2014 TdF Thread?
#151
Arrogant Roadie Punk
Join Date: Oct 2005
Location: California
Posts: 2,353
Mentioned: 1 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 1 Time
in
1 Post
i'm not doubting that. and really that's besides the point. i'm just saying he needs to lay off the croissants. Frankly its not just cyclists, but too many ex-athletes pro and amateur. I have no doubt charles barkley could destroy us at basketball but not if his diabetes gets to him first.
#152
Senior Member
The guy is 24, has won something like 13 races this year, including a Strade Bianchi where he made Sagan look like a Cat 3. This year alone, he finished on the podium at the Tour of the Basque Country, Liege-Bastogne-Liege and Fleche Wallone. Oh, he also got top 5 at Amstel Gold and won the Volta ao Algarve. 24 years old. I guess if you've only seem him at the Tour, an event of a size and importance at which he has very little experience, you might be underwhelmed. But that's just a result of not paying attention. Whether he will end up a grand tour GC rider is unclear, but this is a kid who is already in the hunt for the win at Monument Classics like LBL. He's really not being oversold at this point.
#155
Senior Member
Join Date: Jan 2012
Location: India.
Posts: 299
Bikes: Canyon Aeroad, Ridley Fenix
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 22 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times
in
0 Posts
The guy is 24, has won something like 13 races this year, including a Strade Bianchi where he made Sagan look like a Cat 3. This year alone, he finished on the podium at the Tour of the Basque Country, Liege-Bastogne-Liege and Fleche Wallone. Oh, he also got top 5 at Amstel Gold and won the Volta ao Algarve. 24 years old. I guess if you've only seem him at the Tour, an event of a size and importance at which he has very little experience, you might be underwhelmed. But that's just a result of not paying attention. Whether he will end up a grand tour GC rider is unclear, but this is a kid who is already in the hunt for the win at Monument Classics like LBL. He's really not being oversold at this point.
#157
Senior Member
Join Date: Dec 2006
Posts: 6,840
Mentioned: 7 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 31 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times
in
0 Posts
bob roll did a century around here a few years ago. i wasnt there but a bunch of our club members were. i think he rode everyone off his wheel at one point ... and bob roll was no greg lemond.
#158
Senior Member
Join Date: Jan 2012
Location: India.
Posts: 299
Bikes: Canyon Aeroad, Ridley Fenix
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 22 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times
in
0 Posts
There are a few pros who upload their ride data (with power, importantly) on Strava. Fun and a learning experience looking at the data.
Lars Boom from today's stage, for instance.
Lars Boom from today's stage, for instance.
Last edited by abhirama; 07-17-14 at 11:05 AM. Reason: added link
#159
¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Join Date: Jun 2008
Location: Redwood City, CA
Posts: 10,978
Bikes: aggressive agreement is what I ride.
Mentioned: 109 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 967 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 4 Times
in
4 Posts
I started watching at like 20k and the 3-man move had 35 or 40 seconds. They're heading down a descent and looking like they are trying to stay away and one of the riders had his jersey unzipped and it was parachuting on him. He kept it that way until they got caught. So much drag. I was rooting for them and it killed me to watch him ride with a drag chute.
#160
fuggitivo solitario
#161
Senior Member
Join Date: Mar 2014
Location: Alpenrose - Portland
Posts: 361
Bikes: Veloforma for my primary.
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 0 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times
in
0 Posts
I am losing my faith in sagan as a sprinter. He had good position before the sprint started, made his move with just under 300 meters to go to jump up to Kristoff's wheel and then with just over 200 meters to go let up just a touch to sit on the wheel just as Kristoff launched his final sprint. Restarting your sprint is soo hard, huge error at that point, especially since Kristoff had been in the wind longer at that point. Who knows how fast Degenkolb would have been since his team left him too close the barriers and he got cut off, but IMO Sagan would have won if he kept going right and didn't pause to get on a wheel. Degenkolb is likely upset as well as his team set him up perfectly until not leaving him space to finish it off so missed chance for him as well.
The armchair/backseat racer in me hated that way that sprint finished because of those two mistakes. Time to go race my bike ... luckily for me there will be no video tape of all my mistakes ... there will be plenty.
The armchair/backseat racer in me hated that way that sprint finished because of those two mistakes. Time to go race my bike ... luckily for me there will be no video tape of all my mistakes ... there will be plenty.
