TDF 2017: 15th July - Blagnac - Rodez - 181.5kms *Spoilers*

rick_chasey

iainf72 wrote:

Very poor by Aru.

Especially as Froome always had a go at this kind of finish.

Yes what was he thinking?

I presume he was feeling yesterday.

Looked a bit bleergh over the line didn't he?

Mad_Malx

What's Landa's TT like?

slim_boy_fat

Rick Chasey wrote:

iainf72 wrote:

Very poor by Aru.

Especially as Froome always had a go at this kind of finish.

Yes what was he thinking?

I presume he was feeling yesterday.

Looked a bit bleergh over the line didn't he?

So maybe this explains why Froome and Kwia kept attacking yesterday. A bit of mental and physical fatigue for Aru to pay dividends in a later stage. Sky showing they can ride more than one type of race. Good stuff.

FocusZing

Mad_Malx wrote:

What's Landa's TT like?

It is almost a year to the day that Landa lost four minutes to overall leader Alberto Contador in the 2015 Giro d'Italia's key time trial, and the Sky rider himself had told Cyclingnews before the Giro started that the 40.5 kilometre time trial would be one of the most difficult moments of the race for him. Astana management had estimated, prior to the stage, that Landa would lose around a minute to Vincenzo Nibali (Astana).

As it turned out, it is Landa's rivals who perhaps should be more worried after the Basque finished 20th on the stage, just 22 seconds slower than Tom Dumoulin (Giant-Alpecin)

http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/landa-d ... o-ditalia/

mamil314

Mad_Malx wrote:

What's Landa's TT like?

After monstrous training Landa put in a top level TT in last years Giro and looked favourite to me .. before pulling out with gastro.
I thought Landa and Kwiatkowski were great signings but first one kept me scratching my head for last 2 years and latter for 1 year. Are they back in business, then?

It still seems to me that Porte was strongest this year. Maybe he should hire Sagan for some mountain biking training

Pross

Slim Boy Fat wrote:

Rick Chasey wrote:

iainf72 wrote:

Very poor by Aru.

Especially as Froome always had a go at this kind of finish.

Yes what was he thinking?

I presume he was feeling yesterday.

Looked a bit bleergh over the line didn't he?

So maybe this explains why Froome and Kwia kept attacking yesterday. A bit of mental and physical fatigue for Aru to pay dividends in a later stage. Sky showing they can ride more than one type of race. Good stuff.

I think you're over stating their tactics, all they were doing was riding on the front to ensure Froome didn't get caught in the way Aru did. All the other GC contenders did the same, OK Sky may have pushed harder when realising Aru was too far back but I would suggest that was reactive rather than any pre-planned tactic.

slim_boy_fat

Pross wrote:

Slim Boy Fat wrote:

Rick Chasey wrote:

iainf72 wrote:

Very poor by Aru.

Especially as Froome always had a go at this kind of finish.

Yes what was he thinking?

I presume he was feeling yesterday.

Looked a bit bleergh over the line didn't he?

So maybe this explains why Froome and Kwia kept attacking yesterday. A bit of mental and physical fatigue for Aru to pay dividends in a later stage. Sky showing they can ride more than one type of race. Good stuff.

I think you're over stating their tactics, all they were doing was riding on the front to ensure Froome didn't get caught in the way Aru did. All the other GC contenders did the same, OK Sky may have pushed harder when realising Aru was too far back but I would suggest that was reactive rather than any pre-planned tactic.

I was talking about Froome and Kwia driving the chase group yesterday. Today they just got themselves in the right position, as did Martin, Uran and Bardet. But yesterday a lot of people were was having a pop at their tactics. Maybe it was to put Aru under pressure physically and mentally to increase chances of a result like today happening.

hypster

Pross wrote:

Slim Boy Fat wrote:

Rick Chasey wrote:

iainf72 wrote:

Very poor by Aru.

Especially as Froome always had a go at this kind of finish.

