Le Tour '18 stage 12: Bourg-Saint-Maurice > Alpe d'Huez 175k

[Lequack]

Re: Le Tour '18 stage 12: Bourg-Saint-Maurice > Alpe d'Huez

I've been a bit out of the loop this season.... When the hell did Geraint Thomas basically become the 2nd best climber in the world? Is he really able to drop the likes of Quintana and bardet now?

He became good about a month ago in the Dauphine. Before that he raced in the Romandie and lost about 2 minutes to Bernal, Roglic, Prote and others in a moutnain timetrial. Unless he was bluffing.

 

[tobydawq]

Fun battle for polkadots.

Hilarious superiority by Alaphilippe in those sprints.

 

[ppanther92]

Re: Le Tour '18 stage 12: Bourg-Saint-Maurice > Alpe d'Huez

I've been a bit out of the loop this season.... When the hell did Geraint Thomas basically become the 2nd best climber in the world? Is he really able to drop the likes of Quintana and bardet now?

I remember him doing very well until he crashed into a pole a couple of seasons ago. I'm surprised he's so much better than all the others now though. Is he really that good or have the other GC guys just got way worse? Qunitana hasn't looked quite his old self in the past two seasons

Thomas clearly stepped up again and Quintana and Nibali got worse. Dumoulin and Bardet are really the only other two i can somehow think of being a threat to Sky. Roglic looks promising though.

 

[Bolder]

I think the point that the Sky train would be pulling at the front of any group is a valid one. It may not matter if a group of 30 semi-disorganized riders from all the other teams are ahead. In fact if you took the 6 best riders in the break, and compared to Froome/Thomas's escort I'd give Sky the advantage. But we will see...

 

[ppanther92]

Re:

Fun battle for polkadots.

Hilarious superiority by Alaphilippe in those sprints.

Yes, but a lesser climber than Majka or Barguil (normally).

 

[Laplaz]

Stunning scenery on this descent

 

[tobydawq]

Re: Le Tour '18 stage 12: Bourg-Saint-Maurice > Alpe d'Huez

I've been a bit out of the loop this season.... When the hell did Geraint Thomas basically become the 2nd best climber in the world? Is he really able to drop the likes of Quintana and bardet now?

He became good about a month ago in the Dauphine. Before that he raced in the Romandie and lost about 2 minutes to Bernal, Roglic, Prote and others in a moutnain timetrial. Unless he was bluffing.

In Tirreno he was also about the best but he lost his chain one kilometre or so from the top of the only MTF in the race.

But correct, he was below par in Romandie

 

[Lequack]

Re: Le Tour '18 stage 12: Bourg-Saint-Maurice > Alpe d'Huez

I've been a bit out of the loop this season.... When the hell did Geraint Thomas basically become the 2nd best climber in the world? Is he really able to drop the likes of Quintana and bardet now?

He became good about a month ago in the Dauphine. Before that he raced in the Romandie and lost about 2 minutes to Bernal, Roglic, Prote and others in a moutnain timetrial. Unless he was bluffing.

In Tirreno he was also about the best but he lost his chain one kilometre or so from the top of the only MTF in the race.

But correct, he was below par in Romandie

It's the power of the sideburns. The same sideburns that brought Wiggins the victory.

 

[Chomsky]

Re: Le Tour '18 stage 12: Bourg-Saint-Maurice > Alpe d'Huez

I've been a bit out of the loop this season.... When the hell did Geraint Thomas basically become the 2nd best climber in the world? Is he really able to drop the likes of Quintana and bardet now?

He became good about a month ago in the Dauphine. Before that he raced in the Romandie and lost about 2 minutes to Bernal, Roglic, Prote and others in a moutnain timetrial. Unless he was bluffing.

He has been one of the best climbers for a long time. In 2015 Thomas was 4th at the TDF on stage 19 until a crash dropped him all the while working for Froome. His problem has been crashes not lack of climbing ability. Likely be would have won the Giro last year absent his crash and he would have been a podium threat at last year's tour absent his state 9 crash.

 

[JosephK]

Re: Le Tour '18 stage 12: Bourg-Saint-Maurice > Alpe d'Huez

I've been a bit out of the loop this season.... When the hell did Geraint Thomas basically become the 2nd best climber in the world? Is he really able to drop the likes of Quintana and bardet now?

