I'm done with the tour

[ingsve]

Its not that rare!! Cav's sprint coach is none other than the great sprinter himself Erik Zabel. Who kept our Robbie out of the green jersey many times!!
Did Erik win it 5 times????

Zabel was not massively faster that all other sprinters during his career. He won the green jersey but that's not the same as winning virtually every sprint barring any accidents. People used to beat Zabel in individual sprints all the time.

 

[ingsve]

do you say the same thing about contador?

until this tour he's been unbeatable. this years giro was the most boring in living memory.

it's hardly cav's fault not one of the other teams has thus far tried to set up a train to beat him. they are all groveling for the scraps he and HTC leaves them.
I thought his comment after the last win was quite amusing.. something along the lines of if the other sprinters dont believe they can win what's the point in paying the sprinters

Yes, I think it's just as bad when someone dominates GCs as well. The only bright thing I saw about Contador was that he might have been able to dethrone Armstrong by winning more TDFs than him but hopefully Armstrong will get discredited anyway and since Contador is no saint either I now see nothing good at all with Contadors dominance.

 

[Derrick]

The reason why H.T.C. win sprint stages and catch breakaways is that the other teams let them do it. H.T.C. form a train and the rest sit back and let them do it. Where are the riders defending the break,infiltrating working lines. riding across the front of the string. It seems that nobody defends breaks any longer because the main purpose is to obtain air time not necessarily to win. The value of 5 hours air time to the sponsor is probably worth as much as the win. If six teams get 5 hours advertizing each and then a seventh team wins I imagine everybody is very happy. There's more to being a professional than winning.

 

[JPM London]

It's never easy for an escape to work, it's never easy for a non-climber to win a mountain stage.

I seem to vaguely remember some Norwegian guy taking a win in break away? Now, I think they call him a sprinter, but that's not really how he plays the game anymore is it?

We can of course go into the details of discussing the evil race radios destroying racing, but the truth is that tactics have become more about playing it safe and I also think the advancements in the electronic monitoring of the riders is a factor - they know exactly how hard they can ride for how long without having to rely (much) on their gut instincts. And with so many riders now having a chance of a win somewhere - I mean, Radioshack had as amany captains this year as they had doms - it just intensifies the competition for the win and the competition for the, oh so important, secondary positions...

To me it's still possible, maybe more difficult, but still possible...

 

[brianf7]

Maybe he chose the wrong stage to go into the break? There are the "breakaway's stages" in every GT. Didn't he realize that his chances at yesterday's stage were very low due to the profile of the terrain?

Soon change his mind when he gets into another break away. everyone cant win a stage
He had his moment of glory off the front and he made them work very hard.

 

[orbis_25]

Sorry old ****, its not a game for Domestiques. If you cant sprint or climb, youd be better off in another sport.

Nikki who?

Niki Terpstra, that's who. Not the biggest rider in the world, but certainly well known with an impressive palmarès.

And cycling is a game for domestiques. Without them, there are no winners. There are no teams, no races, no sport. It takes a team to win, not just one rider. If cycling was full of sprinters and domestiques, who would drive the bunch for 200km? Who would protect the team leaders? Who would collect bottles, food, clothing... from the team cars? If you take the domestiques out of the sport, then it's no longer cycling.

AND since when have the only valued riders been sprinters or climbers? What about Philippe Gilbert? He's not a climber or sprinter. Or Cancellara? He isn't either. Just two examples from the modern era. Are you suggesting that talented riders like them have no place in the sport?

 

[taiwan]

Maybe he chose the wrong stage to go into the break? There are the "breakaway's stages" in every GT. Didn't he realize that his chances at yesterday's stage were very low due to the profile of the terrain?

That there.

 

[search]

That there.

i have to quote myself:

he was in the break when Luis Leon Sanchez won and Voeckler took yellow but couldn't even follow them for half of the stage and finished 11 minutes down...

so maybe he just isn't strong enough this year

 

[auscyclefan94]

There are plenty of stages which an escape can win. What type of stage does really suit Terpstra anyway?

 

[analo69]

The ones where he is in a lone breakaway and the bunch doesnt bother to chase...

 

[El Pistolero]

Terpstra always cries when he doesn't win. Hardly worth a thread.

 

[UlleGigo]

Pretty dumb comment considering the current leader of the race gained his lead through a successful breakaway.

 

[Mambo95]

What type of stage does really suit Terpstra anyway?

One that's in a category 2.1 race.

 

[taiwan]

There are plenty of stages which an escape can win. What type of stage does really suit Terpstra anyway?

Something more up and down to hold back the chase. Even Cancellara would need some lumps to have a chance from the break. That or crosswinds, or politics even. Actually Terpstra stayed away for a very long time in the '10 Vuelta mountain stage which Rodriguez won.

 

[trevim]

I guess he was frustrated about yesterday's outcome but come on there's plenty opportunities for a guy like him. The first week had plenty of hilly stages for breakaways to succeed, it just didn't happened due to race circumstances. He should look at the examples of Rui Costa (not a climber, not a sprinter, tactically very good) and Hushovd (play to his strengths even if the terrain is not his). I may be wrong but when has he tried something other than yesterday? That stage was doomed from the beginning everyone knew that.....

