Philipe Gilbert Future Tour de France Champion

[El Pistolero]

Will be hard for him to limit his losses to the GC men without going on multiple raids in the mountains for intermediates (not at all unlikely) or seriously improving his climbing.

But it's unlikely. Frankly, the simple fact that Philippe Gilbert is in the top 10 after 2 weeks tells you just how un-selective the parcours has been so far.

More selective than the Giro routes and Vuelta routes. Take Contador away from the Giro and you would have had a group of all favorites crossing the lines hand in hand together.

 

[El Pistolero]

Has he been interviewed after the stage? Has he said if he attacked to get into the top 10, or because he was bored?

He was bored, and had some fun on the descend according to him. And of course the points.

 

[Libertine Seguros]

More selective than the Giro routes and Vuelta routes. Take Contador away from the Giro and you would have had a group of all favorites crossing the lines hand in hand together.

Selective through what? Crashes, that's what.

Take them out of it, you have 6 seconds on stage 1, 8 seconds on stage 4 and the TTT.

 

[El Pistolero]

Selective through what? Crashes, that's what.

Take them out of it, you have 6 seconds on stage 1, 8 seconds on stage 4 and the TTT.

In the Giro there weren't any realy gaps till Grossglockner if you take out Contador getting 50 seconds on Mongibello. First mountain stage there was stage 9 and then stage 13 I think. Tour isn't doing much worse....

Phil would still be leading the Giro if he entered

 

[Libertine Seguros]

More gaps on stage 5. The Montevergine was about as selective as Super-Besse, but Etna is where the big difference lies.

Besides, this year's Giro was a huge letdown after the previous few. I'm not judging the Tour against mediocre GTs, I'm judging it against good ones. Put that Giro with this Tour route and it's even more boring than the 2004 Tour route.

And it isn't matching up well yet. This is, so far, the worst year for GTs since 2004. Hopefully somebody can do the Santí Pérez job at the Vuelta and rescue the entire year.

 

[El Pistolero]

More gaps on stage 5. The Montevergine was about as selective as Super-Besse, but Etna is where the big difference lies.

Besides, this year's Giro was a huge letdown after the previous few. I'm not judging the Tour against mediocre GTs, I'm judging it against good ones.

And it isn't matching up well yet.

Giro with it's super weak competition? Of course gaps will be easily made if they all suck except 2 people.

So far this Tour is matching up very well in terms of excitement compared to other GTs over the years.

But tell me this, if Phil would have start the Giro do you honestly think he wouldn't be in top 10 till stage 12?

 

[Libertine Seguros]

Giro with it's super weak competition? Of course gaps will be easily made if they all suck except 2 people.

So far this Tour is matching up very well in terms of excitement compared to other GTs over the years.

But tell me this, if Phil would have start the Giro do you honestly think he wouldn't be in top 10 till stage 12?

I would have expected him to drop out of the top 10 on Etna. Then again, there are time bonuses available in the Giro that would have benefited him.

Even so, this is stage 14 and he's back in the top 10.

Nothing you say will convince me that this is a good Tour route. For two weeks every report has been "rider X wins; riders Y and Z abandon/lose time in crashes". I want to watch a bike race, not a demolition derby.

 

[Parrulo]

But tell me this, if Phil would have start the Giro do you honestly think he wouldn't be in top 10 till stage 12?

no therefore the giro is more selective because by stage 12 there wouldn't be GC nobodies like gilbert on the top 10

 

[El Pistolero]

no therefore the giro is more selective because by stage 12 there wouldn't be GC nobodies like gilbert on the top 10

After stage 13

1 Alberto Contador (ESP) Saxo Bank-SunGard 49h 40' 58"
2 Vincenzo Nibali (ITA) Liquigas-Cannondale + 3' 09"
3 Michele Scarponi (ITA) Lampre-ISD + 3' 16"
4 David Arroyo (ESP) Movistar Team + 3' 25"
5 Roman Kreuziger (CZE) Astana + 3' 29"
6 Kanstantsin Sivtsov (BLR) HTC-Highroad + 3' 53"
7 Igor Antón (ESP) Euskaltel-Euskadi + 4' 02"
8 John Gadret (FRA) Ag2r-La Mondiale + 4' 05"
9 Matteo Carrara (ITA) Vacansoleil-DCM + 4' 35"
10 Hubert Dupont (FRA) Ag2r-La Mondiale + 4' 38"

I find these people to be pretty much nobodies. And Phil would have a big cushion already before he went to Etna. On the strade Bianche stage alone he could have gained minutes.

 

[Libertine Seguros]

Hubert Dupont had shown much more climbing nous when it comes to the high mountains prior to this year's Giro than Philippe Gilbert.

http://cqranking.com/men/asp/gen/race.asp?raceid=19361
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http://cqranking.com/men/asp/gen/race.asp?raceid=3458

 

[El Pistolero]

All I'm saying is the group after Contador wasn't riding hard on the Etna stage.

Contador was putting in 6.6 watts per kilogram on the Etna during his attack. Rujano and the group following A LOT less.

 

[mulletCobra]

All I'm saying is Greg LeMond.