2013 Tour de France, Stage 12: Fougéres - Tours 218 Km

[akrogirl]

Phil kept saying that Veelers was the final leadout man for Kittel but, based on the Tweets, AS did a switch and put de Kort last.

 

[Richeypen]

If he was genuinely contesting the bunch sprint he would have been ahead of the crash.

Like Greipel?

 

[Hautacam2000]

Brilliant ride by Kittel,I have to say.And a very fast stage for the 2nd week,seems they didn't like the castles of Loire Valley.
Tommorow finally a nice sprint by Greipel I hope

 

[murali]

there is no such option at sky team.

yep. they are team led by morons, focused on personal milestones.

will have to see how many seasons EBH is going to stick with tht team.

 

[postmanhat]

He was just following Stannard tbh, plus he didn't get caught up in any of the big crashes so far so he must be doing something right.

And a big lead is totally useless if you go down and break you collarbone.

I'm a massive Stannard fanboy so was mainly following him (and therefore Froome) for the last 10K. Whether though luck or judgement, Stannard does a big push just before the crash. They would have been smack in the middle of it otherwise. Think they were just one rider ahead, when it happened.

What I found odd was that Stannard peeled off on the final corner, but Froome took off after the sprinters.

 

[Avoriaz]

yep. they are team led by morons, focused on personal milestones.

will have to see how many seasons EBH is going to stick with tht team.

Focused on winning the race. That's what happens when you have a GC contender in the team

 

[Pricey_sky]

Focused on winning the race. That's what happens when you have a GC contender in the team

Exactly, Sky's target since day 1 has been winning the Tour each season. That wont change especially as they have Froome. If EBH wants more freedom then he has to go to a smaller team that chases stage wins.

 

[Boardslide]

thats the reason i like cav. always good to give credit where it is due

This is his full statement

"You can sit there and analyze it, but when there is someone simply faster than you there is nothing you can do," Cavendish said. "I don't think me, or the team, could have done anything differently. He was just simply better today. I Tweeted the other day I think he's the next big thing. I spoke with him today actually. I think he's the next superstar in sprinting and he showed it today. He's won three stages now and that's not easy. I can tell you that from experience."

"My team did incredible today," Cavendish said. "We analyzed the finish beforehand. In the last days I think we've been a little to eager, you know, which is kind of a good thing because it means you've got the commitment from everybody. But ultimately we always ran out of guys. So today we talked about staying calm and staying patient and going at the last moment. The guys were a lot more comfortable and it made my job a lot easier. I'm just really disappointed I couldn't finish it off for them."

 

[Bernie's eyesore]

yep. they are team led by morons, focused on personal milestones.

will have to see how many seasons EBH is going to stick with tht team.

EBH has only been given the freedom to go for about 8 stage wins so far, you're right, it's a complete joke.

 

[JRanton]

If he was genuinely contesting the bunch sprint he would have been ahead of the crash.

 

[jaylew]

Now it looks like sprinting is just down to who's got the biggest thighs again, zzzz

If that was the case, Greipel would win every sprint stage.

 

[TheBean]

Can anyone remember the last time someone came around Cav like that?

Cavs been out-accelerated, out maneuvered, out drag-raced (rarely) and out of position many times, but I can't remember the last time someone slung out of his draft like Kittel did today.

Kittel made it look easy to accelerate past him. Impressive sprint.

 

[Panda Claws]

Can anyone remember the last time someone came around Cav like that?

Cavs been out-accelerated, out maneuvered, out drag-raced (rarely) and out of position many times, but I can't remember the last time someone slung out of his draft like Kittel did today.

Kittel made it look easy to accelerate past him. Impressive sprint.

Greipel, Tour 2011?

 

[Hawkwood]

Can anyone remember the last time someone came around Cav like that?

Cavs been out-accelerated, out maneuvered, out drag-raced (rarely) and out of position many times, but I can't remember the last time someone slung out of his draft like Kittel did today.

Kittel made it look easy to accelerate past him. Impressive sprint.

Isn't this a classic bell curve situation? Cav has gone past his peak and is on the way down, this is natural. I think he might do a bit better next year, especially if Renshaw comes to Omega, but the overall picture is downwards. Of course it might have helped today if Omega had someone riding shotgun on Cav's wheel to stop someone, Kittel, coming off it.

 

[search]

no way he didn't know. the crash happened after the 3km banner. and every GC contender knows where tht banner is.

from Nicolas Roche's blog:

"As we were unsure as to whether the crash had happened inside the final 3km, and therefore whether we would be given the same time as the leader, I sprinted to try and keep close to the front with Alberto and Roman in my wheel."

might have been the same for Froome

 

[batchuba]

Like Greipel?

Good point. I stand corrected.