Dr Smut
Active Member
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- Newcastle upon Tyne
What are Radioshack going to do with Zubeldia and Montfort ? Both can climb...
Tour de France 2012 (with SPOILERS)
- Thread starter Flying_Monkey
- Start date
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OP
OP
Flying_Monkey
Recyclist
- Location
- Odawa
That could happen. But I don't think in an era where we are seeing fewer 'unbelievable' climbing performances, that a well-organized team like Sky will allow many attacks to get away, and certainly not those containing serious contenders. They will try where they can, on the steadier climbs, to ride as they did in the Dauphiné, and where they can't, on the steeper slopes, it will be a Wiggins-Froome tag team as in the Vuelta.
In any case, Wiggins is a very similar rider to Ryder Hesjedal, who prevailed against much better natural climbers on more difficult climbs in the Giro, but Wiggins is a better all-round rider than Hesjedal IMHO. And he's much improved in form since the Vuelta last year, and he has a stronger team (even one down). Evans isn't really that much better a climber and he's also limited when it comes to sudden attacks. Schleck is no threat at all this year. I think Nibali and Van den Broeck will be the biggest GC threats in the mountains, but Nibali lacks Wiggins' staying power, and VbD is too far down, and with another TT on the penultimate day, so long as Wiggins marks his rivals, even if he loses a few seconds here and there (or even a few minutes in the case of VdB), if he rides sensibly, he will come into that knowing that it will ensure his win.
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Flying_Monkey
Recyclist
- Location
- Odawa
I think Froome is there to pace him back to any attacks. What blew Wiggins in the 2009 tour were the constant accelerations, he can't respond to them. Froome will bring him back and help him in any chase. Wiggins would have to blow badly for them to release Froome and even then I can't see it, they didn't do it at the Vuelta.
thom
____
- Location
- The Borough
Not looking good for Cofidis and Di Gregorio - arrested on the rest day re. doping enquiry ?
http://www.cyclisme-dopage.com/actualite/2012-07-10-lejsl.htm
http://www.cyclisme-dopage.com/actualite/2012-07-10-lejsl.htm
thom
____
- Location
- The Borough
Yes but that wan't because he didn't want it earlier !
smutchin
Cat 6 Racer
- Location
- The Red Enclave
True. I would have thought the threat from Evans will come more on the descents, for example, on stage 16 where there's a long downhill to the finish after the final climb.
Liquigas working as a team could be more of a threat on the mountaintop finishes, perhaps, although they didn't ever manage to shake off Hesjedal in the Giro...
d.
I loved one of the responses on twitter from adonais
"Kudos to the French police for finding him because nobody watching the race has seen him"
smutchin
Cat 6 Racer
- Location
- The Red Enclave
Apparently, the arrest of Di Gregorio relates to a dossier that's been open on him since last year, when he was at Astana. The French press feel it's very important to mention this, for some reason.
However, even if Cofidis weren't directly involved, if he was carrying on doping after he joined them, it doesn't reflect well on their internal control system. You'd think Cofidis of all teams would have learned that lesson.
d.
However, even if Cofidis weren't directly involved, if he was carrying on doping after he joined them, it doesn't reflect well on their internal control system. You'd think Cofidis of all teams would have learned that lesson.
d.
It'll be hard to claw more than a handful of seconds back each descent... If you think of how far you can travel over 10 seconds doing 60kph, the gap is pretty big, but the time difference is pretty negligible unless he can pull it off every single stage. Evans and Nibali can claw back a bit of time like this, but ultimately, they will have to win the tour going uphill.
Shadow
member
- Location
- edge of the south downs
Yes, indeed, but seeing CE and VN storm off down the mountain puts pressure on Sky, even if only mentally. Such pressure could lead to an error of judgement and then...who knows. Both Froome and Tressiakoff both nearly came a cropper on sunday on the same stretch of road. Froome and Wiggins will need to keep calm and relaxed on the long descents.
smutchin
Cat 6 Racer
- Location
- The Red Enclave
To be fair, montage has a good point. I was thinking in particular of Voeckler's win in 2010 on the same descent, but forgetting that he was already some way clear of the chasers at the top of the climb. Ballan, who was only a handful of seconds behind Voeckler at the summit, finished 1:20 behind him.
That was the same stage where Schleck lost his chain on the climb and Contador attacked, but even Schleck (a notoriously bad descender) only lost 39 seconds to Sammy Sanchez (one of the best descenders in the business).
d.
That was the same stage where Schleck lost his chain on the climb and Contador attacked, but even Schleck (a notoriously bad descender) only lost 39 seconds to Sammy Sanchez (one of the best descenders in the business).
d.
Tomorrow's stage is a not quite carbon copy of one of the stages in the Dauphiné. I reckon it should be good for Nibali to attack downhill. On the other hand in June the major contenders all finished with the same time although the ending is fractionally different - this one is slightly uphill.
Apart from that there is the other on stage 16 as you said. I know it's not the final climb but the descent of the Aspin is very technical isn't it?
I wasn't surprised nothing came of yesterday's downhill. The profile of the stage looked downhill but quite elongated end and you sometimes see people catching up just before the finish in those situations even if someone does escape.
