2014 Tour de France, Stage 7: Epernay–Nancy (234.5 Km)

[Netserk]

I see your point regarding race reults.. The statement i made has flaws yes..
However he took the step from captain to novice in 2009..
He had to learn to ride bigger races whilst beeing a support for others..

I would argue that it takes some time to find your place at the level he entered back then but I always considered him to be developing during those years.
His Radioshack time was far from perfect, but still learning and building on his experience, how to ride 3-week stages, recovering etc..

It's not 'just' about race results, ever since his Vuelta crash in '09 he didn't progress at all (or at least until he came to Astana), one might argue even regressed.

 

[Kender]

Why didn't they do this already on the cobbled stage is my thinking? Fuglsang could have had 3 seconds there at the end it looked like

And what would be the point of that? Astana would still have the jersey and still be obliged to control the race when the likes of cannondale aren't pushing the pressure for Sagan. Or the sprint teams for their guys.

 

[ToreBear]

Verdun

It's spooky and humbling having this race go through Verdun. I think this was the worst battle in WW1. 500.000-1.000.000 Casualties.

 

[tomorrow]

is cannondale still on the head of the peloton? from the gap to the break it seams, they want all the points from the intermediate sprint

 

[Kender]

It's spooky and humbling having this race go through Verdun. I think this was the worst battle in WW1. 500.000-1.000.000 Casualties.

And a fitting tribute to the fallen in this year being the 100th anniversary of it's end

 

[Bumeington]

And what would be the point of that? Astana would still have the jersey and still be obliged to control the race when the likes of cannondale aren't pushing the pressure for Sagan. Or the sprint teams for their guys.

I meant if that's their plan (as reported) why didn't they do it already, didn't say it was a good idea

 

[ToreBear]

And a fitting tribute to the fallen in this year being the 100th anniversary of it's end

Yes it is. It was the start though. The war went on from 1914-18. The war set the stage for the next war and the cold war. Had this war been avoided things would have been very much different.

I expect the commemorations to continue in some form the next 4 years as well.

 

[mrhender]

It's not 'just' about race results, ever since his Vuelta crash in '09 he didn't progress at all (or at least until he came to Astana), one might argue even regressed.

The bolded is exactly what I just said..

My understanding of progression is developmental activity..

He took a step to the top level of the sport and everything that happened those years has benefitted his progression (beeing better/stronger now the result of this)
Even though there where setbacks/regression it doesn't mean that he as a whole not has progressed over the years..

 

[el_angliru]

I just saw Fuglsang on tv denying it's part of today's tactics to let him gain a few seconds to take the maillot jaune. He said they were joking about it but he also stressed: it's not going to happen.

The tour history is full of battles or competition among teammates, sometimes quite ugly, sometimes friendlier (for instance Hinault/Lemond, Delgado/Indurian, Wiggins/Froome, Sastre/Schleck or in the Giro: Simoni/Cunego).

There was an incident in the 1995 tour where Bjarne Riis "took" the yellow jersey from teammate Ivan Gotti. Riis sprinted towards the finish and caused a small gap in his group and thereby gained a few seconds to take the maillot jaune. Not a nice move. There's a video here although it isn't very clear what's happening: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NmFYq7-AraA

I guess a somewhat similar move could be justified if it was part of the team tactics. But still a bit silly. Nibali should be holding the jersey until another team can get it, or all the way to Paris.

 

[Carstenbf]

Wind is picking up. Peleton looking nervous.

 

[roosters76]

Wind is picking up. Peleton looking nervous.

It'd interesting to catch that conversation between Renshaw and Sagan...

 

[Carstenbf]

It'd interesting to catch that conversation between Renshaw and Sagan...

- Da fuq is up with u man?
- <silent stare>

Settled down somewhat. Must've been that crosswind section before the sprint. Lot of jostling for position anyways.

Break completely irrelevant today.

 

[Frosty]

van poppel out

 

[Dekker_Tifosi]

Damn Van Poppel why? Yesterday he was in the first group until a flat tire in the last 2km

 

[mr. tibbs]

It's spooky and humbling having this race go through Verdun. I think this was the worst battle in WW1. 500.000-1.000.000 Casualties.

And a fitting tribute to the fallen in this year being the 100th anniversary of it's end

WWI is, with our war in Korea, largely forgotten in the US mass media/cultural imagniation, overshadowed by WWII and Vietnam. Shame, as The Great War teaches valuable lessons about the dangers of runaway nationalism and imperialist intervention.

From the original activist war correspondent:

My friend, you would not tell with such high zest
To children ardent for some desperate glory,
The old Lie: Dulce et decorum est
Pro patria mori.

 

[No_Balls]

Wrong.

10 char

 

[LaFlorecita]

contador ftw

Just saw this luv you jensie

 

[Climbing]

Here we are
like leaves on
trees, in Autumn

That's Ungaretti.

Ofc the translation of his poetry on WWI can't cope with original language, but you'll get the picture.

 

[mr. tibbs]

Lol Europcar looking strong. Team car IN the peloton.

EDIT: It really should take a pull, though. Just sitting in.

 

[Carstenbf]

van poppel out

Bah. Why?

Assuming crash on previous stage, and out of power?
Too bad.

 

[Arnout]

When is the action gonna start? I'm home in an hour and I'm wondering if I can make it before they start climbing those hills in the finale. If not, I might just watch the stage tonight.

 

[pigoonse]

Contador winning this stage would be great Maybe not a smart tactical move, but it is the kind of move that endears a rider to me.

Sagan vs. Kwiatkowski for this. Best man wins.

 

[sultanofhyd]

When is the action gonna start? I'm home in an hour and I'm wondering if I can make it before they start climbing those hills in the finale. If not, I might just watch the stage tonight.

They're gonna hit the climbs in about an hour if the bunch doesn't speed up appreciably.

 

[mr. tibbs]

Here we are
like leaves on
trees, in Autumn

That's Ungaretti.

Ofc the translation of his poetry on WWI can't cope with original language, but you'll get the picture.

Thanks for the reminder of him. I've read a bit of him in the original when I first started my graduate work, but my Italian is shaky at best. Magical and frightening imagery.

The Italians produced Ungaretti, the British produced Owen, and the US followed that up with two decades later with... Pound.

 

[Carstenbf]

When is the action gonna start? I'm home in an hour and I'm wondering if I can make it before they start climbing those hills in the finale. If not, I might just watch the stage tonight.

62k to go. First climb at about 20k. You do the math.