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

[Bala Verde]

Philippe Gilbert.

Ouch. That's bad. Was it barbed wire, where Gerrans faceplanted the ditch?

I hope he'll be alright.

 

[Bernie's eyesore]

Didn't go into the red, unlike some of his rivals, and still lost no time.

Please be real and people won't come straight back at you. Brad was very much in the red today and about to lose 10 seconds or more from his position until he got a break with the crash.

I very much doubt there would have been any time gaps at all if the crash hadn't happened. I get the impression you don't know how the times are calculated in a bunch finish.

 

[ferryman]

Today he clearly got a break, but it was all within the rules and he'll be on the wrong side of the rules enough times.

Sky have shown they're hopeless when it gets fractious; fortunately that should be the worst of it done for this tour. On longer climbs where they are likely to want a higher tempo than anyone else it will be much easier to settle in to formation.

I think the worst of it to come is on Saturday and Sunday. Evans riding himself into form means a very uncomfortable day for Sky on Saturday.

 

[El Pistolero]

Ouch. That's bad. Was it barbed wire, where Gerrans faceplanted the ditch?

I hope he'll be alright.

Well, he tweeted "Just this so all fine" and posted the pic, so I assume he is. Don't know how it happened though. Looks like barbed wire, doesn't it? Can't be road-rash.

 

[Mellow Velo]

Well, the highlights show was pretty definitive.
The overhead clearly shows it's an not a Vacan, but Orica rider going backwards, shutting down Oscarito's line. He clips the Vacansoleil rider,(RR?) who goes down.
Worst off was Chris Froome, who got tipped over the bars on the barrier.
Wiggins was brought to an abrupt halt and shipped his chain. Hence the foot out.
Menchov's mechanical was more serious.

 

[phanatic]

People don't get it. Wiggins needs to pay his dues, and that's the main reason he's not a favorite in my book. At some point, the race is going to catch up with him and there will not be 3km rule to protect him. Hopefully the guys (Evans, Nibali, Valverde, Sanchez, etc) who know what it takes to win the Tour will finish first.

Not that I disagree with the above, but maybe he was just following a late Englishman's dictum: "Never stand up when you can sit down, and never sit down when you can lie down."

 

[Havetts]

Well, the highlights show was pretty definitive.
The overhead clearly shows it's an not a Vacan, but Orica rider going backwards, shutting down Oscarito's line. He clips the Vacansoleil rider,(RR?) who goes down.
Worst off was Chris Froome, who got tipped over the bars on the barrier.
Wiggins was brought to an abrupt halt and shipped his chain. Hence the foot out.
Menchov's mechanical was more serious.

GreenEdge rider who tried to lead out Albasini blocked Freires line indeed who then 'crashed' into Boeckmans, the Vacansoleil rider, who falls causes the pile up.

Wiggo couldve done more than softpedal his way up after he came to a standstill.

 

[Richeypen]

GreenEdge rider who tried to lead out Albasini blocked Freires line indeed who then 'crashed' into Boeckmans, the Vacansoleil rider, who falls causes the pile up.

Wiggo couldve done more than softpedal his way up after he came to a standstill.

Why would he waste more energy than he had too?

 

[Havetts]

Why would he waste more energy than he had too?

Hence the couldve and not shouldve, because of stupid rules regarding 3km up hill sprints where GC men contend and not just the pure sprinters.

 

[ferryman]

Has the Samu meltdown with the Mavic car been clarified yet? Anyway, fantastic ride by the boys in Orange to get him back to the front in a position to avoid the crash in the finale.

 

[Bala Verde]

GreenEdge rider who tried to lead out Albasini blocked Freires line indeed who then 'crashed' into Boeckmans, the Vacansoleil rider, who falls causes the pile up.

Wiggo couldve done more than softpedal his way up after he came to a standstill.

I think Marcato fell, Boeckmans was the guy who turned left where he should have gone right. They just interviewed him on vive le velo about that moment. I am still calling it Greipel, who abruptly moved left and together with Freire, who leaned right, sandwiched Marcato. Greipel's rearwheel almost hits Marcato's at the same time Freire leans/moves slightly right.

 

[Coramoor]

Coulda, woulda, shoulda.

He may have lost a very small handful of seconds. And still have had a lead on his GC rivals. Point remains, it's not a reason why he can't win a GT.

