2012 Tour de France - stage 3: Orchies - Boulogne-sur-Mer (197km)

[UlleGigo]

ASO have commissioned some new headwear for Sky for tomorrow's stage.

Definitely an improvement.

 

[LaFleur]

I thought Froome crashed to the barriers?

 

[Coramoor]

****. They really only have Hesjedal now.

it was only ever going to be Hesjedal, Danielson doesn't have a top 5 at the TDF in him, let alone a podium, also the guy has the worst luck i've ever seen on anyone in cycling

 

[webbie146]

Link to crash

lol nice thanks for that..

 

[VeloCity]

Troll. Nobody was doing 50km up that slope. Nobody calls the troll out. Nice job, perhaps you can coach the riders on how one can achieve that kind of pace. They are doing 25km average on that slope. Maybe Sagan hit 30km. For a little bit. Nice try. Trollololololol on some more.

Arnout is right. Clear as day. Greipel and Freire got too close. Hit Vancansoleil rider. He drops, takes two guys out, Wiggins was well back with Rogers, they have meters on their right but move leftwards and Wigans puts his foot down. Laziness. Arnout was right, they could have missed the crash. The rules need major revamping. Riders are clearly milking it. Have been doing so for years. Nobody was near Wiggins because he was that far back. Team Sky have major issues going on. This is definitely ending in tears. Laughs are stockpiling up.

All this shows is that riders can make an effort to be in the front, to be safe, to get points and some lazy ******s can not even try and know they'll get a freebie. Dock the Sky goofs 10 seconds. What was Froome's excuse for being ten seconds faster than Vandevelde? He doesn't deserve the same time as everyone bar Sagan, unless injured. Barrier or no barrier. Oh, I took forever to hop back on my bike. If you take excessive time, you should be docked, unless injured adequately or a mechanical. Putting your foot down because you were once again poorly placed and riding next to the crash happy Rogers isn't good enough. Cancellara, Nibali and Evans got their act together...cycling is handing out way too many freebies these days. If riders got their actual time, then it would be interesting. It's about energy exertion. You work you get time, someone who takes a freebie should lose time on you. Especially when it's blatantly obvious.

In light of what many riders did on that final time, CVV and his group with Gilbert have been shafted. Stupid and idiotic. You think certain riders didn't milk it...you're an apologist for lightweights. Cycling is a hard sport. Rules should be hard to.

"Laziness" lol.

 

[asdfgh101]

I saw the overhead once, hence I'm not sure if I saw it right. It looked as if a Sky rider (Wiggins) went right to avoid the crash, but was caught by a Sky rider heading left, only thing he could do was unclip. But need to see slo mo overhead.

Wiggins was the rider moving towards the crash.

 

[Galic Ho]

Lol

Sorry for poor quality, it's from NOS.nl replay. No overhead shots yet unfortunately.

Look at the time difference between picture 1 and 2, and the amount of guys closer behind the crash in 1 than the two Sky helmets at the back, that managed to clear the site in 2.

I'm now not sure anymore if Wiggins was more behind, he could've been one of the two Sky riders, I cannot see from this picture, but I don't see more Sky behind either. It doesn't change the fact that they were somehow very slow in avoiding the accident.

Nothing slow about it. Try deliberate. Huge room on the left of the picture or the riders right hand side. Everyone else cleared the crash and went into this space except for the guys on the right of the picture. Only guys on the left to hit it were Sky. Look where Wiggins is held up. Tons of room to his and Rogers right. They were lazy. Oh and probably held up guys behind. Good job!

 

[Zinoviev Letter]

And how many seconds do you want to guess at?

Personally, I would abolish the rule for every stage with an uphill finish. It serves a purpose on flat stages, in terms of getting GC men away from the front where they have no business. On an uphill finish people who are at the back of the group are probably in the process of losing time because they screwed up or aren't good enough on that type of terrain.

Then there'd be no guessing. Wiggins could have continued and lost whatever he was going to lose anyway. Or he could stop and cruise up and lose 45 seconds, as he chooses. As it stands, being a smart boy he took rather cynical advantage of the rules and of a lucky break when he was in the process of losing time. Just like a footballer hamming things up when a defender really did clip him, what he did was clever but is also the sort of thing that will understandably grate.

It's just as random to have riders gifted time that they were losing because of a crash in front of them as it is to have them cost time because of a crash in front of them.

 

[Arnout]

I thought Froome crashed to the barriers?

Are you LaFlorecita or LaFleur. Your names confuse me. Anyway, I think it was Froome in the barriers, and behind Rogers and Wiggins that didn't clear the crash. But not sure as I was only watching with one eye, the other was beholding the Sagan magnificence.

 

[Pippo_San]

Please someone tell me who's the Vacansoleil rider who went straight through the last corner...awesome, he's my new idol

 

[el chava]

Again Chavanel shows what cycling is all about. Shame on you Albasini & Vacansoleil guys racing for second place yet again.

