Thursdays TT (Can Wiggins Seriously Challenge for the Podium)

[jaylew]

Probably not the best judge of what will happen in the TT, but Armstrong looked awfully strong in the TTT stage. I also wouldn't put a lot of relevance into the opening time trial considering how different the two courses are. The first time trial was basically a short uphill time trial which favored riders like Contador while Thursday's TT in more of a traditional flat time trial which will favor the classic time trial riders like Cancellara, Armstrong, Wiggins and Kloden.

My best guess:

1. Cancellara
2. Contador/Armstrong
3. Contador/Armstrong
4. Wiggins
5. Evans/Kloden

I understand what you're saying but the 1st TT was hardly an uphill TT. Cancellara did win it, after all. Also, I'm not sure how you could tell anything from the TTT. At this point I actually think he's going stronger on the climbs than in the TTs. I'd say he finishes between 7th and 15th.

 

[auscyclefan94]

1.Cancellara - long flat straights will suit him down to a 'T'
2.Evans - Has a point to prove that he is still a force to be reckoned with
3. Kloden - Ever consistent in the tt
4.Contador - the long flat straights will hurt Contador but still will put in a good perfomance
5. Grabsch - The big man from Deutschland should power along the flats of Annecy

I still think that Wiggins will go backwards in the tour as the longer harder climbs are still to come as Verbier was only 9km long. I hope Andy Schleck can perform well as i think he is a great guy and a classy bike rider

 

[Animal]

The TT will suit Brad. A cat 3 climb is not enough to slow a pro down. Especially someone in pursuit of a TdF podium place.

And Ventoux is a good climb for testers. It is hard, but steady. It's exposed and windy, so very hard for a Contador style solo attack. I expect Brad to finish Ventoux with his placing intact.

 

[auscyclefan94]

The TT will suit Brad. A cat 3 climb is not enough to slow a pro down. Especially someone in pursuit of a TdF podium place.

And Ventoux is a good climb for testers. It is hard, but steady. It's exposed and windy, so very hard for a Contador style solo attack. I expect Brad to finish Ventoux with his placing intact.

Valverde got a big gap on Ventoux at the dauphine. The tt won't be brad's let down but personally i don't think he will be able to hold his position in the climbs but i hope he does...

 

[Animal]

Valverde was off his face on Doctor Fuente's potions.

 

[auscyclefan94]

Valverde was off his face on Doctor Fuente's potions.

So was AC, except he took a lighter dosage

 

[Jayarbie]

What on earth have you seen from Armstrong since his comeback that leads you to believe he'll win the TT? He is not the TTer he was in his heyday.

I think the results will look eerily similar to the 1st TT, with Cancellara, Contador, Kloden and Evans being the favorites. Not sure about Wiggins; he usually goes better in shorter TTs. Of course he usually can't climb so who knows what to expect from him?

We'll just have to see, then, but I won't bet against Armstrong in a long Tour TT until someone beats him.

 

[mr. tibbs]

1.Cancellara - long flat straights will suit him down to a 'T'
2.Evans - Has a point to prove that he is still a force to be reckoned with
3. Kloden - Ever consistent in the tt
4.Contador - the long flat straights will hurt Contador but still will put in a good perfomance
5. Grabsch - The big man from Deutschland should power along the flats of Annecy

I still think that Wiggins will go backwards in the tour as the longer harder climbs are still to come as Verbier was only 9km long. I hope Andy Schleck can perform well as i think he is a great guy and a classy bike rider

Great picks! I would have made a similar list except for Grabsch. I actually had him picked in a pre-Tour poll to win the TT (reasoning that Cancellara would be spent from efforts like yesterday's in support of Schleck), but now I'm not so sure.

But if he IS strong enough to place a top five, I think he'll be first or second, not fifth. Contador's a bad*ss TTer, but I don't think he can out-muscle an in-form Grabsch. (Ditto for Klodi.)

It'll be fun to see how Wiggins does. I don't think he'll hang on to enough time in the mountains to place on the final podium with a strong TT, but I think he'll do a VERY strong TT.

 

[luckyboy]

I don't see how people are still advocating Lance as a possible winner for the TT when we've seen nothing to prove that he will be so far.

If yesterday's stage was anything to go by, Wiggins will already be ahead of him by then, with possibly Andy in 2nd overall.


