2016 Tour de Suisse, 11-19 June

[Libertine Seguros]

Re:

Hard climbs like this shouldn't be at the end of the stage. It kills all the racing. It would be much better if it was penultimate climb some 30-40km from the finish.
Anyway great respond from TJ, and a good ride from Lopez, Barguil and Talansky. It's still a wide open race. Ion Izagirre could be very dangerous in last two stages

Rettenbachferner is a dead end.

Tejay is somebody I don't really understand the flak for, simply because I can't really remember much of how he's accumulated his palmarès between Alpe d'Huez in the 2010 Dauphiné and today, he's one of those riders who's just sort of there, getting good results, not invisibly like Zubeldia, but seldom doing anything that you'd remember once the race is over. He gets overhyped by some, and then gets an overly aggressive backlash from others as a result.

 

[jmdirt]

Re:

I just like Tejay because he seems like a nice guy!

I have never met him but know several people who know him fairly well, and the word is that he is a genuinely great guy.

 

[jmdirt]

TVG feeling better today

How can you like a rider like Tejay?

You could say that about most racers. I like him because I know people who know him, and they say that he is a genuinely nice guy. I have some USA bias. He rides hard. His negatives are that he has some psych chinks that drive me nuts. I can never tell if he is at his physical or mental limit. He interviews poorly, but has gotten better. I think that part of the issue, that he had/has no control over, is that the media built him up as one of the next great GC racers. He has show some promise, but hasn't lived up to the hype so some people ding him for that.

 

[search]

Re:

From ammattipyöräily's Twitter account:
2015 Pinot 44:38
2016 van Garderen 45:05
source: https://twitter.com/ammattipyoraily/status/743861417317638144
It was the 3rd consecutive MTF, we had really bad weather on the last 2 days and TJVG had a bad the yesterday, if you consider those aspects it was a strong performace, last year only Pinot was faster.
I only watched the final 3km or something like that on Swiss TV.
Tomorrow could be interesting, I don't know what to expect from Barguil in that ITT, maybe he'll be able to holt Talansky off by a few seconds, maybe he gets crushed, hard to say.

On Swiss TV they also said that there was a bit of a tailwind for most of the climb last year, while the wind conditions were less favorable today

 

[winkybiker]

Re:

I just like Tejay because he seems like a nice guy!

I'd heard that he is indeed a nice guy. My lack of support for him stems from his lack of results after promisingly bursting onto the scene years ago. And when he attacked Cadel at the top of the Peguere in the "tack incident". (Also the stupid name but that not his fault). I choose my heroes and villains very arbitrarily.

 

[This Charming Man]

TVG feeling better today

How can you like a rider like Tejay?

What's wrong with liking TVG You damn haters

Tell me one thing what's likeable about Tejay?

One: he's an american but polite and silent (you do know how rare those are right?)

I like my country. If anyone thinks of us in one basket, that is their prerogative.

 

[jahn]

How does TJ have stupid name? I rather like it, the Dutch founded New York after all

There are plenty of Americans or who are polite and silent. It's just selection bias and the vocal minority at work. It's like the rabid and obsessed anti-American Euro/Commonwealth people that drown out the majority with their vitriolic spam.

 

[Sciocco]

How does TJ have stupid name? I rather like it, the Dutch founded New York after all

There are plenty of Americans or who are polite and silent. It's just selection bias and the vocal minority at work. It's like the rabid and obsessed anti-American Euro/Commonwealth people that drown out the majority with their vitriolic spam.

Americans are #1. not the professional cyclists though...

Unrelated, I'm glad TdS decided to save the ITT for the weekend... Could the final stage be interesting?

 

[Yingge]

I am no big fan of TJVG, nor am I against him, but in regard to the flak that TJVG copped the other day (and he seemed to know that too as he made a Twitter comment after) for 'chasing' Darwin, I think TJVG was in a tricky situation - BMC had Darwin up the road, who was slowly being reeled in by a group that included TJVG. The question then in a few minds (mine included) was would Darwin hang on to the finish line. TJVG perhaps had that problem too when he upped the pace....if Darwin was reeled in, maybe he could save the day for BMC, but the risk was that if he closed the gap too much (and he seemed to realise that and backed off), he would cart others with him who may well go past both. Fortunately Darwin held on, and TJVG got a few seconds on GC as well.

 

[Tank Engine]

The parcours has meant that there are no fireworks, but the GC contenders fortunes have varied from day to day. Keldermann had always been up front until yesterday. TJ cracked two days ago, but came back with all cylinders firing. Talansky seems to have been struggling, but has come back strongly on all of the last 3 stages and is even in a position to take the lead after the TT today. The parcours on the last day also looks ideal for giving a twist in the tail.

