Gonzo Cyclist
Posts:568
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| 07/11/2017 01:17 PM |
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Contador to Rafal: "Dude, I just can't seem to get away from you!!"
Massive carnage that day, Porte's was crash was horrible
I think Sagan got the shaft, but I think his antics prior to that is what got their attention. Demare has been all over the place, using his head, etc.......and nothing? But he's gone now |
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Orange Crush
Posts:4499
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| 07/11/2017 01:47 PM |
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If Demare clips Bouhanni that stage he's the one out, not Sagan. In a way the DQ was a bit random and simply meant to enforce the message the jury sent before start of Tour that they were not to be trifled with. The initial relegation should have sufficed.
But IMO Sagan was definitely at fault. The key moment was when Demare and others corrected their drift to right and started moving in straight line but Sagan made another hard bank to right to squeeze Cav who definitely had the initial room and came up fast. Cav's headbutt IMO was simply an effort to stay up right as Sagan squeezed him and Sagan's elbow may in turn have been a reflex response to that. Both seemed cool about the affair but fans were not, online comments towards Cav were pretty appalling.
And you are right about Sagan's antics Gonzo. Sunweb DS had warned his team about Sagan at start of that stage after several run ins with Bling Matthews during intermediate sprints a day earlier. Same with Greipel, his initial response showed clear frustration with Sagan. And note that Sagan didn't protest too hard. |
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Cosmic Kid
Posts:4209
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| 07/11/2017 03:53 PM |
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Posted By Frederick Jones on 07/11/2017 10:06 AM
The French stage winner weaved just as much or more.
Except he didn't contact anyone....and the UCI race jury is international and 100% independent of ASO.
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| Just say "NO!" to WCP!!!!
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Cosmic Kid
Posts:4209
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| 07/11/2017 03:56 PM |
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Just wanted to add that Kittell has been brilliant this Tour.....so much so that the sprint stages are becoming as boring as the GC stages. Froome and Kittell both have a deathgrip on their respective competitions.
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| Just say "NO!" to WCP!!!!
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Orange Crush
Posts:4499
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| 07/11/2017 04:12 PM |
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| Yeah, Kittell is on a roll; although Groenewegen has had the higher top speeds as @letourdata has been pointing out. But as McEwen said, its faster in the slipstream. Sprinting is about positioning as much as it is about speed. |
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Orange Crush
Posts:4499
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| 07/13/2017 09:52 AM |
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This may go down in history as boringest tour ever. When Froome boy rides off the road dafuq attack don't wait.
And Quintana bahhaha. |
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Cosmic Kid
Posts:4209
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| 07/13/2017 10:08 AM |
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| Huh. That was....unexpected. |
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| Just say "NO!" to WCP!!!!
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Cosmic Kid
Posts:4209
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| 07/13/2017 10:21 AM |
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| So is Rigoberto Uran the sleeper in the race now? Seems to be able to climb with everyone and can throw down a decent TT. Could be interesting....although I fully expect his to suffer a jour sans, as he normally does. |
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| Just say "NO!" to WCP!!!!
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79pmooney
Posts:3180
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| 07/13/2017 12:43 PM |
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CK, Uran may be the sleeper, but he slept though the finish. My tablemate at the French bakery this morning got to hear me say from 5k on, "Go, go, go!" because this was his opportunity to win the Tour. He didn't. Did you see Froome at the finish? He was cooked! If Uran had gone from a mile or two out (or even on the penultimate) he would have put minutes on Froome, not seconds. Yes, he probably would not have podiumed. Missed his two second bonus.
Tomorrow, Uran better throw it out there and hope Froome cannot recover from today. But he doesn't get a steep uphill finish to do in Froome.
We need more of Contador's killer instinct. Someone needs to bottle it and sell it to teams not named Sky.
Ben |
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79pmooney
Posts:3180
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| 07/13/2017 12:56 PM |
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Posted By Orange Crush on 07/13/2017 09:52 AM
This may go down in history as boringest tour ever. When Froome boy rides off the road dafuq attack don't wait.
And Quintana bahhaha.
+1! Froome may be in the yellow jersey but! bike racing is the chess game on two wheels where there is strategy, tactics, the physical AND bike handling! Riding off the road is like placing your rook in range of your opponent's knight. Oops! Once your hand hits the time clock, it's gone. Instead, Aru and the other moved a pawn and said "our turn".
That should have been a Tour ender for Froome. The other GC's should have made him pay dearly. (Yes he would have gotten back on; he had his teammates but we all got to see a wasted Froome spared that effort a climb later. We should have been watching Froome falling out of the Yellow jersey group long before the finish.)
What's that saying? Nice guys finish last? There couldn't be truth in it, could there?
Ben
Edit: I got confused on the previous post re: Uran and Aru. Yes, seeing Uran win was an eye-opener. But Aru today missed the boat!
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Cosmic Kid
Posts:4209
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| 07/13/2017 03:12 PM |
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The cynic in me wonders if Froome hammed it up a bit today....was willing to let Aru take the jersey to give SKY a break, give the false impression that he is on the ropes and take some of the pressure / optics off them.
let Astana drag the bunch around tomorrow and burn their matches. recover a bit and stay close until it is the right time to drop the hammer. |
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| Just say "NO!" to WCP!!!!
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longslowdistance
Posts:2881
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| 07/13/2017 03:54 PM |
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| . Froome is less superhuman this year. Here's hoping for some fireworks tomorrow |
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Orange Crush
Posts:4499
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| 07/13/2017 04:31 PM |
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Not sure what to think about Froome. CK could be right.
And more hogwash jury interference: http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/vaughters-tour-shouldnt-come-down-to-water-bottles-and-incompetence/ |
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Cosmic Kid
Posts:4209
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| 07/13/2017 05:10 PM |
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| Just say "NO!" to WCP!!!!
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longslowdistance
Posts:2881
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| 07/13/2017 05:24 PM |
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Just another example of the home cooking double standard, French rider vs not French rider. I don't care if the race jury is composed of Elbonians. They know how it works.
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