What happened to Voeckler ? He was fav for todays stage yet i didnt see his name once on the 'live' score centre
The Pro Cycling Thread
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Hasn't he had sunstroke?
Aye well, Froome strong with a fragmented team and Contador and Valverde with stronger teams but both fragmented, I think.
Aye well, Froome strong with a fragmented team and Contador and Valverde with stronger teams but both fragmented, I think.
So where does Valverde and Contador go from here?
They have blown a big chance today and will they get another one?
Can they crack Froome?
They have blown a big chance today and will they get another one?
Can they crack Froome?
Nice win for Dan Martin, he's the most non Irish Irishman ever, but whatever nationality he rides under I can still be happy for him 
Like Andy Schleck said post race, Movistar ended up riding all day for nothing. If you going to do that you need to attack properly, not some half hearted feints on the final climb. Froome could even of let Quintana go the last time, it was only a couple of K from the top, and any time gained would of been lost with his rubbish descending. A bit of a nothing day Tuesday, then the ITT where Valverde (the unapologetic drug cheat) will likely lose some more time to Froome.
Like Andy Schleck said post race, Movistar ended up riding all day for nothing. If you going to do that you need to attack properly, not some half hearted feints on the final climb. Froome could even of let Quintana go the last time, it was only a couple of K from the top, and any time gained would of been lost with his rubbish descending. A bit of a nothing day Tuesday, then the ITT where Valverde (the unapologetic drug cheat) will likely lose some more time to Froome.
Originally Posted by jcafcw:
“They have blown a big chance today and will they get another one?”
“They have blown a big chance today and will they get another one?”
There are more mountain stages in the Alps, so plenty of chances, but it'll depend what they can come up with tactically, and how well Porte and Kennaugh, as well as Froome, have recovered by then.
A week today it's the Ventoux and then the following Thursday the Alpe D'Huez double header.
Still plenty of racing left, but the other main contenders also have to start riding better and smarter, too.
Still plenty of racing left, but the other main contenders also have to start riding better and smarter, too.
Originally Posted by aggs:
“A week today it's the Ventoux and then the following Thursday the Alpe D'Huez double header.
Still plenty of racing left, but the other main contenders also have to start riding better and smarter, too.”
“A week today it's the Ventoux and then the following Thursday the Alpe D'Huez double header.
Still plenty of racing left, but the other main contenders also have to start riding better and smarter, too.”
I can't see it happening... All season i haven't seen any form from any of them. Quintana is the only guy who could cause Froome problems... Will Movistar let him off the leash?
Anyway...
The Spanish press are saying Movistar taught Porte a lesson for 'bad mouthing' Quintana.
Maybe Porte will chose his words more carefully next time!
Originally Posted by fluffed:
“Who was that idiot who basically shoved Kennaugh off his bike?”
“Who was that idiot who basically shoved Kennaugh off his bike?”
I think it was Ryder Hesjedal.
Getting more worried about Sky. How do they look so poor so far?
The names never filled me with confidence but i just figured they know what they're doing and to trust them...
Froome is gonna have to work soooo incredibly hard for this if they continue failing....
The names never filled me with confidence but i just figured they know what they're doing and to trust them...
Froome is gonna have to work soooo incredibly hard for this if they continue failing....
Originally Posted by Lucidia2011:
“Getting more worried about Sky. How do they look so poor so far?
The names never filled me with confidence but i just figured they know what they're doing and to trust them...
Froome is gonna have to work soooo incredibly hard for this if they continue failing....”
“Getting more worried about Sky. How do they look so poor so far?
The names never filled me with confidence but i just figured they know what they're doing and to trust them...
Froome is gonna have to work soooo incredibly hard for this if they continue failing....”
I don't think there's any need to panic after one bad stage. Just like there was no need to get too confident after one good stage.
Seems like they were caught unawares today by the ferociousness of the attacks over the first couple of climbs. And a combination of Kennaugh's fall and Porte's very bad day (I can't really explain the latter) left Froome isolated. Geraint Thomas is a loss for them too - I imagine before the tour began they would have had him down to play a good pace-setting role on a stage like today.
Still, Froome survived completely unscathed and looks excellent. So they can re-group and re-focus this week ahead of the mountains next Saturday.
(And while today's stage might be a knock to Sky's confidence, I don't think it will have done wonders for any other team either. I mean, what did Movistar get out of the day in the end? Got to be frustrating for them to isolate Froome then prove so toothless on the final climb).
This will probably come back and bite me - but I think that Valverde and Contador are over as big threats now. If they hadn't got the legs to even get a few seconds back then they weren't going that well either. Looking to names outside the established ones for challengers now. All they really achieved was to get Froome on his one and then give him an armchair ride to the finish.
It reminded me of the tactics of the likes of ONCE and Mapei with Indurain when Banesto was crumbling, as it usually did. Now, as then, there is no point flogging yourself to beat the team if you haven't got the legs to beat the man.
I think that Porte just had a bad day. A really bad day - but I think when he knew he had lost second and couldn't get back to Froome he just rode tempo rather than busting a gut to finish 10 minutes earlier - which would have made no difference anyway.
It would have been interesting to see how Kennaugh went if he hadn't fell and it will be interesting to see how Thomas goes in the TT.
I think because Froome/Porte and Kennaugh rode so well on Saturday it's easy to forget it was just the 3 of them then. I think Boasson Hagen is a fabulous rider but he's the one I'd be worried about if I were in the Team Sky camp. He's been MIA for days now.
It reminded me of the tactics of the likes of ONCE and Mapei with Indurain when Banesto was crumbling, as it usually did. Now, as then, there is no point flogging yourself to beat the team if you haven't got the legs to beat the man.
I think that Porte just had a bad day. A really bad day - but I think when he knew he had lost second and couldn't get back to Froome he just rode tempo rather than busting a gut to finish 10 minutes earlier - which would have made no difference anyway.
It would have been interesting to see how Kennaugh went if he hadn't fell and it will be interesting to see how Thomas goes in the TT.
I think because Froome/Porte and Kennaugh rode so well on Saturday it's easy to forget it was just the 3 of them then. I think Boasson Hagen is a fabulous rider but he's the one I'd be worried about if I were in the Team Sky camp. He's been MIA for days now.
Continued here: The Pro Cycling Thread (Part 2)
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