TDF 2018, Stage 9: Arras Citadelle > Roubaix 15/07/2018 - 156,5 km *Spoilers*
Comments
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Rick Chasey wrote:Rick Chasey wrote:Matt White making a good point re the moto cams falsifying the result.
“We can talk about doping and motors, let’s talk about TV motors.”
Come on we get 60 pages of Froome on an inhaler and no one bites on this?
I know what falsified the race more...
We're talking about Bardet? I confess i only caught a bit of the highlights but after seeing him seemingly constantly at the side of the road, then chasing without teammates I was surprised he finished only a handful of seconds of the maingroup.
I guess it's the price you pay for all those close up headshots....0 -
inseine wrote:Rick Chasey wrote:Rick Chasey wrote:Matt White making a good point re the moto cams falsifying the result.
“We can talk about doping and motors, let’s talk about TV motors.”
Come on we get 60 pages of Froome on an inhaler and no one bites on this?
I know what falsified the race more...
We're talking about Bardet? I confess i only caught a bit of the highlights but after seeing him seemingly constantly at the side of the road, then chasing without teammates I was surprised he finished only a handful of seconds of the maingroup.
I guess it's the price you pay for all those close up headshots....
Better than any EPO fueled recovery.
We've seen it in MSR, Amstel Gold (both which were race deciding, I might add), and multiple Giro stages already this year.0 -
Rick Chasey wrote:Matt White making a good point re the moto cams falsifying the result.
“We can talk about doping and motors, let’s talk about TV motors.”
Who is going to argue against it? Happens all the time and only gets penalised when shown on TV. French TV knows it’s audience though and whilst they followed Dumoulin draft his team car they were miraculously absent from the home favourite’s numerous chases back on. With one of his mishaps it was quite amusing to see the team cars almost accelerating past so he couldn’t get behind them though.0 -
Pross wrote:Rick Chasey wrote:Matt White making a good point re the moto cams falsifying the result.
“We can talk about doping and motors, let’s talk about TV motors.”
Who is going to argue against it? Happens all the time and only gets penalised when shown on TV. French TV knows it’s audience though and whilst they followed Dumoulin draft his team car they were miraculously absent from the home favourite’s numerous chases back on. With one of his mishaps it was quite amusing to see the team cars almost accelerating past so he couldn’t get behind them though.
TV motors are worse, as they are at the sharp end.0 -
Looking on the positive side, at least BMC now have their team leader in the yellow jersey...Pannier, 120rpm.0
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TGOTB wrote:Looking on the positive side, at least BMC now have their team leader in the yellow jersey...
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So at the end of the day what was all the drama in that stage down to? - crashes and mechanicals. There was no real racing going on because all the GC contenders were taking no chances and just happy to survive.
Even all of the so-called cobbled specialists did absolutely nothing. Pointless in terms of the overall race and just a one-day, gladatorial spectacle after two days of total boredom.0 -
To be clear, I'm not just talking Bardet.
The winning break of 3 was basically towed most of the way. Big GC gain for GvA. No-one cares because he won't win the Tour, but come on.0 -
Pross wrote:Rick Chasey wrote:Matt White making a good point re the moto cams falsifying the result.
“We can talk about doping and motors, let’s talk about TV motors.”
Who is going to argue against it? Happens all the time and only gets penalised when shown on TV. French TV knows it’s audience though and whilst they followed Dumoulin draft his team car they were miraculously absent from the home favourite’s numerous chases back on. With one of his mishaps it was quite amusing to see the team cars almost accelerating past so he couldn’t get behind them though.
The French press are just talking about Froome attacking when Bardet punctured. Froome even had to explain that he didn't know what was going on.0 -
hypster wrote:So at the end of the day what was all the drama in that stage down to? - crashes and mechanicals. There was no real racing going on because all the GC contenders were taking no chances and just happy to survive.
Even all of the so-called cobbled specialists did absolutely nothing. Pointless in terms of the overall race and just a one-day, gladatorial spectacle after two days of total boredom.
No real racing except for the constant battle to be in front, looking at how Froome got down but hardly had to chase because he was so well positioned. You call it pointless but isn't that the same for about two thirds of the race?
It had no bearing on the GC except for the riders who are better at riding cobbles and have the best support in the front group and then other ones finishing behind0 -
hypster wrote:So at the end of the day what was all the drama in that stage down to? - crashes and mechanicals. There was no real racing going on because all the GC contenders were taking no chances and just happy to survive.
