2014 Tour Down Under Stage 5: McLaren Vale -> Wilunga Hill, 151.5km (2.WT)

[Netserk]

I haven't compared him to Pozzato.

A master tactician?? Really? He has won Lombardia twice (hardly due to tactics, but more to the fact that the route was shit) F-W (same as Lombardia) and Catalunya (didn't see that race, so can't comment). Other than that his biggest wins are Burgos and GT stages

What a 'master tactician'

Why did he lose the Giro '12 and Vuelta '12? Because he was the weakest? Hardly. He lost because of the way he rides, and thank god he lost. As long as he continues to race like he has in GTs (recently) I hope he'll never win one (or WC and Liege for that matter).

Oh and I didn't have anything against him back when he raced differently. Only now where he is the perhaps biggest coward of the biggest riders.

 

[Pentacycle]

So now Rodriguez suddenly lost those GT's because of bad tactics? This has to be a joke, he rode every mountain stage as hard as he could, and let's face it, he's never going to attempt a long solo ride across several climbs, because such an effort by him is doomed from the start. Netserk, you're simply asking too much from Purito's physical capabilities.

 

[jens_attacks]

He was yesterday clever than Evans, who was quite nervous and use a wrong tactic with headwind.

I dont know if Voigt_attacks put the new record on his blog, I didnt see. I took 8:17 with Porte from corner to corner.

It is a good time considering the headwing.

you are right about the time
http://climbing-records.blogspot.com/2014/01/richie-porte-show-his-class-on-willunga.html

to my shame i slept well last night only watched it now. richie was flying, got me so excited about il giro. i just hope he will be healthy and the weather will be fine. this giro might entertain us big time. if cadel comes in this shape too, it will be only better.

congrats to gerrans too, might snatch another classic this spring

 

[Netserk]

So now Rodriguez suddenly lost those GT's because of bad tactics? This has to be a joke, he rode every mountain stage as hard as he could, and let's face it, he's never going to attempt a long solo ride across several climbs, because such an effort by him is doomed from the start. Netserk, you're simply asking too much from Purito's physical capabilities.

Does that mean that you think both Hesjedal and Contador were stronger than Purito in those two GTs?

 

[Pentacycle]

Does that mean that you think both Hesjedal and Contador were stronger than Purito in those two GTs?

In the end they were faster, and if you disregard time bonuses Ryder and Alberto would've won by an even larger margin. A grand tour doesn't lie and tbh I don't think Purito did anything wrong.

He was outright dropped to Fuente Dé, and in the Giro he couldn't follow Hesjedal on to Alpe di Pampeago and Cervinia. If you have days such bad days you cannot possibly say you're the strongest, although Purito himself thinks otherwise. He himself often mistakes the strongest climber in the race for the strongest rider.

 

[Netserk]

In the end they were faster, and if you disregard time bonuses Ryder and Alberto would've won by an even larger margin. A grand tour doesn't lie and tbh I don't think Purito did anything wrong.

He was outright dropped to Fuente Dé, and in the Giro he couldn't follow Hesjedal on to Alpe di Pampeago and Cervinia. If you have days such bad days you cannot possibly say you're the strongest, although Purito himself thinks otherwise. He himself often mistakes the strongest climber in the race for the strongest rider.

I'm not sure, but I take your answer as a yes to both.

 

[roundabout]

Catalunya (didn't see that race, so can't comment)

Won in a 65km attack with Tondo and Pereiro (who later could not follow them).

 

[Pentacycle]

I'm not sure, but I take your answer as a yes to both.

You can be sure of that!

 

[Netserk]

Won in a 65km attack with Tondo and Pereiro (who later could not follow them).

Tbh he also rode differently back then.

If he rode nowadays like he used to do, I wouldn't mind him at all. Or just a middle way. Right now he rides like a coward (in GTs).

 

[staubsauger]

Hesjedal could easily have been killed at the first mountain stage when Pozzovivo won! Nobody tried to attack. Purito just never rode like a deserving grand tour champion that giro. His style of attacking was pathetic.

