2013 Tour debrief

[rich p]

Things we have learned from this year's tour.

Froome won fair and square although I think he was on the limit in the last few days but the others were either too tired to take advantage or missed the opportunity

Quintana was the sensation in the GC battle and will improve his decision making

Kittel is Cav's real opposition - MC has been gracious but will need to adjust his train, his training or his goals

French riders are one-trick ponies with no GC contenders in the near future

Cadel Evans was either shot physically post-Giro or mentally

Double Alpe d'Huez was bling but neutralized the following day

Bertie got his bobbing arse kicked

Lampre is a waste of a team and BMC had a horror show

Peraud going down on that shoulder was the ouchiest moment of the tour.

There was hardly a day without a drama

 

[martint235]

Agree with what you say about MC. Next year I believe he's got Renshaw back as his leadout, should make a difference.

Loved the double Alpe.

Peraud just made me wince. Poor bloke.

Loved the finish. I'm glad it didn't finish in the dark, I thought sunset was the perfect timing. Also going round the Arc I felt was better.

 

[Risex4]

- Geraint Thomas is hard as nails and has re-defined the meaning of Rule 5.

- The Green Jersey in its current incarnation is no longer contested at le Tour; it is worn by the winner of stage one for two days, then is handed back to Sagan.

- Speaking of Sagan, he likes wheelies.

- The French desperately need a whiff of a GC contender, or else we are going to be subjected to boring media witch hunts for ever more.

- For those of you who persevered with ITV's coverage, you may have missed it (1000 times), but Quintana was born at 300,000m, so therefore we shouldn't be surprised at his climbing aptitude.

- (As much as I love him) Cav may not be the outright fastest thing on two wheels. Especially when his train is broken.

 

[Flying_Monkey]

Quintana might have given Froome more competition had he not been riding for Valverde initially. However, if that had been the case, he might not have been allowed to attack to the same extent.

 

[smutchin]

Quintana might have given Froome more competition had he not been riding for Valverde initially. However, if that had been the case, he might not have been allowed to attack to the same extent.

True. He also made a wrong tactical decision on the Ventoux, but seems to have learned his lesson by the time they reached the Semnoz and rode that one perfectly. That ability to learn quickly from his mistakes bodes well for him.

 

[smutchin]

Apparently, Joaquim Rodriguez got his nickname "Purito" because he once pretended to smoke a cigar while climbing with his team-mates as a young rider.

I eventually lost count of how many times Carlton Kirby told that story.

 

[Crackle]

Movistar and Saxo made some big tactical errors, making the wrong decisions at crucial points, like distancing Porte when they had Froome isolated, calling back Rui Costa when Valverde broke a wheel. With the right decisions, Froome may have been put under a lot more pressure.

 

[smutchin]

- The French desperately need a whiff of a GC contender, or else we are going to be subjected to boring media witch hunts for ever more.

I really like the look of Romain Bardet. I especially like the fact that he was disappointed to finish as low as 15th, even though that made him the highest placed French rider. A nice aggressive rider in the mould of Chavanel, and seems to be a fairly strong climber, but needs to work on his time trialling. And he probably needs to be on a bigger team.

On the subject of Chavanel, he seems to be on the wane, which is a shame. I always wanted him to become a genuine GC contender but it looks like he's missed that boat now.

 

[smutchin]

-Laurens ten Dam should wear a bib

 

[VamP]

-Laurens ten Dam should wear a bib

Or one of these

 

[smutchin]

Cadel Evans was either shot physically post-Giro or mentally
...
Lampre is a waste of a team and BMC had a horror show

What is up with BMC? A lot has been made of Sky's riches but it's clear that if any team is the Man City of cycling, it's BMC - they don't look like a team at all, just a motley collection of expensive signings. I think this is partly Evans's fault - he clearly works better as a lone ranger rather than a team player, and the team probably suffered from his lack of leadership. He was supposed to be using the Giro to get in shape for the Tour, wasn't he? In the end, he put too much effort into the Giro and thus probably scuppered himself for the Tour. He would never have won it but might have finished in a more respectable position. And a knock-on effect of that was that he probably damaged Tejay's chances of a better race too.

Bertie got his bobbing arse kicked

 

[Peteaud]

Quintana, although being born on the moon is the worlds oldest looking young rider and/or has led a very hard life.

 

[smutchin]

BMC DS falls on his sword...
http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/lelangue-leaves-bmc-for-personal-reasons

If you venture below the line, some of the comments are priceless - my favourite being one chap's suggestion that Sky have "bought" the Tour. Never mind the fact that BMC actually have a bigger budget - the real difference being that while Sky spend their money on training camps in Tenerife, BMC blow theirs on marquee signings like Phil Gilbert.

 

[Flying Dodo]

Although Quintana was a real star, I noticed when descending, he's pretty rubbish. If Movistar can get him to improve that aspect of his riding, then next year, he'd be unstoppable.

 

[Luddite Joe]

I still don't know who Ritchie Froome is.