2012 Tour de France: Stage 7: Tomblaine → La Planche des Belles Filles (199km)

[Dr.Sahl]

Meh, Taaramäe wanting top 5 and maybe even the podium...

Top 10 would be incredible in my opinion...

Yes and Taaramae did very very well... more than I hoped for! the only bad thing from today was VDB... not being able to show if he is in form or not.
I didnt expect sky to dominate this hard and I am in shock to see them do so well.

 

[dlwssonic]

Seriously porte?????
I was like WTF!

 

[Don't be late Pedro]

I don't miss Andy. I don't miss anyone. This race is ****, nothing can help it.

I don't get posts like this. If it is so bad why do you continue to watch it and then actively go on a forum to post about what you have seen being so bad?

 

[iZnoGouD]

Well, with Wigans in yellow, Sky will have to control the peloton more or less from the start of every stage now. Hoping some other teams will try to take advantage of that to try and break them down earlier, so there's no UK postal train up the last climb of the day.
Question is - are there any teams who can actually do that. Rabo would come to mind, but with all the crashes I don't think they are capable of much. Radioshack? Does Basso have something in the tank?

Pierre Rolland

 

[Bobby G]

Gotta say, I'm really frustrated at the bad luck bestowed on many GC contenders. The crash yesterday was bad enough, now sporadic flats and mechanicals for another couple of potential top 10 riders.

Rabo looked very week today. I assume that injuries have played a part a Gesink looked OK at Tour de Suisse.

I actually enjoyed the Sky train. Ideally we'd see riders attacking left right and centre, but I'd prefer the sky train over 10 riders separated only by a sprint over the last 500 meters.

 

[Waterloo Sunrise]

Well, with Wigans in yellow, Sky will have to control the peloton more or less from the start of every stage now. Hoping some other teams will try to take advantage of that to try and break them down earlier, so there's no UK postal train up the last climb of the day.
Question is - are there any teams who can actually do that. Rabo would come to mind, but with all the crashes I don't think they are capable of much. Radioshack? Does Basso have something in the tank?

Some teams have to hope their guys had a bad day.

If the order people dropped today is a true representation of strength, then any attempt to drop the Sky train will just accelerate the moment when 8 guys are left and 3 are from Sky.

 

[on3m@n@rmy]

Sadly it's all over for VDB. Now time to look for next year. What a disappointing TDF...at least for me.


WTH happened? It looked like a mechanical problem.

VDB2 lost pace by going off the road into grassy shoulder. Not sure why he went off. Too bad though, as I was hoping he'd have a good Tour. Same with Gesink and Samu. But at least we still have an interesting 3 or 4 way battle for the GC.

 

[LaFlorecita]

Guys who can TT and climb. Terrible awful bad!!!
.

I'm just saying that they're the best TTers by far And that they can keep up with the climbers in the mountains. I don't understand your problem.

 

[theyoungest]

Wtf... I barely ever talk about Gesink at all I've even written him before this Tour and wanted him to do well.

But yeah, I guess boomcie was right after all.

You've written him? Okay, that changes it.

What did you write? "Please stop being the ugliest climber in the peloton"?

 

[Arnout]

You would if he wore Yellow.

Ah man, thanks for knowing me so well. Remind me to call you if I need a shrink.

You know the truth? I couldn't care less about Gesink, whether he's losing time or winning. Just deal with it ok and don't project your patriotism on me, thank you very much.

 

[dlwssonic]

I actually miss contador now

 

[LaFlorecita]

I don't get posts like this. If it is so bad why do you continue to watch it and then actively go on a forum to post about what you have seen being so bad?

This isn't a personal attack to your Wiggo, don't worry.

 

[Frosty]

Well, with Wigans in yellow, Sky will have to control the peloton more or less from the start of every stage now. Hoping some other teams will try to take advantage of that to try and break them down earlier, so there's no UK postal train up the last climb of the day.
Question is - are there any teams who can actually do that. Rabo would come to mind, but with all the crashes I don't think they are capable of much. Radioshack? Does Basso have something in the tank?

