TDF Stage 16 - Tuesday, July 20 2010, Bagnères-de-Luchon - Pau, 196 km

[theovaf]

Barredo chasing motorbikes

 

[Big GMaC]

man the shack are sandbagging hard

 

[reigarc]

Lance is now sitting on and not doing any work in the chase. Lame. No way they let him win this stage.

dude, lance's done 15% of the work according to eurosport, that places him above everyone in the break.

nobody will "let him" win, he'll have to break again in the last steep climb. likely with horner and cunego.

i hope he wins, but it certainly won't be easy.

 

[indurain666]

Don't put too much blame on the stage, ok the end sucks but if the world's best climbers can't be bothered racing each other up the Tourmalet and the Aubisque who's guilty of turning it into a non-event?

Contador is sitting smug knowing he's been given an easy day in Yellow, Saxo Bank obviously didn't fancy the challenge of trying to break him. So much for Andy's fighting talk yesterday.

Well Andy has talked a lot, but the truth is we are almost in Paris with only one mountaintop finish to go and a long time trial where is going to lose, best case scenario for him, 1:30... and they have not done absolutely anything to try to win this thing. Deep inside Bjarne's head I think he is going for second again. Bjarne probably knows Andy's actual capabilities, beyond Twitter statements, and he is being prudent and realistic.

 

[Anonymous]

Barredo will win. These 8 working together can't drag him back. Gap has grown back out from 13 sec to 20 sec. Only 7 km left.

 

[Big GMaC]

De Weert hopefully. He's just sat on for 20k+

Or Fedrigo/Moreau/Cunego/Barredo.

You can't really blame De Weert

 

[The Hitch]

dude, lance's done 15% of the work according to eurosport, that places him above everyone in the break.

nobody will "let him" win, he'll have to break again in the last steep climb. likely with horner and cunego.

i hope he wins, but it certainly won't be easy.

It was me who pointed out the Lance 15% stat and that was early on in the break. Later stats showed he dropped to 11% as others rose to 15 16 and 20% for barredo, and it might have come down for lance since then

 

[Bala Verde]

Gesink puncture.

 

[The Hitch]

Gesinmk gets a puncture at the worst possible time, just outside the 3km get out of jail zone.

 

[luckyboy]

You can't really blame De Weert

Oh I wasn't blaming him. Don't really like The Shack or Plaza, so anyone else will do. Preferably one of the French guys.

 

[Bala Verde]

Barredo +23 again!

 

[Spare Tyre]

Anyone but LA.

Anyone but LA.

Anyone but LA.

..... etc

 

[Anonymous]

Gesink flat AGAIN. 3rd flat today?

 

[Mellow Velo]

Gesink with his compulsory 5km out puncture.

Barredo looking good, now.

 

[Tyke1968]

Jeez Gesink get some decent tires!

 

[The Hitch]

chapeau barredo.If he keeps it, will lance get upset at the organisers that they didnt throw him out earlier.

 

[Francois the Postman]

Not Gesink's day. Picked a good one for the punctures though.

Are they gonna make Armstrong close the gap? Shack with a headache here.

 

[Anonymous]

Easy win for Barredo.

 

[nia O'Malley]

This is getting exciting in that half the world prays for LA to win it, and the other half is pinning voodoo dolls for anyone at all to win it but Lance

 

[Bala Verde]

Come on Barredo, you deserve it!!!!

a 40k solo after all these mountains against 8-10 chasers.

 

[Ramira]

v.d. Walle is trying to break up the chase now it seems, it's going to be damn close. If they catch barredo it's going to be so close that it will set up the sprint perfectly for Fedrigo and Cunego.

 

[kurtinsc]

Oh I wasn't blaming him. Don't really like The Shack or Plaza, so anyone else will do. Preferably one of the French guys.

So... is sitting on only bad if you don't like the rider?

I'm just trying to figure out logic here of people who don't want Lance to win because he's not doing enough work... but want De Weert who's done less.

I'm hoping for Moreau... but I can't see how that would happen.

 

[Anonymous]

Barredo has 31 sec now with 3 km left.

 

[Bala Verde]

the 'false flat' now.... OUCH

 

[Jamsque]

I make it 15 seconds, if the chase actually works they'll catch him.