Stage 12 **SPOILER**

[montage]

I think that on the serious alpine descents it is more about controlling acceleration and getting the perfect line than pushing on - you'd be spinning out of any gear you have once you get anywhere near the speeds with which they descend.

It's about the acceleration I guess as you say, they slow down round the bends, but are still going fast, so want a gear big enough that they can spin round to accelerate out of the corners. At all other times they are going roughly a kazillion mph so having any gears at all is pointless at such speeds

 

[rich p]

I know! But they took a 53/34! I promise!
There was a really steep long climb (can't remember the name...I think cummings was on a break away during it if that helps) that had a 25% section or there abouts. They took the 34 inner ring so they could get up it, and took the 53 so that they could get down the mountains fast enough!

Sorry about mistaking the 52 for 53

Cummings broke away on the Monte Grappa when Wiggins slightly embarrassed himself by catching him and shooting off the front only to be caught about ikm later. That one only went up to 14% max. I know cos I rode it a few weeks ago. It was a monster. 2hrs of hell!

 

[rich p]

Cummings broke away on the Monte Grappa when Wiggins slightly embarrassed himself by catching him and shooting off the front only to be caught about ikm later. That one only went up to 14% max. I know cos I rode it a few weeks ago. It was a monster. 2hrs of hell!

p.s. I was on a 30 x 25

 

[montage]

Cummings broke away on the Monte Grappa when Wiggins slightly embarrassed himself by catching him and shooting off the front only to be caught about ikm later. That one only went up to 14% max. I know cos I rode it a few weeks ago. It was a monster. 2hrs of hell!

Maybe cummings went away on other stages, or maybe I am thinking of the wrong stage.
One or the other. Nice one on riding it

 

[rich p]

Maybe cummings went away on other stages, or maybe I am thinking of the wrong stage.
One or the other. Nice one on riding it

Maybe. Cummings was more aggressive on the Giro than the TdF

 

[Foghat]

Arse. I was hoping to see Schleck stick one on Contador this year. I suppose Contador's recovery powers mean he is likely to find it easier to drop Schleck as it goes through the Pyrenees.

I still see Contador's guilty-as-sin look on his face and less-than-convincing denial when asked "Have you ever doped?" at the Tour a couple of years ago. Are there any major doubts about Schleck's record in this area?

 

[Flying_Monkey]

Arse. I was hoping to see Schleck stick one on Contador this year. I suppose Contador's recovery powers mean he is likely to find it easier to drop Schleck as it goes through the Pyrenees.

I still see Contador's guilty-as-sin look on his face and less-than-convincing denial when asked "Have you ever doped?" at the Tour a couple of years ago. Are there any major doubts about Schleck's record in this area?

Well, there was a surprising stop and search of their father's car at the border a couple of years ago.

http://uk.reuters.co...102710020080724

 

[Foghat]

I think that on the serious alpine descents it is more about controlling acceleration and getting the perfect line than pushing on - you'd be spinning out of any gear you have once you get anywhere near the speeds with which they descend.

Only to a point, FM. As the TV coverage misses much of the descents, it is not alweays obvious, but while those descents do have many long, monumentally fast sections, they also have plenty where major periods of pedalling are needed. Often it is wind-dependent.

Racing down them flat out is not a great deal less knackering than racing up them, due to the amount of pedalling, the sometimes rough surfaces and the concentration. Whenever I've been there (not since the 90s, sadly), my group always treated EVERY descent victory as a badge of honour, so they were always taken full-on - what's interesting is that we rarely encountered other cyclists able/prepared to do the same (this in July/August, when hundreds of amateur racing cyclists would be there), and we could never understand it!

Admittedly it's the sprinting out of tight bends that has the most effect on fatigue, as you identify, but the flatter wind-against sections take it out of you too, and you can spend a lot of time in the 11/12/13/14/15. The riders in the Tour, Dauphine etc often don't race down them, especially on the earlier passes. Racing down them is a major exercise in effort and concentration (even more so for recreational cyclists on open roads who have serious dangers to contend with too).

 

[Will1985]

I don't like Vino, but he deserved today's stage, shame

+1 Once again, Contador manages to piss off a team mate.

 

[Foghat]

Well, there was a surprising stop and search of their father's car at the border a couple of years ago.

http://uk.reuters.co...102710020080724

Thanks for the link. Looks like a random stop, maybe, but who knows?

 

[Noodley]

Thanks for the link. Looks like a random stop, maybe, but who knows?

Not at the time it didn't....

 

[HLaB]

+1 Once again, Contador manages to piss off a team mate.

I couldn't understand Contador at the end; instead of teaming up with Rodriguez and gaining a few more seconds perhaps, he chose to play cat and mouse with him for the stage.

 

[Chuffy]

I couldn't understand Contador at the end; instead of teaming up with Rodriguez and gaining a few more seconds perhaps, he chose to play cat and mouse with him for the stage.

Who knows? <gallic shrug> He's going to win, obviously wants a stage and to give Schleck a little kick in return for being beaten by him a few stages ago.

@Will1643 - Who else has Bertie upset? Surely you don't mean Teflon Tex? Naughty Bertie! Should have been slower!

 

[MacB]

Racing down them flat out is not a great deal less knackering than racing up them, due to the amount of pedalling, the sometimes rough surfaces and the concentration. Whenever I've been there (not since the 90s, sadly), my group always treated EVERY descent victory as a badge of honour, so they were always taken full-on - what's interesting is that we rarely encountered other cyclists able/prepared to do the same (this in July/August, when hundreds of amateur racing cyclists would be there), and we could never understand it!

I think it was David Harmon was mentioning this sort of thing in the commentary on Thursday. Something about how he'd been riding with a group from Ireland and they'd all agreed that pushing a descent, if not racing or training to race, was pretty pointless. I don't know why you find it surprising that you didn't encounter many other like minded amateurs . Some of those descents scare me just watching them on TV.

 

[Foghat]

I think it was David Harmon was mentioning this sort of thing in the commentary on Thursday. Something about how he'd been riding with a group from Ireland and they'd all agreed that pushing a descent, if not racing or training to race, was pretty pointless. I don't know why you find it surprising that you didn't encounter many other like minded amateurs . Some of those descents scare me just watching them on TV.

Er, they had no qualms about racing us up the climbs. It's just the majority that we got into racing up pussied out completely as soon as we commenced the descent - not just not push it but not get up to high speed at all (i.e. seemingly lacking any adrenaline genes at all). Occasionally there would a be a Frenchie prepared to get stuck in on the descent and to try to uphold national honour on his home turf, by being first down, and they clearly understood that there is as much point in racing your companions down as there is racing up, but most wouldn't..

Anyway, this seemed very much a French rider thing, for whatever reason. Most British racing cyclists I've known can't resist racing each other down the big hills.