Criterium du Dauphine - Stage 1

[Jamsque]

According to the ticker Astana are not chasing at all. The gap is still around 8 minutes, with Sky, Saxo and Leakygas leading the chase.

 

[Mellow Velo]

Vino's Giro tactics.

 

[theswordsman]

Contador announced yesterday that they had no plans to defend any of the three jerseys. He was surprised to have won Sunday. Let the teams who want a sprint finish do the chasing.

 

[theswordsman]

Saxo Bank has taken over from Astana the responsibility of setting the pace in front of the bunch. Under their action, the gap went from almost ten minutes (9.50 at km 56) to under seven minutes (6.55 at km 89). "We’ll see what happens in the next ten kilometres", directeur sportif Bradley McGee told letour.fr. "It depends how much Liquigas wants to help. It looks like no one is riding for GC, so it’s a very interesting moment of the race now. At this stage, a pretty unknown rider could win the Dauphiné overall thanks to this breakaway, it can be a bunch sprint today and it might as well be an attack in the last climb before the finish." Saxo Bank has two sprinters, Baden Cooke and Juan José Haedo, but they haven’t designated one or the other for today’s eventual sprint.

http://www.letour.fr/2010/CDD/LIVE/us/100/depeches.html

 

[Jamsque]

The peloton is going to have to stop messing around and get to chasing after the feed zone if they want to bring this back.

 

[Jamsque]

Apparently Saxo has now stopped chasing, too. Could we see the winner of the Dauphine decided on a stage one breakaway?

Who has the best climbing chops out of these five?

 

[Jamsque]

http://www.fromsport.com/v-0/0/52/v-5389.html

Showing a recap of yesterday right now.

 

[Frosty]

Just done a quick look at Minard. In the tour last year he came 32nd on the stahe to bourg st maurice, 21st the next day to le Grand Bornand and 26th up to the top of Ventoux. Gautier finished 17th in paris-nice this year. Dont think the other three look as good.

 

[Publicus]

Here's the thing, why isn't Radio Shack chasing? Or Columbia HTC? Or Garmin? Euskatel? It seems to me if those teams are interested in winning (and I know Horner, Millar and Sanchez would like a good result), they'd get started chasing as well.

 

[Jamsque]

There's still time to bring this back, but people need to get organised.

 

[ttrider]

with the tt and alpe d huez i think Astana and anyone else wont reli care if the break wins by 3 minutes, 49km flat tt will hammer anyone in the break

 

[Jamsque]

Coverage has started.

Garmin is hammering on the front and the gap is coming down pretty sharpish, under 6 minutes now and well within the reach of Sherwin's law.

 

[python]

berto's rear wheel is guarded by two domestiques..that's one more than normally.

 

[The Sheep]

Going fast now with the gap

 

[Jamsque]

I guess Garmin must be riding for Millar's GC chances, because I don't see any guys on their squad who have any kind of sprinting reputation to speak of.

 

[Timmy-loves-Rabo]

I guess Garmin must be riding for Millar's GC chances, because I don't see any guys on their squad who have any kind of sprinting reputation to speak of.

I'm sure I read somewhere this was one of his season's goals?
Not the strongest field (whom are gonna go hard for the win) so why not.

 

[The Sheep]

I guess Garmin must be riding for Millar's GC chances, because I don't see any guys on their squad who have any kind of sprinting reputation to speak of.

Only one I can think of is Kreder.

 

[Jamsque]

So, who is going to take a flyer on this last climb?

This is the first time I have subjected myself to English eurosport so far this year. I have no idea who these guys are, but they are terrible.

 

[Libertine Seguros]

This is Kirby and Backstedt.

Kirby is like a cricket commentator. He's actually a lot more fun when he's talking complete nonsense than when he's actually talking about the cycling. Magnus is a very good commentator actually. He certainly sounds pretty awkward being asked to shill by Kirby at the moment.

I'm not the biggest fan of Kirby as a commentator (though I come across as something of an apologist since he gets a savaging on here) but given that Eurosport ask him to cover all manner of things, from MotoGP to Nordic Combined Skiing to Ski-Jumping, he does a decent job.

 

[Jamsque]

I think there has been some sort of crash, the peloton is down to 40 or 50 riders.

 

[Barrus]

What just happened in the peloton, I was just writing my thesis and suddenly the peloton is split

 

[superconfex]

Magnus Backstedt and the truely awful Carlton Kirby the most useless commentator EVER!!

 

[Mellow Velo]

Crash.
Cobo and Martens two of the crashees.

Magnus Backstedt and the truely awful Carlton Kirby the most useless commentator EVER!!

+1

 

[Wheels Go Round and Round]

Crash.
Cobo and Martens two of the crashees.


+1

I think John Eustice and the crew covering Philly yesterday was much worse

 

[Barrus]

Magnus Backstedt and the truely awful Carlton Kirby the most useless commentator EVER!!

I always like his commentating, especially when not too much is happening, great talker, especially concerned archeology