2016 Tour de France, Stage 20: Megève → Morzine (147km)

[Mr.White]

Re: Re:

Unzue said that he is happy because movistar won team classification. What a sad man

Quintana badly needs another DS, put Martinelli or even Riis in the teamcar durning the 2015 Tour and we have a different race...
Great ride by Purito, I'm happy for him, by his standarts that was almost like pulling a Landis. (Sorry, I like Purito, but I just had to make that joke).
I didn't expect Aru to crack like that, I'm happy for Ion and Rui Costa probably deserves the Souvenir John Gadret for being the worst teammate of the Tour.

Well it wasn't Unzue who rode that way. Didn't notice that Contador change his riding style with different DS, or Nibali...

 

[Eyeballs Out]

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So we still have no show of who best GC climber was, no real clarification anyway.

Even Stevie Wonder could see who the best GC climber was

 

[difdauf]

Re: Re:

You do realize he was 4th, only 19 sec away from 3rd? And how much of a difference is to finish on the podium? It's not that he was 9th and slipped his chance to take 8th! He may never ever be in this position again, I wouldn't say he's a natural GT rider. Anyway, I think this opportunity was worth the risk

But if Yates attacked, he would have to fight against Bardet who seems to know what he is doing on a hard and wet descent. You can understand he would not risk all for a really hazardous result.

I think if bardet was behind, it would have been a big fight again, but with Bardet in the second place, it seems really risky for nothing.

 

[movingtarget]

Re: Re:

Really disappointed that Yates didn't try test Quintana on the downhill. I have to agree this was a very disappointing Tour and I'm happy with Froome as a winner so it's not about Sky hate in my case.

Few days ago I disagreed with some people expecting Aru to fly in 3rd week and I was proven right.

You are underestimating how hard he tired just to finish fourth. The rain made a mess of things on the last two stages and that descent was not one to attack on in Yates position.

Why?

He did not want to risk his GC position on a treacherous wet descent. Even Nibali backed off.

You do realize he was 4th, only 19 sec away from 3rd? And how much of a difference is to finish on the podium? It's not that he was 9th and slipped his chance to take 8th! He may never ever be in this position again, I wouldn't say he's a natural GT rider. Anyway, I think this opportunity was worth the risk

Well he either thought the risk was not worth it or he was cooked and just hanging on. He is only 23 so I am sure it won't be the last time he does well in a GT.

 

[rick james]

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Its not the stength of SKY but the way SKY ride that is the issue for me. Landa & Thomas & Kiry were really not that strong

All their riders ride in unison for one objective..that si their key strenght

Other teams don't do this ...SKY are so focused on one objective that its stiffling...I would not be surprised if the riders themselves are bored....they looked bored...only allowed in 2 breaks it seems
After you have done this once or twice you begin to wonder if you still want to do it over and over again

Maybe? But I'm sure they will enjoy the champagne tonight and the good bonus tomorrow..sky know how it's done, they have mastered the greatest race of them all.

 

[Carols]

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Love the fact Meintjes and Martin lost their place in GC in favour of Purito. Attacking pays!

Dan Martin did many attacks this race; the well just ran dry....

 

[Carols]

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No one fills a pair of khakis like Hinault.

LOL you are obsessed

 

[DFA123]

Re: Re:

Love the fact Meintjes and Martin lost their place in GC in favour of Purito. Attacking pays!

Dan Martin did many attacks this race; the well just ran dry....

Agree, Martin could perhaps have finished several places higher if he would have ridden a bit more conservatively. His attacks were explosive and he got a reasonable gap at times, but didn't have the power to sustain them. Should have saved them for the last km instead and just been content to pick up 10 seconds each time.

 

[Alexandre B.]

Funny enough, Porte finished in the same time as the Team Sky riders.

 

[Lupi33x]

do pearl bracelets mean the same thing in Colombia is they do in a lot of other places?

 

[PremierAndrew]

Re:

Funny enough, Porte finished in the same time as the Team Sky riders.

