Tirreno - Adriatico Stage 4, Narni -> Prati Di Tivo, 173 kms (09/03/2013)

[Red Rick]

Lol, Sporza has Contador at 3rd and 4th in gc

There are still some things only the great one can do

 

[Parrulo]

take it to the clinic from my post onwards ban will be handed

 

[gruppeto993]

From now on Sky will win every GT and stage race! To avoid disappointment we should all always cheer for Sky!

 

[El Pistolero]

Also this is a little anecdote not a lot of people might be aware of:

Quick Step called some talented young riders to train with them for a week in the 2009 season and they had them extensively tested to get a good idea about their potential. The highest 2 test results came from Peter Sagan and Michal Kwiatkowski. They were both off the charts. QS tried to sign Sagan under the condition that he would stay in the U23 ranks for one more year, but because they couldn't really communicate with him(no English) he left for his home country with his dream shattered and decided to focus on mountainbiking(in a team sponsored by Cannondale). Also QS didn't have enough money at the time to sign such riders.

But anyway, Kwiatkowski's results were just as good as Sagan, says a lot about his potential.

 

[thehog]

Contador should just sit on the train all the way up. Surely he could beat Froome over a final km..

He should talk to his Doctor.

 

[SafeBet]

Contador should just sit on the train all the way up. Surely he could beat Froome over a final km..

I don't really think so. Froomey has more acceleration.

 

[trevim]

Sure we have.....US Postal

I was too young then
Anyway I just realized Dombrowski was out of the picture today. I can only imagine if he had been there.
Sky should take me in next year: I could be their guy to win the Volta a Portugal. I would be just fine with Boswell, Edmondson, Rasch, Rowe, Puccio, Stannard and Sutton

 

[SafeBet]

Also this is a little anecdote not a lot of people might be aware of:

Quick Step called some talented young riders to train with them for a week in the 2009 season and they had them extensively tested to get a good idea about their potential. The highest 2 test results came from Peter Sagan and Michal Kwiatkowski. They were both off the charts. QS tried to sign Sagan under the condition that he would stay in the U23 ranks for one more year, but because they couldn't really communicate with him(no English) he left for his home country with his dream shattered and decided to focus on mountainbiking(in a team sponsored by Cannondale). Also QS didn't have enough money at the time to sign such riders.

But anyway, Kwiatkowski's results were just as good as Sagan, says a lot about his potential.

Interesting to know.
Yeah he's a very promising rider. Next two stages might be hard to control but he actually has a chance of winning the GC.

 

[roundabout]

I don't really think so. Froomey has more acceleration.

I can't really quantify it, but I expect Contador to do better tomorrow.

 

[airstream]

Contador fans complain about US Postal??! Let's ban all the users!

 

[RHRH19861986]

Also this is a little anecdote not a lot of people might be aware of:

Quick Step called some talented young riders to train with them for a week in the 2009 season and they had them extensively tested to get a good idea about their potential. The highest 2 test results came from Peter Sagan and Michal Kwiatkowski. They were both off the charts. QS tried to sign Sagan under the condition that he would stay in the U23 ranks for one more year, but because they couldn't really communicate with him(no English) he left for his home country with his dream shattered and decided to focus on mountainbiking(in a team sponsored by Cannondale). Also QS didn't have enough money at the time to sign such riders.

But anyway, Kwiatkowski's results were just as good as Sagan, says a lot about his potential.

Yeah, I think Levevere will be mad about not having signed Sagan nowadays.

On the other hand, he had the money to sign Tratnik

 

[Waterloo Sunrise]

I think folks get that, but there were 6 riders and given wind resistance, the riders sitting behind Froome would share a similar (if not greater) drafting benefit, no? I'm not an expert, so I very well could be wrong. But logically it doesn't seem like Sky's success is a function of drafting.

I'm curious to see what Michael Rogers has to say. He's reverted to his pre-Sky form/fitness level--so I'm curious to see what hear what he's doing differently (from a training perspective) since he's left the Skyborg.

No dafting still applies. Contador used his strength fighting Henao & Uran rather than waiting to attack later when it would be 1 on 1. Froome was the last man to put his nose in the wind after everyone else had made pointless forrays

 

[Publicus]

Contador fans complain about US Postal??! Let's ban all the users!

