DLBroox

Or we can let this thread be what it is and start a new thread that asks to keep the doping talk out of it.

jyl

Isn't there a shopping (edit: doping) thread already?. About Froome's training data hack.

Leinster

Tell that to Contador.

You can't make any gains on someone if you can't drop them, and Quintana and Valverde weren't able to drop Froome. If they'd got 20s of separation to him on the descent of the Allos, and then hooked up with Izagirre and Herrada in the valley, they could have put big time into him. The riders make the race as much or more than the course. There was as much or more opportunity to make time on someone any time in the last week as there was on stage 2 when Q and V both lost 2 minutes.

PepeM

I'm sure stage 2 still haunts their dreams. Stupid way to lose so much time.

Leinster

Shopping thread? Will it tell me where to get a good price on a Stages power meter and a calibrated bathroom scales?

jyl

Sorry, autocorrect doesn't recognize "doping".

Jseis 

Here's a naive question. Do TDF pro's use self-sealing compounds like Stan's?

PepeM

No, they have cars chasing them around with spare wheels.

Leinster

Best to get it out of the way early so you have time to recover it. As I said at the time, there's been plenty of examples of riders getting a big time advantage on an early stage only to see it all sucked away as the race goes on. They've made that time and more back now on everyone except Froome.

phat ham

I agree. On one of the stages in the first week he had a problem with his bike and kind of threw a fit. You don't see Contador, Froome, et al losing their cool like that.

Leinster

His spare bike's Di2 battery was dead. I'd say Froome bloody would throw a strop if someone on the Marginal Gains Train forgot to charge his shifters.

cthenn

We'll make a deal. We'll stop talking about doping, or make other threads when people stop making Lance Armstrong threads over and over, and it's freaking 2015.

jyl

I think a plug connector came loose from the cobble pounding, and it had happened before to him, so Pinot had every right to be furious, but he still blew it. So you're stuck in 53 x 11, then get on the bike and ride 53 x 11 as fast as you can, until your team car catches up. He's a pro, the road is flat, no reason he can't push that gear.

jyl

The problem with doping threads is that some people want to talk about nothing but doping and they ruin a thread where other people are trying to talk about something else. Like the loud and mono-maniacal guest at the party who horns into every conversation and bores everyone with monologues about whatever his obsession is, until they leave and make a note to never invite him again.

I'm actually interested in doping, somewhat, but I think it is only polite to keep doping talk in its own thread.

The alternative is to have the mods create a sub forum where all doping threads must go.

The professional cycling forum hasn't been too active in recent years. It would be nice to get it more active and lively. If the doping obsessed start suffocating other threads with constant uninvited doping talk, then we should segregate those discussions.

cthenn

Back to racing...what is everyone's opinion of TVG quitting/abandoning? I was pretty shocked he would give up so easily so early on in the stage, while in 3rd place. I read that he basically has a cold. Now, when you have a cold and you are an elite cyclist racing in one of the toughest bike race in the world, that's a big deal, but a lot of comments I'm reading are guys saying they were surprised he abandoned. IMO, he's still a little bit of a brat, as he still does his pouty "not talking to the media" thing when he doesn't have a good day or loses time. I think that when he knew he was going to lose time, and probably 3rd overall, he found it easier to give up than fight to the end and perhaps lose several places. Don't want to call him a quitter, but I think he needs to improve his mental fortitude, especially as one of the top riders in the world.

Oh, and BTW, I *LOVE* Talansky's attitude. I'm watching the replay of today's stage and even before he was interviewed, I said to my GF "he'll be smiling", and sure enough when they went to the interview, he was smiling! Tough 2nd place today, but still has a great attitude. Lost tons of time in the first two weeks, but still has a positive attitude and is racing hard. If they could only put Talansky's attitude in TVG's ability, you'd have a great American hope. I really hope Talansky keeps improving, as he's a guy I root for.

jyl

Yeah, that was weird. It was a cold for a couple days, then fever/chills on the rest day, then he and the team thought he was okay today but when the racing started, he found himself very weak. I guess if your legs are just AWOL, you can't get new ones from the team car. As Nibali and others found after the first rest day. I wonder if he could even have made the time cut. He lost time so fast.

