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

[arvc40]

What a bore to watch. Last 10 seconds OK.

 

[BigMac]

Few years ago Cavendish would have put three bike lenghts on the rest. I'm happy as it is now, mind it.

Well done Wippert. Sagan has a chance tomorrow. He will pull a Santa Clarita.

 

[Pricey_sky]

Granted he does it get it wrong on the odd occasion but Cav is so good at reading the situation in those tense final metres. Chose not to follow Renshaw and switched to Sagans wheel, in the end it got it him the win but a good sprint from sagan nonetheless.

 

[sir fly]

Listen to the "Lust for life"!

 

[Eagle]

Re:

Granted he does it get it wrong on the odd occasion but Cav is so good at reading the situation in those tense final metres. Chose not to follow Renshaw and switched to Sagans wheel, in the end it got it him the win but a good sprint from sagan nonetheless.

He might have won by a bike length if he followed Renshaw

 

[Eagle]

Would have been nice to see a side on shot of the finish

 

[Cance > TheRest]

Re: Re:

Granted he does it get it wrong on the odd occasion but Cav is so good at reading the situation in those tense final metres. Chose not to follow Renshaw and switched to Sagans wheel, in the end it got it him the win but a good sprint from sagan nonetheless.

He might have won by a bike length if he followed Renshaw

I doubt that. The TV pictures showed that Cav was only marginally faster than Sagan. They were practically at the same speed for the last 100 meters.

 

[BigMac]

Re: Re:

Granted he does it get it wrong on the odd occasion but Cav is so good at reading the situation in those tense final metres. Chose not to follow Renshaw and switched to Sagans wheel, in the end it got it him the win but a good sprint from sagan nonetheless.

He might have won by a bike length if he followed Renshaw

I doubt that. The TV pictures showed that Cav was only marginally faster than Sagan. They were practically at the same speed for the last 100 meters.

Uhm... If my short term memory doesn't fail me I remember Cav starting the sprint a bit far behind, like, two positions behind. Sagan leveled it in the end with a powerful throw.

 

[Dog]

Re:

Few years ago Cavendish would have put three bike lenghts on the rest. I'm happy as it is now, mind it.

Well done Wippert. Sagan has a chance tomorrow. He will pull a Santa Clarita.

"Few years ago"? You mean yesterday.

Cavendish on a bad day will still beat Sagan in a flat finish.

 

[ChewbaccaDefense]

As has been suggested, this stage should have been done in reverse. I was at the start, and it was an incredibly beautiful day here, and one which deserved a real finish. ToC organizers have their heads up their a$$es if they think that stage was something people will be interested in...absurd. Also, $100 hoodies with a ToC logo are a bit much...which is a complete understatement. This race will die if they keep going this way.

 

[Wines of WA]

Farrar was 8th yesterday and again today. Seemed like yesterday his team went to the front way too early. Or is he just done as a featured sprinter and should switch to being a lead out?

 

[Moose McKnuckles]

What the Wookie said.
The ToC isn't headed in the right direction, both literally and figuratively.

 

[Jancouver]

Re:

Farrar was 8th yesterday and again today. Seemed like yesterday his team went to the front way too early. Or is he just done as a featured sprinter and should switch to being a lead out?

Yes, leadout would be OK . They should go Ciolek > Farrar > Bos

 

[Tank Engine]

Re: Re:

Agreed on finishing in Nevada City with a circuit or 2, that would have been tremendous. OTOH, we all know that interesting race design is last in priority for the ToC officials.

As far as the talent pool, that goes up and down. 2012 had Kittel and Matthews (and Boonen), but that was the year that Sagan won the 1st four stages. Gilbert was here as world champion, but he didn't do very much--not that it is really his type of race.

Personally, I am looking forward to seeing potential French phenom Julian Alaphilippec. Obviously he is more of a Classics rider, but here in the States we have to take what we are given.

I first really noticed Matthews when he raced in the States. I remember him being in a break, getting caught towards the end of the last climb, but managing to win the sprint in a group of about 40 (I think that was in Utah though). Hopefully some new talent will show itself this time. I guess the profile of cycling in the states has gone down a bit over the last couple of years. Phinney is injured, Teejay is somewhere else. So even BMC's team looks a bit weaker than it normally is in American races.

Sagan was very close today. He's my favourite for today

 

[Armchair Cyclist]

Re:

As a writer/videographer I'm looking to link up with one or a group of fans at Mt. Baldy who dress up in costume and run with the pack.

Don't encourage these idiots with the publicity they so pathetically crave, while demonstrating neither concern for the safety of riders, nor respect for sporting endeavour.

Let them dress up if they must, but there is absolutely no excuse for running with the riders, and they should be discouraged/prevented, not rewarded with press attention.

 

[Singer01]

Re: Re:

As a writer/videographer I'm looking to link up with one or a group of fans at Mt. Baldy who dress up in costume and run with the pack.

Don't encourage these idiots with the publicity they so pathetically crave, while demonstrating neither concern for the safety of riders, nor respect for sporting endeavour.

Let them dress up if they must, but there is absolutely no excuse for running with the riders, and they should be discouraged/prevented, not rewarded with press attention.

+1, deny them the oxygen they crave.

 

[Velolover2]

It's not a top field, so I doubt the pace is that high. But could we see Sagan get dropped on a stage like this? A guy like Alaphilippe should do well in a reduced sprint.

 

[Sasquatch]

Alaphilippe or Gesink tomorrow, surely?

