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Critérium du Dauphiné 08/12 > 08/16/20

Page 4 - Get up to date with the latest news, scores & standings from the Cycling News Community.

Which rider will surprise the most?

  • Sepp Kuss

    Votes: 3 4.7%
  • Enric Mas

    Votes: 8 12.5%
  • Chris Froome

    Votes: 12 18.8%
  • Sergio Higuita

    Votes: 13 20.3%
  • Adam Yates

    Votes: 3 4.7%
  • Dylan Teuns

    Votes: 2 3.1%
  • Benoît Cosnefroy

    Votes: 3 4.7%
  • Guillaume Martin

    Votes: 10 15.6%
  • other, French

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • other, non-French

    Votes: 11 17.2%

  • Total voters
    64
  • Poll closed .
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Crap Pinot is only the 35th ranked competitor. I guess we can’t expect anything from him.....
 
  • Haha
Reactions: Sandisfan
I find myself wondering if this course is so hard it's not actually going to be a great thing to go full bore here if one's form is already good (Roglič, Bernal)...

i tend to agree. this is just stupid and continues the ridiculous thinking that only exciting things happen in the mountains. plain dumb. it will be train upon train (ineos and jumbo) dropping off their leaders with a few KMs to go each time.

there may be a couple of opportunities for riders such as Ala to shine, I hope.

If this is the way stage racing is going, why not just drop everyone off at the bottom of the Alpe d'Huez and whoever reaches the top first is crowned "Tour" winner.

It's really stupid.
 
Training experts keep me honest, but on the flip side it seems potentially like a godsend to folks like Froome, GT, and Dumoulin who are still a ways off right?

i don't think Dumoulin is so far off tbh.

he rode at the front for 6 straight KMs at Tour de L'ain and only dropped off in last KM with one of Porte's attacks. And then he was almost riding back to the group.

i really, really hope jumbo doesn't sacrifice big Tom too early in the TDF, because i think he could win it.
 
i tend to agree. this is just stupid and continues the ridiculous thinking that only exciting things happen in the mountains. plain dumb. it will be train upon train (ineos and jumbo) dropping off their leaders with a few KMs to go each time.

there may be a couple of opportunities for riders such as Ala to shine, I hope.

If this is the way stage racing is going, why not just drop everyone off at the bottom of the Alpe d'Huez and whoever reaches the top first is crowned "Tour" winner.

It's really stupid.
Nah. I like the route and I'm looking forward to it. It's just a one year thing anyway. Best thing about this season is everything feels more intense and urgent. Fewer filler races and filler stages.
 
i tend to agree. this is just stupid and continues the ridiculous thinking that only exciting things happen in the mountains. plain dumb. it will be train upon train (ineos and jumbo) dropping off their leaders with a few KMs to go each time.

there may be a couple of opportunities for riders such as Ala to shine, I hope.

If this is the way stage racing is going, why not just drop everyone off at the bottom of the Alpe d'Huez and whoever reaches the top first is crowned "Tour" winner.

It's really stupid.
Hmmm. You make some fair points, but to be clear, my question was about tuning form rather than an overall objection to a course like this. I guess I was just thinking I'm not sure what conclusions I will draw from the race, depending on how folks perform. I could see some top contenders going full bore on a couple stages, but I'm not sure as a top competitor I'd be as concerned with the win as I would be topping of my form.

Maybe the races are so close together this year it doesn't matter and folks need miles in their legs. I just wonder if you hit top form this week, are you really going to hold it through week 3 of the Tour? But I really don't know if anyone is at top form right now, though Roglič looks close.
 
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This field is exceptionally strong. It's hard to make predictions, because for some of the GC riders we don't know their shape, and those who are in shape might hold back to save themselves for the Tour. The course is obviously in the advantage of the climbers.

****Roglic, Bernal
***Quintana, López, Buchmann, Kruijswijk, Porte
**Dumoulin, Froome, Thomas, A. Yates, Mas, Bilbao, Sivakov
*Alaphilippe, Valverde, Soler, Latour, Bardet, G. Martin, Uran, Pozzovivo, Formolo
 
This field is exceptionally strong. It's hard to make predictions, because for some of the GC riders we don't know their shape, and those who are in shape might hold back to save themselves for the Tour. The course is obviously in the advantage of the climbers.

****Roglic, Bernal
***Quintana, López, Buchmann, Kruijswijk, Porte
**Dumoulin, Froome, Thomas, A. Yates, Mas, Bilbao, Sivakov
*Alaphilippe, Valverde, Soler, Latour, Bardet, G. Martin, Uran, Pozzovivo, Formolo
I have a feeling that G Martin will do better than Froome, Thomas, Mas, Bilbao, and perhaps even better than Lopez.
 
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This field is exceptionally strong. It's hard to make predictions, because for some of the GC riders we don't know their shape, and those who are in shape might hold back to save themselves for the Tour. The course is obviously in the advantage of the climbers.

****Roglic, Bernal
***Quintana, López, Buchmann, Kruijswijk, Porte
**Dumoulin, Froome, Thomas, A. Yates, Mas, Bilbao, Sivakov
*Alaphilippe, Valverde, Soler, Latour, Bardet, G. Martin, Uran, Pozzovivo, Formolo
You forgot
* * * * *Pogačar
 
****Roglic, Bernal
***Quintana, López, Buchmann, Kruijswijk, Porte, Pinot
**Dumoulin, Froome, Thomas, A. Yates, Mas, Bilbao, Sivakov
*Alaphilippe, Valverde, Soler, Latour, Bardet, G. Martin, Uran, Pozzovivo, Formolo
You forgot
* * * * *Pogačar

IMO, reflecting what we've seen and how they match up to the course, it's more like

* * * * *Roglic, Bernal
****Quintana, Kruijswik, Porte, Pogacar
***Dumoulin, Sivakov, Lopez, Buchmann, Mas, A. Yates, Bilbao, G. Martin
** [/ wildcard] GT, Froome
*Ala, Valverde, Soler, Latour, Bardet, Uran
 
Last edited:
* Roglic & Bernal
Bernal is on equal terms with Roglic. He was close last race plus he will now have an extra teammate.
**** Quintana & Landa
I feel like only one of these two will round out the podium.
*** Pogacar, Sivakov, Pinot, Kruijswijk, Dumoulin, A. Yates
These riders have the best chance of being in the top 5.
** G. Martin, Lopez, Buchmann
* Thomas, Froome, and any other pretenders.
 

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