In the end, without Basso letting ride his team for a 5th place or Garmin taking responsibity instead of Katusha on the Stelvio the winner of that giro would've been either Damiano Cunego or Thomas De Gendt. Both would've been more deserved champs than Purito.

In the end Purito deserved his place as the biggest loser of that race: 2nd

 

[Taxus4a]

you are right about the time
http://climbing-records.blogspot.com/2014/01/richie-porte-show-his-class-on-willunga.html

to my shame i slept well last night only watched it now. richie was flying, got me so excited about il giro. i just hope he will be healthy and the weather will be fine. this giro might entertain us big time. if cadel comes in this shape too, it will be only better.

congrats to gerrans too, might snatch another classic this spring

Thanks!

I have your blog in favourites since one year ago.

My interpretation of the results is diffentent sometimes than the forum, but it is an objetive datum to start to analyze a performance and compare with others, so thank you.

 

[manafana]

a great great stage, but cadel showed his nerves wanted it too much and didn't do the maths should have ridden a little more within him.

Gerrans is such a racer and got love portes dig and Ulissi too

 

[greenedge]

Great crowds on the climb!

climb #1 has begun. I expect Porte to win this stage today.

We predicted it

The crowds actually lessened the crosswinds, but I didn't get to ride the climb in one go, as we had arrived later than usual.

Surprised that Evans faded by so much, at the 1km to go he had quite a big gap

 

[Taxus4a]

Maybe something that anybody knows here is that Bakelants made all the last climb with 2 bars in his wheel (nortmal is about 8-9) Verona told they werent thinking to stop and gave him his wheel, but it was still the flat section so, thay thought to go on with the puncture.

So the climb of Bakelants is impressive.

Very well for Verona as well, but his rival in the young classification, Jack Haig, memorize the number 147 and take his wheel. And interesting rider, runner-up MTB sub 23 of Australia.

 

[greenedge]

Did the same in Milan San Remo and his other victories in the Tour Down Under.

Mt Buninyong

 

[Arredondo]

Tbh he also rode differently back then.

If he rode nowadays like he used to do, I wouldn't mind him at all. Or just a middle way. Right now he rides like a coward (in GTs).

Bull****. How many riders attack in a GT? A lot of riders follow, because that's their max. Mollema, VDB, Valverde... They all wait.

In the Giro 2012, Purito did just his max. Or did you think he dropped on purpose on Alpe di Pampeago? Or Cervinia? And you think he attacked only at 1 km to go on the Stelvio just for fun? That was his max, and Ryder was just 16 seconds better.

In the Vuelta, he was the leader, so he wasn't the guy who had to take the responsibilities. And yes, he was better than Contador at Ezaro, Ancares, Jaca, but these where finishes perfectly suited to him, and in the true mountain stages (like Ancares, Covadonga, Cuitu), he was able to follow Contador's attacks, but he was on his max. So he did his max, but just lost to a better Contador.

In terms of the Classics. Which classics aren't **** nowadays? In MSR, they wait till the Poggio, in LBL till La Redoute, now in Flanders they wait till Paterberg. It isn't Purito who identifies racing nowdays, all the riders do, and the routes do play a important factor, but is the current points-system, and the mentality from the whole peloton, who decides the character of racing.

Have you look at stages like Ancares? That was just true tactician. Waiting for the right moment, and beating a tactilly stupid blunt like Contador. He did made a mistake at the Worlds, which cost him dearly, but that came after a ...... ATTACKING RACE!

 

[Arredondo]

Hesjedal could easily have been killed at the first mountain stage when Pozzovivo won! Nobody tried to attack. Purito just never rode like a deserving grand tour champion that giro. His style of attacking was pathetic.

In the end, without Basso letting ride his team for a 5th place or Garmin taking responsibity instead of Katusha on the Stelvio the winner of that giro would've been either Damiano Cunego or Thomas De Gendt. Both would've been more deserved champs than Purito.

In the end Purito deserved his place as the biggest loser of that race: 2nd

To say someone is a biggest loser, is pathetic. Wash your mouth boy.

 

[The Eggman]

Same old Cadel's whinings. He'll never change I guess.

How exactly is his tweet a whine?

He said he was disappointed and acknowledged the other team rode a better race. No more, no less.