Radioshack - hopefully Frank will start showing some better form and Radioshack will go on the attack to try to break as many people as possible. Just a bit worried that they may look for 9th and 10th for Kloden and Monfort, and try to take the team classification.

 

[dgodave]

I'm just saying that they're the best TTers by far And that they can keep up with the climbers in the mountains. I don't understand your problem.

Sony. It was an ironicalism on my part.
.
I guess I dont see the problem with a GT every once in a while that isnt completely climbing-heavy.
.

 

[UlleGigo]

Clearly, you are not used to having your frankly ridiculous assumptions challenged.
Eating a large slice of humble pie, not as palatable as a few kilos of sour grapes.

If you want to believe in unicorns that's nobody's business but your own. It doesn't hurt anybody. But if you want to start criticising me of sour grapes you should perhaps first familarise yourself with the impact that farcical performances like that have on cycling.

I'd put my hands up and say that the rest are clearly not good enough if that were a viable option. But unfortunately it is quite obviously not.

Anyone that knows anything about cycling knows what they just saw. And they also know that nothing will be done about it.

 

[Fetisoff]

Pierre Rolland

Well, I sort of meant you need a team that has a few options who are dangerous enough for SKy to have to chase.

Healthy Rabo could send Mollema/Kruijswik up front, with Gesink tucked in, so Sky would have to chase, hopefully leaving Wigans isolated towards the end

Rolland on his own will not be able to crack Sky, unfortunately

 

[Waterloo Sunrise]

"Menchov has slipped off, ever so silently"

Sometimes I think Phil & Paul are just playing with people.

 

[LaFlorecita]

I actually miss contador now

Let Evans and Wiggo have their fun. TTT up the mountains is the real deal now.

 

[Trunnions]

People are forgetting Cadel was nowhere near his best form at the start of the TdF. His intention was to ride into form, and he is doing. Today was not his peak either, there's much more to come from him to be sure.

 

[Arnout]

You've written him? Okay, that changes it.

What did you write? "Please stop being the ugliest climber in the peloton"?

I meant to write "written him up", apologies.

And yes, before the Tour I was appreciate of his form in the build-up races, expressing my feelings on this forum.

I didn't talk about his style in that instance, but if you want me to do so, I'll go ahead. His style is still the worst of the peloton and his tendency to push a small gear is still hampering his development. There's a reason no-one does it like him, it's just not efficient. It might give him better results now, as he's used to it, but it's simply more efficient to push a bigger gear and don't lose so much energy by moving your legs.

But yeah, this will make me a hater again. I guess.

 

[Waterloo Sunrise]

People are forgetting Cadel was nowhere near his best form at the start of the TdF. His intention was to ride into form, and he is doing. Today was not his peak either, there's much more to come from him to be sure.

There is no basis to believe anyone is any more or less in form than anyone else until we reach the end and can review.

 

[Derrick]

I am a bit concerned about all these supposed climbers who get shelled out by the domestiques. Let's face it today was hardly a mountain stage. It just happened to finish up a reasonable hill.

 

[Ferminal]

Seriously porte?????
I was like WTF!

Malhao?
Mende?
Joux Plane?

 

[LaFlorecita]

Sony. It was an ironicalism on my part.
.
I guess I dont see the problem with a GT every once in a while that isnt completely climbing-heavy.
.

Completely climbing-heavy Well this one is completely tt-heavy, and don't worry, the Tour organiser will like having Wiggo as the winner so much we'll have another tt-heavy route next year.

 

[Dekker_Tifosi]

Besides VDB2, I was hoping better for Gesink and Samu. But at least we have a good battle shaping up with the top 3 or 4 on the overall GC. Should be interesting.

Such a fall is always the worst on the next day. They could not have timed it worse

If you see Zubeldia finishing top 6 and Monfort top 10. You can only wonder what if.

2011 all over again sadly. But at least I can cheer for Froome