Le Tour 2018 stage 19:Lourdes - Laruns 200,5km

[Billie]

Re:

Thomas's achievement is actually remarkable. He's the first rider to win a Tour without being his team's leader in a fair old while. Dull, perhaps (though he did win two mountain stages), but he was only his team's plan A from midway through the third week.

He has been a plan A since early december

 

[Finn84]

Landa wins combative of the day.

 

[movingtarget]

Roglic just kept putting the hammer down on the soulour and aubisque and just kept the pressure on the descent. Old school, if you ask me. That's the way to win a stage and to get into podium position. He thoroughly deserves both!!! Not sure what will happen tomorrow but wouldn't shock anyone if he won again. That means no podium for Froome. Don't mind that at all. Bernal saved Froome several times on this stage alone, not to mention previous mtn stages.

I understand the criticism for Dumoulin the way he rode in the end, but let's face it. He's a one man show for Sunweb. He has some occasional support from men like Ten Dam and Geschke but that's more or less it. He's gotta do everything by himself.

Hope for a bar burner tomorrow!!!

Dumoulin looks tired and he has good reason to be like Froome.

 

[rlntlssly]

Re: Re:

Thomas's achievement is actually remarkable. He's the first rider to win a Tour without being his team's leader in a fair old while. Dull, perhaps (though he did win two mountain stages), but he was only his team's plan A from midway through the third week.

I thought he was co-leader?

Thomas himself was calling Froome the leader until this week.

 

[slosada]

Dumoulin is the newest domestique for Sky... A 2nd place in GC is basically the same as 3rd, and you wont crack the 1st by riding tempo for him. Let Sky chase and then counter
Then Tom still has an ITT to race.

 

[loge1884]

with Quintana loosing 7m, what's the newest on the whereabouts of Sagan? .... and Démare?

 

[MuskyOurSaviour]

Re:

Thomas's achievement is actually remarkable. He's the first rider to win a Tour without being his team's leader in a fair old while. Dull, perhaps (though he did win two mountain stages), but he was only his team's plan A from midway through the third week.

He came as a leader. It would only mattered if he actually worked for Froome but he never did. Therefore he was equal leader.

 

[Rollthedice]

Re: Re:

When was the last time 4 time trialists of this calibre were at the top of the GC?

Original 2003 results had pretty good. Well, everyone of them was busted at some point.

Lance
Ullrich
Vino
Hamilton

Rogla reminds me of Vino, a scrappy rider that never gives up love it

Ulrich must be Dumoulin, Hamilton is Thomas and Froome is Lance?

 

[willbick]

Re: Re:

Thomas's achievement is actually remarkable. He's the first rider to win a Tour without being his team's leader in a fair old while. Dull, perhaps (though he did win two mountain stages), but he was only his team's plan A from midway through the third week.

I thought he was co-leader?

Thomas himself was calling Froome the leader until this week.

That was just to take the pressure off himself. In private he knew he was at least co-leader

 

[Zinoviev Letter]

Re: Re:

Jumbo has a big chance to win the Tour next year.
Roglic is clearly GT winning material. They have a mountain train with Gesink, Kruijswijk, Tolhoek, Bouwman. Some strong TT-ers as well..

Groenewegen and Kruijswijk may not be keen on the new order of things.

Kruijswijk can go giro /vuelta for himself and then tour for Roglic. I see no issue

And Groenewegen? Is a team that’s serious about winning the Tour going to waste a spot on a sprinter in this 8 rider team era?

 

[Dekker_Tifosi]

Re:

Dumoulin is the newest domestique for Sky... A 2nd place in GC is basically the same as 3rd, and you wont crack the 1st by riding tempo for him. Let Sky chase and then counter
Then Tom still has an ITT to race.

Good chance Dumoulin will end 3rd anyway. Roglic looked fresher

 

[burning]

Movistar has managed to defend their lead in the team classification, this is the biggest news of today

 

[RattaKuningas]

Re:

Dumoulin is the newest domestique for Sky... A 2nd place in GC is basically the same as 3rd, and you wont crack the 1st by riding tempo for him. Let Sky chase and then counter
Then Tom still has an ITT to race.

I looked up and prize money difference between 2nd and 3rd place is 100,000 euros. It is definitely worth driving for (even if the money goes to the team and is then distributed among riders).

 

[Big Doopie]

bernal in white after all (according to tdf site)

 

[Zoophonic]

Thomas getting a predictable amount of Plaudits from the forum for almost certainly winning the Tour. I.e. None

There are a few British posters happy about it. I can’t see why many of those without nationalistic affiliations to Sky or Thomas would be keen. There’s a certain romance to the gregario getting his day, I suppose, but that factor is greatly lessened by Sky’s mega bucks status,

Actually you're wrong.
I have zero allegiance to a team. I just know and followed the rider. He's a fantastic character, very generous in spirit. . Supports youth development and his old cycling club in Wales and there will be millions in Britain celebrating his win. Has nothing to do with Sky. There's a lot of people over here who are indifferent to Sky but that doesn't mean they admire individual riders who by the way are human beings - a point conveniently forgotten by the bores who trot out the "skybot" narrative.

