Tour of California 2014 **Spoilers**

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  • Pross
    Pross Posts: 43,163
    Dennis gets it, but for his crash he'd be giving Wiggins a good run here. When did Yates become an Aussie? Stephens gets a bit excited at times and makes howlers when he does.
  • jam1e
    jam1e Posts: 1,068
    Eternal optimist!
  • thomthom
    thomthom Posts: 3,574
    edited May 2014
    Auch, that was a lot more seconds to Dennis than Wiggins would have hoped for, I'm sure.
  • graeme_s-2
    graeme_s-2 Posts: 3,382
    Wiggins looks to have finished virtually last out of that lead group
  • mfin
    mfin Posts: 6,729
    A very solid Wiggins performance, well done RD
  • bigmat
    bigmat Posts: 5,134
    Impressive by Wiggins, but not very smart tactically was it?
    http://www.flickr.com/photos/41991871@N ... otostream/
  • Turfle
    Turfle Posts: 3,762
    very disappointing stage in the main.
    excellent finish by Dennis.
    Wiggins in awesome form. 6k+ just too big an ask.
  • Pross
    Pross Posts: 43,163
    So Wiggins looking good on the steady gradients but still finding the steeper slopes a problem. He looked in with a chance of the win until Yates attacked.
  • hammerite
    hammerite Posts: 3,408
    Amazing how much of a gap Dennis got on Wiggo in the last few hundred metres. I reckon that was a good 20 seconds - are there time bonuses too?
  • d_o_g
    d_o_g Posts: 286
    Where did Yates come from??!! Shame he couldn't make it stick.

    Nice to see Wiggins taking the lead, no hiding there.
  • The_Boy
    The_Boy Posts: 3,099
    BigMat wrote:
    Impressive by Wiggins, but not very smart tactically was it?

    There is a reason he sat on the back of a train when he won the Tour. Had he sat in the group and had people pinging off the front he would have risked losing a fair chunk of time imo. He isn't built for stop/start even if he isn't the one doing the chasing.
    Team My Man 2018: David gaudu, Pierre Latour, Romain Bardet, Thibaut pinot, Alexandre Geniez, Florian Senechal, Warren Barguil, Benoit Cosnefroy
  • mfin
    mfin Posts: 6,729
    Turfle wrote:
    excellent finish by Dennis.
    Wiggins in awesome form. 6k+ just too big an ask.

    Those bits are definitely correct, such a shame about the pictures as it's on at a good time to watch live even if it is not much of a race really.
  • Lanterne_Rogue
    Lanterne_Rogue Posts: 4,325
    BigMat wrote:
    Impressive by Wiggins, but not very smart tactically was it?

    Wiggins always struggles (comparatively) on the steepest stuff, so riding like he did at least reduced the potential for anyone to take time out of him to whatever they could steal on the final ramp. Tactically it was pretty sensible.
    Twitter: @canocola @thedreadships
  • Turfle
    Turfle Posts: 3,762
    Pross wrote:
    So Wiggins looking good on the steady gradients but still finding the steeper slopes a problem. He looked in with a chance of the win until Yates attacked.

    I reckon the 6k on the front before the steep bit was more of a factor.
  • Pross
    Pross Posts: 43,163
    Should make things interesting on the other big MTF. A bit disappointed with how early Edmondson and Dombrowski got dropped considering they were saved in the chase on the flat.
  • Crankbrother
    Crankbrother Posts: 1,695
    Well that was DULL ...

    Wiggins rode hard but I didn't see anyone pedalling with any great difficulty in that final group ...

    Yates went too early, again ... But nice to see another animator emerging ...
  • mroli
    mroli Posts: 3,622
    Think that Wiggins has proved he should go to the TdF. Froome would have loved to have sat behind that.
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  • slim_boy_fat
    slim_boy_fat Posts: 1,810
    BigMat wrote:
    Impressive by Wiggins, but not very smart tactically was it?
    It's his only option though. He's got zero explosiveness, if he had even a little bit he'd be so much better.
  • mfin
    mfin Posts: 6,729
    underlayunderlay wrote:
    BigMat wrote:
    Impressive by Wiggins, but not very smart tactically was it?

    Wiggins always struggles (comparatively) on the steepest stuff, so riding like he did at least reduced the potential for anyone to take time out of him to whatever they could steal on the final ramp. Tactically it was pretty sensible.

