So who now for the Yellow Jersey ?
Comments
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id like Yates to win. Or G. but please please please not that whining tosspot Porte0
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Dumoulin is still having problems with his knee isn't he? Has he enough time for it to be 100% by the tour?
Nibbles will be a danger, but what did the giro take out of him?
Pinot will lose time in the TTs to the likes of Thomas, as will Yates you'd expect. Bardet will lose minutes as soon as he looks at a TT bike.
Bernal and Thomas will be a strong double act.0 -
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Dorset Boy wrote:Dumoulin is still having problems with his knee isn't he? Has he enough time for it to be 100% by the tour?
Nibbles will be a danger, but what did the giro take out of him?
Pinot will lose time in the TTs to the likes of Thomas, as will Yates you'd expect. Bardet will lose minutes as soon as he looks at a TT bike.
Bernal and Thomas will be a strong double act.
Is Nibali riding? Ill add him to my list of happy to see wins
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Pross wrote:SpecialGuestStar wrote:Quite amazing Thomas touted as a natural to win - when he looked overweight earlier in the year and has done 4 stage races this year with GC: 44, dnf , 40 and 3rd and less than 3k of racing this season.
What you basing it on?
Well having seen him close up last Saturday he's not carrying an ounce of spare baggage now and is apparently down at 68kg as someone else on here can verify having spoken to him.
As for form I guess we'll know in a week but it's hardly a surprise that people are tipping him as the new favourite when he's defending champion is it, especially with Dumoulin recovering from injury and many of the other likely contenders initially dodging the Tour and opting to ride the Giro? Whether he can do it with the pressure of being official team leader is the biggest question.
Pinot has been looking good though as has Yates. Should make for a good race.
To think after SCS posted this, I bit my tongue all yesterday afternoon and evening, too.
Yeah, that would be me. Spoke to him on Saturday. Info is first hand and correct. He looked as fit as a butcher's dog.
Switzerland was always on his dance card, btw.
Also spoke to someone pretty close to Tom Dumoulin who said if he didn't go well this week, he won't go well at the Tour.
Obviously he is not in shape to contest the GC here, then he's gone and had a so so ITT, but was in the break on stage 1.
So, too early in the week to tell."Science is a tool for cheaters". An anonymous French PE teacher.0 -
I believe Nibali has said he is targetting stage wins at the Tour. I'd love to see Dan Martin and/or Richie Porte do well this year. I think Ineos will still be the team to beat though - they looked invincible before, they still look very strong even after the awful crash that has caused Froome's withdrawl.Bianchi ImpulsoBMC Teammachine SLR02 01Trek Domane AL3“When I see an adult on a bicycle, I do not despair for the future of the human race. “ ~H.G. Wells Edit - "Unless it's a BMX"0
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Blazing Saddles wrote:Pross wrote:SpecialGuestStar wrote:Quite amazing Thomas touted as a natural to win - when he looked overweight earlier in the year and has done 4 stage races this year with GC: 44, dnf , 40 and 3rd and less than 3k of racing this season.
What you basing it on?
Well having seen him close up last Saturday he's not carrying an ounce of spare baggage now and is apparently down at 68kg as someone else on here can verify having spoken to him.
As for form I guess we'll know in a week but it's hardly a surprise that people are tipping him as the new favourite when he's defending champion is it, especially with Dumoulin recovering from injury and many of the other likely contenders initially dodging the Tour and opting to ride the Giro? Whether he can do it with the pressure of being official team leader is the biggest question.
Pinot has been looking good though as has Yates. Should make for a good race.
To think after SCS posted this, I bit my tongue all yesterday afternoon and evening, too.
Yeah, that would be me. Spoke to him on Saturday. Info is first hand and correct. He looked as fit as a butcher's dog.
Switzerland was always on his dance card, btw.
Also spoke to someone pretty close to Tom Dumoulin who said if he didn't go well this week, he won't go well at the Tour.
Obviously he is not in shape to contest the GC here, then he's gone and had a so so ITT, but was in the break on stage 1.
So, too early in the week to tell.
So you are basing it on he has got down to 68kg with minimal racing ? Has he been cutting down on carbs like Froome when he got to 66kg. Is Thomas looking to get more off?0 -
SpecialGuestStar wrote:So you are basing it on he has got down to 68kg with minimal racing ?
