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

[Panda Claws]

Yeah, true. Gerrans won the overall. Anyway... the climb suits him, and no Valverde in the race this year

Machado was 3rd and Rogers was 4th

It suits him, but he did not exactly beat the best either.

 

[BigMac]

Someone can drop a stream link for later?

Remember europeans, finale is:

- 4:30 AM (aprox) GMT
- 5:30 AM (aprox) CET
- 6:30 AM (aprox) EET

 

[manafana]

2nd on Wilunga normally wins so Evans will be hoping thats him, may well come down to Gerrans trying to nick some time bonus in the sprint.

 

[manafana]

Someone can drop a stream link for later?

Remember europeans, finale is:

- 4:30 AM (aprox) GMT
- 5:30 AM (aprox) CET
- 6:30 AM (aprox) EET

said in earlier thread just find hqsport and it wil lbe in schedule on one of sky sports channels

 

[BigMac]

said in earlier thread just find hqsport and it wil lbe in schedule on one of sky sports channels

thanks a lot.

 

[Dazed and Confused]

ok, Live coverage starts at 1:40 CET. A couple of hours of music etc. Hanging around.....

 

[auscyclefan94]

It's not helping BMC that no one but Greenedge and Haas are interested in the sprint points. I thought they might have tried to send a rider up the road so Gerrans couldn't take maximum points but the wind didn't help. Big advantage in this race if you can sprint. Cadel really has to win on Willunga to win the overall. Gerrans will keep chipping away. Cadel needs the win bonus and possible time gap but Gerrans usually does very well on Willunga which is a much different climb to Corkscrew. Alternative is for someone else to win on Willunga apart from Gerrans or Evans but at this stage hard to see that happening unless Ulissi or Porte can have a great climb.

You can't really compare Gerrans' victories on Wilunga in past years to the current year. He is riding against much better climbers this year in comparison to past years where either he was against much more average climbers (i.e. Slagter and Thomas) or riders who simply waited for the sprint (i.e. Valverde). Gerrans was put under pressure immediately by BMC from the bottom of Corkscrew. It was only really Evans that put the nail in the coffin into him on that climb. If I were BMC, I would let GreenEdge ride on the front all day and send a rider like Wyss to challenge Gerrans for the sprints, if the break does not go away. Otherwise, let the break go away and just let riders like Morabito, Moinard, Hermans and Bookwalter rip the race to pieces on Wilunga to launch Evans to victory. It will just be funny to see the smile wiped off Matt "Nobody is dropping Simon Gerrans" White's face.

The one thing I am hoping for is that there isn't a headwind on the climb.

Evans to drop everyone on the bottom of the climb and cement his place in history as the greatest stage racer that ever lived.

Couldn't have said it better myself.

Northerly winds on Wilunga around the finish time. That makes it harder for Evans to drop Gerrans.

 

[briztoon]

Ok I will miss todays stage due to working this afternoon. I've been watching it online live, but can't today. Is there anywhere online that I can watch a recording of the race?

I can't record from tv it as I don't have the channel it is being showed live on. I have satellite, and the channel is only available on cable.

I can record a one hour highlights package late at night, but would prefer to watch the whole stage.

 

[Cookster15]

BMC should race hard from the bottom of the first ascent of Wilunga - headwind or no headwind. Then on the climb to finish Evans might just be able to shed Gerrans by end of the first steep section. At least that is what I hope. Let's see what the wind, Evans and Gerrans legs decide.

 

[barn yard]

The one thing I am hoping for is that there isn't a headwind on the climb.


Northerly winds on Wilunga around the finish time. That makes it harder for Evans to drop Gerrans.

Central for Saturday Mostly sunny. Winds SE 30 to 40 km/h, temporarily easing to 20 to 30 km/h during the daytime. Daytime maximum temperatures 22 to 28.

a SE wind is a crosswind (will come from the rider's left) for willunga hill.... it is fairly sheltered towards the top but the bottom is totally exposed to that wind direction

could be interesting

 

[auscyclefan94]

Race coverage has started.

Funny hearing in the intro Liggett say "Alessandro Valverdeee"

 

[auscyclefan94]

Voigt in the breakaway

Break has gone

Voigt, Ignatyev, Lobato and Trentin

 

[Geraint Too Fast]

Voigt in the break + Phil & Paul commentating =

 

[Dazed and Confused]

Greipel is having some fun after his win.

 

[manafana]

Wish all Phil talk had to go to the clinic.

Much prefer sean kellys stories of winning a cow then having to haggle with farmer to buy it off you.

 

[wirral]

The break has this today.

 

[auscyclefan94]

The break has this today.

LOL< absolutely no chance the break will survive.

Sky chasing is so stupid. Porte is simply going to give more seconds to Gerrans which is bad for him

 

[Geraint Too Fast]

The break has this today.

No way Greenedge will let that happen.

 

[Ferminal]

LOL< absolutely no chance the break will survive.

Sky chasing is so stupid. Porte is simply going to give more seconds to Gerrans which is bad for him

He can't beat Gerrans overall anyway, has a chance of coming third or fourth though.

 

[auscyclefan94]

He can't beat Gerrans overall anyway, has a chance of coming third or fourth though.

Okay, well then he is giving more seconds to Haas if that is the case. That is still no reason for Sky to chase the break.

There is a headwind on the climb according to Al Hinds, which is bad for Evans

 

[Butterhead]

Good morning guys, how much is the gap?

 

[Afrank]

Good morning guys, how much is the gap?

6 minutes.

 

[auscyclefan94]

First sprint

Mikhail Ignatyev (RUS) - KAT, Matteo Trentin (ITA) - OPQ, Jens Voigt

 

[Dazed and Confused]

Nothing wrong with the beach.

Reminder: Ulissi.

 

[auscyclefan94]

Still 5:33 gap. I think it will be tough to bring back the break within 30km before the next sprint.

Sky having the team on the front is stupid. The break is coming back on the first climb no doubt so they should be drilling it then.

Kurt Asle Arvesen (Sky DS) has said they are going for the jersey so my theory was right.