Professional Cycling For the Fans - TDF 2010 stage 12 - Bourg-de-Péage - Mende 210.5 km, Fri. Jul 16

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ouch! that jalabert climb into mende is going to cause some gaps; couple of gt contenders will likely
get caught out and lose anywhere from a handful of seconds to 2 minutes.

Looks like this stage was designed to reward a string breakaway. It has Bettini written all over it, but since he's retired, and Garrens is out, I think a rider like Barredo, or one of the Katusha riders could snag it.

I'd like to see the Rabobank boys ramp it up and send Gesink and Menchov up the road. They're close enough that everyone would have to go with them. Just make everyone suffer again.

Looks like a Lance Armstrong stage to me.

Oscar Friere for the win!

Samu Sanchez maybe?

I'd like to see the Rabobank boys ramp it up and send Gesink and Menchov up the road. They're close enough that everyone would have to go with them. Just make everyone suffer again.
Good call. That would be nice to see.

Mt. Laurent Jalabert:


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10% for 3k, that's really about all the GC guys race on a final summit climb, so maybe we'll see some fireworks from Schleck. He knows he needs more time, and there are only going to be so many opportunities to get that time...

Tomorrow is gonna be awesome.

10% for 3k, that's really about all the GC guys race on a final summit climb, so maybe we'll see some fireworks from Schleck. He knows he needs more time, and there are only going to be so many opportunities to get that time...

While I see you're point and hope you're right, don't they need a few more k's for teammates to ramp up the pace and thin down the pack? I guess it cou;ld go either way. Hope you're right though; should be a good stage!

I don't think the route before the final climb is tough enough to tax Contador into having problems on the finishing climb

Well I must have been on crack when I said Oscar Freire.
thats what happens when you look at the profile of stage 11 and post in the thread
on stage 12.

Charteau or Vino for the win

That's an interesting break they let go today.

Farrar is out?!? WTF... Wonder if he quit or the team pulled the plug. Either way, it will be interesting to hear the reason.

yah just heard and read the confirmation. Vaughters can't be too happy.

Pettachi on front at sh start of the climb???????

Haha, that really is crazy steep. I think I'd be faster pushing my bike than riding it there. :D

Well... I guess that answers many questions...

Big move there...good stuff!

I thought the distance between Contador and Schleck would be much bigger than that, 10 seconds is still ok. Big point for AC psychologically though.

Vino attacked by his own teammate. Too funny.

Alberto rides for Alberto ..... way to attack Vino !!

Astana gets no stage win, despite it.

Not the first time Vino's been pulled back by his own team. I don't recall the year or stage but when he was riding with Jan he went out on an attack at the start of a climb and had the pleasure of watching his own team pull him back putting 3-4 guys on the front to set the pace.

So how happy do you think Vino is gonna be with that move?
was the 10 seconds worth the win for Vino? Given the attack by Alberto
I don't know that Andy can counter him in the Pyrenees. It's gonna get
interesting

I think it was worth it. It was only 10 seconds, but it has to put the fear back in Schleck.

Contador is an idiot! I was hoping he was going to at least help out Vino then it could have been a 2 on 1 in the sprint which would have given Contador or Vino a greater chance at a stage victory. How could he possibly justify completely screwing over his teammate like that?

This was a great move by AC it will break AS confidence going into the Pyrenees -

I bet the Astana dinner table will be interesting tonight. Ten seconds? The fear was with Alberto today, only someone terribbly afraid would attack a teammate , then not even win the stage.

Contador is an idiot! I was hoping he was going to at least help out Vino then it could have been a 2 on 1 in the sprint which would have given Contador or Vino a greater chance at a stage victory. How could he possibly justify completely screwing over his teammate like that?

The deal is that Vino is working for Contador, not the other way around. Contador is their GC guy and his only responsibility is to look out for himself.

I can't think anyone on Astana is happy with Contador today.

i'd say once he saw that Schleck couldn't hang, he took full advantage of it and was trying to gain back as many seconds as possible. Contador was riding full out. Schelck minimized his losses, only 10 seconds, but he could have lost more.

Contador is an idiot! I was hoping he was going to at least help out Vino then it could have been a 2 on 1 in the sprint which would have given Contador or Vino a greater chance at a stage victory. How could he possibly justify completely screwing over his teammate like that?

Idiot?

He attacked AS and gained time. Who really thinks that Vino was going to hold off Rodriguez on the last portion of the climb?

He didn't have time to lose waiting for Vino, risking having Schleck catch back up. It was basically up to Vino to try to get on the wheel, recover, and put in one last attack.

I can't think anyone on Astana is happy with Contador today.

Why not? He gained time on the yellow.

