2011 Critérium du Dauphiné, Stage 7: Pontcharra - La Toussuire, 117.5 km

[canyonball]

Joaquin, pure class!

1.Kern. I rated him as a climber oriented rider, but mostly remember the french from entering random breaks. He really was amazing. For me, Dauphine's "MVP"

2. Sky. I have seen it in sprints. I have seen it in classics. This time they actually took responsability of the race when riding uphill. Chapeau to EBH and Uran.

3. Wiggins. Build his lead on the TT and controled his pace on the climbs. Which is basically the only way he will ever win a race. Smart riding. Well done. Makes me think of Rogers. Will he chase the ilusional Top 5, focus on this type of races or just return to the track?

4. VDB. Just because of a certain thread. Sometimes you follow wheels beacuse you're afraid to take risks. Sometimes you follow wheels because your legs are shut down. I believe the latter applies to VDB at the Tour, 'cause his certainly not afraid to attack.


Honorable mention: Voeckler is awesomeness. Gesink is on track. Evans...I don't know what to say, but not sure I really care. As much as I like him, I doubt he can be a factor at the Tour.

 

[Jamsque]

Heh, you don't really think Horner or Leipheimer have a shot at winning the Tour, do you? I'd bet on ****ing Wiggins before either of them.

Didn't you hear? Horner is the 2nd best climber in the world.

And it's not as though JB has a chance either, he looks awful even relative to other guys that have yet to peak (Evans, Gesink)

 

[auscyclefan94]

****...BMC have been ****. FFS, Karsten Kroon was the 2nd best BMC rider yesterday on the climb!

 

[dlwssonic]

I dont agree Evans looked strong, he was in trouble on the penultimate climb

la toussiere is a tempo col which suits evans, but on the steeper stuff he looks not so good

are there any steep stuff at the tour

 

[Timmy-loves-Rabo]

are there any steep stuff at the tour

yep. Not zoncolan steep, but enough to give evans no hope.

 

[Captain_Cavman]

No shock there. He owned the GC faves in he TT.

Maybe no shock to you but go have a look at the scorn poured on Kirby after the TT for suggesting Wiggins might take the overall.


Of the TdF contenders, VDB2 will finish highest in July on that form.

 

[BillytheKid]

JB likes JB a lot, don't be so sure.

What do you base that on? JBraj is still on the young side and unlikely that he's yet at the grand tour stage, but I never seen anything that would back up what your spwewing out. The Shack have a problem in that they have too many GC riders, Kloden, Leipheimer, Horner and maybe Jani. One those top ten for the TdF, but not a podium.

 

[auscyclefan94]

yep. Not zoncolan steep, but enough to give evans no hope.

LOL, we'll see.

None of you won't beleive the bashing I have given BMC. **** they are hopeless! Show some ****ing balls and ride!

 

[Andy99]

LOL, we'll see.

None of you won't beleive the bashing I have given BMC. **** they are hopeless! Show some ****ing balls and ride!

Please ignore the above. Obviously someone has hacked into ACF's account.

 

[Havetts]

Please ignore the above. Obviously someone has hacked into ACF's account.

Haha, nice one.

 

[BillytheKid]

Didn't you hear? Horner is the 2nd best climber in the world.

And it's not as though JB has a chance either, he looks awful even relative to other guys that have yet to peak (Evans, Gesink)

JB reported ill yesterday. Horner got a little excited when he said that (he did just ride away from A. Schleck on a 5k climb, plus 1:15), but he, like Wiggins has dropped a lot of weight. Horner can TT better than most, but nothing like Wiggins. Sky also have some real fire power as a GC team.

 

[movingtarget]

He's looked very average the past two days.

Evans was better today and will be better in July...........I hope. You are started to lose hope in a good TDF ride ?

 

[BillytheKid]

Heh, you don't really think Horner or Leipheimer have a shot at winning the Tour, do you? I'd bet on ****ing Wiggins before either of them.

