Le Tour 2018 stage 17: BDL to Saint-Lary-Soulan 65k

[yaco]

Brave riders in Quintana and Martin were rewarded for their efforts today - Chapeau 1

 

[loge1884]

Did Démare cross the finish line yet? or is he still picking bidons from the teamcar?

 

[movingtarget]

Re: Re:

Great ride by Quintana and Movistar today. Turns out they weren't riding for team classification, and that Valverde wasn't just riding for himself after all.

They just haven't had the legs until now to trouble the big guys.

Cant do more if you dont have legs. They have tried on every stage was that possible to do anything.

Exactly, Valverde has repeatedly gone up the road, and Quintana has tried. His attack on Alpe d'Huez showed he just didn't have it, but good to see they have at least salvaged something from the race. Quintana could be a big threat for the Vuelta now I think. His form curve looks a bit 2016-ish. Unless, of course, aonther 70kg alien turns up out of nowhere.

Quintana always loses races in the first half.

 

[Walkman]

Re:

Imagine trying to explain this Tour top 4 to someone in 2012.

There’s a second rate cobbled classics hopeful poised to win the Tour de France. An up and coming TT specialist is his main competition. One of the least talented domestiques in the whole WT is in third. And a professional ski jumper is in fourth.

You’d have ended up subjected to a well meaning psychiatric intervention.

I remember how this forum, me included, laughed at SKY when they formed the team and stated that the goal was to win the Tour within 5 years. Boy, were we wrong.

 

[skippo12]

Latour defending the jersey even though he buried himself for Bardet. He won`t lose more than 6 minutes on Tourmalet and Aubisque and should be the better than Martin and Bernal in the timetrial.

 

[MuskyOurSaviour]

Re:

Imagine trying to explain this Tour top 4 to someone in 2012.

There’s a second rate cobbled classics hopeful poised to win the Tour de France. An up and coming TT specialist is his main competition. One of the least talented domestiques in the whole WT is in third. And a professional ski jumper is in fourth.

You’d have ended up subjected to a well meaning psychiatric intervention.

In 2012? Where Froome was the best climber :lol:

 

[spalco]

Waw. It looks like to do the Giro-Tour double is really probably impossible nowadays.

Indeed !. If Froome can’t do it nobody can. I imagine he has felt the pressure of opinion during this period, can’t help matters.

But Dumoulin is also almost doing it. Second in Giro, second in Tour arguably would be the best attempt since Pantani as well.

I would actually argue the opposite and say the double looks more possible now with Dumoulin's and Froome's performances this year than it did in the past.

 

[Rollthedice]

Re:

Dumoulin's last three GT
2017 Giro - First
2018 Giro - Second
2018 Tour - Looks like second

Coming from a country where the highest altitude is 322 meters.

 

[Flax_Generous]

Re:

Imagine trying to explain this Tour top 4 to someone in 2012.

There’s a second rate cobbled classics hopeful poised to win the Tour de France. An up and coming TT specialist is his main competition. One of the least talented domestiques in the whole WT is in third. And a professional ski jumper is in fourth.

You’d have ended up subjected to a well meaning psychiatric intervention.

:lol:

 

[Zinoviev Letter]

Re: Re:

Imagine trying to explain this Tour top 4 to someone in 2012.

There’s a second rate cobbled classics hopeful poised to win the Tour de France. An up and coming TT specialist is his main competition. One of the least talented domestiques in the whole WT is in third. And a professional ski jumper is in fourth.

You’d have ended up subjected to a well meaning psychiatric intervention.

In 2012? Where Froome was the best climber :lol:

You are right. I should have said 2011. It was up until the latter part of that season, mid career, that Froome was a nobody and generally considered, to the limited extent that he was considered at all, to be lucky to have a pro contract. Thomas was a young cobbles contender, not in the same league as the best, but considered a possibility to maybe one day win a Monument. Dumoulin was a Rabobank U23 rider, considered a possible future ITT champ. Roglic was a ski jumper.