AC actions will not be judged kindly by his team or the rest of the peleton. AC is going to find himself in a completely different race tomorrow morning.

Do you want a water botter Alberto? Oops! Sorry, I dropped it, and that was the last one.

oh boy, another Alberto attacks his own teammate controversy.
Lance et al. can chime in that this is exactly what he did last year.
we can have conspiracy threads till the 23rd.
Vino is going to be P.O'd, no doubt about it, wonder what he'll do in
some of the upcoming stages, given his loose cannon reputation.

If Vino didn't hold off Rodriguex then it would be time for Contador to counter, not when his teammate is up the road.

The deal is that Vino is working for Contador, not the other way around. Contador is their GC guy and his only responsibility is to look out for himself.

Exactly. At the time of Alberto's attack, Andy looked to be in real trouble. For a while I was thinking it would be more like a 30-second gap. If the one guy who can challenge him in the race is in trouble, he had to take advantage.

If the roles were reversed you know Vino would have done the same thing.

Why not? He gained time on the yellow.

Sure, he gained a few seconds today at the cost of burning a few bridges with his teammates.

The deal is that Vino is working for Contador, not the other way around. Contador is their GC guy and his only responsibility is to look out for himself.

Yeah, but you don't chase down a teammate like that, and only gain 10 seconds, and not win the stage. Vino was clearly going to win the stage if AC did not attack. In the long run, 10 seconds here is not going to make or break the TdF for AC. He will already likely gain more time in they Pyrenees, as well as the TT, so it was a pretty stupid move. Forget Vino, it would have been a stage win for HIS TEAM! I think at this point in the race, a win for Astana is much better than 10 seconds for AC. Bad tactics.

AC is showing himself to be a huge talent, but sort of a lone wolf (much as Vino is...). I don't think AC really needs much of a team to succeed, but that's what he's going to get if he keeps doing stupid stuff like this. Give AC a team like BMC, and then he can do whatever the hell he wants, because all his teammates will be 20 minutes back down the road...but you simply don't attack a teammate who was clearly going to win the stage and then not even get the victory yourself.

AC actions will not be judged kindly by his team or the rest of the peleton. AC is going to find himself in a completely different race tomorrow morning.

Do you want a water botter Alberto? Oops! Sorry, I dropped it, and that was the last one.

+1
I have a feeling that Vino is going to riding with a dagger in the next days to come.

No doubt Vino is disappointed, but I think a lot of the Lance-y boys here are looking to manufacture controversy.

Did you see Vino drop his head and punch his handlebars before crossing the line? If I was Vino I would be spiking Alberto's waterbottle with EPO right now. Vino probably still has some left over ;).

Sure, he gained a few seconds today at the cost of burning a few bridges with his teammates.

Thank you. Is 10 seconds worth costing your entire team a stage victory? I know people scoffed at Armstrong when he chided AC last year for not being a team player (well, whatever Armstrong thought that meant is another story...), but he did it again today. Your teammate is in front, about to win the stage, but then here comes AC flying past you, only to fizzle out in the sprint.

Think whatever you want, but I'm pretty sure AC did not make any friends today, and probably lost some within his team. If that's worth 10 seconds to him, well then good for him..

Vino was clearly going to win the stage if AC did not attack.

LOL.......

No way he would have kept Rodriguez behind him

Back to the real point,

AC attacked AS to gain back time in order to WIN the TDF. If 10 seconds is "no big deal", well it sure the heck was when the situation was reversed a few days ago. People were immediately writing Alberto off, saying he had lost his form....

Alberto can't win for losing with the "haters" that abound

Yeah, but you don't chase down a teammate like that, and only gain 10 seconds, and not win the stage. Vino was clearly going to win the stage if AC did not attack. In the long run, 10 seconds here is not going to make or break the TdF for AC. He will already likely gain more time in they Pyrenees, as well as the TT, so it was a pretty stupid move. Forget Vino, it would have been a stage win for HIS TEAM! I think at this point in the race, a win for Astana is much better than 10 seconds for AC. Bad tactics.


Man, some of you newbs just don't get it. Contadors only role is the yellow jersey. He would have been a bigger idiot to gain time on AS and then lose some of it so a teammate can maybe get a stage victory.

10 seconds is big.

any news on the Farrar withdrawal?

Any team out there would sacrifice a stage win for an overall win.

No doubt Vino is disappointed, but I think a lot of the Lance-y boys here are looking to manufacture controversy.


WTF does that even mean? I see this a lot. What is a Lancy boy or a Lance fanboy? Because people believe what AC did was not smart, that makes us somehow a bitter Armstrong fan? I don't get it. Why does everything have to revolve around Armstrong? Seems like an unhealthy obsession to me.