Plenty of racing days between now and crunch time in the Tour to sharpen the fitness spear. Anyone to sharp now and they'll likely be on their knees by the end of the Tour.0 -
or a Schleck like ability/ shape on a TT rig. those merckx bikes will probably be a step down from the factor rigs he had last year. not sure what he needs to target. stage wins would probably be best.inseine wrote:When will the French learn that TTS are important? Bardet isn’t helped by having different bike supplier every year.0 -
philbar72 wrote:
or a Schleck like ability/ shape on a TT rig. those merckx bikes will probably be a step down from the factor rigs he had last year. not sure what he needs to target. stage wins would probably be best.inseine wrote:When will the French learn that TTS are important? Bardet isn’t helped by having different bike supplier every year.
Your all frothing about this aren't you ?- especially when he gained a place (14th from 15th). He was only 10-12 secs down on Dan Martin Dowsett, Poels Quintana etc
Why are you going on about the bike for Slight hysteria don't you think? :roll: :roll:0 -
We're in danger of confusing passion with incompetence
- @ddraver0 -
RichN95 wrote:Pinot is a far better chance for France than Bardet IMO. Pinot wins races occasionally, Bardet doesn't (occasional stage aside)
Your statement requires some context : Second in the Tour twice and last years World championship. (and Strade)
I agree though it would be good to see him take some of the smaller stage races
Last year I would have thought Bardet was in the better position, this year Pinot seems to have it0 -
SpecialGuestStar wrote:Blazing Saddles wrote:Pross wrote:SpecialGuestStar wrote:Quite amazing Thomas touted as a natural to win - when he looked overweight earlier in the year and has done 4 stage races this year with GC: 44, dnf , 40 and 3rd and less than 3k of racing this season.
What you basing it on?
Well having seen him close up last Saturday he's not carrying an ounce of spare baggage now and is apparently down at 68kg as someone else on here can verify having spoken to him.
As for form I guess we'll know in a week but it's hardly a surprise that people are tipping him as the new favourite when he's defending champion is it, especially with Dumoulin recovering from injury and many of the other likely contenders initially dodging the Tour and opting to ride the Giro? Whether he can do it with the pressure of being official team leader is the biggest question.
Pinot has been looking good though as has Yates. Should make for a good race.
To think after SCS posted this, I bit my tongue all yesterday afternoon and evening, too.
Yeah, that would be me. Spoke to him on Saturday. Info is first hand and correct. He looked as fit as a butcher's dog.
Switzerland was always on his dance card, btw.
Also spoke to someone pretty close to Tom Dumoulin who said if he didn't go well this week, he won't go well at the Tour.
Obviously he is not in shape to contest the GC here, then he's gone and had a so so ITT, but was in the break on stage 1.
So, too early in the week to tell.
So you are basing it on he has got down to 68kg with minimal racing ? Has he been cutting down on carbs like Froome when he got to 66kg. Is Thomas looking to get more off?
People seemed happy with Froome being favourite having done 4 stage races (91st, 94th, 11th and 13th on GC) and just over 3,000km prior to coming into the Dauphine so I'm not seeing anything massively different in preparation there.0 -
I wouldn't say happy....0
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SpecialGuestStar wrote:I wouldn't say happy....
Widely accepted as the favourite then?0 -
Very French answerSpecialGuestStar wrote:philbar72 wrote:
or a Schleck like ability/ shape on a TT rig. those merckx bikes will probably be a step down from the factor rigs he had last year. not sure what he needs to target. stage wins would probably be best.inseine wrote:When will the French learn that TTS are important? Bardet isn’t helped by having different bike supplier every year.
Your all frothing about this aren't you ?- especially when he gained a place (14th from 15th). He was only 10-12 secs down on Dan Martin Dowsett, Poels Quintana etc
Why are you going on about the bike for Slight hysteria don't you think? :roll: :roll:
who cares about TTs ? Bardet lost 2 mins, that’s not good. 0 -
I gave you context. Bardet doesn't win races. It's a mentality thing. Winners mould a race to their ends while those that are often top five are good at adapting to the moulding of others.SpecialGuestStar wrote:RichN95 wrote:Pinot is a far better chance for France than Bardet IMO. Pinot wins races occasionally, Bardet doesn't (occasional stage aside)
Your statement requires some context : Second in the Tour twice and last years World championship. (and Strade)
I agree though it would be good to see him take some of the smaller stage races
Last year I would have thought Bardet was in the better position, this year Pinot seems to have it
Proactive v ReactiveTwitter: @RichN950 -
Cyrille Guimard was talking on L’equipe about time trialing, saying not all French riders have a TT bike at home ‘ after all, look how few hours of TTing per year’, it’s not a big deal.0
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Rick Chasey wrote:No-one gonna mention Porte?
