Keith Richards
Posts:781
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| 07/10/2013 01:19 PM |
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Valverde is going to ride to defend his podium spot as is Mollema as they are looking at their best result ever in Le Tour.
it is up to Team Saxo-Tinkoff to put on their kamikaze bandannas and win or die with honor trying. |
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It is his word versus ours. We like our word. We like where we stand and we like our credibility."--Lance Armstrong. |
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pikeHillRoad
Posts:95
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| 07/10/2013 01:25 PM |
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Yeah, But I would add, despite public declarations:
Katusha
Garmin
Astana
BMC
All of those teams want stage wins, and will try in the mtns. Maybe not Cadel, but the rest... Of course, I am not sure what they can do against the guy who is clearly the strongest going uphill and also on the flat...
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Keith Richards
Posts:781
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| 07/10/2013 01:32 PM |
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| I am thinking of when Festina sent their entire team up the road to put Ullrich on the ropes the year he won in 1997. They had the front group down to 30 guys 50k into the stage and Ullrich was left alone and needed to rely on Udo and Riis to save him. Guys have to stop waiting to the last climb of the day and lay it out there. |
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It is his word versus ours. We like our word. We like where we stand and we like our credibility."--Lance Armstrong. |
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ChinookPass
Posts:809
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| 07/10/2013 01:37 PM |
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Guys have to stop waiting to the last climb of the day and lay it out there.
then guys like Quintana need to change to a really heavy bike for the descents! |
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jpouchet
Posts:81
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| 07/10/2013 04:06 PM |
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| Expect team EuroCar to send Pierre Rolland flying off the front in his Polka-Dot nightmare costume for a stage win. The man has the legs and lungs to make it stick. Froome won't bother dragging the peleton along in pursuit. |
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Cosmic Kid
Posts:4209
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| 07/10/2013 10:07 PM |
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Posted By Keith Jackson on 07/10/2013 01:32 PM
I am thinking of when Festina sent their entire team up the road to put Ullrich on the ropes the year he won in 1997. They had the front group down to 30 guys 50k into the stage and Ullrich was left alone and needed to rely on Udo and Riis to save him. Guys have to stop waiting to the last climb of the day and lay it out there.
Well, Movistar pretty much did that the other day. Basically TTT'd it for most of the day. Worked to some extent, but just couldn't get Froome to crack.
Dunno how many days a team can do that though..... |
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| Just say "NO!" to WCP!!!!
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durielk
Posts:41
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| 07/10/2013 10:35 PM |
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| I couldn't understand why Movistar kept pulling Froome that day. Why pull the yellow jersey, make him wait for his team or pull the group up to the breakaway. |
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Cosmic Kid
Posts:4209
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| 07/10/2013 10:43 PM |
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They weren't pulling him per we, they were hoping to crack his team and eventually him. Almost worked......
Sometimes to get someone to crack, you just have to make it a long hard day for them. So that mean, for awhile, you are pulling them, but the pace is hardly one that is comfortable.
And sometimes the result of those tactics don't show up until later in the race when fatigue sets in......so maybe they didn't crack him in the Pyrennes, but it may set him up to crack in the Alps. (Not likely, though) |
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cabron fiber
Posts:17
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| 07/11/2013 12:51 AM |
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"They weren't pulling him per se..."
I think he was talking about a particular point in the stage when Valverde and some teammates were up the road and Froome was chasing. Didn't make sense that Movistar kept pulling after Froome caught.
http://www.cyclingnews.com/blogs/robert-millar/the-great-escape |
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Ride On
Posts:537
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| 07/11/2013 06:27 AM |
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| What they need is the weatherman to dial up a good old rain storm and see if Froome can get down a mountain in the rain any better then Wiggins. It's their only hope. |
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Entheo
Posts:317
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| 07/11/2013 08:18 AM |
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| the weather has certainly been in favor of the favorites. a cold, windy rainy day can really shake things up, as it did for ullrich in 98 and the year voekler got something like 30 minutes on armstrong, which took him a long time to claw back.
a nasty day could really put dan martin in the thick of things on GC. |
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Keith Richards
Posts:781
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| 07/11/2013 08:46 AM |
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| Yeah, that third "C" of the three "Cs" of racing (course, competition, conditions) could really change things. |
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It is his word versus ours. We like our word. We like where we stand and we like our credibility."--Lance Armstrong. |
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Orange Crush
Posts:4499
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| 07/11/2013 09:48 AM |
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Stages 18-20 offer best opportunity for cracking sky train.
