This is what I love about racing (spoiler)
Last Post 07/15/2013 03:17 PM by carl x. 48 Replies.
Author Messages Informative
79pmooney

Posts:3178

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07/12/2013 11:13 AM
I wanted to say this is what I love about AC, but that's kinda a spoiler.

I love that Contador is the ultimate opportunist.  In the lead bunch with about 50 others.  All the top riders but Valvede.  Sky and others are gloating that Valverde (and all the riders that could protect Quintana) are gone.  Contador sees that Fromme/Skye aren't paying attention and he's gone!  So are a whole bunch of very strong, very motivated riders!

And this is just a boring, flat sprinter's stage, right!

Thanks Contador!

Ben
jmdirt

Posts:775

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07/12/2013 11:18 AM
Thumbs up!
jimmybagadonuts

Posts:7

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07/12/2013 11:27 AM
Yep. Great racing today.
Cosmic Kid

Posts:4209

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07/12/2013 11:33 AM
As i said in the other thread, that was all Riis. AC and teammates executed it perfectly, but Riis was the guy behind that.
Just say "NO!" to WCP!!!!
Yo Mike

Posts:338

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07/12/2013 11:35 AM
+1 Ben

You cannot script nature.
Keith Richards

Posts:781

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07/12/2013 11:46 AM
Great stuff. People can hate on Riis for his doping, but he knows how to play chess out on the roads. You know as soon as the winds picked up he told his team to be ready to play hardball.

Can I say how much I love watching Contador race? Uphill, downhill...dude is always willing to take a shot.
----- It is his word versus ours. We like our word. We like where we stand and we like our credibility."--Lance Armstrong.
Yo Mike

Posts:338

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07/12/2013 11:53 AM
So it is now (Saxo) Contador / Kreuzinger and (Belkin) Mollema / Ten Dam all within 3:01 of Froome
canucklehead

Posts:11

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07/12/2013 12:07 PM
actually yo mike, it's all that you mentioned AND THEIR TEAMS against a solo Froome... 
jrt1045

Posts:363

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07/12/2013 12:23 PM
goes to show that you can dope for fitness but not for intelligence. Sky was taken to skool, been waiting for that one for a while
Keith Richards

Posts:781

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07/12/2013 12:24 PM
Porte finished back with Valverde. Is he spent? Will he be able to help Froome any longer?
goes to show that you can dope for fitness but not for intelligence. Sky was taken to skool, been waiting for that one for a while
Been saying for a while that all they really know how to do in terms of gc racing is race the last climb of the day.
----- It is his word versus ours. We like our word. We like where we stand and we like our credibility."--Lance Armstrong.
geosurf

Posts:68

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07/12/2013 12:26 PM
The enemy of my enemy is my friend


pikeHillRoad

Posts:95

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07/12/2013 12:28 PM
@KR - Kennaugh was further back than Porte. I think Sky are in trouble with their team (duh). How much of a body blow was this to them? Or was it a head shot that left them flat footed?

There are still a lot of guys within 6 mins of Froome, and 4 mins of the podium. I hope the action keeps on.
Keith Richards

Posts:781

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07/12/2013 12:33 PM
Mick Rodgers, who was on Sky last year and is now on Saxo, said earlier that Sky is not nearly as strong as last year. The don't have Wiggins or Rodgers. That is a lot of HP to be missing.
----- It is his word versus ours. We like our word. We like where we stand and we like our credibility."--Lance Armstrong.
stronz

Posts:447

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07/12/2013 01:08 PM
And that, Mr. Froome, is kicking your ass. how on earth do 5 guys from the same team get away in a break? was froome unable to follow any of the saxo wheels as all ten of them sped by him? Puzzling.

Also seems to me that leaving valverde for dead at the side of the road just for a wheel change was unfair. last climb of the day I understand. but 70 or 80km out? seems to be breaking the unwritten rules
longslowdistance

Posts:2881

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07/12/2013 01:15 PM
Such bad luck for Valverde. Cav made his own luck today. Rember when Lance dropped AC in crosswinds a few years back? credit to AC for learning from experience. wow his team was strong today. As for the stage, That was EPIC!
Keith Richards

Posts:781

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07/12/2013 01:46 PM
Posted By stronzo nonfumare on 07/12/2013 01:08 PM
Also seems to me that leaving valverde for dead at the side of the road just for a wheel change was unfair. last climb of the day I understand. but 70 or 80km out? seems to be breaking the unwritten rules


He was a victim of circumstance. Cav's team was trying to lose Kittel. Who was behind Valverde when he did his wheel change.
----- It is his word versus ours. We like our word. We like where we stand and we like our credibility."--Lance Armstrong.
stronz

Posts:447

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07/12/2013 01:51 PM
Youre right Keith OPQS was pushing real hard and valverde just couldnt bridge up in the wind. Really an amazing display of team tactics, strength and opportunism today. Gotta love this stuff!
jmdirt

