TDF 2019, Stage 14: Tarbes > Tourmalet Barèges 20/07/2019 - 117,5 km *Spoilers*
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davidof wrote:Macron on French tv saying the French will win the Tour
kiss of death"If I was a 38 year old man, I definitely wouldn't be riding a bright yellow bike with Hello Kitty disc wheels, put it that way. What we're witnessing here is the world's most high profile mid-life crisis" Afx237vi Mon Jul 20, 2009 2:43 pm0 -
Apparently the Movistar team car had some technical problems today
It's only a bit of sport, Mun. Relax and enjoy the racing.0 -
I've had to make the first addition to my block list of this Tour. A real sign that Sky / Ineos haven't had it their way.
Alaphillipe's issue now is that he can't just sit on Geraint's wheel keeping an eye on him as there are other potentially bigger threats. Hopefully just a bad day for Thomas in the heat and altitude but he also has the problem of needing to pull back a rider in front and also watch his back. It's the first time since winning in 2012 where the team hasn't been defending a comfortable lead at this stage (other than when Froome crashed out of course) and they might not have a plan for this scenario.
Alaphillipe look on the verge of cracking a couple of times and I still think he will if the others push hard for longer periods. As Midi says, I think if / when he goes he will go big time. He'll either win or finish outside the top 10.0 -
Pretty sure that Ineos will be feverishly coming up with a plan even if they didn't have one previously.Pross wrote:Alaphillipe's issue now is that he can't just sit on Geraint's wheel keeping an eye on him as there are other potentially bigger threats. Hopefully just a bad day for Thomas in the heat and altitude but he also has the problem of needing to pull back a rider in front and also watch his back. It's the first time since winning in 2012 where the team hasn't been defending a comfortable lead at this stage (other than when Froome crashed out of course) and they might not have a plan for this scenario.
It's an interesting point that I hadn't considered though, that Thomas cracking slightly has complicated Alaphilippe's strategy rather than simplified it.
The temptation might be to concentrate on Kruijswijk and / or Pinot but Thomas is still comfortably in second at the moment and to write him off would be folly. Yes, Thomas may not be the outright favourite that he was this morning but he still could win this tour.0 -
Pross wrote:I've had to make the first addition to my block list of this Tour. A real sign that Sky / Ineos haven't had it their way.
Alaphillipe's issue now is that he can't just sit on Geraint's wheel keeping an eye on him as there are other potentially bigger threats. Hopefully just a bad day for Thomas in the heat and altitude but he also has the problem of needing to pull back a rider in front and also watch his back. It's the first time since winning in 2012 where the team hasn't been defending a comfortable lead at this stage (other than when Froome crashed out of course) and they might not have a plan for this scenario.
Alaphillipe look on the verge of cracking a couple of times and I still think he will if the others push hard for longer periods. As Midi says, I think if / when he goes he will go big time. He'll either win or finish outside the top 10.
I'm afraid Geraint has dug very deep these past two days and unlike Alaphilippe, who has thus far shown remarkable powers of recuperation, may pay for his efforts.
I hope I am wrong, but I fear that this time tomorrow, his challenge may well be over.
I'm currently thinking a Pinot, Kruijswijk, Bernal podium, but with a long way still to go and in this Tour, anything still seems possible."Science is a tool for cheaters". An anonymous French PE teacher.0 -
This really is the best tour for years, absolutely loving it.0
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So we’re all agreed - we want exciting racing but the right kind of exciting. Exciting so long as the riders we want to win win. Exciting so long as nothing unexpected happens.
Which of the riders would it be acceptable to be leading the race at this point? We have two former tour winners out there, one of whom is past his best with the Giro in his legs and the other is widely acknowledged as being underprepared.
Who could win the race and be believable? Or is winning conclusive proof in itself?0 -
john1967 wrote:A mediocre rider suddenly becomes an incredible GC rider dropping some of the world's best climbers???
Quite frankly it stinks.
Ever seen him race in person ? Ever seen the motivation in that team, 1st hand ? Add to his existing abilities the excitement and enthusiasm of the French populous, the thrill of leading the Tour and the mediocrity of the competition and its perfectly believable. Are you insinuating cheating ?
This Tour is the best for years, gone are Mr Stick Insect and his ugly awkward style, the Sky train clamping down on everything and a predictable outcome.
It’s the best one for ages.0 -
DeadCalm wrote:Pretty sure that Ineos will be feverishly coming up with a plan even if they didn't have one previously.
It's an interesting point that I hadn't considered though, that Thomas cracking slightly has complicated Alaphilippe's strategy rather than simplified it.
