Critérium du Dauphiné Stage 4

[theyoungest]

So why wasn't Vogondy and Sicard "blown back"? The logic is flawed....

They chose the right moment to attack, because they weren't seen as actual threats. Every time Contador or Menchov attacked, they were chased, and then the wind plays a major role.

 

[Libertine Seguros]

Well, based on your Sammy Sanchez statement it would seem like you don't have the general knowledge:

http://cqranking.com/men/asp/gen/rider.asp?riderid=47

A rider ranked in top20 of the world four of the last five years worth nothing??

Feel free to reconsider your original statement

I didn't realise there were any Basques in Denmark.

It's also interesting that it would only be Basque fanboys that rate Sánchez considering he's Asturian, not Basque

 

[Thee_chisa]

Well, based on your Sammy Sanchez statement it would seem like you don't have the general knowledge:

http://cqranking.com/men/asp/gen/rider.asp?riderid=47

A rider ranked in top20 of the world four of the last five years worth nothing??

Feel free to reconsider your original statement

sanchez will never win anything (apart from the olympics) major as he doesn't have the tactical ability. arguably he won the olympics due to chance rather than ability and tactics. he may linger around the top places in the rankings but they don't tell the true story.

 

[Arnout]

I didn't realise there were any Basques in Denmark.

It's also interesting that it would only be Basque fanboys that rate Sánchez considering he's Asturian, not Basque

If you ride for Euskaltel for a quite low salary for your whole career that's logical.

Sanchez had a long break before this race, I am guessing he's riding this race after some heavy training. And he's never been the guy that was doing great in prep races.

 

[hfer07]

and as for contador, if he isn't competing why was he chasing brajkovic to the line when he put a dig in?

last year he wasn't competing either and put some good efforts "finishing with the top contenders"-and he's doing the same thing this year....
I think some folks here need to watch last year's Daphine so they can comment property on AC's tactics... it's just training fellows

 

[eleven]

I no longer have the slightest clue what Contador is doing at this race, and I'm not sure he does either. He says he sat up in the TT after the first time check, because he knew he was off the pace, but then today he was chasing down Menchov and attacking Brajkovic and what have you.

The only thing I know for sure that Contador is doing at this race is making **** up every time he talks I'm never one to believe the "I'm just here to train" line, especially from folks as hyper-competitive as those at the front of the peloton. I suspect Alberto covered for a bad time trial performance on an ill-fitting bike by making excuses about sitting up. Nothing new there - riders do it all the time. His attacks and his decision to follow Jani today didn't show a guy just getting miles.

On a somewhat-related note, are there time bonuses at stage finishes? if there is, it seems that he lost a few secs to Jani.

 

[Libertine Seguros]

sanchez will never win anything (apart from the olympics) major as he doesn't have the tactical ability. arguably he won the olympics due to chance rather than ability and tactics. he may linger around the top places in the rankings but they don't tell the true story.

But your statement was that he would not top 10 at the Tour, and would be 12th. And he was 2nd in the Giro di Lombardia, outsprinted at the line by Gilbert (no shame in that). Some of the people he outperformed tactically that day were riders you insisted would do better than him at the Tour - Vino and Evans. And he came 2nd in a Grand Tour last year, which you don't do by being tactically naïve. Even Cadel Evans, who seems to conspire to throw away races - you can't be in the position to throw those races away without tactical sense.

 

[hfer07]

The corrupt spaniards have this stage in the bag.

WOW- Is that "corrupt Spaniard" gifting French riders instead?

 

[Jamsque]

No time bonuses.

Contador can still win this GC if he wants too, there is no way Brajkovic holds his wheel on the Alpe if he really wants to go for it.

 

[Libertine Seguros]

The only thing I know for sure that Contador is doing at this race is making **** up every time he talks I'm never one to believe the "I'm just here to train" line, especially from folks as hyper-competitive as those at the front of the peloton. I suspect Alberto covered for a bad time trial performance on an ill-fitting bike by making excuses about sitting up. Nothing new there - riders do it all the time. His attacks and his decision to follow Jani today didn't show a guy just getting miles.

On a somewhat-related note, are there time bonuses at stage finishes? if there is, it seems that he lost a few secs to Jani.