Too busy celebrating with his teammates to notice there was a podium up for grabs

 

[Thepirateisgood]

Very happy for Ion! GG from Nibali and Pantano, it could have worked.

Best rider won overall and gained a lot of respect I think, hope to see Quintana and Contador (with the latter with some backup from his team this time, I mean - with Mollema and Pantano as SDoms in Trek if the transfers are true) in good form next year to see a big battle. Add Porte with total captaining for BMC and the surprise riders that always show up it should be a lot better.
But with 100th Giro, who knows who is targeting what.
For GC, TdF will almost always be more boring but I think this was an OK edition. Lots of drama, but shallow GC fight because of other teams thinking they can wait out Sky. We will see how the route will be for next year, I think it will be more TT heavy to bring Dumolain (and Ion?) into the fight with what he has shown the last year and a half. Please no TTT. At least put it early if absolutely needed.

The pure GC-teams other than Sky should learn from their tactics now, wear down the domestiques long before the 3rd week - I don't like to say too bad things about anyone but Movistar was really off any useful tactic at all, and probably brought the wrong team. They shouldave let Valverde loose much earlier, put him close or even before Froome when he got his yellow first.

Yates and Meintjes should go for other GTs for a year or two to do what they did with less pressure. If targeted both can win Vuelta if they skip Tour, and get some team behind. Meintjes should probably change teams before then..

Dan Martin is my new favorite rider. Humping like a horse - EBH/Degenkolbstyle sprint, only 11-5K from the finish at any %, uphill attack - all the time with 4 Skys or Astanas infront. With a sprinter team. Pointless maybe, but balls this guy have says Yoda.
Respect.

This year, TdF got the sprint stages right, more like this please!!

Edit: google/android keyboard word correction or smthing

 

[arvc40]

Re: Re:

So we still have no show of who best GC climber was, no real clarification anyway.

Even Stevie Wonder could see who the best GC climber was

Stevie can't, he is blind. My point was that a nice MTF victory by the strongest rider would have been nice and we didn't get it. Is what it is.

 

[Pricey_sky]

Re:

So we still have no show of who best GC climber was, no real clarification anyway.

I think the fact that the only time Froome was in trouble on this Tour was a mistake on a wet descent tells you all you need to know. He was never in any trouble going uphill apart from that stage. He kept as much energy in reserve as possible for a shot at a gold medal in Rio, There was plenty more left had he needed it but he didn't.

 

[Walkman]

Re: Re:

Love the fact Meintjes and Martin lost their place in GC in favour of Purito. Attacking pays!

Dan Martin did many attacks this race; the well just ran dry....

Agree, Martin could perhaps have finished several places higher if he would have ridden a bit more conservatively. His attacks were explosive and he got a reasonable gap at times, but didn't have the power to sustain them. Should have saved them for the last km instead and just been content to pick up 10 seconds each time.

And this is why we need smaller teams! Martin actually tried and he ended up in a worse position because of it. Had there been no Skyborgs to reel him in someone else must take responsibility and suddenly we have a race! Teams with 6 riders would be su much more entertaining to watch. Or just get a budget cap. Something needs to be done or this sport is going to slowly die. Problem is ASO is making so much money so they don't care.

 

[Alexandre B.]

Re: Re:

Love the fact Meintjes and Martin lost their place in GC in favour of Purito. Attacking pays!

Dan Martin did many attacks this race; the well just ran dry....

Agree, Martin could perhaps have finished several places higher if he would have ridden a bit more conservatively. His attacks were explosive and he got a reasonable gap at times, but didn't have the power to sustain them. Should have saved them for the last km instead and just been content to pick up 10 seconds each time.

And this is why we need smaller teams! Martin actually tried and he ended up in a worse position because of it. Had there been no Skyborgs to reel him in someone else must take responsibility and suddenly we have a race! Teams with 6 riders would be su much more entertaining to watch. Or just get a budget cap. Something needs to be done or this sport is going to slowly die. Problem is ASO is making so much money so they don't care.

