Tour de France - stage 10 - Pau Hautacam 156 km stage 10 - Pau Hautacam 156 km Spoiler

even though they took 1-2 saunier duval has to be the dumbest team i have ever seen. rico attacked a few times and was pulling the evans group back up to his teammates with him and pip and cobo kept looking at each other allowing schleck to pull time back...

I must have been watching a different telecast...I never once saw Ricco counter-attack once Cobo and Piepoli were away.

Nice job VDV, and Evans can give him a back slap for closing those last few seconds to Schleck.

Rico did at least once maybe twice. Maybe at 7.4 km to go and definitely at 7.1. km to go. Phil even added one of those "Cobra" remarks and added that he rides with his hands on the handlebars just like Pantani did.

so bummed that frank didn't get yellow or the stage :(
will tradition work a 4th time and guarantee cadel will have yellow in paris??? :cry:

Vandevelde was amazing, who knew he could put in a ride like that...i dont think even he knew. Hopefully the team can regroup and actually give him some help (Lowe atleast).

Because despite what people are lead to believe, Ricco does respect his teamates, and he wasn't going to attack the group and kill his teamates chances of taking a stage.

That, and its likely he was a little tired today after TTing the final 30 km yesterday.

just what i thought. it looked to me like he tried to jump away. if he could have gotten a clean break, he would have tried to join his teammates. but for whatever reason, probably because of his efforts yesterday, he couldn't quite break clear of the group, so he sat back down and didn't pull. looked to me he was smart enough to not work against his teammates when he realized he couldn't join 'em

i think the hard effort VDV made in the last kilometer decided the standings. he forced the group to work a little harder, probably a few seconds, which made the difference and put evans in yellow

i don't think sastre is the csc leader any more. i've never been a believer in him; he never seems to rise to the occasion when it's needed. a really good rider, just not quite good enough to be a gc contender. i think frank is their guy now

i think frank is their guy now

+1

If Sastre couldn't put the hammer down today, after all the work their team did, well, I think it's the Frank & Andy show now. CSC are one heavy-duty all around team.

Nice work from Fabian too.

Valverde disappoints today. Didn't see too many of his guys up front either.

VDV's last push near the end was pretty cool to watch. Big time effort.

Hooray! The curse of the yellow bike! I will be happy to see anyone riding a yellow bike get dropped.

Oscar Friere did it right with the team kit and the green jersey. Nice and simple.

Kirchen loses green and yellow- ouch.

Observation:

Cadel Evans looked like he was in immense pain today. And he also appeared to be favoring that left shoulder (did anyone else notice that it appeared to be weeping some fluid through his jersey?). I question whether he'll be able to soldier on with yellow, I think we'll find out that the injuries he suffered yesterday are more severe than originally suspected.

Observation:

Cadel Evans looked like he was in immense pain today. And he also appeared to be favoring that left shoulder (did anyone else notice that it appeared to be weeping some fluid through his jersey?). I question whether he'll be able to soldier on with yellow, I think we'll find out that the injuries he suffered yesterday are more severe than originally suspected.
Great time for a rest day.

+1

If Sastre couldn't put the hammer down today, after all the work their team did, well, I think it's the Frank & Andy show now. CSC are one heavy-duty all around team.

Nice work from Fabian too.

Valverde disappoints today. Didn't see too many of his guys up front either.

VDV's last push near the end was pretty cool to watch. Big time effort.

have you ever watched the tour before? Sastre Didn't hammer because he was covering franks lead. . Why attack when one of your teams mates is up the road? this is all a set up for the alps where frank will have the jersey going in and Sastre will bolt to the top. Sastres played his role perfectly and pretty effortlessly, All he had t do was match the efforts of the other GC guys.Really smart tactics. Also very smart to have Fabian waiting at the top to put the hammer down to keep the following groups from catching the lead group. That was brilliant. I think Sastre will have the Yellow going into the final TT but will lose it by seconds not minutes. Andy will go for stage wins and to set up attacks in the alps and franks will not podium but will show as a man for the future leader.

You have to be crazy to think that F. Schleck will not pay for his efforts today.

As is always is the lesson: Don't get on the Evans train and expect an attack (http://tour-de-france.velonews.com/article/80143/vande-velde-frustrated-by-evans-menchov-lockdown).

Color me SHOCKED! He must have spent too much time as a domestique to realize that Evans would rather play time-games than attack the darn hill. But, hey, what the heck do I know -- the yellow will be Evans' when it matters.

You have to be crazy to think that F. Schleck will not pay for his efforts today.

