Dauphine 14

specialgueststar
specialgueststar Posts: 3,418
edited June 2014 in Pro race
Nibali vs Contador vs Froome first salvo - but with the excuse of not being 100% 'there yet '

Bardet and Kelderman and even Scott Thwaites

Comments

  • tuneskyline
    tuneskyline Posts: 370
    Nibali has not really shown much this year. It's difficult to judge him and I think he will be saving his best for the tour. For Nibali to compete with Contador and co in the mountains he will have had to make improvements.
  • Richmond Racer
    Richmond Racer Posts: 8,561
    SpecialGuestStar wrote:
    Nibali vs Contador vs Froome first salvo - but with the excuse of not being 100% 'there yet '

    Bardet and Kelderman and even Scott Thwaites


    I'll be very surprised - and disappointed - if Nibz doesnt show a marked step-up in performance. Important for his own self-belief and morale, but equally for his team - they're the ones who are going to have to knock themselves out for him in Jul.
  • thomthom
    thomthom Posts: 3,574
    edited June 2014
    Fun fact; Nibali is the only one to have made more pointless and stupid attacks than Nicolas Roche this season.
    245 attacks against 239
  • Yellow Peril
    Yellow Peril Posts: 4,466
    I'm 100% sure Nibs will come good for July and will be a contender in this race. We haven't seen much of him lately but he was animated in races like MSR ad I think he's been throttling back to ensure correct peakage. He was where he needed to be the last few weeks (geographically at least)
    @JaunePeril

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  • cc78
    cc78 Posts: 599
    Nice parcours this year, including the new Croix-Rousse tunnel in Lyon (the longest bike/pedestrian tunnel in Europe) on stage 1 and the Cote de Domancy on stage 8, scene of Bernard Hinault's World Championship triumph in 1980.

    map_home.jpg
  • Paul 8v
    Paul 8v Posts: 5,458
    cc78 wrote:
    Nice parcours this year, including the new Croix-Rousse tunnel in Lyon (the longest bike/pedestrian tunnel in Europe) on stage 1
    I'm looking forward to seeing what they do with this, they can project images on the walls I think someone said before
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  • tuneskyline
    tuneskyline Posts: 370
    Paul 8v wrote:
    cc78 wrote:
    Nice parcours this year, including the new Croix-Rousse tunnel in Lyon (the longest bike/pedestrian tunnel in Europe) on stage 1
    I'm looking forward to seeing what they do with this, they can project images on the walls I think someone said before

    Maybe like this
    EinsteinsBicycle333.jpg
  • andyp
    andyp Posts: 10,450
    The absence of a long time trial means it's a more open Dauphine than previous editions.

    It feels odd though, you know it's summer when there's a 40 km plus TT in a stage race.
  • Macaloon
    Macaloon Posts: 5,545
    Tunnel2.jpg

    But it will probably be too much trouble to rig something interesting for a mere bike race...
    ...a rare 100% loyal Pro Race poster. A poster boy for the community.
  • Paul 8v
    Paul 8v Posts: 5,458
    Macaloon wrote:
    Tunnel2.jpg

    But it will probably be too much trouble to rig something interesting for a mere bike race...
    they should at least play Kraftwerk's Tour De France and show the video

    Either that or sew UV reflective material in to the jerseys and go full on Tron
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  • above_the_cows
    above_the_cows Posts: 11,406
    Paul 8v wrote:
    Either that or sew UV reflective material in to the jerseys and go full on Tron


    Ooooo
    Correlation is not causation.
  • joelsim
    joelsim Posts: 7,552
    Looking forward to this. A lot.

    Big guns, changeable parcours, unknown form for a couple of GCers, short TT.
  • knedlicky
    knedlicky Posts: 3,097
    andyp wrote:
    The absence of a long time trial means it's a more open Dauphine than previous editions.
    Think the last climb of stage 7 might decide the winner.
  • specialgueststar
    specialgueststar Posts: 3,418
    hope there is some proper racing
  • FJS
    FJS Posts: 4,820
    Interesting to see Kelderman and Hesjedal on the startlist - will they capitalise on post-grand tour form, or be simply exhausted? Especially for 23 year old Kelderman some effort

    Also Dani Moreno. I thought this year he was supposed to be Katusha's GC man for the Tour, J-Rod for the Giro. OK, Dani has ridden around Italy pretty anonimously, but surely both Giro and Dauphine isnt perfect preparation for the Tour? Second fiddle again
  • blazing_saddles
    blazing_saddles Posts: 22,710
    knedlicky wrote:
    andyp wrote:
    The absence of a long time trial means it's a more open Dauphine than previous editions.
    Think the last climb of stage 7 might decide the winner.

    I can see why you might think this:

    stage-7-profile.jpg

    Although there is some chat that the finish of this profile isn't accurate:

    image.jpg
    "Science is a tool for cheaters". An anonymous French PE teacher.
  • sherer
    sherer Posts: 2,460
    is it on Eurosport this year ?

    Hopefully we get a proper race and not just everyone in training for the TdF
  • above_the_cows
    above_the_cows Posts: 11,406
    We're not going to see any comedy overtaking in the TT this year are we? Shame. That was hilarious last year.

    That final climb of stage 7 looks brutal, its going to be pretty spectatcular on your telly boxes too, take a gander on google maps:
    https://www.google.nl/maps/place/Lac+d%27Emosson/@46.067947,6.9364496,501m/data=!3m1!1e3!4m2!3m1!1s0x478eb1836fe2eee7:0xe1222adb64b43b33
    Correlation is not causation.
  • Richmond Racer
    Richmond Racer Posts: 8,561
    FJS wrote:
    Interesting to see Kelderman and Hesjedal on the startlist - will they capitalise on post-grand tour form, or be simply exhausted? Especially for 23 year old Kelderman some effort

    Also Dani Moreno. I thought this year he was supposed to be Katusha's GC man for the Tour, J-Rod for the Giro. OK, Dani has ridden around Italy pretty anonimously, but surely both Giro and Dauphine isnt perfect preparation for the Tour? Second fiddle again


    Have heard that Moreno's not the most ambitious of guys, very close to Purito and happy to play 2nd fiddle to him
  • jimmythecuckoo
    jimmythecuckoo Posts: 4,716
    Really looking forward to this next phase of the season :)

    Dauphine is when the build up to Le Tour really starts and this one has most of the main men in contention there.
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  • Macaloon
    Macaloon Posts: 5,545
    sherer wrote:
    is it on Eurosport this year ?

    Hopefully we get a proper race and not just everyone in training for the TdF

    There's major prestige at stake. A Contador victory would be huge. Putting pressure on rival teams is also worth the effort this year. There's no TT to subdue attacking sensations. Nibali and Porte need a performance. Adam Yates is riding. Optimism is at an all-time high.
    ...a rare 100% loyal Pro Race poster. A poster boy for the community.

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