Official thread: le Critérium du Dauphiné Libéré

[Eldrack]

Good effort by Cadel, Valverde looked toasted in the end. Contador matching every move and didn't both with the sprint at the end because he didn't need to? Would have been nice to see him try a serious attack rather than just marking his podium spot. Nice try by Gesink as well.

 

[Buffalo Soldier]

Lotto was good today.

 

[Mr.DNA]

And was it my tired eyes or was Contador weaving across the road when he came up to near the finish line??

Yes...nice paperboy route there.

 

[powderpuff]

Lotto was good today.

Long time since someone has said that.. but they were.
Maybe vdB could have come back a little earlier??

 

[Parrot23]

Yes...nice paperboy route there.

LOL, no, it was Fuglsang (spelling?) doing the slalom, not Contador.

Agree on Lotto: things coming together nicely for them. And keep in mind they've lost a few riders this Dauphine already.

 

[Captain Kirk]

How many times Cadel attack? 6? 8?
Then after all that Cadel still beat Valv at his own game (the finish line sprint), how good is that !
You cannot tell me Bert was playing tactics on finish line, he had nothing left.

Looks like the tables have turned, Cadel has revised the way he rides and also something about Contador too seem changed - no "spring"

 

[Captain Kirk]

Long time since someone has said that.. but they were.
Maybe vdB could have come back a little earlier??

True, but we have landed on a new planet....two Lotto boys helping Cadel when the others had nothing?

Looks like they have finally got their act together.

 

[msjett]

True, but we have landed on a new planet....two Lotto boys helping Cadel when the others had nothing?

Looks like they have finally got their act together.

Yes, I thought something similar myself, wiped my eyes several times and still couldn't believe that Cadel was going up a mountain with assistance from a team mate....I guess there is a first time for everything!

 

[Dekker_Tifosi]

Commentator on cycling.tv just said Robert Gesink can put out 7 watts/kg. .

I've read before it's very high, but.... Anyone?

NB: not a doping aspersion here, just that I've never heard of one so high.

7,3 w/kg actually. In the maximal test over 30 minutes he can putt out 505W, which is, for his length and weight, extroardinary high

Just not so much explosivity as the big guns yet.

 

[Parrot23]

Okay, thanks for that info., Dekker.

Strong, strong team for Tour. Wow, Menchov better start looking over his shoulder

 

[Mr.DNA]

LOL, no, it was Fuglsang (spelling?) doing the slalom, not Contador.

Right you are. The resolution on my feed was crap but someone's already posted it on Youtube.

 

[Jamsque]

Great to see Evans attacking repeatedly--but from the front each time? (Backstedt says he's going to have a chat with Damiani, his ex DS, and Evans' current DS in the car).

He had no choice but to attack from the front because he was always on the front. Whenever he slowed down Contador and Valverde just pulled alongside and slowed right down with him, which is why other riders kept yo-yoing off the back of their group.

 

[tifosa]

Evans attacks!

Words I'd never thought I'd see...

Action I never thought would happen...

Who is taking care of his dog? That's my greater concern. Is he in a pannier?

 

[luckyboy]

Fedrigo and Moncoutie!

 

[180mmCrank]

Not one for conspiracy theories but...Do we know if Valverde and Contador are mates?

Even if they are not - Is there is a touch of some forward thinking (politcs) by Contador. I know he's "training" for the TdF but even so he was riding pretty conservatively today. I get Valverde being wasted (tired) at the end of the stage but I am less convinced that Contador couldn't have pushed things if he had wanted.

So is there some Spanish collusion? I can't believe Contador is particularly happy at Astana - the future of the team at best looks uncertain. Is this all foreplay before he makes the jump to replace (the essentially banned) Valverde at Caisse d'Epargne? (for 2010? or sooner?). It's not hard to see that he might be happier riding for a Spanish team.

 

[whiteboytrash]

Evans very strong today. Sent a message to Contador. Contador better ride smarter if he's going to beat Evans come Tour time. I get the feeling Evans is not so much trying to win but trying new tactics. Surprise Surprise his team was very strong today.

