Who Will Win The Tour De France?
06-05-15, 04:34 PM
#26
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I'm trying to remember to what degree Contador was undercooked/off colour/just well beaten in the 2011 and 2013 Tours. As I recall, in 2013, on most mountain stages Porte rode everyone off his wheel, and then Froome jetted off and twisted the knife; then Contador got pissed about missing out on the mountain TT stage by a couple of seconds and blew up trying for an all-out attack on the final mountain stage, slipping to 4th.
I know 2011 doesn't count on the record books, but it's the only time he's done the Tour and Giro in the same year, so it's at least a halfway decent indicator for this year; was it that he was tired after his Giro efforts, did he have bad preparation, did he lose time in the early stages? Without actually going back and watching each stage over again on youtube, I can't really remember what the prevailing wisdom was about why he was that bit off the pace vs the Schlecks, Evans, and even finishing behind Voeckler.
I know 2011 doesn't count on the record books, but it's the only time he's done the Tour and Giro in the same year, so it's at least a halfway decent indicator for this year; was it that he was tired after his Giro efforts, did he have bad preparation, did he lose time in the early stages? Without actually going back and watching each stage over again on youtube, I can't really remember what the prevailing wisdom was about why he was that bit off the pace vs the Schlecks, Evans, and even finishing behind Voeckler.
06-05-15, 04:42 PM
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Hard to say now. Looks to me as though Astana in particular has come up with something new that can't be tested for yet. Aru's stage 19 resurgence at this years Giro was about as suspicious as Landis's stage 17 back in 2006.
06-05-15, 07:27 PM
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I don't think he can win it, but I hope Ryder Hesjedal has a Tour similar to the Giro. I enjoyed seeing him up front so often.
06-05-15, 07:56 PM
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I don't. Otherwise what's the point of having stage 2 finish in the North Sea and all those cobbles on stage 4?
Easy there. Aru had been sick early in the race and recovered with help from his team. Landis blew the whole field away by 6 minutes on a 200km stage over 5 mountains. There's a world of difference between the 2 rides.
Easy there. Aru had been sick early in the race and recovered with help from his team. Landis blew the whole field away by 6 minutes on a 200km stage over 5 mountains. There's a world of difference between the 2 rides.
06-05-15, 09:37 PM
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The peloton has 100 red shirts, let them get eaten by the monsters in week 1!
06-05-15, 10:02 PM
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I don't. Otherwise what's the point of having stage 2 finish in the North Sea and all those cobbles on stage 4?
Easy there. Aru had been sick early in the race and recovered with help from his team. Landis blew the whole field away by 6 minutes on a 200km stage over 5 mountains. There's a world of difference between the 2 rides.
Easy there. Aru had been sick early in the race and recovered with help from his team. Landis blew the whole field away by 6 minutes on a 200km stage over 5 mountains. There's a world of difference between the 2 rides.
06-05-15, 10:05 PM
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06-05-15, 10:19 PM
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Nah, it was pretty ridiculous. He literally looked like Death the previous stages, then it was like he was reborn. That has blood bags written all over it. Nothing will top Landis beating an entire peloton by 6 minutes, but you have to be pretty naive to think that was just Aru magically recovering.
It was a 2-minute swing vs the Maglia Rosa. It's not common, but it happens. Comparisons with Landis (14 minute swing vs the Maillot Jaune) are way off.
06-06-15, 01:06 PM
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I also wonder if Kittel is bluffing, and will reveal himself to be a ME262 to Cav's Spitfire on the first sprint finish.
06-07-15, 12:04 PM
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I just hope it's an exciting race, unlike when a Sky rider wins, where once they get the lead they just ride the rest of the field off their wheels, I like to see attacking and lead changes...
06-09-15, 11:27 AM
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I don't. Otherwise what's the point of having stage 2 finish in the North Sea and all those cobbles on stage 4?
Easy there. Aru had been sick early in the race and recovered with help from his team. Landis blew the whole field away by 6 minutes on a 200km stage over 5 mountains. There's a world of difference between the 2 rides.
Easy there. Aru had been sick early in the race and recovered with help from his team. Landis blew the whole field away by 6 minutes on a 200km stage over 5 mountains. There's a world of difference between the 2 rides.
