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

[dgduris]

So...Team LT burn the whole team wick - including a massive performance by Jens Voigt - for what? A two-second gain? That cannot have been a happy bus on the way to dinner.

 

[maxmartin]

basso is not happy with scheleck tacktics, and i think he think the pace is not hard enough

http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/basso-critical-of-schleck-tactics-on-plateau-de-beille

 

[maltiv]

Yes, Wiggins would certainly be sitting pretty right now if he hadn't crashed. So far this tour has been the easiest ever, even more than 2009 when the best team was soft pedalling for the Comeback Kid #2

Wiggins actually did higher w/kgs at the dauphine than they're doing now but I guess it should be different after 13 days of racing. I don't think it's unrealistic to believe that he so far at least would've been fighting for the win, let's not forget he put more than a minute on Evans in the dauphine TT. I almost hope that Contador and Andy Schleck will start flying up mountains again so we won't have to listen to the inevitable "Wiggins could have won the TDF"-talk, which so far seems reasonable!

 

[Cimber]

It is? I thought it was fairly standard cycling 101 to send a cyclist up the road to help at a latter part of a stage. Voigt need something similar for Basso in '04.

I had expecting something a little more bold like a bro attacking at the cat. 1 and then having Voigt and Gerdemann pull through the valley. To have them up the road just to pass on bottles is ridiculous. Both GErde and Voigt werent able to help much on the last climb. They probably would have been able to help alot more if they hadnt been in the break

 

[Sylvester]

Especially because they did a lot of the work at the front of the peloton as well.

 

[ggusta]

a lot of these comments are pathetic.

it reminds of americans complaining that a football match can end up a draw.

Do you actually have anything to say about the stage or would you like to initiate a thread about posters commentary? (Seriously.)

 

[Aguirre]

the stage was a crap

I predict a better contador in the alps, with Saxo (porte, CA Sorensen, Hernandez and Navarro) going as in hell in Izoard and Contador attacking both in Galibier and Alpe d'huez

The Schlecks they loose the Tour today, only Cadel and contador can win this Tour. And voeckler will be top 3 o top 5.

 

[Alpe d'Huez]

Agree the stage was pretty crappy. Disappointing. Like that whiff of stale tire air.

I can see why Basso's not very pleased. Leopard-Trek's "strategy" of burning all their guys out on the flats before the Plateau to catch a bunch of outliers not in contention for GC didn't do anything to the other top contenders.

As others have noted, whatever their strategy was, considering the strength of their team, to have Voigt and Linus there to pass water bottles? What?

 

[Winterfold]

LOL

Watching last 10 KM

Tommy V dishing out the hurt at 1.5km to go.

What are the odds on him for the win?

A poorly prepared Basso looks very comfortable.

To me this suggests big reform in preparation - well done Schlecklet a big 2s

 

[musorowegudo]

I am not sure about that. The only time RS has attacked this Tour was when Contador crashed.

LOL!

Johan will cry if he sees this! When he was reminded about his nemesis, the next thing he twitted about haters . . . He still refutes that he ordered his guys to attack when AC went down, yet it's clear from TV footed that an RS rider was talking over the radio and the whole RS team started hammering hard on the front before Europcar and Omega took over!

 

[ggusta]

.....Like that whiff of stale tire air.

...when I smell that stale air, I pretty much make the exact same face as this dude....

Now...who came up with this strategy? Basso's comments really made it seem like Basso felt like he was competing against morons. And he is just the one who is quoted. What are the rest of them thinking/saying?

Frank Schleck not looking so happy with stage 14's outcome
Photo: © Roberto Bettini


http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/photos/schleck-brothers-lament-a-lack-of-support/182864

 

[webvan]

Yeah that fast pace by Vandevelde was intesting, first time I've ever seen him do that, generally he's just happy to suck wheels like he did in 2008 or do a modest pull for his "de facto" leader (Wiggins in 2009). Danielson couldn't keep up with the sluggish pace afterwards so it wasn't much of an idea anyway.

 

[musorowegudo]

...when I smell that stale air, I pretty much make the exact same face as this dude....

Now...who came up with this strategy? Basso's comments really made it seem like Basso felt like he was competing against morons. And he is just the one who is quoted. What are the rest of them thinking/saying?



http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/photos/schleck-brothers-lament-a-lack-of-support/182864

LOL!

I agree with Basso, morons indeed!

 

[jobiwan]

Sounds like I missed absolutely nothing today.

Sorry Andy and Frank let you down, Hitch. Your preview really deserved better.

2 measly seconds...blah.

