Critérium du Dauphiné May 30-June 6 2021

[Krzysztof_O]

Vingegaard interview:

"I'm surprised we couldn't catch Padun, but once we realised we couldn't, Konrad and I settled for him gaining time and me taking 2nd. The shape is not quite there yet, but I feel on track for the Tour".

Surprised? Once I saw Padun dropping the rest of the breakaway the only question was the margin of his victory.

 

[BlueRoads]

We all have to remember, that being a preparation race, the team gives the riders a larger degree of freedom to ride as they please.

It's more of a "every man for himself" approach, which will certainly not be the case in the tour.

I don't know. The dauphiné is still an important race and this could have ended with Porte losing the win for nothing. There was no reason why Thomas should be able to drop Lutsenko after the top of the JP. I don't know about the team orders, but I didn't think it was a great move on a personal level.

 

[Red Rick]

Yeah Thomas going after Lutsenko was stupid

 

[Summoned]

Very impressed with Thomas, particularly getting back to Porte after going down. Looks like he is in very good form for the Tour.

 

[Broccolidwarf]

I don't know. The dauphiné is still an important race and this could have ended with Porte losing the win for nothing. There was no reason why Thomas should be able to drop Lutsenko after the top of the JP. I don't know about the team orders, but I didn't think it was a great move on a personal level.

But Porte won, and Thomas took 3rd overall..... it all worked out for them in the end.

 

[movingtarget]

I had to laugh when Padun said in his interview : "after yesterday today was easy" then he corrected himself instantly and said "I mean it was hard physically but easy mentally". not sure what he was trying to say but I would have liked to have seen the interviewers face.................

 

[Arked]

I saw this image of Padun's power data going around on twitter, it's unbelievable.
www.imgur.com/a/G6rU8

Yes. It's shocking how normal his power data was He was in form of his life, fresher than the favorites and likely underestimated. The rest of the story is being in the right place at the right time... twice

 

[Broccolidwarf]

I had to laugh when Padun said in his interview : "after yesterday today was easy" then he corrected himself instantly and said "I mean it was hard physically but easy mentally". not sure what he was trying to say but I would have liked to have seen the interviewers face.................

Probably just means that the first win is the hardest one - once you've proven to yourself you can do it, it becomes easier mentally.

 

[movingtarget]

Padun descends better than Sivakov and Zakarin so I doubt he is a graduate of the Eastern European Descending Academy.....................but Mohoric as a central European is under no threat..............

 

[ciranda]

Surprised? Once I saw Padun dropping the rest of the breakaway the only question was the margin of his victory.

Well he didn't say that at all. He said it was to clear to him Padun was the strongest and as for himself he had raced in his own tempo and teamed up with Konrad after they hit the Joux Plane.

 

[Ramira]

I would say that Padun wins TdF but i feel he made a gross mistake. If he flew under the radar he could loose like 2-3 min and then go absolutely ham on the first alpine stage, gain like 3-4 mins like a certain Danish chicken and with this form and juice he could as well bring it home to Paris unless he would be popped, also like a certain Danish chicken.

Ignoring the implications here. I've always felt that a team should try and pull this.

If you have someone who is showing a major increase in numbers but is not good enough (yet( to straight up win a Grand Tour, just make them hide until they find themselves in a break in a grand tour and take a major lead. Basically a premeditated Óscar Pereiro.

Of course the insanity of Óscar Pereiro is that he had already shown he could ride top 10 in the TDF, but for some reason all DS forgot that because he had an off day that year where he lost 26 minutes.

 

[gregrowlerson]

I had to laugh when Padun said in his interview : "after yesterday today was easy" then he corrected himself instantly and said "I mean it was hard physically but easy mentally". not sure what he was trying to say but I would have liked to have seen the interviewers face.................

Luckily he was wearing a mask.

 

[Fuente De]

Mikkel Bjerg interview:

"I was planning to do the groupetto today, but legs felt good, and then I caught Froome and passed him, so the rest of the stage I dug deep while fantasizing about being about to win the tour in front of him. - It was fun to try, everyone on the mountain was cheering Froome on, shouting "come on Chris".

Lol, very funny. Good to know Pros also daydream about winning TdF when out on a ride.