I kind of like TvG. He seems like a thoughtful rider, a hard worker, and frankly we Americans don't have much to choose from, in terms of US riders to support. Talansky is really hit or miss, Phinney still isnt back, Dombroski has to show that the operation actually solved his problem, etc etc.

But TvG's record at the Tour is spotty: either fifth place or a disaster. This is his fifth Tour, I think: can't use inexperience as an excuse any more. I hoped this would be his year for a podium, but even before today I wasn't expecting him to hold on to third. He just doesn't have the climbing speed and spark, for a course designed for climbers.

Jseis 

Having just recovered from bronchitis...a cold virus can FUP. Also, some discussion on NBCSHD (if I heard it correctly) that he's had a similar problem before and alluded to his attempting to keep his weight low through diet/eating (and I suppose fluids) to stay light on the climbs. If he had headaches, I wondered if he was dehydrated. Like I said, I may have misunderstood the discussion but the implication was related to his desire to stay light and he sure looks unhealthy.

Laggard

He looked pretty horrible. His color was off and he was so lethargic. I think he's probably a lot sicker than we've been told.

imi

Even a minor cold can make performing at this level impossible. A fever could be potentially life threatening.

GreenAnvil

Ok, I'll bury my hatchet.

I think Froome will win; he isn't showing any weaknesses that can be exploited by the nearest GC contenders.

If Q is going to try anything he better try it soon. But Froome isn't giving him any windows of opportunity. Hopefully the next stages will answer that.

seypat

Here are some thoughts and ramblings.

If TVG had a bad cold, then he needed to give it up. If the air cleaner is clogged the engine won't run good. But he should have finished the stage. Maybe the team forced him to quit for car support reasons. It is alarming that it has happened 2 years in a row when he is trying to keep his weight in check. BMC needs to look at that. Reminds me of horse jockeys, wrestlers, teenage girls, etc. doing all kinds of crazy unhealthy things to keep their weight down.

I don't know if Sky is clean or not, but their team's organization, planning, strategy, discipline and execution are head and shoulders above the other teams. It looks like a pro team against a bunch of club teams.

These "attacks" by the GC contenders are lame! Attack and either ride the others off your wheel or get to the finish line trying. It is pathetic to hear the announcers talking about how "hard the GC group is riding and racing" when there are 20+ riders 10 minutes in front of them on the stage! Then a single breaks out, goes alone and wins the stage with some riders chasing hard. Yet we are led to believe that the GC guys are leaving it all on the course! They might as well be back with the sprinters goofing up the climb because that is how hard they are riding. Oh Cannibal, where have you gone?

I apologize for that last rant.

DLBroox

Right before TVG abandoned he kind of swerved into a parked car on the side of the rode. You could tell he couldn't handle his bike well. Imagine going down that decent with compromised abilities. He would have killed himself or somebody else. I read that it was a migraine, which would explain what I saw. I was shocked and felt awful for the guy but health comes first no matter what. He'll live to fight another day!

seypat

He swerved because the Medic car nearly ran him off the road. Thinking about it now, if it is a head cold with migranes, then the focus is gone and the body wanders. Next thing, you find yourself in a ditch. So maybe he wanted to keep going but the team shut him down.

seypat

Some of the riders must be reading this thread! I've been suggesting that the riders around 15th place 15-25 minutes behind try to get in the break and see what happens. Yesterday Frank moved up to 8th place. He at one point was in virtual 3rd. If Sanchez would have gone when TVG abandoned he might be around 5 or 6th today right with the rest of the GC group. He became BMC's top man the minute TVG stopped. Talansky moved on up and is back on it again today. With him is #11 , 14, 15, & 18. Let's see how they fared after the stage.

jyl

My Eurosport UK feed has been commentary-free for the last few days, just ambient noise (crowd, honking, etc). So irritating. Not sure what is happening.