willbick said:i think u guys are living in a fantasy land with yr predictions of massive sustained attacks on the sky train left right and centre. Or maybe just living in the past. As we saw in the tour last year, the sky train set a relentless strong pace up the climbs so that it is virtually impossible for a single rider to get away for very long. It doesnt matter how many attacks there are, they just grind on at the same pre-programmed speed. Porte will be very near the front at the end of every mountain stage no doubt. Sky wont want him to sit up because they know he is a yellow jersey candidate should anything bad happen to Froome. And he is a strong TTer. Anyone thinking he's gonna be outside top 10 must be on drugs. And as for the likes of Mollema, Pinot and VDB being stronger climbers.... laughable.
Skye's team is not nearly as strong as last year. It's missing domestiques Rogers and Froome and Thomas is riding with a fractured hip. Add to that a much, much tougher route and the addition of in form climbers Valverde, Contador, Evans, Schleck, Rodriguez, etc etc and you've got a much different result then Skye just riding tempo to reel in attacks like last year.