Even all of the so-called cobbled specialists did absolutely nothing. Pointless in terms of the overall race and just a one-day, gladatorial spectacle after two days of total boredom.
Isn't that almost the best of all worlds, an exciting stage, but one that doesn't kill of the GC competition before we get to the mountains?
Additionally, I think even with the motto assistance, Bardet is gonna be more tired than say, Thomas, that may come out in the next two weeks.You live and learn. At any rate, you live0 -
Race leaders don't choose to follow a moto. It's just part of the need to cover the race, if you want to watch them, the moto has to be there. It doesn't always work in the riders favour as the Froom/Porte crash on Ventoux a couple of years ago demonstrated (though spectators caused the moto to stop as the first step in the pile up)Rick Chasey wrote:To be clear, I'm not just talking Bardet.
The winning break of 3 was basically towed most of the way. Big GC gain for GvA. No-one cares because he won't win the Tour, but come on.
You may as well complain about down draft from helicopters.
Bardet clearly joined the Landa group that overtook him after his last puncture, he finished with Landa didn't he?0 -
Interesting to see what happens with Thomas over the next two weeks but if it doesn’t work out I hope he goes back to the Classics, he looked comfortable all day out there yesterday, surprised he didn’t attack really!0
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I thought the excitement was mainly the number of attempted breaks in the last 40km. Sagan, Dan Martin, QS and the ultimately successful break of three. Calculating the risks of trying a breakaway on the cobbles is clearly a different deal to a typical flat stage or mountain stage.hypster wrote:So at the end of the day what was all the drama in that stage down to? - crashes and mechanicals. There was no real racing going on because all the GC contenders were taking no chances and just happy to survive.
Even all of the so-called cobbled specialists did absolutely nothing. Pointless in terms of the overall race and just a one-day, gladatorial spectacle after two days of total boredom.0 -
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mrfpb wrote:
Race leaders don't choose to follow a moto. It's just part of the need to cover the race, if you want to watch them, the moto has to be there. It doesn't always work in the riders favour as the Froom/Porte crash on Ventoux a couple of years ago demonstrated (though spectators caused the moto to stop as the first step in the pile up)Rick Chasey wrote:To be clear, I'm not just talking Bardet.
The winning break of 3 was basically towed most of the way. Big GC gain for GvA. No-one cares because he won't win the Tour, but come on.
You may as well complain about down draft from helicopters.
Bardet clearly joined the Landa group that overtook him after his last puncture, he finished with Landa didn't he?
In any flemish classic, you almost never see the leading break from the front, if ever.
Good reason, too.
You get side on and shots from behind.
In this stage it was almost all from the front of the GvA group, even when they had 52 seconds advantage.0 -
Thomas claims he was allowed to race for himself up to the first rest day.MissedTheBreak wrote:Interesting to see what happens with Thomas over the next two weeks but if it doesn’t work out I hope he goes back to the Classics, he looked comfortable all day out there yesterday, surprised he didn’t attack really!
https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/cycling/44653639
But he didn't sound like he was stepping back into a domestique role on ITV4 last night0 -
MissedTheBreak wrote:Interesting to see what happens with Thomas over the next two weeks but if it doesn’t work out I hope he goes back to the Classics, he looked comfortable all day out there yesterday, surprised he didn’t attack really!
Yes. The dynamics of the teams, do they send the team back for G too?
I wonder if the team is a bit split or happy families? Movistar too will be entertaining.0 -
inseine wrote:Pross wrote:Rick Chasey wrote:Matt White making a good point re the moto cams falsifying the result.
“We can talk about doping and motors, let’s talk about TV motors.”
Who is going to argue against it? Happens all the time and only gets penalised when shown on TV. French TV knows it’s audience though and whilst they followed Dumoulin draft his team car they were miraculously absent from the home favourite’s numerous chases back on. With one of his mishaps it was quite amusing to see the team cars almost accelerating past so he couldn’t get behind them though.
The French press are just talking about Froome attacking when Bardet punctured. Froome even had to explain that he didn't know what was going on.
If no-one had attacked whilst Bardet was sorting out punctures the whole stage would have been neutralised. You can't expect riders to sit around and wait in the last 20k of a stage like that and when you're on your 4th or 5th puncture of the day bad luck ceases to be the most likely explanation.0 -
From a couple of pages back....Blazing Saddles wrote:
Talking of marginal gains, this was Bardet's. Better than Naesen.
