2014 Tour de France, Stage 8: Tomblaine – Gerardmer/La Mauselaine: 161km

[Afrank]

You seem upset. Again, there is no reason for him to lose 3 seconds on purpose, and he did shake his head after the line so he didn't seem happy with how the finish turned out.

I do? No, I'm not upset at all. I do find it odd how Contador fans are acting like he just stormed the climb and took minutes. Neither looked too troubled IMO.

He just chose not to sprint (like Eshnar pointed out he rarely does). And I didn't see any head shake, I'll have to watch replay later.

 

[cineteq]

Nibali never bothers with sprints, people. You should have known already.
i don't think you can draw any conclusions today, besides the fact that he is at least the second best climber of the field.

What's worrisome is his team.

 

[sultanofhyd]

Contador never actually attacked, he just went to the front and increased the pace. He never lost his kick.

 

[Dutchsmurf]

look at Nibali looking down at his gears on replay.

Looking down at your gears like that is usually a sign you are cracking.

 

[mr. tibbs]

You seem upset. Again, there is no reason for him to lose 3 seconds on purpose, and he did shake his head after the line so he didn't seem happy with how the finish turned out.

I agree. I would also love it if Nibs managed to win this Tour by proving that he was the best GCer at riding all the obstacles the race offered: hills, stones, mountains, tts. But I don't see it happening after today.

Jumping to conclusions? Maybe. But that finish was telling, and it's only going to get harder.

 

[maxmartin]

i guess we'll have to wait and see what nibali says, but he wasn't comfortable imo in the finale (seeing replay once again)

so much effort for 3 seconds, can saxo train do this over and over again? Lemond is also questioning Saxo' tactics, he is saying Saxo should let Astana rider, save the energy for Monday blow

 

[Netserk]

no, but he does sprint. Nibali never did, to my memory. (ok, Italian champs excluded)
He lost a few seconds in many MTF sprints.

He sprinted away from Horner in the Vuelta last year.

 

[Roude Leiw]

Looking down at your gears like that is usually a sign you are cracking.

Well if he cracked and lost 3 seconds, he has handled its well. I would not loose sleep about the 3 seconds, but more why my team went out of the window

 

[No_Balls]

Don't live in reality? No, we just don't see how Nibali was in trouble there. Of course all the Contador fans are saying he cracked and acting like he lost big time.

Yes, loosing ground to a freewheeling Alberto (while shaking the head in disappointment) with a team completely shattered at the first little hill and not in the slightest possible way able to keep up, must be really good signs for the bigger mountains ey?

If i only could have that optimism.

 

[kingjr]

I do? No, I'm not upset at all. He just chose not to sprint (like Eshnar pointed out he rarely does). And I didn't see any head shake, I'll have to watch replay later.

It was a close up slow mo on the eurosport coverage. It came after the Classement général table.

 

[willbick]

Think Porte will put time into Nibali on the bigger climbs

 

[Dutchsmurf]

so much effort for 3 seconds, can saxo train do this over and over again? Lemond is also questioning Saxo' tactics, he is saying Saxo should let Astana rider, save the energy for Monday blow

It isn't only about Nibali tho. Today was useful to scrap tons of other names.

 

[Lupi33]

Kadri is a great front runner in a breakaway

 

[indianfanboy]

I do? No, I'm not upset at all. I do find it odd how Contador fans are acting like he just stormed the climb and took minutes. Neither looked too troubled IMO.

He just chose not to sprint (like Eshnar pointed out he rarely does). And I didn't see any head shake, I'll have to watch replay later.

There was a headshake check out the replays

 

[Kwibus]

Relax all. We didn't have any long climbs yet.
Until then not much can be said. Unless 1 drops like a stone on a short climb, but that didn't happen.

 

[Climbing]

Yeah Nibali cooked, without even breathing at the finish line...

 

[mr. tibbs]

Well, great finish to the stage, chapeau to Kadri and great to see the first uphill kick in the GC. They may not be lighting the fireworks yet, but there's plenty of fuse in evidence.

Off to sneak in a ride before Saturday duties take over. Don't stay on arguing for too long, guys.

 

[Publicus]

Last 20 meters? By the effort Oleg's boys put I am sure Contador tried to drop Nibali. He didn't succeed.

He looked on the rivet in the last 100 meters. And at no time did it seem like Contador had put in a massive attack. I'll wait to see what both of them have to say, but it's clear that Contador is the best climber in the race.

 

[Afrank]

Yes, loosing ground to a freewheeling Alberto (while shaking the head in disappointment) with a team completely shattered at the first little hill and not in the slightest possible way able to keep up, must be really good signs for the bigger mountains ey?

If i only could have that optimism.

Except that wasn't at all what happened. That's a big exaggeration.

 

[kingjr]

It isn't only about Nibali tho. Today was useful to scrap tons of other names.

And 7 seconds on Porte, 19 on Valverde. There were never gonna be really big timegaps on a finish like that, but he has a lot of time to make up and he will chip away at it at every opportunity.

 

[indianfanboy]

Contador never made a big acceleration he was testing who all could keep up

 

[pigoonse]

Great stage win for Blel Kadri

My man Nibs is still in yellow. Contador looking strong - that climb was nothing to him.

Horner telling it like it is on NBCSN

 

[Frosty]

Pretty sure that Nibali looked down when he was dropped in the Dauphine. Maybe a way of blocking out the fact he is getting dropped, etc?

 

[More Strides than Rides]

Whether you want to acknowledge the finishing gap or not, failing to make Nibali crack does not make Contador any weaker. Its just another move of the pawns over the long game.

My take: they may both have taken the same physical load, but the mental duress of finishing second compared to first (in your relative battle) will also last through the next stages.

No matter what we say, Contador will think he saw a dent in the Armour, and Nibali will tell himself that he let Contador get away.

Both brands of mental state matter.

 

[retzko]

i have never seen Nibali that strong on a wall against the best climber in the world.... But on the other hand Contador seems to be flying.