Tour 2012: Route Rumours / Our wishes

[airstream]

We've got one more overly legendary climb, that will be honoured with two stages in next year's race. Its the Col du Peyresourde! I give to it a 4.

 

[apmfbs]

Its hard to predict who will be stronger in TT. Are you sure Contador could have done the better Grenoble TT if he didnt go to the Giro? - I'm not. Plus Evans is unlikely to ride one more chrono at this level. How much time can Contador gain in the mountains, if after stage 9 it will clear up he has to? la toussuire and the Peyragudes are not steep enough to try to fly on them even for Contador. Evans is not Nibali or Scarponi. He sticks to opponent like a tick. Very very hard to drop him on 5-6%. It will be a very complicated task.

Contador´s best performances have been in climbs such as arcalis, verbier, montagne de lure, etna,.....manyof them are not tough climbs.
In relation to ITT, I think Contador is not worse than Evan in a short ITT ( 38 KM).....................and at the end of the tour who knows.........sastre kept the advantege with evans in a long ITT and he was worse than alberto

 

[airstream]

Contador´s best performances have been in climbs such as arcalis, verbier, montagne de lure, etna,.....manyof them are not tough climbs.
In relation to ITT, I think Contador is not worse than Evan in a short ITT ( 38 KM).....................and at the end of the tour who knows.........sastre kept the advantege with evans in a long ITT and he was worse than alberto

But Contador never did really good plain 50k ТТ which is very likely to be on stage 20.

 

[Cimber]

But Contador never did really good plain 50k ТТ which is very likely to be on stage 20.

At that time he will have minutes on Evans already. A Contador in top form cant be compared with evens imho

 

[The Hitch]

But Contador never did really good plain 50k ТТ which is very likely to be on stage 20.

And Evans has?

 

[airstream]

And Evans has?

Both TT's in 07,. Im sure, on the plain Evans' power and strength have to come out. He just pushes the air using heavier gears.

 

[The Hitch]

Both TT's in 07,. Im sure, on the plain Evans' power and strength have to come out. He just pushes the air using heavier gears.

The first one was up and down. Certainatly no more flat than Annency.

The 2nd one was relatively flat ok, though it wasnt a total success.

BTW Contador did come 4th in a pan flat 40km Vuelta tt which Levi also won.

And they both did very well in the Beijing 50km tt. Cant remember how flat or hilly that one was.

No prizes for guessing who did slightly better though

I do agree that Cadel has more power on the flat. Contador just has a better tt position. Thats why 1 of them has 15 tt victories and the other just 2.

 

[apmfbs]

I think the only ITT tha Alberto has lost against Cadel since 2007 is the last one in Grenoble, and all of us Know that Evans was at his best and Contador wasn´t.
I think Alberto can do really fine in the first ITT of 38 kms, and if we add planche des belles filles and tha CRI I think he will be leader with 1 minute or more against the second, so perhaps Cadel should take advantage of stages as boulogne sur mer and specially Porrentruy.

 

[roundabout]

I think Beijing TT was 2 laps of the road race circuit so quite hilly. Maybe 600 meters of climbing?

 

[roundabout]

Contador lost the Dauphine TT to Evans a couple of years back. And a minute over the rest on 2 stages is a bit optimistic even with Contador liking 20 minute climbs

Edit: 3 stages, forgot the prologue

 

[apmfbs]

Contador lost the Dauphine TT to Evans a couple of years back. And a minute over the rest on 2 stages is a bit optimistic even with Contador liking 20 minute climbs

Edit: 3 stages, forgot the prologue

He lost 2009 CRI , that´s true.

1 minute is not too much, Contador is able to win ITT ( as he did in Annecy 2009) and he can advantage the rest in planche ( it is a really tough climb ).
Iam sure that if he is at 100% only one or two riders will be in less than a minute to Contador after these two stages.
Edit: The prologue...........Alberto is able to win too , but I think cadel and wiggins will do it fine too

 

[roundabout]

I don't deny that it's possible but it's likely to be very borderline. To be a minute ahead he would likely need to beat Evans/Wiggins by 40+ seconds over a 6km climb.

