Critérium du Dauphiné 2017 (04/06 > 11/06/2017)

[Blanco]

Re:

If Porte or Valverde pull off the Dauphine/Tour double he will clinch the Velo d'Or.

Valverde could clinch it even without racing anymore this year

 

[movingtarget]

Glad to see De Gendt do well and hang onto Yellow.

 

[portugal11]

Re: Re:

Porte will collapse in le tour. He is in alien mode since january

very likely, but I'm afraid this year could be different.....

if you mean physical collapse, last year he was great. But the bad luck took him out (mechanical, crash to the moto bike). So if he can stay out of bad luck this time around, he'll be up there.

on the other hand, Does Froome looks like his 2014 Froome?

2014 froome was super strong. He just had bad luck in both dauphine and tour (and a contador in monster shape). Froome won two stages in 2014 dauphine. For me he was stronger in 2014 dauphine than 2015 dauphine

 

[DNP-Old]

Re:

2014 Froome mysteriously collapsed in the Dauphine following his crash, but up to that point he was strong.

If Froome doesn't show anything in the Dauphine this year it will be a first, and there will be question marks for the first time since 2012

We should always give him the benefit of the doubt. Besides, he wants to be good in Tour and Vuelta, it might be good for him not to already be on top form in the Dauphiné.

 

[rghysens]

Re: Re:

Porte will collapse in le tour. He is in alien mode since january

very likely, but I'm afraid this year could be different.....

if you mean physical collapse, last year he was great. But the bad luck took him out (mechanical, crash to the moto bike). So if he can stay out of bad luck this time around, he'll be up there.

on the other hand, Does Froome looks like his 2014 Froome?

Worse. That year he won the opening tt and the first stage in line (a mtf), both times beating Contador in his best shape since the Giro 2011.

 

[movingtarget]

Re: Re:

If Porte can hold on to this form for another 6 weeks that will be the most alien performance of all time.

It won't, it most definitely won't.

We've seen this before, just five years ago with Sir Bradley Wiggins.

Evans in 2011 won Tirreno, Romandie and was second in the Dauphine, and as you say Wiggins did even better. Froome has also had similar years and then gone on to do well in the Vuelta as well. It seems people have their favorite aliens...........

 

[movingtarget]

Re: Re:

So 2018 Tour will be Dumoulin trying to challenge Porte era?

Nibali will win it easy next year.
Everybody else is getting too old. :lol:

Ok Valverde could challange him for back to back TdF win.

Valverde will probably win the Vuelta when he is 42.

 

[ontheroad]

Who will lead Movistar into the tour after Valverde display today? I imagine it will be joint leaders but if Valverde takes a lot of time on Quintana in the early TT it could put him in pole position. We could see a different Quintana if he is allowed to ride with a bit more freedom in the mountains and it would light up the race.

Has the potential to be a good tour if Froome is weaker, loses time early and doesn't take control of the race from the start and have sky ride tempo for 4,000km.

 

[Publicus]

Re: Re:

If Porte can hold on to this form for another 6 weeks that will be the most alien performance of all time.

It won't, it most definitely won't.

We've seen this before, just five years ago with Sir Bradley Wiggins.

Evans in 2011 won Tirreno, Romandie and was second in the Dauphine, and as you say Wiggins did even better. Froome has also had similar years and then gone on to do well in the Vuelta as well. It seems people have their favorite aliens...........

Excuse my hyperbole. I guess what stands out is that the GC contenders all performed more or less how we expected vis-a-vis the specialist, except one. So for me that means Porte is at a significantly higher level than the others at the moment. I expect ALL of the other GC contenders to come up in form between now and the start of the Tour. I do not expect Porte will get better (I think we're seeing his peak). If he can either peak further and/or maintain his current level all the way through the end of the TdF, I think that's pretty remarkable (and I don't mean in a good way). Certainly can see him faltering in the third week and still winning TdF (a la Froome). Would be shocked if he's dominate throughout.

 

[SeriousSam]

Re: Re:

2014 Froome mysteriously collapsed in the Dauphine following his crash, but up to that point he was strong.

If Froome doesn't show anything in the Dauphine this year it will be a first, and there will be question marks for the first time since 2012

We should always give him the benefit of the doubt. Besides, he wants to be good in Tour and Vuelta, it might be good for him not to already be on top form in the Dauphiné.

If he doesn't perform in the climbs I think a downgrade of his chance to win the Tour is in order, but yeah, we certainly shouldn't overreact

 

[Valv.Piti]

Remember last year when he was in control in Dauphine where he not only wanted to win Tour Vuelta, but also Olympics?

 

[gunara]

Re: Re:

So 2018 Tour will be Dumoulin trying to challenge Porte era?

