Dauphine

[Waterloo Sunrise]

http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/dauphine-libere-to-include-alpe-dhuez

Alpe d'huez and a 49Km time trail - brilliant!

 

[David Suro]

Brilliant, indeed. It should be a great race.

 

[Mellow Velo]

The Alpe, sure. A couple of other good stages, too.
A 49km ITT in a one week race? Total overkill.
Just a sop for Tour trainers.

 

[Moondance]

Seems like a very heavy Dauphiné if you ask me. Should make for good TV obviously, but if you want to ride it hard to win, I think it'll take its toll in the Tour. Contador excepted i suppose

 

[issoisso]

Seems like a very heavy Dauphiné if you ask me. Should make for good TV obviously, but if you want to ride it hard to win, I think it'll take its toll in the Tour. Contador excepted i suppose

That's been the case for decades. Winning the Dauphiné leaves you flat for the Tour. So, either you're so amazingly good enough/lucky enough that you can win it without digging deep, or you're not winning the Tour. Same with Switzerland.

Look at Armstrong. The only year he dug deep to win the Dauphiné at all costs (2003), he ended up only barely winning the Tour mostly though luck. Compare that to his other Tour performances where he was miles ahead of that year's performance.

Other than that, who won the Tour and the Giro the same year? Armstrong in 2002, but he was never challenged hard for the Dauphiné (and even then it was his second worst Tour winning performance. He was beaten by Botero in a TT, even), Induráin in 95, and he wasn't much challenged either. Before that you have to go back to the early days of Hinault.

 

[Moondance]

That's been the case for decades. Winning the Dauphiné leaves you flat for the Tour. So, either you're so amazingly good enough/lucky enough that you can win it without digging deep, or you're not winning the Tour. Same with Switzerland.

Now that you mention it you're completely right... I guess my expectation that a Switzerland/Dauphiné-Tour double is possible comes from the exploits of St. Lance... And we know where he got that greatness from

That said, the Dauphiné is much harder than Switzerland, especially last year, and this year the 'difficulty gap' between the two is pretty massive.

 

[Publicus]

Seems like a very heavy Dauphiné if you ask me. Should make for good TV obviously, but if you want to ride it hard to win, I think it'll take its toll in the Tour. Contador excepted i suppose

I expect AC to ride this route the same way he rode last year.

 

[luckyboy]

Other than that, who won the Tour and the Giro the same year? Armstrong in 2002

Here's me thinking 2009 was Lance's first Giro

 

[issoisso]

Here's me thinking 2009 was Lance's first Giro

 

[isayic]

I expect AC to ride this route the same way he rode last year.

I don't think that he intends to win the whole race (he will come from a break). But I'm sure that he wants to win Alpe d'Huez.

 

[erader]

That's been the case for decades. Winning the Dauphiné leaves you flat for the Tour. So, either you're so amazingly good enough/lucky enough that you can win it without digging deep, or you're not winning the Tour. Same with Switzerland.

Look at Armstrong. The only year he dug deep to win the Dauphiné at all costs (2003), he ended up only barely winning the Tour mostly though luck. Compare that to his other Tour performances where he was miles ahead of that year's performance.

Other than that, who won the Tour and the Giro the same year? Armstrong in 2002, but he was never challenged hard for the Dauphiné (and even then it was his second worst Tour winning performance. He was beaten by Botero in a TT, even), Induráin in 95, and he wasn't much challenged either. Before that you have to go back to the early days of Hinault.

since i've been watching only ....

1) indurain

2) pantani

ed rader

 

[issoisso]

since i've been watching only ....

1) indurain

2) pantani

ed rader

I mean the Dauphiné, not the Giro, in case it wasn't clear. Giro/Tour is a whole different kettle of fish

 

[icefire]

I mean the Dauphiné, not the Giro, in case it wasn't clear. Giro/Tour is a whole different kettle of fish

In that case the list includes Bobet, Anquetil, Merckx, Ocaña, Thevenet, Hinault, Indurain and Armstrong. What a list!

 

[issoisso]

In that case the list includes Bobet, Anquetil, Merckx, Ocaña, Thevenet, Hinault, Indurain and Armstrong. What a list!

Precisely.
Only that amazing list is strong enough to pull it off.

 

[Bag_O_Wallet]

I expect AC to ride this route the same way he rode last year.

Yup, with one of these on.

 

[Anonymous]

Yup, with one of these on.

Is that a restrictor plate?

 

[Bag_O_Wallet]

Is that a restrictor plate?

You got 'er, TFF!