2011 Tour de France Stage 1: Passage du Gois - Mont des Alouettes 191.5 km

[thirteen]

if that's true,i hope alberto will attack the shiit out of him.on the road.

+1000000000000000000

 

[GroupDK]

Andy Schleck: Contador ´ You have to use your head. !

http://ekstrabladet.dk/sport/tour-de-france/article1581090.ece

I dont understand Andy Schleck and what in the hell can get him to state a cocky statment like that.

Especially when you look at the situation today, and the only reason that Andy dont get the same time, is due to the -3km rule.

And when I try to turn the situation around, and consider that Contador make the same provoking statement.

My conclusion is ! - Not in a million years, actually the oppesit.

And from a youth fellow like Andy Schleck there hasnt won anything big in regards to contador, and trying to tell
a many times champion like contador, that he has to use his head. ! "wauee"

 

[Shardi]

Theres been an awful lot of sulky fanboyism as a result of todays stage.
People like the hitch among others, blaming the 3km rule taking account of the 2km crash but not the 7km one etc..

Grow up, crashes happen. A GC-man with aspirations to win the overall should never let himself drop back to the 2nd half of the peloton, especially not in the last 20-30 kms. Especially not if it's on the premier stage of the 2nd edition in somewhat 40 years to have a mass-start stage 1. Everybody knew there was gonna be an insane tempo and insane unrest, coming into the finale.

Allowing oneself to drop back then is guaranteed to leave oneself at a huge risk of getting involved in a hold-up. Because there was almost certainly gonna be one(or more).

Staying at front at those times and using ur team as shelter, is just as important as beeing at the front at the foot of the Mur de Huy, or having nutrition on the descent that comes prior to the final MTF climb...

 

[spalco]

And from a youth fellow like Andy Schleck there hasnt won anything big in regards to contador, and trying to tell
a many times champion like contador, that he has to use his head. ! "wauee"

Yeah, I don't mind the cockiness so much as the lack of backing it up with wins. Eddy Merckx, Muhammed Ali, Kobe Bryant, Roger Federer - those guys have earned the right to be arrogant, Andy Schleck hasn't.

 

[rhubroma]

Apart from the fanboy sindrome, I simply don't like when any rider is held up because of extra-course issues.

And that crash was caused by the negligence of a fan.

Period.

PS: Has anyone ever bothered to ask how the f-ck the crash at 2 k happened? Uphill, in circa 20? What are these guys cat 4's? Or Keystone Cops?

 

[VemrJR?]

Schleck comes across as a not particularly bright person but he's very mediafriendly and eager to please. knowing esktrabladet where this quote is from you should put the same amount of trust in this quote as you would had it been from the Sun, Bild, or the National Enquirer.

 

[Zinoviev Letter]

Apart from the fanboy sindrome, I simply don't like when any rider is held up because of extra-course issues.

And that crash was caused by the negligence of a fan.

Sure, but the fact is that everyone knew that crashes were likely today. And every GC contender knows that he's not supposed to be mucking about in the rear half of the peloton with less than 10 km to go.

PS: Has anyone ever bothered to ask how the f-ck the crash at 2 k happened?

Good question.

 

[GroupDK]

Andy Schleck: Contador ´ You have to use your head. !

http://ekstrabladet.dk/sport/tour-de-france/article1581090.ece

I dont understand Andy Schleck and what in the hell can get him to state a cocky statment like that.

Especially when you look at the situation today, and the only reason that Andy dont get the same time, is due to the -3km rule.

And when I try to turn the situation around, and consider that Contador make the same provoking statement.

My conclusion is ! - Not in a million years, actually the oppesit.

And from a youth fellow like Andy Schleck there hasnt won anything big in regards to contador, and trying to tell
a many times champion like contador, that he has to use his head. ! "wauee"

Schleck comes across as a not particularly bright person but he's very mediafriendly and eager to please. knowing esktrabladet where this quote is from you should put the same amount of trust in this quote as you would had it been from the Sun, Bild, or the National Enquirer.

As I read it, Its not a statement to Ekstrabladet, its a statement to Ritzau
and EB has just pastet the news from Andy Schleck´s comment after the stage.

But its orignates from a interview from Ritzau news (stated 9 lines down in the EB artikel)

 

[LaFlorecita]

the problem isn't mainly what was said, but who said it. yes, the one that is always making excuses for not wining a thing, always talking about chaingate (his mistake) and forgetting stage 2 and stage 3. in a fair world, andy would've ended out of the podium.

then you have the winner, that has been through a very tough year but still wining 5 or six stage races and doing amazing things. he is tired.

then a stupid fan has a direct influence in the accident and ANDY says that?

that's unbelievable.

Exactly. I couldn't agree more. I hate Andy. I've never hated anyone before, but he's so full of himself, I absolutely disgust him. Would he say the same thing when he was the one who was involved in the crash? I don't think so.

 

[thirteen]

with all the various crashes today, was anybody taken out?

 

[VemrJR?]

