2013 Tour de France, Stage 4: Nice / Nice 25km (TTT)

[auscyclefan94]

You only need 5 riders. You can lose 4 and still get fastest time. Sky can lose Thomas and still win.

Froome, Porte, Kennaugh, Stennard and Thomas would have been the 5. Maybe add in EBH. Thomas ain't up to it, replace him.

The only other team on paper with a stronger 5 would be Garmin. Hesjedal, CVV, Talansky, Dennis, Martin, Navardauskas and Danielson. They in theory have more room to work with, but are still good.

Honestly I expect quite a few teams to be close time wise. Anyone loses over 90 seconds...yeah, not good for your GC riders. Naturally other teams I expect to do well are OPQS, BMC, Saxo, Movistar and OGE. If Tony Martin hadn't fallen, this would be OPQS easily. Him and Chavanel are monsters.

Yeah, but loosing Kennaugh and EBH who both are injured or looked very ordinary yesterday along with Thomas means more work for the other riders. Of course you only have to cross with 5 riders, but you would rather have 7 strong riders crossing together than only 5 strong riders.

 

[Warhawk]

Best placed rider overall is in brackets
15:15 Argos-Shimano (not possible)
15:19 Omega Pharma–Quick Step (Kwiatkowski) (Kwiatkowski)
15:23 Lotto-Belisol (Van den broeck)
15:27 Cannondale (Sagan) (Sagan)
15:31 Cofidis (Le Mevel)
15:35 FDJ.fr (Jeannesson) (Pinot)
15:39 Belkin (Mollema)
15:43 Garmin-Sharp (Millar) (Talansky)
15:47 Euskaltel-Euskadi (Astarloza)
15:51 Sky (Boasson Hagen)
15:55 Katusha (Vorganov)
15:59 Sojasun (Simon)
16:03 Astana (Fuglsang)
16:07 Movistar Team (Valverde) (Quintana)
16:11 Team Saxo-Tinkoff (Roche)
16:15 Europcar (Malacarne)
16:19 AG2R La Mondiale (Peraud) (Bardet)
16:23 Orica–GreenEdge (Gerrans)
16:27 Lampre-Merida (Cunego) (Favilli)
16:31 Vacansoleil-DCM (Lagutin)
16:35 BMC Racing Team (Evans) (van Garderen)
16:39 RadioShack-Leopard (Bakelants)



Yes, he would. Cadel usually leads the team home as well in a TTT.

Just added best placed young rider to your list as well, for those teams with one in the +1" group (so, basically, who would be wearing white if their team won, or at least placed better than any other team with a rider in that group).

There's only 8, so based on the teams, it looks like Kwiatkowski, Quintana, van Garderen, and Talansky all stand a decent shot of being in white tomorrow.

 

[Eyeballs Out]

I think Sky will probably still win. The margin will be a little smaller with effectively 8 riders but I still think this team looks stronger than the one they won the Giro TTT with

 

[Leadbelly]

tony and steegmans are injured otherwise i'd pick opqs. sorry

Terpstra crashed yesterday too - hurt his knee and ribs. Cav is on antibiotics. So that's four OPQS with question marks to their names.

Still wouldn't surprise me if they won though.

 

[theyoungest]

Explosive? You'd have to be able to match and exceed the speed of your teammates or all that explosiveness is nothing but wasted, especially if you can't maintain that speed. I don't think this is a particularly bendy or hilly parcours. Declerq is really a much better TT'er, no ifs or buts about it.

But you have a point, they stayed well below expectations two years ago, this team doesn't seem to be much better or worse.

De Clercq is certainly a better TTer (not a great one either). But in a TTT you have to take short turns, and recover quickly. Maybe Vanendert is good at that, who knows.

 

[Dekker_Tifosi]

Terpstra crashed yesterday too - hurt his knee and ribs. Cav is on antibiotics. So that's four OPQS with question marks to their names.

Still wouldn't surprise me if they won though.

doubt it, normally the tdf is unforgiving, guys not at 100% usually instantly fail.

 

[Cimber]

renovandaelReno 1h

Has this been shared yet? Orica-GreenEdge bus hasn't learned how to limbo quite yet pic.twitter.com/UZLICbAqRT

 

[Dazed and Confused]

renovandaelReno 1h

Has this been shared yet? Orica-GreenEdge bus hasn't learned how to limbo quite yet pic.twitter.com/UZLICbAqRT

lol, they might as well rip the roof off and hope for good weather.

 

[Flamin]

1 Movistar
2 Garmin
3 Sky

 

[Big Doopie]

1 Movistar
2 Garmin
3 Sky

Where oh where is Movistar getting all that flatt tt power from I wonder...

 

[classicomano]

I think the most important question of today is, will OPQS catch Argos?

 

[Kazistuta]

renovandaelReno 1h

Has this been shared yet? Orica-GreenEdge bus hasn't learned how to limbo quite yet pic.twitter.com/UZLICbAqRT

Mesa zinks its a photoshop

 

[Sophistic82]

chavanel went all out two days in a row, isnt gonna be at 100% either.

 

[Kazistuta]

Where oh where is Movistar getting all that flatt tt power from I wonder...

Costa - Portugese ITT champion
Castroviejo - Spanish ITT champion
Plaza - Third placed Spanish ITT
Gutierrez - Three times Spanish ITT champion
Valverde - Very good in team time trials

 

[Flamin]

Where oh where is Movistar getting all that flatt tt power from I wonder...

 

[Carols]

Where oh where is Movistar getting all that flatt tt power from I wonder...

Take it to the clinic...that is your 3rd or more innuendo. There is a sub-forum for you to discuss in.

 

[Big Doopie]

Costa - Portugese ITT champion
Castroviejo - Spanish ITT champion
Plaza - Third placed Spanish ITT
Gutierrez - Three times Spanish ITT champion
Valverde - Very good in team time trials

Yeah, even Jamaica sent a bob-sleigh team to the Olympics, I guess.

Didn't mean they won gold.

 

[auscyclefan94]

Spain and Portugal aren't the best time trial nations and Valverde is okay at best in such an event.

 

[Big Doopie]

Take it to the clinic...that is your 3rd or more innuendo. There is a sub-forum for you to discuss in.

I'm sorry. I have absolutely no idea what you are talking about or implying.

Because about 30 posters have made a team of Spanish climbers the favorites for a flat TTT, I can't question that (il)logic.

Sorry you disagree with me. But no need to try to get me banned because you disagree with me.

 

[b.broadhurst]

Been out to see the teams ride the course this morning, alot of riders looked very uncomfortable, G and Contador the main ones, I think Garmin will win

 

[bassplayer88]

Yeah, even Jamaica sent a bob-sleigh team to the Olympics, I guess.

Didn't mean they won gold.

Miguel (cough splutter) Indurain

Olympic Time-Trial Champion (1996)

 

[Carols]

Been out to see the teams ride the course this morning, alot of riders looked very uncomfortable, G and Contador the main ones, I think Garmin will win

I wouldn't mind seeing Garmin win at all though

 

[Parrulo]

Big Doopie you know very well what Carols is talking about.

Another clinic innuendo post and you will be banned for a week, or a month depending on when and why were last banned.

 

[Carols]

I'm sorry. I have absolutely no idea what you are talking about or implying.

Sorry I misinterpreted your remarks! Guess you are unaware that Movistar has turned in some really good TTTs.

 

[del1962]

Been out to see the teams ride the course this morning, alot of riders looked very uncomfortable, G and Contador the main ones, I think Garmin will win

Sky don't need to finish with G though, Saxo do with AC

Would quite like a Garmin win though

How did Tony MArtin look