The Le Tour Thread: Spoliers
Comments
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Some interesting insight so far. I have to defer to others more knowledgeable than me on this one but I'd like to see Quintana win it. Just really enjoy watching him attack.
Rick you obv don't rate nibali as highly as the other 3. As others have said, doesn't he get any credit for leading the race before contador and froome crashed out last year? Or should we expect one of them to have won if they had stayed healthy?Cannondale caad7 ultegra
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Brother Swift0 -
Some interesting insight so far. I have to defer to others more knowledgeable than me on this one but I'd like to see Quintana win it. Just really enjoy watching him attack.
Rick you obv don't rate nibali as highly as the other 3. As others have said, doesn't he get any credit for leading the race before contador and froome crashed out last year? Or should we expect one of them to have won if they had stayed healthy?
Nibs gets a lot of credit for his cobbled ride & for his win in Sheffield. That's kinda my point - he's great at picking up time in more unusual circumstances (over say, traditional MTFs and TTs) against his rivals. That cobbled ride is one of the all time greats.
For context Nibs made twice as much time on everyone else on the cobbles than he did on any climb - and on the climbs that was against Rank 2 (possibly 3) rivals - who in a normal Tour you'd expect to be a minute or so back per MTF anyway compared to Nibs.
Similarly because they were rank 2 guys, they were happy to race for 2nd, and so let Nibali go and do his thing - which meant Nibs could ride without tactical concern - which is usually faster.0 -
I dont care as long as we get a stage almost as good as the cobbles last year. That was so unbelievably great i still get all jumpy thinking about it.
Quintana to win, Contador to "break" something, Froome to get royally dropped one day after losing his entire team and Nibali to not quite have the legs.It's not so much about winning, I just hate losing.0 -
That makes sense, cheers Rick.
It'd be nice to see cav in top form too but I'm not sure his top form is enough anymore.Cannondale caad7 ultegra
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Brother Swift0 -
Would you be happy with: The "Le Tour" Thread?Can someone get rid of that "the" or the "le" in the header? My pedant meter is going off the scale :roll:
And I think it will be Quintana.
That would make my week
. Unfortunately I think the amended original is here to stay - for traditional reasons which I accept. Commute: Chadderton - Sportcity0 -
:?Admittedly, he didn't look strong in the Dauphine, but it was much the same story last year - he came into the Tour having underperformed for months, then found a completely different level at the tour.
#Astana
+1
How many of the big 4 do people think will be riding sans juice?You'll not see nothing like the mighty Quin.0 -
^yawn0
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Yeah, I want to enjoy this tour as the marvel of athletic prowess that it is and not suspiciously worry about who is doping. If they are and are found out it'll become part of the story and, who knows, add flavour to it.
Either way four top athletes at their peak going head to head in what is arguably a straight race through the mountains.Food Chain number = 4
A true scalp is not only overtaking someone but leaving them stopped at a set of lights. As you, who have clearly beaten the lights, pummels nothing but the open air ahead. ~ 'DondaddyD'. Player of the Unspoken Game0 -
Yeah, I want to enjoy this tour as the marvel of athletic prowess that it is and not suspiciously worry about who is doping. If they are and are found out it'll become part of the story and, who knows, add flavour to it.
Either way four top athletes at their peak going head to head in what is arguably a straight race through the mountains.
Agree - potential for a great Tour. I would add that there is a real possibility of time gaps before the high mountains - each of the four first stages has factors that will/may cause gaps. 1 is ITT obviously, 2 has 50km along the Dutch coast road with significant risk of crosswinds and echelon gaps, 3 has mur de huy at the end, and 4 has the sections of cobbles. A bad opening 4 days could see, even a team leader, down by a not insubstantial margin.
Hope they manage to sort out the Queen Stage - it looked a great alpine stage with Telegraph, Galibier and ending on Alpe d'Huez; but that is impossible after a terrible rock slide destroyed a vital tunnel0 -
So stage two and Nibali and Quintana are out. Well a minute down from the kind of tactical move (split in the peleton) that people were telling me Nibali was most likely to make. Obviously this is nothing and there is a lot of cycling to get through but it adds to the story and means a few things:
Nibbles and Quinny can't make more mistakes
They'll probably need to recoup that time before the high mountains
Froome and Contador could try to push for more time gaps before the mountains
Two GC partnerships could form, Contador/Froome vs Nibali/Quintana
Thoughts discuss
Oh and what about that TT?Food Chain number = 4
A true scalp is not only overtaking someone but leaving them stopped at a set of lights. As you, who have clearly beaten the lights, pummels nothing but the open air ahead. ~ 'DondaddyD'. Player of the Unspoken Game0 -
A very interesting second stage, lots of talking points;
How did Etixx-Quickstep cock it up quite so colossally? Leaving Cav on the front 600m from the line, losing both the stage and the yellow jersey that would have been Martin's if Cav had held on for third - quite honestly it looked to me like he let Cancellara take the third place, which given it kept Martin out of yellow seemed completely bizarre - perhaps he wants the focus to stay on him rather than defending the yellow this week.
