Pais Vasco Stage 4 - Amurrio - Eibar (Arrate)

[Ryo Hazuki]

The only guys who might have been capable of getting away on the climb were Klöden and Horner, Klöden doesnt have to attack and Horner cant get Klöden into trouble.
However, Fabian Gesink is gonna take this now.

kloden has no punch ever to attack. has anyone ever seen him attack?? btw not trying to knock him because I really like him somehow

 

[Dekker_Tifosi]

Lol Gerrit-Jan, you can't blame Gesink to never attack. Whenever he has the legs for it, he'll attack or lead the peloton. Even today he led the group for quite a while.

Only when he is really suffering he is in the wheels.

 

[hatcher]

Any idea what's up with Poels? Just not feeling it?

 

[Ryo Hazuki]

Lol Gerrit-Jan, you can't blame Gesink to never attack. Whenever he has the legs for it, he'll attack or lead the peloton. Even today he led the group for quite a while.

Only when he is really suffering he is in the wheels.

where did I blame him??

 

[theyoungest]

yeah indeed but duarte didn't listen. duarte is very simple, his goal is giro and nothing else after this week in pais vasco everone knows who duarte is, while a guys up front in gc are in front of gc but we haven't seen them basically the whole week. if you never watched cycling after this week you know who duarte is and probably never forget him and don't know who gesink is for instance

Every clown can attack at the beginning of the climb. Maybe that's what racing is like in Colombia, and maybe there he can hold off the chasers until the end, but that just speaks volumes about the level of racing in Colombia. In Europe you have to dose your efforts or you're toast.

 

[Dekker_Tifosi]

where did I blame him??

here

if you never watched cycling after this week you know who duarte is and probably never forget him and don't know who gesink is for instance

which is kind of blaming, and also not true (f.ex he closed some gaps and led the lead group today for almost a kilometre.. )

 

[Ryo Hazuki]

here


which is kind of blaming, and also not true (f.ex he closed some gaps and led the lead group today for almost a kilometre.. )

this is really tiresome... you really don't get my point?? I said after this week for a regularl cyclingwatcher having no real clue he/she will remember duarte and not a rider like gesink. that was my point

 

[hrotha]

If you ask me, that's a waste. Duarte has some pedigree, he can't ride like his goal is being on TV, he's not in Andalucia-Cajasur.

 

[MADRAZO]

this is really tiresome... you really don't get my point?? I said after this week for a regularl cyclingwatcher having no real clue he/she will remember duarte and not a rider like gesink. that was my point

Im definetly a fan of Duarte too and can only agree he is a amazing talent, but still you have to admit this riding with the very early attacks of his is not very intelligent. His goal should not be to be in television and be spotted but more to get results.

 

[Ryo Hazuki]

Im definetly a fan of Duarte too and can only agree he is a amazing talent, but still you have to admit this riding with the very early attacks of his is not very intelligent. His goal should not be to be in television and be spotted but more to get results.

why?? the guy isn't in topshape at all. his goal is the giro and not this race. he crashed in the first day so his gc was gone and now attacks himself into better shape. nothing wrong with that.

duarte is a very intelligent rider just remember wc 2008 where he was in the attack from the first round and knew exatcly what he did. he put everything into one attack where he took a corner so sharp daniel oss lost his wheel and he was gone and won. he waited almost 200 km to launch his one attack and he became world champion. he is a real winner

 

[Descender]

Duarte "attacks himself into form"?? Duarte being "intelligent"?? What is this???

 

[hrotha]

You can race intelligently once 2 years and a half ago and still not tend to ride intelligently. Similarly, you can be one of the most intelligent riders in the peloton and still do silly things every now and then. In any case, Duarte is not riding intelligently this week. Nothing wrong with that? His DS seems to disagree.

You can't sell us Duarte as one of the biggest talents of the sport and then say it's perfectly OK to "attack himself into form" and basically pull an Andy Schleck. He has the talent, he has to ride for the results. If his form isn't the best at the moment, more the reason to ride intelligently.

 

[Ryo Hazuki]

why? he's not here for results. and he's not pulling an andy schleck at all because he rides with every bit of aggression.

 

[hrotha]

Riding just to get the form, attacking to get that extra bit of training and supposedly not caring about the results = totally pulling an Andy.

But I don't think that's what happening. He's simply doing his best but not riding intelligently. It's OK, you can admit it, that won't make you any less of a supporter.

 

[Cobblestoned]

Suprising i'd say..

Many of the stages where good enough to completely obliterate the field in the past.

levelling at the top? Headwind on all climbs? Too nice weather this time?
Who knows...

The harder they hype the harder they fall

Well they tell me of a pie up in the sky
Waiting for me when I die
But between the day you're born and when you die
They never seem to hear even your cry

So as sure as the sun will shine
I'm gonna get my share now of what's mine
And then the harder they come the harder they'll fall, one and all
Ooh the harder they come the harder they'll fall, one and all

Well the officers are trying to keep me down
Trying to drive me underground
And they think that they have got the battle won
I say forgive them Lord, they know not what they've done

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sjtXfkHCEkY

 

[Ryo Hazuki]

Riding just to get the form, attacking to get that extra bit of training and supposedly not caring about the results = totally pulling an Andy.