I don't usually do a preview of the Lanterne Rouge until the week before.0 -
What is our best chance in European football? - well Tottenham never win the European cup (in the modern era)RichN95 wrote:
I gave you context. Bardet doesn't win races. It's a mentality thing. Winners mould a race to their ends while those that are often top five are good at adapting to the moulding of others.SpecialGuestStar wrote:RichN95 wrote:Pinot is a far better chance for France than Bardet IMO. Pinot wins races occasionally, Bardet doesn't (occasional stage aside)
Your statement requires some context : Second in the Tour twice and last years World championship. (and Strade)
I agree though it would be good to see him take some of the smaller stage races
Last year I would have thought Bardet was in the better position, this year Pinot seems to have it
Proactive v Reactive0 -
SpecialGuestStar wrote:Blazing Saddles wrote:Pross wrote:SpecialGuestStar wrote:Quite amazing Thomas touted as a natural to win - when he looked overweight earlier in the year and has done 4 stage races this year with GC: 44, dnf , 40 and 3rd and less than 3k of racing this season.
What you basing it on?
Well having seen him close up last Saturday he's not carrying an ounce of spare baggage now and is apparently down at 68kg as someone else on here can verify having spoken to him.
As for form I guess we'll know in a week but it's hardly a surprise that people are tipping him as the new favourite when he's defending champion is it, especially with Dumoulin recovering from injury and many of the other likely contenders initially dodging the Tour and opting to ride the Giro? Whether he can do it with the pressure of being official team leader is the biggest question.
Pinot has been looking good though as has Yates. Should make for a good race.
To think after SCS posted this, I bit my tongue all yesterday afternoon and evening, too.
Yeah, that would be me. Spoke to him on Saturday. Info is first hand and correct. He looked as fit as a butcher's dog.
Switzerland was always on his dance card, btw.
Also spoke to someone pretty close to Tom Dumoulin who said if he didn't go well this week, he won't go well at the Tour.
Obviously he is not in shape to contest the GC here, then he's gone and had a so so ITT, but was in the break on stage 1.
So, too early in the week to tell.
So you are basing it on he has got down to 68kg with minimal racing ? Has he been cutting down on carbs like Froome when he got to 66kg. Is Thomas looking to get more off?
That and the fact that he went well in Romandie, has just come off a very good block of training in Tenerife.
The point was that you and others have been pointing the finger, claiming he being overweight was effecting his performance. Now you know that is no longer a valid argument.
But like I said, wait and see how he goes in Switzerland, where he was always heading despite rumours to the contrary.
On inspection and for once, the Swiss race looks to be set up to resemble the last week of the Tour, far more than the Dauphine.
Also, you are reluctant to acknowledge Froome as the pre-race favourite, but then the title of this thread accepts this fact as a given. Even L'Equipe made him the only 5 star favourite for the Dauphine.
Now on the subject of frothing, the only person I see using exclamation on question marks, rolling eyes etc in their posts is you.
You clearly don't agree with any of the above, but are yet to throw the name of who you see as the TDF favourite into the ring. How about you do that now, so his chances can be debated?"Science is a tool for cheaters". An anonymous French PE teacher.0 -
RichN95 wrote:
I gave you context. Bardet doesn't win races. ........................SpecialGuestStar wrote:RichN95 wrote:Pinot is a far better chance for France than Bardet IMO. Pinot wins races occasionally, Bardet doesn't (occasional stage aside)
Your statement requires some context : Second in the Tour twice and last years World championship. (and Strade)
I agree though it would be good to see him take some of the smaller stage races
Last year I would have thought Bardet was in the better position, this year Pinot seems to have it
It's not just Bardet though, it's AG2R, they have an abysmal record of winning don't they? there simply isn't a winning culture in the team, period.0 -
Dorset Boy wrote:RichN95 wrote:
I gave you context. Bardet doesn't win races. ........................SpecialGuestStar wrote:RichN95 wrote:Pinot is a far better chance for France than Bardet IMO. Pinot wins races occasionally, Bardet doesn't (occasional stage aside)
Your statement requires some context : Second in the Tour twice and last years World championship. (and Strade)
I agree though it would be good to see him take some of the smaller stage races
Last year I would have thought Bardet was in the better position, this year Pinot seems to have it
It's not just Bardet though, it's AG2R, they have an abysmal record of winning don't they? there simply isn't a winning culture in the team, period.
Ha ha that's just ridiculous0 -
Blazing Saddles wrote:SpecialGuestStar wrote:Blazing Saddles wrote:Pross wrote:SpecialGuestStar wrote:Quite amazing Thomas touted as a natural to win - when he looked overweight earlier in the year and has done 4 stage races this year with GC: 44, dnf , 40 and 3rd and less than 3k of racing this season.
What you basing it on?
Well having seen him close up last Saturday he's not carrying an ounce of spare baggage now and is apparently down at 68kg as someone else on here can verify having spoken to him.