There aren't. I thought that that was what Jani was after but remembered that actually there aren't.

As for never believing the "I'm just here to train" line, did you believe it when Armstrong used it for every single race except the Tour de France for six years after 1999?

 

[Moose McKnuckles]

I am somewhat hopeful that we will see a very strong battle at the Tour. The last thing I want to see is Contador gain 5 minutes early, then watch 10 stages' worth of group rides.

 

[theyoungest]

But your statement was that he would not top 10 at the Tour, and would be 12th. And he was 2nd in the Giro di Lombardia, outsprinted at the line by Gilbert (no shame in that). Some of the people he outperformed tactically that day were riders you insisted would do better than him at the Tour - Vino and Evans. And he came 2nd in a Grand Tour last year, which you don't do by being tactically naïve. Even Cadel Evans, who seems to conspire to throw away races - you can't be in the position to throw those races away without tactical sense.

To add to this, he recently won a stage in the Tour of the Basque Country in a very tactically savvy way. And dare I say his ability (to climb incredibly well) came in handy too.

 

[Publicus]

last year he wasn't competing either and put some good efforts "finishing with the top contenders"-and he's doing the same thing this year....
I think some folks here need to watch last year's Daphine so they can comment property on AC's tactics... it's just training fellows

+100 This looks exactly like what he was doing with Evans and Valverde. No sustained attacks. Just testing the legs, but not going for the win (or digging deep to do so).

 

[Kazistuta]

sanchez will never win anything (apart from the olympics) major as he doesn't have the tactical ability. arguably he won the olympics due to chance rather than ability and tactics. he may linger around the top places in the rankings but they don't tell the true story.

What is "major" in your objective?

Several stages in the Vuelta? A stage in Catalunya?
Klasika Primavera? Züri Metzgete?

I guess not....but in you optics a rider like Michael Boogerd wasn't anything particular since he almost never won anything "major" aprt from the year of '99???

Samuel Sanchez is consistent and a very watchable rider, but granted...his Dauphine has been less than stellar so far.

 

[superconfex]

No time bonuses.

there is no way Brajkovic holds his wheel on the Alpe if he really wants to go for it.

i don't know about that...... Horner's hairy breasts will be two sizes bigger tomorrow..........

 

[kurtinsc]

No time bonuses.

Contador can still win this GC if he wants too, there is no way Brajkovic holds his wheel on the Alpe if he really wants to go for it.

While I agree... I do think Brajkovic could climb well enough to finish with a group less then 1:40 down of Contador should he try to make up all the ground on the climb.

Not saying he will be able to do it... but it would be possible to think it might happen.

 

[Thee_chisa]

i didn't say he was no good, but he will struggle to get top 10 in the tour. he is always there, or thereabouts but never at the top.

 

[Publicus]

No time bonuses.

Contador can still win this GC if he wants too, there is no way Brajkovic holds his wheel on the Alpe if he really wants to go for it.

He won't really go for it. He'll ride with Menchov or anyone else he considers a GC threat at the Tour, but I can't see him laying down an attack for purposes of winning.

 

[theyoungest]

i didn't say he was no good, but he will struggle to get top 10 in the tour. he is always there, or thereabouts but never at the top.

Pay more attention.

 

[luckyboy]

i didn't say he was no good, but he will struggle to get top 10 in the tour. he is always there, or thereabouts but never at the top.

sanchez is useless, as i have said before. only rated by the basque fanboys

................

 

[Jamsque]

So now we have three pretty short stages but all with bags and bags of climbing. The end of the last stage in particular looks like a WC course.

 

[Thee_chisa]

................

he is useless though, and you know it

 

[ratatata]

last year he wasn't competing either and put some good efforts "finishing with the top contenders"-and he's doing the same thing this year....
I think some folks here need to watch last year's Daphine so they can comment property on AC's tactics... it's just training fellows

I was thinking exactly the same thing

Dauphine 2009 = Dauphine 2010

 

[Libertine Seguros]

he is useless though, and you know it

we are not schizophrenic?

 

[djconnel]

Distances adjusted 200 meters down from Eurosport based on 5 km banner.