Well, that one photo of him sure proves that he put in a huge effort today. But today was not a day to conserve. With a rest day tomorrow, a strong team and almost a week until the next true mountain stage, he'll have plenty of time to recover.

For that matter, Evans put in a huge effort today as well, but he probably won't get much rest the next couple of days with half of his body road rashed.

grigorio looks fried, poor guy. The climb up hautacam is going to be crazy!

Agreed, I was hoping he would make it too.

I think voigt should make up the damn 27minutes in a huge break and get in yellow.

Voigt showed today that he is worth every nickel they pay him!

Voigt showed today that he is worth every nickel they pay him!

You know what was great too was how Cancellara made it over the Tourmalet in the break and the put the hammer down in the valley. He blew those guys up. I turned on the stage half way up the Tourmalet and they said Cancellara was in the break. I thought I was a replay of an old race when they said that.

have you ever watched the tour before? Sastre Didn't hammer because he was covering franks lead. . Why attack when one of your teams mates is up the road? this is all a set up for the alps where frank will have the jersey going in and Sastre will bolt to the top. Sastres played his role perfectly and pretty effortlessly, All he had t do was match the efforts of the other GC guys.Really smart tactics. Also very smart to have Fabian waiting at the top to put the hammer down to keep the following groups from catching the lead group. That was brilliant. I think Sastre will have the Yellow going into the final TT but will lose it by seconds not minutes. Andy will go for stage wins and to set up attacks in the alps and franks will not podium but will show as a man for the future leader.

You have to be crazy to think that F. Schleck will not pay for his efforts today.

apparently you missed the fact that sastre attacked first and couldn't get away. after that, frank took his shot and got away from the group. at that point, yeah, carlos should sit in. but he couldn't get away earlier

I did not rate Frank Schleck or Vande Velde for a top spot but today they showed what great riders they are and are contenders for top 3.

Looks like Valverde peaked to soon and now his tour is over, that's to bad, I really rated him this year. Al in all one great tour.

apparently you missed the fact that sastre attacked first and couldn't get away. after that, frank took his shot and got away from the group. at that point, yeah, carlos should sit in. but he couldn't get away earlier

He couldn't get away because he is marked. They know exactly what he is capable of in the second half. Also that is the benefit of having multiple teams members up front, keep attacking ( like SD ricco, peopeli) and eventually one of the attacks will stick. Once the attack sticks the other team mate defends and sits on the wheels and lets the other guys work. pretty simple. :thumb:

Example : Ricco today looks like he could have easily won the stage but chose to sit and let his mates take it.

this has been the formula for a very long time. Very seldom do you get one guy that simply pulls and pulls till he breaks away ( see Basso the alien 1996 Giro) . Those attacks are the ones of legends and doping.

here ya go

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DwHlCl2s0UM

He couldn't get away because he is marked. They know exactly what he is capable of in the second half. Also that is the benefit of having multiple teams members up front, keep attacking ( like SD ricco, peopeli) and eventually one of the attacks will stick. Once the attack sticks the other team mate defends and sits on the wheels and lets the other guys work. pretty simple. :thumb:


true, but i have a hard time thinking that frank wasn't marked as well. some people in csc have made noise about not knowing who would be the team leader until someone showed themselves to be tops. and if you look at schleck's acceleration and departure, it sure doesn't look to me like everybody just sat up

Sometimes you have to gauge your energy level and make a decision based on what you think is right for the moment. Let's say you are Evans, sitting in a break with Ricco, Sastre, Vandevelde, Menchov and Schleck. If every one of those guys takes a flyer off the front, do you chase him down if everyone has marked you as the danger man and just sits on your wheel, letting you do the work? I doubt you'd have the strength to pull back 5 vicious attacks. So you mark your own danger men. Perhaps Evans figures Sastre and Menchov are his preliminary rivals, the ones he has to cover at all costs. Schleck takes a flyer, and Evans sits there, wondering....while maybe Menchov and Sastre are doing the same thing. Schleck gets 50, 100 meters....then he's gone.

You take your chance, stick with your plan, and live or die by it. Maybe Evans covers Schleck, and then Menchov attacks when Frank is brought back. You can work this scenario 20 different ways. It's what makes the Tour (and bantering with you guys) so exciting! :D

have you ever watched the tour before? Sastre Didn't hammer because he was covering franks lead. . Why attack when one of your teams mates is up the road? this is all a set up for the alps where frank will have the jersey going in and Sastre will bolt to the top. Sastres played his role perfectly and pretty effortlessly, All he had t do was match the efforts of the other GC guys.Really smart tactics. Also very smart to have Fabian waiting at the top to put the hammer down to keep the following groups from catching the lead group. That was brilliant. I think Sastre will have the Yellow going into the final TT but will lose it by seconds not minutes. Andy will go for stage wins and to set up attacks in the alps and franks will not podium but will show as a man for the future leader.

