3rd June: Criterium du Dauphiné stage 1, 5.7km

[The Hitch]

Yeah, Federer - Nadal - Djokovic(last 2 years) were always considered bigger favorites for Grand Slam titles.

I don't know what the British press report about Wiggo though, maybe they over-hype him as well?

As in don't mention him at all, ever ?

 

[The Hitch]

He did indeed, I read the article right here on Cyclingnews. It makes sense, he's in the history books as being on the podium. He earned it.

By podium maybe he means being on the podium to collect the kom.

 

[El Pistolero]

By podium maybe he means being on the podium to collect the kom.

No, I still remember what he said. He said along the lines of "I completed most of my goals now, including the podium of the Tour, even if it was in a way I did not want."

 

[jens_attacks]

By podium maybe he means being on the podium to collect the kom.

nah he really said but embarrassed and he did say he didn't want it that way.
sorry sammy maybe this year....

 

[spalco]

One of the favorites, not THE favorite. Also this year Evans is considered no 1 favorite, not Wiggins.

They are nearly identical actually.

http://www.oddschecker.com/other-sports/cycling/tour-de-france/winner

 

[Moviefan1203]

Of course it makes sense.

Contador was caught, but some here suggest we should pretend it never happened, that he still won the Tour, and that anyone who claims a Tour podium on that basis is a sick bas**rd who can't win a race fairly.

The world on its head.

I don't understand that logic. He cheated and got caught. It seems pretty cut and dry to me.

 

[will10]

Of course it makes sense.

Contador was caught, but some here suggest we should pretend it never happened, that he still won the Tour, and that anyone who claims a Tour podium on that basis is a sick bas**rd who can't win a race fairly.

The world on its head.

Get to the clinic dude.

 

[roundabout]

Get to the clinic dude.

As opposed to other people discussing how it's unlike Sanchez to consider his podium a podium?

 

[dlwssonic]

Perfect timing imo. Sky will have to do much less work and prepare for bigger stages while GE will have to control flat stages to defend yellow.

I think sky and wiggins would have wanted the stage win. Wiggins looked like he really wanted it.
Durbridge is impressive.
Evans too is looking on track, I guess he will probably get his obligatory second in the dauphine

 

[will10]

As opposed to other people discussing how it's unlike Sanchez to consider his podium a podium?

You've been here long enough to know that that discussion should be in the Clinic.

 

[hrotha]

nah he really said but embarrassed and he did say he didn't want it that way.
sorry sammy maybe this year....

http://cdn1.media.cyclingnews.futurecdn.net/2011/06/22/2/pic129367756_600_600.jpg

The embarrassing bit is that he was saying "I've podiumed this and podiumed that. A WC podium is the only thing I've yet to achieve. Winning? What's that?"

 

[roundabout]

You've been here long enough to know that that discussion should be in the Clinic.

It's still funny how you picked the most critical post and addressed the poster instead of making a general observation about the whole discussion.

 

[jens_attacks]

The embarrassing bit is that he was saying "I've podiumed this and podiumed that. A WC podium is the only thing I've yet to achieve. Winning? What's that?"

yeah, that too.

 

[Dekker_Tifosi]

CQ is back!
As I was saying about JvdB prologues and short time trials. Today was not any sign of improvement. He has done many of these prologues or simply short ITT's. (1 to 20km)
Some of the examples in here are better, most of them are equal to his result today.

http://cqranking.com/men/asp/gen/race.asp?raceid=3556
http://cqranking.com/men/asp/gen/race.asp?raceid=3829
http://cqranking.com/men/asp/gen/race.asp?raceid=5056
http://cqranking.com/men/asp/gen/race.asp?raceid=5315
http://cqranking.com/men/asp/gen/race.asp?raceid=6041
http://cqranking.com/men/asp/gen/race.asp?raceid=6259
http://cqranking.com/men/asp/gen/race.asp?raceid=7215
http://cqranking.com/men/asp/gen/race.asp?raceid=11927
http://cqranking.com/men/asp/gen/race.asp?raceid=12907
http://cqranking.com/men/asp/gen/race.asp?raceid=13972
http://cqranking.com/men/asp/gen/race.asp?raceid=16810
http://cqranking.com/men/asp/gen/race.asp?raceid=17599
http://cqranking.com/men/asp/gen/race.asp?raceid=19841
(3rd in 6.8km)
http://cqranking.com/men/asp/gen/race.asp?raceid=20547
(last years dauphine, 15th in 5km)

I think this is enough to prove that todays JvdB prologue was not something special or a sign of improvement. He has done PLENTY of this kind of a result in short ITT's and prologues.

We can only see if he progressed in the long ITT He did well in Algarve, so this thursday will be an interesting test.

 

[Timmy-loves-Rabo]

had luke @ 12-1

 

[Kwibus]

he lost to frickin off form Andy Schleck in a prologue.

Dude relax. Don't go into your Sanchez depression again like last year.

Sanchez will be fine. Last year during the Dauphine he was riding worse than Andy Schleck did during the Tour de Suisse. Nothing to worry.

 

[Gloin22]

I think sky and wiggins would have wanted the stage win. Wiggins looked like he really wanted it.
Durbridge is impressive.
Evans too is looking on track, I guess he will probably get his obligatory second in the dauphine

Yea, they probably would, but tactically they will do less work trough the non key GC stages and will have more manpower to the key stage after the TT, which should help Wiggo.

 

[Ryo Hazuki]

glad wiggins didn't win. andy schleck sucked. quintana rode awesome. nibali was meh and and many of the erarlier strong ones is hard to say because they rode in worse circumstances except guys like evans.

 

[dlwssonic]

glad wiggins didn't win. andy schleck sucked. quintana rode awesome. nibali was meh and and many of the erarlier strong ones is hard to say because they rode in worse circumstances except guys like evans.

actually it did not look that bad for some of the early ones. Like tony martin had pretty dry roads.

 

[dlwssonic]

Yea, they probably would, but tactically they will do less work trough the non key GC stages and will have more manpower to the key stage after the TT, which should help Wiggo.

well I think they could rely more on the sprinter teams for the flat stages.
anyway UK postal always like to take control of the race no matter the situation

 

[Timmy-loves-Rabo]

Dude relax. Don't go into your Sanchez depression again like last year.

Sanchez will be fine. Last year during the Dauphine he was riding worse than Andy Schleck did during the Tour de Suisse. Nothing to worry.

yup. sanchez not riding at this race is no news.

 

[Dekker_Tifosi]

according to the rabo-report the middle part didn't really suffer from the rain but more from the wind. The wind for the middle starters was very hard and most times dropped to more than 7 minutes for them

 

[Gloin22]

well I think they could rely more on the sprinter teams for the flat stages.
anyway UK postal always like to take control of the race no matter the situation

Indeed, but I don't see many sprinters in the race tbh so GE will have to control it a bit more. Sky will defo help, but less than if they had yellow.

 

[c&cfan]

As in don't mention him at all, ever ?

he said that everyone knew the circumstances and that he wasn't happy with it, but it will be his podium. I remember the article.

he looked honest about it.

 

[Mellow Velo]

I am still waiting for Airhead to come along talk up Andy's latest trialing effort.
Still, 102nd is better than 117th.
Has Samu sent a body double to the Dauphine?