2011 Tour de France Stage 16 (18/7/2011): Saint-Paul-Trois-Châteaux - Gap, 162.5km

[Florian]

I hope Sanchez's regularity will be rewarded with a Top 3 at Paris.

 

[Kwibus]

he missed seeing 2009 world champs then.....

idiots!

If you knew the Sporza commentators you could live with it. It was a comment with a in it. Evans doesn't usually take over in climbs. Fact.
I don't blame him as he needs to follow and take time in the TT.

 

[kurtinsc]

What did they say?



When did Evans attack. He rode Contador and samu off his wheel on the descent and at best had a 7 second gap worked up over 7km. I dont see it as an attack and in the hills and mountains, the only time you see Evans with his head down is when he has programmed the distance of the nearest wheel into his mind and is driving hard to catch up to it.

To compare his one time riding off the wheel is an insult to Contador who attacked as many times in this stage than Evans has in his life.

I've always failed to see the difference between an explosive acceleration, and setting a pace at the front where others can't keep up.

Call one an attack and the other not... but the fact is in either case you stick your nose out in the wind, ride hard and drop your opponents. Neither is a defensive style of riding.

Leipheimer deserves some shots for not ever going to the front. Evans goes to the front a LOT... be it to bridge across to an explosive attack he couldn't go with, to set the pace on a climb, or drive on a descent dropping Sammy Sanchez.

It's aggressive riding. You really need to stop with the hate a bit.

 

[Spaniard]

http://www.as.com/ciclismo/articulo/contador-estoy-contento-ventaja-grande/20110719dasdascic_4/Tes

Some quotes:

"I planned to attack since this morning without caring who could follow my wheel"

"I told Samu I was going to attack"

"My senstations wasn't the best"

What he could do if he had good sensations

 

[maltiv]

Dissapointed that Hushovd won today, EBH was much stronger but outmanned by Garmin. Hushovd got it really easy this time, he was barely ever at the front.

 

[therhodeo]

Schlecks whining would be like Cavendish and Farrar *****ing because races include climbs. If you can't descend you're not a great bicycle racer.

 

[just some guy]

If Cadel Evans wins then you know that Gesink could have won this Tour had he not crashed, and with Andys gt skills and Contador unlikely to target the Giro next year, this would have been the chance of a lifetime.

Same reason why i am hating on Cadel so much (though obviously not with Gesink in mind)

Thats bullsh!t if sammy wins he still beat the 2 best ranked riders going into the tour same as Evans, Tommy V etc

That is cr@p whoever wins if its not. Andy or Contador was the best stage racer of the tour. If the other 2 win it was expected. No 2nd guesses

 

[thirteen]

Perhaps Riis was laughing so loud that Alberto couldn't focus on the descent.

lol! i'm watching him interviewed right now and he is trying to be very serious but has a little twinkle in his smiling eyes

 

[dlwssonic]

seems like contador got the steak during the restday
just kidding!

 

[El Pistolero]

If you knew the Sporza commentators you could live with it. It was a comment with a in it. Evans doesn't usually take over in climbs. Fact.
I don't blame him as he needs to follow and take time in the TT.

It was a fact. Cuddles never was much of an attacker in most of his GTs. Even Leipi has attacked at times you know.

 

[El Pistolero]

seems like contador got the steak during the restday
just kidding!

I wonder what a 34 year old had to take then in order to actually gap him for some seconds.

 

[Kwibus]

If Cadel Evans wins then you know that Gesink could have won this Tour had he not crashed, and with Andys gt skills and Contador unlikely to target the Giro next year, this would have been the chance of a lifetime.

Same reason why i am hating on Cadel so much (though obviously not with Gesink in mind)

I think this it too easy. Since the other contenders dropped out we will never know how they would've done. Normally I'd agree with you, but I get the feeling Evans is riding very strong as well.
It's a shame so many GC contenders dropped out early, because this Tour could have had a very very suprising top 3.

 

[davis_123]

What did they say?



