Jump to content

Cycling 2019 - the British are coming.


BigFatCoward

Recommended Posts

1 hour ago, Jeor said:

Dumoulin wins the stage, but Froome destroys all of the other GC contenders, gaining at least 2 minutes on all the other contenders. Barring a mechanical disaster or crash, I think Froome has this sewn up now.

Mollema is currently 2nd under 2 minutes from Froome and lost 53 seconds today but I guess you don´t count him as contender.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I've been watching the tour for years (drives my wife nuts, she dreads July) but I am really not a hardcore fan. What the fuck is up with these fans? Why do they have to get so damn close to the riders? I understand being excited but whats the appeal of running two inches from the riders? Is Europe one of those places where personal space is really small? I wish they would arrest any asshole who runs up close to the riders.

That guy Froome punched last week deserved exactly what he got and even though there was no footage of exactly what happened yesterday I would not blame the riders for smacking some of those fans.

Anyone who knows more about the cultural aspects of this care to comment?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Great ride from Yates, who really isn't a TTer. Still on the podium and increased his white jersey lead.

I'm hoping he puts in some decent attacks in the alps, though. He's been understandably conservative so far but I think he's a natually attacking rider, and I want him to show it.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

10 hours ago, Andriy Czarchenko said:

Mollema is currently 2nd under 2 minutes from Froome and lost 53 seconds today but I guess you don´t count him as contender.

I don't know what to think about Mollema, actually.

He's had three top 10 finishes in the Tour (6th, 10th, 7th) and a 4th place in the Vuelta, so he obviously has some talent and staying power over the Grand Tours. But the lack of a podium finish makes me think shooting up to win one is not quite where he is at, yet. He could surprise us all, though I don't think anyone is going to beat Froome in this form.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 15-7-2016 at 5:34 PM, Jeor said:

Dumoulin wins the stage, but Froome destroys all of the other GC contenders, gaining at least 2 minutes on all the other contenders. Barring a mechanical disaster or crash, I think Froome has this sewn up now.

Yeah it's looking pretty tough in terms of GC excitement. How did we get to that? Well let's look at the contenders.

Normally you'd have a big 4 of Froome, Quintana, Contador and Nibali. Porte seemed a contender as well now that he leads his own squad. 

Nibali decided to focus on the Giro, won that Giro even though he never looked great, and as such is a passenger in this Tour.

Contador dropped out, as we know.

Quintana clearly isn't good enough. It seems after yesterday's bludgeoning in the TT that he will fight to get on the podium.

Aru was supposed to be replace Nibali but he's been an utter disappointment to everyone so far.

Porte lost nearly 2 minutes with a flat tyre and that's that.

People like to talk about young Adam Yates but in my eyes he is a follower at this point, he is no serious challenger to Froome and would be very pleased to finish top 5 I think, even now. Mollema and Quintana are the guys who look like the numbers two and 3 at this point. I expect Bardet to win a stage.

Hopefully next year Dumoulin will make a go of it for the GC, he can do this and is growing into it, but this year his goal was to win gold in Rio at the TT. And hopefully next year we will have Quintana, Nibali and Contador in form.

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Kittel was definitely beaten. That said Kristoff was pretty close. Sagan came surging in at warp speed but clearly started too late.

Hopefully the GC guys will make something of it tomorrow, even though it's not an uphill finish. They have to challenge Froome at every opportunity.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

18 hours ago, Calibandar said:

Hopefully next year Dumoulin will make a go of it for the GC, he can do this and is growing into it, but this year his goal was to win gold in Rio at the TT. And hopefully next year we will have Quintana, Nibali and Contador in form.

 

I didn't realise Dumoulin was fourth in the King of the Mountains competition. Given his amazing time trial, he will surely be a force in future years if he aims to be a GC contender. Yates is another one who is looking good at the moment...I suspect Yates with his inexperience might crack in the third week of the mountains at some stage but he could easily become a real contender as well.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

9 hours ago, Jeor said:

I didn't realise Dumoulin was fourth in the King of the Mountains competition. Given his amazing time trial, he will surely be a force in future years if he aims to be a GC contender. Yates is another one who is looking good at the moment...I suspect Yates with his inexperience might crack in the third week of the mountains at some stage but he could easily become a real contender as well.

