Santos Tour Down Under Stage 2 Mt. Barker to Rostrevor 116.5km

[Waterloo Sunrise]

"I could have been top-20 if I didn't pull the sprints for Edvald" is quite a grandiose claim. Anything lower than 20th in the Tour is pretty much a cr.p shoot anyway.

He claimed he could finish 30 minutes behind the leader if he focussed 100% on his own GC position.

Yep, sounds like a big header claim at being a top climber to me.

 

[theyoungest]

He claimed he could finish 30 minutes behind the leader if he focussed 100% on his own GC position.

Yep, sounds like a big header claim at being a top climber to me.

Yeah, Hesjedal, Velits, Vanendert... he'll easily follow those guys up a mountain.

 

[Waterloo Sunrise]

Yeah, Hesjedal, Velits, Vanendert... he'll easily follow those guys up a mountain.

I think we both know how cheap that argument is. There are many different ways to skin a cat, and plenty of good riders will finish 30 minutes back due to a few bad days, or more often, reaching the point at which they cease to try and conserve energy for breaks another day.

If you are fully commited to GC there are plenty of people who could get 18-20, but of course most of them have something better to be doing.

 

[theyoungest]

I think we both know how cheap that argument is. There are many different ways to skin a cat, and plenty of good riders will finish 30 minutes back due to a few bad days, or more often, reaching the point at which they cease to try and conserve energy for breaks another day.

If you are fully commited to GC there are plenty of people who could get 18-20, but of course most of them have something better to be doing.

It's not a cheap argument. Top 20 in a GT is easier said than done. Yes, I know he's a Sky rider and probably he'll finish on the podium of a GT within a year, but usually it's hard.

 

[Pentacycle]

It's not a cheap argument. Top 20 in a GT is easier said than done. Yes, I know he's a Sky rider and probably he'll finish on the podium of a GT within a year, but usually it's hard.

He looked worse uphill(despite his win) than Wiggins has ever done, so I'd say he's no GT contender.

 

[jens_attacks]

he's like el nino sevilla's twin!and now climbs like him go g!
willunga should be a big show,i hope kash and gaspa(who crashed but seems to be fine) will be there too.

 

[Vino attacks everyone]

told you to put all your money on g . seen the pics before the tdu, he looks fit as hell,skinny as ever. i'm happy for him and can't wait to download this from cyclingtorrents.


and yes it seems kash will deliver the goods this year

1 Geraint THOMAS GBR SKY 27 2:44:18
2 Javier MORENO BAZAN ESP MOV 29 +1
3 Ben HERMANS BEL RLT 27 +1
4 Tom Jelte SLAGTER NED BLA 24 +4
5 Tim WELLENS BEL LTB 22 +4
6 Daniele PIETROPOLLI ITA LAM 33 +4
7 Jack BAUER NZL GRS 28 +4
8 Wilco KELDERMAN NED BLA 22 +4
9 Jon IZAGUIRRE INSAUSTI ESP EUS 24 +4
10 George BENNETT NZL RLT 23 +4
11 Adam HANSEN AUS LTB 32 +4
12 Kenny ELISSONDE FRA FDJ 22 +4
13 Tiago MACHADO POR RLT 28 +4
14 Jussi VEIKKANEN FIN FDJ 32 +4
15 Gorka IZAGUIRRE INSAUSTI ESP EUS 26 +4
16 Jose Joaquin ROJAS GIL ESP MOV 28 +21
17 Serge PAUWELS BEL OPQ 30 +21
18 Mikael CHEREL FRA ALM 27 +21
19 Andrey KASHECHKIN KAZ AST 33 +21
20 Rafael VALLS FERRI ESP VCD 26 +21

Ican smell a tour podium already!!

 

[Hugo Koblet]

jens, it was because of you I put my money on G. Looks promising so far!

 

[barmaher]

Me too, Jens....thanks.

And I put a lot of people on a horseracing forum that I frequent onto him too.

I am owed a few pints.

 

[jens_attacks]

jens, it was because of you I put my money on G. Looks promising so far!

for my own good then i hope nothing bad happens on willunga
moreno is quite dangerous and to my shame i didn't see the stage yet to have an opinion of who was the strongest uphill
but definitely g won't let that jersey slip away without a fight

 

[Dekker_Tifosi]

Everything is set up just fine for the dominance of Slagter and Kelderman. Isn't it obvious?

 

[barmaher]

Lots of dangers in the overall. Slagter, Kelderman, Machado, Moreno, even Hansen.

But Super G looks super and should be a favourite now.

 

[Maaaaaaaarten]

Hoping Slagter does this again, but now in the Stirling stage http://cqranking.com/men/asp/gen/race.asp?raceid=21984

Than another solid performance in Willunga and he's got the overall in the bag

 

[trevim]

Wow I'll have to admit Thomas was impressive. Maybe the hype is justified after all.
Rafa Valls 20th! Please don't crash this season

 

[Ruudz0r]

Wow, Sky even turned GT into a winner.

Ye he is just a 3 time world champion and 2 time olympic champion. He certainly wasnt a winner before.

 

[Andy99]

Ye he is just a 3 time world champion and 2 time olympic champion. He certainly wasnt a winner before.

not forgetting Paris Roubaix juniors, National Road champs, Bayern Rundfahrt, Romandie Prologue.

Yeah, a complete loser

 

[jens_attacks]

if not even g thomas wasn't a super engine and super rider from the beginning....

 

[Winterfold]

GT boll0x - he still looks like he could beat a girl at arm wrestling so lets forget about a high GC placing and focus on what Sky really need to achieve this year or next ie

Get that man on some cobbles

 

[jens_attacks]

GT boll0x - he still looks like he could beat a girl at arm wrestling so lets forget about a high GC placing and focus on what Sky really need to achieve this year or next ie

Get that man on some cobbles

i thought that too but now i doubt it
i really think hayman,eisel,stannard end eddie boss will be for the cobbles race and thomas not.
he lost weight and i think he might target races like paris-nice this year.we'll see

 

[classicomano]

Hmm I dont know wich is worse, this or the actual Blanco jersey.

 

[Winterfold]

i thought that too but now i doubt it
i really think hayman,eisel,stannard end eddie boss will be for the cobbles race and thomas not.
he lost weight and i think he might target races like paris-nice this year.we'll see

he looks like he's lost fat but kept some upper body muscle, looking at the stage highlights, puncheur with good sprint - he should be going for some classics. I think he will be at the end in RVV.

 

[Andy99]

Hmm I dont know wich is worse, this or the actual Blanco jersey.

ha ha that's ridiculous. If somebody turned up to a club ride wearing that, they would have the pi$$ ripped from them

 

[Winterfold]

awesum 80s throwback jersey where are his glowsticks?

 

[will10]

Geraint looking very lean, even compared to 2011. The transformation has begun...

 

[El Pistolero]

Ye he is just a 3 time world champion and 2 time olympic champion. He certainly wasnt a winner before.

not forgetting Paris Roubaix juniors, National Road champs, Bayern Rundfahrt, Romandie Prologue.

Yeah, a complete loser

He won the Team Pursuit, lucky enough to be born in the best country. How many people count team time trials as real victories on this forum?

By the way, this is the road racing forum. As far as I'm concerned he only won a very short Romandie prologue, British road race title(lol) and the overall in one of the worst stage races there is.

So yeah, he definitely was not a winner type. Since when are we counting junior races?