2012 Criterium du Dauphiné

[Maaaaaaaarten]

So, this will be the first time this year that Wiggins rides up a real mountain?

 

[theyoungest]

So, this will be the first time this year that Wiggins rides up a real mountain?

No, he's been up and down El Teide a gazillion times, it has been reported

 

[will10]

So, this will be the first time this year that Wiggins rides up a real mountain?

Yep, shame Sky will strangle the life out of the race on every stage except for Joux Plane

 

[barmaher]

It is a terrible route, but the last stage could have an exciting finish. Are there time bonuses?

 

[blaxland]

SBS in Australia will be televising this race LIVE for the 1st time!

thats good for down under...lets hope they get some good weather?

 

[Bavarianrider]

Last year's TT was hilly and technical. This year's TT is longer, flat and strait. Tony will destroy Wiggins

 

[therealtimshady]

Eurosport, in their infinite wisdom, have decided that two "live" clay court matches are better than one. So no live tv coverage in Europe from them until the semis.(Thursday)
Half a tennis audience is better than a whole cycling audience, as far as they are concerned.

Eurosport: The poor man's Rai Sport 2/Sporza.

Anyhow, great to think that after GT disappointment, we have this stinker of a course to feed the need.

Are there not even any highlights at all?????

 

[asdfgh101]

Even more annoying that in the UK there is live Tennis on ITV4; please give us British Eurosport HD!!!

 

[hatcher]

Are there not even any highlights at all?????

60 minute highlights first 3 days, 75 the next, then live the rest of the way starting Thursday.

 

[Dazed and Confused]

Liquigas and Basso managed to almost suck life out of the Giro this year, but it will be nothing compared to the execution of the Sky/Wiggins plan once we hit France. Enjoy.

 

[jens_attacks]

Liquigas and Basso managed to almost suck life out of the Giro this year, but it will be nothing compared to the execution of the Sky/Wiggins plan once we hit France. Enjoy.

we'll all say "thanks god for europcar"

kern got the legs back,he can win this dauphine.

 

[barmaher]

I have checked the Tour de France website, and there is no mention of time bonuses in the rules of the race. This is unfortunate, as it would be very interesting to see Wiggins / Martin with a 15s lead on the final day over Jrod, with (say) 10 or 12 seconds bonus for the stage winner.

 

[Fetisoff]

I have checked the Tour de France website, and there is no mention of time bonuses in the rules of the race. This is unfortunate, as it would be very interesting to see Wiggins / Martin with a 15s lead on the final day over Jrod, with (say) 10 or 12 seconds bonus for the stage winner.

LOL, Wiggo 10 seconds over Purito after 60km of TT?

 

[Vino attacks everyone]

Dauphine will be the reincarnation of the Vino that will kill the tdf peloton this year

 

[barmaher]

LOL, Wiggo 10 seconds over Purito after 60km of TT?

Fair point.

 

[Parrulo]

This isn't Algarve or Bayern any more. I can't see Rogers or Porte winning, even on this crappy route, they are simply not good enough climbers to get over Joux Plane with the best.

indeed, in algarve even tho machado and costa didn't have a chance to follow porte's counter they were already closing the gap on him pretty fast on the last k, and that was a 3 k long climb.

 

[theyoungest]

Liquigas and Basso managed to almost suck life out of the Giro this year, but it will be nothing compared to the execution of the Sky/Wiggins plan once we hit France. Enjoy.

Sky are strong, but do they have the horsepower to control a team like RadioShack? The two Schlecks and Horner are stronger climbers than anyone on Team Sky.

 

[Waterloo Sunrise]

Sky are strong, but do they have the horsepower to control a team like RadioShack? The two Schlecks and Horner are stronger climbers than anyone on Team Sky.

Horner is very very arguable.

As for the Schlecks, we'll have to see if they have the will to go very long, and the legs to make it work. If he's just attacking on final climbs Sky will likely have enough to keep his gains in the managable range given the TT ks.

