2014 Tour of California May 11-18

[Christian]

Respect to the Jensie! Last year he was high-fiveing spectators along the way while doing his ITT but this year he showed that he still got it. A model in will strength and determination!

 

[Dekker_Tifosi]

Ten Dam watch.

41 TEN DAM Laurens Belkin-Pro Cycling Team 2:20 47.048

Apparently he was involved in a crash after crossing the line.

It will be interesting to see what Belkin will do now. Bobridge did very well in the TT but that won't help GC wise.

Belkin with do nothing. With Ten Dam having multiple abrasions he will be **** for the remainder of this race.
They have no other GC riders here. So that was basically it

 

[Dazed and Confused]

What about Craddock? 1:33 down after the TT.

 

[Anderis]

I hope Garmin send Acevedo on the attack for the first big climb of the day- have a teammate in the break too to help
If that doesn't work they should still have Dennis for the podium and Acevedo can get a consolatory stage win.

I hope Garmin try some of their aggresive tactics they tend to use sometimes in stage races, like in US Pro Challenge in 2012 or stage 9 of TdF last year.

Every single man in their roster for this race can climb more or less. I hope they'll make a good use of it and create something interesting, even if beating Wiggins for the overall will be very hard.

They could try a long range attack with Acevedo or Danielson and 2 or so team-mates to help and hope other teams will not be able to catch them, or that will lose all of their domestiques in the process, so Garmin can launch another attack then, for stage victory if not for the overall.

Easier to say than to do, because most of their guys didn't look like being in their top form recently. But it's even less to lose then.

 

[Peter von]

Im shocked how can anyone think Wiggins will be (at least tiny) a thread to Froome and Contador in Tour?Even Valverde this year is better climber and GT contender than Wiggins.

he won the race in 2012 and has this year shown great determination, something lacking in his 2013 campaign(along with other things). Wiggins is only nowat a or close to a good climbing weight, so it makes sence that Valverde has been better thus far.

While it doesn't make Wiggo a favorite in IMO, it makes him someone who could potentially do a very good GC and he could win the whole thing if Tinkoff and Astana ends up gifting him a short amount of time. Of cause this is unlikely, but only unlikely because they know he is a thread at least has the potential to be.

 

[BigMac]

Machado
Does this mean he'll suck on the mountains?
Vamos Tiago!

Yes, vamos Tiago! This truly is his comeback - all set for at least a second place.

 

[WillemS]

These are some nice shots off of Degenkolb's and his teammate's bike during the sprint in which he got beaten by Cavendish.
http://nos.nl/embed/?id=v:647324

 

[classicomano]

These are some nice shots off of Degenkolb's and his teammate's bike during the sprint in which he got beaten by Cavendish.
http://nos.nl/embed/?id=v:647324

Wow that is awesome!

 

[WillemS]

Wow that is awesome!

There are more of these, as California is a bike camera test case. (Normally, it's not allowed to have a camera on the bike.)

There's one from Belkin (not that interesting, wheel change and attack of the font)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zkSFzwSqS2U

 

[Parrulo]

Interesting result by Machado

Hopefully he manages to podium here. It would be a great confidence boost for him before the Tour and would also improve his status inside the team ahead of the Tour.

 

[Christian]

These are some nice shots off of Degenkolb's and his teammate's bike during the sprint in which he got beaten by Cavendish.
http://nos.nl/embed/?id=v:647324

Yeah these are quite nice. If you watch the movie "The Armstrong Lie", they have some shots like this from the 2011 Tour de France. The picture quality is much better, but it is only maybe 30 seconds or so and nothing particularly interesting is happening. But still impressive to see

 

[Califootman]

There are more of these, as California is a bike camera test case. (Normally, it's not allowed to have a camera on the bike.)

I seem to remember some video off a bike cam during the live coverage of a stage of the ToC... maybe three or four years ago? It wasn't jaw dropping, but it did give an interesting perspective on the race and I was wondering why I haven't seen it again.

 

[Arnout]

Yeah these are quite nice. If you watch the movie "The Armstrong Lie", they have some shots like this from the 2011 Tour de France. The picture quality is much better, but it is only maybe 30 seconds or so and nothing particularly interesting is happening. But still impressive to see

That movie was a pile of **** though, don't watch it. It's just a video diary of an Amstrong lover that ends in disappointment, nothing more.

 

[Dazed and Confused]

Stage 3 reminder:

With Sir Wiggo in pole position, many competitors should probably go all in on the first climb and see what happens.

Race starts at 19:45 (CET).

 

[BigMac]

Stage 3 reminder:

With Sir Wiggo in pole position, many competitors should probably go all in on the first climb and see what happens.

Race starts at 19:45 (CET).

Big names won't risk an attack on the first climb. Two mountain finishes, if attacked properly, are enough to hurt Wiggins. I still think he is not at the climbing level of Machado, Ten Dam...

 

[jens_attacks]

That movie was a pile of **** though, don't watch it. It's just a video diary of an Amstrong lover that ends in disappointment, nothing more.

not true. it's a great movie about a fascinating mobster and patron of the peloton for a decade

 

[Califootman]

Stage 3 of the 2014 Amgen Tour of California

Gonna be a hot one. Looking at around 95F/35C in the Livermore area this afternoon.

Current GC top ten:

1 Bradley Wiggins (GBr) Team Sky 5:07:35
2 Rohan Dennis (Aus) Garmin Sharp 0:00:44
3 Taylor Phinney (USA) BMC Racing Team 0:00:52
4 Eloy Teruel Rovira (Spa) Jamis - Hagens Berman 0:01:08
5 Jesse Sergent (NZl) Trek Factory Racing 0:01:11
6 Tiago Machado (Por) Team NetApp-Endura 0:01:19
7 Markel Irizar Aranburu (Spa) Trek Factory Racing 0:01:21
8 Jens Voigt (Ger) Trek Factory Racing 0:01:24
9 Chad Haga (USA) Team Giant-Shimano 0:01:25
10 Tom Zirbel (USA) Optum p/b Kelly Benefit Strategies 0:01:28

Random Others:
Lawson Craddock +1:33
Leopold Konig 1:42
Laurens Ten Dam 2:20
Tom Danielson 2:20
Peter Stetina 2:30
Carter Jones 2:33
Janier Acevedo 2:39
Daniel Jaramillo 3:31

 

[Morbius]

Another random other:
Mark Cavendish 1:53

 

[Pricey_sky]

Adam Yates 2:19

 

[the sceptic]

Stage 3 reminder:

With Sir Wiggo in pole position, many competitors should probably go all in on the first climb and see what happens.

Race starts at 19:45 (CET).

yes, only 80 km of flat afterwards. dont see what could possibly go wrong.

 

[murali]

any chance for adam yates?

 

[fowlyetti]

Slightly better quality of climbers than at Tour of Turkey?

 

[Dazed and Confused]

yes, only 80 km of flat afterwards. dont see what could possibly go wrong.

Nothing, except the potential danger of snapping fans out of the state of hypnosis.

 

[Waterloo Sunrise]

Adam Yates 2:19

On reflection, a very good ride for such a fly-weight - should be able to ride to an adequate standard if he ever really needs to.

 

[Waterloo Sunrise]

Slightly better quality of climbers than at Tour of Turkey?

I dunno, they're both pretty ****ty fields. Take Wiggins out and there's not a whole lot left.