 98....staggering.

Pross

Did I watch a different race? The one I saw had Wiggins looking after Porte into the final climb, right up at the front of a seriously depleted bunch. OK he went out of the back on the climb itself but he provided a reasonable service considering his late move to the hillier race. Not quite sure what the Sky management could have done to prevent a back injury, a nasty crash and illness. Any other team that would just be put down to bad luck but with Sky it is a sign they've been found out and are finished :roll: Thomas was still in with a chance at Paris - Nice when he was forced to retire and Porte was very much in the running at T-A before his illness, hardly cause for concern.

rayjay

Mac9 wrote:

Do you expect a similar gearing to those used on the Angrilu and the like considering the gradient?

34x28? maybe even a 30 ring on the cassette? Makes me feel a little better about my pathetic gearing!

Sorry to go off topic, but is it true that Pantani used to have 54/44 x 11/23 gearing for each stage regardless of the profile? Even doped up to the eyeballs that is impressive! I remember watching him and Ullrich powering up the Madeleine in the big ring in 98....staggering.

Not to brag ,but I am . I climb in my 53t all the time, I just find it easier to turn the pedals over. I ride up Swine lane for instance [very steep] 53/26 very easily. I remember at the top of Alp d' Huez some chap shaking my hand for riding up 53/26.
Most people don't even notice. I Just got some new Fibre lyte carbon chain rings 53/41 I may have a mess around with the 41.

I think some riders today may go as small as 30 on the back maybe even 32

blazing_saddles

Not sure why Rai spend 40 minutes each day talking about not very much.
Been on since 1pm and nada.

frenchfighter

Mac9 wrote:

Do you expect a similar gearing to those used on the Angrilu and the like considering the gradient?

34x28? maybe even a 30 ring on the cassette? Makes me feel a little better about my pathetic gearing!

Sorry to go off topic, but is it true that Pantani used to have 54/44 x 11/23 gearing for each stage regardless of the profile? Even doped up to the eyeballs that is impressive! I remember watching him and Ullrich powering up the Madeleine in the big ring in 98....staggering.

I think I just heard the French commentators say the smallest cog today is a 32.

frenchfighter

Anton attacked softly at the base.

Wiggins is dropped. Seriously.