Tour de France 2015 stage 20: Modane - Alpe d'Huez

[Hugo Koblet]

Nibali flat! Froome attack coming up now?

 

[TI-Raleigh]

Flat for Nibs.

 

[PremierAndrew]

Valverde should attack now

 

[Carols]

Nibs flat

 

[TMP402]

Geniez maintaining 3.47 gap, impressive.

 

[Guybrush]

Karma, nibs

 

[Big Doopie]

will froome wait?

 

[Dekker_Tifosi]

Nibali is REALLY unlucky this Tour

 

[Fight.The.Power]

NNOOO

 

[Irondan]

Re:

Lets hope to God this works.

He's not exactly a Rhodes Scholar but he might see right through this one.

 

[Jspear]

Nibbes was very calm at least.

 

[happychappy]

Karma for "nibbles".

 

[Jelantik]

nibali.. karma?

 

[Simurgh]

Re:

Lets hope to God this works.

 

[SeriousSam]

Froome should go full gas. lol

 

[Ramira]

Re: Re:

if quintana doesn't win this tour, i cannot see him ever winning. there has never been a tour with fewer TT kms and so benefitting a climber.

the only way would be if prudhomme decided to turn the tdf into the ridiculous vuelta one year with 13 MTFs.

You seem to forget that he lost 1:30 through a tactical error. In a tour where he loses less than that in time trials, which is possible, he'll have as good a shot or better.

Good point, though it does depend on how many TT kilometers there are. He lost only 11 seconds in the first TT, probably the same he'd lose in a prologue. And in 2013 he lost over a minute in 32km. So I think for a Tour with about 40km you're right. And there should be plenty of those.

What is true though is that unless he becomes a significantly better climber than Froome any Tour with 2 long TT's would be almost impossible to win. But right now I say he's odds on to win one Tour in his life. Though of course he could have a setback or a young rider could come and overtake him before he gets a chance to beat Froome (or Nibali/Contador).

Froome is older than Quintana so I expect that in 2 or 3 years NQ could be a better climber than froome

I very much agree with that, though it could be 4 or 5, people age differently and Froome had a rather late peak. But at some point Quintana will beat him easily. The question is, will Quintana still be the best of the riders currently in their mid twenties by then.

Aru and Landa are around the same age, though not at his level now they might have more room for growth. And of course there's a bunch of very talented young climbers coming up, we don't know where they'll end up, but if Quintana is unlucky one of them will overshadow him. So he can't rest on his laurels thinking he'll win when Froome/Nibali/Contador are to old/retire, every chance missed is one he might never get back.

 

[Savant12]

Re:

will froome wait?

On the radio for the team car to block Nibali coming back

 

[TMP402]

Okay scratch that he lost 17 seconds' distance in about 10 IRL.

 

[mspgrandi]

Thats the podium gone for niibali

 

[PremierAndrew]

Re: Re:

if quintana doesn't win this tour, i cannot see him ever winning. there has never been a tour with fewer TT kms and so benefitting a climber.

the only way would be if prudhomme decided to turn the tdf into the ridiculous vuelta one year with 13 MTFs.

You seem to forget that he lost 1:30 through a tactical error. In a tour where he loses less than that in time trials, which is possible, he'll have as good a shot or better.

I hate to say it, i only think Froome went all inn on Saint-Martin. He held back on all the other stages, we are about to get some years of Froome domination.

Froome was already quite unlucky at the Tour. He could have won in 2012 without having to slave for Brad, he won 2013, he probably would have won 2014, and he wins 2015. It seems unbroken dominance is incredibly hard to achieve even if you are the strongest rider every year, makes Armstrong and Indurain all the more impressive.

Not to mention he should have the 2011 Vuelta on his palmares as well.

 

[Hugo Koblet]

Quintana will attack in a moment.

 

[whittashau]

Jesus, Nibali's had a lot of technical this Tour

 

[Ramira]

Re:

Lets hope to God this works.

Maybe Thomas will take that exit, if he still thinks he's Froome after his crash.

And! Quintana!!

 

[TI-Raleigh]

Nairo goes!

 

[Afrank]

Quintana goes.