Anyway, like someone pointed out there's plenty of races for a guy like him to win, it's not all about the Tour. And he showed that in the Vuelta last year attacking left and right....

 

[trevim]

Niki Terpstra, with his excellent palmarès - Sparkassen Giro, Dutch championship, the prologue of Sterk Elektrotoer and one stage of the Dauphine Liberè, is disappointed that there are no stages for him to win in the tour?

I'm sure some stage winners from the last few editions agree with him, Chavanel, Fedrigo, Cancellara, Nicki Sørensen, Arvesen and Burghardt for example. All well known sprinters/climbers.

And Hushovds last two wins for that sake.

Nicki Sørensen, Arvesen and Burghardt are excellent examples why he should keep trying. In how many escapes has he been this year? One?

He should go for his Vuelta tactic, attacking in almost every stage

 

[Bala Verde]

Surely 'greed' is the word to use when a situation is unfair. But everyone wants to win on the TdF and HTC is going about that in a conspicuous and highly systematic way. Boring it certainly is and Cavendish isn't the most eloquent of spokespeople but I'm not sure we can call that unfair. Indeed, when Cavendish loses his speed or retires there will be another to take his place.

It's got to be the parcours and the razmatazz of vested interests in the race. In the early 90s, there were a lot of days when the bunch didn't ride and a breakaway of Terpstra-type rouleurs lasted all day. But they weren't particularly interesting days either, even if somebody different won on each of them.

Talking about fairness, yesterday Hoogerland said that HTC, once 3-4-5 max riders have been allowed to go in the break, they block the road by riding 9 abreast, so that no one else can join the break.

Does anyone now anything about that 'tactic'.

 

[trevim]

The reason why H.T.C. win sprint stages and catch breakaways is that the other teams let them do it. H.T.C. form a train and the rest sit back and let them do it. Where are the riders defending the break,infiltrating working lines. riding across the front of the string. It seems that nobody defends breaks any longer because the main purpose is to obtain air time not necessarily to win. The value of 5 hours air time to the sponsor is probably worth as much as the win. If six teams get 5 hours advertizing each and then a seventh team wins I imagine everybody is very happy. There's more to being a professional than winning.

Precisely!

HTC play with what they have and the others let them control the show. If they want to break them they must step up their game and show something different. Like that Vacansoleil 1-2 punch to derail HTC train or came up with their own train. What I see is everyone fighting for Cavendish wheel; how are they supposed to beat the fastest guy when he's perfectly launched?

 

[TRDean]

Firstly, I think Terpstra is simply speaking in the heat of the moment...he will be back as he is a very quality rider.

As for derailing the HTC train...in watching closely this year, what I see is that there are only a couple of teams that actually have a sprinter who can beat Cav anyway. HTC is totally set up for the long train run in...with big strong powerful engines at the front. No other teams have that fire power...and ones that possibly do (that I can think of) have no interest in the sprints because they are more GC oriented. Its not that teams don't try to derail HTC...they can't! Every run in you see another team muster up 3-5 riders in another train...they are there for a kilo or two and then just disappear. I mean we have to be honest...HTC have the fastest sprinter (although Farrar looked faster yesterday) and they have built the best lead out train for him. Until another team comes to the tour with diesel power...there will be no consistent threat to the HTC train.

It is boring...and I hate it...but I got to give them credit...they do it well!

 

[rickshaw]

Amen

Firstly, I think Terpstra is simply speaking in the heat of the moment...he will be back as he is a very quality rider.

As for derailing the HTC train... and they have built the best lead out train for him. Until another team comes to the tour with diesel power...there will be no consistent threat to the HTC train.

It is boring...and I hate it...but I got to give them credit...they do it well!

Train spotting! Such excitement. Only thing LESS exciting is hearing how many stages racer "x" has won, this year, last year, in his life, at the tour. Numbers don't do it for me.

 

[TRDean]

Train spotting! Such excitement. Only thing LESS exciting is hearing how many stages racer "x" has won, this year, last year, in his life, at the tour. Numbers don't do it for me.

Totally agree with you! I heard Phil and Paul talk about Cav's assult on Merckx's stage win record...are you kidding me!

 

[Timmy-loves-Rabo]

Terpstra dislikes losing.
But i do understand what he says. It is difficult for a rider of his abilities to win a stage at the tour.

 

[LaFlorecita]

Talking about fairness, yesterday Hoogerland said that HTC, once 3-4-5 max riders have been allowed to go in the break, they block the road by riding 9 abreast, so that no one else can join the break.

Does anyone now anything about that 'tactic'.

It's a clever tactic, and it's maybe unfair but it is legitimate.
And we've seen breaks with more than 5 riders, so it is possible to get in a break when there are already 5 riders gone.

 

[LaFlorecita]

Nicki Sørensen, Arvesen and Burghardt are excellent examples why he should keep trying. In how many escapes has he been this year? One?
He should go for his Vuelta tactic, attacking in almost every stage

Two, IIRC.

 

[Mambo95]

Totally agree with you! I heard Phil and Paul talk about Cav's assult on Merckx's stage win record...are you kidding me!

If he keeps winning at his current rate, he'll beat before he's 30.