"Science is a tool for cheaters". An anonymous French PE teacher.0 -
Pross wrote:inseine wrote:Pross wrote:Rick Chasey wrote:Matt White making a good point re the moto cams falsifying the result.
“We can talk about doping and motors, let’s talk about TV motors.”
Who is going to argue against it? Happens all the time and only gets penalised when shown on TV. French TV knows it’s audience though and whilst they followed Dumoulin draft his team car they were miraculously absent from the home favourite’s numerous chases back on. With one of his mishaps it was quite amusing to see the team cars almost accelerating past so he couldn’t get behind them though.
The French press are just talking about Froome attacking when Bardet punctured. Froome even had to explain that he didn't know what was going on.
If no-one had attacked whilst Bardet was sorting out punctures the whole stage would have been neutralised. You can't expect riders to sit around and wait in the last 20k of a stage like that and when you're on your 4th or 5th puncture of the day bad luck ceases to be the most likely explanation.
totally agree, just reporting what they are saying.0 -
Video of Bernal riding into the back of the BMC team car and smashing his knackers on his stem!
https://twitter.com/DoCiclismo/status/1 ... 08200181760 -
r0bh wrote:Video of Bernal riding into the back of the BMC team car and smashing his knackers on his stem!
https://twitter.com/DoCiclismo/status/1 ... 0820018176
Lotto "helper" didn't give him anywhere to go though.0 -
I always get the feeling that Thomas hasn't got the ruthlessness to be a champion in his own right. He's such a solid, down to earth bloke. Great team mate no doubt but when push comes to shove I don't think he will take his chance.0
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Rick Chasey wrote:mrfpb wrote:
Race leaders don't choose to follow a moto. It's just part of the need to cover the race, if you want to watch them, the moto has to be there. It doesn't always work in the riders favour as the Froom/Porte crash on Ventoux a couple of years ago demonstrated (though spectators caused the moto to stop as the first step in the pile up)Rick Chasey wrote:To be clear, I'm not just talking Bardet.
The winning break of 3 was basically towed most of the way. Big GC gain for GvA. No-one cares because he won't win the Tour, but come on.
You may as well complain about down draft from helicopters.
Bardet clearly joined the Landa group that overtook him after his last puncture, he finished with Landa didn't he?
In any flemish classic, you almost never see the leading break from the front, if ever.
Good reason, too.
You get side on and shots from behind.
In this stage it was almost all from the front of the GvA group, even when they had 52 seconds advantage.
If you listen to the actual interview he says there were race cars between the 2 groups too. That would have obviously made a massive difference...
I dunnoWe're in danger of confusing passion with incompetence
- @ddraver0 -
The fact is that the Landa group was chasing for kms, but could not close and always a minute and change behind the lead group. The Uran group was chasing the Landa group for kms and only 15-20 seconds behind.
Bardet arrives in the Landa group for the last few kms and within those 6kms or so, they close to within just 7 seconds, but now are ahead 1'-20" of the Uran clan.
And yet the French have the cheek to complain that Froome attacked?
If I were Tom Dumoulin, I'd be well p*ssed."Science is a tool for cheaters". An anonymous French PE teacher.0 -
Just by way of the job Naesen did, he now has the KOM on "Roubaix Approach" on Strava
That helped maybe as much as an "moto assistance"0 -
About 13 k out, the Landa group was just over 50 secs behind the front peloton, and the Uran group a bit over 1:10 back.Blazing Saddles wrote:The fact is that the Landa group was chasing for kms, but could not close and always a minute and change behind the lead group. The Uran group was chasing the Landa group for kms and only 15-20 seconds behind.
Bardet arrives in the Landa group for the last few kms and within those 6kms or so, they close to within just 7 seconds, but now are ahead 1'-20" of the Uran clan.
By 3 k out, the Landa group had halved their deficit, and the Uran group had got theirs down to almost a minute.
So over those 10 k, both groups were gaining on the front peloton, Landa by about 25 secs, Uran by about 10 secs.
As ddraver says, the front peloton then starting messing around, esp after Sagan decided to call it a day. So, that the Landa group knocked off a further 20 secs in those 3 k, isn't really surprising.
What is surprising is that the Uran group went backwards, losing 25 secs in those 3 k. Maybe many eased off having got within the 3 k mark.0 -
Lance podcast is quite good on this.
Hincape doesn’t understand why sky were bombing the corners - when youre on the front you ought to do the opposite.
Lance seems to think the video of that trek rider means there’s a motor.0
