2011 Tour de France Stage 13: Pau - Lourdes 156km

[rainman]

can Voekler keep yellow today?

He probably will. Can see the big guns keeping there powder dry for tomorrows monster stage.

 

[personal]

Contador and S. Sanchez going hard on the climb and distancing Schlecks on the decend with Samu helping Contador going down and Contador giving a stage to him?

Or is it too far to the finish for that?

 

[Midnightfright]

Contador and S. Sanchez going hard on the climb and distancing Schlecks on the decend with Samu helping Contador going down and Contador giving a stage to him?

Or is it too far to the finish for that?

Looking at his form yesterday Contador won't be dropping the Schlecks.

 

[the vagabond]

Leipheimer should try to go away on Aubisque. He's hopelessly behind and is going to fall further behind tomorrow. It's his only chance for redemption. Won't happen though - too much suffering and Shack has the excuse that they're still targeting the overall.

 

[Trofinios]

Hagen defitnely going into break, confiremd in his video with Thomas.

He better pray the breakaway doesn't include some really strong climbers because then he will get dropped on the Aubisque.

Since the Dauphine some people seem to believe that EBH is a real good climber, that based on the fact that he managed to follow the favorites on a cat. 2 climb (stage 1) and did a real good job for Wiggins for about 3-4 km on cat. H climb (stage 6). However, this doesn't convince me that he can climb well on long and pretty steep climbs like the aubisque, which have a 9 km section that averages 8.4%. I still think he is a little bit too heavy for those types of climbs.

 

[momomomo]

He better pray the breakaway doesn't include some really strong climbers because then he will get dropped on the Aubisque.

Since the Dauphine some people seem to believe that EBH is a real good climber, that based on the fact that he managed to follow the favorites on a cat. 2 climb (stage 1) and did a real good job for Wiggins for about 3-4 km on cat. H climb (stage 6). However, this doesn't convince me that he can climb well on long and pretty steep climbs like the aubisque, which have a 9 km section that averages 8.4%. I still think he is a little bit too heavy for those types of climbs.

I also think i climbed pretty well in Oman this year, second only to Gesink.

 

[Trofinios]

Contador and S. Sanchez going hard on the climb and distancing Schlecks on the decend with Samu helping Contador going down and Contador giving a stage to him?

Or is it too far to the finish for that?

A decent tactic if he wants to gain time because as it looks now Contador won't drop the Schlecks ascending. Bu maybe it's possible to do something on a descent. Doubt however that Contador will try do to something today.

 

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[hatcher]

I also think i climbed pretty well in Oman this year, second only to Gesink.

Indeed.

He's shown he can hang in there on some pretty tough climbs when his mind is set. What he hasn't shown is that he can do it consistently. The form he's in at the moment I'd expect him to climb well.

 

[AussieGoddess]

Geerf Steegmans (QST) DNS today

 

[PedalCastro]

Geerf Steegmans (QST) DNS today

They are having a pretty poor Tour..

 

[thehog]

Hi guys! I'm new on this forum. Well stage 13 looks perfect for great descender. I'm almost 100% sure we won't see GC contenders attacking today. I bet we'll see another breakaway getting chased whole day. IMO we'll see Astana trying again to send either Tiralongo or Kreuziger, and definitely Euscatel will attack. My bet for this stage would be on Egoi Martinez

Wasn't Egoi Martinez a former teammate of certain Lance Armstrong?

 

[dlwssonic]

contador cant do anything on the descent. his descending skills are of the same level as andy. but not frank of cause.

 

[personal]

Looking at his form yesterday Contador won't be dropping the Schlecks.

Key word is "on decend" (by following Samu).

 

[Trofinios]

I also think i climbed pretty well in Oman this year, second only to Gesink.

He lost 47 seconds to Gesink on a 6 km climb, which was the only climb on the stage. Flecha assisted him strongly on the climb and then EBH managed to gain a couple of seconds in the finish on some other riders. I didn't say he can't climb, just that he hasn't shown he can climb well on longer climbs like the ones in the big tours. I think his weight becomes a factor on longer climbs. On the other hand he is lighter this year than he has ever been before, but he is still a pretty big dude.

 

[PedalCastro]

Kloden hurting already apparently..

 

[Gloin22]

According to the live coverage at the TdF site, Klöden is in serious difficulties to stay in the peloton...

 

[sublimit]

Gilbert trying to get away.

 

[PedalCastro]

Gilbert trying to get away.

Caught I think

 

[AussieGoddess]

Go Phil !!!!!

 

[maltiv]

He better pray the breakaway doesn't include some really strong climbers because then he will get dropped on the Aubisque.

Since the Dauphine some people seem to believe that EBH is a real good climber, that based on the fact that he managed to follow the favorites on a cat. 2 climb (stage 1) and did a real good job for Wiggins for about 3-4 km on cat. H climb (stage 6). However, this doesn't convince me that he can climb well on long and pretty steep climbs like the aubisque, which have a 9 km section that averages 8.4%. I still think he is a little bit too heavy for those types of climbs.

Of course, but normally a breakaway doesn't consist of top tier climbers, and he can make up a minute or so on the descend. In the dauphine he actually briefly got back to the main group on the last stage after the HC climb, making up more than 2 minutes on the descend.

 

[dlwssonic]

I would love it if gilbert wins he deserves more than 1 stage win. But i guess the fcking htc are not allowing him to go.

 

[Trofinios]

Gilbert trying to get away.

Will he never tire? Gilbert is just everywhere. You thought yesterday that you wouldn't see that much from Gilbert, but there he was again descending away and then climbing with Samu for a while. He is a phenom.

 

[Gloin22]

Break caught by sky

 

[Zinoviev Letter]

I would love it if gilbert wins he deserves more than 1 stage win. But i guess the fcking htc are not allowing him to go.

Why would they let him go?

Now that Martin's GC pretensions have been exposed, and they've already won a load of stages, their main reason for being there is to get Green for Cavendish.