You have to be crazy to think that F. Schleck will not pay for his efforts today.


Relax.

Your tactical analysis may be spot on...or just another shot off the hip.

Sastre doesn't impress. Frank's got some years on him and, yea, maybe he wont bring it again.

Sastre with Yellow going into final TT? OK, I'll file that one away and get back to you at the end.

Evans is the still the stud. Unlike Il Ratto, Cadel doesn't whine about lack of support - he's just hammering away. Wheel suck, whatever, he's doing what it takes. One tough MOFO.

Fire away.

Valverde disappoints today. Didn't see too many of his guys up front either.
Well, they had to wait for Valverde or they might have been there, it seemed to me. Check out Pereiro's finish, pretty good considering how much work he did for Valverde.

csc is sitting pretty now. sastre can attack and force evans and others to follow while frank just sits in. If evans hold on he will really have earned it.

I was really hoping devolder would still be there. Bummer

Sometimes you have to gauge your energy level and make a decision based on what you think is right for the moment. Let's say you are Evans, sitting in a break with Ricco, Sastre, Vandevelde, Menchov and Schleck. If every one of those guys takes a flyer off the front, do you chase him down if everyone has marked you as the danger man and just sits on your wheel, letting you do the work? I doubt you'd have the strength to pull back 5 vicious attacks. So you mark your own danger men. Perhaps Evans figures Sastre and Menchov are his preliminary rivals, the ones he has to cover at all costs. Schleck takes a flyer, and Evans sits there, wondering....while maybe Menchov and Sastre are doing the same thing. Schleck gets 50, 100 meters....then he's gone.

You take your chance, stick with your plan, and live or die by it. Maybe Evans covers Schleck, and then Menchov attacks when Frank is brought back. You can work this scenario 20 different ways. It's what makes the Tour (and bantering with you guys) so exciting! :D

That's essentially what Vandevelde said in his post-stage interview today - that if he had it to do over, he would have gone with either the SD guys or Schleck, instead of the GC group he stayed with. There were a lot of short accelerations, then sitting up as all the GC contenders in his group played cat-and-mouse. And he found that harder and less productive than if he'd gone out with the attackers - with the benefit of 20-20 hindsight.

What a stage!! Saunier hadn't really done anything as a team in the 3 Tours I've watched and they get the top 2 guys on Hauticam??? And Ricco sounds like he did someone a favor by riding this year and he's a huge wild card.
I couldn't help but think about this today: What if Astana was racing? If AC and Levi were thrown in the mix today?
On the other hand, I'd have to think that if Astana were in, then some other team would be out and I think it would be Garmin Chipotle so there would be no VDV to root for as the underdog, and no Le Burrito to order at Chipotle.
I think we all need a day off tomorrow.

Sastre Didn't hammer because he was covering franks lead. . Why attack when one of your teams mates is up the road? this is all a set up for the alps where frank will have the jersey .



Watching a replay of the last 5K and Paul points out that Sastre and Ricco are riding "in defense".

Good call on your part.

Now Sastre has to come through.

Still not convinced he's THE GC guy on CSC.

Good stuff today.

here ya go

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DwHlCl2s0UM


Riis seems kinda crazy in that interview where he lays it all out about his doping. WTF!


Was he serious about "my heart exploded in '04"? The pig heart etc? Wild sheit.

I had a feeling before the tour started that Ricco was going to grab the KOM. The problem now is being so close on GC lead it's not going to be easy for him to get away.

VDV rode amazingly today.

CSC really put it out there for Sastre today. I was expecting more from him.

Valverde and Cunego have brought shame to my fantasy team. :notamused:

Andy Schleck gets a pass. I don't think he'll get a chance at a stage win until Sastre officially blows it. :rolleyes:

As is always is the lesson: Don't get on the Evans train and expect an attack (http://tour-de-france.velonews.com/article/80143/vande-velde-frustrated-by-evans-menchov-lockdown).