Yes what was he thinking?

I presume he was feeling yesterday.

Looked a bit bleergh over the line didn't he?

So maybe this explains why Froome and Kwia kept attacking yesterday. A bit of mental and physical fatigue for Aru to pay dividends in a later stage. Sky showing they can ride more than one type of race. Good stuff.

I think you're over stating their tactics, all they were doing was riding on the front to ensure Froome didn't get caught in the way Aru did. All the other GC contenders did the same, OK Sky may have pushed harder when realising Aru was too far back but I would suggest that was reactive rather than any pre-planned tactic.

Maybe you should listen to Luke Rowe's interview.

Pross

I did, he said they realised Aru was a long way back and pushed on. As I said above they may have pushed a bit harder to stop Aru getting to the front but they would have been aiming in getting Froome across the line near the front anyway. It's too easy to lose a few seconds on a stage like this if you aren't at the sharp end.

Sun Dodger

Milton50 wrote:

I haven't seen a single stage of this year's Tour yet. Am I missing some good racing?

Overall a good race, but a lot of mostly dull stages.

If that makes any sense...?

FocusZing

Sun Dodger wrote:

Milton50 wrote:

I haven't seen a single stage of this year's Tour yet. Am I missing some good racing?

Overall a good race, but a lot of mostly dull stages.

If that makes any sense...?

Yeah the flat stages have turned out to be a predictable Kidl win. I would have loved to have seen Cav via for some more. Expelling Sagan was tantamount as ridiculous bottling the Bardet time penalty, missed his panache.

iainf72

Rick Chasey wrote:

Looked a bit bleergh over the line didn't he?

Yeah, he didn't look great.

Still, can't read too much into it. But his team mates comments seem like they're not the biggest fans.

DeVlaeminck

iainf72 wrote:

Interesting

https://twitter.com/letourdata/status/8 ... 9433143300

Which feels right as Aru looked slightly crap, rather than it just being poor positioning

Yes he didn't look great. I guess there may also be an element of the riders around Froome going faster so maybe psychologically keeping up with the bunch would get him up the hill faster plus of course if Aru did have the legs he may have found other riders physically in his way.

rick_chasey

Read somewhere Kiri saw Aru blowing earlier on so let the boys in white know.

slim_boy_fat

OnYourRight wrote:

“He just didn’t stay on my wheel so it’s hard to keep him at the front,” Aru’s Astana teammate Michael Valgren said.

“It was kind of a lottery to be at the front, I don’t know what happened to Fabio to be honest.”

http://www.velonews.com/stages/2017-tou ... e-stage-14

Valgren on twitter apologising for any misunderstanding over his post race interview.

inseine

Pross wrote:

inseine wrote:

Richmond Racer 2 wrote:

that was poor from Astana

And good by SKY? I know it sticks on the throat

It was just obvious by Sky, most of the other GC contenders lost little or no time. I know Aru's team is weakened but you would have expected them to protect him better than that and even if not I'd have thought Aru would have glued himself to one of his rivals with a strong team (QS would have been a good choice on a like this).

Quintana and Bennet lost 21 seconds, Landa 14

iainf72

Slim Boy Fat wrote:

Valgren on twitter apologising for any misunderstanding over his post race interview.

*nods slowly*

EnacheV

Aru badly needs the Astana 3rd week ressurection, 1 more day to go and he will be back flying next week

simon_e

EnacheV wrote:

Aru badly needs the Astana 3rd week ressurection, 1 more day to go and he will be back flying next week

Vino will surely have a few useful names in his address book

Lanterne_Rogue

Interview: https://youtu.be/QQj-W0nmOus

"Froome has the jersey now."
"Good!"

:shock:

N0bodyOfTheGoat

Did Aru perhaps overdo it in the chase to bring back De Ghent on the last proper climb and then suffer with the high pace into the headwind, so he was done in before that ~500 metre uphill stage finish?

m.r.m.

