First time that a prologue decides a Tour?

[Villaba]

Andy should forget the chaingate as it was anyway his own fault. He lost a lot more time in the tiny prologue stage than in today's 52 kms. TT; there is where he lost the Tour if we stick to the times gained.

 

[skidmark]

Andy should forget the chaingate as it was anyway his own fault. He lost a lot more time in the tiny prologue stage than in today's 52 kms. TT; there is where he lost the Tour if we stick to the times gained.

What? I don't understand the logic at all. They gained and lost time on each other throughout the tour. Might as well say he lost the tour on the time he didn't gain when he could have gone a bit faster on the cobbles on stage 3 or something equally convoluted and hypothetical.

 

[Villaba]

What? I don't understand the logic at all. They gained and lost time on each other throughout the tour. Might as well say he lost the tour on the time he didn't gain when he could have gone a bit faster on the cobbles on stage 3 or something equally convoluted and hypothetical.

The fact is that he lost a lot more time to Contador on the short prologue, than he did today, it's quite remarkable.

 

[avanti]

The fact is that he lost a lot more time to Contador on the short prologue, than he did today, it's quite remarkable.

Perhaps not - it was raining so maybe Schleck was playing it safe.

 

[saganftw]

if andy rode a faultless tour he would have won,thats promising for coming years

 

[El Pistolero]

if andy rode a faultless tour he would have won,thats promising for coming years

If Cavendish rode a faultless Tour he would have won it as well.


If Contador rode a faultless Tour he wouldn't have lost so much time on the cobbles.

No one can ride a faultless Tour, you always make a mistake. Some are just bigger then others.

 

[Villaba]

if andy rode a faultless tour he would have won,thats promising for coming years

True, Contador wasn't at his best form in this year, comparing to last year, it is not normal that he lost so much time in the ITT and ended so far behind the winner. Makes you think what can happen next year if Andy improves and Alberto arrives at his best form. I'd put my money on Alberto being the case.

 

[theyoungest]

Perhaps not - it was raining so maybe Schleck was playing it safe.

It wasn't raining when Andy and Contador rode. They had mostly dry roads.

 

[Kwibus]

If Cavendish rode a faultless Tour he would have won it as well.


If Contador rode a faultless Tour he wouldn't have lost so much time on the cobbles.

No one can ride a faultless Tour, you always make a mistake. Some are just bigger then others.

True true true true. Exactly the things you said are a reason that A Schleck might as well win the Tour. This year it was AC, but it's very close and let's hope it stays very close!

 

[El Pistolero]

True true true true. Exactly the things you said are a reason that A Schleck might as well win the Tour. This year it was AC, but it's very close and let's hope it stays very close!

Well, I'll be the first to admit that Andy Schleck was extremely good this Tour and I never doubted the fact that he could beat Contador. But he didn't in this Tour.

News just got out that Contador was taking antibiotics few weeks before the Tour began though. And he also had stomach aches last night and couldn't sleep. That perhaps explains why he didn't look as good as last year. Who knows

 

[The Sheep]

It wasn't raining when Andy and Contador rode. They had mostly dry roads.

Fabu went as last Saxo but even then it was only starting to dry up, it wasn't dry yet.

 

[boomslang]

Saxo Bank

True true true true. Exactly the things you said are a reason that A Schleck might as well win the Tour. This year it was AC, but it's very close and let's hope it stays very close!

I think Andy missed Frank too much this year to be really successful, a strong lieutenant to help him in the mountains. AC had Novarro who did a great job for him.

In picking the team I wonder if Saxo was more designed to show the brand (looking for new sponsorship) rather than winning the GC. During Lance's tenure at the top all of his teams were dedicated to one thing only, getting his **** to Paris before anyone else. I don't get the feeling that that was Saxo's aim.

Saxo seems to want to cover all things, Spartacus for the time trial, Jens & Stewie for breakaways. Granted, they're exciting, just saying maybe Andy's GC attempts suffer for it. Cervelo seems to be the same, maybe spread too thin so Sastre is left on his own?

 

[skidmark]

The fact is that he lost a lot more time to Contador on the short prologue, than he did today, it's quite remarkable.

It's true, that is quite a contrast. I'm just trying to say that I don't think it calls for such a sensational subject line, because I don't think the prologue actually really decided anything ultimately.

 

[movingtarget]

It's true, that is quite a contrast. I'm just trying to say that I don't think it calls for such a sensational subject line, because I don't think the prologue actually really decided anything ultimately.

I think that is true as Schleck was going to lose time on the neutralised stage. Contador lost time on the cobbles and then got 10 seconds back on the Mende stage. You have to admit though that the prologue by Schleck was terrible and by Contador's standards, a similar thing happened to him yesterday. I thought Schleck was best in the mountains this year. On a few stages, Contador only seemed to be hanging on.