Color me SHOCKED! He must have spent too much time as a domestique to realize that Evans would rather play time-games than attack the darn hill. But, hey, what the heck do I know -- the yellow will be Evans' when it matters.

lol Did you read the link you posted? VDV said he was sorry he didn't get on the steady paced front group instead of the constant attack/cover cycles that Menchov and Evans were doing. Evans is damned if he does or doesn't. First he gets ripped for just sucking wheel and riding tempo. Then when he does attack people complain about that. VDV sucked wheel and let Menchov/Evans do all the work then tried to attack them in the last 1k but they easily covered him. I did wonder why VDV fell back so fast after going with Kohl when he bridged, now I see he thought the Evans group would maintain a more constant tempo.

Great stage and great ride by VDV, he just needs a little more confidence in his ability. Hoping for a podium, but think a top 5 may be the best he can do?

lol Did you read the link you posted? VDV said he was sorry he didn't get on the steady paced front group instead of the constant attack/cover cycles that Menchov and Evans were doing. Evans is damned if he does or doesn't. First he gets ripped for just sucking wheel and riding tempo. Then when he does attack people complain about that. VDV sucked wheel and let Menchov/Evans do all the work then tried to attack them in the last 1k but they easily covered him. I did wonder why VDV fell back so fast after going with Kohl when he bridged, now I see he thought the Evans group would maintain a more constant tempo.

Great stage and great ride by VDV, he just needs a little more confidence in his ability. Hoping for a podium, but think a top 5 may be the best he can do?


Good post...

These guys are world class professionals and don't care what's being said on internet forums. Especially by people, some of whom think "45 minutes plus two laps" is a bike race.

VDV is in an arena he's only seen before. He's got a steep learning curve. He's doing a great job. Maybe, there will be a "breakout" event for him where he takes that next step. Kudos to Slipstream for believing in him.

You have to remember that it's tough to make these calls in the midst of the chaos of a grand tour. It's not the guy in the best shape that wins, but the one that makes the best tactical calls when it matters. And the pressure will keep building.

This is an interesting race in that there's not one rider, or team controlling things.

It was a lot easier for the DS's when Lance and Johan were there...:D

I think VDV is just now believing in himself, let alone his team. I think if he plays his cards right tactically, he can keep it close untill the final TT, and then try and win the tour with one huge effort. Atleast i sure hope he does, i think he is the story of the tour right now. Really, did ANYONE think he would be 3rd right now two weeks ago? I dont think so...

really interesting takes on the CSC strategy re: schleck/sastre. I'm really looking forward to watch it play out over the next week/week and a half! Great TdF so far this year.:)

really interesting takes on the CSC strategy re: schleck/sastre. I'm really looking forward to watch it play out over the next week/week and a half! Great TdF so far this year.:)

It really is. With Astana being out I thought I wouldn't get into it, but I'm having a blast watching this year.

Evans is the still the stud. Unlike Il Ratto, Cadel doesn't whine about lack of support - he's just hammering away. Wheel suck, whatever, he's doing what it takes. One tough MOFO.


Errrr, I think you missed last year's tour. Evans whined a lot about lack of support.

The TdF is certainley filled with more surprises these past 2 years.

By the sounds of what CSC is saying Evans, VV, and Menchov better eat their wheaties next week.

Errrr, I think you missed last year's tour. Evans whined a lot about lack of support.

He whined about it yesterday too.

By the sounds of what CSC is saying Evans, VV, and Menchov better eat their wheaties next week.

yep. I thought it would be the caisse depargne team forcing the evans / menchov staring contest into action, but that doesnt look like it will take form, but csc looks ready to throw down.

It really is. With Astana being out I thought I wouldn't get into it, but I'm having a blast watching this year.

Forgive my ignorance.

I know Astana was asked to withdraw from last years tour due to Vino's doping.

Were they not invited this year based on the same reason or was there more to them not being in this years TdF. And by more i mean something new.

Forgive my ignorance.

I know Astana was asked to withdraw from last years tour due to Vino's doping.

Were they not invited this year based on the same reason or was there more to them not being in this years TdF. And by more i mean something new.

I'm not sure of all the specifics, but because of the history of the team and the current lineup/management, they were not invited.

Cadel? In yellow? Finally!!!

Once a jolly swagman camped by a billabong,
Under the shade of a coolibah tree,
And he sang as he watched and waited 'til his billy boiled
"Who'll come a-Waltzing Matilda, with me?"

Waltzing Matilda, Waltzing Matilda
"You'll come a-Waltzing Matilda, with me"
And he sang as he watched and waited 'til his billy boiled,
"You'll come a-Waltzing Matilda, with me".

:D

WTG mate!

Edit: replaced 'dude' with 'mate'.