TDF Stage 14 - Sunday, July 18 2010, Revel - Ax-3 Domaines, 184 km

[Kwibus]

Oh c`mon we all know professional cyclist are using something. Maybe that isn`t `doping` but they all use something.... Can you now stand and say: I`m 100% sure AC and AS are not doped?

True, we all know they use something. But! You make heroes of people that doped up so badly to win stages that they got caught. So they used a lot more then their opponents. So they ain't that heroic....

 

[Kwibus]

Well today there will be fireworks. The winner has to be AS or AC, unless a breakaway makes it first to the finish.

If AC or AS don't finish before the other top10 riders they failed attacking eachother. Since normally one of them (likely AC) will attack. Normally no other GC contender can follow them.
My hopes are ofcourse on Gesink.

 

[auscyclefan94]

Cycling journalism isn't hard... you crash on a descent, you underperform in a time trial, and there you go: can't descend, can't time trial!

Come on Bobby G, pull a Sammy Sanchez in today's descent and a Cancellara in the final time trial, just to prove those lazy journalists wrong!

In all seriousness, he isn't a worse descender than, say, Andy Schleck, and certainly not a worse time trialist than most of the people around him on GC, with the exception of Leipheimer.

Come on, he is not a great tt'er and you know it. With his descending, he doesn't have a good track record with his downhillskills.

It doesn't?
From the Tour website:.

Oops my bad!

Sorry I was only looking at the Bonascre part.

Is this the same finish as 2005? Why do they call the finish Ax 3 domaines if it finishes in the Plateau de Bonascre? Is it just another name for it?

 

[ErmOkk]

Come on, he is not a great tt'er and you know it. With his descending, he doesn't have a good track record with his downhillskills.


Oops my bad!

Sorry I was only looking at the Bonascre part.

Is this the same finish as 2005? Why do they call the finish Ax 3 domaines if it finishes in the Plateau de Bonascre? Is it just another name for it?

It's just the name of the ski resort I believe...

 

[Delicato]

Plateau de Bonascre is the name of the mountain. Whereas the local ski resort is called Ax-3 Domaines

 

[ak-zaaf]

Come on, he is not a great tt'er and you know it.

There was a race he should have won, and which would have been his biggest win yet, where he failed horribly in the final TT.

Luckily for him it wasn't in the TDF

 

[auscyclefan94]

There was a race he should have won, and which would have been his biggest win yet, where he failed horribly in the final TT.

Luckily for him it wasn't in the TDF

True but the course in the tds tt course is much more suited to his capabilities than the tdf tt course.

 

[mickkk]

It will be absolute carnage, the peleton will be ripped apart. Be a gc rider win in a break from an aussie. Shrek will collapse, contador will fall off, evans will make up 5 minutes.

 

[ak-zaaf]

True but the course in the tds tt course is much more suited to his capabilities than the tdf tt course.

You really didn't get the TDF '08 reference? ;p

I'm not defending Gesink's TT ability, he has yet to show he can hold his own in a long GT TT.

 

[Benotti69]

The two best climbers of the world are not in this race. Not even 3 best, Ricco, Sella and Rasmussen.

i wonder why

 

[Benotti69]

It will be absolute carnage, the peleton will be ripped apart. Be a gc rider win in a break from an aussie. Shrek will collapse, contador will fall off, evans will make up 5 minutes.

someone's being eaves dropping on cuddles wetdreams again

 

[Carstenbf]

Concerns are that Navarro (and Hernandez) went down

Navarro crashed yesterday? Totally missed that. His efforts on Ramaz/Morzine was epic, hope he's ok.

Pailheres forecast headwind.

Bah, reminds me of Ventoux last year. Totally killed all initiative. Don't know todays HC climb. Is the wind likely to be a factor?


Rooting for Saxo, but have a nagging suspicion Schleck will be dropped today. But then again, I don't exactly have a very good track record of trying to predict bikeraces.

 

[theyoungest]

Come on, he is not a great tt'er and you know it. With his descending, he doesn't have a good track record with his downhillskills.

The fact that his last really bad day in a long time happened to be a TT doesn't tell you anything about his TT skills. It does for Cyclingnews though.

Of course he won't like a 50 k flat TT. But neither will Van den Broeck, Rodriguez, Schleck, Kreuziger, Basso...

 

[Scirea]

The fact that his last really bad day in a long time happened to be a TT doesn't tell you anything about his TT skills. It does for Cyclingnews though.

Of course he won't like a 50 k flat TT. But neither will Van den Broeck, Rodriguez, Schleck, Kreuziger, Basso...

Kreuziger should beat Gesink easily in a 50km TT. Van den Broeck not as easily but still without breaking a sweat.

 

[theyoungest]

Kreuziger should beat Gesink easily in a 50km TT. Van den Broeck not as easily but still without breaking a sweat.

Kreuziger is really not that great at longer TTs. Prologues, yes. Longer TTs, not so much. He certainly shouldn't beat Gesink "easily", as you say.

 

[mickkk]

someone's being eaves dropping on cuddles wetdreams again

you never know

 

[van nelle]

I think it is really hard to predict TT results in a 3-w stage race - this one will be after brutal days in Pyre...

Liqui - I think they don't have it. If Basso will show something better than solid ride it will be a big suprise for me. Kreuzi is doing well I think, people are just expecting too much from him. I think big win for him will be to stay consistent and manage to better his 9. place (his goal before Tour). For the team - they are nowhere near the best, Giro is their main race of the year. Still suprised by how weak they are.

Shack - if they don't do anything, it will be complete disgrace, with the team they have here.

I expect Menchov to ride well, it's funny how he is sitting in an excelent position and no talk about him whatsoever

 

[TourOfSardinia]

Carlos

I see Sastre trying as if he was 7 years younger to have the road telling him the truth. That was an epic stage with Jan getting to just 15" after Lance in GC.

S A S T R E today
I hope!

Still hoping!!!!!!!!!

 

[Dekker_Tifosi]

Kreuziger is really not that great at longer TTs. Prologues, yes. Longer TTs, not so much. He certainly shouldn't beat Gesink "easily", as you say.

Nevermind, people always forget about the time trials Gesink did top 10 and beat Kreuziger, like this one:

8. [NED] GESINK Robert RAB 01'25" 1
9. [ITA] CUNEGO Damiano LAM 01'26" 0
10. [ITA] NIBALI Vincenzo LIQ 01'36" 0
11. [CZE] KREUZIGER Roman LIQ 01'41" 0

And then look at them stumbling for explanations.

 

[Scirea]

Totally harmless 9 men breakaway so Contador FTW.

 

[Fourier]

My pick is Sammy Sánchez. He could close a reasonable gap on the descent, then hang on and sprint for the win at the final climb.
But first he has to find his Euskaltel mountain goat climbing legs.

 

[bobmcpartland]

I hope that someone is brave enough to attack on the penultimate climb and try to stay away, rather vtahn play cat and mouse until the last kilometre

 

[Mellow Velo]

Shack - if they don't do anything, it will be complete disgrace, with the team they have here.

They are doing something. Christophe Moreau wants the polka dot jersey, but he can't get off the front, as the Shack are marking him out.
Sad, but true.

 

[icefire]

Gutierrez (Caisse) was in the break, and the Shack leading the peloton until the Spanish champ stopped. It's definitely all about team classification

 

[Carl0880]

I have no problem with riders and/or team not meeting expectations. My problem is for a "Champion", the last 2 stages Lance has given no effort on either ending to stay with the group. Where the hell is the pride. That is where I have a problem.