Criterium du Dauphine 2014 - Who's gonna win?

[Akuryo]

Voted for Others (Kwiatkowski), cause I am an OPQS-fanboy.

 

[keep going]

morally and psychologically tour

contador Fully prepared for this season as we see .. froom always strong especially ITT .. all of them want to win morally before the grand occasion TDF .. perhaps the big surpris maybe from R.porte . Let's see hope we enjoy .. i would like to see contador come back .

 

[Waterloo Sunrise]

Froome should take it, but it will not be a walk in the park.

FROOME Christopher
KIRYIENKA Vasil
LOPEZ David
NIEVE Mikel
PATE Danny
PORTE Richie
THOMAS Geraint
ZANDIO Xabier

It will be interesting to see if Porte really is back in business.

Unless they're sending a team like that just for a giggle and don't intend to control the race, there's half a chance Porte never has to show anything, rather than the 2nd and 3rd men at the 2012 Dauphine.

 

[GuyIncognito]

Voted Froome because
- I feel he's stronger when both are top
- Because his weakness is in the third week while this race is 1 week
- Because Contador has never been good at the Dauphine in his entire career

I strongly hope I'm wrong

 

[Zinoviev Letter]

Unless they're sending a team like that just for a giggle and don't intend to control the race, there's half a chance Porte never has to show anything, rather than the 2nd and 3rd men at the 2012 Dauphine.

True, particularly with Contador supported only by Tinkoff's reserve squad, Movistar not bothering to send a leader, Nibali showing little recent form and a generally sub par field.

That Sky line up, if themselves in form, has little serious opposition.

 

[christopherrowe]

- Because Contador has never been good at the Dauphine in his entire career

Well, for what it's worth, he won a couple of stages of the Dauphine in 2010: the prologue and a stage up Alpe d'Huez. So he was at least better than everyone except Janez Brajkovic on the race that year, finishing second on GC. Of course, yeah, 2010.

 

[BigMac]

It will be so amusing to see Froome wipe Contador so Berto's supporters get back on earth - out of their silly dreaming bubble.

Froome for the win, I hope. He will put on a show to be revered for years.

 

[Jspear]

It will be so amusing to see Froome wipe Contador so Berto's supporters get back on earth - out of their silly dreaming bubble.

Froome for the win, I hope. He will put on a show to be revered for years.

Oh come on, you should know AC fans won't "get back on earth" if Froome wins this race. Haven't you heard? All he has to do here is follow wheels (he already proved himself this spring doesn't need to right now), and then beat Froome in July. So AC losing this race won't really dampen the hopes of fans.

 

[BigMac]

Oh come on, you should know AC fans won't "get back on earth" if Froome wins this race. Haven't you heard? All he has to do here is follow wheels (he already proved himself this spring doesn't need to right now), and then beat Froome in July. So AC losing this race won't really dampen the hopes of fans.

I think it will, if Froome wins by more than 3 minutes or so.

 

[LaFlorecita]

I think it will, if Froome wins by more than 3 minutes or so.

Don't be ridiculous.

 

[BigMac]

Don't be ridiculous.

What makes you think I am being ridiculous?

 

[Rollthedice]

I refuse to vote for the man who will win because I dislike him.

 

[Netserk]

What makes you think I am being ridiculous?

It's in your nature

 

[LaFlorecita]

What makes you think I am being ridiculous?

3 minutes that is never going to happen. 1 minute max and you know it.

 

[BigMac]

3 minutes that is never going to happen. 1 minute max and you know it.

You're right, I somehow had the idea there were two TT's. Nevermind.

It's in your nature

 

[Butterhead]

I dont care who wins, course it wont matter.
The only thing im interested in is to see what Contador does, does he just follow Froomes wheel like a shadow without moving an inch then I would be happy, course the real beating will happen in the tour.
I dont want to see Alberto struggle at any time, no matter what Froome does, just follow his wheel and do nothing, and you will have a scared shytless Froome in the tour... thats right!

 

[Pricey_sky]

I dont care who wins, course it wont matter.
The only thing im interested in is to see what Contador does, does he just follow Froomes wheel like a shadow without moving an inch then I would be happy, course the real beating will happen in the tour.
I dont want to see Alberto struggle at any time, no matter what Froome does, just follow his wheel and do nothing, and you will have a scared shytless Froome in the tour... thats right!

Scared just by following him? I doubt it. Contador has to drop Froome in the Tour or he won't be beating him. The only way Froome will be scared is if Contador drops him.

 

[Butterhead]

Scared just by following him? I doubt it. Contador has to drop Froome in the Tour or he won't be beating him. The only way Froome will be scared is if Contador drops him.

No, just follow him, dont do shyt.

The first time he drops him in the tour its game over.

 

[Publicus]

Scared just by following him? I doubt it. Contador has to drop Froome in the Tour or he won't be beating him. The only way Froome will be scared is if Contador drops him.

Actually I think if Froome puts in one of his big attacks and Contador is still there (see, e.g., Catalunya this year), it will mess with him mentally. Last year that's all he had to do. Wind it up and spit everyone out the back. This year he's not been able to do that, but he's got it in his mind (based on his comments during Cataluna) that (A) he was coming back from injury and (B) at top condition he dropped those guys with ease. If he doesn't have (A) as excuse any more (which he doesn't) and still can't drop Contador with ease when he's (B), then alarm bells should go off. That's how I see things. I don't see any pressure on AC at this stage given how the first half of the year has gone.

 

[Pricey_sky]

No, just follow him, dont do shyt.

The first time he drops him in the tour its game over.

I just hope it's a good race, it would be great to see attack and counter-attack from both guys but I doubt either will want to go that close to the red before the Tour.

 

[christopherrowe]

I just hope it's a good race, it would be great to see attack and counter-attack from both guys but I doubt either will want to go that close to the red before the Tour.

I kind of doubt it, too. I think the hopes for a really good race rest in somebody like a Kwiatkowski or a Talansky deciding to make the Dauphine a real target instead of a prep event and just absolutely going for it.

 

[Dazed and Confused]

Surely Contador wants to put in a few attacks here and there. These might not yield a big result, but its miles better than becoming just another wheelsucker.

The biggest obstacle is Sky's team strength. 6 man teams would be better here, but even with reduced numbers Sky can put a formidable team together.

 

[veji11]

Surely Contador wants to put in a few attacks here and there. These might not yield a big result, but its miles better than becoming just another wheelsucker.

The biggest obstacle is Sky's team strength. 6 man teams would be better here, but even with reduced numbers Sky can put a formidable team together.

Not just here, everywhere ! Makes races less controlable. 6 man teams should be the default setting all year long, with 8 man teams for the GTs (7 would be ideal but you have to account for a few sicknesses or falls, so 8 sounds like a good compromise).

 

[PirazziAttacksVino]

Not just here, everywhere ! Makes races less controlable. 6 man teams should be the default setting all year long, with 8 man teams for the GTs (7 would be ideal but you have to account for a few sicknesses or falls, so 8 sounds like a good compromise).

It's quite hard to implement 6 man teams. That would mean a lot of riders not getting contracts for the following year.

 

[murali]

the battle for TdF will be fought here. so i m voting for AC.

(oc, tht stupid correlation between Criterium winner and TdF winner doesnt help either.)