Perhaps you misunderstood, but no one was complaining about US Postal. They merely referenced them as an example of Sky's dominance on the climbs. Put your faux outrage away.

 

[airstream]

Perhaps you misunderstood, but no one was complaining about US Postal. They merely referenced them as an example of Sky's dominance on the climbs. Put your faux outrage away.

Then I am sorry.

 

[El Pistolero]

No dafting still applies. Contador used his strength fighting Henao & Uran rather than waiting to attack later when it would be 1 on 1. Froome was the last man to put his nose in the wind after everyone else had made pointless forrays

Kinda hard to do when you have 5 domestiques that are just as good as anyone else in the group... It's unheard of dominance. Not even US Postal was this good outside July. Not even Molteni was this good...

 

[Publicus]

No dafting still applies. Contador used his strength fighting Henao & Uran rather than waiting to attack later when it would be 1 on 1. Froome was the last man to put his nose in the wind after everyone else had made pointless forrays

Fair enough then. Contador will have to adjust his tactics. Still very curious about Rogers. He's a shell of himself at the moment, which I find surprising---it's not like he could have forgotten what training works for him to perform at a high level in a year or Sky's MTF tactics. Perhaps Riis is playing a long game here. Not giving away what he knows until the Tour. All speculation at this point.

If things continue this way, I don't see how we don't have a repeat of the 2012 Tour de France podium with Wiggo and Froome switching places.

 

[Libertine Seguros]

No dafting still applies. Contador used his strength fighting Henao & Uran rather than waiting to attack later when it would be 1 on 1. Froome was the last man to put his nose in the wind after everyone else had made pointless forrays

So the future of cycling is one where Purito is seen as a guy who 'goes from afar'. Cool.

 

[ferryman]

Contador fans complain about US Postal??! Let's ban all the users!

Don't let veil slip. How do you know they are Contador fans?

 

[Peccio89]

let's be honest, unless the gradient is above 10% for a consistent period of time it's impossible to gain a lot of time on the sky train.
Bad feeling in tour prospective.

 

[Vino attacks everyone]

I think AC fans are forgeting something. Santambrogio and papa Horner are both better climbers than AC. You guys should drop this sport for some years until this nightmare of anglo saxon dominance is over

 

[Miburo]

Fair enough then. Contador will have to adjust his tactics. Still very curious about Rogers. He's a shell of himself at the moment, which I find surprising---it's not like he could have forgotten what training works for him to perform at a high level in a year or Sky's MTF tactics. Perhaps Riis is playing a long game here. Not giving away what he knows until the Tour. All speculation at this point.

If things continue this way, I don't see how we don't have a repeat of the 2012 Tour de France podium with Wiggo and Froome switching places.

I'm coming to accept that Froome will win against Contador but Wiggins too?

Froome is the favorite to win the tour. That's certain...

 

[trevim]

I think AC fans are forgeting something. Santambrogio and papa Horner are both better climbers than AC. You guys should drop this sport for some years until this nightmare of anglo saxon dominance is over

That was exactly my point and I'm a AC fan

 

[Dazed and Confused]

Only two Sky riders in top 10.
Looks like failure.

 

[jens_attacks]

well no surprise here. loved it though

that's what happens when you have unlimited budget for absolutely everything
chapeau to the man who invented the "skyborgs" name though because definitely uk postal wasn't worthy of this. those guys raced like this only one time a year. they were weak compared to these fine tuned athletes

deserved win for chris and quite good italian at the interview. he will win this race
alberto...if this will be his level for le tour he won't make the top 5. i'm pretty sure he will improve...right now he's looking pathetic with those 1 minute attacks.i would like the 2009 alberto to storm lanciano tomorrow

happy for:
papy horner,just like i expected he was there
poels,great that he came back after such a horrific accident
kwiatkowski, absolute monster talent.
also,sergio and rigo did a helluva job today


overall, very disappointed with alberto but happy for chris


but i expect something tomorrow on lanciano.something big

 

[Waterloo Sunrise]

So the future of cycling is one where Purito is seen as a guy who 'goes from afar'. Cool.

It's the only efficient tactic. Changing the rules is the response to take if people don't like spectacle anymore, but for the moment, that was much more exciting and uncertain that a 2009 Bertie attack where the stage ends with 4km to go. Anyone claiming they knew Froome would win with 1500m to go is full of ****.