Orange Crush
Posts:4499
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| 07/13/2019 08:43 PM |
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| Excellent stage but not too many conclusions other than that a few more guys are more done than they already were. Nibali for sure. |
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79pmooney
Posts:3180
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| 07/13/2019 10:45 PM |
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Posted By Dale Dale on 07/13/2019 06:23 PM
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And the the guys yapping about Alaphilippe and Pinot drafting the moto... ok, fine the moto, what were those two supposed to do, hit the brakes?
+1 Drafting the moto is BS, but that is on the moto driver, the Tour and UCI, not the riders. Asking a rider to NOT take the fastest line to the finish? I'm listening to Angel baseball right now. That's like asking Mike Trout to not swing at floaters down the middle of the strike zone.
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Cosmic Kid
Posts:4209
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| 07/14/2019 06:30 AM |
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Posted By Orange Crush on 07/13/2019 08:43 PM
Excellent stage but not too many conclusions other than that a few more guys are more done than they already were. Nibali for sure.
I think the other conclusion is that Thomas is really strong right now...he made it back to the front group with relative ease, especially when he had to close the final gap.
Oh, and we can conclude that Moscon needs a new bike....dayum.  |
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| Just say "NO!" to WCP!!!!
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Orange Crush
Posts:4499
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| 07/14/2019 09:32 AM |
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Yes Thomas looking good but Ineos as a whole haven't impressed which may open door for a proper race.
Motos are random opportunities. I don't think we should fuss about them unless they cause danger. |
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Cosmic Kid
Posts:4209
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| 07/14/2019 05:28 PM |
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I think Ineos is just biding their time at this point....when they hit the mountains proper, I suspect they are gonna open up a Costco-sized can of Whoop-Ass and ride roughshod over the field as usual.
I hope I am wrong. |
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| Just say "NO!" to WCP!!!!
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longslowdistance
Posts:2881
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| 07/14/2019 06:48 PM |
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Me, too.
Sigh. |
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79pmooney
Posts:3180
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| 07/14/2019 07:54 PM |
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| So the peloton rode a no-drop century charity ride today. (For a French cause, it being Bastille day? Didn't catch that.) Finished together, fresh and hungry for the post-ride feast, (Knowing the race of 15 riders up the road would get there first, but being only 15, couldn't eat it all so there was no rush.) |
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Orange Crush
Posts:4499
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| 07/14/2019 08:18 PM |
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Porte completed stage 9 without crashing.
All bets are off now. |
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Cosmic Kid
Posts:4209
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| 07/15/2019 10:20 AM |
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| Well damn....what a stage! |
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| Just say "NO!" to WCP!!!!
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Cosmic Kid
Posts:4209
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| 07/15/2019 10:45 AM |
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Posted By Cosmic Kid on 07/14/2019 05:28 PM
I think Ineos is just biding their time at this point....when they hit the mountains proper, I suspect they are gonna open up a Costco-sized can of Whoop-Ass and ride roughshod over the field as usual.
I hope I am wrong.
Well, I wasn't wrong...except for the part about waiting for the mountains. Who would have thought the Tour would essentially get decided on a Sprint stage?
Yates and Mas still within striking distance....but it is really down to the internal Ineos battle now. |
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| Just say "NO!" to WCP!!!!
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Orange Crush
Posts:4499
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| 07/15/2019 10:57 AM |
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Ok now Thomas is a shoe in.
Kruijswijk is sitting better and will fare better than Yates or Mas. He's a week 3 rider. |
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Dale
Posts:1767
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| 07/15/2019 12:46 PM |
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Good grief! When you lead out the sprint with Viviani on your wheel and still take the win you know you can play in the bigs.
Yeah, the GC just got boring |
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Cosmic Kid
Posts:4209
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| 07/15/2019 12:58 PM |
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Posted By Orange Crush on 07/15/2019 10:57 AM
Ok now Thomas is a shoe in.
Kruijswijk is sitting better and will fare better than Yates or Mas. He's a week 3 rider.
The Thomas / Bernal issue will, IMO, get settled on Stage 12....mountain stage, but not a summit finish. That plays into Thomas' hands vs. Bernal. And then Stage 13 is the TT....so as long as Thomas stays with Bernal, or within a few seconds, he should solidify his role as the leader the next day. Once he gets a significant time gap on Bernal, there is no way they can let Bernal go out and attack the defending race champ (who could potentially be in yellow). |
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| Just say "NO!" to WCP!!!!
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79pmooney
Posts:3180
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| 07/15/2019 02:20 PM |
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Great racing today. CyclingNews predicted a break/sprint/Sagan stage. Happily, quite wrong. I just wish the big benefactor wasn't Ineos though they completely deserved their "victory".
Landa blew it. I could see Movistar's decision to drop back and help him. Cool that Quintana did what he had to do to get that magic s.t. Broken record here - I love that petite Quintana can ride with the big boys. Got his respect a few years ago by pushing one of the peloton bullies off the road. Hung out in the lead group a few years back on one of those brutal southern France crosswinds. I just wish he could dig deep and find a tiger in his tank. Maybe next week when Movistar has to support him - if he can find it. So far this year he hasn't quite had the form. Maybe (am I just wishing?) he has finally gotten it right and will be peaking week three in the high mountains he was born to thrive in.
So, sorry it was Ineos, but what great racing! This is what I love to watch. And to have it play out with the big boys, not the tiny 15 man race I rode across town to see yesterday.
Edit: just read ttat Landa flatted. I forgive him. S*** happens. Just epic bad timing.
Ben |
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Orange Crush
Posts:4499
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| 07/15/2019 02:38 PM |
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Barguil crashed Landa.
http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/tour-de-france-barguil-admits-causing-mikel-landas-fall/
Pinot & Co took the wrong side of a roundabout which cost them 40 spots and put them on wrong end of split.
http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/pinots-tour-de-france-hopes-dealt-hefty-blow-in-crosswinds/
Great racing. Too bad about Pinot; he seemed like the one guy who would make life difficult for Ineos and he had the team to back it up. I'd also would rather have seen Landa than Quintana stay in front group as he has a bit more fight and unpredictability in him. |
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