79pmooney
Posts:3180
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| 05/09/2017 01:54 PM |
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Not a bad day. A break member wins. QS hangs on to pink. The contenders hold their fire. (Smart given they were climbing into a headwind and have 3 weeks to go.)
What was the story re: the missed turn and the crashes? From the CN narrative, it sounds like it wasn't obvious to all the riders they were turning off the main road which was left wide open. It isn't rocket science to know that many are going to be trying hard (probably too hard) to get to the front at at the base of such an important climb. So it should be pretty obvious that the road in such area should be very well marked/blocked off. Am I missing something?
Ben |
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Spud
Posts:525
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| 05/10/2017 08:21 AM |
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| Have to admit, that Colnago kit is quite boring. |
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79pmooney
Posts:3180
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| 05/10/2017 11:06 AM |
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Go Quick-Step! They may not be GC contenders, but they sure know how to make a race! They went with a split agenda today and managed to make each half work rather well. (Mild understatement.)
This on top of having a team you don't hear a lot of bad stuff about. Other teams really don't like what they do (especially that echelon stuff!) but they seem to have good working relationships with just about everybody. Yes, I hear the speculation they must be using drugs to have the overall team strength and results they get. Maybe. But they are also the poster team for a country with a long history and passion of being hard men. I think they get the pick of the best of Belgium. I think also that it rubs off on those who come from elsewhere (or they quietly leave?).
Classic racing even when it isn't a classic.
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Dale
Posts:1767
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| 05/10/2017 11:28 AM |
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'zakily... classics style racing in the Giro. Good stage today other than a bit of embarrassment from posting up 6k out
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Cosmic Kid
Posts:4209
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| 05/10/2017 11:42 AM |
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Posted By Dale Dale on 05/10/2017 11:28 AM
'zakily... classics style racing in the Giro. Good stage today other than a bit of embarrassment from posting up 6k out
Yeah, I'm watching that guy form Bahrain-Merida going balls-out to hold off the peloton tinking "yeah dude....hold that power for another 6K. Wait.....no. no way....holy schitt...I bet he thinks this is the end of the race!!"
Idiot. Damn bell is clanging away, too... |
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| Just say "NO!" to WCP!!!!
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Red Tornado
Posts:159
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| 05/11/2017 09:37 AM |
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| IMO the bell negates the "dead radio battery" excuse. Chalk it up to youthful exuberence. |
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Spud
Posts:525
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| 05/12/2017 10:39 AM |
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| Damn! THAT was a sprint finish. |
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Cosmic Kid
Posts:4209
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| 05/12/2017 10:44 AM |
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Posted By Spudly Crumpett III on 05/12/2017 10:39 AM
Damn! THAT was a sprint finish.
Right? I thought Ewan went WAY too early (and he was definitely fading fast), but he had just enough to win and take his first grand tour stage win. |
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| Just say "NO!" to WCP!!!!
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Cosmic Kid
Posts:4209
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| 05/15/2017 10:34 AM |
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| Quintana showed us something yesterday, but Dumoulin answered the bell and stayed within striking distance. I expect him to take the pink jersey tomorrow, but it is still likely just a rental. Movistar will happily let Sunweb defend the jersey until the next big mountain stage....and then I think it will be game over. |
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| Just say "NO!" to WCP!!!!
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Gonzo Cyclist
Posts:568
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| 05/15/2017 11:36 AM |
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| Yup CK, he was keeping quiet, playing down his fitness, etc.........took it too everybody, still not sure about his Giro-Tour attempt, Contador a a couple years back showed it's hard when you rivals are fresh, but that was a tough Giro for him, as you stated earlier, how deep is he willing to go? |
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Cosmic Kid
Posts:4209
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| 05/15/2017 01:52 PM |
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I think Contador's problem when he tried The Double was that he could not contain himself in the Giro. he basically had the race sown up, but still attacked and went way harder than he needed to.
Quintana build a solid foundation yesterday....not enough to shut down the race, but enough to establish himself as numero uno and force others to attack. If he uses the course and his skills wisely, he may be able to take a serious swing at the Double.
That said, the Tour course is horrible for him, so he better not miss his change in Italy.  |
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| Just say "NO!" to WCP!!!!
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Cosmic Kid
Posts:4209
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| 05/16/2017 10:07 AM |
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| Dumoulin throwing down a huge marker today.....currently 2' min up on Nibali. TT stage is throwing everything up in the air, I think. |
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| Just say "NO!" to WCP!!!!
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Gonzo Cyclist
Posts:568
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| 05/17/2017 09:22 AM |
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Funny story this morning on cyclingnews, "Could Quintana and Nibali become allies of circumstance?"
They may need to, Dumoulin threw down the gauntlet yesterday, 2:23 on Quntana, and more on the other rivals, this is going to get interesting
Impressed with Geraint Thomas's ride, placed second while hurting, not bad |
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79pmooney
Posts:3180
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| 05/21/2017 01:16 PM |
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(Spoiler)
I don't know if Quintana can pull this Giro off, but, boy do I like this little guy! Crashes (and Tom Dumoulin plays gentleman and slows the peloton to allow him back on) then goes on to 2nd place in the sprint! A tough guy. And not a whiner. When he doesn't pull it off, he doesn't blame others.
The same guy who never complained about being pushed around as a little guy by the "enforcers" of the peloton (to use an ice hockey term). Just kept his mouth shut and one day rode one of them into a ditch. (I didn't see it. I don't know that it was a ditch, but the guy crashed and Quintana came away with a new respect.)
I am impressed by what I am seeing and hearing this Giro. Good racing. Good rider behavior. Several riders both riding very well and visibly and showing respect for the sport. Quintana, Jungels and Dumoulin all come across as class acts. (Jungels is very young but looks like he could grow into a rider to watch. Tours? Classics?) I think some of this is rubbing off on other riders. Nibaly is carrying himself with more class than I thought I would ever see.
And - what a day for Columbia! No, no stage win. But Gaveria adds more bricks to his points tower (A Columbian sprinter? Who'd a thunk?) And just as unlikely, a 45 kg 2nd place sprint? Is that even possible?
Ben |
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Spud
Posts:525
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| 05/22/2017 09:20 AM |
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| Gonzo, they best be plotting an attack that will bite into Dumoulin's lead. |
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