- Jun 25, 2012
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Re:
No.
(a) History: sixth in Dauphine 2009, similar performances in the hardest stage races and one day races each year since. I agree it seems like he is better than ever, including a little bit better than Dauphine 2013 when he finished fourth with a second and fourth on stages. But not by much. That physical condition + race events would one day come together so he could win a big race is not unnatural. Also remember in the TDF 2013 in the two hardest stages, Ventoux and double Alpe d'Huez, he finished fourth/fifth of the top ten gc riders.
(b) Result here was because tactics like with Talansky. Fuglsang was not the strongest on friday's stage. Aru caught thirty seconds to him in a couple of kms and he couldn't follow Aru with one km to go. Froomey/Portey came back from even further and lucklily for Jacob the last km was easy. In today's stage Porte was strongest physically and probably Froome too but he used his energies by attacked too much and too early.
(c) Competition on the last mountain: second Martin, third Meintjes, fourth Buchmann, all within 50 seconds.
In my opinion Froome/Porte in the TDF will be as good as they have been in the last five years ie the best in the world. If Fuglsang can follow those two there in the real stages there is a real argument. As it stands now he is in the same group of riders, second line after the SKY/ex SKY guys + Quintana and I guess Dumo but the same level as Mollema, Bardet, Aru, van Garderen, König etc, as he was four years ago and basically already was eight years ago.
Irondan said:One word: Fuglesang...
Okay, maybe I have more to say than one word. If any performance over the past five years fit the OP perfectly it was Fuglesang and this years Dauphine. He looks like the best climber in the world at the moment, an attribute that has never ever been something associated with the Birdsong.
Astana strikes again, making a mockery of anti-doping efforts by putting a perennial also-ran into the Tour de France contender conversation.
No.
(a) History: sixth in Dauphine 2009, similar performances in the hardest stage races and one day races each year since. I agree it seems like he is better than ever, including a little bit better than Dauphine 2013 when he finished fourth with a second and fourth on stages. But not by much. That physical condition + race events would one day come together so he could win a big race is not unnatural. Also remember in the TDF 2013 in the two hardest stages, Ventoux and double Alpe d'Huez, he finished fourth/fifth of the top ten gc riders.
(b) Result here was because tactics like with Talansky. Fuglsang was not the strongest on friday's stage. Aru caught thirty seconds to him in a couple of kms and he couldn't follow Aru with one km to go. Froomey/Portey came back from even further and lucklily for Jacob the last km was easy. In today's stage Porte was strongest physically and probably Froome too but he used his energies by attacked too much and too early.
(c) Competition on the last mountain: second Martin, third Meintjes, fourth Buchmann, all within 50 seconds.
In my opinion Froome/Porte in the TDF will be as good as they have been in the last five years ie the best in the world. If Fuglsang can follow those two there in the real stages there is a real argument. As it stands now he is in the same group of riders, second line after the SKY/ex SKY guys + Quintana and I guess Dumo but the same level as Mollema, Bardet, Aru, van Garderen, König etc, as he was four years ago and basically already was eight years ago.
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