2016 Critérium du Dauphiné, 2.UWT, June 5-12

[SeriousSam]

Don't think Tour is over for Contador yet !. That was just a bad day.

It hasn't even started yet. People need to calm down

And for me, the fact that Porte held on shows me that Contador can and will do the same. Needless to say they are all great Athletes.

At the risk of becoming Lil'Richie's defender-in-chief, Porte, on his day, appears capable of dropping everyone except Froome.

 

[memyselfandI]

Don't think Tour is over for Contador yet !. That was just a bad day.

It hasn't even started yet. People need to calm down

Well it's a week long race..it's almost done.

I really hope Porte finds GT endurance, if so he can stir the competition quite a bit as he's at least par with TVG when things get thick.

 

[Homo Helveticus]

Stef Clement is a poor man's Tony Martin. I saw him get dropped again today and I wondered why there are still teams out there willing to pay him money. When was the last time he even won anything? It's not like he compensates for this lack of wins by being in every breakaway or otherwise bringing added value to the team.

 

[HelloDolly]

Don't think Tour is over for Contador yet !. That was just a bad day.

It hasn't even started yet. People need to calm down

And for me, the fact that Porte held on shows me that Contador can and will do the same. Needless to say they are all great Athletes.

At the risk of becoming Lil'Richie's defender-in-chief, Porte, on his day, appears capable of dropping everyone except Froome.

I have always thought that ...remember 2013 Tour and again in 2015....but his day are not consistent over 3 weeks...bad luck, ilness, etc kick in...or at least have till now

 

[46&twoWheels]

agree with HelloDolly

Porte is good,a "Geraint Thomas" kind of good

Landa will finish ahead of him,even as a gregario

 

[hfer07]

Things are getting interesting since we have two mountain stages left, perhaps tomorrow being the hardest. Froome did his thing- Porte was up to the task & Contador faded a bit. We may see the race developing for the better

 

[More Strides than Rides]

This is one stage of a three-day combo.

In the TDF, Froome's biggest jaw-dropper on the race has always been made on the first mountain test. He hits the other mountains hard, but doesn't dominate to quite the same degree, and critics would even say he shows weakness.

Froome's best is better than Contador's best, but that doesn't mean Contador (or anyone else) is already beaten in the Tour

 

[kenk09]

3 weeks of good Porte beats 3 weeks of good Landa (or 3 weeks of good almost anyone). It's getting those 3 weeks that is the problem.

 

[Brullnux]

De Plus 23rd. The guy has way less hype than many Colombians but has shown more. Not saying that the Colombians aren't talented, but Dr Plus has proven he can be in the top 20 or so of a seriously hard WT stage race, yet he doesn't get much attention.

 

[Lexman]

Re:

Froome back to his old self, Porte back to Sky days, Contador back to 2013, Aru and Pinot going backwards. Quintana smiling somewhere in Colombia while chewing on a coca leaf.

nice post makes my friday afternoon a bit less harsh...

 

[memyselfandI]

Re:

deleted f****d up quote..

 

[rainman]

ES not showing queen stage until 3.30 bst, not good.

 

[HelloDolly]

Landa couldfinish top 5 in Tour if he is strong in final week

Quintana is the one to watch for Froome ...He will be stronger than last year and will gt off the starting blocks sooner...though not sooner than SKY

Pinot wtf ?
Aru ???

Little Louis Meinjes beat Allpahilipe but Carlton Kirby never mentioned it

 

[PremierAndrew]

Re: Re:

Sure, but Sky have surely made the calculations and worked out it's the best strategy. Putting your nose in the wind for half a minute on a climb has to be better than going deep into the red trying to follow the attack of a much more punchy rider like Martin.

What was the point of Henao following Contador instead of pacing Froome up when he dropped back?
If anything, having a cyclist behind you improves your aerodynamics, because the guy behind pushes air forward and increases the pressure of the air behind the guy in front, so the guy in front has a lower pressure differential pushing him back ie less air resistance.

That only works at speeds far higher than those reached climbing on a bike, though

Marginal gains

Also not to mention Froome has to stick his nose into the wind despite having teammates. Again, not significant at gradients of 9% but still makes a marginal difference.

The effect is tiny at 300km/h, it's nothing at 15.
And to get even that tiny effect Henao had to be 2-3cm from touching Froome's back. He can't do that while riding a bike

I didn't realise it was that insignificant at 300km/h.
But having someone ride in front of you even at 20km/h does make a tiny difference

 

[memyselfandI]

Re:

agree with HelloDolly

Porte is good,a "Geraint Thomas" kind of good

Landa will finish ahead of him,even as a gregario

Only if he's a true captain with built team meaning not as long as Froome. He was gregario today and finished behind Porte, like pretty far..

 

[movingtarget]

Well that was fun to watch even though it has no bearing on the Tour. Porte is looking good as is Froome, and Landa who put in a sustained attack. Contador had an off day as did Aru and Pinot.

 

[Hakkapelit]

Re:

Stef Clement is a poor man's Tony Martin. I saw him get dropped again today and I wondered why there are still teams out there willing to pay him money. When was the last time he even won anything? It's not like he compensates for this lack of wins by being in every breakaway or otherwise bringing added value to the team.

Didn't he have som good races last year, like the European Championships and thereabouts?

 

[Singer01]

Landa today, is that the longest anyone has been within 100m of the peleton without getting reeled back in the history of cycling?

 

[Beech Mtn]

At the risk of becoming Lil'Richie's defender-in-chief, Porte, on his day, appears capable of dropping everyone except Froome.

This is true. Especially in one-week races.

 

[portugal11]

Froome looks better this year in the dauphine than last year. I think he has the same shape of 2014

 

[Kwibus]

Re:

Stef Clement is a poor man's Tony Martin. I saw him get dropped again today and I wondered why there are still teams out there willing to pay him money. When was the last time he even won anything? It's not like he compensates for this lack of wins by being in every breakaway or otherwise bringing added value to the team.

There are lots of riders that never win. That doesn't mean they can't be useful.

I'm talking in general. Clement is having a poor season though, but that's mostly because of injuries.

 

[Kwibus]

Re:

De Plus 23rd. The guy has way less hype than many Colombians but has shown more. Not saying that the Colombians aren't talented, but Dr Plus has proven he can be in the top 20 or so of a seriously hard WT stage race, yet he doesn't get much attention.

Sssshhhttt! Hype isn't good.

 

[Kokoso]

Re:

Stef Clement is a poor man's Tony Martin. I saw him get dropped again today and I wondered why there are still teams out there willing to pay him money. When was the last time he even won anything? It's not like he compensates for this lack of wins by being in every breakaway or otherwise bringing added value to the team.

Very good rouleur, good workhorse but that work is done when it isn't aired.

 

[yaco]

No surprise to see Porte with Froome - Porte on his day can climb as well as Porte - First time this season A.Yates has been given the opportunity to climb up a mountain - Has also learnt to be patient and ride t his own tempo.

 

[StryderHells]

Re:

Stef Clement is a poor man's Tony Martin. I saw him get dropped again today and I wondered why there are still teams out there willing to pay him money. When was the last time he even won anything? It's not like he compensates for this lack of wins by being in every breakaway or otherwise bringing added value to the team.

That's a bit harsh isn't it? He's having a down year mainly due to injuries but just because he doesn't win often or is in every breakaway doesn't mean he isn't valuable to his team as a workhorse/domestique which he has been good at for many seasons