2014 Tour de France, Stage 10: Mulhouse > La Planche des Belles Filles 161.5 Km

[maxmartin]

Nibali sure gets lucky a lot.

true to that, he almost crashed three times in the stage 5, so luck definitely favored him. Or you can say he is just such good bike handler thriving in the wet condition.

 

[TANK91]

Tony Martin? Haha see you in clinic. This is gret ridiing though he is crazy.

 

[rainman]

You tell me. The TV is off. Roll on Tour of Spain.

Its still way more interesting than the 2012 Skytrain borathon.

 

[maxmartin]

Or he just can handle the bike/race/conditions better than others

Amen to that!

 

[Museeuw]

Perhaps with the bad news, there is a blessing for the race, because it will be more wide for anyone to attack & try their luck against Nibali...
I hope is that the case, so the rest of the Tour could be worth watching still...

I think it will be just opposite. Contador was only one who could have challenged Nibali. Astana will easily defend their lead till the end. From GC point of view this will be a very boooooooring Tour from now on.

 

[TANK91]

true to that, he almost crashed three times in the stage 5, so luck definitely favored him. Or you can say he is just such good bike handler thriving in the wet condition.

He does have luck though Max alot, look at his Giro win he crashed on wet descend quite hard and nothing happend. Most could have broken bones.

 

[therhodeo]

Look at who is riding in the field. No wonder Martin is holding the gap.

 

[movingtarget]

So VDB, the number 3 (after Menchov was removed) from 2010 and number 4 from 2012 (only 4 minutes behind Nibali), who only missed out on a top 5 in 2011 and 2013 due to a crash, is going to be beaten by a bunch of guys who's best result is 5th (Valverde all the way back in 2007) who have only 4 top 10 finishes (3x Valverde 1x Horner) and including 2 guys who never finished in the top 15 in the tour (or any GT since 2010).

I know he's not exactly the most exciting rider, but he's the main challenger for the podium with Valverde, and his pedigree is way above everyone else.

Horner likes the heat and long winding stages with loads of climbs, and the competition in the Vuelta was nowhere near VDB's level.

Rui Costa has never shown himself to be able to compete in a 3 week tour, sure he could surprise, but he's very unlikely to beat VDB.

Now Porte could challenge sure, but he's always had an off-day, I doubt he'll be good enough to make up whatever he loses that day on VDB, if he can take any time at all.

I just hope that VDB decided not to be conservative and ride for a podium (especially after he's gotten one in 2010 now) and actually challenge, he's unlikely to topple Nibali, but at least it will be worth watching.

I don't like Valverde's chances with a long TT to come. That brings Porte back into it and TJVG and Talansky. I picked Valverde for third originally and will stick with that.

 

[Vino's Mum]

Tony Martin is freaking beast. How is he doing this 2 days in a row?

Jose Ibarguren says hi.

 

[yespatterns]

Look at who is riding in the field. No wonder Martin is holding the gap.

Haha, I was wondering why lotto was being allowed to control things in the back...

 

[maxmartin]

Its still way more interesting than the 2012 Skytrain borathon.

some ID here are AC fanatics, sometimes you are wondering they are watching a race or just watching AC doing pedaling.

 

[The Hitch]

Tony Taus. Not normal.

Behave

 

[TourOfSardinia]

Nibali sure gets lucky a lot.

Giro 2010 Stage 7 taught him a lot I think:

http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/nibali-and-basso-lose-two-minutes-after-crash

 

[kurtinsc]

I think it will be just opposite. Contador was only one who could have challenged Nibali. Astana will easily defend their lead till the end. From GC point of view this will be a very boooooooring Tour from now on.

We'll see by the end of the day today.

I think some riders who may have just wanted to keep up with Contador on the last two mountains will test Nibali today.

He may control everything fine and that may result in others trying to protect their place going forward, but with a rest day tomorrow and no Contador... I expect some teams to try to feel out Nibali at the end today.

 

[The Hitch]

The race is never over before the first rest day.

Except the last 2 TDF's

 

[del1962]

Ok, missed what happened been busy, can some one fill me in on what happened to Contador, such a shame for the race he has withdrawn

 

[GroupDK]

Ridicalus to pull him off if Theres any chance that he cant ride, and if nothing is broken..

the main objective should always be getting to the finish line, and take tomorrrows restday and the comming flat stages to resurec..

so what if todays stage cost him the race, and Looses way to much and come home with the bus..

he would still have the chance to perform later in the tour, and show his formlevel thrueout the many comming stages..for the first in time in years he had finally manage to calculate his form to the tour..

at the end of the day, the main thing is sponsortime and giving us as spectators a brilliant show.. the grand tour-titel is what it is..

if you look at sponsorvalue thrueout a tour and the harvest it make, it often aint the winning team there get most out of it, but instead the team
that makes the race, and perform brilliant tactic-moves etc and gets the peoples sympati.

 

[maxmartin]

He does have luck though Max alot, look at his Giro win he crashed on wet descend quite hard and nothing happend. Most could have broken bones.

I know, I am not complaining. Also maybe AC's luck runs out, the last time he abandoned GT is 2006. You always need a little luck to win the GT, so much things can happen in three weeks.

 

[veji11]

in a sad way, because I don't like to see riders abandoning on crashes, this tour does have a narrative harking back to old times : the winner is the survivor, the last man standing...

 

[trevim]

It sucks that Alberto is out, but it just means it is on the other riders to make the race exciting now and lets hope they manage that

Yeah let's trust Van Garderen, Mollema, Costa and Van den Broeck to make the race exciting

 

[Amsterhammer]

Der Panzerwagen wins the red number in perpetuity.

The multiple TT world champion leads the leading group up a mountain wearing the polka-dot and with the red number!!

Can any anorak confirm that this has never happened before?

 

[manafana]

Nibali has a lot of pressure on him now french threat is one that should scare him while Movistar need to be ruthless and not pitch in.

 

[indianfanboy]

Martin will win the final TT by 5 minutes

 

[Fight.The.Power]

I think it was already mentioned, but pretty ****ed off that Purito has lost so much time already.

I presume it was deliberate so that he could attack the mountains for KOM jersey without being chased.

But has this been a huge faux pas which now has given him zero chance of a podium ?

Or is my head in the clouds here ?

 

[TANK91]

So VDB, the number 3 (after Menchov was removed) from 2010 and number 4 from 2012 (only 4 minutes behind Nibali), who only missed out on a top 5 in 2011 and 2013 due to a crash, is going to be beaten by a bunch of guys who's best result is 5th (Valverde all the way back in 2007) who have only 4 top 10 finishes (3x Valverde 1x Horner) and including 2 guys who never finished in the top 15 in the tour (or any GT since 2010).

I know he's not exactly the most exciting rider, but he's the main challenger for the podium with Valverde, and his pedigree is way above everyone else.

Horner likes the heat and long winding stages with loads of climbs, and the competition in the Vuelta was nowhere near VDB's level.

Rui Costa has never shown himself to be able to compete in a 3 week tour, sure he could surprise, but he's very unlikely to beat VDB.

Now Porte could challenge sure, but he's always had an off-day, I doubt he'll be good enough to make up whatever he loses that day on VDB, if he can take any time at all.

I just hope that VDB decided not to be conservative and ride for a podium (especially after he's gotten one in 2010 now) and actually challenge, he's unlikely to topple Nibali, but at least it will be worth watching.

I would like Vdb to podium but Porte shown better climbing in a few stage last year than Jurgen did in his whole carear. What makes you think he will beat Porte when he is behind him in GC and he has a ITT to do?.