Cosmic Kid
Posts:4209
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| 08/12/2020 09:59 AM |
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Damn....this Wout kid is pretty good. |
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| Just say "NO!" to WCP!!!!
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Orange Crush
Posts:4499
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| 08/12/2020 09:49 PM |
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| Smart ride from Bernal too. Did just enough to get those 4 seconds. |
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Cosmic Kid
Posts:4209
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| 08/13/2020 09:22 AM |
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| yeah, everyone was going crazy about JV putting the hurt on INEOS and I was thinking "Uh....they seem like they are just fine." Today's stage is confirming that so far.... |
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| Just say "NO!" to WCP!!!!
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Orange Crush
Posts:4499
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| 08/13/2020 09:42 AM |
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| Spoke a little too soon maybe CK. Ineos looked good until they didn’t. |
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Cosmic Kid
Posts:4209
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| 08/13/2020 09:56 AM |
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yup....they kinda got used a bit!! Well played by J-V....Sep Kuss looked really good. But both Krujsweik and Dumoulin getting dropped early isn't the best sign for those guys.
Bernal's "attack" was likely a bluff, trying to get things under control knowing he was not feeling great. But Kuss easily covered it
I just hope that Roglic isn't playing the role of Iban Mayo from 2003....crushed the Dauphine but is nowhere in the Tour. And that was kinda what happened to him last year before the Giro...came into it in peak form and suffered over 3 weeks.
but this whole season is whacky, so who know.... |
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| Just say "NO!" to WCP!!!!
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79pmooney
Posts:3180
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| 08/13/2020 10:48 AM |
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Good to see Kuss riding so well. I don't see him as the next American hero but seen him ride with the big boys and ride really well - cool. I'm hoping to see a good, maybe even long career from him as a real quality rider and asset to any team he is on. He strikes me as one of those people who make wherever he is a better place. I'm betting he will make a lot of friends throughout the peloton (though not all are going to like what he does to their legs going uphill!).
Ben |
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Orange Crush
Posts:4499
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| 08/13/2020 11:56 AM |
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I thought Thomas looked much better than last week (when reportedly he came straight off a huge training block). He will be there for Tour. Dumoulin also is showing improving form on only his fifth day of racing in over a year and finished ahead of Kruijswijk today. He will be there for Tour as shadow leader.
Roglic currently has Bernal's number but yes, let's see how this develops over a three week race.
Initially I was surprised that Gesink dropped off early today, leaving only Kuss. But with steepness of climb only a featherweight like Kuss could be of support when it mattered. Well played. Gesink will be needed in coming days when finishes are less steep to defend Roglic lead.
JA showed there will be no repeat of last year's surprise performance. That was perhaps the most stacked field we've ever seen in a race. |
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79pmooney
Posts:3180
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| 08/13/2020 03:00 PM |
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| Of the direct topic of racing but I thought this when I saw the photo of Ineos lining up at introductions this morning - those riders need masks that match their jerseys! Please! The colors! Logos? Sure. The leaders need their matching yellow, white, polka dotted ... masks. In the world of professional, bike racing at its highest level, is that too much to ask for? |
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Cosmic Kid
Posts:4209
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| 08/13/2020 03:32 PM |
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Huge hail storm right after the finish as the lower-placed riders were trying to finish....that was why the feed cut out after the end of the stage.
Holy crap!
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| Just say "NO!" to WCP!!!!
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longslowdistance
Posts:2881
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| 08/13/2020 07:53 PM |
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Locusts to follow?
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zootracer
Posts:833
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| 08/13/2020 08:54 PM |
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that had to hurt!!!!!!
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Cosmic Kid
Posts:4209
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| 08/14/2020 09:35 AM |
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Roglic is in complete control of this race....Bernal cracked in the last KM today and even Sivakov left him.
He just needs to surf wheels for the next wo days and conserve energy for le Tour now. Same w/ J-V as a whole. Let others do the work, keep things in check and start to focus on recovering before the 29th.
Helluva ride by Formolo...great finishes in the Dauphine this year!! |
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| Just say "NO!" to WCP!!!!
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79pmooney
Posts:3180
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| 08/14/2020 12:48 PM |
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CK, did you hear that Formolo wasn't aware of the (false) flat stretch between Madeleine and the finising climb? He psyched himself to do a super descent down and go right into the final climb. He said that flat cost him a lot of energy (he hadn't planned on).
Chapeau to Formolo! A ride he gets to tell his grand kids. |
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Cosmic Kid
Posts:4209
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| 08/14/2020 01:05 PM |
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CK, did you hear that Formolo wasn't aware of the (false) flat stretch between Madeleine and the finising climb? He psyched himself to do a super descent down and go right into the final climb. He said that flat cost him a lot of energy (he hadn't planned on).