06-09-15, 11:53 AM
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Seems like peter_d and I aren't the only ones suspicious of Astana's excellent performance at the Giro, from a guy who was in the peleton - The Secret Pro on the Giro: ?There were days when you?d just despair? | CyclingTips
06-09-15, 01:14 PM
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Haha, OK I missed your point then, I thought you were defending Aru/Astana. I found that article interesting, tho some say it's not really a pro racer who writes on that site...
06-09-15, 03:58 PM
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They've guessed every English speaking rider in the peloton at this stage. There's only so many people who've done the races he claims to have done, at the times he claims to have done them. And they've insisted time and again that it isn't a Dread Pirate Roberts, many-pros-under-the-one-name, deal either. It'll all come out one day. Even if it's just that they slip up and keep publishing it after everyone who was around for the first one is retired. Maybe it's actually a mechanic/soigneur going off what his riders tell him.
06-10-15, 08:01 AM
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He (they? it?) mentioned the ToC would be ideal for his team's lead sponsor, which suggests a US lead sponsor. BMC, Cannondale?
06-10-15, 01:50 PM
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Or a sponsor with eyes on an expansion in the US market, like Lampre, Etixx or Soudal. BMC, Garmindale and Trek are already at the ToC every year (but then, so are EQS). Maybe he's just angling for a change of his own program, rather than the team's.
06-10-15, 02:57 PM
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Bouhanni is finally winning sprints! Like to see him get some success at the tour.
Edit: he seems to sprint head down a lot. Hmm.
Edit: he seems to sprint head down a lot. Hmm.
Last edited by jyl; 06-10-15 at 11:51 PM.
06-10-15, 07:04 PM
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He has so few races under his belt this season, and as far as I know, hasn't even raced since the Ports race a month ago, I can't see him being in any kind of shape to take on a very hot Cavendish or getting over the mountains in a 3 week stage race.
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06-10-15, 11:49 PM
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No Aru at the Tour. He and Landa will ride the Vuelta.
06-11-15, 03:40 PM
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Nothing earth shattering because I think many of us expected this would be the case, but -
Full story - Kittel unsure about Tour de France start | Cyclingnews.com
Kittel unsure about Tour de France start
Nowadays, the German sprinter is in the middle of a three-week training block in Sierra Nevada before taking part in the Ster ZLM Toer, a five-day race in the Netherlands set to happen mid-June.
"This is not the perfect plan, not the one I wanted, but I can’t change the circumstances and I have to concentrate on doing my best. I’ll see where I stand in the Ster ZLM Toer. After that race, I will decide whether I go to the Tour de France or not. Of course, if I’m dropped every day, then it would make no sense to go to the Tour - but that’s not my expectation. I hope to do well and I feel I can be confident after this good training I’m having in Sierra Nevada."
Nowadays, the German sprinter is in the middle of a three-week training block in Sierra Nevada before taking part in the Ster ZLM Toer, a five-day race in the Netherlands set to happen mid-June.
"This is not the perfect plan, not the one I wanted, but I can’t change the circumstances and I have to concentrate on doing my best. I’ll see where I stand in the Ster ZLM Toer. After that race, I will decide whether I go to the Tour de France or not. Of course, if I’m dropped every day, then it would make no sense to go to the Tour - but that’s not my expectation. I hope to do well and I feel I can be confident after this good training I’m having in Sierra Nevada."
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06-11-15, 03:51 PM
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If it were a fashion contest, I know who wouldn't win. Yuck!
Tinkoff-Saxo unveils new kit for Tour de France - VeloNews.com
Tinkoff-Saxo unveils new kit for Tour de France - VeloNews.com
06-11-15, 04:12 PM
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Contador looks like he's saying "I know. Don't give me any sh1t."
Rumours that Oleg introduced the new kit purely to encourage Sagan to retain his Slovak title are completely unfounded.
I like Lotto NL Jumbo's effort a lot better;
Rumours that Oleg introduced the new kit purely to encourage Sagan to retain his Slovak title are completely unfounded.
I like Lotto NL Jumbo's effort a lot better;
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06-11-15, 05:29 PM
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Interesting, if Landa is leaving Astana this year then they'd have no reason to favor him at the Vuelta, so does this mean he's returning to Astana or they are trying to keep him?