Well more telling for Dumoulin is his obvious climbing ability, he won a mountain stage last week where he simply outpaced the 12 other guys in the main group, including Rui Costa, Majka and Pinot. More than that of course, he nearly won the Vuelta by accident last year, leading the Vuelta till the penultimate day, when Astana's coup finally succeeded.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Looking forward to seeing how Week 3 pans out.

Quintana will probably see if he can pick up time in the mountain time trial and then make a big push in the final two mountain stages. I doubt he'll try anything on in today's stage given his conservative bent so far.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

After stage 17 i really think we were robbed by portes flat on stage 2 and his misfortune with the moto that probably cost him a bit the next day in the tt as he seems the strongest of the top guys apart from froome. Not sure whether quintana is just holding back for the tt and a big attack on one of the last 2 stages or if he just doesnt have the legs this year. Was also expecting a lot more of aru and van garderen this year.

It will take a disaster from here with croome cracking big time on a climb for anyone to overhall him i think.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Pretty clear that Froome is the best rider and Porte a clear no. 2. 

He would be 2nd now if you detract the 2 minutes he lost with the flat tyre.

Anyway, some really good individual TT performances today by Porte, Aru, Bardet, who gained some time on Mollema, Yates and Quintana. The differences remain very small and it's clear that Aru, Porte and Bardet will make a big push to somehow get on the podium. My feeling is that Mollema will lose his place, and Yates as well I think. Quintana is obviously nowhere near in the shape he should be.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I think it will be froome, porte and aru podium depending on if yates can keep his form through the end of the third week. Cant see molema holding on at this stage and aru looks to be getting better as the race goes

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Crazy stage.

Dumoulin exit with a broken wrist. Currently unclear if the supreme favourite for Rio  Time Trial can compete.

Mollema crashes and drops from 2nd to 10th spot, the Tour lost in one fell swoop.

Porte had to waste a lot of energy catching up with the peleton after a crash. You could see he was too gassed at the end.

Hope he still gets on the podium, he deserves it.

Froome crashed as well but once again showed gratitude to Wout Poels who delivered him up the mountain. As he keeps doing again and again.

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Froome is without doubt the strongest individual rider in this Tour, but Sky is far and away the strongest team in the mountains.

There always seem to be a phalanx of riders protecting Froome. I can't remember any time when he was isolated. Poels is just a machine and Henao and Thomas could be leaders of other teams. Now I think Froome would have won with any team, but the fact he's with the strongest team as well just makes him unbeatable.

When you think of the other teams, there's usually only one rider who can accompany the leader on the really tough stages. Quintana has really only had Valverde stick with him, and to his credit, Valverde has been the main guy attacking to try and loosen things up for Quintana, it's just that Quintana hasn't been able to capitalise on that.

I know the guy was done for doping, but I really like Valverde and will miss him when he inevitably retires in the near future.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 4 weeks later...

So, its time for contador to put up or shut up, he is about to sign for Trek, so may try and up his pricetag, and has no excuses not to win this other than a crash. quintana maybe a threat as he apparently recovers very well, but froome should be knackered after the tour and rio.  

other contenders MAL, who by all accounts is a true superstar in the making, however his first grand tour so may just stage hunt.  Chavez will be fresh having done nothing since the Giro, Kruijswijk was also amazing then pre crash, but this route doesn't suit him at all.  

also looking forward to the other yates, maybe just do what his brother did and follow wheels for 3 weeks to get a high placing. 

the route as usual with the vuelta is ridiculously mountainous, it appears to have been designed without realising rodriguez wasn't entering as in his prime he would have absolutely smashed the shit out of it. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Pretty much agree with all your points.

 

Let's see what MAL can do, expectations may be a bit high for someone so young.

Froome may be less knackered than we think, but like you I am leaning towards thinking this will not be his GC.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Yesterdays result makes it likely there will be a more interesting tour.  AC knows even if Froome isn't at peak form he is a better flat time trialist than him, therefore he needs about a minute before the TT at the end of the race.  Being a minute down now means he has to attack from the start to take back 2 minutes, Monday uphill finish will definitely show who who is here in top form. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

×
×
  • Create New...