#163
Senior Member
Join Date: Oct 2006
Location: Folsom, CA
Posts: 3,888
Mentioned: 32 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 417 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 3 Times
in
3 Posts
I think Sagan has Tour of California-itis. When he was over here, hillier "sprint" stages that filtered out Cavendish and Degenkolb were his for the taking. He'd even have time to plan his celebratory wheelies. He's in a much bigger pond now with much faster fish. Degenkolb isn't Giant's primary sprinter and he was taking Sagan out on sprints at TOC.
#164
Senior Member
Join Date: Mar 2014
Location: Alpenrose - Portland
Posts: 361
Bikes: Veloforma for my primary.
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 0 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times
in
0 Posts
oh well, just an armchair.
#165
¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Join Date: Jun 2008
Location: Redwood City, CA
Posts: 10,978
Bikes: aggressive agreement is what I ride.
Mentioned: 109 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 967 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 4 Times
in
4 Posts
he looked boxed in today too. the guy who took it got a couple extra seconds before sagan could respond.
/* me talking about sprinting, so basically yeah
/* me talking about sprinting, so basically yeah
#166
Senior Member
Join Date: Jan 2006
Location: Redlands, CA
Posts: 6,313
Mentioned: 31 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 842 Post(s)
Liked 469 Times
in
250 Posts
Sagan reminds me of a slightly better Hushovd. Not the best sprint, not quite a classics guy, but can make it work by playing it smart. That being said at 24 he's got better days ahead of him.
#167
fuggitivo solitario
E3 Prijs Vlaanderent by outsprinting his three break mates
GP Montreal by attacking the descent and ITT to the finish
Top 5 in MSR, RvV, and perhaps PR as well?
that said, doesn't have the palmares for the classics with steeper gradients, though he did finish 2nd in Amstel
#168
These Guys Eat Oreos
Join Date: Jun 2010
Location: Superior, CO
Posts: 3,432
Bikes: Yes
Mentioned: 1 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 13 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times
in
0 Posts
TBH, he could just show up and do his top 5 thing and not wreck too much and win the green jersey the rest of his life. Hard for any sprinters to compete against a guy that can top 5 a flat stage, a hilly stage, and get in a break to get the sprint points on a mountain stage. It'd have to be a guy like kwiatoski to beat him.
#169
Senior Member
Join Date: Dec 2006
Posts: 6,840
Mentioned: 7 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 31 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times
in
0 Posts
his team looks disorganized to me relative to his competition, leaving Sagan to fend for himself. He appears to be free lancing and making tactical errors, but yeah, armchair and all.
#170
gmt
Join Date: Sep 2008
Location: Binghamton, NY
Posts: 12,509
Mentioned: 2 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 45 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 3 Times
in
3 Posts
My opinion on Sagan is that his legs are telling him that he can keep being a Jack of all Trades*.
But that carries a price*.
As others have pointed out, some of the great sprinters aren't "bad" climbers. They just choose to not push themselves on climbs because they know it will rob them of their primary race-winning superpower.
Add a little fatigue or maybe a slight respiratory issue and suddenly this becomes more pronounced.
But that carries a price*.
As others have pointed out, some of the great sprinters aren't "bad" climbers. They just choose to not push themselves on climbs because they know it will rob them of their primary race-winning superpower.
Add a little fatigue or maybe a slight respiratory issue and suddenly this becomes more pronounced.
#172
gmt
Join Date: Sep 2008
Location: Binghamton, NY
Posts: 12,509
Mentioned: 2 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 45 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 3 Times
in
3 Posts
Pretty anticlimactic to see Katusha bury themselves to bring back the break for Purito only to see Astana sit up for the climb and undo the whole thing.
#173
Senior Member
This Tour has been so chaotic. No idea what is happening now but just in general.
__________________
"...during the Lance years, being fit became the No. 1 thing. Totally the only thing. It’s a big part of what we do, but fitness is not the only thing. There’s skills, there’s tactics … there’s all kinds of stuff..." Tim Johnson
"...during the Lance years, being fit became the No. 1 thing. Totally the only thing. It’s a big part of what we do, but fitness is not the only thing. There’s skills, there’s tactics … there’s all kinds of stuff..." Tim Johnson