The temptation might be to concentrate on Kruijswijk and / or Pinot but Thomas is still comfortably in second at the moment and to write him off would be folly. Yes, Thomas may not be the outright favourite that he was this morning but he still could win this tour.
he has no team for the high mountains he needs Thomas to still contend and Ineos to ride for him...paradoxical but true"If I was a 38 year old man, I definitely wouldn't be riding a bright yellow bike with Hello Kitty disc wheels, put it that way. What we're witnessing here is the world's most high profile mid-life crisis" Afx237vi Mon Jul 20, 2009 2:43 pm0 -
If he can survive tomorrow without conceding big time he should still be very much in the mix with a rest day to recover.Blazing Saddles wrote:Pross wrote:I've had to make the first addition to my block list of this Tour. A real sign that Sky / Ineos haven't had it their way.
Alaphillipe's issue now is that he can't just sit on Geraint's wheel keeping an eye on him as there are other potentially bigger threats. Hopefully just a bad day for Thomas in the heat and altitude but he also has the problem of needing to pull back a rider in front and also watch his back. It's the first time since winning in 2012 where the team hasn't been defending a comfortable lead at this stage (other than when Froome crashed out of course) and they might not have a plan for this scenario.
Alaphillipe look on the verge of cracking a couple of times and I still think he will if the others push hard for longer periods. As Midi says, I think if / when he goes he will go big time. He'll either win or finish outside the top 10.
I'm afraid Geraint has dug very deep these past two days and unlike Alaphilippe, who has thus far shown remarkable powers of recuperation, may pay for his efforts.
I hope I am wrong, but I fear that this time tomorrow, his challenge may well be over.
I'm currently thinking a Pinot, Kruijswijk, Bernal podium, but with a long way still to go and in this Tour, anything still seems possible.0 -
Blazing Saddles wrote:
I'm afraid Geraint has dug very deep these past two days and unlike Alaphilippe, who has thus far shown remarkable powers of recuperation, may pay for his efforts.
I hope I am wrong, but I fear that this time tomorrow, his challenge may well be over.
I'm currently thinking a Pinot, Kruijswijk, Bernal podium, but with a long way still to go and in this Tour, anything still seems possible.
yep also possible
no one seems to know..jumbo seem to believe in their guy.... god pinot really didn't need that day in the crosswinds."If I was a 38 year old man, I definitely wouldn't be riding a bright yellow bike with Hello Kitty disc wheels, put it that way. What we're witnessing here is the world's most high profile mid-life crisis" Afx237vi Mon Jul 20, 2009 2:43 pm0 -
Interesting that despite them dominating the spring and now being the main force at the Tour with 3 stage wins and the yellow jersey no-one is bemoaning DQS's dominance of the sport and demanding that something needs to be done to stop them signing up all the best riders.0
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Pross wrote:Interesting that despite them dominating the spring and now being the main force at the Tour with 3 stage wins and the yellow jersey no-one is bemoaning DQS's dominance of the sport and demanding that something needs to be done to stop them signing up all the best riders.
Oh come on, Belgian teams are allowed to cheat. They have a proper European cycling culture and history that these new Johnny come lately Yank, Brits, Aussies can never appreciate.0 -
thank Movistar for the spectacle. ASO should pay them to do that every tour to smash everyone's legsSalsiccia1 wrote:Apparently the Movistar team car had some technical problems today
they started so far out!! it was nuts. works thou
Valverde is their best guy on gc now. see losing that 18kg was worth it."If I was a 38 year old man, I definitely wouldn't be riding a bright yellow bike with Hello Kitty disc wheels, put it that way. What we're witnessing here is the world's most high profile mid-life crisis" Afx237vi Mon Jul 20, 2009 2:43 pm0 -
But I thought that was Movistar's job.mididoctors wrote:DeadCalm wrote:Pretty sure that Ineos will be feverishly coming up with a plan even if they didn't have one previously.
It's an interesting point that I hadn't considered though, that Thomas cracking slightly has complicated Alaphilippe's strategy rather than simplified it.
The temptation might be to concentrate on Kruijswijk and / or Pinot but Thomas is still comfortably in second at the moment and to write him off would be folly. Yes, Thomas may not be the outright favourite that he was this morning but he still could win this tour.
he has no team for the high mountains he needs Thomas to still contend and Ineos to ride for him...paradoxically but true
Joking aside, a very good point. Got a feeling jumbo and / or FDJ might fulfill that role tomorrow in an attempt to get rid of Thomas but after that, the pressure will increase on him to chase down attacks.
Interesting that Mas seems to have completely collapsed today once he was dropped.0 -
Quintana showing his age now. Doing well for a 56 year old though.0
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Above The Cows wrote:I am now very excited to see what Captain Julian Sparrow can do on a stage like stage 18 with 3 +2000 cols.