I can't really see past Cancellara, but maybe Martin can do something? Isn't there a cat.3 climb there too?

 

[Animal]

A cat 3 won't slow Cancellara down.

 

[jaylew]

1.Cancellara - long flat straights will suit him down to a 'T'
2.Evans - Has a point to prove that he is still a force to be reckoned with
3. Kloden - Ever consistent in the tt
4.Contador - the long flat straights will hurt Contador but still will put in a good perfomance
5. Grabsch - The big man from Deutschland should power along the flats of Annecy

Good call. Might be my prediction as well.

 

[Columbiafan]

What about Tony Martin, he will ride top 10 I think in this time trial.

 

[Animal]

1.Cancellara - long flat straights will suit him down to a 'T'
2.Evans - Has a point to prove that he is still a force to be reckoned with
3. Kloden - Ever consistent in the tt
4.Contador - the long flat straights will hurt Contador but still will put in a good perfomance
5. Grabsch - The big man from Deutschland should power along the flats of Annecy

I still think that Wiggins will go backwards in the tour as the longer harder climbs are still to come as Verbier was only 9km long. I hope Andy Schleck can perform well as i think he is a great guy and a classy bike rider

The long flats will favour Wiggo. And the cat 3 won't shake things up. I'd put Wiggo in your list between Cancellara and Evans.

 

[Rechtschreibfehler]

What about Tony Martin, he will ride top 10 I think in this time trial.

Indeed!
People shouldn't forget that the guy actually is a pretty much on the same level as Grabsch time trialing!
And the course does suit Martin a lot.
Not technical, long and pretty strait. The cat. 3 mountain will probably suit him I guess.

Actually I have no Idea what is to expect from Wiggins.
Neither do I know how he can cope with the rest of the hard racing nor if the better mountain skill have done something to his TT abilities.
Also before I'd talk about if he can make the podium I'd wait untill he has done more than one big climb at high speed.
There are riders who are good going up only one mountain but get in trouble if there are more. Also there is a driffrence in lenghs. Most of the mountains coming up are much longer than Verbier.
Anyway, he's a big questionmark to me.

I do not believe Contador can win this one. There's just way to much flat road for him.

I think telling the winner is really hard, as there are a lot of strong time trialist in the peloton. I think the winner will either be Cancellara, Grabsch, Martin or Klöden. Long and flat with a little bump. Almost perfect for them.

 

[jaylew]

I think telling the winner is really hard, as there are a lot of strong time trialist in the peloton.

I think that's the easiest part. I'm predicting the same thing I did for the 1st TT: Cancellara wins or whoever beats him later tests positive.

When he is going well he's almost impossible to beat in a race like this and he appears to be going well. In my mind the only thing that could stop him is if he does a lot of really hard work for the Schleck bros. the day before.

 

[sadfitty]

Wiggo and VdV flew in to Annecy in a helicopter today to do some recon on the TT course. Just the two of them, a team car and a couple of staff.... Looked sharp...

 

[Benneth]

For the TT I'll go:

1.Cancellara
2.Wiggins
3.Contador

No one really knows what Wiggo is capable of. It's all new territory for him and even the TV pundits have been surprised, who had him down for a Top20 GC finish rather than a Top10. Now he looks nailed on for Top 5. He is unproven to stay the pace over sequential tough mountain stages like this week, but one thing is for sure - he's in the road form of his life. He was the only one to attack on Verbiers bar Contador and the Schlecks. Evans can't do anything except defend and Armstrong has finally been found out. Sastre could still be very dangerous though. But... so far I've seen nothing to say that Wiggins shouldnt make the podium.

I'm just glad us Brits have a top bloke to support instead of the likes of face-like-a-slapped-**** Cavendish and Millar (aka Andy Murray).

 

[runninboy]

I think Cancellara takes it.
Wiggins legs will be hurting as the highest placed clean rider I doubt he can hold on to a high place
so I would not be surprised to see the ASTANA 3 taking the next spots

 

[klodifan]

I think Cancellara takes it.
Wiggins legs will be hurting as the highest placed clean rider I doubt he can hold on to a high place
so I would not be surprised to see the ASTANA 3 taking the next spots

I don't know about Cancellara. It depends how much he is asked to work for AS. Wiggins is a wild card for sure.

1. Cancellara
2. Kloden
3. Evans
4. Armstrong
5. Contador or Wiggins