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2016 TdF, Stage 9: Vielha → Andorra Arcalis (185km)

Page 47 - Get up to date with the latest news, scores & standings from the Cycling News Community.
Re: Re:

Escarabajo said:
GJB123 said:
Quintana looked imperious, all the more puzzling he didn't try anything. Froome definitely less strong uphill than last year (at least for the first MTF). He couldn't shed the likes of Martin, Porte and Yates (let alone Quintana), that is telling.
I thought he looked bad. His face looked very pale and tired. I guess it was just me noticing this.

Quintana's face hardly ever changes. Contador looked okay in the face but he was struggling. The look of riders is always deceiving.
 
Jul 19, 2010
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Gigs_98 said:
Right now we don't know how Froome's shape will be at the end of the tour but if he will really have his peak in the alps and drop everyone there just like he did in the pyrenees 2013/15 Quintana really deserves to be defeated. Of course it's possible that he just wasn't super strong but he looked superb and why not at least try something on the last km. If he sees that Froome can follow him he can slow down immediately.

if Froome peaks on the 3rd week.. it will be the end of cycling. Now everyone comes to early season race with mediocre shape (hint: Nibali) to peak on the 3rd week GT. I hope the experiment fails for the shake of exciting cycling. I hope it's about recovery.. no matter what.
 
Jul 8, 2016
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Personally I'd prefer Froome and Sky not to win the Tour again, and have someone else, I just find it too difficult to support a rider like Quintana.

Folks at Movistar think their waiting game is gonna work perfectly - perhaps they have forgotten there IS a TT this year, and no one can guarantee Froome will blow up in the third week. Instead they just waste their (already slim) chances.
 
if the tour gc line is going to go on the 2013 and 2015 path, we can already start congratulating nairito. otoh, if it comes to light that froome will manage to be much stronger in 3rd week than he was previously, it might be embarassing... :)
 
Re:

GJB123 said:
Quintana looked imperious, all the more puzzling he didn't try anything. Froome definitely less strong uphill than last year (at least for the first MTF). He couldn't shed the likes of Martin, Porte and Yates (let alone Quintana), that is telling.

To be frank he didn't try to break them. All I saw was Froome making sure, successfuLly, that there were no gaps in his group. I will add that Quintana always looks like that and am not sure how you can draw conclusions from today
 
Re: Re:

Punkan said:
huge said:
Punkan said:
Quintana will win the tour. He will attack hard in the 3rd week and make Froome look silly. And then todays boring ride will be forgotten. Quintana just saves energy so he can unleash harder later (and when the slopes are steeper).


Total non sense.

An attack in the last 3-4kms today wouldn't have had any impact in his form for the coming hard stages! He is just a coward.

Not to mention the fact that everyone else would have been forced to work as hard.

Nah, he just has another tactic than the one you want him to have. His attacks will come, for sure, and when the slopes are steeper. Attacking and trying to ride away from Froome when the gradient is 6-7% is almost impossible, therefore just chill behind Froome and let him chase down the attacks.
Quintana dropped froome in la toussuire last year...
 
Jul 2, 2015
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Re: Re:

Gigs_98 said:
Punkan said:
huge said:
Punkan said:
Quintana will win the tour. He will attack hard in the 3rd week and make Froome look silly. And then todays boring ride will be forgotten. Quintana just saves energy so he can unleash harder later (and when the slopes are steeper).


Total non sense.

An attack in the last 3-4kms today wouldn't have had any impact in his form for the coming hard stages! He is just a coward.

Not to mention the fact that everyone else would have been forced to work as hard.

Nah, he just has another tactic than the one you want him to have. His attacks will come, for sure, and when the slopes are steeper. Attacking and trying to ride away from Froome when the gradient is 6-7% is almost impossible, therefore just chill behind Froome and let him chase down the attacks.
Quintana dropped froome in la toussuire last year...

In the third week when Froome was fading...
 
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Zinoviev Letter said:
Escarabajo said:
I wish I had seen an attack by Quintana or other cyclists but they were completely tired.

This is special pleading. If Dan Martin can put in three big attacks, Bauke Mollema [!] can put in two, even Porte put in one, Quintana has little excuse for Leipheimering his way up. Unless he's weaker than those guys, which he almost certainly isn't.

Quintana's just slowly tiring Froome out, waiting to put in a big attack where it counts, at the Saitama Criterium.
 
Jul 8, 2016
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Re:

Laplaz said:
Maybe an outside win is possible. Would be brilliant if Yates or Martin would troll Froome or Quintana

Personally I'm vouching for Porte. It would be hilarious. Although everyone expects him to blow up and bleed 20 mins any day.
 
Re:

Laplaz said:
Maybe an outside win is possible. Would be brilliant if Yates or Martin would troll Froome or Quintana
This year could be possible. The problems are the ITT. That favors Froome and to a lesser extent Quintana.

I don't think Froome had it either. He always attacks and capitalizes on opportunities when he is stronger. Maybe he is peaking for third week. That would be scary.

At this pace Quintana needs a four week Tour.
 
he had his mouth open which he usually doesnt do so its pretty safe to say he wasnt saving energy...but i give him the benefit of a doubt because he is really hard to read

there are only two options - he either isnt as strong as people thought or he is saving himself and his team for later
 
Apr 22, 2012
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Yates, Martin, Froome, Henao impressed most of all today. Yates most given his accident. Dan Martin can't hold pace for longer periods, but he can do a repeated accelerations. Aru and Kelderman lost, that might be unexpected. Nibali showed great loyalty. Quintana couldn't attack surely he would otherwise.
Not too big time gaps in finish, nithing is decided.

Don't get hype for Landa, he did long pull but not in huge pace.
 
Re: Re:

sir fly said:
Laplaz said:
Maybe an outside win is possible. Would be brilliant if Yates or Martin would troll Froome or Quintana
No chance.
They won't be let an inch of road until they're out of contention.

Quite aside from the likelihood that they'll get clubbed like baby seals in the time trial. As well as the fact that they don't have teams. Martin in particular basically waves goodbye to his nominal team mates on the first climb of every day.
 

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