Posts:775

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07/12/2013 02:00 PM
stronz, I don't think that CF saw it as a threat. He figured that the two front groups would come back together before the end. I know that sounds dumb, especially in hind sight, but how else can he explain one of the best TTers in the TdF not getting in that group?
Cosmic Kid

Posts:4209

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07/12/2013 02:07 PM
Posted By stronzo nonfumare on 07/12/2013 01:08 PM
And that, Mr. Froome, is kicking your ass. how on earth do 5 guys from the same team get away in a break? was froome unable to follow any of the saxo wheels as all ten of them sped by him?


because one Saxo rider (or matbe it was Belkin guy) sat up just as Saxo hit the gas. Things were getting stretched, one guy sits up in the wind and opens the gap......BOOM. Game over. Froome was up there (you could see him at one point trying to come across) but it happened so fast, there was no time for SKY to react. They were letting OPQS do the pace work and got caught out.
Just say "NO!" to WCP!!!!
Hoshie

Posts:134

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07/12/2013 02:17 PM
Yep. This is classic Tour D France turn about.

Now Contador sees the possibilities so Froome is going to have work extra hard to stand a chance.

A younger AC got caught out once you may recall, and he learned that lesson.

J

Cosmic Kid

Posts:4209

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07/12/2013 02:23 PM
As exciting as today's race was, let's keep some perspective......Saxo burned a LOT of matches today and *only* gained a minute. Today's result was because of team tactics, not individual strength.

AC is still almost 3 minutes down and, at some point, will need to go mano-a-mano with Froome. Up through today, he has not been up to the challenge.

Saxo may be stronger than SKY, but Froome is still stronger than AC (at this point). Today removes the stranglehold that SKY seemed to have on the race, but Froome is still in a comfortable position.
Just say "NO!" to WCP!!!!
stronz

Posts:447

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07/12/2013 02:29 PM
i havent seen it but sounds like it was very quick. Looking forward to watching tonight
Keith Richards

Posts:781

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07/12/2013 02:31 PM
And now Froome knows it will not be a processional ala 2012 with Wiggins. He is going to be more vigilant from here on out.
“It was incredible. We talked about it this morning as we knew the wind was strong,” Cavendish revealed. "Gert Steegmans wanted to go, and this was after 60 kilometres, and Tony Martin said to wait a little longer. Next thing, Gert goes and it just kicked off from there.
Belgians. Don't mess with them in the wind.
----- It is his word versus ours. We like our word. We like where we stand and we like our credibility."--Lance Armstrong.
jimmybagadonuts

Posts:7

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07/12/2013 02:47 PM
Watch out for Quintana he's got a green light now. He will certainly try to shake things up.
Yo Mike

Posts:338

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07/12/2013 03:15 PM
French riders will of course target Sunday's stage for Bastille Day: Ventoux.
CERV

Posts:151

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07/12/2013 03:35 PM
That was a great stage. Not much more exciting than echelon racing in cross winds. Doesn't matter how strong you are if you are in the wrong position and end up in the gutter or with a gap.
Don't mess with the belgians. It's really too bad about valverde as that takes away movistar having two GC options to attack and counterattack the yellow jersey, It's up to Belkin and Saxo now.
79pmooney

Posts:3178

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07/12/2013 03:42 PM
Cosmic, Contador appears to be coming in to form. Froome has been at a high level for a long time. I can imagine their paths crossing soon. If they do, Froome may be on the big time defensive and may need all of those minutes. Plus, as I posted weeks ago, Contador has a gift for picking up allies when needed.

Still very much a horse race! Could even be the best in years. Let's hope.

Ben
PlanB

Posts:15

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07/12/2013 03:52 PM
Following up on Cosmic's comment, there's another way to look at this, the meta-tactics: Sky conceded a a minute-plus on the road today as the investment in taking five minutes out of Contador's climbing legs on the weekend. There are many kinds of opportunity in racing. I'm not saying that it was planned, and certainly not that it's a done deal, but if you've ever raced for competent tacticians, you know that this is exactly the kind of poker that's going down in DS's bucket seat.
Entheo

Posts:317

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07/12/2013 04:12 PM
froome faded in the vuelta against purito. but i think he's stronger now. but contador, sans pyrennian beef, can he still repeatedly attack in the 3rd week en las montañas? he'll have to ride heras-style change of tempo to break froome; but again, not sure he can if he's on a different 'diet' (wink wink).
Keith Richards

Posts:781

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07/12/2013 04:17 PM
I think Contador's form is coming around. I had an old TdF video and Robert Millar states in an interview, "my form usually comes around on the 10th or 11th day."

Can Froome really hold the form with the attacks that are coming? Contador got Purito on a transitional stage.
----- It is his word versus ours. We like our word. We like where we stand and we like our credibility."--Lance Armstrong.
CERV

Posts:151

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07/12/2013 04:29 PM
Sounds like it was a decision made by the team, on the roadm in the spur of the moment too:
From the velonews article:

Nicholas Roche recounted how it went down: “I said to Michael, ‘let’s do something.’ Mick looked back, and Alberto gave the nod. Then Michael said, ‘let’s go!’ And off we went. It was something that was decided in three seconds.”

