Dale
Posts:1767
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| 05/22/2017 09:54 AM |
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I wonder if Quintana taking 2nd after Dumoulin slowed the group is going to come back to haunt him.
No gifts ...or something like that. The few seconds he gained might not have been worth it... then again if he takes the pink by a couple seconds I'll gladly eat my words. |
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79pmooney
Posts:3180
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| 05/22/2017 11:07 AM |
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I've been thinking about that. Suppose Dumoulin hadn't slowed the peloton and Qinatana lost minutes and any shot of winning. For Domoulin, that could be bad karma. For Quintana to do what he did, if he wins the Giro by seconds, he owes a huge debt to Domoulin. He will be watched closely for a long time.
Bike racing - the most interesting sport because it goes so far beyond the Xs and Os.
Ben |
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Dale
Posts:1767
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| 05/22/2017 01:25 PM |
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Posted By 79 pmooney on 05/22/2017 11:07 AM
Bike racing - the most interesting sport because it goes so far beyond the Xs and Os.
Ben
^This.
My wife and I were telling her kids about Milan-Sanremo and someone marveled that the cyclists could all out for 6+ hours straight.
Nope, the idea is to hold as much back in reserve to be able to go full gas for a few hundred meters or that rare occasion when someone goes from way out.
Chess match on two wheels |
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Spud
Posts:525
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| 05/23/2017 08:36 AM |
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| I would like to see the match played between the riders themselves, without any help from those damn radios. |
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Spud
Posts:525
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| 05/23/2017 09:55 AM |
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| And we're bunny hopping puddles on a decent. . . |
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Gonzo Cyclist
Posts:568
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| 05/23/2017 11:14 AM |
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| bummer for Domulain today, lost time due to a comfort break, he's gonna regret waiting for Quintana after that crash |
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longslowdistance
Posts:2881
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| 05/23/2017 04:39 PM |
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| Perhaps better called a discomfort break. |
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79pmooney
Posts:3180
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| 05/23/2017 08:16 PM |
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Today is the day after the rest day and we have seen many times riders not having it on those days. I wonder if Domoulin's system could not handle the radical changes from riding every day (I'm pretty sure at a level his body has never seen before) to rest to probably the single hardest day his body has ever seen.
There may have been a change of diet for him that his GI couldn't handle. Not hard for me to believe his immune system could also be challenged. I suspect this may be a major advantage to his prime competitors (Nibali and Quintana), who have bodies that have seen this many times before.
I have been saying for years, grand tours are the hardest regularly scheduled athletic events.
Ben |
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Gonzo Cyclist
Posts:568
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| 05/24/2017 09:55 AM |
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| you gotta love Laurens Ten Dam's response: "You saw what happened on TV, right? He had to S***" |
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Spud
Posts:525
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| 05/25/2017 08:40 AM |
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| And here we go! Quintana makes it look so damn easy. |
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Gonzo Cyclist
Posts:568
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| 05/25/2017 10:33 AM |
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Nibali and Qunitana are running out of Time, and Road, love this quote today, no more mister nice guy!
Tom Dumoulin:
"They are only focussing on me, and trying to make me lose instead of trying to win. In the last moment they lost a lot of time to the other competitors. I really hope that riding like this they will lose their podium spot in Milan, that would be really nice, and I would be really happy.
It would be a dream scenario if the other competitors didn't get any closer, but now Thibaut Pinot almost took a minute on me just because Nibali and Quintana made a pact, clearly. It's their right, but it would be nice if they lose their podium spot for that behaviour."
Love the drift back, eyeing his rivals and then throwing an attack, it did not stick, but it was more psychological than anything, "Still Here Boys........"
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Dale
Posts:1767
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| 05/25/2017 10:41 AM |
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Clearly Tom got into their heads today, and he is right, they are forgetting to race.
Not the way I like to see a race and why I like seeing Alberto, he's always gunning for a win or to take time. It's never a race of sitting in.
Sorta ticked at Quintana today  |
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Cosmic Kid
Posts:4209
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| 05/25/2017 10:52 AM |
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As I predicted at the beginning of this thread, this race was gonna be all about Dumoulin......
If he had not had his stomach emergency the other day, this race would be all but locked up now. He is riding strong and is now clearly in the heads of Quintana and , to a lesser degree, Nibali.
This is also classic Quintana....when faced with a strong adversary, he doubts himself and rides wheels. |
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| Just say "NO!" to WCP!!!!
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Habanero
Posts:257
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| 05/25/2017 01:08 PM |
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| Agreed - I don't like to increasingly controlled style of racing where the racers are waiting to be told what to do while the look at power #s. Before Gilbert's storming ride in Flanders, when was the last time you recall someone launching a sortie from that kind of distance from the line? |
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Habanero
Posts:257
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| 05/25/2017 01:21 PM |
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| With his resilience in the steeps and superiority in time trialling this race is Dumoulins to lose at this point.
The only fly in ointment could be Nibbles who is one crafty and strong racer. |
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