Re: Re:
I think both Giro and Vuelta are way harder. Especially the Giro, go take a look at stage 16 of this year and then compare it with the queen stage of this year's tour.
Valv.Piti said:
I think both Giro and Vuelta are way harder. Especially the Giro, go take a look at stage 16 of this year and then compare it with the queen stage of this year's tour.
Re: Re:
The Giro was not very difficult this year.
Dumoulin is not a great climber and he won, it's not a coincidence.
Mozart92 said:
The Giro was not very difficult this year.
Dumoulin is not a great climber and he won, it's not a coincidence.
Not difficult by Giro's standards. true. If there was a mountain finish like the Zoncolan, Dumoulin would have never won. But it was still way harder than this years tour, lots more intermediate stages, tougher climbs.
- Mar 26, 2015
- 7,144
- 2,633
- 18,180
Some danish TV station thought it would be fun (it wasn't), so ask a bunch of the riders in in the mix zone today, how to pronounce "Jakob Fuglsang".
It wasn't funny until they got to Taylor Phinney, who pronounced it well, so the interviewer asked "do you have danish relavites?"
His answer: "No, but I'm connected to the whole world brah"
I LOVE HIM
It wasn't funny until they got to Taylor Phinney, who pronounced it well, so the interviewer asked "do you have danish relavites?"
His answer: "No, but I'm connected to the whole world brah"
I LOVE HIM
- Aug 6, 2010
- 6,884
- 6,216
- 23,180
Re: Re:
Well it could still be an interesting mountainous route without summit finishers (or at least just without hard MTF's).
The Tour often delights in A) a longish hard MTF, and more recently B) a finish almost directly off a long, steep descent. The former often restricts the amount of GC action in the stages surrounding it (as well as sometimes on the stage itself), whilst the latter increases the chances of crashes, which incidentally bunch sprint finishers do also.
What it would be good to see more of, is the HC/Cat 1 penultimate climb, followed by the Cat 2/3 finishing climb, so more of a hilltop finish. This reduces the chances of the negative factors that I mentioned above.
Even the Giro (which utilises this format the best/most) probably doesn't do it enough. For the Tour the best/most famous example would be the AX3-Domaines stage from 2013 (okay, the final climb is much harder than Cat 2, but still, much easier than the penultimate climb). Why aren't such final forty kms including more often in GT stages?
Alexandre B. said:
Well it could still be an interesting mountainous route without summit finishers (or at least just without hard MTF's).
The Tour often delights in A) a longish hard MTF, and more recently B) a finish almost directly off a long, steep descent. The former often restricts the amount of GC action in the stages surrounding it (as well as sometimes on the stage itself), whilst the latter increases the chances of crashes, which incidentally bunch sprint finishers do also.
What it would be good to see more of, is the HC/Cat 1 penultimate climb, followed by the Cat 2/3 finishing climb, so more of a hilltop finish. This reduces the chances of the negative factors that I mentioned above.
Even the Giro (which utilises this format the best/most) probably doesn't do it enough. For the Tour the best/most famous example would be the AX3-Domaines stage from 2013 (okay, the final climb is much harder than Cat 2, but still, much easier than the penultimate climb). Why aren't such final forty kms including more often in GT stages?
The first 200km are a waste of time as Kittel is unbeatable in the sprint. The only chance is if the other sprinters teams put riders into a larger break and make Quickstep do all the work in the chase which is unaable to close the gap. Surely the other teams have to try something different, another small breakaway which is allowed little leeway will lead to another pointless boring day.
- Jan 10, 2010
- 1,717
- 1
- 10,485
- Aug 12, 2012
- 6,996
- 1,011
- 20,680
I dont like so many flat stages...maybe is to put more in difficult climbers in a Tour with so little ITT, but is boring and more with Kittel supremacy. Just with a climb close to the end or something similar would me much more interesting. Anyway maybe becuose I am spanish and they are close to Spain, and I know Pau quite well, I expect something interesenting about today stage.
- Mar 17, 2009
- 472
- 7
- 9,295
rick james
BANNED
- Sep 2, 2014
- 7,677
- 110
- 12,680
rick james
BANNED
- Sep 2, 2014
- 7,677
- 110
- 12,680
- Jun 6, 2015
- 98
- 0
- 0
- Mar 13, 2009
- 29,413
- 3,482
- 28,180
Re: Re:
Dumoulin is a way better climber than you give him credit for then. Apart from Piancavallo, he was either with the best, in front of the best, or not further than 24 seconds from the best.
I'm not saying he's a Froome or something. But he's clearly risen to an 'elite' climber. No worse than Pinot on good days. On average maybe slightly less. But not by much..
swissfr said:
Dumoulin is a way better climber than you give him credit for then. Apart from Piancavallo, he was either with the best, in front of the best, or not further than 24 seconds from the best.
I'm not saying he's a Froome or something. But he's clearly risen to an 'elite' climber. No worse than Pinot on good days. On average maybe slightly less. But not by much..
there is one thing I don't quite get:
if Peter Sagan is in a break, nobody is willing to contribute a single pull, as Peter is (and perhaps rightly so) regarded as clearly the strongest rider ...
in these pan flat stages, there is no one able to challenge Marcel Kittel in the final sprint (especially after (in this order) Cavendish, Sagan and Démare are gone) - still other teams with decent sprinters but no match to Kittel are willing to take a huge share of the peloton pacing work ....
if I were DS (with a sprinter not Kittel in my team) I would say, let Quick Step do all the work - the only way we might stand a chance ....
if Peter Sagan is in a break, nobody is willing to contribute a single pull, as Peter is (and perhaps rightly so) regarded as clearly the strongest rider ...
in these pan flat stages, there is no one able to challenge Marcel Kittel in the final sprint (especially after (in this order) Cavendish, Sagan and Démare are gone) - still other teams with decent sprinters but no match to Kittel are willing to take a huge share of the peloton pacing work ....
if I were DS (with a sprinter not Kittel in my team) I would say, let Quick Step do all the work - the only way we might stand a chance ....
Maybe they want have their jerseys and sponsors in the picture? Otherwise I agree, flawed tactics.
TRENDING THREADS
-
World Championship 2025: Men’s RR, September 28- Started by Berniece
- Replies: 2K
-
Il Lombardia 2025, monument, October 11- Started by Krzysztof_O
- Replies: 792
-
European Championship 2025: Men’s RR, October 5- Started by Berniece
- Replies: 854
-
Teams & Riders The Remco Evenepoel is the next Eddy Merckx thread- Started by DNP-Old
- Replies: 35K
-
Teams & Riders Tadej Pogačar discussion thread- Started by Lequack
- Replies: 40K
-
World Championship 2025: Men’s ITT, September 21- Started by Berniece
- Replies: 942
-
Teams & Riders The Great Big Cycling Transfers, Extensions, and Rumours Thread- Started by RedheadDane
- Replies: 13K
Latest posts
-
-
New Jerseys - 2025 Season - TeamKits-Maillots-Tricots-Tenues- Latest: Dazed and Confused
-
-
-
-
Facebook
Twitter
Instagram