 

[Anonymous]

Evans rode like a man finally. Props to him. Contador playing domestique for Valverde though? Funny, Valvpiti was wasted after the finish, and Contadope looked as fresh as though he had just finished a friendly spin. It looked to me like he sandbagged pretty hard.

If nothing else, it is good to see that Cadel finally understands that just following wheels is always going to mean the top of his head is lower than at least one other guy's on the podium...well, attacking accomplished that this time, but he tried.......

 

[180mmCrank]

Evans very strong today. Sent a message to Contador. Contador better ride smarter if he's going to beat Evans come Tour time. I get the feeling Evans is not so much trying to win but trying new tactics. Surprise Surprise his team was very strong today.

I agree - and it's hard to see that these kind of telegraphed efforts are going to be effective against the better climbers at the tour - the likes of Schleck, Contador (even Armstrong) - he just doesn't seem to have the jump he needs to really put folks under pressure.

 

[Anonymous]

7,3 w/kg actually. In the maximal test over 30 minutes he can putt out 505W, which is, for his length and weight, extroardinary high

Just not so much explosivity as the big guns yet.

where do the numbers come from?

are they the kind of numbers that lemond is talking about as not humanly possible?

 

[jaylew]

If nothing else, it is good to see that Cadel finally understands that just following wheels is always going to mean the top of his head is lower than at least one other guy's on the podium...well, attacking accomplished that this time, but he tried.......

I don't really agree. If Cadel needs to attack to win the Tour, he's got no chance. It's just not his strong suit and there are other riders with more punch in the mountains. Cadel-style attacks are never going to drop the top guys(especially if he does them from the front of the group).

He catches a lot of flack for his style, but everyone has different strengths. Unfortunately for him, most people prefer watching riders who can attack in the mountains but while he's pretty good in an uphill sprint he can't do those repeated attacks with the kind of explosion that guys like Contador and Sastre can do.

If he ever wins a Tour it's going to be done Indurain-style.

 

[Anonymous]

I don't really agree. If Cadel needs to attack to win the Tour, he's got no chance. It's just not his strong suit and there are other riders with more punch in the mountains. Cadel-style attacks are never going to drop the top guys(especially if he does them from the front of the group).

He catches a lot of flack for his style, but everyone has different strengths. Unfortunately for him, most people prefer watching riders who can attack in the mountains but while he's pretty good in an uphill sprint he can't do those repeated attacks with the kind of explosion that guys like Contador and Sastre can do.

If he ever wins a Tour it's going to be done Indurain-style.

I disagree. In today's stage, had there been a few more km, I think he could have broken Valverde. It was clear that Valverde was on the rivet at the end.....Contador.....well, he may have dropped off, but he looked pretty tranquilo after crossing the line.

It may not be his strength, and there may be other riders who have more explosiveness, but not today. (OK, I still think Contador could have dropped both of them today if he wanted). However, if Cadel's only chance is to win Indurain style, he never will. He is going to have to try to do something different. Today was evidence that he knows that.

 

[jaylew]

I disagree. In today's stage, had there been a few more km, I think he could have broken Valverde. It was clear that Valverde was on the rivet at the end.....Contador.....well, he may have dropped off, but he looked pretty tranquilo after crossing the line.

It may not be his strength, and there may be other riders who have more explosiveness, but not today. (OK, I still think Contador could have dropped both of them today if he wanted). However, if Cadel's only chance is to win Indurain style, he never will. He is going to have to try to do something different. Today was evidence that he knows that.

Between the two of us, I guess we're saying he has no chance to ever win. And I don't believe today was evidence of anything other than the circumstances of the race. He was down 16 secs with no TT left. Think he would have played it the way he did if there was a race ending TT?

We'll have to agree to disagree. I think you play to your strengths. Come Tour time, I think Cadel's got about a 5% chance of dropping the top guys in the mountains.