When did Evans attack. He rode Contador and samu off his wheel on the descent and at best had a 7 second gap worked up over 7km. I dont see it as an attack and in the hills and mountains, the only time you see Evans with his head down is when he has programmed the distance of the nearest wheel into his mind and is driving hard to catch up to it.

To compare his one time riding off the wheel is an insult to Contador who attacked as many times in this stage than Evans has in his life.

Your a ****ing clown, go choke and die ******.

 

[Kwibus]

Me too, but I would have loved to see another rider take the win. 2 times from a break is just annoying!

Yeh I was hoping for Hesjedal actually, but EBH didn't agree

 

[kurtinsc]

Psst, the Galibier and Alpe are yet to come

Perhaps Cuddles will need time on Contador when the TT comes.

Perhaps he will.

I said earlier that the fact that he's not trying to match the accelerations and instead riding his own pace (managing to pull Contador back a couple of times by doing so) is a good sign for Cadel fans.

If he rides that way and can limit his losses to about 1:30, he can go into the final ITT with a very good shot at winning. In the past he'd try to match each acceleration, crack, and lose 45 seconds on a stage like today. Instead he didn't... and gained a few seconds.

If Contador becomes the 2009 incarnation... he'll be down by 2 minutes or more going into the ITT. But I don't think that Contador will show up in this race... with the Giro in his legs already he'll simply be extremely good rather then unbeatable.

 

[trevim]

lol! i'm watching him interviewed right now and he is trying to be very serious but has a little twinkle in his smiling eyes

What is he saying by the way? Mocking Andy perhaps?

 

[Anonymous]

**edited by mod**

Lay off the coffee...

 

[Grayguard]

What did they say?



When did Evans attack. He rode Contador and samu off his wheel on the descent and at best had a 7 second gap worked up over 7km. I dont see it as an attack and in the hills and mountains, the only time you see Evans with his head down is when he has programmed the distance of the nearest wheel into his mind and is driving hard to catch up to it.

To compare his one time riding off the wheel is an insult to Contador who attacked as many times in this stage than Evans has in his life.

+10 Good comment - couldn't agree more.

 

[Kwibus]

That's even worse than me picking Goss over Rojas

... I picked Ventoso over Rojas

 

[davis_123]

Lay off the coffee...

The Hitch is a self obsessed arrogant knob jockey and I am in no mood to be polite to someone I consider lower in the world order then rats.

 

[trevim]

And great ride by Boasson Hagen. He was kind of trapped by Garmin but he still made a very good race

 

[El Pistolero]

Perhaps he will.

I said earlier that the fact that he's not trying to match the accelerations and instead riding his own pace (managing to pull Contador back a couple of times by doing so) is a good sign for Cadel fans.

If he rides that way and can limit his losses to about 1:30, he can go into the final ITT with a very good shot at winning. In the past he'd try to match each acceleration, crack, and lose 45 seconds on a stage like today. Instead he didn't... and gained a few seconds.

If Contador becomes the 2009 incarnation... he'll be down by 2 minutes or more going into the ITT. But I don't think that Contador will show up in this race... with the Giro in his legs already he'll simply be extremely good rather then unbeatable.

Contador has improved every day so far since the first mountain stage. He was the one attacking today and as we all know attacking costs more effort than sucking a wheel. Cuddles might have gapped him, but Contador was the strongest. And Contador is not stupid, he didn't want to gap Samu and Cuddles on the climb as he knows they're good descenders and could use them to gain more time on the Schlecks, Basso, Cunego, Voeckler, etc.

 

[Timmy-loves-Rabo]

It was a fact. Cuddles never was much of an attacker in most of his GTs. Even Leipi has attacked at times you know.

Indeed. And Evans rarely does take the front generally only I'n a defensive manner (I'n regards to mountains anyway) . He didn't attack today, not on the climb anyway. Sure he attacked on the descent or drove away. That isn't what hitch meant Tho

 

[Arnout]

Oh by the way everyone did you see Samu again got room from the other contenders. When they really attack he will be gapped.

 

[VeloCity]

Edited by mod

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