ENECO Tour August 17 - 24

[Andrichuk]

Tuft is a very good pursuitist on the track. Hes always been a strong rider, just had allot of bad luck with injuries last year.

 

[Jamsque]

Tony Martin 'only' fifth fastest. He's had a long season, to be fair.

Here comes Eddy Bos.

 

[Andrichuk]

Porte had a good time depending on EBH's time Porte may only have to suck wheels to win after Stijns terrible ride.

 

[Dekker_Tifosi]

1. Tuft
2. Van Emden
3. Boom
4. Tjallingii
5. Hagen

Lol Rabo 2-3-4... and a weird unreliable Canadian who's only in form once in 3 years wins

 

[Jamsque]

Solid but unspectacular from EBH.

1 Tuft
2 Van Emden +5
3 Boom +6
4 Tjallingi +6
5 EBH +7
6 G +7
7 Tony Martin +7

Swein really did lay down a beating today. I think the hillier stages may be enough to unseat him from the GC lead but he is more than capable of winning the longer ITT as well.

 

[Cobblestoned]

The Raboboys are on fire.

but congrats to Tuft !

 

[theyoungest]

1. Tuft
2. Van Emden
3. Boom
4. Tjallingii
5. Hagen

Lol Rabo 2-3-4... and a weird unreliable Canadian who's only in form once in 3 years wins

Too bad this wasn't a team time trial

Van Emden has really transformed into a TT powerhouse. Nice.

 

[Dekker_Tifosi]

1 S. Tuft 00:06'18"
2 J. Van Emden 00:06'23"
3 L. Boom 00:06'24"
4 M. Tjallingii 00:06'24"
5 E. Boasson Hagen 00:06'25"
6 G. Thomas 00:06'25"
7 T. Martin 00:06'25"
8 A. Rasmussen 00:06'27"
9 R. Porte 00:06'27"
10 C. Knees 00:06'29"

 

[Andrichuk]

How did Mikhail Ignatiev place?

 

[Kwibus]

Aw too bad Tuft really laid the smack down today. Really hoped for van Emden or Boom today :/

 

[GoGarmin]

Awesome ride by Tuft to cap a very nice day for Garmin.

 

[Mellow Velo]

Tuft spoil the Rabo party, but they have a white knuckle grip on that all important team classification.
The weather is even shiitier than it is here.
An absolute giveaway that it's August.

When does the KOM competition start?

 

[Reverend_T_Preedy]

Rabobank really went for it today so fair play to them. Svein Tuft was simply too good for anyone, shame we only saw the start and last 20 seconds.

EBH is in a good position as he should be able to pick up some bonus seconds in the sprints.

Good ride by Geraint Thomas again, bodes well for the final time trial as I think the distance suits him better.

 

[Dekker_Tifosi]

Rabobank really went for it today so fair play to them. Svein Tuft was simply too good for anyone, shame we only saw the start and last 20 seconds.

EBH is in a good position as he should be able to pick up some bonus seconds in the sprints.

Good ride by Geraint Thomas again, bodes well for the final time trial as I think the distance suits him better.

Well that goes for nearly everybody who did well today. Boom, Van Emden, Tjallingii, Hagen, Martin... etc

 

[Ryo Hazuki]

Tuft must've read my topic a few weeks ago because men is he on a stream _O_

 

[Reverend_T_Preedy]

Well that goes for nearly everybody who did well today. Boom, Van Emden, Tjallingii, Hagen, Martin... etc

Maybe so but I was talking about Geraint Thomas, not the others.

 

[Ryo Hazuki]

thomas rode as could be expected

 

[momotaro]

Tuft

Congrats to big Svein on his first protour win! Biggest engine I have ever raced with and against.

Being from the pacific northwest, he has done more than one ride in the rain.

 

[Reverend_T_Preedy]

Congrats to big Svein on his first protour win! Biggest engine I have ever raced with and against.

Being from the pacific northwest, he has done more than one ride in the rain.

Great performance to put that much time into some decent TTers over such a short distance. Very, very impressive. I wonder how he'll get on in the longer TT?

 

[jaylew]

Great performance to put that much time into some decent TTers over such a short distance. Very, very impressive. I wonder how he'll get on in the longer TT?

Judging by how he did in Denmark a week or so ago, I'd say he does ok. He won over Porte by a few hundredths of a second over ~20k.

 

[taiwan]

So you know

The podium tommorow: 1.Greipel, 2.Boasson Hagen, 3.Rasmussen

 

[theyoungest]

So you know

The podium tommorow: 1.Greipel, 2.Boasson Hagen, 3.Rasmussen

It's an uphill finish, 700 m at max 7%, so I'm not so sure about Greipel or Rasmussen.

 

[Libertine Seguros]

Greipel certainly CAN pull off something like that - his win in the torrential rain on the hill finish in stage 2 of the Volta ao Algarve, where he pulled 4" out in the sprint to catch the escapee is testament to that - but whether he will in his current form is another matter.

 

[taiwan]

It's an uphill finish, 700 m at max 7%, so I'm not so sure about Greipel or Rasmussen.

Oh, I thought a profile wasn't provided for that stage because it was pan flat (couldn't see one on the race site). My bad.

I'm struggling to pick it at all now. Maybe it'll just be the riders going for the time bonuses, rather than anyone with a particular talent for an uphill sprint. A couple who might be ok: Gasparotto, Thomas De Gendt. Leigh Howard won an uphill sprint form distinguished competition in Oman, but that was on a lesser gradient, I think. Good point about Greipel and Algarve.

 

[Ryaguas]

I'll go with Gasparotto! Enrico did really good in the Amstel Gold Race, OFC the climbs are not exactly the same but He can make it... Also Astana is eager to make results cuz they are fighting for a PT License.. now that Alberto is in SBS...