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2015 Dauphiné, stage 5: Digne-les-Bains > Pra-Loup 161km

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Flamin said:
Pantani_lives said:
I missed the stage while sitting at home. Stupid French with their early finishes. :mad:

You haven't really been paying attention this week then ;)

Anyway, this was a great stage. Fantastic ride from Bardet, really glad he won.

I could be wrong, but yesterday they finished after 17:00 so I was expecting the same today. I know the first days they finished early, but why yesterday 2 hours later....?
 
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jalep said:
Electress said:
Netserk said:
jalep said:
Any possibility Mikel Landa might ride the Tour?
No.

Geez, I hope not. I'm not sure I can actually stand more rounds from Taxus about why Landa is the best climber since Edmund Hilary.

lol, I missed that.

your wit is sharper than ever, Electress ;)

thank you! :D And if your logging on troubles means that you missed the deification of Landa this Giro, then consider yourself blessed.
 
Jul 10, 2009
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I have said it over and over again that Froome falls short on race smarts. Its a one track template that he uses, clobber the opposition with brute speed. Couple of things nullify that basic strategy
A/ If that speed is matched, he has no plan B. Contador matched that speed in Vuelta 2014 and Froome had no clue what to do next. Contador did not match the speed once in the early season and of course we saw Froome ride away.
B/ He does not have the speed of 2013. He has not had that speed in years. Folks said that Vuelta 2014 speed was hampered by the injury from TDF 2014 but I felt its the real deal.
C/ If he is chased down hard he can be caught, he really doesn't have a plan B, example Bertie might slow down and suck your wheel, conserve energy for another day. Not Froome aka captain clobber.
D/ The template does not call for burst speed over and over again, there is the intial burst and then just ride as fast as possible seated. Unlike Contador who will attack again and again out of the saddle.

TJ I have said if he fufills his potential will be a major GT contender. He has the race smarts, we will see if this is the sign of greater things.
 
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Ataraxus said:
TJ was very strong today. Catalunya and today is an indication that he has upped the game this year. I think he might surprise us all in the Tour, perhaps even beat at least one of the 4 top guns.
Not so sure about that. Last year he also won the queen stage in Volta a Catalunya. If he can win this race, I will become less sceptic.
 
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Velolover2 said:
Valverde looks a little fat.

Like he did in Route du Sud last year. Hope he can lose some of the fat for the Tour. At least he has more time than last year.

Vvde is the *** Dastardly of cycling for me, I kind of love to hate him, but I always want to see him on form. And there are several times I sneakily want him to win. So, yeah.
 
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Oliver said:
Strange ride by Nibali. Sad to see... Maybe he just don't wanted to go deeper (really hope so).

Do not worry, Dauphine is only preparation for tour de france, nothing more and Nibali is facing it like he should, no need to freak out no useless waste of energy to this race, He was not able to follow such a riders like Yates, Mathias Frank or De clerq which are not even close to real GC contenders
In July e will be great like last year
 
Mar 27, 2015
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Froome was way better last year in dauphine than this year. If contador was here, froome would be dropped like a stone by contador. Froome is in a terrible shape compared last year. Now, contador is my top favourite to win le tour.
 
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qwer said:
Froome was way better last year in dauphine than this year. If contador was here, froome would be dropped like a stone by contador. Froome is in a terrible shape compared last year. Now, contador is my top favourite to win le tour.

I think neither Bertie nor Froome have yet to show the kind of form they had last year.
But seeing Nibali and Froome does make me feel more optimistic about Contador's chances, I'll admit. But these are still early days. I do look at the Giro and marvel - the CDD looks like a walk in the park in comparison.

cellardoor said:
Electress said:
Vvde is the **** Dastardly of cycling for me, I kind of love to hate him, but I always want to see him on form. And there are several times I sneakily want him to win. So, yeah.

Please go and stand in the corner until the feeling passes.

I know. I feel dirty just admitting it. But confession is the first part of the cure.
 
Aug 4, 2011
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Nibs is doing exactly what he did last year. I and a few others knew that Nibs was going to ride like this , same plan as last year. He fine.
Valverde though did not look so good , not sure what's happening there.

Froome looks Ok to me. That was a fast tempo Sky set when they hit the front. I still think he can do something in this race if sky change tactics.


Teams know what Sky are going to do now so Froome does not have that advantage and also the competition is much better.
Froome's attacks look fast- slower depending on how is rivals are feeling and the gradient of the attack.
Last years dauphin attack for example when he tried to drop Bertie. He put himself right on the limit with that attack and IMO it finished his race there. He never looked the same. He did not think Bertie would stay with him and pride made him go way deeper than he wanted.

I think come the tour Froome will be fine, he does have a bad day or 2 and I think a podium for him would be a great result at the tour. But to expect him to win against real competition is asking a lot over 3 weeks.

TJ looked really good. He toyed with Froome. Very impressive and could be the signs of a step up in level if he can keep that up through the rest of the race.

Bardet was FANTASTIC
 
Re:

Ataraxus said:
TJ was very strong today. Catalunya and today is an indication that he has upped the game this year. I think he might surprise us all in the Tour, perhaps even beat at least one of the 4 top guns.

How is Catalunya an indication of anything? He was dropped on one of the first stages and wasn't a gc threat when he took his win. It was a nice stage win, but Porte and Contador surely didn't care about him. Last year he was 3rd overall in Catalunya and won a stage despite being high up on gc.
 
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ray j willings said:
Nibs is doing exactly what he did last year. I and a few others knew that Nibs was going to ride like this , same plan as last year. He fine.
Valverde though did not look so good , not sure what's happening there.

Froome looks Ok to me. That was a fast tempo Sky set when they hit the front. I still think he can do something in this race if sky change tactics.


Teams know what Sky are going to do now so Froome does not have that advantage and also the competition is much better.
Froome's attacks look fast- slower depending on how is rivals are feeling and the gradient of the attack.
Last years dauphin attack for example when he tried to drop Bertie. He put himself right on the limit with that attack and IMO it finished his race there. He never looked the same. He did not think Bertie would stay with him and pride made him go way deeper than he wanted.

I think come the tour Froome will be fine, he does have a bad day or 2 and I think a podium for him would be a great result at the tour. But to expect him to win against real competition is asking a lot over 3 weeks.

TJ looked really good. He toyed with Froome. Very impressive and could be the signs of a step up in level if he can keep that up through the rest of the race.

Bardet was FANTASTIC

You do remember that Froome suffered a bad crash in that race, right? You never miss an opportunity to take a shot at Froome's mentality even when the facts don't support you.
 

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