 

[Red Rick]

Van Garderen never does anything in GTs. And then he only rides the Tour. In other stage races he's kinda passive, but when better riders than him are there, he often actually tries to anticipate. That way he's actaully won in a few stages in races like Catalunya.

 

[saganftw]

i personaly almost find it offensive that those people who attack TJ for "attacking" atapuma have access to twitter or forums,because they are idiots and they should be locked behind metal doors

if you are a new fan and you dont get how cycling works,thats fine we all started somewhere...but seasoned forumites spewing hate because they either dont understand or they do but they just want to hate,thats pathetic,shame on you all

if i was DS of bmc on that stage i would have demanded TJ to do exactly what he did,they had two cards to play (different goal each) and they played them both well

 

[Jagartrott]

Re:

if i was DS of bmc on that stage i would have demanded TJ to do exactly what he did,they had two cards to play (different goal each) and they played them both well

No. It turned out OK in the end, but if Barguil would have won, BMC would've both lost a stage and lost time.

You have no business lecturing others about that. It's arrogant and incorrect.

 

[saganftw]

Re: Re:

if i was DS of bmc on that stage i would have demanded TJ to do exactly what he did,they had two cards to play (different goal each) and they played them both well

No. It turned out OK in the end, but if Barguil would have won, BMC would've both lost a stage and lost time.

You have no business lecturing others about that. It's arrogant and incorrect.

it might be arrogant but it certainly isnt incorrect, dont pretend that TJs attack somehow propelled Barguil to "almost" win a stage,once TJ was caught he sat on the wheels,not to mention when he attacked it was kelderman,thomas and costa on his wheel - barguil was nowhere near,he joined only after they all slowed down significantly which helped him to come back...and TJ attack was for like 300m (from the attack itself to when camera showed those 4 guys behind,atapuma did around 500m in total) so dont try to twist into some massive pursuit of his own teammate

BMC did exactly what they had to do,leaving atapuma to his own, letting TJ to try distance others - but once he saw he couldnt he sat and did nothing

 

[webvan]

Start times of the last riders today :

126 211 16:33:00 CIESLIK Pawel VAT POL
127 32 16:34:00 ATAPUMA Darwin BMC COL
128 184 16:35:00 DE LA PARTE Victor CCC ESP
129 176 16:36:00 IZAGUIRRE INSAUSTI Gorka MOV ESP
130 3 16:37:00 CHERNETSKI Sergey KAT RUS
131 71 16:39:00 FARIA DA COSTA Rui LAM POR
132 65 16:41:00 KELDERMAN Wilco TLJ NED
133 51 16:43:00 THOMAS Geraint SKY GBR
134 31 16:45:00 VAN GARDEREN Tejay BMC USA
135 1 16:47:00 SPILAK Simon KAT SLO
136 146 16:49:00 PANTANO Jarlinson IAM COL
137 171 16:51:00 IZAGUIRRE INSAUSTI Jon MOV ESP
138 91 16:53:00 TALANSKY Andrew CPT USA
139 151 16:55:00 LOPEZ MORENO Miguel Angel AST COL
140 81 16:57:00 BARGUIL Warren TGA FRA

 

[wirral]

Bodnar setting the early benchmarks. Well, he would, he was first off! You know what I mean though.

 

[infeXio]

Any live timing available?

 

[CheckMyPecs]

Cancellara beating Bodnar by 26 seconds at the second time check.

 

[snccdcno]

Re:

Any live timing available?

Here http://www.matsport.fr.php53-23.ord1-1.websitetestlink.com/LiveCyc/main.php?Saison=2016&Lang=Fr&Race=TDS&menu=1&type=0

Cancellara just got the best time at the finish, 28 seconds better than Bodnar.

 

[webvan]

Thanks for the link, nice and simple summary, not the bloated tables you see (when you're lucky) on the Giro or TDF.

 

[CheckMyPecs]

I don't know why, but I've got a gut feeling today could be Fabu's last pro win (if he actually takes it).

 

[infeXio]

Cancellara apparently reached 106 km/h on the last descent.. pretty fast!

 

[Cance > TheRest]

28 seconds on Bodnar at the end, who is then relatively close with Brändle and the rest. Fabian rode a decent time trial, it seems I'm still a little worried that the hills will favour the GC contenders too much, but this is definitely not bad

 

[CheckMyPecs]

 

[CheckMyPecs]

What a pity Nairo isn't here. He would win the TdS with ease and be one step closer to his objective of winning all WT stage races during his career.