As much as the stage was about Quintana and Nibali blowing it, I think the story also needs to be told about Uran and Van Garderen stepping up when it counted- they've done their podium chances no harm at all. With that block of four (and their teams) working together it's hard to see how Nib's and Quintana can get time back this week - it sets us up for something truly spectacular from Quintana in the mountains, assuming they all get there!
With the surprise from Rohan on the first stage, it's been a great start to the Tour.0 -
Crikey, another drama-filled stage, Froome is in yellow going onto the cobbles - he obviously wants to grab this race by the scruff and get on with it, very bold, but given he's now got 36 seconds on Contador and nearly two minutes on Nibali & Contador he's certainly put himself right on top.0
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Crikey, another drama-filled stage, Froome is in yellow going onto the cobbles - he obviously wants to grab this race by the scruff and get on with it, very bold, but given he's now got 36 seconds on Contador and nearly two minutes on Nibali & Contador he's certainly put himself right on top.
I enjoyed that one! A fascinating days racing with some good sprinting, climbing and a train wreck thrown in!0 -
http://thecyclingpodcast.com/podcast/the-day-before-the-tour
Worth checking out the Cycling Podcast - from the tour twice a day.
Also worth a fiver for the 11 'Friends' episodes“New York has the haircuts, London has the trousers, but Belfast has the reason!0 -
This tour is carnage and it is only going to get better....."If you always do what you've always done, you'll always get what you've always got."
PX Kaffenback 2 = Work Horse
B-Twin Alur 700 = Sundays and Hills0 -
Chaps, its over isn't it?
Not because Froome has displayed a supreme dominance over the competition but because circumstances have led to the other contenders being too far behind in time to catch him. I cannot see Nibali or Quintana putting a minute and change into Froome - I'm not sure they can, Contador is tired or pretending and Tejay, I dunno... He looks good but one on one against Froome, I'm not too sure.
Only way this gets interesting is Froome is caught out somehow and he blows out his domestiques trying to catch up. Or Each of the contenders attack him over a two/three day period and he battles Gladiator style.
Reality is it is rarely that aggressive and reckon Quintana, Nibali will ride for stage wins. Contador will crack and use this as training for the Veulta, which he will win, and Tejay can't do it on his own.
For me the last exciting Tour was Contador vs Schleck - the one where Schleck was in yellow, his chain came off and Contador rode to glory (they since awarded that to Schleck because of the beef). Also the Tour Cadel won when he owned Schleck in the TT and tore yellow from his weeping corpse.Food Chain number = 4
A true scalp is not only overtaking someone but leaving them stopped at a set of lights. As you, who have clearly beaten the lights, pummels nothing but the open air ahead. ~ 'DondaddyD'. Player of the Unspoken Game0 -
There is a long, long, long way to go yet.
The hills we have seen up to now are no indicator as to how any of them will manage in the big mountains.
That, and Sky usually do blow up.The above may be fact, or fiction, I may be serious, I may be jesting.
I am not sure. You have no chance.Veronese68 wrote:PB is the most sensible person on here.0 -
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Just to add my own thoughts: does anyone think Phil Ligget is making multiple mistakes now while commentating? I keep hearing incorrect information, poor calculations (yesterday's team trial being a prime example... his time gaps were all over the shop), being unsure about names / teams / tactics.
I really hate to say this but I think it might be time for him to retire from commentating on events like this.Chunky Cyclists need your love too! :-)
2009 Specialized Tricross Sport
2011 Trek Madone 4.5
2012 Felt F65X
Proud CX Pervert and quiet roadie. 12 mile commuter0 -
nah it's not just you. Nearly everything he says seems to be wrong these days.
Still better than listening to Carlton Kirby though.
Although, at least with Eurosport you get to play Sean Kelly bingo ("on the rivet" -check. "Parriss Roobay" - check. "made the calculation" - check "well, no..." - check) and in fairness his commentary is pretty good.CS7
Surrey Hills
What's a Zwift?0 -
It's a shame, because Phil's has been the "voice of the Tour" for as long as I can remember, but a lot of what he says these days does seem to be complete guff. Maybe it always was, and I just didn't know the sport well enough to notice...Pannier, 120rpm.0
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I think the moment for me was on Saturday's stage at the 90 degree bend with 2Km to go. One of the pace riders clearly peeled off at the bend, very wide to get out of the way and Phil started shouting about how he'd gone straight on and missed the bend. At that point all the other moments kind of coalesced into one and I realised how poor his commenting had become
Now I keep hearing it, which as said above is a real shame.Chunky Cyclists need your love too! :-)
2009 Specialized Tricross Sport
2011 Trek Madone 4.5
2012 Felt F65X
Proud CX Pervert and quiet roadie. 12 mile commuter0 -
I think the moment for me was on Saturday's stage at the 90 degree bend with 2Km to go. One of the pace riders clearly peeled off at the bend, very wide to get out of the way and Phil started shouting about how he'd gone straight on and missed the bend. At that point all the other moments kind of coalesced into one and I realised how poor his commenting had become
Now I keep hearing it, which as said above is a real shame.