Edit 2: that's assuming Wiggins doesn't lose some seconds in the first few days

 

[apmfbs]

Besides the topic of the ITT, I think Cadel shoul try to attack in the way to boulogne or porrentruy ( as he did in montalcino with vino in 2010), because I think Alberto will overcame or increase the possible deficit of time in the mountains ( I mean enogh time for the last ITT of 52 km)

 

[The Hitch]

Besides the topic of the ITT, I think Cadel shoul try to attack in the way to boulogne or porrentruy ( as he did in montalcino with vino in 2010), because I think Alberto will overcame or increase the possible deficit of time in the mountains ( I mean enogh time for the last ITT of 52 km)

Dont worry. Cancellara will make sure these illegal stages are not contested.

 

[airstream]

I do agree that Cadel has more power on the flat. Contador just has a better tt position. Thats why 1 of them has 15 tt victories and the other just 2.

Its a very common reasoning because Contador initially has been a TT specialist especially for not long distance whereas Evans developed in this discipline very consistently. I mean if Contador has got more victories it unnecessarily characterizes him as the stronger TT'er in the context of Le Tour. We know pretty good whom Contador beat in the Vuelta. Probably, great TT'er Alex Valverde was the best among them.
I wonder why everyone expects the Verbier or Etna scenario. Hate the clinic hints but the last 2 Tours convinced me it is hardly possible.

 

[just some guy]

Besides the topic of the ITT, I think Cadel shoul try to attack in the way to boulogne or porrentruy ( as he did in montalcino with vino in 2010), because I think Alberto will overcame or increase the possible deficit of time in the mountains ( I mean enogh time for the last ITT of 52 km)

a good point Evans has usually time on most of the other GC before they hit the real climbs and will be the goal again next year.

 

[just some guy]

wow, Evans don't even consider Contador as a top rival for TDF 2012.

http://www.marca.com/2011/10/19/ciclismo/tour_francia/1319034230.html

He put Wiggins, Martin, Leipheimer and Andy as the dark horses. I read many senseless things in his words.

Before everyone goes bonkers can we have it confirmed - ie anyone read the original piece.

If he did say it how it reads above wow just crazy.

Yeah, as I said in the other thread this was posted in, I think hes gone mad.

If, as jsg says, he really did say it.

its one thing to write of Contador because you dont think hell be there.

Its another to argue that because he didnt win the Tour this year, he is going to lose to Wiggins and Leipheimer and Martin, next year.

Discounting Contador is mighty stupid unless something got lost in translation.

Confident Cadel Evans focused on defending Tour de France title

“For me, and a few other time trialists, I think it’s open for riders like (Bradley) Wiggins and (Levi) Leipheimer. (Alberto) Contador is also a favorite. In his first victory, there were over 100km of time trials in that year. There are not too many mountaintop finishes, but the mountain stages will be intense and important.”

Maybe lost in translation although again not the original

 

[auscyclefan94]

Confident Cadel Evans focused on defending Tour de France title

Maybe lost in translation although again not the original

Interesting, I am called out when I 'misinterpret' (according to some) Contador's comments but when Cadel says something about AC, the Contador fanboys such as Hitch & Spaniard take it completely out of context post silly comments.

 

[Spaniard]

Interesting, I am called out when I 'misinterpret' (according to some) Contador's comments but when Cadel says something about AC, the Contador fanboys such as Hitch & Spaniard take it completely out of context post silly comments.

I'm a Contador Fanboy, I admit and I read the spanish article and it says very clear that Evans doesn't consider Contador as a top rival, which is senseless for anyone who follows cycling, it could be a bad translation, ok blame the journalist, but the article is very clear.

BTW the post in Velonews is more normal in Cadel's words, but i don't the source of the spanish article.

 

[McLovin]

some crazy good pictures with two of our lead actors.

http://www.velopeloton.com/halloween-on-hautacam/

http://www.velopeloton.com/autumn-tourmalet/

 

[The Hitch]

Interesting, I am called out when I 'misinterpret' (according to some) Contador's comments but when Cadel says something about AC, the Contador fanboys such as Hitch & Spaniard take it completely out of context post silly comments.

I never took anything out of context.

Once again you prove that you don't read peoples posts.

I would rather you put me on ignore than keep just guessing what I have to say.

 

[greenedge]

At least the route of all the GT's will not be comparable. The Giro has limited ITT km and more crazy mountains but is balanced out. The TDF will have a stellar cast as expectation builds before 2013. And the ITT will allow us to see who would have done well in the Big Mig era. The Vuelta will have good short steep climbs but only 1 per stage again.