I think the Schlecks, Evans, Basso and Contador know that the Alps will decide this race, but it's made the Pyrenees a little disappointing.

 

[Arnout]

Three guys were allowed to go down with the helicopter.

Vanendert, Voeckler and... Andy Schleck. Any explanation on the latter?

 

[hrotha]

Sorry Andy and Frank let you down, Hitch. Your preview really deserved better.

2 measly seconds...blah.

Don't let the stage results fool you, they don't tell the whole story about Andy's strength. He stopped pedalling with 10 meters to go, otherwise he could easily have gained 3 seconds.

 

[Alpe d'Huez]

LOL!

I honestly think it's because no one was setting a fast enough pace up the first 5km or so of the climb. They all saw Leopard-Trek ride like maniacs on the flats leading up to it, but that did nothing more than tow everyone quickly to the climb (and burn their own domestiques out). So when there was no one left to force the pace up the first half of the climb, we saw what we did. At times Basso tried to set the pace, and at one point Vandevelde tried to tow Tommy. But no one really wanted to keep this up. Thus the disorganization and yo-yoing we saw. It was perfect for Voekler, he just had to match attacks at his own strength, which is sort of the rider he is anyway. And it failed to expose any weaknesses that Contador may have had. It did nothing.

Oh wait, that's not right. Andy gained two seconds for all this effort.

 

[Sophistic]

LOL!

I honestly think it's because no one was setting a fast enough pace up the first 5km or so of the climb. They all saw Leopard-Trek ride like maniacs on the flats leading up to it, but that did nothing more than tow everyone quickly to the climb (and burn their own domestiques out). So when there was no one left to force the pace up the first half of the climb, we saw what we did. At times Basso tried to set the pace, and at one point Vandevelde tried to tow Tommy. But no one really wanted to keep this up. Thus the disorganization and yo-yoing we saw. It was perfect for Voekler, he just had to match attacks at his own strength, which is sort of the rider he is anyway. And it failed to expose any weaknesses that Contador may have had. It did nothing.

Oh wait, that's not right. Andy gained two seconds for all this effort.

+1 hope that szmyd will be in Top shape in the alps

 

[Jeanne]

Three guys were allowed to go down with the helicopter.

Vanendert, Voeckler and... Andy Schleck. Any explanation on the latter?

ummm he paid for it (btw, seriously? some guys were allowed to take the helicopter? that is sorta weird.)

 

[jobiwan]

Don't let the stage results fool you, they don't tell the whole story about Andy's strength. He stopped pedalling with 10 meters to go, otherwise he could easily have gained 3 seconds.

If he loses the Tour by 1 second, we know where to look!

 

[El Pistolero]

ummm he paid for it (btw, seriously? some guys were allowed to take the helicopter? that is sorta weird.)

The winner always gets a flight in the helicopter(on mountain finishes).

And yes really. I saw footage of Andy and Jelle talking to each other in the helicopter.

 

[Winterfold]

so we won't have to listen to the inevitable "Wiggins could have won the TDF"-talk, which so far seems reasonable!

As Tommy V might win the Tour talk seems pretty reasonable based on stage 14 I would not get too upset by this

The ITV commentators bigging up the Schlecks attacks while Tommy follows and they can't drop Didi says so much

I hope what it says is that cycling is much cleaner...

 

[hrotha]

ummm he paid for it (btw, seriously? some guys were allowed to take the helicopter? that is sorta weird.)

Winning a stage or wearing the yellow jersey means you have to spend lots of time with protocolary shenanigans and interviews, so the organizers try to make sure you can get almost as much rest as your rivals. And the French love Andy or something.

 

[jobiwan]

And by the way, CONGRATS TO VANENDERT!! Regardless of how this stage was raced, a win is still a win! And a great win indeed!!

 

[Berzin]

the stage was a crap

I predict a better contador in the alps, with Saxo (porte, CA Sorensen, Hernandez and Navarro) going as in hell in Izoard and Contador attacking both in Galibier and Alpe d'huez

The Schlecks they loose the Tour today, only Cadel and contador can win this Tour. And voeckler will be top 3 o top 5.

Contador should have gone today. He had a flat stage tomorrow and a rest day on Monday, which is plenty of time to recover for the next mountain stage on Thursday.

He should have seen that if he killed himself to take time today, none of the other contenders would ride any differently going forward. They are doing nothing more than consolidating their positions and leaving it to the final time trial to see where everyone falls.

If this keeps up and Fabian Cancellara wins the final time trial, we could see a podium where not one of the top three wins a stage or wears the yellow jersey until the final day into Paris.

This scenario would make for the most bogus Tour ever in recorded history.