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Amazinmets87 said:Trouble is the second half looks non too promising.
Amazinmets87 said:First half of this tour has been great (by Tour standards.) Trouble is the second half looks non too promising. I'm not overly optimistic but I see potential for a GC battle. Poels looks weak, how many Ineos riders will be with Bernal and Thomas in the high mountains? With so many talented riders within striking distance I see coalitions being formed and ambitious long-range attacks.
Jagartrott said:His lead out was way too slow, so he got overwhelmed from behind. He himself did a pretty fast sprint at the end.Captain Serious said:WTF happened to Matthews? Not enough lead-out guys?
Bad legs, or did he just f**k it up? Something else I couldn't see?
Of course Buchmann hasn't had GC wins in Suisse, Paris-Nice, California, and Colombia in the last 2 seasons while not yet having the opportunity to lead at a GT.Broccolidwarf said:ppanther92 said:Why should Buchmann suddenly be a contender for the win in the TdF, when he never finished a GT inside the top10 before, despite being the leader (even the Vuelta last year, which was his all-season goal)?Laplaz said:Manny Buchmann disagrees.Salvarani said:Rollthedice said:Quintana in a good position to snatch a podium in Paris.
He looks like the only hope to beat Ineos atm. Even though he will be over 2 minutes, at least, behind after the ITT.
Neither has Bernal
No signs of that.Will Thomas' less than stellar preparation cost too much in week 3?
No signs of that.Will the anonymous trio (so far) of Yates, Kruijswijk and Buchmann be able to challenge for the win?
No signs of that.Will Quintana cheat them all and prove why he used to be the most hyped GT contender?
No signs of that.Will Dan Martin be a real contender, the first time he has a proper GC team working for him?
No signs of that.Will Porte, Bardet, Pinot, Fuglsang and Uran light up the pyrenees with aggressive riding, in an attempt to get back in contention?
Nothing that seems to threaten Ineos. They can even afford a crash or two.Will Alaphilippe surprise us all in the GC, and what will that do for Mas' chances in the GC?
Ineos were favourites before today, now even more so, and considering the Tour's well-known potential of being boring and predictable, I'm not an optimist.Plenty to look forward to IMO
Yeah, because the 5 riders that lost time were proven riders to win the race!!Cance > TheRest said:A really really bad day for the GC of this race.
Fuglsang, Pinot, Porte, Uran and Landa had all looked solid in GC with the ability to challenge INEOS before this day.
Now, the only riders within a short time distance to challenge INEOS are riders who cannot win the race...
Kudos to INEOS, they know how to ride like a team.
Broccolidwarf said:Fuglsangs daily column in danish newspaper BT got publised.
(...)
He accepts responsibility for the poor positioning and the end result, and writes that from now on, he will be a tougher boss during the race, to force the team to be better at positioning.
G looking like the man to beat but anything can happen!
Danskebjerge said:G looking like the man to beat but anything can happen!
Yes to the first part of the sentence, definitely no to the last part. After today.
Cinemaniak said:Elia Viviani's face when he's sees ANOTHER black-and-yellow guy beating him....
klintE said:Gerain't gonna win this. You will remember my words.
Danskebjerge said:Broccolidwarf said:Fuglsangs daily column in danish newspaper BT got publised.
(...)
He accepts responsibility for the poor positioning and the end result, and writes that from now on, he will be a tougher boss during the race, to force the team to be better at positioning.
Thanks for posting this.
I'm afraid this could lead to more wrong decisions from Astana. They'll desperately push their riders forward early, thus having no-one left in the final to help Fuglsang. That's what could happen if the team overreacts. I've already seen signs of this, with the team sitting at the front without any clear objective.
The whole thing with Cort today was so unprofessional.
HelloDolly said:Who is the Astana road captain ?
If you have a very strong road captain need the leader can relax and leave them to it
Luke Rowe is a point in question...he guides Thomas and the team and whips them into shape
A good road captain is worth his weight in gold
Usually I am used to full disagreement with 99% of what you say, but fully agree here. It's been a fabulous first week, and Skineos helped turn a boring stage into an exciting one.rick james said:Ineos deserve more credit for giving us the sort of racing everybody craves....monster performance from the team
Broccolidwarf said:HelloDolly said:Who is the Astana road captain ?
If you have a very strong road captain need the leader can relax and leave them to it
Luke Rowe is a point in question...he guides Thomas and the team and whips them into shape
A good road captain is worth his weight in gold
Without knowing, I assume its Sanchez.
Problem is, that Sanchez is riding with a bad back, and not able to hack it.
But either way, Fuglsang is way too experienced a rider, to not assume that responsibility himself, if nobody else does.
He's the captain, he has to lead.
klintE said:Gerain't gonna win this. You will remember my words.
Cinemaniak said:Elia Viviani's face when he's sees ANOTHER black-and-yellow guy beating him....