Tour de l’Ain and Critérium du Dauphiné 2020 *Spoilers*

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Comments

  • kingstongraham
    kingstongraham Posts: 28,228
    In fairness to Carlton, Roglic and van Aert are very similar physically. Easy mistake to make.
  • m.r.m.
    m.r.m. Posts: 3,486
    Lanterne_Rogue said:

    blazing_saddles said:

    What's with the dirty grey Ineos numbers?
    Not working if they are some fiendish marginal gain.

    They're also pinning them apart rather than next to each other to leave a stripe of red kit visible between them. The net effect is to make Ineos much easier to tell apart from Arkéa in the overheads - don't know if that's why they're doing it though.
    It's a massive increase in aerodynamical efficiency to channel the air through the numbers creating better boundary layer separation and lower turbulent air vortices.
    #notsomarginalgains
    PTP Champion 2019, 2022 & 2023
  • blazing_saddles
    blazing_saddles Posts: 22,730
    josame said:

    ...

    Sivakov 47th.
    First 57 riders all have "
    "Science is a tool for cheaters". An anonymous French PE teacher.
  • josame
    josame Posts: 1,162
    edited August 2020
    5:23 off the pace whichever way you slice it doesn't look good
    'Do not compare your bike to others, for always there will be greater and lesser bikes'
  • DeadCalm
    DeadCalm Posts: 4,249
    What odds would one get on Jumbo winning every stage in this race?
  • DeadCalm
    DeadCalm Posts: 4,249
    kingstongraham said:

    In fairness to Carlton, Roglic and van Aert are very similar physically. Easy mistake to make.

    And, obviously, the reason that Cavagna was in front of SKA for the entire time they were off the front is that that is the ideal place from which to mark someone.
  • gweeds
    gweeds Posts: 2,613
    Either Froome has been told he's riding the tour as support and is to be used for the bigger climbs later this week, or he's way way off the pace and thus most likely not.

    He didn't look overly concerned, which makes me think there's a play going on here.
    Napoleon, don't be jealous that I've been chatting online with babes all day. Besides, we both know that I'm training to be a cage fighter.
  • darkhairedlord
    darkhairedlord Posts: 7,180
    gweeds said:

    Either Froome has been told he's riding the tour as support and is to be used for the bigger climbs later this week, or he's way way off the pace and thus most likely not.

    He didn't look overly concerned, which makes me think there's a play going on here.

    Its a training ride, you only need to be fast on the last day.
  • josame
    josame Posts: 1,162
    edited August 2020
    darkhairedlord said:

    gweeds said:

    Either Froome has been told he's riding the tour as support and is to be used for the bigger climbs later this week, or he's way way off the pace and thus most likely not.

    He didn't look overly concerned, which makes me think there's a play going on here.

    Its a training ride, you only need to be fast on the last day.
    ... whilst making up all that lost time (5+mins) in the rest of the days - yup gotcha (seemed to be everyone else's idea too) ;)
    'Do not compare your bike to others, for always there will be greater and lesser bikes'
  • ddraver
    ddraver Posts: 26,717
    edited August 2020
    Messers Boulting and Millar keep saying on their castpod that the Tour could be the race of unknown distance, by which they mean that it could be cancelled any time so teams will have to race it differently.

    Erm, will it tho?

    Let's ask the million euro question, If Froome ends up in yellow after the first week, and the race is cancelled, is he a member of the 5 times club? What about 2 weeks? Every Mountain stage, but not the last TT?

    I dunno...
    We're in danger of confusing passion with incompetence
    - @ddraver
  • kingstongraham
    kingstongraham Posts: 28,228
    ddraver said:

    Messers Boulting and Millar keep saying on their castpod that the Tour could be the race of unknown distance, by which they mean that it could be cancelled any time so teams will have to race it differently.

    Erm, will it tho?

    Let's ask the million euro question, If Froome ends up in yellow after the first week, and the race is cancelled, is he a member of the 5 times club? What about 2 weeks? Every Mountain stage, but not the last TT?

    I dunno...

    Don't see why not - they awarded time for a stage that wasn't finished last year, and the decision was made after the riders had crossed the "finish line".
  • ddraver
    ddraver Posts: 26,717
    That was an stage though... What happens if it's a whole Mountain Range?

