bobswire
Posts:304
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| 07/14/2013 10:43 AM |
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If it's seems too good to be true then it probably is But he is putting on a clinic (in more way than one).  |
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Gonzo Cyclist
Posts:568
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| 07/14/2013 10:50 AM |
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| for sure bob |
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JS
Posts:61
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| 07/14/2013 10:56 AM |
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| To quote Brailsford "small incremental gains".....my ass. Froome has 4+ minutes on second place which is the amount of time covering the next 9 riders. Same as it ever was. Phuck you Team SKY. |
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Cosmic Kid
Posts:4209
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| 07/14/2013 11:00 AM |
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Like I said a few days ago after Saxo attacked in the crosswinds....everyone was getting too excited by that stage and its potential GC implications. AC still had to go mano a mano against Froome......and he once again came up short.
Today's result was really not much of a surprise, IMO. Froome has clearly shown he is the strongest guy in the race. As long as SKY could keep it together to Ventoux, he would be fine. He played it perfectly when Quintana attacked.....kept calm, sent his guys to the front to increase the pace and then reel him in. |
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| Just say "NO!" to WCP!!!!
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cycling chick
Posts:72
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| 07/14/2013 11:01 AM |
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I think that someone needs to analyze those feedbags that they got at 10km. (Hey, how about some sanctions that have teeth for breaking the no feed within 20km, by the way.)  |
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Pits
Posts:6
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| 07/14/2013 11:10 AM |
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| Came on as they were approaching the Ventoux.... Pretty fun to watch. Richie was smiling... job well done! Thanks for the show guys!! |
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huckleberry
Posts:824
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| 07/14/2013 11:13 AM |
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| Same game, different player... |
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Ride On
Posts:537
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| 07/14/2013 11:44 AM |
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| I'd really like to see Froome and an in "form" Pantani go at it. That would be at least fun to watch. |
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madvax
Posts:50
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| 07/14/2013 11:59 AM |
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And this year's winners for best Mont Ventoux highlight clips:
In the category for most exciting moment:
Peter Sagan for his one handed wheelie
In the category for most symbolic moment:
Andy Schleck cracking and then riding off the road
In the category for most extraterrestrial moment:
Chris Froome dropping Nairo Quintana |
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Keith Richards
Posts:781
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| 07/14/2013 12:10 PM |
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What I am most taken aback by is Contador. I have been watching him closely for years now. I could tell by the way he was gritting his teeth at the base of Ventoux that he didn't have it. I guess he did what he thought he had to do in following Froome, but seeing as he was in third and not second on gc, I don't get why he didn't let Froome go and attack out of that second group. As it is, he rode himself into the ground for nothing.
I think it was OC that said todays stage profile set up a repeat of Ax earlier. A dead flat stage leading top an uphill finish does not lend itself to having to play complex tactical games and is tailor made to Sky who obviously fall apart when things get complex out on the road. See the Giro and the crosswinds. |
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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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Keith Richards
Posts:781
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| 07/14/2013 12:10 PM |
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| Oh yeah. Peter Sagan is GREAT for the sport. |
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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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longslowdistance
Posts:2881
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| 07/14/2013 12:16 PM |
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| Anyone know his ascent time? Ventoux can be windy, making comparisons tricky. Looked like a lot of not too stiff crosswind today. |
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Berzin
Posts:76
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| 07/14/2013 12:16 PM |
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Three things stand out about this stage-
1) I've never seen anyone, especially on a climb as hard as the Ventoux, attack by churning up the rpm's like a Fast & Furious race car while remaining seated. It looked like he pressed the nitrous oxide button on his tricked-out Honda Civic when he took off from Contador.
2) Froome took out a minute and a half on Quintana in the last kilometer and a half. That is a lot of time in such a short span of time, considering the last two k's were better suited to Quintana. It's not a big deal that he got dropped, seeing as he did put in a lot of work further down the slopes, but to get hammered like that was crazy. And he didn't look like he cracked-Froome just rode away from him like he was standing still.
3) If you don't like this type of racing, this is what you get when you target Contador for extra anti-doping testing. You allow a rider like Froome to have no competition. |
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Berzin
Posts:76
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| 07/14/2013 01:21 PM |
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| Correction-Froome took 30 seconds out of Quintana. It just seemed like minute and a half. |
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Entheo
Posts:317
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| 07/14/2013 02:20 PM |
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whereas chris anker sorenson's gyrations on the bike are kind of endearing, froome's st. vitus' dance is just painful to watch. the strongest rider with the least amount of supplese.
today's stage brought back fond memories of a couple years ago...
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Keith Richards
Posts:781
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| 07/14/2013 02:25 PM |
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| Yeah, I would rather watch Andreas Klöden get dropped than witness Chris Froome win. Just ugly. |
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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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Ride On
Posts:537
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| 07/14/2013 03:55 PM |
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| Hey at least a lot of bikes and gear will get sold in South Africa next year.... Can't be an all bad thing. If I was a product manager I'd be putting up a job post for a South Africa sales rep. You know they all think he is a hero. |
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Inferno7
Posts:344
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| 07/14/2013 05:23 PM |
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Man I want to know what the heck gear he had on that bike. When he went he seemed to be spinning +120 easy it looked silly he was pedaling so fast.
+1 KR
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Orange Crush
Posts:4499
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| 07/14/2013 05:56 PM |
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Exactly as I predicted, an almost carbon copy of Ax.
Do I believe it? Hmmm. In my mind it is all a bit too predictable. |
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jpouchet
Posts:81
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| 07/14/2013 07:50 PM |
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| Juat watched the afternoon edition, all I can say is Froome has some amazing recovery capabilities. He certainly knows his limits and can ride up to them, hold the redline for as long as needed, and then can recover with almost super-human ease. Smart training, nutrition, sports medicine, etc? Hard to say. But his team sacrificed for so long up the climb that Froome really only had to 'work' for the last 5 k. That does make a bit of a difference although several in the peleton were also able to sit on someones wheel just as long. |
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jmdirt
Posts:775
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| 07/14/2013 09:25 PM |
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| jpouchet, that's one of those "sayings" that dives me nuts! "he only had to work for the last...". Maybe therein lies the issue, if he didn't have to work to keep that pace, that shattered the platoon, that says something. The other one is "he was isolated" maybe he didn't have team mates but he's still on a wheel. A lot has been made of these two sayings over the years but they don't hold much water IMO (I think they might be Philisms). I know you say that in your last sentence but those two sayings... |
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RNDDUDE
Posts:78
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| 07/15/2013 09:48 AM |
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| It sems the tide of public opinion has swung from the LA era of "I don't think he doped" to the current "There is no way he could be clean". If, in this era, the majority of top contenders are riding clean, then a truly gifted rider like Froome will appear to be superhuman. I will stand apart from from the crowd and say I believe him until proven otherwise. If he is indeed clean, his accomplishments are ironically underappreciated. |
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| Reality is merely an illusion, albeit a very persistant one. -Albert Einstein |
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THE SKINNY
Posts:506
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| 07/15/2013 09:54 AM |
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| i would think that any of the top racers are truly gifted. i guess some are more truly gifted that others? |
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| How we spend our days is, of course, how we spend our lives. |
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