One of them top ten, oustside (stretch) at a podium.

 

[Richeypen]

Evans was better today and will be better in July...........I hope. You are started to lose hope in a good TDF ride ?

Evans will be stronger in the Tour but where will his support come from?

 

[taiwan]

Evans

Looking at the whole race, Evans must be feeling pretty good. Not in peak condition quite yet, and still managed to ride quite passively to a second on GC. Seems like that's where you would want to be going into the Tour.

 

[BillytheKid]

Evans will be stronger in the Tour but where will his support come from?

Right. Sky was impressive here because they had the complete components for a GC team. Only one (and the same ITT) in the TdF though, got to favour AC, AS. Two ITT's and Wiggins would have a better shot.

 

[BillytheKid]

Congrats to Wiggins and Sky.

 

[Pharazon]

Right. Sky was impressive here because they had the complete components for a GC team. Only one (and the same ITT) in the TdF though, got to favour AC, AS. Two ITT's and Wiggins would have a better shot.

exactly... even if wiggins got a big chunk of time in the itt, there is no way he could defend it..

but with ac in the field, he won't get that much in the itt anyway

 

[Chef_Vodnik]

I like how well the french are doing this year.

 

[Ildabaoth]

I don't like Wiggins. Specially after hiw "Wigan" stuff. But he really deserved to win. A great ride. I hate when a rider TT his stage win because of soft mountains, but he was clearly one of the top climbers here too.

I don't get the Voeckler and Pinot bashing for wheelsucking. They are french, for god's sake . Did somebody expect them to be of any help in today's climb? (nothing against them; I did actually live in france for several years and I like a lot of french cyclists).

 

[Waterloo Sunrise]

exactly... even if wiggins got a big chunk of time in the itt, there is no way he could defend it..

but with ac in the field, he won't get that much in the itt anyway

You need to be on crack to even discuss Wiggins winning.

If there were 2 long TT he might have more of a chance of clinging on to 3rd or 4th again, but the chance would be slim.

Great win today, points to where he should focus really, there are lots of 1 week races he could win if he chose to focus there.

 

[auscyclefan94]

Evans was better today and will be better in July...........I hope. You are started to lose hope in a good TDF ride ?

Not lsoing hope. Just unhappy with those muppets being morabito, moinard and santaromita.

It is on ACF's to do list to write a very angry rant about the hoplessness of those 3.

 

[dlwssonic]

Not lsoing hope. Just unhappy with those muppets being morabito, moinard and santaromita.

It is on ACF's to do list to write a very angry rant about the hoplessness of those 3.

go check my post on the suisse forum. morabito and santamorita actually did ok but they werent there at the important moments with evans.
cheer up evans got a 2nd and is looking good.

 

[movingtarget]

Looking at the whole race, Evans must be feeling pretty good. Not in peak condition quite yet, and still managed to ride quite passively to a second on GC. Seems like that's where you would want to be going into the Tour.

As you probably saw earlier in the stage, many people said Evans did not look good. Every time the riders go up a climb, Evans looks bad. Today even his descending is questioned. Evans is like Chris Anke Sorensen, he never looks comfortable but after years of watching, the so called experts still don't get it.

In short, I agree with you. He started the season late with less racing kms in his legs and also missed the two Ardenne classics he was supposed to ride in, due to injury. His whole season is based around being fresher for the second half of the TDF. I think his team management would be happy with how it's progressing with still three weeks till the TDF and five weeks till the third week of the TDF. Even though he has finished second in the Dauphine three or four times now, I think he would think it was worth it if he performed well in the TDF.

 

[Richeypen]

A great ride. I hate when a rider TT his stage win because of soft mountains, but he was clearly one of the top climbers here too.

I might be wrong but of the top 10 on the Stage today, 8 finished in the top 10 on GC. People criticised Paris-Nice this year because of the impact the TT had on the overal result but IMO this was completly different. For me this was a climbers race with the TT used to the right effect.