    (the Pyrenees last this year isn't it?)
    We're in danger of confusing passion with incompetence
    - @ddraver
  • darkhairedlord
    darkhairedlord Posts: 7,180
    josame said:

    darkhairedlord said:

    gweeds said:

    Either Froome has been told he's riding the tour as support and is to be used for the bigger climbs later this week, or he's way way off the pace and thus most likely not.

    He didn't look overly concerned, which makes me think there's a play going on here.

    Its a training ride, you only need to be fast on the last day.
    ... whilst making up all that lost time (5+mins) in the rest of the days - yup gotcha (seemed to be everyone else's idea too) ;)
    he doesn't need to win the dolphin, just be the strongest on the last day.
  • josame
    josame Posts: 1,162
    edited August 2020
    b
    darkhairedlord said:

    josame said:

    darkhairedlord said:

    gweeds said:

    Either Froome has been told he's riding the tour as support and is to be used for the bigger climbs later this week, or he's way way off the pace and thus most likely not.

    He didn't look overly concerned, which makes me think there's a play going on here.

    Its a training ride, you only need to be fast on the last day.
    ... whilst making up all that lost time (5+mins) in the rest of the days - yup gotcha (seemed to be everyone else's idea too) ;)
    he doesn't need to win the dolphin, just be the strongest on the last day.
    well if he hangs with the sprinter's grupetto (not that there is one) and then hits it on the last day I agree!! - but I'm not sure that's how you avoid loosing sh*t loads of time on stage 4 of the Tour in less than 2 weeks time :D
    'Do not compare your bike to others, for always there will be greater and lesser bikes'
  • blazing_saddles
    blazing_saddles Posts: 22,730
    Jumbo having a Quick Step run of success.
    One day, two wins.
    "Science is a tool for cheaters". An anonymous French PE teacher.
  • robnewcastle
    robnewcastle Posts: 241
    My clinic tomorrow looks like I’ll be able to have the stage going in between appointments for the end climb, result 😂
  • gsk82
    gsk82 Posts: 3,620
    blazing_saddles said:

    Jumbo having a Quick Step run of success.
    One day, two wins.

    Those ketones are really working for them
    "Unfortunately these days a lot of people don’t understand the real quality of a bike" Ernesto Colnago
  • bobmcstuff
    bobmcstuff Posts: 11,444
    gweeds said:

    Either Froome has been told he's riding the tour as support and is to be used for the bigger climbs later this week, or he's way way off the pace and thus most likely not.

    He didn't look overly concerned, which makes me think there's a play going on here.

    Yeah he was chatting away and smiling when Castroviejo came back to him. Either he has given up for this year or he is up to something else.
  • RichN95.
    RichN95. Posts: 27,262
    bobmcstuff said:

    gweeds said:

    Either Froome has been told he's riding the tour as support and is to be used for the bigger climbs later this week, or he's way way off the pace and thus most likely not.

    He didn't look overly concerned, which makes me think there's a play going on here.

    Yeah he was chatting away and smiling when Castroviejo came back to him. Either he has given up for this year or he is up to something else.

    Two big MTFs in the next two days. That'll be his time to shine.
    Twitter: @RichN95
  • m.r.m.
    m.r.m. Posts: 3,486
    He probably figures it's to his advantage to be under the radar for the Tour and it's fine for Bernal & Roglic to have the pressure. His form is probably genuinely not entirely there, but he is using these races as training to be in shape for the Tour; possibly more towards the back end.

    He probably figures he was able to "ride into shape" = deteriorate less during the 2018 Giro, so he has proven to be able to improve towards the end of a GT.

    All great champions bet on themselves. He would probably prefer his form to currently be slightly better, but since it isn't he figures he can still get it to be where it needs to be.
    PTP Champion 2019, 2022 & 2023
  • RichN95.
    RichN95. Posts: 27,262
    We have twin cities and towns (hello Stuttgart and Nantes) so maybe we could have twin climbs. The Col de Porte should be twinned with Willunga Hill
    Twitter: @RichN95
  • rick_chasey
    rick_chasey Posts: 75,660
    RichN95. said:

    bobmcstuff said:

    gweeds said:

    Either Froome has been told he's riding the tour as support and is to be used for the bigger climbs later this week, or he's way way off the pace and thus most likely not.

