Tour de France 2014 - Stage 20, July 26
So we're into the Time Trial today, the one and only in this TDF.
It's a long one at 54 k, and there is a lot at stake for 2nd, 3rd and 4th. Pinot will be looking to fend off Valverde and Peraud to keep 2nd. I'm not sure what kind of TT riders these top 3 riders are, but I think Van Garderen is the best of the top 5 GC contenders. A really good ride could get him into 4th. This is one important TT!:) |
Whoa!
Tony Martin is one flippin animal in the TT's! He has blown away the field so far. The Germans really have a lot to be proud of this year, with Kittel, Greipel, Martin and Voight in the TDF, winning the World Cup and Rosburg killing it in Formula 1. |
Valverde falling off the pace, while the Frenchmen look very strong.
TJ is looking very strong to, and is closing in a possible 5th place finish. Nibali! Smoking it so far! Right up there with TJ's time. Can't see anyone beating Martin... |
Mollema embarrassing himself. Konig doing a good ride and looks like jumping up to 7th, which will be a great result for Netapp.
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After attacking and destroying the top climbers, Nibali is now a top 5 trialist...
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What's going on with AG2R wheels ?
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One of the most exciting TT's in quite sometime IMHO.
There was a lot on the line and all the top riders really poured it on. Tony Martin takes it, but the surprise is Nibali who looked extremely smooth and comes in 4th, TJ comes in 6th and moves into 5th overall. Pinot 12th, but drops to 3rd overall. Valverdi misses the podium and will come in 4th overall. Good for the French who will put two riders on the podium tomorrow! |
Originally Posted by Homebrew01
(Post 16976216)
What's going on with AG2R wheels ?
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Bardet loses a top five to van Garderen by 2 seconds. That was a costly puncture in the final kms. Was it coincidence that both punctures were for Ag2r riders?
Two French podium places. Valverde hadn't got it in the legs. Nibali wins that final missing grand tour. |
Originally Posted by TejanoTrackie
(Post 16976258)
It's not the wheels. They are probably using super light duty track TT tires.
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Originally Posted by Homebrew01
(Post 16976353)
Aren't pro-tour bikes already at the UCI weight limit ? Do they need to save weight in the tires ?
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Originally Posted by Caretaker
(Post 16976272)
Bardet loses a top five to van Garderen by 2 seconds. That was a costly puncture in the final kms. Was it coincidence that both punctures were for Ag2r riders?
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Originally Posted by Caretaker
(Post 16976272)
Bardet loses a top five to van Garderen by 2 seconds.
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Originally Posted by dstrong
(Post 16976693)
Conspiracy!
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Originally Posted by dm83
(Post 16976207)
After attacking and destroying the top climbers, Nibali is now a top 5 trialist...
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Originally Posted by Giacomo 1
(Post 16976055)
Pinot will be looking to fend off Valverde and Peraud to keep 2nd. I'm not sure what kind of TT riders these top 3 riders are, but I think Van Garderen is the best of the top 5 GC contenders.
I'll probably be tarred and feathered for saying it but I'm kinda glad to see the race turn out like it has if the Frenchmen can keep their podium spots into Paris. As someone who guessed right early on about the past doping in USPS I'm glad for Peraud, best young rider Pinot and Bardet. Garmin-Sharp won their stage yesterday and I'm stoked enough with that. |
I have three equipment questions:
1-> I wonder if Tony Martin was the only guy to switch to clinchers from tubulars for the TT 2-> The announcers talked about a lot of riders w/ nothing to gain or lose having a main goal of not wearing themselves out too much and just beating the elimination time. I guess anyone in the top 10 or 20 who didn't want to lose position would be working hard, and ag2r protecting their lead in the team standings would want to go all out. But why wouldn't the rest of them just ride road bikes if they really had 15 minutes to play with, as the announcers were saying? I am sure the sponsorship deals required them to use the right tool for the job (their TT frame), but still, I was just wondering about that. Christian VDV talked about Ramunas Navardauskas riding a road bike when Garmin was practicing team TTs presumably so he wouldn't blow the other guys away. Of course he used a TT bike for the actual event though. 3-> when I bike commute I want tires that won't flat much, because I really need to keep a reliable schedule. So for the guys in GC spots 2-6 who didn't want to lose ground, why would they use tires prone to flatting? Fortunately JC Piraud overcame his flat to still move up to #2 , but Romain Bardet lost his spot to TJ because of a poorly timed flat. What if he rode marathon supremes that weighed 100g more than whatever he was using, but didn't cost him time getting a wheel changed? Or even a fancy-schmancy race-specific tire that only weighed 30-60g more than the tires that let him down but was more reliable on the road? |
Originally Posted by dm83
(Post 16976207)
After attacking and destroying the top climbers, Nibali is now a top 5 trialist...
Giro dŽItalia 2013 Time Trial: Gabicce Mare Saltara - ProCyclingStats |
Originally Posted by HardyWeinberg
(Post 16981655)
2-> The announcers talked about a lot of riders w/ nothing to gain or lose having a main goal of not wearing themselves out too much and just beating the elimination time. I guess anyone in the top 10 or 20 who didn't want to lose position would be working hard, and ag2r protecting their lead in the team standings would want to go all out. But why wouldn't the rest of them just ride road bikes if they really had 15 minutes to play with, as the announcers were saying? I am sure the sponsorship deals required them to use the right tool for the job (their TT frame), but still, I was just wondering about that. Christian VDV talked about Ramunas Navardauskas riding a road bike when Garmin was practicing team TTs presumably so he wouldn't blow the other guys away. Of course he used a TT bike for the actual event though.
Alessandro De Marchi did ride a road bike, for whatever reason. He finished 142nd on the day (Kittel 145th, Kristoff 87th, Greipel 130th). |
Turns out Sky had a special Jag to follow the special bikes in the TT:
http://static01.nyt.com/images/2014/...-master675.jpg The solution they reached was to replace the rear window with a large piece of carbon fiber molded to hold two bikes and two spare wheels, more than enough spare gear to support any rider in a time trial. As with the larger racks, the bikes were fixed in place with quick release clamps. But continuing on the car’s theme, they were also made from carbon fiber, rather than steel. The result, Mr. Nevinson said, was a net weight reduction for the car, because the carbon fiber weighed less than the glass it replaced. It was also, unfortunately, totally opaque. So a video system was installed, with a monitor mounted on the windshield. |
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