Ventoux will just be a repeat of Ax |
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jookey
Posts:197
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| 07/13/2013 10:37 AM |
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| You have to keep attacking sky and froome if you want to win. You may crack yourself, but isn't the idea to win the TDF? Why be the first loser? |
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stronz
Posts:447
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| 07/13/2013 01:45 PM |
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| I see Froome trying to attack on the last few Km of Ventoux tomorrow and finding that he cant drop Conta, Valverde, Quintana and Rodriguez. Whether any of them attack is a question (Rodriguez might just do it tho) as they might be saving themselves a bit for the final TT and climbs. Ultimately i see someone further down (Schleck?) going for the win tomorrow. |
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JS
Posts:61
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| 07/13/2013 02:39 PM |
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Posted By Michael Carbajal on 07/13/2013 10:37 AM
Why be the first loser?
World Tour points
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Keith Richards
Posts:781
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| 07/13/2013 02:42 PM |
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![]() http://www.climbbybike.com/profile/Mont_Ventoux-B%C3%A9doin_profile.jpg
The problem is the steepest pitches are early, then it gets "easy" so to speak, for a while. It will be interesting to see if they can crack Froome. |
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It is his word versus ours. We like our word. We like where we stand and we like our credibility."--Lance Armstrong. |
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BikeCzar
Posts:53
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| 07/13/2013 05:48 PM |
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The pitch eases once above tree line but the climb stays difficult. The exposure is high and each of the times I've ridden it the winds have picked up on the upper slopes.
I don't think it's like another Ax 3 at all. It's the longest finishing climb in the Tour. It's a difficult climb and it comes at the end of the longest stage of the Tour in one of the hottest parts of France. I reckon there will be some time won and some hope lost.
Can't wait. |
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Orange Crush
Posts:4499
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| 07/13/2013 06:11 PM |
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| By it being like Ax I meant that it's a relatively easy to control stage for Sky up to bottom of climb after which Froome can theoretically do what he did at Ax. Stages 18-20 are lumpy all day and I suspect the Sky train will come apart which will make life much harder for Froome |
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jmdirt
Posts:775
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| 07/13/2013 06:16 PM |
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There is still some important racing between now and then but I wonder if anyone will try to go long on the first ascent of L'Alpe d'Huez, descend like il Falco, and then attack L'Alp again? I know that's a ~60K move but it could work with two or three guys since its a climb, descent, climb.
The other thought is trying to gain half of the time deficit on AdH and the other half on stage 20 but that's a big gamble as well.
As for tomorrow, I think the best tactic is to attack early (K 225-230) and (try to) hold the gap once everyone is exposed near the top. The last K is a kicker.
Stage 16 also has potential for a shake up if played well. |
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Cosmic Kid
Posts:4209
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| 07/13/2013 10:56 PM |
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It can be hot on Ventoux and it can be very cold. When Ms. CK and I were there for the 2009 race, it was freezing most of the day. Warmed up slightly by the time the race came through, but still chilly.
2000 was also cold (and windy).
OC is spot-on, though.....from a race profile / tactics POV, tomorrow should be relatively easy for SKY to control up to Ventoux. Then it is Froome's job to seal the deal. |
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| Just say "NO!" to WCP!!!!
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Keith Richards
Posts:781
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| 07/14/2013 12:12 PM |
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| Yup. And that he did. |
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| -----
It is his word versus ours. We like our word. We like where we stand and we like our credibility."--Lance Armstrong. |
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jimmybagadonuts
Posts:7
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| 07/15/2013 12:24 PM |
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What was the deal with the Sky feed zone in the last 10k? Isn't the rule 20k? Seems a penalty of some sort should be in order. Froome is taking in energy while everyone else is forced to do without?
Thoughts? |
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Cosmic Kid
Posts:4209
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| 07/15/2013 12:30 PM |
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No, apparently the race organization said that feeds would be allowed later in the race than the normal 20K.
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| Just say "NO!" to WCP!!!!
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