Stick a fork in Garmin-Cervelo...

[Angliru]

Hesjedal has done exactly one good GC in his whole career. Until we see confirmation that he can do it again, he's more of a fluke than Wiggins.

Wiggins is the fluke because he failed in 2010 to back up his 2009 finish. Hesjedal still has this Tour to prove otherwise.

 

[perico]

CVV results were more than just a few years ago taking into account his injuries and his 4th before was weak. So yes, Ryder has a better chance and Tom D, zero

bump...

 

[roundabout]

CVV looked good today even if it wasn't the most difficult of stages.

 

[ansimi]

Levi down and Horner out means Garmin has a good shot at getting the top American on GC which means some extra attention. They might also be able to go for the team classification which cycling fans don't seem to care about but I think it would make the sponsors happy.

I didn't think Hesjedal was hurt when he got caught out yesterday but he lost more time today. Anybody know what happened? He was on Gesink's wheel on the climb but he lost even more than Gesink. Hopefully he's alright and maybe has a stage picked out for an attack.

And Thor still looks great in yellow!

 

[Damiano Machiavelli]

Tommy D is still on track to be be the top American. He just needs to avoid getting sick.

 

[Cobblestones]

Can we declare this thread now the 'worst TdF thread 2011'?

 

[Jamsque]

Nah, I could choose any one of Ryo's threads and I guarantee it is worse.

 

[Tugboat]

No GC podium but JV is still going to be walking away with a huge smile on his face at the end of it.

 

[jobiwan]

TTT win, 2 Thor wins, Farrar's first win, and Tommy D in the Top 10.

Yeah, stick a fork in 'em. They're no good.

 

[kjetilraknerud]

Tommy D to win solo on the Champs Elysée

 

[53x11 in DC]

TTT win, 2 Thor wins, Farrar's first win, and Tommy D in the Top 10.

Yeah, stick a fork in 'em. They're no good.

And a substantial lead in the Team GC.

A horrible year!

 

[RedheadDane]

this thread seems even more ridiculous today than it did yesterday.

And the ridiculousness just keeps on growing!

Can we declare this thread now the 'worst TdF thread 2011'?

Naah. Just the Most Untrue

TTT win, 2 Thor wins, Farrar's first win, and Tommy D in the Top 10.

Yeah, stick a fork in 'em. They're no good.

Horrible!

---

Maybe they read this thread and decided We're gonna show those good-for-nothing CN-forum people!

 

[Astana1]

Should have stuck a fork into Radio Crash.

 

[ImmaculateKadence]

Other than the team that eventually wins this thing, Garmin-Cervelo is having the best race with a variety of wins: TTT, A sprint, and two breakaway wins. If they win a mountain top finish, I'd say they hit for the cycle.

I'd like to see Tommy D. in the top ten though.

 

[spalco]

No GC podium but JV is still going to be walking away with a huge smile on his face at the end of it.

Although in large part he owes it to a rider who won't be with him next year.

 

[Zinoviev Letter]

Although in large part he owes it to a rider who won't be with him next year.

Quite likely so, but that's a risk every team takes when they sign someone on a one year contract.

I'm not really sure, by the way, that Hushovd would be better off anywhere else unless some team is simply dangling a huge bag of cash in front of him. His main goal is the Classics season and at Garmin he has about the best support he can hope for at any team where he will be the undisputed leader.

He doesn't get to be the main sprinter at the Tour on the flat or to go for Green, but Hushovd himself has quite deliberately (and cleverly) moved away from being a big bunch sprinter because he simply can't mix it with the big guns any more. And chasing Green is incompatible with the sort of breakaway wins he is now so good at because he'd never be let escape up the road like that. I was dubious at the start, but with the benefit of hindsight Hushovd's goals and Farrar's goals actually are compatible.

Also, I think that you are selling the rest of the Garmin team a little short. Thor has had very decent support in this Tour, with big engines riding on the front to protect Yellow and Hesjedal helping him into a situation where he could outwit the younger and faster EBH. The TTT is a team effort, the clue being in the name, while Farrar has been very fast. And Danielson now seems very likely to get a top 10.

 

[max_powers]

Although in large part he owes it to a rider who won't be with him next year.

YES, the rumblings of Thor's tenure at Garmin. His stock is still rising.

I woinder if it's a money thing or a management/JV thing?

I'm thinking Thor sees JV as some weasel from the past peloton and does not like his style, let alone take orders from him.

Typically, it's all about the Benjamins

 

[michaeld]

I'm thinking Thor sees JV as some weasel from the past peloton and does not like his style, let alone take orders from him.

They were teammates at Credit Agricole.

 

[spalco]

Also, I think that you are selling the rest of the Garmin team a little short. Thor has had very decent support in this Tour, with big engines riding on the front to protect Yellow and Hesjedal helping him into a situation where he could outwit the younger and faster EBH. The TTT is a team effort, the clue being in the name, while Farrar has been very fast. And Danielson now seems very likely to get a top 10.

You're right, absolutely. I'm not a Garmin fan, in fact I don't even like them, particularly Vaughters, but I have to admit, they are doing excellent work this season.

 

[spanky wanderlust]

we say garmin cervelo, but it really is just the cervelo part. and really just thor at that.

if it were not for thor, garmin has one guy with potential top 10 finish and that's it; no stage wins, no yellow jersey.

vaughters might want to see about patching up his relationship with his one and only champion.

 

[kurtinsc]

we say garmin cervelo, but it really is just the cervelo part. and really just thor at that.

if it were not for thor, garmin has one guy with potential top 10 finish and that's it; no stage wins, no yellow jersey.

vaughters might want to see about patching up his relationship with his one and only champion.

Um... Farrar won a stage this year. Came in a very close second yesterday too. And the Garmin side of Garmin-Cervelo was largely responsible for the TTT win... all the main motors for that were Garmin guys (Zabriskie, Millar, Danielson, VDV)

 

[Anonymous]

Um... Farrar won a stage this year. Came in a very close second yesterday too.

Not to mention the fact that without Ryder, today's sprint could have very easily gone the other way...also, he forgot the work the team did to keep Thor in yellow.

 

[perico]

we say garmin cervelo, but it really is just the cervelo part. and really just thor at that.

if it were not for thor, garmin has one guy with potential top 10 finish and that's it; no stage wins, no yellow jersey.

vaughters might want to see about patching up his relationship with his one and only champion.

Uhhh... they won the TTT and Farrar won a stage. 2 stage wins and 1 Top 10 GC. Still a great tour.

 

[spalco]

Not to mention the fact that without Ryder, today's sprint could have very easily gone the other way...also, he forgot the work the team did to keep Thor in yellow.

Hejsedal helped, but to be honest, I think Thor wins this 9 out of 10 times easy against someone like Boassen-Hagen who is an excellent athlete with a great future but only a fraction of the experience and "cycling smarts" of a veteran like Hushovd.

 

[Zinoviev Letter]

People forget that Garmin were a small team up until quite recently. If the official Tour information book thing is to be believed they still have one of the smallest budgets in the ProTour, smaller even than a few ProConti teams. Before this year their biggest wins were things like the Tour of Poland or a Giro stage.

This year they've won Paris Roubaix and four(!) Tour stages. That's a fantastic season even without mentioning their other wins. Hushovd has probably contributed more than any other single rider, but the step forward they've taken has been a team effort.