 

[Carrick-On-Seine]

Okay, I'm just trying to forget the Padun thing for a moment and have to say that team performance from Ineos was ridicoulus. What on earth was Thomas doing in this race? This is his way of proving he should be the sole leader at the Tour?

Haha. He reminded them that he can crash downhill as well as uphill so it would be stupid to have a sole leader with that unique ability.

 

[Escarabajo]

I have to ask: Should JV and UAE be worried at the Tour now that Bahrain upped their game?

 

[Escarabajo]

Arkea: Barguil looked completely destroyed and Quintana looked beaten. What is happening?

I think Barguil had a bad crash few days ago and he takes time to build up his form. As for Quintana I am not sure what the team is expecting from him and what Quintana is expecting from them. I am still confused. He shouldn't even be here. It is a pity he still 1 more year in that team. Next team won't take his stupid entourage.

 

[Koronin]

I think Barguil had a bad crash few days ago and he takes time to build up his form. As for Quintana I am not sure what the team is expecting from him and what Quintana is expecting from them. I am still confused. He shouldn't even be here. It is a pity he still 1 more year in that team. Next team won't take his stupid entourage.

If I remember correctly, when Movistar made the decision they had no interest in keeping Quintana, Quintana didn't exactly have many teams offering him a contract. The rumors I remember had CCC, UAE, and Arkea as the only teams interested. I suspect Arkea was the only one willing to sign the entire entourage.

 

[Danskebjerge]

The last 2 days, are arguably the most shocking pair of wins on the world tour, in recent memory.

These wins made me think of Chris Horner. I guess the rest is for the Clinic.

 

[Anybody_but..]

Nobody congratulated Porte his win in this thread, only Krzysztof_O admitted he was undroppable.

So, Richie, I'm really happy! Great work yesterday and today, especially after GT crash!
Looks like some guys were fcuked because of your win, please ensure them the same in July.

 

[Broccolidwarf]

Lol, very funny. Good to know Pros also daydream about winning TdF when out on a ride.

Yeah

I also found it interesting, that apparently the French spectators were cheering Froome on.

I guess his lonely struggle against the world, appeals to the romantic side in the French public, but it is QUITE a turn in French public opinion of Froome, from where it used to be.

He used to be hate object no. 1 in France.

 

[Broccolidwarf]

These wins made me think of Chris Horner. I guess the rest is for the Clinic.

I mean, we are all human, so none of us can escape the thoughts that cycling of the past gives us.... we all live with those experiences.

However, unless we start hearing rumours of some new method, I trust that cycling is the most closely monitored sport in the world, and that it's too difficult to cheat with any great effect these days.

I want to believe he is a cheery, personable, 24 year old fellow from Ukraine, who just got his major breakthrough.

After all, he did win the Adriatica Ionica race, against fairly good opposition, pre-Covid, and he got 5th (incl. a stage win ahead of Sivaskov) when he rode the Bay Giro as a 20 year old - so it is not a development outside the realm of possibility - especially since it was stage wins from breakaways, as an "unknown entity", not a GC result

 

[Leinster]

The first wasn't from the break, at least, not the break-of-the-day. He was part of an attack from the GC group, and then he dropped everyone in that attack and was never seen again.

 

[42x16ss]

I have to ask: Should JV and UAE be worried at the Tour now that Bahrain upped their game?

Only if they take Landa and by some absolute miracle he hasn't lost 5mins in the first week

 

[Broccolidwarf]

The first wasn't from the break, at least, not the break-of-the-day. He was part of an attack from the GC group, and then he dropped everyone in that attack and was never seen again.

True, but the point I was making was, that he was not a GC threat, which makes it easier to break away, even from a favorites group.

I would even venture a guess, that for most of the other riders, they didn't view him at a threat for the stage win either, on day 1, so he got to ride away with relative ease, because nobody thought the move would stick anyway.

When he goes at the Tour (and I fully expect him to get selected), people will follow.

He will never be a surprise winner again, and that makes it harder to win.

 

[Leinster]

Yes and no. I mean, if they could've gone with him, they would've gone with him. Porte didn't let him go on La Plagne because he considered him a non-threat, Porte let him go because he couldn't follow; Richie was looking for time on the group behind, and if there's a wheel you can follow in that situation, you follow it. Kuss did follow, and got dropped.