He became good about a month ago in the Dauphine. Before that he raced in the Romandie and lost about 2 minutes to Bernal, Roglic, Prote and others in a moutnain timetrial. Unless he was bluffing.

In Tirreno he was also about the best but he lost his chain one kilometre or so from the top of the only MTF in the race.

But correct, he was below par in Romandie

It's the power of the sideburns. The same sideburns that brought Wiggins the victory.

Yes. It's one more marginal gains factor that other teams don't understand: Proper training, proper nutrition, knowing how to warm down properly, proper hand-washing, proper pillows, and proper sideburns grooming.

 

[ontheroad]

Normally the large break with a few riders high up on GC would smash the race to pieces. However with the Sky train in tow nobody seriously believes that it will stay away.

 

[Bolder]

Moto having a hard time catching up to Alaphilippe. He is one solid rider.

 

[IndianCyclist]

Probably the tiny climbers haven't recovered from the Roubaix stage whereas Thomas was a cobbles contender and would recover much better. A lot of the climbers are carrying injuries and made efforts out of their skin to stay in contention and so are paying now. They should be ok by the third week while Sky might suffer. the only outlier as of now is Dan Martin

 

[ontheroad]

Kirby reckons that Nibali preserved something yesterday on a mountain stage as some of his GC rivals rode away from him!!

 

[Jungle Cycle]

hoping for a Zoncolan+1 day today but realistically maybe Nairo...
Go Rogla!!

 

[The Hitch]

Re: Le Tour '18 stage 12: Bourg-Saint-Maurice > Alpe d'Huez

I know Froome tends to like the heat, how about his rivals? It looks hot hot hot out there.

"Froome likes the heat" was just an early attempt at justifying his ridiculous 2011 Vuelta.

Since then he he has also won plenty of races without heat. Very often in cycling, its as simple as one person being stronger than everyone else period and all the attempts to break it down into smaller variables (higher cadence, better kits, more motivation bla bla bla) are just attempts to sell nonesence to the reader.

 

[Finn84]

Gallopin abandons.

 

[wouterkaas]

Re: Le Tour '18 stage 12: Bourg-Saint-Maurice > Alpe d'Huez

I know Froome tends to like the heat, how about his rivals? It looks hot hot hot out there.

"Froome likes the heat" was just an early attempt at justifying his ridiculous 2011 Vuelta.

Since then he he has also won plenty of races without heat. Very often in cycling, its as simple as one person being stronger than everyone else period and all the attempts to break it down into smaller variables (higher cadence, better kits, more motivation bla bla bla) are just attempts to sell nonesence to the reader.

How the hell do you interpret "Froome likes the heat" as "Froome can only win in the heat"?

 

[TourOfSardinia]

Re:

Kirby reckons that Nibali preserved something yesterday on a mountain stage as some of his GC rivals rode away from him!!

False news.
Nibali said - it wasn't the heat, nor his health
the pace was just too relentless
In the interview I saw he said there was no answer to that pace that he knew about
therefore
Act of god or Vodoo now required.

 

[Frosty]

Re:

Gallopin abandons.

Yep, 8 minutes behind Groenewegen/Greipel at the top of the Madeleine. Ag2r down to 5 now? Lotto-Jumbo have no-one back with Groenewegen today.

 

[del1962]

Re:

Kirby reckons that Nibali preserved something yesterday on a mountain stage as some of his GC rivals rode away from him!!

None of Roglic, Quintana, Bardet or Nibali wanted to lead each other up the mountain, so I think they all should have preserved something

 

[del1962]

Re: Re:

Gallopin abandons.

Yep, 8 minutes behind Groenewegen/Greipel at the top of the Madeleine. Ag2r down to 5 now? Lotto-Jumbo have no-one back with Groenewegen today.

So Groenewegen's team mate could put him out of the race

 

[Eclipse]

Such a lovely climb this

 

[del1962]

Re:

Such a lovely climb this

Its a heat trap though at least it was when I ride it

 

[Lequack]

Re:

Such a lovely climb this

Very nice indeed.