2016 TdF, Stage 11: Carcassonne → Montpellier (163km)

[Alexandre B.]

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well, if they manage to crack Vroom on Ramaz (last mountain stage) and gain massive time on subsequent Joux Plane there will be tons of comments about their smart waiting game, playing to their strengths, while Sky will be bashed for marginal stupidity of accumulating fatigue for few little seconds (and pointing out they should be well aware of that since at least last year).

Ramaz is out:

It's the profile for l'Etape du Tour, not stage 20.

 

[May0maniac]

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Unzue is such a loser, and Quintana seems okay with the ultraconservative strategy. Both looking forward to celebrate the 2nd spot in Paris.

This, you'd think that they'd have learned their lession and brought more rouleurs to the Tour, but nope.
Unzue seems to have a "one size fits all" approach when it comes to tactics, they were perfect for someone like Indurain who gained minutes in the TTs, usually followed wheels in the mountains and only really attacked when he had to, but Quintana isn't Big Mig.
That was the best stage of the Tour so far, chapeau to Froome.
The Tour has been pretty boring so far, it's like 2011 without Voeckler...

 

[yespatterns]

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Froome keeps levelling up Hard not to begin to root for him a bit when riding like this.

I agree totally! I despise Sky in general, but Froome has been a class act and a brave and proper bike racer. The green and yellow showing how it's done!

 

[Flamin]

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I'm Belgian and even I don't care much for Vanmarcke. He never performs outside of the classics and even in his classics he often disappoints... He couldn't dream of a better scenario to win Roubaix then this year. And he couldn't even get on the podium. I much prefer GVA then, he also never won a big classic, but at least he won T-A and two Tour stages + yellow.

Nonsense, Vanmarcke does well in almost every race he enters. Also this Tour he's doing a great job for Groenewegen in the sprint train. He's just not a winner and there's not many races that suit him enough (yes, he's kind of limited outside the cobbles) to be more than a strong domestique.

 

[Armchaircyclist]

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Damn, what a stage. Sagan is a champion.
I never liked Froome at all, but with performances like today, I am starting to warm up to him a bit.
And, honestly, I am probably quite negatively biased towards him since I am a big admirer of Alberto Contador and a lot of my dislike stems from Froome being my big cycling hero's rival. I still think he looks *** on a bike and I hate Team Sky but his racing is very entertaining, I must say.

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You say it just like it is ! After hating Vroome and Sky for years, I just can't help liking what they are doing this year. First taking time on a downhill, and now going in a break on a sprint-stage ! Impressive and very entertaining.

 

[Bardamu]

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I'm Belgian and even I don't care much for Vanmarcke. He never performs outside of the classics and even in his classics he often disappoints... He couldn't dream of a better scenario to win Roubaix then this year. And he couldn't even get on the podium. I much prefer GVA then, he also never won a big classic, but at least he won T-A and two Tour stages + yellow.

Nonsense, Vanmarcke does well in almost every race he enters. Also this Tour he's doing a great job for Groenewegen in the sprint train. He's just not a winner and there's not many races that suit him enough (yes, he's kind of limited outside the cobbles) to be more than a strong domestique.

Totally agree.

 

[CheckMyPecs]

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I'm Belgian and even I don't care much for Vanmarcke. He never performs outside of the classics and even in his classics he often disappoints... He couldn't dream of a better scenario to win Roubaix then this year. And he couldn't even get on the podium. I much prefer GVA then, he also never won a big classic, but at least he won T-A and two Tour stages + yellow.

Vanmarcke is a champion... of coming up with excuses.

 

[Oliwright]

just seen Quintanna's bs quotes about it being dangerous. what a little girl!

 

[Pricey_sky]

just seen Quintanna's bs quotes about it being dangerous. what a little girl!

Well he's not going to like the weather forecast for tomorrow's stage then.

 

[Tonton]

"Death by a thousand of cuts" episode 11 today. I don't think that anyone could have predicted this coming from Dawg. One one big hammer blow, but smart little moves, half a minute here, a few seconds there, maybe a few more tomorrow and 30 seconds on Friday. And before Quintana realizes it, he'll be two minutes down. I'm impressed...it makes tomorrow's stage even more important: Nairo has to start taking time back and score some "mental points".

 

[Stelvio]

Quintana has moved himself onto the list of people who complain only when they lose, and whose comments regarding courses can be disregarded.

It's interesting to contrast his comments from today with those he did after attacking down the Stelvio in Giro '13.

It is better to lose in style than win without it, and the last few days Froome has shown he is ready to do that. I hope he wins the Tour.

 

[Koba80]

What odds were there on Froome coming 2nd on a stage into Montpellier!? I held off on switching into a fan on his on that downhill, but which GCer are you meant to like after that? If Alberto (the only GCer to have attacked in recorded history, apparently) had done that, LaFlo would basically be entering the porn industry in her gushing. That wasn't SkyTrain, that was racing. A world of Kudos.

And Kittel just removed himself from riders I like list with the Tweet. DaFuq?

 

[red zone]

Froome's spicing up the tour but i have to think he believes he can't stay with Quintana in the mountains if he's taking these type of risks just to gain a few seconds .

 

[KGB]

Or maybe he is confident and just toying with Quintana and whole Movistar.Don't forget behind Vroome is sky+Richie Porte.

 

[IndianCyclist]

based on the amount of complaints from Quintana and Movistar looks like entire team is extremely tired. The strategy again would be to suck sky/Froome wheels.

 

[spiritualride]

It would be cool to see quotes form past GC riders about the legitimacy of the idea that gaining 10 seconds today will cost you to lost more than 10 seconds on a future day. Lots of posters here talking about the concept as if it's a known fact.

 

[movingtarget]

A more entertaining stage then I expected. Great viewing.

 

[phanatic]

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Christopher Boonen

:lol: really amazing this Tour.

 

[SKSemtex]

Nairo can be glad that sprinter teams did not give it up although already knowing that they could not catch the break. The Tour could be over for him.

As I said after the stage 10 I do not car about the stage wins I care about those breathtaking cycling moments and this was one I will remember for a long time.

As somebody said here: it's better to loose with style then win without it. Even if Froome loose this tour for whatever reason (legs, crash, mechanical, illness ..) he is already the winner. Two stages of this tour brought him more fans then 4 years of almost aliankind performance).

 

[Martin]

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Can somebody translate? Yo no hablo espanol very well

Do you speak english?
Yes, I hasn't.

 

[PatrickLeeds]

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Someone give Marcel some tissues.

He whined like that about The walls at the first Tour de Yorkshire. 'There are walls. DRY STONE WALLS! and little windy ROADS.'

Silly

 

[oncehadhair]

Best flat stage ever.

 

[greenedge]

if anyone ever say Sky and Froome are boring! I swear to go i will go mad!

Roubaix they animated, Dauphine they were great, So far they have been amazing!

Rule Britania

Pokemon GO?
They've been riding in a very un-boring manner this year which is great.

 

[greenedge]

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Unzue is such a loser, and Quintana seems okay with the ultraconservative strategy. Both looking forward to celebrate the 2nd spot in Paris.

Don't forget the all important teams classification!!!