2011 - Criterium du Dauphine - Stage 3: Grenoble 42.5 km ITT

[Timmy-loves-Rabo]

With Degenkolb i was, but EBH came 3rd. Nice rider by Martin. i think a lot of TDF riders have to check their form ( Gesink, Samu, Basso and maybe Cadel if he has already peaked/ falling down )

why, most of them seem on track.
Hopefully cadel doesn't go to hard on the weekend, it'll be a tough 3rd week in july.

 

[auscyclefan94]

why, most of them seem on track.
Hopefully cadel doesn't go to hard on the weekend, it'll be a tough 3rd week in july.

Well the riders who GreenEdge listed are most likely to have a go on the weekend. Gesink, Van den Broeck, Jani + Evans have pretty much said they are going to have a go on at least one of the stages. I think it will be interesting to see which of the gc riders for the tdf at the tour de suisse will have a go because that route is brutal.

 

[boomcie]

I perform every day, you only perform occasionally.
Give up your life!

Care to elaborate?

 

[Havetts]

Care to elaborate?

He performs on the comedy club, but people thought it'd be about the Gesink & VDB2 discussion regarding consistency and performing. That was the joke..

 

[boomcie]

He performs on the comedy club, but people thought it'd be about the Gesink & VDB2 discussion regarding consistency and performing. That was the joke..

Thanks Havetts! That makes his comment sound a little less cocky

 

[El Pistolero]

Relax. It was clearly a joke.

And I wasnt talking about their "ability to brainwash people " or whatever but rather their power.

I was using hyperbole and ott comparisons (very frequently used on here) to point out to Pisti that the company is very very big.

Though I dont have as high an opinion of the company as you do, (love the team) but thats a totaly different topic.




What are you responding to.

The quote button comes in handy sometimes

Perhaps Il Duce was a better example then. I'm sorry, I mean Il Cavaliere.

 

[rhubroma]

There was another thread about the staggering lack of form of Ivan Basso, though it isn't up now.

At any rate, it's shocking that a former Tour contender and a twice Giro winner lost over 6 mins. to Martin in yesterday's time trial. Even considering that he does not excel in the discipline and perhaps he's riding cleanish now.

Could it possibly be, however, that since not near top shape now, also because of his recent crash on Etna, means he will also ride the Tour de Swiss as final preparation for the Tour? If this is the case then he could be just cruising through the Dauphine to save energy for the Swiss event, otherwise if he pushes himself too hard now, and then goes to Switzerland, he won't have anything left for July. Whereas by not trying now, and merely riding at base levels, will mean he can reasonably feel that the Tour de Swiss should bring his fitness just to the right fevered pitch for the Tour.

I'm just speculating, because if he does not have this scenario in his program and isn't riding just to keep the engine warm now, then he's in deep do-do for July. Though I can't see him not having some strategy, or that he really is this bad because just that slow.

In any case, his performance was rather dismal.

 

[Buffalo Soldier]

Ben Hermans never did a TT that long before. Makes his 15th place yet more impressive!

He got a 'free role' for the rest of his giro. On theory that is, in the first race he was already working hard for Brajkovic...

 

[theyoungest]

There was another thread about the staggering lack of form of Ivan Basso, though it isn't up now.

At any rate, it's shocking that a former Tour contender and a twice Giro winner lost over 6 mins. to Martin in yesterday's time trial. Even considering that he does not excel in the discipline and perhaps he's riding cleanish now.

Could it possibly be, however, that since not near top shape now, also because of his recent crash on Etna, means he will also ride the Tour de Swiss as final preparation for the Tour? If this is the case then he could be just cruising through the Dauphine to save energy for the Swiss event, otherwise if he pushes himself too hard now, and then goes to Switzerland, he won't have anything left for July. Whereas by not trying now, and merely riding at base levels, will mean he can reasonably feel that the Tour de Swiss should bring his fitness just to the right fevered pitch for the Tour.

I'm just speculating, because if he does not have this scenario in his program and isn't riding just to keep the engine warm now, then he's in deep do-do for July. Though I can't see him not having some strategy, or that he really is this bad because just that slow.

In any case, his performance was rather dismal.

No, he can't ride the Tour de Suisse, as it starts on Saturday. Unless he skips the mountain stages in the Dauphine, of course.

