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That was a really good use of Valverde too! If not for Henao, those three could have gapped Froome on that very sketchy descent.
looked quite telling that the team was unwilling to use Valverde beyond the basic minimum despite all the declarations that he is racing in support
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We never know if Froomey is good or bad, a Quintana fan like me can expect a hammering ride from him Friday or Sunday. IMO Froome can be better than Quintana in the Pyrenees, it's even my 1st bet.sir fly said:
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Wait, what? He gave it a go over the top, kept pushing on a flatish run-in, and -gasp- saved his legs in a reduced bunch kick. I think ripping the legs off every single rider but your leader in a medium mountain route, one stage away from the Pyrenees would've been a huge mistake, but YMMV, obviously.roundabout said:
Re: Re:
If they had a plan to make the stage hard (which they looked like doing on the Peyrol) they should have followed it through.
As it was, they didn't really drop any important GC rider.
Edit: or alternatively after all the work, Valverde should have been the one to make an attack to test the rest instead of Bardet
carton said:
If they had a plan to make the stage hard (which they looked like doing on the Peyrol) they should have followed it through.
As it was, they didn't really drop any important GC rider.
Edit: or alternatively after all the work, Valverde should have been the one to make an attack to test the rest instead of Bardet
Re: Re:
If Quintana struggles with Froome's likely attack somewhere after the halfway point of the Col d'Aspin, Valverde could be key for the 6.5% closing 2km and the descent to Lac de Payolle. Sky is not going to let Movistar place riders up the road for that one. So there's no need to exhaust the one guy on Movistar who might be able to help at that point.
I think they just wanted to give both Froome and Quintana a workout. Nairo may or may not be better than Froome after a long slog, but Froome is the best int the world if you give him an easy run-in.roundabout said:
If Quintana struggles with Froome's likely attack somewhere after the halfway point of the Col d'Aspin, Valverde could be key for the 6.5% closing 2km and the descent to Lac de Payolle. Sky is not going to let Movistar place riders up the road for that one. So there's no need to exhaust the one guy on Movistar who might be able to help at that point.
That's true.
Where we disagree is that you think that the team doesn't want to use Valverde any more than necessary while I think that he is still keeping an eye on his own GC.
Where we disagree is that you think that the team doesn't want to use Valverde any more than necessary while I think that he is still keeping an eye on his own GC.
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And hoping to do well in Rio? I doubt it...surely he knows he can't do both.
roundabout said:
And hoping to do well in Rio? I doubt it...surely he knows he can't do both.
Looking at the tours in the last 5 years, the overall winner has had a perfect first week. Wiggins 2012, Froome 2013, Nibali 2014, Froome 2015, all have a great first week in common. And now, Quintana has had a near perfect first week too. One of the main contenders is really struggling and the other would, if anything, have expected to gain time on Quintana in the first week.
Contenders who have lost time in the first week:
Contador (crashes)
Porte (puncture) (if a contender at all)
Pinot (puncheur finish, not really any sort of typical "first-week business")
I don't think Quintana's first week is an indication of anything. Unlike last year, there's hardly been any opportunity to lose time on terrain where he was at a disadvantage.
Contador (crashes)
Porte (puncture) (if a contender at all)
Pinot (puncheur finish, not really any sort of typical "first-week business")
I don't think Quintana's first week is an indication of anything. Unlike last year, there's hardly been any opportunity to lose time on terrain where he was at a disadvantage.
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But he hasn't lost Froome's wheel once, so it's definitely been a major improvement
hrotha said:
But he hasn't lost Froome's wheel once, so it's definitely been a major improvement
rick james
BANNED
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Why would you expect Froome to gain time in the first week? Froome has said all along he is peaking later in the race.PremierAndrew said:
Smart to probe for rival weaknesses on stage 5. You never know if Froome was going to have a bad day.
I think the chances of Froome going on the attack on Arcalis are higher than most people think. I'm reminded of the talk about how decisive the alps would be in 2004 when the race blew up on the first (and relatively mild) MTF instead (La Mongie) by a team/rider that like Froome, tended to blow the race up on the first MTF. If Quintana can avoid time losses on that stage then I'd consider him a slight favorite for the alps.
I think the chances of Froome going on the attack on Arcalis are higher than most people think. I'm reminded of the talk about how decisive the alps would be in 2004 when the race blew up on the first (and relatively mild) MTF instead (La Mongie) by a team/rider that like Froome, tended to blow the race up on the first MTF. If Quintana can avoid time losses on that stage then I'd consider him a slight favorite for the alps.
Although highly improbable, Quintana should order high tempo from his team tomorrow.
He's the GC contender who can benefit the most from fast ridden climbs in succession.
He should be the least tired of all riders, if nothing else.
He's the GC contender who can benefit the most from fast ridden climbs in succession.
He should be the least tired of all riders, if nothing else.
Yeah, agree with all points. It all depends on how he's feeling though. It's very likely he hasn't reached peak form yet; in which case, that strategy could back fire in a big way. I can see a scenario where Movistar drill it up the Tourmalet, only for Quintana to be dropped by a Froome attack in the the last climb of the stage. That could leave Movistar in terrible shape for Arcalis the next day.
If Movistar wants to go for it tomorrow, they need to be as certain as possible that Nairo will be able to do his part against Froome and the Sky train on Sunday.
Edit: Arcalis, not Mt. Ventoux
If Movistar wants to go for it tomorrow, they need to be as certain as possible that Nairo will be able to do his part against Froome and the Sky train on Sunday.
Edit: Arcalis, not Mt. Ventoux
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Because Froome is better than Quintana in every single terrain except in the mountains, where Nario probably slightly edges it. While the Tour will be decided in the mountains, other terrain can contribute.
rick james said:
Because Froome is better than Quintana in every single terrain except in the mountains, where Nario probably slightly edges it. While the Tour will be decided in the mountains, other terrain can contribute.
rick james
BANNED
But we've had no cobbles and no real crosswinds in this first week, Nothing really suited for Froome to gain some time on Quintana
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I don't think it's meaningful, since until today, Froome hasn't really attacked. At least on full genius mode.
PremierAndrew said:
I don't think it's meaningful, since until today, Froome hasn't really attacked. At least on full genius mode.
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