Intrigued to see Wiggins - amusing how he is now favourite for the Tour without having ridden a climb in anger this year yet.

 

[Winterfold]

Horner is very very arguable.

As for the Schlecks, we'll have to see if they have the will to go very long, and the legs to make it work. If he's just attacking on final climbs Sky will likely have enough to keep his gains in the managable range given the TT ks.

Intrigued to see Wiggins - amusing how he is now favourite for the Tour without having ridden a climb in anger this year yet.

He looked pretty ****ed off when his chain fell off on the 9%er in the Romandie TT. (ill get me coat)

And Eze is not a climb?

But I guess you meant raced against other GT contenders...

He will be racing himself, so I don't think its relevant, as long as he keeps his own counsel he will grind them down eventually.

I really dont want to get too carried away about the prospect of a GB Tour winner, however UK Postal it may be, I hope he bluffs the Dauphine so I can go back to thinking it will never happen

 

[hoerpi]

He looked pretty ****ed off when his chain fell off on the 9%er in the Romandie TT. (ill get me coat)

And Eze is not a climb?

Eze was a MTT and since Wiggins is a good TTer who can climb it's perfect for him. Where we haven't seen him riding is in stages with multiple big climbs, often seen in GTs (not the Vuelta lately).

The Dauphiné doesn't have a stage like that this year, the colombière is too far from joux plane, and therefor I think Wiggins will win here. The tour is a different story though.

 

[Timmy-loves-Rabo]

Eze was a MTT and since Wiggins is a good TTer who can climb it's perfect for him. Where we haven't seen him riding is in stages with multiple big climbs, often seen in GTs (not the Vuelta lately).

The Dauphiné doesn't have a stage like that this year, the colombière is too far from joux plane, and therefor I think Wiggins will win here. The tour is a different story though.

more or less agree, the multi-climb stages are going to be wiggos achillies hill imo.

 

[greenedge]

No, he's been up and down El Teide a gazillion times, it has been reported

Probably drafting or having teammates with him the whole time.

 

[greenedge]

Sky are strong, but do they have the horsepower to control a team like RadioShack? The two Schlecks and Horner are stronger climbers than anyone on Team Sky.

Maybe not at the TDF but BMC/ a few others will help them.

At the Dauphinie if any of them attack it will be futile ( no desire to try ) or they can be let go to get the stage and then finish 20th after the ITT.

 

[Winterfold]

Eze was a MTT and since Wiggins is a good TTer who can climb it's perfect for him. Where we haven't seen him riding is in stages with multiple big climbs, often seen in GTs (not the Vuelta lately).

.

Nor this year's tour by the look of it, except stage 12. (btw "Ill get my coat" is a Brit way of acknowledging a bad joke or that something said may not be entirely accurate)

greenedge - keep typing unknown 'facts' and maybe they will come true

In the main Tour thread a lot of people keep trying to compare Wiggo in 2008 with Menchov in 2009 or Evans in 2008 - wtf?

Both Evans and Wiggo (and probably Menchov) are completely different riders and performers to 3/4 years ago.

I would say right now, Wiggo looks in the kind of shape Cuddles was in last year, and on this parcours, that is a good sign for him.

I sometimes think Cuddles bluffed the Dauphine time trial last year, although at the same time I cant see him giving up the win in the Dauphine if he thought he had a shot at it. I certainly dont see him deliberately losing time to Wiggo on the climbs, which is what happened.

(I think this is a typically tough Dauphine parcours, but compared to last year it lacks mountain top finishes (last year had 4 in a 7 stage plus prologue race - ), there is still a lot of climbing to be done next week)

 

[Lexman]

The Dauphine parcours resembles a lot of the TDF kind of parcours this year so will give us agood indication for TDF...

Evans will have to start to deliver something because up till now

Wiggins will want to win just to confirm to the other main contenders : i'm ok and ready for the TDF