Presidential Cycling Tour of Turkey 2011

[jaylew]

Belletti for sure.

 

[superconfex]

Why the hell was he talking about Petacchi.

because he dosen't know riders outside the big names

 

[Jamsque]

Belletti
Ferrari
Sulzberger
Petacchi
Navardauskas

 

[Jamsque]

Greipel was once again in the top 10/20 but not a real factor in the sprint.

 

[El Pistolero]

No wonder Cav is by far the fastest sprinter haha. Who knows, Cav might actually be extremely mediocre, it's just the competition that sucks so hard

 

[Spare Tyre]

Why the hell was he talking about Petacchi.

edit: also, I just figured he was trying to say "Caja Rural" that one time. Wow. Just wow.

Maybe because Lampre did most of the work reeling the break in.

 

[search]

will Carlton call it right today?

did he?

1 out of 3 for german Eurosport so far. Yesterday it was Bazayev who won the stage, today Modolo.

 

[hrotha]

Maybe because Lampre did most of the work reeling the break in.

Yeah, no, I mean: why was he talking about Petacchi with 15 meters to go.

 

[Spare Tyre]

Yeah, no, I mean: why was he talking about Petacchi with 15 meters to go.

Ah, I see. I think Superconfex is probably right then: "because he dosen't know riders outside the big names"

 

[Mellow Velo]

That's cos Petacchi is Lampre's top climber at the moment.
Don't know about anybody else, but I'm finding this edition of Turkey is lacking it's usual fizz.
Maybe the increased number of top teams has toned down the attacking desire.

 

[roundabout]

64 people within 6 seconds.

Farrar loses 3 minutes, Guardini does his best Quaranta impression again

 

[theyoungest]

That's cos Petacchi is Lampre's top climber at the moment.
Don't know about anybody else, but I'm finding this edition of Turkey is lacking it's usual fizz.
Maybe the increased number of top teams has toned down the attacking desire.

This looked like the same finish where Visconti (was it him?) won last year. But the stage was a little more interesting then, I seem to remember.

 

[Jamsque]

Farrar loses 3 minutes, Guardini does his best Quaranta impression again

Farrar's form seems to have fallen away since RVV where he looked pretty good.

 

[Christomir]

No one replied to my question/prediction about the overall winner, so I'm gonna repost it, cause I'm interested in hearing other opinions

Do you guys think that Greipel could still get his sprinting together for the remaining stage finishes and do enough for the victory in the GC?

(Farrar is obviously out of the running now, so I'm not reposting that part LOL)

 

[roundabout]

I dunno, he just looks off. If he gets his sprinting together he should win as there will be 5 sprints left.

 

[Christomir]

Farrar's form seems to have fallen away since RVV where he looked pretty good.

Maybe he had some sort of a mechanical or health issue?

Otherwise, why would he lose 3 minutes on such an easy climb? Mind you, it was a Bulgarian rider setting the pace up and over that one and, while I would love to be able to say that means a great pace, I have to be realistic and admit it wasn't. Farrar should be better than that, so I dunno...

 

[Christomir]

I dunno, he just looks off....

Yeah, that's what worries me too. He seems like he is just not very interested.

 

[palmerq]

I am not sure of the course, it is hard to tell with their profiles but the next stage looks like there are some interesting hills that will make it difficult for the sprinters and one of the other stages seems to have a short climb that rises about 500 meters. I don't think a sprinter will win the overall.

As for greipel I don't think he is looking good at all although lotto don't have such a great team helping him either, but I think he had someone with him untill very close to the end of yesterdays stage. I think he needs a win pretty soon to calm him down before the tour or his whole season will be like this :S



ps

I quite liked todays stage, it wasn't a classic but it wasn't bad either. Interesting sprint at the end too.

 

[Rocksteady]

Maybe he had some sort of a mechanical or health issue?

Otherwise, why would he lose 3 minutes on such an easy climb? Mind you, it was a Bulgarian rider setting the pace up and over that one and, while I would love to be able to say that means a great pace, I have to be realistic and admit it wasn't. Farrar should be better than that, so I dunno...

He said he had barely touched a bike since Roubaix. This is probably just a training ride.

That being said, he should be better than 3 minutes down today. quite possible its a health/mech issue.

 

[Christomir]

I am not sure of the course, it is hard to tell with their profiles but the next stage looks like there are some interesting hills that will make it difficult for the sprinters and one of the other stages seems to have a short climb that rises about 500 meters. I don't think a sprinter will win the overall.

As for greipel I don't think he is looking good at all although lotto don't have such a great team helping him either, but I think he had someone with him untill very close to the end of yesterdays stage. I think he needs a win pretty soon to calm him down before the tour or his whole season will be like this :S

Nah, those profiles are quite misleading. The climbs are nothing to speak of. At the better professional level they shouldn't be a problem for sprinters and their teams. I didn't watch much of ToT last year but AFAIK all of the stages were won with sprint finishes and the routes are the same every year, no??

With Greipel it should be more a question of if he is all right (which he doesn't look like; in fact, looks like something is very wrong with him right now) and if he actually wants to win (which he doesn't look like either)... If he felt OK and in reasonably good shape, why wouldn't he take this opportunity to win a GC and several stages, when he has such lousy competition...

 

[taiwan]

You never know, Belletti might hang on for the overall. I'll need to check the remaining stages, but he climbs ok.

 

[Libertine Seguros]

Maybe he had some sort of a mechanical or health issue?

Otherwise, why would he lose 3 minutes on such an easy climb? Mind you, it was a Bulgarian rider setting the pace up and over that one and, while I would love to be able to say that means a great pace, I have to be realistic and admit it wasn't. Farrar should be better than that, so I dunno...

I didn't get the chance to see the stage. Which Bulgarian was it?

If it was Danail Petrov, then you do him a disservice, he's a very good rider.

If it wasn't Danail Petrov, then I apologise for this irrelevant interruption, do carry on.

 

[roundabout]

Looked like a national champion's jersey

 

[Libertine Seguros]

Petrov's the current Bulgarian road race champion, so it probably is him. Problem is, Konya have both Danail and Daniel Petrov, so you get confusion.

Daniel Bogomilov Petrov rode for Duja-Tavira for a few years but has been mostly with Bourgas lately, lost in the ether of eastern European cycling.

Danail Andonov Petrov just came off 11 years of riding in Portugal with Boavista, Milaneza-Maia and Benfica. He has top 10s in some useful stage races like Asturias, Tour of Luxembourg, Madrid and CTT Correios de Portugal. Good engine and useful in uphill finishes, so not actually so much of a surprise if he could drop Farrar on a climb.

 

[Bavarianrider]

I am so ****ed that Eurosport 1 shows this garbage race through Anatolia live on TV while they don't show anything of the Romandie. Pathetic