Another point people seem to be missing is that you need to be smart to win a GT. Brad was very smart today. Didn't go into the red, unlike some of his rivals, and still lost no time.

And this business about the others now be lining up to screw him over because of this is laughable. He's the favourite - they're desparate to screw him over anyway.

Gesink was spriting around the right, as was Hesjedal and several others. Van Garderen was gapped despite being ahead of the crash,Gesink couldn't keep pace going forward, while Hesjedal kept pace with the actual 1 second back guys, and you want to tell me that Wiggins was going to hold his lead despite being behind Gesink and Hesjedal when that crash happened and he wasn't going very fast by comparison.

Wiggins was just way too cocky or already on the edge, no other reason he would let 15 + seconds go that easily

 

[Mellow Velo]

GreenEdge rider who tried to lead out Albasini blocked Freires line indeed who then 'crashed' into Boeckmans, the Vacansoleil rider, who falls causes the pile up.

Wiggo couldve done more than softpedal his way up after he came to a standstill.

We have a winner.
Cadel fans have................Orica's Baden Cooke to thank the soft pedal option.
Way to go, Oz!

 

[Logic-is-your-friend]

I think Marcato fell, Boeckmans was the guy who turned left where he should have gone right. They just interviewed him on vive le velo about that moment. I am still calling it Greipel, who abruptly moved left and together with Freire, who leaned right, sandwiched Marcato. Greipel's rearwheel almost hits Marcato's at the same time Freire leans/moves slightly right.

Yeah... he still had a "cartouche" left, lol

 

[Poursuivant]

No dying on a mountain.

I'll get my coat.

Wow. Oh dear

 

[Bala Verde]

Yeah... he still had a "cartouche" left, lol

hehe that was funny. "[...] maybe I could have followed Sagan's wheel, and I still had a cartouche left"

Too bad he forgot to do any parcour recon and was staring at his pedals in the last 50

He must have thought: "holy smokes, a sharp right here? But I am going left/straight"

I even checked the last 2k on sporza and highlighted the last difficult turns... He (a rider) didn't do that or did he just blank out? haha

 

[Havetts]

Yeah... he still had a "cartouche" left, lol

I think Wuyts & De Cauwer, or whoever said it this time , always mean: "Katush" as in rocket to fire

 

[Bala Verde]

They also quickly reviewed Cav's total freak out when van Hummel went passed him.

The contrast between van Hummel wrecking his handlebars, his guts dripping from his nose, and Cav freewheeling past him with enough lung capacity to recite Hamlet. Great moment.

 

[taiwan]

Be interesting to see what happens with Sagan now. This is the point where he becomes a mainstream star of cycling, like Cav or Bert.

 

[The Sheep]

They also quickly reviewed Cav's total freak out when van Hummel went passed him.

The contrast between van Hummel wrecking his handlebars, his guts dripping from his nose, and Cav freewheeling past him with enough lung capacity to recite Hamlet. Great moment.

Cav was still in the wrong though. Don't get why Sagan gets **** for his celebration while what cav does was only to humiliate van Hummel.

 

[Dutchsmurf]

Cav was still in the wrong though. Don't get why Sagan gets **** for his celebration while what cav does was only to humiliate van Hummel.

To be honest Van Hummel should have never been there in that sprint. He isn't going to get green and the leaders already took the money. I have no idea why he was in that sprint.

 

[Hawkwood]

Cav was still in the wrong though. Don't get why Sagan gets **** for his celebration while what cav does was only to humiliate van Hummel.

Perhaps being cut up by van Hummel had something to do with it? Did you see Renshaw also have a word with vH?

 

[Kopuliak]

Be interesting to see what happens with Sagan now. This is the point where he becomes a mainstream star of cycling, like Cav or Bert.

maybe next year ...

 

[argyllflyer]

Having watched the last few hundred metres again a few times, any criticism of Wiggins is well over the top. We've got the perspective of a shot either downhill or from above, whereas they're at road level and cannot see the carnage until the last few seconds, and considering it had only just happened, that doesn't leave much time. The Sky rider next to Wiggins ran into him and they both had to dismount. I don't think either could have taken any other evasive action BW especially as he was on the side of the crash anyway.

 

[Four Winds]

So Sagan solos back after a mechanical albeit with some fancy drafting.

Then he crosses the line joking about and smiling while the rest of the guys are on their chinstraps.


Mmmmmmmm