2011 Tour de France Stage 6: Dinan - Lisieux, 226.5 km

[Amused]

Sky finally pulling as a team. And that´s what happens.

Great day for Norway. Great Tour for Norway.

 

[red_flanders]

Interesting to me is the fact that Contador could not close to VDB when he attacked. He looked to be trying, and couldn't close the gap. Happily, it appears that the GC in the tour is wide open.

I believe Contador was too sharp for the Giro, and it is my suspicion that he doesn't have the legs to win right now.

It seems clear he is not on top form, but it's not clear he doesn't have enough to win. This is a HEAVY course, and others will falter.

 

[Dutchsmurf]

Interesting to me is the fact that Contador could not close to VDB when he attacked. He looked to be trying, and couldn't close the gap. Happily, it appears that the GC in the tour is wide open.

I believe Contador was too sharp for the Giro, and it is my suspicion that he doesn't have the legs to win right now.

Didn't look like he was trying, more like just getting to the finish safe. And the first position just happens to be the safest position. I believe he did try to attack, but stopped trying once he took the wrong side of that roundabout.

 

[Frosty]

Gilbert leads by 1 point. Cavendish is 46 points in arrears. Needs a couple of big sprints tomorrow.

Edit: 50 points.

 

[Anonymous]

Again, that was Vanendert, not Jvdb.
You keep making the same mistake

No, I only wrote that once, and it was because I was listening to P&P who said it was VDB. I have never once made that mistake before. Why do you feel the need to make things up?

 

[Maxiton]

Phil: "And that's the question about this great rider, isn't it Paul? He has the legs to be a champion, but does he have the head to be a champion?"

Yeah, but he's only saying that because bottle is on his master's s-list right now. Sad to say.

 

[Jamsque]

Sky finally pulling as a team. And that´s what happens.

Yup, and it only took two of their flat-stage trio working in harmony to get a stage win.

 

[Publicus]

Interesting to me is the fact that Contador could not close to VDB when he attacked. He looked to be trying, and couldn't close the gap. Happily, it appears that the GC in the tour is wide open.

I believe Contador was too sharp for the Giro, and it is my suspicion that he doesn't have the legs to win right now.

Well luckily he doesn't have to win it right now. He still has a few more stages to get it together.

Just watched it again. He was moving himself up to the front and then went right, instead of left, at the roundabout. I wouldn't read too much into it.

 

[Tyke1968]

Two wins today for Team sky. Chapeux!

 

[Winterfold]

This has been a brilliant week of racing so far - like brilliant classics/one day racing

 

[Captain_Cavman]

Great sprint from EBH. Only Goss really made up any ground on him and that was marginal. Sky's 2nd GT stage win after a wait of well over 60 GT stages. Reason for celebration.

 

[Jamsque]

Gilbert leads by 1 point. Cavendish is 46 points in arrears. Needs a couple of big sprints tomorrow.

It's super flat tomorrow so Gilbert may well end up out of the points which would help Cavendish a lot.

 

[Anonymous]

I'm not sure if he really tried. He immediately started looking back to see if the GC contenders were coming.

I didn't see him immediately do that. He tried to launch off and was unable to do so, but was pushing. He began to look back because he didn't have the legs to close the gap.

 

[Gloin22]

Two wins today for Team sky. Chapeux!

+1 Amazing day for Sky .

 

[red_flanders]

Looked to me like all the GC guys backed off when the hill leveled.

 

[abbaskip]

How can Mike Tomolaris cover the Tour for so many years, and still have no idea...

 

[Highlander]

Interesting to me is the fact that Contador could not close to VDB when he attacked. He looked to be trying, and couldn't close the gap. Happily, it appears that the GC in the tour is wide open.

I believe Contador was too sharp for the Giro, and it is my suspicion that he doesn't have the legs to win right now.

It looked like Contador took the wrong side on the roundabout and fell behind because of it. I think he decided it wasn't worth the effort to close the gap to someone who wasn't a threat on the GC.

 

[hdmfox]

+1 Amazing day for Sky .

+2
and what an amazing day for norwegian cycling!
What a TdF so far with Thor in yellow for so many days and EBH now taking the stage!

 

[Publicus]

I didn't see him immediately do that. He tried to launch off and was unable to do so, but was pushing. He began to look back because he didn't have the legs to close the gap.

I really think you are reaching here. He never tried to launch. After coming through the roundabout, he pulls himself back up to the front and looks to see where the other GC guys are and settles in.

 

[Frosty]

It's super flat tomorrow so Gilbert may well end up out of the points which would help Cavendish a lot.

Rojas might not though.

Leipheimer lost 1.05, Tejay 2.23 (although he's said he's not tconcentrating that much on the GC at the moment)

 

[ManInFull]

Looked to me like all the GC guys backed off when the hill leveled.

Well, Saturday will tell the story. Nothing beyond category, but there will be no hiding or guessing about who is on form.

 

[Delicato]

I didn't see him immediately do that. He tried to launch off and was unable to do so, but was pushing. He began to look back because he didn't have the legs to close the gap.

Agreed. He still has time to recover and get ready for 12th stage yet for me it looked like today he was definitely trying to close the gap on Vanendert.

 

[Ruudz0r]

Leipheimer loses 1 minute and 5 seconds.

 

[Frosty]

Boonen made it in at 2.23

 

[Anonymous]

I do understand that this is a 3 week race, and that these are not mountain stages, but Contador does not appear to me to have the snap in his legs one would expect. Yes, he could develop that over the next couple of weeks, but I think that, because of his Giro win, that is less likely than many of you. I honestly don't think he is the strongest rider here, nor will he prove to be over the next couple of weeks. That is just an opinion of course.