And I don't think he was ever going to break Valverde today, either. At least not the way he was going about it. There was really only one time there was even a real gap to close. Most of the time he telegraphed what he was doing so much and went with so little snap that it was like he wanted them to stay on his wheel. I don't think Valverde was ever really on the rivet, just spent from that last uphill sprint.

 

[Anonymous]

Between the two of us, I guess we're saying he has no chance to ever win. And I don't believe today was evidence of anything other than the circumstances of the race. He was down 16 secs with no TT left. Think he would have played it the way he did if there was a race ending TT?

We'll have to agree to disagree. I think you play to your strengths. Come Tour time, I think Cadel's got about a 5% chance of dropping the top guys in the mountains.

And I don't think he was ever going to break Valverde today, either. At least not the way he was going about it. There was really only one time there was even a real gap to close. Most of the time he telegraphed what he was doing so much and went with so little snap that it was like he wanted them to stay on his wheel. I don't think Valverde was ever really on the rivet, just spent from that last uphill sprint.

Oh yea, most definitely he won't win the TdF.

Aside from that, Valverde was spent by the uphill sprint, but Cadel looked like he had more left, and if there had been (yes I know, if's and but's), but if there had been 3-5K more, I think Valverde would have broken. Of course Contador would have paced him again, but....

 

[180mmCrank]

I disagree. In today's stage, had there been a few more km, I think he could have broken Valverde. It was clear that Valverde was on the rivet at the end.....Contador.....well, he may have dropped off, but he looked pretty tranquilo after crossing the line.

It may not be his strength, and there may be other riders who have more explosiveness, but not today. (OK, I still think Contador could have dropped both of them today if he wanted). However, if Cadel's only chance is to win Indurain style, he never will. He is going to have to try to do something different. Today was evidence that he knows that.

It certainly looked that way - Valverde seemed to be at his limit - and it seems a one week stage race is about as far as he can go - after that it seems to go a bit pear shaped. I don't know if this a mental or a physical thing - maybe a bit of both.

Contador will not be riding like that in July - he has an extra gear.

And I agree Evans will have to win this in the ITT and defend or follow in the mountains. This will be good enough to get him close or onto the podium but not good enough to win. It will be good enough to beat most of the climbers including Schleck but harder to mangage Sastre and even Armstrong. Not the way to beat Contador. And Menchov can do what Cadel can do but possibly a little better. I think it's going to require a certain amount of circumstance and good fortune for Cadel to be on the top step of the TdF podium.

But with a ITT and Mont Ventoux in the last few days when people are tired...all sorts of things could happen. It's why I think it's going to be a fascinating race.

 

[Anonymous]

It certainly looked that way - Valverde seemed to be at his limit - and it seems a one week stage race is about as far as he can go - after that it seems to go a bit pear shaped. I don't know if this a mental or a physical thing - maybe a bit of both.

Contador will not be riding like that in July - he has an extra gear.

And I agree Evans will have to win this in the ITT and defend or follow in the mountains. This will be good enough to get him close or onto the podium but not good enough to win. It will be good enough to beat most of the climbers including Schleck but harder to mangage Sastre and even Armstrong. Not the way to beat Contador. And Menchov can do what Cadel can do but possibly a little better. I think it's going to require a certain amount of circumstance and good fortune for Cadel to be on the top step of the TdF podium.

But with a ITT and Mont Ventoux in the last few days when people are tired...all sorts of things could happen. It's why I think it's going to be a fascinating race.

Yea, it will be hard for Cadel to beat someone like himself who can grind it back to the leaders when they take off.

However, to me it looks like Contador is going to smoke the field with the way he is now TTing. He can hang with anyone in the mountains day after day, and does have that extra gear. We'll see, but I am not sure he even needs that much team support with the way he wins. The days of JB's teams dropping everyone but the contenders before they drop off half way up the last climb (exaggeration, but only slightly) are gone anyway. Winning like Armstrong did is long gone IMO.


....wait, sorry, this thread is about the Dauphine...sorry.