But I don't think that's what happening. He's simply doing his best but not riding intelligently. It's OK, you can admit it, that won't make you any less of a supporter.

of course he wants to win I'm not denieing that. apart from today his attacks were fine and not badly timed but today he clearly didn't have a good day which is probably why he tried it from quit far to see if they'd let him go. he is not in topshape as I said so he is of course testing how it goes this week. he just came back from colombia where he didn't even finish classica anapoima and was only in 15th position in gc. he eased up after murcia and went back to colombia to prepare for giro and this is his first race back in also after gp indurain where he also attacked like mad and didn't finish the race, if you call that an andy schleck then fine but that's just how he is and you will see a lot more of this from him.

 

[Jamsque]

Ryo reminds me of a young ACF, so eager to defend his favourites even when they make obvious mistakes.

 

[theyoungest]

of course he wants to win I'm not denieing that. apart from today his attacks were fine and not badly timed but today he clearly didn't have a good day which is probably why he tried it from quit far to see if they'd let him go. he is not in topshape as I said so he is of course testing how it goes this week. he just came back from colombia where he didn't even finish classica anapoima and was only in 15th position in gc. he eased up after murcia and went back to colombia to prepare for giro and this is his first race back in also after gp indurain where he also attacked like mad and didn't finish the race, if you call that an andy schleck then fine but that's just how he is and you will see a lot more of this from him.

Lol @ "he didn't have a good day". Dude, getting dropped by some of the strongest climbers of the world, and not losing too much time, isn't a shame. He did fine, and maybe when he didn't put in such a dumb attack he could have done a little better.

 

[The Hitch]

I am actually thinking Tondo has a good chance also.

I just have this feeling about Tondo, not for any specific reason.

The canal Vasco guys said he was a good tter.

I'm pretty sure Intxausti is peaking, and I think Horner is peaking too to defend his crown. Samu will be thinking of the Ardennes, but will certainly be at something very close to peak because of the importance of this race for his team... I am pretty sure that an absolutely on-peak Samu would be able to drop both Horner and Intxausti. Then again, he may need longer climbs than these to do it.

Samu said before the season that his 2 targets were PV and TDF but I hope hell carry this through to Ardennes. Is Fuji doing Ardennes though. That could be 1 amazing partnership.

He can prolly take that out of Sanchez in the chrono.

Obviously im a pro Sanchez person on here but bias interferes with judgement so I leave it out of my analysis. So i aknowledge Samu isnt the best tter.

But hes not the worst either. I know its one result and I bring it out all the time but he came second in the Vuelta tt to current last years 3rd best tter, David Millar. He lost by a mere 5 seconds on a 25k course no less.

So he certainatly can pull it out when it matters.

I however doubt it will matter enough for him tomorow.

Apparently Matxín was pretty mad at him when he spoke on ETB, but I missed it. Supposedly he said he had told Duarte to wait a few kilometers before attacking.

Teammates tell him not to attack and he ignores. Wow, this guy really is the new Vino.

Lol Gerrit-Jan,

Why do you call him that?

 

[Ryo Hazuki]

we are friends and know each other personally. I will see him in 3 weeks again at the amstel gold race often you can see us trolling each other but that's our fun we have. you should never take me too serious except when it comes to things not concerning sports or my extensive knowledge of the cycling in latin america

 

[Frosty]

Sky team report just says that Rigoberto found it tough today. Sean Yates is happy with Nordhaug's progress.

http://www.teamsky.com/article/0,27290,20970_6857864,00.html

 

[xmoonx]

I love that Duarte attacks from the bottom of climbs, but there isn't much point in doing it if he's just going to get caught within a kilometre and then crack and end up minutes down.

As for the GC, I think it will be between Klodi, Vino and maybe Gesink if he can pull out another TT like the one he did in Oman. He hasn't looked like he has the form for that, though.

Don't write off Ryder Hesjedal (seems to want it also) and Chris Horner both can TT.

 

[Jamsque]

Hes-Jay certainly wants it but his ITT doesn't stack up too well against Klodi and Vino.

 

[icefire]

Apparently Matxín was pretty mad at him when he spoke on ETB, but I missed it. Supposedly he said he had told Duarte to wait a few kilometers before attacking.

That recalls me of something I heard from Manolo Saiz. Back in the time where there were no race radios Manolo ordered one of his riders to attack shouting from the car. It happened by chance that Zülle was around and because of his poor Spanish skills thought by mistake that he was the one ordered to attack. When Manolo saw Zülle going full gas he just though 'where is this dumbass going?'. It was the Tour 1995, and the stage finished in La Plagne.

 

[Cobblestoned]

we are friends and know each other personally. I will see him in 3 weeks again at the amstel gold race often you can see us trolling each other but that's our fun we have. you should never take me too serious except when it comes to things not concerning sports or my extensive knowledge of the cycling in latin america

Like that ?

Can you two please wear something like a pink rose in hair, so that I can identify you ?
I usually ride circles around, in front and behind the peloton after watching the sign in and having a short brake at Mississippi. I think i'll wear my Lance-costume, perhaps Kelme.