Criterium du Dauphinê versus Tour D'Suisse

[WindLessBreeze]

Criterium du Dauphinê versus Tour D'Suisse

I'd last to ask the real CN pundits now>Which race is the better lead out to those folks seeking YELLOW in France

 

[Fetisoff]

Well, last three years TDF winner rode Criterium, never winning it however.
Criterium winners in these years have not, however, performed at the TDF for one reason or another.

Personally, I don't think it matters much which race you do.


Actually just checked the profiles of both races this year - TDS certainly looks much better and harder. But again, Criterium has the long TT

 

[Red Rick]

Criterium has the advantage that if the form is bad, it can be corrected with another altitude stage, Suisse comes too late for that. Another advantage of riding the Dauphine is that often some key parts of TdF stages are ridden already, like the Grenoble TT.

Another big difference is that if you're great in the Dauphine, you're usually screwed for the Tour, because of a mistimed peak (see Valverde 2008, Evans 2009). You have to be good, but not great, like contador in 2009. He was good, but didn't want to waste too much energy so he focused on helping Valverde a bit, and screwing Evans in the proces. A great form in Suisse can be extended to the end of the Tour.

 

[WindLessBreeze]

A critique on pure tolerance!

Thanks you guys, very useful insight. I will move sideways a little bit now, in order to make some statements that must be made.
First of all, to WADA and USADA, and anyone who may be concerned: Please don't keep disturbing and molesting Rocket*Arm and Leg^Strong, etal. Signed by: The Lone*Star Urban Cowboy/FreeLance' Journalist. It is on everyone's best interests. This is just a friendly suggestion. Let's keep it Arm's Lenght.
Now back to biz'. Giro's winners and losers, besides the usual suspects:
Losers, gone winless as far as stages is concerned: Omega Pharma/QuickStep, RadioShack/Nissan Trek, Liquigas, Saxo Bank, Francaise Des Jeux, AG2R la Mondiale, Lampre (won team gral); as well as Pro-Conti NetApp. On the other hand, Farnese-Vini/Selle'Italia and Androni GD.Venezuela won twice; The former also grabbed the KOM prize.
Several countries, considered the PowerHouses of the Game, did not have any rider win stages: France, Germany, Netherlands, Kazashstan, Russia,.....
Beware of Sky's 2 Subs from Colombia: They are bound to deliver more epic displays of greatness in the near future.
Last, Go*Ryder/OfDas'Storm (G.....Barracuda!)

 

[WindLessBreeze]

So Far, So Good, So Wiggins

As I write this, stage 6 of Criterium du will be ridden tomorrow: 6 ranked hills: 3-3, 2-1, 1-HC. Wiggins has dominated the competition, Sky almost faltered, Andy failed, Gilbert suffers from the Boonen syndrome pre-2012, Meanwhile, in today's Swiss Classic, almost everyone DNF.........Predictions? Complaints? Suggestions? Confessions?!!!!!!NO. Wiggo's year. I did not study the ancient oriental art of reading the SKY in vain. My forecasting skills have been sharpened....Why don't I ride the stock market's waves? It doesn't work like that......Poets and sages are suppose to be poor, to feel mankind's painful experience....Only then will they' learn to Seek&Destroy EVIL Ways

 

[Peccio89]

I prefer Suisse because it is a race with much more "per se" value than the Dauphine, which is totally a warm-up race( and the fact that in the parcours you can find a lot of section from tour stages tells all).

 

[Leonardus]

As already mentioned there's a subtle difference between the races. The Dauphine is a warm up race, you can see if the peak form is coming and if necessary work on it between dauphine and tour. It's useless to waste too much energy in the dauphine because you have to pay for it in the Tour.
The TdS is much more a test race where you seek confirmation that your about to hit topform. Good in TdS means good TdF, you can improve a bit but not much.
For the GC men between these races it only matters what kind of built up they choose towards the Tour. For me as a spectator TdS is generally more exiting to watch.

 

[WindLessBreeze]

No CN Twitter today?

And I must stay at work, mkts closed, NO TV, sunshine bright, girls by the beach, politicians and swindlers having their usual Power-Breakfasts in Country Clubs and Marinas all over the world.........Unknown soldiers, dogs of war!!!!!!!

