Criterium du Dauphine (some spoiler)
Last Post 06/11/2021 02:36 PM by Orange Crush. 18 Replies.
Author Messages
79pmooney

Posts:3178

--
06/03/2021 09:39 AM
I usually don't follow the Dauphine very closely but ! guess I"m suffering a little withdrawal after the Giro.

Today's stage was interesting.  Asgreen going into the early break, then Cerny bridging up to it.  I knew those 2 were way too threatening and the break would get shut down but it made for a fast, nervous stage with a bunch of crashes.  (Well, I doubt anybody considered Cerny a real threat up there but giving Asgreen another very good engine?)

Colbrelli is impressing me.  He looks like your typical "flattie" sprinter with a track and field physic (hammer throw?) but is regularly getting over hills in very good form.  That ending was fun!  Not typical at all.
Orange Crush

Posts:4499

--
06/03/2021 11:06 AM
Colbrelli is looking very strong which would make this missed opportunity number three of the week. He sounded pretty frustrated on the one day he did win and today would not have helped his mood.
Cosmic Kid

Posts:4209

--
06/03/2021 09:17 PM
Thomas’ move today was well-executed, but it also carried a slight whiff of desperation.
Just say "NO!" to WCP!!!!
79pmooney

Posts:3178

--
06/03/2021 11:03 PM
I didn't sense desperation. He said after that was completely spontaneous. Saw the opportunity, told one teammate and went. I'd say it was rather brilliant.
Orange Crush

Posts:4499

--
06/04/2021 10:44 AM
Nice one by old man Valverde.
Cosmic Kid

Posts:4209

--
06/04/2021 08:49 PM
Man....this race has been a snooze fest.
Just say "NO!" to WCP!!!!
Orange Crush

Posts:4499

--
06/06/2021 11:20 AM
My main beef w Dauphine is that it was done by wake up time. Didn’t bother w replays.

Suisse should be better this week.
79pmooney

Posts:3178

--
06/06/2021 12:51 PM
Good work by Padun. The rest of the stage? Snoozefest. I was hoping it would play out that Kuss could be in with a chance at the stage win and be given a free hand.
79pmooney

Posts:3178

--
06/06/2021 12:55 PM
Now that mountainous opening TT of the Tour de Swiss! 20,000mm of climbing! (Home field advantage paid off.)
longslowdistance

Posts:2881

--
06/06/2021 04:47 PM
Ha! That’s not a typo! Surprised to see Dennis lower down the list. JA had a good ride.
Orange Crush

Posts:4499

--
06/07/2021 11:01 AM
Suisse Stage 2 was already better than the entire Dauphine. Classics style racing. That was a brilliant course for final 10k.
Cosmic Kid

Posts:4209

--
06/08/2021 10:26 AM
Another entertaining stage at TdS.....

This kid named Van der Poel seems like he may be pretty good at bike racing.
Just say "NO!" to WCP!!!!
79pmooney

Posts:3178

--
06/08/2021 11:00 AM
MvdP might be on to something. Using the MTB for stage race training. Disappears into the woods, comes back and wins the 1st two road stages and takes over the GC. (Actually I seem to remember a woman with a name like Marianne something doing likewise.)

I think the secret is training on those heavy, slow bikes. Kinda like weight training. Put him on a light one and he flies.

Orange Crush

Posts:4499

--
06/08/2021 03:57 PM
Potentially the best part of today (although I missed it) was the forcing VDP made at 25k to go. His effort was strong but measured but JA took it up a notch and went for an ill-advised flyer that was reeled in by Ineos, wasting valuable energy. Possible evidence of mind games by VDP.
79pmooney

Posts:3178

--
06/09/2021 11:17 AM
Ah! Bike racing. Had Thomas and Rosskopf worked with Bissegger to keep the break gap and possibly secure the GC jersey for Bissegger, Bissegger might well have been happy to let them have the top podium steps. They didn't and he used their aggression to secure his stage win. And down the line, maybe in different race, different year, Bissegger does not own them a favor. So Thomas and Rosskopf riding selfishly could bite twice.

I love the chess game of bike racing; chess with politics; agreements, a rider's word; spoken or otherwise. Not the I'll give you this amount of $$s or share the winnings if you work for my (say Worlds) win but the unsaid understanding between diesel and a stronger finisher who has a shot at GC.
Cosmic Kid

Posts:4209

--
06/09/2021 12:10 PM
Yeah, the problem is that if Bissegger had agreed to give up the stage win for GC time, someone still would have gone home empty-handed.....so there was o reason to agree to such an arrangement for the other two. better to gamble on getting the stage win on your own.
Just say "NO!" to WCP!!!!
Orange Crush

Posts:4499

--
06/09/2021 12:49 PM
Yawn, that was a pretty pointless and wet stage with a really weird finish, narrowly wrapping around buildings and obstacles to get onto a really wide airstrip only to get shunted into a narrow finish straight again.
79pmooney

Posts:3178

--
06/11/2021 11:34 AM
Bah! I was rooting for Rui Costa. Haven't seen the sprint but it sounds like they got it right relegating him but also that he didn't even need to do it to win.

Fun stage. I love these ones where even if Ineos drives the boring train there is so much action up the road that who cares?
Orange Crush

Posts:4499

--
06/11/2021 02:36 PM
Fun stage? Hahaha, it was boring as hell, only that sprint provided some minimal excitement.

The Swiss were commenting how the long gradual climbs on really wide roads made it seem like everything was happening on slow motion replay. That about sums up the day. Reading about Michael Wuyts' non-voluntary retirement from his Sporza commentating position in 2022 killed some time. His dry humor will be missed.


---
Active Forums 4.1
NOT LICENSED FOR PRODUCTION USE
www.activemodules.com