 

[Frosty]

Re:

bernal in white after all (according to tdf site)

Latour is 5:47 ahead of Bernal on GC

 

[Red Rick]

Great win for Roglic, but I'm very mad that the dumbest tactics I've seen in a long time "paid off"

 

[Broccolidwarf]

Re: Re:

What a rider Roglic is

He will be the main contender next year, if Lotto picks up a couple more guys to support, and leave Gronewegen at home

They actually are going to have to make some tough choices about priorities. Roglic now looks like one of the three top favourites for the Tour next year, along with Froome and Dumoulin. Groenewegen and Kruijswijk, despite looking very good, are likely to find that the team has bigger fish to fry now.

Kruijswijk can easily ride in the Thomas role on Lotto - prioritised lieutenant, until stuff changes.

What they need, is more guys with longevity in the big mountains (same goes for Dumoulin), otherwise Team Sky will dominate them again next year.

They could bring Bennett, and Tolhoek will be better next year, with the experience under his belt..... but they still need to sign more climbers, unless they are going in with pure sprint/break squads at the two other GTs.

If I had a gem like Roglic on my hands, who has at least 5 more seasons as a serious contender, I'd prioritise him fully and be in the hunt for riders, for building a squad around him, right now.

Winning TdF, is worth foregoing every other result.

 

[movingtarget]

Re:

Dumoulin is the newest domestique for Sky... A 2nd place in GC is basically the same as 3rd, and you wont crack the 1st by riding tempo for him. Let Sky chase and then counter
Then Tom still has an ITT to race.

With the lead Thomas has Sky didn't have to chase while Dumoulin saw his second place under threat. Not every rider values podiums the same way. Most would prefer second.

 

[Big Doopie]

Re: Re:

bernal in white after all (according to tdf site)

Latour is 5:47 ahead of Bernal on GC

damn, u r right, my bad. reading just today's stage instead.

 

[Blanco]

Re:

Movistar has managed to defend their lead in the team classification, this is the biggest news of today

They certainly tried this Tour, I would say the most of all teams to break Sky, but they just didn't had it.

 

[Frosty]

Re: Re:

bernal in white after all (according to tdf site)

Latour is 5:47 ahead of Bernal on GC

damn, u r right, my bad. reading just today's stage instead.

no worries, have done that myself.

 

[Zinoviev Letter]

Thomas getting a predictable amount of Plaudits from the forum for almost certainly winning the Tour. I.e. None

There are a few British posters happy about it. I can’t see why many of those without nationalistic affiliations to Sky or Thomas would be keen. There’s a certain romance to the gregario getting his day, I suppose, but that factor is greatly lessened by Sky’s mega bucks status,

Actually you're wrong.
I have zero allegiance to a team. I just know and followed the rider. He's a fantastic character, very generous in spirit. . Supports youth development and his old cycling club in Wales and there will be millions in Britain celebrating his win. Has nothing to do with Sky. There's a lot of people over here who are indifferent to Sky but that doesn't mean they admire individual riders who by the way are human beings - a point conveniently forgotten by the bores who trot out the "skybot" narrative.

I said “nationalistic affiliations to Sky or Thomas”. You responded by saying that I’m wrong and that for many the nationalistic affiliations are to Thomas, not Sky. I’m not sure how that in any way contradicts my statement. None of these “millions in Britain” would give a rats rectum about him supporting his old cycling club if he was from Holland or Slovenia instead.

 

[PremierAndrew]

Re: Re:

When was the last time 4 time trialists of this calibre were at the top of the GC?

With no TT so far :lol:

this is actually the traditional norm.

powerful TTers who can actually climb are traditionally the winners of GT.

light, small climbers are more likely to have a really bad day.

It is only in severe clinic days that light climbers could get recharged each day, less wear and tear, less natural recovery was needed. and also they suddenly could TT as well.

Traditionally, light climbers do not win GTs. TTers who climb do.

They win it by minimising their losses on the climbs and then smashing them in the TTs before defending. Not by dropping them on their own terrain

 

[Dekker_Tifosi]

I understand people being harsch on Dumoulin. But his tactics were logical.
The only chances of beating Thomas would be if Thomas badly cracked. He tested with 2 big attacks, Thomas looked like following easily. Right there it was clear 2nd place in GC was highest possible. So from then on Froome and Roglic were his opponents. Not Thomas.
Thus everytime Roglic attacked, Dumoulin responded / closed the gap. He wasn't racing Thomas anymore, he was riding for the best possible result left (stage win / 2nd place GC).

I fully understand the hatrid/comments for that. But they were not going to do any damage to Thomas GC. That fight was over as soon as Thomas responded to the first attacks.