 

[WindLessBreeze]

Killer*Poetry on FB

Natural^Born^Killers/Dead*Men*Walking/NoStressSabbath/Now the riders must be lining up/riding off/fatigue factor/What's the catch 22/Unhappy Nation/FeedBack/Safety First/Who's to blame?/WhyWeTalkAboutSports?!/We Enjoy Everything/ForDas'Record/The Rodhes not taken/REPORTED/L'Homme*Libre/Live Aid/Faces in the Crowd/These Monitors have gotten me ILLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL!!!!!!!

 

[Libertine Seguros]

As Tour preparation:

The Critérium du Dauphiné has lost all semblance of being a race in its own right since ASO took it over. It is now nothing more than a training session for the Tour, and as such its route is doctored to reflect the Tour. That means that the TT is decisive, because the Tour route is similar. It has pretty much no real climbing that is relevant to the GC, because the Tour route doesn't either. Therefore, as a preparation race, it is superior.

As a standalone event:
The Critérium du Dauphiné is no longer a standalone event. The ASO have made it clear that now they control the event it is not a race; it is a pre-Tour training session with UCI points. They don't want to create too much excitement lest it draw attention away from the main event. It is little more than the weigh-in before the big boxing match.

 

[element]

As Tour preparation:

...It has pretty much no real climbing that is relevant to the GC, because the Tour route doesn't either...

The only relevance the climb had to the GC today was to put the good TTers even further ahead of the rest of the field, barring Quintana. The best TTers seem to be the best climbers in this race, and changing the route wouldn't change the result. The Joux Plane is plenty difficult to create a selection if you are strong enough.

 

[Libertine Seguros]

The only relevance the climb had to the GC today was to put the good TTers even further ahead of the rest of the field, barring Quintana. The best TTers seem to be the best climbers in this race, and changing the route wouldn't change the result. The Joux Plane is plenty difficult to create a selection if you are strong enough.

It's not a problem if the TTers are the best climbers.

It's not a problem to not have an MTF, if the Joux-Plane is cresting late in the stage, because the Joux-Plane is difficult enough to create a selection.

It's a problem if that is the ONLY opportunity to create a selection, however.

Having 60km of ITT in a one-week race is too much, unless the climbing stages are tougher. There's been more ITT in this Dauphiné than there have been in some GTs lately.

Not that that's a ringing endorsement. Very few GTs have had enough ITT mileage recently. The 2012 Tour has enough TT mileage, but the mountain stages to go with it are not tough enough. It's a problem of cycling at the moment; courses seem to either have enough mountains but not enough TT mileage to mean they have to be raced hard, or enough TT mileage, but the mountain stages are too easy to give opportunities to make that time back.

 

[WindLessBreeze]

Give me a Grand*Tour with 15 Queen^Stages, &

a Colombian Selection, and I shall show everyone, beyond any reasonable doubt, that: Colombia se respeta/Colombia no coge esa!....Caressed by both the Atlantic and the Pacific (only south american country blessed with those characteristics); it's horizons blessed by the sunset and the sunrise, mountains, valleys, rivers....beautiful women and brave men.....
PD: More World Tour Teams should pay closer attention to the Vuelta a Colombia gig, and should send their development teams to climb with escarabajos, so then they wouldn't get dropped on any cat 3 little hill. montani3semper

 

[Libertine Seguros]

I would pay good money to see a team of Danilo Napolitano, Angelo Furlan, Theo Bos, Graeme Brown and Andrea Guardini take on the Vuelta a Colombia.

 

[killswitch]

I would pay good money to see a team of Danilo Napolitano, Angelo Furlan, Theo Bos, Graeme Brown and Andrea Guardini take on the Vuelta a Colombia.

Has Kenny Van Hummel improved his climbing so much?

 

[Vino attacks everyone]

I would pay good money to see a team of Danilo Napolitano, Angelo Furlan, Theo Bos, Graeme Brown and Andrea Guardini take on the Vuelta a Colombia.

and Andy Schleck

 

[The Hitch]

and Andy Schleck

ha nice one