Le Tour de France 2011 STAGE 8 - Aigurande-Super-Besse Sancy 189 km

[dlwssonic]

This being said, how much advantage would AS need over AC for the final ITT? I guess, AC is not able to deliver a magic extraterrestial ITT like he did 2009. So 1 min should be enough for Andy. What do you think?

i think 1min should be enough with a tired contador. and a hillier course should help andy. But im sure andy would want way more time.

 

[Carl0880]

This being said, how much advantage would AS need over AC for the final ITT? I guess, AC is not able to deliver a magic extraterrestial ITT like he did 2009. So 1 min should be enough for Andy. What do you think?

It should be enough, but given his past ITT have been consider problems, I f i was him and his team I would aim for 90-120 secs, but be satisfied with 50-60 seconds.

 

[Duartista]

People read way too much into a finish like this-

From today it's not possible to deducte who will be best in the high mountains.

With respect Hushovd and G came in in the main group.

As with Schleck dropping eight seconds the other day it didn't mean he had bad form.

The fact remains imo that come the mountains Schleck and Contador will drop all the others except maybe Basso and possibly VDB2 like a stone.

Agree, except I think Samuel Sanchez will be on a similar level to Basso and ahead of VDB2.

 

[thehog]

I meant he didnt look very comfortable and his attack wasnt really strong.

He wasn't attacking. Just tracking. Staying at the front with enough speed to watch everyone.

 

[spalco]

BMC did a great job there for Garmin. Keeping a non climber in yellow till next thursday. Thanks for that dummies.

Hushovd is about as deserving a guy for that as there is though.

 

[rides like a girl]

Can't say that this stage did much to put light into the GC battle. Seems like they waited until the stage was decided to even do anything. I think it was a tie today as to who was best GC wise.

Cadel's team worked hard and still has his small lead.
AC finished just ahead of Andy same time as Cadel and each other.
Both AC and Andy were trying their best Jens/Chris AS tired face on.
Vino failed to finish what he started
None of them gained time on each other.
How hard did they really go if Thor was with them. He isn't a known mountain goat.

Not sure if AC is tired. Wind and the fact that the steeper climb was first, it would have been harder to put time into everyone with a downhill and then a less steep hill last. If he can't go on a mountain, then I will be convinced he doesn't have it after the Giro.

Andy didn't gain anything on AC, if AC was tired wouldn't Andy and Frank would have tried to gain back those seconds Andy lost the other day plus add more to add to Andy's 90 second advantage?

BMC sure worked hard at the front for a long time today. Need to see if they can do that when the race goes to the mountains. Today was a hill.

Glad for Movistar. They seem to be in the mix in every stage so far.

 

[Midnightfright]

dlwssonic is of course biased and overly optimistic on behalf of BMC, but it is true that Contador, Schleck and Evans took a quick look at Gilbert going past then went back to looking at each other. I doubt Evans would've beat him, but I don't think there would've been a time gap.

TBF there would of been no reason for either Contador or Schleck to chase back Gilbert.

 

[roundabout]

Long way to go. Schleck is visibly riding better the last couple of days but today was largely meaningless.

 

[mulletCobra]

Contador looks similar as during the Giro so far. In control and observing his opponents. These short hills aren't really his thing, so we will see how well he really is doing Thursday.

This is spot on.. he really hasn't tried hard so far. I don't think there is anything to worry about. Contador is going to win this.

 

[Parrulo]

lol at people saying that TJVG was stronger then rui and didn't won because ruo rode smarter . . . . lololololol

 

[dlwssonic]

Agree, except I think Samuel Sanchez will be on a similar level to Basso and ahead of VDB2.

the problem is samu has lost lots and lots of time.

 

[furcah]

This being said, how much advantage would AS need over AC for the final ITT? I guess, AC is not able to deliver a magic extraterrestial ITT like he did 2009. So 1 min should be enough for Andy. What do you think?

