TDF Stage 14: Saint-Gaudens - Plateau de Beille 168km

[ImmaculateKadence]

We'll see. I think Andy is immature enough to overlook him (at least on this stage). Btw, great job with the post.

Overlook him enough to take back all that time?

 

[dgodave]

Contador- fear
Armstrong- surprise
Pantani- an almost fanatical devotion to the Pope

 

[Publicus]

Overlook him enough to take back all that time?

I mean dismiss him as a threat. Reading his post-stage comments, I get the sense there is a bit of glee in the Leopard Trek team. AC is no longer a threat--which very well may be the case for the overall. So they may not immediately react to an attack by him, which would work to AC's benefit. Of course that's just the residual effect of my AC fanboyism. I think the Giro was too much. Which is unfortunate, but the risk he took.

 

[Jamsque]

Contador's rivals smelled blood today, I think Evans, Basso and the Schlecks will want to knock him out of contention completely tomorrow and make sure he has no chance of recovering in the Alps.

 

[taiwan]

Basso FTW.

 

[Libertine Seguros]

Contador's rivals smelled blood today, I think Evans, Basso and the Schlecks will want to knock him out of contention completely tomorrow and make sure he has no chance of recovering in the Alps.

on the Aubisque stage? He'll have to be pretty terrible for them to knock him out of contention on that.

This thread is about Saturday's stage.

 

[TeoSheva]

if you are intresting, these are the time limits for this stage:

km/h-Time limits
33,50-30,11
34,50-32,14
35,50- 34,10
36,50- 36,00
37,50- 37,45
38,50- 39,23

 

[PedalCastro]

They will try and put as much time as possible into him, I fear for some Lazarus like revival in the Alps from Contador.... I still don't believe he's human!

 

[Jamsque]

on the Aubisque stage? He'll have to be pretty terrible for them to knock him out of contention on that.

This thread is about Saturday's stage.

Whoops. You know what I meant...

 

[Waterloo Sunrise]

The Tour will be won from Thursday to Saturday next week - Bertie just needs to keep calm and recover tomorrow, stay in contact here and then prepare for the Alps.

 

[luckyboy]

On my birthday Cavendish won...

Cancellara won the Worlds ITT last year on my birthday

 

[The Hitch]

Cancellara won the Worlds ITT last year on my birthday

On my birthday Yauhenni Hutarovicz won a stage at the Tour of Poland

 

[roundabout]

I expect a lot from Basso after today.

 

[kanari]

On my birthday Yauhenni Hutarovicz won a stage at the Tour of Poland

Way off topic but my birthday was on stage 3, Giro. So not a good day, but it certainly helps me never to forget WW.

 

[Anonymous]

All will be revealed on this stage, cant wait. I hope Basso put time on everyone.. On my birthday Rojas won a stage in Volta Catalunya

 

[warmfuzzies]

If AC loses 2-3 more minutes, he'll become a threat to get into a break, ride off the front of the peloton, and win a stage.

 

[BYOP88]

there's only one name:
IVAN BASSO

Isn't that technically 2 names?

I'm hoping that Contador goes on a mad long epic attack, just like Pantani and forces the other GC guys to come out and play without their safety blankets.

 

[Midnightfright]

If AC loses 2-3 more minutes, he'll become a threat to get into a break, ride off the front of the peloton, and win a stage.

that's optomistic, you have to remember that cyclist are also cycling fans they will have watched Floyd Landis in 06

 

[Midnightfright]

Isn't that technically 2 names?

I'm hoping that Contador goes on a mad long epic attack, just like Pantani and forces the other GC guys to come out and play without their safety blankets.

I have to admit that would be excellent.

 

[warmfuzzies]

This stage will mark the critical selection for this year's Tour. The Alps and ITT will refine the order of the GC top 10. When was the last Tour characterized by huge Alp-induced GC changes (excluding flagrantly doped performances)?

 

[khodder]

Stage 14 is the Moncoutie break stage, he wants those KOM points.

Gilbert is likely to try and attack/decend to a win/points in the intermediate sprint.

Does Rabo send a semi-climber into the break to try and salvage something from this now lost tour? On the same note, when does Gesink pull out and hope to put on some good form for a now very exciting looking Vuelta?

Get rid of Smyzd you isolate Basso, the rest of that team is not great. Much easier said than done, but if you can isolate both Basso and Evans and then set off on dual (Schlecks) or explosive (Contador) attacks they will likely suffer due to their style of climbing.

The GC at the top is great, but I am really interested in the bottom of the top 10 on the GC who is going to sneak in there come the end of the tour? Tommy D or Roche, Velits getting back into contact? Could one of the younger riders such as a Taarame, Uran, Vanendert or Jeannesson finish in the top 10, and finally who arrives in PAris in White.

 

[greenedge]

LTD will try get in this break. Sanchez will send a teammate to defend his KOM lead but Moncoutie will try. Unless if he just wants a stage win. Hitch nice stage profile. I expect Kreuziger to attempt again. It will come down to the Shlecks, Evans, Basso, Sanchez, Cunego and Contador. I wonder if Voeckler will lose the lead this stage???

 

[Gingerale]

great intro to a stage 14 from "The Hitch."

hope the stage lives up to the description

 

[Maxiton]

Hitch, hope you don't mind my saying that you write a stage intro like no one else. By far. I know I've said that before but it bears repeating.

Four days ago I wrote:

I think his [Contador] opponents - especially the two Muppet boys - will test him as soon as the road goes really uphill. If he's faking, he might have to lose a few more seconds, otherwise he will be found out. Would he be willing to give up, say, five seconds - or even more? I think he would, if it meant he would no longer be marked so closely, that his team could rest a bit more, and that he could later gain significant time because he was catching them unawares. That would be an awesome thing to watch.

So what was it we saw today on stage 12? Was it what it appeared to be, a weak and wounded Contador, vulnerable to attack and barely hanging on? Or was it Contador playing his cards close to his chest, holding back for the decisive selection on Saturday, where he plans to essentially win the Tour? I have to say, he was so convincing that I feared it was the former, a demoralized champion on his last legs.

Thanks to encouragement from The Hitch ("It ain't over") and others, though, and having had time to reflect, I think there is still a strong possibility that we will see AC unleash something awesome on stage 14. If he doesn't, or can't, then as Hitch says, it's over for him. Do or die.

As for the others, I'll stick with my pick of Basso for second, or first if AC falters, and not only for the Tour but also for this stage if Contador can't win it.

I had Andy for third step on the podium but now I'm thinking Evans. If stage 14 doesn't turn out to be Evans' bad day, I think he'll place very highly here, too.

EDIT: And even if it isn't realistic to think he can win the Tour in one fell swoop here, he can certainly establish his authority, and bring the battle to his rivals - something he needs to do on this stage, at the very least.

 

[auscyclefan94]

They are still obssessed with Contador so i think Contador can play that card in the Alpes if he loses another 15- 30 here.

This is his mountain though.

It is his mountain because he beat Chicken in a sprint? Come on....

It is more like Armstrong's mountain because of his domination on this climb twice in le tour. People sometimes let their hate for something cloud reasonable judgement.