    He didn't look overly concerned, which makes me think there's a play going on here.

    Yeah he was chatting away and smiling when Castroviejo came back to him. Either he has given up for this year or he is up to something else.

    Two big MTFs in the next two days. That'll be his time to shine.
    It’s been a long long time since Froome hasn’t been all in on GC.

    _
  • RichN95.
    RichN95. Posts: 27,262
    edited August 2020
    rick_chasey said:

    RichN95. said:

    bobmcstuff said:

    gweeds said:

    Either Froome has been told he's riding the tour as support and is to be used for the bigger climbs later this week, or he's way way off the pace and thus most likely not.

    He didn't look overly concerned, which makes me think there's a play going on here.

    Yeah he was chatting away and smiling when Castroviejo came back to him. Either he has given up for this year or he is up to something else.

    Two big MTFs in the next two days. That'll be his time to shine.
    It’s been a long long time since Froome hasn’t been all in on GC.


    It's been even longer since we've had a pandemic. This is season like no other. The normal rules do not apply.
    Twitter: @RichN95
  • gsk82
    gsk82 Posts: 3,620
    RichN95. said:

    rick_chasey said:

    RichN95. said:

    bobmcstuff said:

    gweeds said:

    Either Froome has been told he's riding the tour as support and is to be used for the bigger climbs later this week, or he's way way off the pace and thus most likely not.

    He didn't look overly concerned, which makes me think there's a play going on here.

    Yeah he was chatting away and smiling when Castroviejo came back to him. Either he has given up for this year or he is up to something else.

    Two big MTFs in the next two days. That'll be his time to shine.
    It’s been a long long time since Froome hasn’t been all in on GC.


    It's been even longer since we've had a pandemic. This is season like no other. The normal rules do not apply.
    Exactly. The tour starts in 2 weeks. These guys wouldn't normally be racing this close to the tour, so other than to get rid of racing rustiness, why should they break their usual training pattern.
    "Unfortunately these days a lot of people don’t understand the real quality of a bike" Ernesto Colnago
  • rick_chasey
    rick_chasey Posts: 75,660
    Oh mate it’s fine you can like Froome and rate his bounce back ability - he’s the best GCer of his generation with room to spare - but this is not a good sign for him, planned or not.
    _
  • RichN95.
    RichN95. Posts: 27,262
    edited August 2020
    rick_chasey said:

    Oh mate it’s fine you can like Froome and rate his bounce back ability - he’s the best GCer of his generation with room to spare - but this is not a good sign for him, planned or not.


    There's two big stages coming up. Froome isn't much use on a route Van Aert and Impey contest. He wasn't battling to show anything to anyone. He's chill. Van Baarle who won a mountain stage last year dropped 15 minutes - any worry about him?
    Twitter: @RichN95
  • Lanterne_Rogue
    Lanterne_Rogue Posts: 4,340
    If nothing else the complete uncertainty about who's riding, how hard, and what for is making the Tour build up much more interesting this year, if less informed. Suspect most of the racing so far this season will only make sense in retrospect, when we form a narrative to fit what we've seen.
    Twitter: @canocola @thedreadships
  • RichN95.
    RichN95. Posts: 27,262
    edited August 2020
    I can't help feeling that the Jumbo-Ineos battle might turn out a bit like this

    image

    Twitter: @RichN95
  • rick_chasey
    rick_chasey Posts: 75,660
    RichN95. said:

    rick_chasey said:

    Oh mate it’s fine you can like Froome and rate his bounce back ability - he’s the best GCer of his generation with room to spare - but this is not a good sign for him, planned or not.


    There's two big stages coming up. Froome isn't much use on a route Van Aert and Impey contest. He wasn't battling to show anything to anyone. He's chill. Van Baarle who won a mountain stage last year dropped 15 minutes - any worry about him?
    Because he’s a GC rider and they don’t normally get dropped before the finish of a cat 4 climb?

    It’s not like he was right at the front and then was dropped.

    He was swimming about at the back of the bunch.
    _
  • josame
    josame Posts: 1,162
    edited August 2020
    Yeah just because he has to do things differently post-injury doesn’t mean it’s gonna work




    'Do not compare your bike to others, for always there will be greater and lesser bikes'

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