    Yes this is true, if he'd held back, he wouldn't have had the final punch anyway and would have lost more time.
  • d_o_g
    d_o_g Posts: 286
    mfin wrote:
    Those bits are definitely correct, such a shame about the pictures as it's on at a good time to watch live even if it is not much of a race really.

    Indeed, can't think why the pictures were so bad - weather was good, and California is hardly the 3rd world.
  • hammerite
    hammerite Posts: 3,408
    BigMat wrote:
    Impressive by Wiggins, but not very smart tactically was it?

    Wiggins main weakness is that he doesn't have a change in gear. I would say he rode to his strengths rather than poor tactics. Had he sat in letting others take the pace it would have been too low and there would be attacks left right and centre distancing him even more.

    He looked fabulous until the last few hundred metres.
  • Pross
    Pross Posts: 43,163
    Turfle wrote:
    Pross wrote:
    So Wiggins looking good on the steady gradients but still finding the steeper slopes a problem. He looked in with a chance of the win until Yates attacked.

    I reckon the 6k on the front before the steep bit was more of a factor.

    Not sure, he looked fine until it ramped up. I suspect Froome will be happy, a diesel without the finish punch to challenge him is perfect for July. Nice to see him riding seriously again though.

    That blonde podium girl is lovely!
  • bigmat
    bigmat Posts: 5,134
    Maybe, but he left himself more exposed having sat on the front for 6km surely? I guess if he hadn't been setting that tempo there may have been more attacks off the front. Either way, that performance will have impressed the Tour selectors at Sky.
    http://www.flickr.com/photos/41991871@N ... otostream/
  • The_Boy
    The_Boy Posts: 3,099
    Are there bonus seconds today, btw, or has Wiggins given up just the 20 secs?
    Team My Man 2018: David gaudu, Pierre Latour, Romain Bardet, Thibaut pinot, Alexandre Geniez, Florian Senechal, Warren Barguil, Benoit Cosnefroy
  • graeme_s-2
    graeme_s-2 Posts: 3,382
    Wiggins finished 9th 20 seconds down. There was a small group all on 14 seconds ahead of him and 10th place was at 29 seconds
  • Daz555
    Daz555 Posts: 3,976
    The_Boy wrote:
    Are there bonus seconds today, btw, or has Wiggins given up just the 20 secs?
    No bonuses.
    You only need two tools: WD40 and Duck Tape.
    If it doesn't move and should, use the WD40.
    If it shouldn't move and does, use the tape.
  • The_Boy
    The_Boy Posts: 3,099
    Daz555 wrote:
    The_Boy wrote:
    Are there bonus seconds today, btw, or has Wiggins given up just the 20 secs?
    No bonuses.

    cheers.
    Team My Man 2018: David gaudu, Pierre Latour, Romain Bardet, Thibaut pinot, Alexandre Geniez, Florian Senechal, Warren Barguil, Benoit Cosnefroy
  • Daz555
    Daz555 Posts: 3,976
    BigMat wrote:
    Maybe, but he left himself more exposed having sat on the front for 6km surely? I guess if he hadn't been setting that tempo there may have been more attacks off the front. Either way, that performance will have impressed the Tour selectors at Sky.
    He was on the front for so long because well there was no-one else to set the pace he likes to ride at. Had he had a decent team mate with him he'd have been able to save himself for a couple of more km and then go even quicker and make it harder still for the punchier riders.
    You only need two tools: WD40 and Duck Tape.
    If it doesn't move and should, use the WD40.
    If it shouldn't move and does, use the tape.
  • Lanterne_Rogue
    Lanterne_Rogue Posts: 4,325
    Crankbrother wrote:
    Well that was DULL ...

    Wiggins rode hard but I didn't see anyone pedalling with any great difficulty in that final group ...

    Yates went too early, again ... But nice to see another animator emerging ...

    Not entirely sure that's a fair assessment of Wiggins there. Anyone who tried to get away was either ridden down in traditional relentless Sky fashion or blew up in short order. People behind him may not have been in too much trouble, but they were too close to being in trouble to be able to do anything much.

    Agree on Yates though - my impression was that his effort and Dennis's were fairly close in the amount of work done, but Dennis had the awareness to hold off until that effort would put him across the line.
    Twitter: @canocola @thedreadships
  • thomthom
    thomthom Posts: 3,574
    edited May 2014
    Confirmed what we knew about Wiggins this year. Was always going to be much better than everyone else on the 'flat' parts which is why he just did his time trial thing. As soon as this became a climb, he was off. Couldn't have done it differently.

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