Aru looked like he just didn't have the legs. He has been attacking here and there or at least having a dig and it looks like it is catching up to him. He has to definitely work on his consistency.

hypster

Pross wrote:

I did, he said they realised Aru was a long way back and pushed on. As I said above they may have pushed a bit harder to stop Aru getting to the front but they would have been aiming in getting Froome across the line near the front anyway. It's too easy to lose a few seconds on a stage like this if you aren't at the sharp end.

You obviously overlooked the bit when he spoke about Sky studying the video from the same finish two years ago when Froome finished 6th. Chris Boardman also highlighted that Sky utilised musettes from the side of the road at 26 km to go rather than go back to the team car for bottles. If that's not forward thinking then I don't know what is.

Sky put deliberately put themselves in an advantageous position ready to take advantage of any Astana weakness. Obviously Froome's tactics of attacking Aru several times on the final descent and run-in yesterday had more affect than some give credit for.

m.r.m.

Super strong ride by my man Eddy Boasson Hagen btw. Becoming the nearly man again, that GVA used to be.

mamba80

hypster wrote:

Pross wrote:

I did, he said they realised Aru was a long way back and pushed on. As I said above they may have pushed a bit harder to stop Aru getting to the front but they would have been aiming in getting Froome across the line near the front anyway. It's too easy to lose a few seconds on a stage like this if you aren't at the sharp end.

You obviously overlooked the bit when he spoke about Sky studying the video from the same finish two years ago when Froome finished 6th. Chris Boardman also highlighted that Sky utilised musettes from the side of the road at 26 km to go rather than go back to the team car for bottles. If that's not forward thinking then I don't know what is.

Sky put deliberately put themselves in an advantageous position ready to take advantage of any Astana weakness. Obviously Froome's tactics of attacking Aru several times on the final descent and run-in yesterday had more affect than some give credit for.

I agree with Pross, it is one thing preparing for the finish recce etc and making sure that you dont get caught out and can take adv of any mistakes but quite another to know that Aru or whoever would actually make these errors.

As i believe D.Millar said, once the pace went up, Aru didnt have the team to get him back up, i watched the live coverage and Aru's mistake was clearly made sometime before they got anywhere ne Rodez,, once they started that super fast descent, Aru's fate was sealed.
He did very well to only lose 24 sec's and finish 30th, he was almost last as they went into the town.

m.r.m.

Valgren said in his interview that he tried to get Aru up, but Aru wasn't able to hold his wheel.

mfin

hypster wrote:

Obviously Froome's tactics of attacking Aru several times on the final descent and run-in yesterday had more affect than some give credit for.

Attributing a significant toll on Aru to have come from the small amount of chasing on a descent and run-in yesterday by Froome is cloud cuckoo land thinking.

RichN95.

I only saw the last four kilos in the pub on a phone. But I saw Froome and Kwiato and the front looking cool and I saw Aru at the back working his butt off trying to gain positions. Froome was 6th last time they did that finish - he knew what he was doing.

hypster

mamba80 wrote:

I agree with Pross, it is one thing preparing for the finish recce etc and making sure that you dont get caught out and can take adv of any mistakes but quite another to know that Aru or whoever would actually make these errors.

As i believe D.Millar said, once the pace went up, Aru didnt have the team to get him back up, i watched the live coverage and Aru's mistake was clearly made sometime before they got anywhere ne Rodez,, once they started that super fast descent, Aru's fate was sealed.
He did very well to only lose 24 sec's and finish 30th, he was almost last as they went into the town.

Michael Valgren - Astana

"I don’t know. Ask him. I tried to take him to the front, but he didn’t stick on my wheel. Did we lose the jersey?"

David Millar talks bollocks - shocker!

larkim

Even if Froome had no teammates with him and Aru had been up front, Froome would have been on his wheel all the way to the finale. Like it or not Froome is tactically astute, and so are his team. It's a winning combination even if Froome isn't quite at his best.