In an instant, the six riders from Saxo pounced. There were no more words exchanged. No one waited for orders. No radio checks to the sport director. Everyone knew what to do.

“It was something completely spontaneous,” said Tosatto. “You cannot plan that. The conditions were optimum for a situation like this. When we started to pull, there’s no hesitation. It was full gas.”
Keith Richards

Posts:781

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07/12/2013 04:52 PM
That is even better! Nice to see some of these guys don't need earpieces to know what to do.
----- It is his word versus ours. We like our word. We like where we stand and we like our credibility."--Lance Armstrong.
Ride On

Posts:537

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07/12/2013 05:26 PM
Sunday is to going to be easier to control. I've got stage 18 circled as when they throw everything at him., but today showed you can never tell and he better stay on his toes.

Great stage today
Orange Crush

Posts:4499

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07/12/2013 08:04 PM
Sounds like a nice stage today. Will have to look for a rerun. Stage 18-20 is where the others can take it further to Sky. Ventoux is tailor made for a repeat of Ax.
laurentja

Posts:122

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07/12/2013 08:36 PM
If you were watching the whole race live, it was actually Belkin that started throwing down in the crosswinds. At 30k to go Saxo started working too when they noticed Froome was isolated.
Inferno7

Posts:344

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07/12/2013 08:48 PM
Great day. Thank you Omega, and Saxo for making the day eventful.
jpouchet

Posts:81

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07/12/2013 10:16 PM
Good read on the internet but I'm in a hotel with no NBCSports channel.

Excellent lesson in tactics. Will likely be included in future coaching manuals.
Ride On

Posts:537

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07/12/2013 10:40 PM
Froome is lucky some of the other teams with him put in some effort, without some help he could have lost 2 min.
JS

Posts:61

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07/12/2013 11:29 PM
Some great stuff from Fuglsang regarding today.

"Saxo Bank opened up and I just happened to be in a good spot, a good position, and I managed to get on the wheel of Sagan," he said at the finish.

"The moment they start going you can see it and you can hear it because people start screaming and it goes crazy."


stronz

Posts:447

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07/13/2013 01:41 PM
I watched the NBC re broadcast last night with phil and paul. Jesus what awful coverage. First off every other word out of phil's mouth is a sponsor spot "the Geico this" and the "cadillac that" second off we get 90 seconds of riding then a series of the same exact commercials. And worst of all they show the decisive break by Belkin and Saxo as a "look what happened while we were on commercial" reprise. What? They dont have the entire stage on film so they can show us the action "real time" It is so bad and the two of them make such idiotic remarks. Bobke is a doofus and his" insights" are moronic its just tired. Much prefer the internet eurosport feeds with Sean Kelly and others.
BikeCzar

Posts:53

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07/13/2013 05:42 PM
ok then...

I like them.
Yo Mike

Posts:338

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07/13/2013 06:16 PM
Those 2 ass-kissing hacks should have been shht-caned a long time ago.

I am perfectly OK with Kelly and the Brit commentator - Carlington (?)
Keith Richards

Posts:781

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07/13/2013 06:26 PM
I admit I was not happy with yesterdays coverage as well.

I wanted to see Saxo's move from the helicopters.
----- It is his word versus ours. We like our word. We like where we stand and we like our credibility."--Lance Armstrong.
THE SKINNY

Posts:506

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07/13/2013 08:07 PM
nbc sports coverage is worth the $30. i've napped through all the major happenings. the initial commentator, matt k. is really pretty good but at some point they switch over to paul and phil.
How we spend our days is, of course, how we spend our lives.
8art8

Posts:11

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07/13/2013 10:30 PM
I started supplementing coverage a few years ago w/ this podcast: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/itv-tour-de-france-podcast/id163658288

Chris Boardman & some other guys w/ funny accents who sound a lot like John Oliver and are almost as funny. Loads more informative than the usual. I am a little ashamed to say I have *watched* less than 1 hour of coverage this year but have *listened* to every stage & still feel somewhat involved. okay, that isn't a real link eh? search *ITV Tour Podcast*
THE SKINNY

Posts:506

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07/15/2013 01:58 PM
i thought this was funny:
http://ftw.usatoday.com/2013/07/pig-carrying-man-tour-de-france/
How we spend our days is, of course, how we spend our lives.
cabron fiber

Posts:17

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07/15/2013 03:00 PM
What's in his other hand?
RNDDUDE

Posts:78

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07/15/2013 03:14 PM
My guess is it's a cordless inflator.....
Reality is merely an illusion, albeit a very persistant one. -Albert Einstein
THE SKINNY

Posts:506

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07/15/2013 03:17 PM
i think it's a leg from the pig.
How we spend our days is, of course, how we spend our lives.


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