As for form I guess we'll know in a week but it's hardly a surprise that people are tipping him as the new favourite when he's defending champion is it, especially with Dumoulin recovering from injury and many of the other likely contenders initially dodging the Tour and opting to ride the Giro? Whether he can do it with the pressure of being official team leader is the biggest question.
Pinot has been looking good though as has Yates. Should make for a good race.
To think after SCS posted this, I bit my tongue all yesterday afternoon and evening, too.
Yeah, that would be me. Spoke to him on Saturday. Info is first hand and correct. He looked as fit as a butcher's dog.
Switzerland was always on his dance card, btw.
Also spoke to someone pretty close to Tom Dumoulin who said if he didn't go well this week, he won't go well at the Tour.
Obviously he is not in shape to contest the GC here, then he's gone and had a so so ITT, but was in the break on stage 1.
So, too early in the week to tell.
So you are basing it on he has got down to 68kg with minimal racing ? Has he been cutting down on carbs like Froome when he got to 66kg. Is Thomas looking to get more off?
That and the fact that he went well in Romandie, has just come off a very good block of training in Tenerife.
The point was that you and others have been pointing the finger, claiming he being overweight was effecting his performance. Now you know that is no longer a valid argument.
But like I said, wait and see how he goes in Switzerland, where he was always heading despite rumours to the contrary.
On inspection and for once, the Swiss race looks to be set up to resemble the last week of the Tour, far more than the Dauphine.
Also, you are reluctant to acknowledge Froome as the pre-race favourite, but then the title of this thread accepts this fact as a given. Even L'Equipe made him the only 5 star favourite for the Dauphine.
Now on the subject of frothing, the only person I see using exclamation on question marks, rolling eyes etc in their posts is you.
You clearly don't agree with any of the above, but are yet to throw the name of who you see as the TDF favourite into the ring. How about you do that now, so his chances can be debated?
I am not sure what an exclamation on question marks is. I thought you used question marks if your are asking a question. The eye-rolling is at the hysteria not a symptom of it.
I simply asked what you were basing Thomas' status as being a favourite based on his preparation. You seem to have been insulted by this and flew off the handle. Eventually it seems he is 68 kg and in good form after a block of training. Why didn't you just say that? I am nearly rolling my eyes again.0 -
SpecialGuestStar wrote:Dorset Boy wrote:RichN95 wrote:
I gave you context. Bardet doesn't win races. ........................SpecialGuestStar wrote:RichN95 wrote:Pinot is a far better chance for France than Bardet IMO. Pinot wins races occasionally, Bardet doesn't (occasional stage aside)
Your statement requires some context : Second in the Tour twice and last years World championship. (and Strade)
I agree though it would be good to see him take some of the smaller stage races
Last year I would have thought Bardet was in the better position, this year Pinot seems to have it
It's not just Bardet though, it's AG2R, they have an abysmal record of winning don't they? there simply isn't a winning culture in the team, period.
Ha ha that's just ridiculous
Mmmmm
OK, so 9 wins so far this season.
1 at WT at the Giro from the breakaway.
8 in .1 French races.
3 from Gougeard in a breakaway.
Still waiting upon that name...."Science is a tool for cheaters". An anonymous French PE teacher.0 -
Bardet is the Spurs of football. That seems about right.SpecialGuestStar wrote:What is our best chance in European football? - well Tottenham never win the European cup (in the modern era)Twitter: @RichN950 -
underlayunderlay wrote:Rick Chasey wrote:No-one gonna mention Porte?
I don't usually do a preview of the Lanterne Rouge until the week before.
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Kruijswijk anyone?
He'd be my dark horse pick."Science is a tool for cheaters". An anonymous French PE teacher.0 -
Blazing Saddles wrote:SpecialGuestStar wrote:Dorset Boy wrote:RichN95 wrote:
I gave you context. Bardet doesn't win races. ........................SpecialGuestStar wrote:RichN95 wrote:Pinot is a far better chance for France than Bardet IMO. Pinot wins races occasionally, Bardet doesn't (occasional stage aside)
Your statement requires some context : Second in the Tour twice and last years World championship. (and Strade)
I agree though it would be good to see him take some of the smaller stage races
Last year I would have thought Bardet was in the better position, this year Pinot seems to have it
It's not just Bardet though, it's AG2R, they have an abysmal record of winning don't they? there simply isn't a winning culture in the team, period.
Ha ha that's just ridiculous
Mmmmm
OK, so 9 wins so far this season.
1 at WT at the Giro from the breakaway.
8 in .1 French races.
3 from Gougeard in a breakaway.
Still waiting upon that name....
Keep going (but don't let it get to you)0
