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I don't think Contador is a favourite. The Vuelta in general (but to be frankly... I haven't looked at the exact route yet) suits his style of racing. But he's definitely over his prime. He could have an impact but it's nearly impossible that he's going to challenge Froome. Still, I would like...

Re: That's true. But it's not a problem. They become defensive because it's the best and most successful way to ride. They would be fools not following such a strategy. The thing is to create rules and parcours in such a way that other tactics become more attractive. Smaller teams are such an...

It's not just about the 90's. ITT (apart from the very first few years) was always a big part of the Tour. It's just a few years since it has been reduced and finally more or less abolished. If we talk about Hinault, Merckx, Anquetil or other giants in the past all of them were superb in time...

That's definitely true. They might not be the very best shots but they come immediately afterwards. And there are further good climbers behind who might not be good enough to enter the top 5 but who are really solid helpers. Bardet has to improve his time trial but he climbs with the very...

Barguil did a superb Tour. If he had ridden the Tour to challenge the GC he certainly would have finished within the top 5 with a clear shot of a podium finish. He climbed on the level of Froome and Bardet. It all depends on the parcours. Dumoulin is great in time trials and really good on 1...

Imo it's not about a close or even an exciting race. It's not about bringing French riders on the podium. It's about class. It's about being a complete rider and being able to face every terrain if it's the mountains, time trials, hills, descents, cobblestones, flat sections or even sprinting...

It would be a silly decision or at least a quite risky one to ride the Vuelta. The reason ist just the inner competition with Barguil. Whereas a strong Vuelta could secure Dumoulin's spot as the captain for the next Tour a relatively weak race could put it in jeopardy. He has more to lose than...

Re: Tour de France 2017 Stage 18: Briançon - Izoard, 179.5km I agree that the climbing level of this Tour was okay. It wasn't bad at all. But the records we saw had easy recommendations (Peguere and Croix-de-Fer never have been ridden really hard in the past) Still, I really think Valverde...

I am not sure of this. Contador is clearly declining, Nibali shows the same signs and even for Froome is suspected to decline by a lot of users. Horner is the exception but certainly not the rule. The same goes for Valverde. It's not that Uran will get plenty of chances again. At least he cannot...

Yeah, he probably can't. Froome usually is never shy of gaining time. He is slightly better that his competitors but he cannot play with them. Tomorrow is the time to go all in and gain some time. But if he had the legs of 2013, he certrainly would have attacked more often rather than just...

DaVoltas just has mentioned the emotional aspect. That's absolutely true as well. The feelings on the Champs Elysees are something really special to every rider. Uran has never experienced this and possibly he could never experience it again. He is not the yougest rider anymore and he wasn't...

You can always gamble. But you have to know the odds. Uran really has a lot to lose. He apparently has contract negotiations this year and a podium spot can earn you a lot of money. Of course, a victory earns you even more money but you can also tumble very deep. In this context you have to take...

We shouldn't take the Tour win for granted but he really has a shot at the Vuelta. Apart from Nibali I don't expect any big name contesting the Vuelta GC who is fresher than Froome. He clearly has built his season around the double so he will be well prepared.

Re: Re: Yeah, this is just wishful thinking and absolutely no realistic contemplation. This is the Tour and not a *** race. A podium spot is really important.

If Froome is victorious in his double attempt this year, he definitely should ride the Giro next year. Winning all 3 GT in a row would be a huge achievement that not many riders have done before (maybe Merckx?). He won't be able to win the Tour next year in this case but as there is one more...