 

[SeriousSam]

Re:

Dumoulin's last three GT
2017 Giro - First
2018 Giro - Second
2018 Tour - Looks like second

Really impressive. Will likely finish his career with greater GT palmares than Quintana

 

[ontheroad]

Re:

It is the hope that kills you. Get ready for the almighty nail into the coffin of this sport on stage 19

I just don't see it, Froome looks absolutely spent.

 

[staubsauger]

Re: Re:

Dumoulin's last three GT
2017 Giro - First
2018 Giro - Second
2018 Tour - Looks like second

Coming from a country where the highest altitude is 322 meters.

Mount Scenery estimates 887 meters!

 

[MrTea1976]

Is Demare in yet?

 

[woodburn]

Dumoulin a little test in post-race presser: "I'm not here to talk about Chris Froome."

Said he tried but wasn't strong enough to distance Thomas.

 

[BlackWhiteEagle]

What`s the time limit?

 

[Rollthedice]

Re: Re:

Imagine trying to explain this Tour top 4 to someone in 2012.

There’s a second rate cobbled classics hopeful poised to win the Tour de France. An up and coming TT specialist is his main competition. One of the least talented domestiques in the whole WT is in third. And a professional ski jumper is in fourth.

You’d have ended up subjected to a well meaning psychiatric intervention.

I remember how this forum, me included, laughed at SKY when they formed the team and stated that the goal was to win the Tour within 5 years. Boy, were we wrong.

And they got two no hope lads from Barloworld to add up to the number since they were Brits!

 

[Finn84]

Re:

What`s the time limit?

Over 35 minutes.

 

[Red Rick]

Re: Re:

Dumoulin's last three GT
2017 Giro - First
2018 Giro - Second
2018 Tour - Looks like second

Coming from a country where the highest altitude is 322 meters.

But our lowest point is like -1241 so still quite the altitude difference

 

[BlackWhiteEagle]

Re: Re:

What`s the time limit?

Over 35 minutes.

Well Demare was 10 min behind on the first climb, so i doubt he made it...

 

[myrideissteelerthanyours]

Re: Re:

Imagine trying to explain this Tour top 4 to someone in 2012.

There’s a second rate cobbled classics hopeful poised to win the Tour de France. An up and coming TT specialist is his main competition. One of the least talented domestiques in the whole WT is in third. And a professional ski jumper is in fourth.

You’d have ended up subjected to a well meaning psychiatric intervention.

I remember how this forum, me included, laughed at SKY when they formed the team and stated that the goal was to win the Tour within 5 years. Boy, were we wrong.

And they got two no hope lads from Barloworld to add up to the number since they were Brits!

This forum is basically a collection of incorrect cycling predictions and fanfiction.

 

[Escarabajo]

Sagan just in.
Looked bad!

 

[yaco]

Froome is suffering from doing four consecutive GT's - I'll be interested to see how well Dumoulin holds on in stage 19.

 

[armchairclimber]

Re: Re:

Imagine trying to explain this Tour top 4 to someone in 2012.

There’s a second rate cobbled classics hopeful poised to win the Tour de France. An up and coming TT specialist is his main competition. One of the least talented domestiques in the whole WT is in third. And a professional ski jumper is in fourth.

You’d have ended up subjected to a well meaning psychiatric intervention.

In 2012? Where Froome was the best climber :lol:

You are right. I should have said 2011. It was up until the latter part of that season, mid career, that Froome was a nobody and generally considered, to the limited extent that he was considered at all, to be lucky to have a pro contract. Thomas was a young cobbles contender, not in the same league as the best, but considered a possibility to maybe one day win a Monument. Dumoulin was a Rabobank U23 rider, considered a possible future ITT champ. Roglic was a ski jumper.

This goes to show that perceived wisdom and historical assumptions about what kind of rider can do what were wide of the mark. That particular rule book has been torn up and re-written.

 

[markene2]

Rogla super strong today, hope he makes podium