Prudhomme wants 8-men teams for years.

 

[Kokoso]

Re: Re:

Love the fact Meintjes and Martin lost their place in GC in favour of Purito. Attacking pays!

Dan Martin did many attacks this race; the well just ran dry....

Agree, Martin could perhaps have finished several places higher if he would have ridden a bit more conservatively. His attacks were explosive and he got a reasonable gap at times, but didn't have the power to sustain them. Should have saved them for the last km instead and just been content to pick up 10 seconds each time.

Agreed. And I'd add that first and foremost having Zakarin as a teammate paid off. He's responsible for Puritos GC improvement. As soon as he disappeared, Purito began to loose even too Kreuziger.

 

[yaco]

As predicted it would be a day for the breakaway. No way GC contenders would take a risk in the wet and with the finish on the descent.

SAGAN was far away the most combative rider. GOT IN THE BREAKAWAY to get points in the green jersey competition. THEN towed Majka up to the breakaway to wrap up the mountain jersey and then today towed Kreuzegir in today's stage. PERFECT teamwork, whereas Pantano only worked for himself.

 

[yaco]

I found it an interesting tour with little between 2nd and 6th place. Teams need to race the flat harder and make it a genuine pace. When you have Sky doing 35kms on the flat it's no surprise they have strong riders when the race hits the climbs. This means teams need to choose a different group of riders. You don't need 6 or 7 climbers in a team.

 

[Kwibus]

Re: Re:

Love the fact Meintjes and Martin lost their place in GC in favour of Purito. Attacking pays!

Dan Martin did many attacks this race; the well just ran dry....

Yeah agreed. Martin certainly attacked when he could.
Meintjes has been following wheels this entire Tour, but it's also new for him to be up there. So guys like him and Yates who are young and allready happy to be up there just follow. A bit more panache would be great though.

 

[LeSensei]

This has to be one of the worst stages I've ever seen in the Tour de France, if not for the breakaway. The parcours and the weather were IDEAL for an attack today from any rider split seconds away from the podium. No one moved a finger except for Purito who is retiring and doesn't give a damn.

Clap clap to that old man, red card to everyone else.

 

[Fergoose]

Thank heavens for the breakaway. No-one was calling it for Izagurre, even at the top of the last climb. I think Nibali was thinking of being in one piece for the Olympics.

I would have thought Porte or Yates could have matched the pace of Rodriguez (and therefore attacked and tried to join him) and that a chance of a podium was worth fighting for. I can only assume that they were both running on empty and couldn't beat the steady Sky tempo. The peloton losing 2.5mins on the penultimate descent was grim and showed massive scope for an attack too. There'll be a fair few riders wondering "what if" after today.

 

[Red Rick]

Oh man. Clement gives awesome interviews.

 

[arvc40]

Re: Re:

So we still have no show of who best GC climber was, no real clarification anyway.

I think the fact that the only time Froome was in trouble on this Tour was a mistake on a wet descent tells you all you need to know. He was never in any trouble going uphill apart from that stage. He kept as much energy in reserve as possible for a shot at a gold medal in Rio, There was plenty more left had he needed it but he didn't.

I agree with you, would have preferred to see it though. Watching a good MTF battle is what its all about for me. Like I said it is what it is.

 

[Pricey_sky]

Re: Re:

So we still have no show of who best GC climber was, no real clarification anyway.

I think the fact that the only time Froome was in trouble on this Tour was a mistake on a wet descent tells you all you need to know. He was never in any trouble going uphill apart from that stage. He kept as much energy in reserve as possible for a shot at a gold medal in Rio, There was plenty more left had he needed it but he didn't.

I agree with you, would have preferred to see it though. Watching a good MTF battle is what its all about for me. Like I said it is what it is.

Yes I agree, it was a shame we didn't see much GC action, especially today. Purito's attack I think showed that the pace Thomas set on the final climb wasn't really that high, perhaps it was just guys like Quintana, Yates, Porte ect were knakered and didn't have the form.