 

[movingtarget]

He was talking him up to win the stage the whole time too, then he when realised he didn't get it he switched immediately to his GC position.

Not sure whats worse, his love for Evans or what he was doing with Wiggins today.

His constant chat about about Evans was nauseating and I'm an Evans fan ! The Eurosport guys don't seem to have much brotherly love for Vino. Vino's last time check was followed by laughter and something like "oh well that's that." But there are many riders that could be discussed. It seems like lots of people, especially journalists, really want Evans to pull out a perormance in the TDF this year. All I seem to hear about Contador is people saying it is right that he can compete but not a lot else. The fan sentiment seems to be behind Evans and Gesink.

 

[Captain_Cavman]

lol poor guy in 10 years he will be competing against rafael reis at the top of his game. i pitty the guy you are talking about.

If we're talking about a potential future GB star, the best thing his parents can do for him is ship him off to Belgium where the British press won't be so interested.

There was another thread about the staggering lack of form of Ivan Basso, though it isn't up now.

At any rate, it's shocking that a former Tour contender and a twice Giro winner lost over 6 mins. to Martin in yesterday's time trial. Even considering that he does not excel in the discipline and perhaps he's riding cleanish now.

...

I went to trouble of looking at the three sector times rather than than the positions and I seem to remember that Basso was just about the slowest in the final 15 Km. He wasn't that quick before then to be fair, about 105th in the first two sectors. I wondered whether his excessive slowness in the final sector was a result of his crash and an unwillingness to take any risks at all.

 

[El Pistolero]

Ben Hermans never did a TT that long before. Makes his 15th place yet more impressive!

He got a 'free role' for the rest of his giro. On theory that is, in the first race he was already working hard for Brajkovic...

Dauphiné you mean?

Yeah, I expected something from Hermans, had him down to win the youth jersey after Gesink.

 

[El Pistolero]

If we're talking about a potential future GB star, the best thing his parents can do for him is ship him off to Belgium where the British press won't be so interested.



I went to trouble of looking at the three sector times rather than than the positions and I seem to remember that Basso was just about the slowest in the final 15 Km. He wasn't that quick before then to be fair, about 105th in the first two sectors. I wondered whether his excessive slowness in the final sector was a result of his crash and an unwillingness to take any risks at all.

Didnd't Wiggo live in Belgium? Or born in Belgium, one of the two, don't remember anymore.

 

[Mambo95]

If we're talking about a potential future GB star, the best thing his parents can do for him is ship him off to Belgium where the British press won't be so interested.

There's actually a good chance they will. He's already been over there to race.

 

[Ryo Hazuki]

Didnd't Wiggo live in Belgium? Or born in Belgium, one of the two, don't remember anymore.

born in gent

 

[rhubroma]

No, he can't ride the Tour de Suisse, as it starts on Saturday. Unless he skips the mountain stages in the Dauphine, of course.

AH! That's right, thanks. How silly of me.

Well, then, Basso really won't be making the cut at the Tour. I can't see him being competative riding like this.

 

[rhubroma]

If we're talking about a potential future GB star, the best thing his parents can do for him is ship him off to Belgium where the British press won't be so interested.



I went to trouble of looking at the three sector times rather than than the positions and I seem to remember that Basso was just about the slowest in the final 15 Km. He wasn't that quick before then to be fair, about 105th in the first two sectors. I wondered whether his excessive slowness in the final sector was a result of his crash and an unwillingness to take any risks at all.

The only reason I mentioned Basso is that, living in Italy, naturally he was a guy the tifosi here thought would some day win the Tour.

What then took place, we all know, and then Contador exploded onto the scene, though his riding this year has been terrible and he doesn't even seem half the rider he was when Armstrong wasn't able to drop him in the mountains at his last Tour.

La Gazzetta dello Sport hypothesized this morning that he was playing safe on the course, but also couldn't deny that Ivan's performances of late leave no room for comfort in sight of the French race.

 

[movingtarget]

I put Basso in the same category as Sanchez, Menchov, Kloden and Leipheimer. They will never win the Tour now. Menchov's only chance is with two long ITT's. Doubtful whether he will get that in next year's race and doubtful that Contador will lose as much time to him as last year. Not as much as Menchov will probably lose in the mountains to Contador. If Contador does not compete next year, I still think Menchov has a shot but not the others mentioned.