 

[BeachBum]

Re: Re:

I first really noticed Matthews when he raced in the States. I remember him being in a break, getting caught towards the end of the last climb, but managing to win the sprint in a group of about 40 (I think that was in Utah though).

I don't think Matthews has won a ToC stage-- but he did come in 3rd to Sagan and Haussler at Clovis in 2012 (when riding for Rabo)-- and with his arm and leg bandaged after a a crash.

 

[max_powers]

Re:

Listen to the "Lust for life"!

OR
'"Lodi" from Creedence

 

[Echoes]

Re: Re:

Listen to the "Lust for life"!

OR
'"Lodi" from Creedence

Not "or". Just it! The other one simply just can't compare to CCR. Creedence is just one hell of a group. Just the name of the band already tears it all into pieces, lol: Creedence Clearwater Revival!!
There was a period I would listen to Creedence all day long, my uni years. Helped me boosting up trough a period of intense studying. Very underrated band, I think. Fogerty's swamp rock sound is quite unique and a nice tribute to the Cajuns of Louisiana, my francophone cousins

Okay listening to their best of now, lol.

Lodi, California. "The song describes the plight of a down-and-out musician whose CAREER has landed him playing a gig in the small town of Lodi (pronounced "low-die"), a small agricultural city in the Central Valley about 70 miles from Fogerty's hometown of Berkeley" (California). Fogerty admitted that he had never been there before he wrote the song. He said that he chose the name, "Lodi", because it had "the coolest sounding name." Fogerty stated, "On 'Lodi', I saw a much older person than I was, 'cause it is sort of a tragic telling. A guy is stuck in a place where people really don't appreciate him. Since I was at the beginning of a
good CAREER, I was hoping that that wouldn't happen to me."
Steerforth - California

Thanks Echoes, interesting information. I never followed cyclocross very much, but Drucker seemed a level above everyone else in Luxembourg for a few years in a row. Then he switched to the road, I think mainly because he didn't see a future in cyclocross. He stayed with Team Differdange for a few years without getting anywhere, and the popular consensus seemed to be that he didn't have what it takes to be a roadie, and that he should have stayed with cyclocross. When Leopard Trek was formed, he hoped that they would sign him, but alas they did not. He was about to hang up the wheels, when a last minute deal with Veranda Willems (now Wanty-Groupe Gobert) came to be. Finally he was able to step up to ProConti, and slowly but surely established himself as the second leader behind van Dijk. He has progressed immensely, and is crazy about the cobblestone races, the flandrian races, etc. His consistency is remarkable, with a dozen or so top-10 places last season. The contact with BMC came through Kim Kirchen, IINM, who got Drucker in touch with Valerio Piva. They signed him already after Roubaix last season, but it wasn't announced until much later. There was some conflicting information on whether he had signed a one or two year contract, but in any case I think BMC do not regret signing him, and I hope he can stay on past this year. It's an interesting trajectory, often you have these youngsters who more or less come out of nowhere and go straight to PT, then a lot of them disappear after two years, if they haven't been able to live up to PT standards. Jempy is the opposite, spending years on crappy Continental team, barely making it to ProConti, and then finally ending up on one of the biggest ProTeams... really shows dedication and tenacity I think.

Your post is more interesting than mine, thanks.

I remember the transfer to Veranda, very well. I think I mentioned it at that time here on the cross section. Before that he had actually signed for H20, which was born dead.. Maybe that fact helped making him consider retiring as you mentioned it, didn't it?

His evolution is really amazing, that's for sure, when you remember where he was five years ago. I'm still wondering why he first thought his future was in cyclocross (though as a cross fan, I could only appreciate to see a Luxo in there) because in cross, he was decent, you could notice him but not good enough to mix it up with the best. Besides, in 2004, signing for Fidea meant something because at that time it really was the #1 team, and way above the rest in terms of homogeneity. I've also had look at his results on the road Fidea, like in 2007. It was very good but quite the kind of results that other good crossers could have.

Not that I know Kevin Pauwels but even in interviews - even though he doesn't say a lot - he comes across as the nicest guy on the planet. I don't think I ever heard him saying something nasty or unsympathetic.

That's for sure, he wouldn't hurt a fly. I'm terribly shy myself too irl and that's why he's my favourite rider. I kinda identify with him. Wuyts said he was diagnosed with slight form of autism as a kid. A former teacher of his said that in class Kevin was quieter than quiet, lol. However on his bike, I think he's not a push-over. He can fight too. ;-)

 

[Tank Engine]

Re: Re:

I first really noticed Matthews when he raced in the States. I remember him being in a break, getting caught towards the end of the last climb, but managing to win the sprint in a group of about 40 (I think that was in Utah though).

I don't think Matthews has won a ToC stage-- but he did come in 3rd to Sagan and Haussler at Clovis in 2012 (when riding for Rabo)-- and with his arm and leg bandaged after a a crash.
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My memory was correct (including the description), it was in the 2012 Tour of Utah

http://www.cyclingnews.com/races/tour-of-utah-2012/stage-3/results

 

[Christian]

Re: Re:

Before that he had actually signed for H20, which was born dead.. Maybe that fact helped making him consider retiring as you mentioned it, didn't it?

Oh yeah I forgot about that big mess!

 

[Pricey_sky]

Anyone know what sort of climb that little ramp at the end of todays stage is? the profiles are usually wrong so not sure if its anything serious or just false flat.

 

[Netserk]

According to Hoffman (Tinkoff DS) the last km is 6%