Cosmic Kid
Posts:4209
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| 07/20/2017 09:44 AM |
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No one seemed capable of attacking Froome yesterday....not expecting much today...unless Froome crushes all.
For a race that has been so close on time, it has really been a giant snoozefest. |
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| Just say "NO!" to WCP!!!!
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longslowdistance
Posts:2881
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| 07/20/2017 10:26 AM |
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| The motos by the front riders are gendarmes. Is this new this year? Tough guys. Hopefully will keep the road open. Just watched one push a fan running too close to the riders into a ditch. |
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Cosmic Kid
Posts:4209
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| 07/20/2017 10:48 AM |
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Yup....snoozefest. Last 4-5K were OK, but the top 3 riders were never able to separate themselves from each other.
The only rider willing to consistently attack throughout the whole race was Dan Martin....willing to lose in order to win.
Good ride by Barguil, however....been awhile since there has been a rider worthy of the KOM jersey. usually it is a one-day breakaway that rarely leads to a stage win. barguil was at the front of the mountain stages all race adn nabbed two stages in the jersey. Well done. |
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| Just say "NO!" to WCP!!!!
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longslowdistance
Posts:2881
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| 07/20/2017 01:21 PM |
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Agree. Pretty scenery and a well deserved courageous stage win, but o/w a disappointment. Bardet's team did try, props for that. Just too much firepower on team Sky one hand, and Froome is not superhuman this year on the other.
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79pmooney
Posts:3180
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| 07/20/2017 02:43 PM |
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Yeah, Baguil and Martin are the shining highlights of this race; the guys willing to lay it on the line. I like that Barguil has ridden very smart but he had not sat back and cherry picked enough points to take the jersey, instead animating many stages (and winning the mountain jersey by a factor of 2! Plus Barguil got to be photographed doing an epic bike throw. Sprint specialist worthy. Never mind that the camera picked Uran.
Martin is the guy who nobody waited for when his crash wasn't remotely his fault. Managed to lose just 77 seconds. (I believe he also crashed again that stage.) It was the next stage I believe where he went to the front and set a blistering pace up the climb because he knew with his back injury, no way could he come out of the saddle to answer attacks near the top! Now that's some hard racing.
My after the race hindsight says that Ag2R should have sent riders off the front to hang out up the road for Bardet to bridge up to. Probably would not have worked, but the approach they took did little to improve the odds on Saturday.
Once again, the highlights of the Tour are not the race for the yellow jersey.
Ben |
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Orange Crush
Posts:4499
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| 07/20/2017 03:11 PM |
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Bottomline is team strength. Reduce team sizes and racing will get more interesting.
Not as much of a factor in Giro or Vuelta but in Tour everyone has their strongest support riders which makes means any sort of adventure for GC get shut down quickly. |
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Cosmic Kid
Posts:4209
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| 07/20/2017 03:25 PM |
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To OC's point re: team strength, Quintana is rumored to be interested in SKY.
Pretty much indicates what Nairo thinks of his own chances of ever winning the Tour if that is true. |
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| Just say "NO!" to WCP!!!!
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Orange Crush
Posts:4499
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| 07/20/2017 05:06 PM |
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| I do think that Froome is near the end of his reign; he will win but hasn't looked particularly dominant. Quintana could be a successor. Landa could perhaps be a successor but he doens't have same popularity (outside Spain anyway). If Sky is interested in Quintana that should give Landa pause. Perhaps he's better off at Movistar and we could see a switch. |
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huckleberry
Posts:824
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| 07/20/2017 05:58 PM |
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Martin - the only "racer" in the bunch.
F#ck Sky. |
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79pmooney
Posts:3180
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| 07/20/2017 06:56 PM |
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huck, Barguil's not in the GC picture this year, but he does qualify as a "racer" in my book.
Ben |
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longslowdistance
Posts:2881
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| 07/20/2017 07:23 PM |
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| And Alberto. |
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huckleberry
Posts:824
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| 07/20/2017 07:57 PM |
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Agreed. Barguil has been fun to watch - earning and more the polka dots.
Alberto's done. Really been rooting for him, but he doesn't have it anymore. A shame his best years were mixed up with the crap going on with Discovery(Lance)... Kind of lessened his talent in the public eye IMO - but not in my eye ; ) |
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longslowdistance
Posts:2881
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| 07/20/2017 08:33 PM |
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Agreed that Alberto is no longer not a potential stage or overall winner. But many times he rode without fear. La Defie, "the defiance" I think the French call it (correct me if I'm wrong).
It can be a fine line between hanging on too long and going out in style. Tommy V, maybe too long, but he gets a nod, too.
Taking it (way too far) further,remembering poet Dylan Thomas' masterpiece about facing the most final end.
https://www.poets.org/poetsorg/poem/do-not-go-gentle-good-night
And in the poet's voice:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1mRec3VbH3w
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Orange Crush
Posts:4499
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| 07/20/2017 09:39 PM |
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I just can't take Martin seriously. It always looks so hapless and ill conceived.
Aru I is a fighter. Thought he got better of his breathing problems with major nose job but the plumbing is still holding him back. |
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huckleberry
Posts:824
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| 07/21/2017 10:50 AM |
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As a spectator, I'll take hapless and ill-conceived over the seemingly over-cautious/fearful "I don't want to take a chance of losing my 7th place position".
At least Martin puts it out there. |
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