 

[The Sheep]

Please someone tell me who's the Vacansoleil rider who went straight through the last corner...awesome, he's my new idol

Marcato

 

[Arnout]

Nothing slow about it. Try deliberate. Huge room on the left of the picture or the riders right hand side. Everyone else cleared the crash and went into this space except for the guys on the right of the picture. Only guys on the left to hit it were Sky. Look where Wiggins is held up. Tons of room to his and Rogers right. They were lazy. Oh and probably held up guys behind. Good job!

I just wanted to give a sort of factual account on basis of what was visible this time, without my interpretation. I'm agreeing with you but wanted to make a factual post for a change, so people could see it themselves.

Which they don't

 

[roundabout]

Also this. It's so bloody annoying when you know this is going to be the only stage in the first 8 days of Le Tour where there can be some time differences because of aggressive racing and it's all being nullified because of some rule that is out of place in this situation.

Apart from Chavanel the only aggressive racing was the squeeze in the last km.

 

[BillytheKid]

Today's good luck for some could turn bad tomorrow. You never know.

 

[Bala Verde]

189. ITACARUSO Gianpaolo 132 KATUSHA TEAM 04h 59' 24'' + 16' 26''
190. ITASTORTONI Simone 48 LAMPRE - ISD 04h 59' 24'' + 16' 26''
191. ESPURTASUN PEREZ Pablo 38 EUSKALTEL - EUSKADI 04h 59' 24'' + 16' 26''
192. GERGRETSCH Patrick 215 TEAM ARGOS-SHIMANO 04h 59' 27'' + 16' 29''
193. NEDCURVERS Roy 212 TEAM ARGOS-SHIMANO 04h 59' 27'' + 16' 29''
194. NEDTIMMER Albert 218 TEAM ARGOS-SHIMANO 04h 59' 27'' + 16' 29''
195. GERKITTEL Marcel 211 TEAM ARGOS-SHIMANO 04h 59' 27'' + 16' 29''
196. FRAFEILLU Brice 94 SAUR-SOJASUN 04h 59' 27'' + 16' 29''

Are they all sick? If so, did they munch on the Argos left overs?

 

[LaFleur]

Are you LaFlorecita or LaFleur. Your names confuse me. Anyway, I think it was Froome in the barriers, and behind Rogers and Wiggins that didn't clear the crash. But not sure as I was only watching with one eye, the other was beholding the Sagan magnificence.

I'm LaFleur, I can confirm that I had no knowledge about there being another "LaF" before registration .

Anyway, Sky twitter said before even the race end, that Froome crashed. Me saying that was as a response to the one who asked for Froome's excuse.

 

[The Sheep]

Cobo could end up going 1st in one GT and last in the next GT

 

[Pippo_San]

Marcato

Lol so awesome, even tho I feel for him, he's the emblem of the rider who's always there yet never gets a win

 

[El Pistolero]

Sad to see Chavanel again went unrewarded... What the hell must he do to win a stage.

 

[Frosty]

Froome nearly joined the watching crowd.

Kittel is unwell so the other Argos riders were just making sure he made it through.

 

[roundabout]

189. ITACARUSO Gianpaolo 132 KATUSHA TEAM 04h 59' 24'' + 16' 26''
190. ITASTORTONI Simone 48 LAMPRE - ISD 04h 59' 24'' + 16' 26''
191. ESPURTASUN PEREZ Pablo 38 EUSKALTEL - EUSKADI 04h 59' 24'' + 16' 26''
192. GERGRETSCH Patrick 215 TEAM ARGOS-SHIMANO 04h 59' 27'' + 16' 29''
193. NEDCURVERS Roy 212 TEAM ARGOS-SHIMANO 04h 59' 27'' + 16' 29''
194. NEDTIMMER Albert 218 TEAM ARGOS-SHIMANO 04h 59' 27'' + 16' 29''
195. GERKITTEL Marcel 211 TEAM ARGOS-SHIMANO 04h 59' 27'' + 16' 29''
196. FRAFEILLU Brice 94 SAUR-SOJASUN 04h 59' 27'' + 16' 29''

Are they all sick? If so, did they munch on the Argos left overs?

Caruso probably was the Katusha rider who crashed at about 30km to go. Hope nothing is broken. Urtasun and Feillu are sick, I think. Don't know about Stortoni.

 

[Maaaaaaaarten]

So what happened to Menchov? I saw him near the front all the time and I think I saw him involved in the crash (note sure); but he didn't seem to get the time of all the other people hindered by the crash?

 

[the asian]

Sad to see Chavanel again went unrewarded... What the hell must he do to win a stage.

Be a good wheel sucker.

 

[Delicato]

So what happened to Menchov? I saw him near the front all the time and I think I saw him involved in the crash (note sure); but he didn't seem to get the time of all the other people hindered by the crash?

Already got it.