He'll canter up the last climb and let someone else take the stage honours so it doesn't look dubious
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Yet another stage that Alaphilippe reckons he pushed to the limit.
Not sure who's limit he's talking about. :P
Also said he maybe could have won the stage, but was happy for Pinot.
Thomas, on the other hand, said he "felt weak"."Science is a tool for cheaters". An anonymous French PE teacher.0 -
Thinking about Alaphillipe, he's just in a no lose situation. He came into the race with no expectations and found himself in a great position. For him it's a case of going to the bank until he finally runs out of money and he'll either win or finish nowhere. I doubt a top 10 finish interests him. Meanwhile his rivals constantly have at the back of their mind limiting their losses for the next day. For example, if Geraint was an unexpected race leader today he may have been able to find that little bit to hang in for the final km but would probably have cracked earlier tomorrow. Alaphillipe looked on the brink on at least two occasions but just held on long enough for the pace to drop off.0
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any interviews from the movistar camp?"If I was a 38 year old man, I definitely wouldn't be riding a bright yellow bike with Hello Kitty disc wheels, put it that way. What we're witnessing here is the world's most high profile mid-life crisis" Afx237vi Mon Jul 20, 2009 2:43 pm0
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Pross wrote:I've had to make the first addition to my block list of this Tour. A real sign that Sky / Ineos haven't had it their way.
Alaphillipe's issue now is that he can't just sit on Geraint's wheel keeping an eye on him as there are other potentially bigger threats. Hopefully just a bad day for Thomas in the heat and altitude but he also has the problem of needing to pull back a rider in front and also watch his back. It's the first time since winning in 2012 where the team hasn't been defending a comfortable lead at this stage (other than when Froome crashed out of course) and they might not have a plan for this scenario.
Alaphillipe look on the verge of cracking a couple of times and I still think he will if the others push hard for longer periods. As Midi says, I think if / when he goes he will go big time. He'll either win or finish outside the top 10.
In many ways Alaphilippe has already won. Agree he will pop and bomb out before this week is done0 -
mididoctors wrote:any interviews from the movistar camp?
Heard a NOS interview with the man in the car.
To paraphrase “if we’d known he was on a bad day we wouldn’t have ridden so hard”.
intimation that they tried to make it hard to suit his qualities.0 -
Blazing Saddles wrote:Yet another stage that Alaphilippe reckons he pushed to the limit.
Not sure who's limit he's talking about. :P
Also said he maybe could have won the stage, but was happy for Pinot.
Thomas, on the other hand, said he "felt weak".
It’s not a climb that suits him, so wouldn’t rule in out yet but not looking great.0 -
Alejandrosdog wrote:Pross wrote:I've had to make the first addition to my block list of this Tour. A real sign that Sky / Ineos haven't had it their way.
Alaphillipe's issue now is that he can't just sit on Geraint's wheel keeping an eye on him as there are other potentially bigger threats. Hopefully just a bad day for Thomas in the heat and altitude but he also has the problem of needing to pull back a rider in front and also watch his back. It's the first time since winning in 2012 where the team hasn't been defending a comfortable lead at this stage (other than when Froome crashed out of course) and they might not have a plan for this scenario.
Alaphillipe look on the verge of cracking a couple of times and I still think he will if the others push hard for longer periods. As Midi says, I think if / when he goes he will go big time. He'll either win or finish outside the top 10.
In many ways Alaphilippe has already won. Agree he will pop and bomb out before this week is done
Agreed - much like Yates in last years giro, he has lit up stages that you just wouldn't expect a GC rider to do so. Most interested I've been in a GC battle since 20110 -
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Rick Chasey wrote:mididoctors wrote:any interviews from the movistar camp?
Heard a NOS interview with the man in the car.
To paraphrase “if we’d known he was on a bad day we wouldn’t have ridden so hard”.
intimation that they tried to make it hard to suit his qualities.
the whole thing was weird. even by their standards"If I was a 38 year old man, I definitely wouldn't be riding a bright yellow bike with Hello Kitty disc wheels, put it that way. What we're witnessing here is the world's most high profile mid-life crisis" Afx237vi Mon Jul 20, 2009 2:43 pm0 -
Rick Chasey wrote:Shout out to De Plus for an outstanding ride.
Better then then Bernal on the Alp last year...
de plus and bennett pulled super hard at just the right moment when the Tourmalet went vertical at the top.
roglic could have done with de plus alright"If I was a 38 year old man, I definitely wouldn't be riding a bright yellow bike with Hello Kitty disc wheels, put it that way. What we're witnessing here is the world's most high profile mid-life crisis" Afx237vi Mon Jul 20, 2009 2:43 pm0 -
In one respect Thomas had a better day: It's the first Saturday that he didn't crash."Science is a tool for cheaters". An anonymous French PE teacher.0