Nibali will win it easy next year.
Everybody else is getting too old. :lol:

Ok Valverde could challange him for back to back TdF win.

Valverde will probably win the Vuelta when he is 42.

And I don't think you're joking, that's what's scary about it

 

[wheresmybrakes]

Instead of just a couple of riders being super good in the season, is it not unreasonable to accept that there are at least 7 or 8 up there with the usual contenders. In the Giro, you had half a dozen guys within a minute of each other going into the final TT. Here at the Dauphin, you have 4 or 5 top riders in really/reasonably good form getting ready for the Tour. Can you imagine what it would be like if they all targeted the Tour? Carnage!

 

[Chomsky]

Hard to say if this is good or bad for the Tour. There are very few decisive stages in this year's TDF with stages 18 and 20 being the difference maker. In this sense it is important not to peak too soon. On the other hand there are few decisive stages in the Tour so it's important to be strong on stage 1 and 5 as well.

I look at the results and wonder if Porte, Valverde are peaking to soon but I also wonder if Froom e can get his form in time.

Regardless, it looks like a good well balanced tour unlike the disaster of the route that has been done to the Vuelta again.

 

[memyselfandI]

Re: Re:

Well nothing really surprising in Portes performance. Then again Froome didn't underperform probably nothing. I mean, in my eyes he's always been like this coming to GT, being close there looking where's others, bit hiding his full capacity.

Porte looks just as good as he's been earlier and many times, but it's damn long way to Paris and many many more things to handle than Froome and Valverde themselves.

 

[LaFlorecita]

Re: Re:

Worse. That year he won the opening tt and the first stage in line (a mtf), both times beating Contador in his best shape since the Giro 2011.

Let's draw conclusions after the mountains but I agree he does not look too great.

 

[Arredondo]

Lol, Bala decides to f*ck once more with natural laws by riding at a ridiculous level in this Dauphine! That's normally the only race he's 'under par'!

Where's the logic? WHERE'S THE LOGIC???

 

[portugal11]

Froome looks a bit heavier than previous years.

 

[Jelantik]

Re: Re:

Porte will collapse in le tour. He is in alien mode since january

very likely, but I'm afraid this year could be different.....

if you mean physical collapse, last year he was great. But the bad luck took him out (mechanical, crash to the moto bike). So if he can stay out of bad luck this time around, he'll be up there.

on the other hand, Does Froome looks like his 2014 Froome?

2014 froome was super strong. He just had bad luck in both dauphine and tour (and a contador in monster shape). Froome won two stages in 2014 dauphine. For me he was stronger in 2014 dauphine than 2015 dauphine

you are right but.. what I mean is Froome had some health issue plague him if I'm not mistaken in 2014. He had back injury and chest infection that made him pulled out of the race. I was just comparing his year 2014 perfomance to this year (with no win and some back injury issue again). He doesn't look as invincible as he was in 2014 compare to 2013.

 

[movingtarget]

Re:

Froome looks a bit heavier than previous years.

The weight of expectations ?

 

[Son of Amsterhammer]

Hats off to Richie, wow. That was some statement. The mountain stages should be really interesting.

Are the bonus secs 10,6,4 ?? Valverde will be hungry for wins.

 

[movingtarget]

Re: Re:

Porte will collapse in le tour. He is in alien mode since january

very likely, but I'm afraid this year could be different.....

if you mean physical collapse, last year he was great. But the bad luck took him out (mechanical, crash to the moto bike). So if he can stay out of bad luck this time around, he'll be up there.

on the other hand, Does Froome looks like his 2014 Froome?

2014 froome was super strong. He just had bad luck in both dauphine and tour (and a contador in monster shape). Froome won two stages in 2014 dauphine. For me he was stronger in 2014 dauphine than 2015 dauphine

you are right but.. what I mean is Froome had some health issue plague him if I'm not mistaken in 2014. He had back injury and chest infection that made him pulled out of the race. I was just comparing his year 2014 perfomance to this year (with no win and some back injury issue again). He doesn't look as invincible as he was in 2014 compare to 2013.

Maybe back issues again ?

 

[LaFlorecita]

Re:

Hats off to Richie, wow. That was some statement. The mountain stages should be really interesting.

Are the bonus secs 10,6,4 ?? Valverde will be hungry for wins.

he's still hungry after all those wins this year? :lol:

 

[Son of Amsterhammer]

Re: Re:

Hats off to Richie, wow. That was some statement. The mountain stages should be really interesting.

Are the bonus secs 10,6,4 ?? Valverde will be hungry for wins.

he's still hungry after all those wins this year? :lol:

He's got some appetite!

 

[TourOfSardinia]

So far Richie has always had a bad day in a GT