Can Simon Yates win a Grand Tour?

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  • larkim
    larkim Posts: 2,485
    Yates said he didn't really recover after the TT, but I thought that was an ambiguous comment as to whether the TT was just the final good effort he was able to get out of his body over those 2.5 weeks, or whether the effort for that particular stage was disproportionately hard for him to recover from compared to his strong days in the mountains.

    My suspicion is the former is the more likely scenario. No matter how "deep" he went on the TT, he got dropped far too easily on the two subsequent days for it just to have been fatigue from the TT, it looked more like his physiology had just said "Sorry Simon, enough is enough - I can't take this battering for another day, I'm going to shut down your recovery ability and force you to go easier".
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  • alanparsons
    alanparsons Posts: 529
    Time to resurrect this one I think.
  • DeadCalm
    DeadCalm Posts: 4,235
    alanparsons wrote:
    Time to resurrect this one I think.
    Ha. I was going to do the same but thought I'd wait until tomorrow, just to be on the safe side.
  • gsk82
    gsk82 Posts: 3,570
    Who'd have ever thought that brits would win 5 grand tours in a row. With 3 different riders to boot.
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  • inseine
    inseine Posts: 5,788
    gsk82 wrote:
    Who'd have ever thought that brits would win 5 grand tours in a row. With 3 different riders to boot.
    Better not count our chickens but that is an amazing statistic, especially considering how few Brits there are at the top level.
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  • pblakeney
    pblakeney Posts: 26,969
    inseine wrote:
    gsk82 wrote:
    Who'd have ever thought that brits would win 5 grand tours in a row. With 3 different riders to boot.
    Better not count our chickens but that is an amazing statistic, especially considering how few Brits there are at the top level.
    Especially so since it (5 consecutive GTs from one Country) hasn't been done before.
    As someone said...
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  • cougie
    cougie Posts: 22,512
    I remember the days when it was exciting to have a British rider in a grand tour. Now look at us. Amazing.
  • Lanterne_Rogue
    Lanterne_Rogue Posts: 4,325
    DeadCalm wrote:
    alanparsons wrote:
    Time to resurrect this one I think.
    Ha. I was going to do the same but thought I'd wait until tomorrow, just to be on the safe side.

    I can't be the only one nervously clicking backwards to see if I've said something stupid.

    Feels a fraction premature though. Today's stage has the potential to go pear-shaped for everyone.
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  • ShutupJens
    ShutupJens Posts: 1,373
    underlayunderlay wrote:
    DeadCalm wrote:
    alanparsons wrote:
    Time to resurrect this one I think.
    Ha. I was going to do the same but thought I'd wait until tomorrow, just to be on the safe side.

    I can't be the only one nervously clicking backwards to see if I've said something stupid.

    Feels a fraction premature though. Today's stage has the potential to go pear-shaped for everyone.

    Yep. Short memories in here I reckon, the giro kicked off big time when everyone thought it was done
  • ugo.santalucia
    ugo.santalucia Posts: 28,309
    3 GT in the same season won by 3 different riders of the same nationality... has it happened before?
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  • timothyw
    timothyw Posts: 2,482
    Certainly scope for a Yates collapse today, but he has ridden much more canny this Tour, and I don't think any of his rivals have the strength themselves to go out and attack him - otherwise why did they all ship time yesterday?

    It was the last Wednesday in the Giro when the cracks appeared, immediately after the TT, and before Thursdays complete collapse - this time round he's survived the TT, and we're on the final day in the mountains.

    Yates looked comfortable coming over the line yesterday. No heroics trying to beat Pinot in the sprint - I think the lesson has been learned and we'll see him in red on Sunday.

    I checked back, and I said he could if he kept his head. I think I'll be proved right :-)
  • timothyw
    timothyw Posts: 2,482
    Actually, thinking back was it Thursday and Friday that Yates lost time? Either way, Saturday now.
  • gsk82
    gsk82 Posts: 3,570
    TimothyW wrote:
    Actually, thinking back was it Thursday and Friday that Yates lost time? Either way, Saturday now.