I think so too. 45 seconds to Conta and 30 to Evans should be enough. It seems everybody is underestimating Andys timetrial abilitys. In 2009 when Conta won ITT Andy lost 1min 45 secs. Last year he lost 30 seconds. And now he even improved his ITT skills with 40 watts in 40 km ITT. 2 hard weeks in the mountains really makes the gap smaller between good ITT guys and bad ITT guys.

 

[Timmy-loves-Rabo]

TBF there would of been no reason for either Contador or Schleck to chase back Gilbert.

andy only cared about one man's wheel, that was clear.

Andy knows he will drop the rest in the mountains no problem.
I agree it is too early to make conclusions with this finish, but I do think (as I was saying the whole last month) that AC will be too tired in the last week.

I think Andy will win.

 

[Stingray34]

Evans looks pretty strong for mine; he would normally follow a wheel with a pained expression as Conti, Schleck the Younger et al glide over the line. Now, it's the other way around.

Hincapie or Och must have put him in touch with someone...

 

[Dekker_Tifosi]

This just in, Gesink will probably retire

http://nos.nl/artikel/254888-gesink-twijfelt-over-vervolg-tour.html

 

[killswitch]

lol at people saying that TJVG was stronger then rui and didn't won because ruo rode smarter . . . . lololololol

rui is prolly fast but TJVG is a better climber

...........

 

[auscyclefan94]

Andy made a comment at the start of today's coverage that he felt their were some other guys possibly stronger than Alberto.

 

[red_flanders]

I thought the same about gaps but I went back to 2008 stage, and eventhough I remember Ricco winning the stage, I had forgotten it was about a 10-12 rider sprint at the line, so last night I realized not much gaps, but certainly didn't expect Hushovd to keep Yellow though

If I recall that race went up a different and longer route to the top and still didn't do much in the way of a gap.

 

[Benotti69]

Long way to go. Schleck is visibly riding better the last couple of days but today was largely meaningless.

if Shcleck had super form he would have put more time into Contador by going with Gilbert. Schleck is probably not in any better form than Contador at the moment and it will come down to if Schleck can find his and if Contador can recover from his Giro effort, all of which will be made pretty clear in the mountains.

 

[dlwssonic]

IM GONNA MAKE A CRAZY BET!!!
Andy to drop contador in the mountains and win le tour. everyone on the forum will go psycho!!!!!!!!

 

[El Pistolero]

Andy really doesn't know when to shut up. Always trying to provoke. *** edited by mod ***

 

[luckyboy]

I think so too. 45 seconds to Conta and 30 to Evans should be enough. It seems everybody is underestimating Andys timetrial abilitys. In 2009 when Conta won ITT Andy lost 1min 45 secs. Last year he lost 30 seconds. And now he even improved his ITT skills with 40 watts in 40 km ITT. 2 hard weeks in the mountains really makes the gap smaller between good ITT guys and bad ITT guys.

lol he's going to need more than 30 seconds on Evans on a 42.5km TT

 

[Duartista]

the problem is samu has lost lots and lots of time.

Not really. If we leave the top 2 aside, he is 2.30 down on Evans and 1.30 on Basso. Evans could lose that in one mountain stage, whilst Basso is a pretty awful time trialist since returning from his ban. So 3rd is still a realistic aim for Sanchez.

 

[Midnightfright]

andy only cared about one man's wheel, that was clear.

Andy knows he will drop the rest in the mountains no problem.
I agree it is too early to make conclusions with this finish, but I do think (as I was saying the whole last month) that AC will be too tired in the last week.

I think Andy will win.

I have say I totally agree with u. Andy is only worried about Contador rightly or wrongly, it also seemed to me that AC was a lot more concerned with Andy then anyone else every time he turned rounded he was specifically looking at AS that's how it seemed to me anyway

 

[Moviefan1203]

Andy really doesn't know when to shut up. Always trying to provoke. Hope he crashes out, little slime bag.

Just what was so bad about what he said? At the moment, Cadel certainly appears stronger than Alberto. Andy seems to be right.