2015 Tour of California May 10-17 2015 (2.HC)

[BigMac]

Re: Re:

Sweeting would have been one of my outside bets had he not gone into the break. Rooting for Eric Young now.

Am I the only one happy that we don't have an horde of big names here? I mean, it looks so wide open with the 'lesser' known North Americans having a chance. I like it a home tour. Still some time for Utah.

And we get institutional advertising starring Joe Mantegna.

Utah is the best American stage race by a really long way.

Well no doubt about that, It's one of the highlights of the season for me, although there are races such as The Gila and the Winston-Salem Classic that are not televised, and would be such a spectacle to watch, too. Overall the American calendar is very overlooked, but then again, there doesn't seem exist a great interest in showing it off.

Speaking of Winston-Salem, let's not forget Travis McCabe is here with Smartstop for the messy sprints. He did well a week ago in New Mexico.

 

[Eagle]

Commentator on Eurosport asking if Sagan is an overall contender

 

[RedheadDane]

It's just not MTN's day!

 

[BigMac]

Re:

Kiel Reijnen jumps but Tinkoff will soon reel him back. VV spotted him on sight, chapeau.

It's just not MTN's day!

Yep.

edit: Ciolek, Goss, Farrar, Bos there.

 

[Jspear]

Re:

It's just not MTN's day!

Weren't they the team that had a lot of tire problems in the heat at the Tour of Qatar?

 

[trevim]

Is it just me or VdV just confused Tyler Farrar with Tyler Hamilton?

 

[BigMac]

That was one awkward speaker moment as they crossed the line. Last lap, Etixx and Drapac pulling.

 

[Jspear]

Cav wins of course!

 

[Pricey_sky]

Cavendish easy! well played Tinkoff for the lift to the last 3km's Renshaw is worth his weight in gold in situations like that.

 

[BigMac]

Well done Cav. Though I can't help but imagine how much more exciting this would have been had he not been here. Renshaw pulls a Renshaw of course.

 

[Libertine Seguros]

Re:

Well done Cav. Though I can't help but imagine how much more exciting this would have been had he not been here. Renshaw pulls a Renshaw of course.

Yea, but if he hadn't won, Sagan would have done, and that would have been far worse.

 

[Rollthedice]

Oleg throws the TV out the window and starts to write a new entry on his blog.

 

[BigMac]

Dutch represent in the top10. Very nice of J.P Drucker to get third.

 

[Jspear]

 

[Jspear]

 

[BigMac]

Will Clarke will wear the points jersey in is own right.

 

[burning]

She's back.

 

[BigMac]

''Alisson and Joana''. Phil knows the podium girls' names.

 

[Pricey_sky]

Good to see Cav wearing the correct cap on the podium too!

 

[BigMac]

Tomorrow's stage heads in the wrong direction. Nevada City would have been a great town to finish at, with great landscape. Also to balance out the many peloton sprint finales here.

 

[nepetalactone]

Re:

Tomorrow's stage heads in the wrong direction. Nevada City would have been a great town to finish at, with great landscape. Also to balance out the many peloton sprint finales here.

Agreed! Grew up there and have been waiting for a ToC finish a la Nevada City Classic since day 1.

 

[Tank Engine]

Re:

Tomorrow's stage heads in the wrong direction. Nevada City would have been a great town to finish at, with great landscape. Also to balance out the many peloton sprint finales here.

Yes, the reverse profile would be a great course, with strong attackers really having a chance. As it is, Cav will edge out the glorious array of sprinters here (to match the GC talent) Is it me or was the field better 3-4 years ago?

 

[Echoes]

Re:

Dutch represent in the top10. Very nice of J.P Drucker to get third.

Eh eh yeah.

You know that he used to be a cyclocrosser.

I still see him joining Fidea, as a U23, in 2004 (though he was barely 17!). Actually, I think Fidea hadn't yet bought out the team at that moment. The former sponsor Spaarselect had gone bankrupt. At that time, VT4 (now VIER) made a docusoap called "Wellens & Wee" and you could see Jempy's first meeting with the team.

One or 2 years later there was a funny scene in the doco where Jempy would tell all the idioms that he's learned in Dutch. And the first thing that he had learned was "Godverdomme!" (Goddammit)

I had the feeling when I saw this docusoap that he really tried to integrate in the team but it was hard because those Campiners (the likes of Wellens, Vervecken, etc.) already formed a group, they were long time friends.

I also recall an interview of his for "Le quotidien" (Francophone Luxembourgish newspaper) in which he talked about his then teammate Kevin Pauwels whom he once shared a hotel room with. He would tell how Kevin was a good guy but very shy. The evening they spent in that hotel room, he never heard the sound of his voice but KP is a good guy, only "chose to live back", said Jempy.

I still miss Jempy as a crosser but he probably didn't have the level. When he turned elite, he was contractless, still racing for Fidea. I remember a very bad crash of his in Baal, I think it was in 2009. He was national champion several times but then he had a contract with Veranda-Willems in January 2011, I think and that is how he started focusing on the road, where he probably has a brighter future than in cross. However I would love to see him at least in a handful of crosses in winter, the way Styby does.

 

[SeriousSam]

Not much worse than a sprint won by Cavendish. Ugh.

 

[Netserk]

^^A sprint won by Kittel...