For me its been about 2-3 years, and they keep getting worse. All they seem good for is describing french chateaux. I wish they would not dance around the drug issues. If someone has been banned previously then shout it from the rooftop. I lost alot of respect when they could not seem to criticise Lance after all the dirt came out. But I suppose they were too close.
Its a shame as I got into cycling listening to them on channel 4.0 -
Froome does look like he's gonna romp away with it.
However good Froome looks, Quintana hasn't really put a foot wrong other than missing the split on stage 1. The real action starts in the Pyrenees - hoping for a classic dust up between those two.0 -
I agree, the only mistake was Nibali, who lost time up a climb (can't remember which), though he still isn't as far back as Quintana.Froome does look like he's gonna romp away with it.
However good Froome looks, Quintana hasn't really put a foot wrong other than missing the split on stage 1. The real action starts in the Pyrenees - hoping for a classic dust up between those two.
Thing is Froome is a really strong climber and I don't thnk the other riders, one on one, are capable of dropping him to the degree that would put them in yellow, not unless he has a bad day or is caught short by a breakaway. Froome however, likes riding at the front and controlling things (I think he does this better than Wiggins did IMO) and Sky, at everything except the Giro and Vuelta, have this insane ability to neutralise any attacking inspiration within the peleton.
It will be interesting to see if Quintana, Tejay and if Contador has the legs, try. Nibali is always aggressive so here's hoping. Would love to see them team up to take Froome, just for entertainment value.Food Chain number = 4
A true scalp is not only overtaking someone but leaving them stopped at a set of lights. As you, who have clearly beaten the lights, pummels nothing but the open air ahead. ~ 'DondaddyD'. Player of the Unspoken Game0 -
Froome knows how long it will take him to climb each mountain. As he is leading he will ride at his own pace and the others will only gain scraps on him.0
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I saw some analysis that single climbs suit Froome more than Quintana, who would prefer multiple climbs.
Hopefully we will see some aggressive tactics by other teams on the multiple mountain stages, similar to the Giro, with teams going out hard at the start of stages to try an isolate the big names early on. Imagine a scenario with only the top 5-10 making the top of the penultimate climb and Contador/Nibali/Quintana attacking Froome on the descents and valley bottoms rather than waiting for him to asphyxiate them on the climb.0 -
I saw some analysis that single climbs suit Froome more than Quintana, who would prefer multiple climbs.
Hopefully we will see some aggressive tactics by other teams on the multiple mountain stages, similar to the Giro, with teams going out hard at the start of stages to try an isolate the big names early on. Imagine a scenario with only the top 5-10 making the top of the penultimate climb and Contador/Nibali/Quintana attacking Froome on the descents and valley bottoms rather than waiting for him to asphyxiate them on the climb.
Tejay very similar to Froome so BMC more likely to end up effectively working with Sky. Can't see Konig being dropped0 -
[url=http://www.bikeradar.com/forums/viewtopic.php?p=19650966#p19650966]Surrey Commuter[/url] wrote:I saw some analysis that single climbs suit Froome more than Quintana, who would prefer multiple climbs.
Hopefully we will see some aggressive tactics by other teams on the multiple mountain stages, similar to the Giro, with teams going out hard at the start of stages to try an isolate the big names early on. Imagine a scenario with only the top 5-10 making the top of the penultimate climb and Contador/Nibali/Quintana attacking Froome on the descents and valley bottoms rather than waiting for him to asphyxiate them on the climb.
Tejay very similar to Froome so BMC more likely to end up effectively working with Sky. Can't see Konig being dropped
Froome is actually quite attacking in the mountains isn't he? The whole Skytrain thing was more a Wiggins tactic.
Has Konig ever finished at the very sharp end of an HC climb in the tour (or Giro / Vuelta?)
What about Porte? He was up there with Contador at the Giro until bad luck / crashes took him out, has had an extra week to recover and has been able to lie low the last few days, could potentially be quite handy?
Bring it on anyway, will be interesting to see who cracks today. I'm thinking Van Garderen is being overly bigged up - Cadel was in a similar position before the mountains at last year's Giro and look where he ended up.0 -
Froome does look like he's gonna romp away with it.
Told ya.0