    Im pretty certain the finestre stage was on the Friday. I was on my way to any interview, then had an interview whilst wondering what was going on in Italy.
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  • blazing_saddles
    blazing_saddles Posts: 22,701
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  • Pross
    Pross Posts: 43,153
    gsk82 wrote:
    TimothyW wrote:
    Actually, thinking back was it Thursday and Friday that Yates lost time? Either way, Saturday now.

    Im pretty certain the finestre stage was on the Friday. I was on my way to any interview, then had an interview whilst wondering what was going on in Italy.

    It was the Friday, I was watching on my phone travelling to the Isle of Wight and hoping both the battery and my data allowance would hold out!
  • Pross
    Pross Posts: 43,153
    Pleased for him, the way he lost the Giro could have broken him and turned him into a stage / KoM hunter but he has put it right at the first chance. It shows good mental strength.
  • gsk82
    gsk82 Posts: 3,570
    Pross wrote:
    the way he lost the Giro could have broken him and turned him into a stage / KoM hunter

    He isn't French you know.
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  • larkim
    larkim Posts: 2,485
    Thread needs a new title :-)
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  • bobmcstuff
    bobmcstuff Posts: 11,398
    So I think we can finally put this thread to bed.

    The answer is yes.
  • cougie
    cougie Posts: 22,512
    Impressive stuff. I was half wondering if we'd see a Spanish combine that allegedly too Millar out of contention for the Vuelta back in the day.
  • Pross
    Pross Posts: 43,153
    gsk82 wrote:
    Pross wrote:
    the way he lost the Giro could have broken him and turned him into a stage / KoM hunter

    He isn't French you know.

    I almost added ‘like the French hopes do’ but thought SGS might get upset!
  • bianchi_dave
    bianchi_dave Posts: 932
    Maybe change the title to "Can Adam yates win a Grand Tour?"
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  • DeadCalm
    DeadCalm Posts: 4,235
    Pross wrote:
    gsk82 wrote:
    Pross wrote:
    the way he lost the Giro could have broken him and turned him into a stage / KoM hunter

    He isn't French you know.

    I almost added ‘like the French hopes do’ but thought SGS might get upset!
    I'd have got upset too but it is hard to argue against your point, although I suspect Bardet will be gamely chasing (and not quite achieving) the top step in Paris for several more years yet.

    I really wish he'd give the Giro and / or Vuelta a go where I think he'd be in with a decent chance but, sadly, the Tour is too important to his team.
  • phreak
    phreak Posts: 2,941
    All it needs now is for Adam to win the Worlds.
  • No_Ta_Doctor
    No_Ta_Doctor Posts: 14,535
    DeadCalm wrote:
    alanparsons wrote:
    Time to resurrect this one I think.
    Ha. I was going to do the same but thought I'd wait until tomorrow, just to be on the safe side.

    As the starter of this thread, I came here to do it myself.
    I've missed the entire last week of the Vuelta, hiding in shame in a cave.

    Don't ever listen to me. I know nothing.
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  • bobmcstuff
    bobmcstuff Posts: 11,398
    The cadence thing was a complete red herring when you first posted it anyway!
  • gsk82
    gsk82 Posts: 3,570
    Can he win the tour?

    The year after a Brit won the tour and the vuelta for the first time, another Brit won it. Who's going to retain the giro for gb?
    "Unfortunately these days a lot of people don’t understand the real quality of a bike" Ernesto Colnago
  • norvernrob
    norvernrob Posts: 1,448
    gsk82 wrote:
    Can he win the tour?

    The year after a Brit won the tour and the vuelta for the first time, another Brit won it. Who's going to retain the giro for gb?

    S Yates! After this years Giro, surely he’ll be wanting another crack at it. And Froome is going to be all in for the Tour, then there’s Thomas and whatever he rides. There’s every chance the next couple of GT’s will have British winners too.
  • thegreatdivide
    thegreatdivide Posts: 5,807
    No tA Doctor wrote:
    Don't ever listen to me. I know nothing.

    No need to be ashamed. This is Pro Racing where armchair experts predict f*ck all correctly. You're just keeping it real as the kids say.

    PTP should be renamed 'Copy what the guy above posted so you look like you know whet you're doing and then get it wrong'.
  • davidof
    davidof Posts: 3,095
    In football terms it is like Wales winning the World Cup, England the Euros and Scotland the Africa Cup of Nations... all in the same year.

    And no-one in blighty is aware of it.
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