No, I didn't hear that yet....yikes! he was definitely crawling in the last few hundred meters. I thought he was gonna get caught. |
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| Just say "NO!" to WCP!!!!
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Orange Crush
Posts:4499
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| 08/14/2020 01:56 PM |
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That would be very poor prep on his behalf.
There is a lot of valley riding there. It was the hardest part of Haute Route Alps. |
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Orange Crush
Posts:4499
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| 08/14/2020 02:26 PM |
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| S ome pretty sharp analysis from Tom. Says the pulling him and Stevie have been doing and then getting dropped is not at all what they had in mind for Tour so good it comes about now and forces thinking about sharpening tactics. |
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longslowdistance
Posts:2881
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| 08/14/2020 03:18 PM |
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What's with the power outage at Ineos?
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79pmooney
Posts:3180
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| 08/14/2020 10:29 PM |
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Posted By Orange Crush on 08/14/2020 01:56 PM
That would be very poor prep on his behalf.
There is a lot of valley riding there. It was the hardest part of Haute Route Alps.
I wonder if Formolo knew he was going for the break, that it was one in ten that his attempt was going to work (its a lottery that depends on both the right other riders showing up and the peloton's actions). So a successful day was getting into the break, getting air time and perhaps pulling a KOM on Madeleine. After that? Peloton's gonna catch ad he'd done his work for his sponsor.
So he heads up Madeleine for the KOM. And he's virtual leader! "Never dreamed this when I went to bed last night but I guess I'm going!"
Lesson learned - always scan the rest of the course even if it isn't remotely possible!
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Cosmic Kid
Posts:4209
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| 08/15/2020 08:43 AM |
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Big news in the Dauphine....Bernal out of the race with back problems. Guess this will get Froome a ride in the Tour now, even if Bernal recovers.
Kruiswijk also out after a crash earlier in the stage.
Thomas got dropped on the penultimate climb....INEOS is a bit of a mess today. |
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| Just say "NO!" to WCP!!!!
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Cosmic Kid
Posts:4209
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| 08/16/2020 08:38 AM |
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Posted in the Lombardy thread by accident, but Roglic is out of the Dauphine after his crash yesterday. Everyone is going down in this race!!
And now a Nasty crash for Sivakov while in the break…hit his pedal in a downhill turn. Almost high-sided, but still came down hard.
He is seriously torn up. Whole left side of his back is road rash. |
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| Just say "NO!" to WCP!!!!
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Cosmic Kid
Posts:4209
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| 08/16/2020 09:39 AM |
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What ab great stage...attack after attack with botht eh stage and overall up for grabs. Greta win for Kuss and martinez went out and grabbed the overall with a gutsy ride.
Bummed for Pinot....he chased hard at the end and thought he might reel them back in, but he came up just short.
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| Just say "NO!" to WCP!!!!
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Orange Crush
Posts:4499
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| 08/16/2020 09:57 AM |
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Nice win from Kuss to salvage the day.
Tom is also looking increasingly strong and consistent.
Pinot found a way to lose overall thrown in his lap. |
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79pmooney
Posts:3180
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| 08/16/2020 11:36 AM |
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Sepp Kuss really stepped up to keep J-V in the limelight. "I trained harder than ever and I’m having so much fun on the bike right now." He sure makes climbing look easy!
https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/ezTcsT4KrpPoF2dED7AySL.jpg
J-V looks like a really good fit for him. He's basically a grunt; a multi-thousand meters of climbing grunt, but when the opportunity to shine happens, he's all there. Seems to have really good racing smarts. I hope my guess is on, that he will have a long, good and appreciated career. (Appreciated by teammates, opponents and insiders. The savvy European fans. We know that concept is completely outside the American attention span. |
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79pmooney
Posts:3180
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| 08/16/2020 11:46 AM |
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OC, Pinot is one rider who might not be an immediate fan of Sepp Kuss!
I was wondering what J-V could do with Roglic gone. They got three riders into the early split. OK, good. Now are you three just going to sit there and just shut down moves to keep Dumoulin at a decent place? Or are you going to do something to make this race memorable? |
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Orange Crush
Posts:4499
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| 08/16/2020 12:17 PM |
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| They had two objectives going into day. Stage win (anyone) and green jersey for van Aert. Both achieved. The slight move up in GC for Dumoulin was ok but never a major goal. He was too far down already. Which goes to point he made earlier in race about fine tuning how this co leadership works if the leader somehow runs into trouble. |
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Orange Crush
Posts:4499
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| 08/16/2020 12:21 PM |
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Posted By 79 pmooney on 08/16/2020 11:36 AM
We know that concept is completely outside the American attention span.
Exactly. A lot of voices saying he should leave JV and become GC leader next year. Way premature. He’s in perfect spot to grow and learn, get opportunities without the immediate pressure of sole leadership something that has crushed many talented riders. |
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