As I read it, Its not a statement to Ekstrabladet, its a statement to Ritzau
and EB has just pastet the news from Andy Schleck´s comment after the stage.

But its orignates from a interview from Ritzau news.

so what is the statement from the Bureau?

 

[rhubroma]

Sure, but the fact is that everyone knew that crashes were likely today. And every GC contender knows that he's not supposed to be mucking about in the rear half of the peloton with less than 10 km to go.



Good question.

I really have no idea how far back he was, as that wasn't indicated on the coverage.

Still doesn't change the result.

If Contedor was to be penalized today, then it would have at least been desirable for the crash to have occured between riders, not a mindless fan.

I don't debate your analysis, just the outcome of how it took place, which is not the riders' fault however you look at it, which was my point.

 

[GJB123]

Theres been an awful lot of sulky fanboyism as a result of todays stage.
People like the hitch among others, blaming the 3km rule taking account of the 2km crash but not the 7km one etc..

Grow up, crashes happen. A GC-man with aspirations to win the overall should never let himself drop back to the 2nd half of the peloton, especially not in the last 20-30 kms. Especially not if it's on the premier stage of the 2nd edition in somewhat 40 years to have a mass-start stage 1. Everybody knew there was gonna be an insane tempo and insane unrest, coming into the finale.

Allowing oneself to drop back then is guaranteed to leave oneself at a huge risk of getting involved in a hold-up. Because there was almost certainly gonna be one(or more).

Staying at front at those times and using ur team as shelter, is just as important as beeing at the front at the foot of the Mur de Huy, or having nutrition on the descent that comes prior to the final MTF climb...

2nd half of the peloton? Really? how many riders got past the first incident?

Regards
GJ

 

[GroupDK]

so what is the statement from the Bureau?

I primary know Ritzau from the scandinavien financemarket where they provide instant realtime stockmarket news.
And as I recall you have to have a subscription to have there news feed, and I guess they also supply there news-feed to other news-partner, like EB and BT and TV2 and so on..

 

[JRanton]

Movistar don't have a contender. Losing time like this may even be good for them cos it means they'll get more rope to stagehunt.

Well I'd imagine they at least had some hope of getting Arroyo in the top 10. Maybe Intxausti as well.

 

[Cimber]

He was simply just to far behind. His own mistake tbh. And his team was weak since it was euskatel who pulled the last bit.

After tomorrow he will be 2mins down on Andy and the rest. That should make the mountains interesting cos now he is in a dire need to attack, and he probably have to attack a bit earlier than normal

 

[Zinoviev Letter]

2nd half of the peloton? Really? how many riders got past the first incident?

77. Then you had the guys who actually crashed, so a few more before you get to the guys like Contador who did not crash but did lose time.

The most he could have been forward is about halfway through the peloton. He shouldn't have been that far back and his team shouldn't have let him drift that far back. I mean what the hell are most of the guys on Saxobank even there for apart from keeping Contador in a good position in the peloton and out of the wind?

 

[Zinoviev Letter]

By the way, the Ag2r twitter and facebook accounts say that six of their riders hit the deck today. One of them was Nicolas Roche, but he finished with the lead group. Does anyone know where he went down?

 

[icefire]

2nd half of the peloton? Really? how many riders got past the first incident?

Regards
GJ

1st rider at 1:20 is listed in 79th position. 78/198 is almost 40% of the peloton

 

[Duartista]

Well I'd imagine they at least had some hope of getting Arroyo in the top 10. Maybe Intxausti as well.

I don't think they were really. Although they are due a Pereiro 2006 size stroke of luck...

It would be very sad if Intxausti (for obvious reasons) and/or Amador (first central American in the Tour) had to drop put. Hope they're OK to continue.

 

[Cimber]

By the way, the Ag2r twitter and facebook accounts say that six of their riders hit the deck today. One of them was Nicolas Roche, but he finished with the lead group. Does anyone know where he went down?

Was pretty early in the stage as far as I recall.

 

[c&cfan]

77. Then you had the guys who actually crashed, so a few more before you get to the guys like Contador who did not crash but did lose time.

The most he could have been forward is about halfway through the peloton. He shouldn't have been that far back and his team shouldn't have let him drift that far back. I mean what the hell are most of the guys on Saxobank even there for apart from keeping Contador in a good position in the peloton and out of the wind?

he says 30

 

[No_Balls]

Yes, Saxobank need to have their fair share of blame for todays outcoming. Not because he himself was were he shouldnt have been but for the far from convincing work they put up after the crash.

Having said that, they wont lose 40 seconds to Leopard on a 20 km timetrial.

 

[Zinoviev Letter]

he says 30

He's wrong.

 

[Zinoviev Letter]

Yes, Saxobank need to have their fair share of blame for todays outcoming. Not because he himself was were he shouldnt have been but for the far from convincing work they put up after the crash

Letting Samu's carrot army lead the chase was one of the strangest tactical decisions I've seen in the Tour in quite a while. They were six km from the end. They'll bury themselves for 20 km tomorrow to limit a smaller time loss than the one they didn't bother with today.