Tour de France Stage 2 (3/7/11) - Les Essarts 23km TTT

[Dedelou]

Yes yes yes!

Our boys did it!

Some notes

- Cadel is happy
- The team will give everything and are doing well for Cadel
- Cadel is fresh
- Cadel has rode smartly.
- Cadel has the support of ACF and dwlssonic.


btw, the ACF MAfia have places open if anyone wants to join? Move away from the Dutch Mafia is my call!

Once in awhile , ACF you bring a beautiful grin to my otherwise frowning face.

 

[No_Balls]

Were you there checking passports to know that or simply not surprised because you were one of them.

I knew that comment would come. But well, there were booing also at the team presentation. A little too obvious don´t you think?

And this is the same story which happens in every other sport like Roland Garros where every non-french player, specially Nadal, collecting a lot of hatred.

Shameful not to give the proper respect to a rider trying to do a Giro-Tour. The italians may not liked his participation earlier in Giro d´Italia but at least they went silence with it and cheered the effort. But of course, the french crowd must take it out on the rider, when the disgust should have been directed to rules who governed this farce.

Awful really.

 

[Dekker_Tifosi]

I'm probably not the only one, after today the Schlecks have gone down even more on my ladder...

Hanging in the wheel almost the entire TTT, and they call themselves team leaders... compare that to all other contender teams. They all did their work.

 

[Zerak-Tul]

I'm probably not the only one, after today the Schlecks have gone down even more on my ladder...

Hanging in the wheel almost the entire TTT, and they call themselves team leaders... compare that to all other contender teams. They all did their work.

What kind of logic is this? They've never been good at TTing, especially Frank is catastrophically bad at it. Expecting them to be able to take turns with the likes of Cancellara is absurd.
The Leopard goal was to get Andy+Frank as fast as possible across the line with at least 3 other riders. So obviously they'll drive as fast as they can without dropping the pair, since they obviously had 5 or so riders who are better in a TT than they are.

Making them take turns at the front when they were struggling to keep up at the back would just have been massively counter productive to their overall objective.

 

[thehog]

What kind of logic is this? They've never been good at TTing, especially Frank is catastrophically bad at it. Expecting them to be able to take turns with the likes of Cancellara is absurd.
The Leopard goal was to get Andy+Frank as fast as possible across the line with at least 3 other riders. So obviously they'll drive as fast as they can without dropping the pair, since they obviously had 5 or so riders who are better in a TT than they are.

Making them take turns at the front when they were struggling to keep up at the back would just have been massively counter productive to their overall objective.

Frank did ok considering he was stung by a bee after 5km. He also managed to swallow it!

 

[Andre.J]

I'm glad that boring crap is done with. Let's get back to racing. Bloody TT's ruin everything. It's probably even bad for the planet.

 

[Dekker_Tifosi]

@Zerak
there are many team leaders who are not excellent at ITT... Gesink, Basso, etc, they all did their work...

 

[MajorTom]

There has been some discussion about Hesjedal.

I still don't get what is wrong with his time. There surely is an error.

official overall standing after yesterday's stage +1m55s

official overall standing after today's stage +1m14s

 

[Bye Bye Bicycle]

This love is f***ing right.

 

[Sebastian]

I'm probably not the only one, after today the Schlecks have gone down even more on my ladder...

Hanging in the wheel almost the entire TTT, and they call themselves team leaders... compare that to all other contender teams. They all did their work.

NO, you are definitely not the only one. I agree about every word you wrote.

 

[Liquigas]

There has been some discussion about Hesjedal.

I still don't get what is wrong with his time. There surely is an error.

official overall standing after yesterday's stage +1m55s

official overall standing after today's stage +1m14s

I can't believe how the Tour can get this so wrong

 

[Lanark]

There has been some discussion about Hesjedal.

I still don't get what is wrong with his time. There surely is an error.

official overall standing after yesterday's stage +1m55s

official overall standing after today's stage +1m14s

Maybe he was in the Contador group and got a flat tire in the last 3km or something like that?

 

[Cimber]

Liquigas did much worse than I had expected. To bad for Basso tbh.

SBS did better than I had anticipated, but they really needed to after yesterday. Was surprised to see CAS finish among the 5 first. Noval was a disappointment though

BMC did alot better than what I had thought. Evans will be interesting to follow.

HTC would have won hadnt it been for the Eisel.

Leopard did as expected, but am a bit worried for Frank and Andy regarding the last TT, the way they only managed to hang on (whereas Contador did alot of work in the front). I was surpised that that Fränk didnt crash.

I had expected more from the Shack.

 

[khardung la]

I'm probably not the only one, after today the Schlecks have gone down even more on my ladder...

Hanging in the wheel almost the entire TTT, and they call themselves team leaders... compare that to all other contender teams. They all did their work.

+1 It is pretty amazing. AS takes all the races but the TdF as a training, and now even the last 3 km of yesterday and the whole ITT today. His team would have been faster if he would have been in the front even just 10 seconds at a time, that is for sure.

It is like last year: AS in the shadow of Cancellara and never looking like a worthy champion, more like a junior.

and he is top 10 now!!

 

[Cimber]

no...

canc would've won if he was alone.

No Nuyens would have outsprinted the mighte gladiator at the end, or the other teams would have ganged om on the poor superman

 

[Spine Concept]

What kind of logic is this? They've never been good at TTing, especially Frank is catastrophically bad at it. Expecting them to be able to take turns with the likes of Cancellara is absurd.
The Leopard goal was to get Andy+Frank as fast as possible across the line with at least 3 other riders. So obviously they'll drive as fast as they can without dropping the pair, since they obviously had 5 or so riders who are better in a TT than they are.

Making them take turns at the front when they were struggling to keep up at the back would just have been massively counter productive to their overall objective.

One thing's for sure, Cancellara won't be there to pull them through at the ITT. I have a hunch they will fail, hard.

 

[mr. tibbs]

Poor ride by Schleck. But smart. I guess that's how you win.

In any other year, Contador being down by almost two minutes would make the race more interesting. This year, after the Giro, it may just hand the race to Andy. All because of a single crash that Andy was also held up by but not penalized for.

Very strange Tour this is shaping up to be. Unfortunately, I'm feeling my support of Schleck falter. He's already got a healthy buffer but he hasn't actually done a lick of racing on his own yet--all year!

 

[BigFurryMonster]

Does anyone know where I can find the results on a per-rider basis?

 

[thehog]

Poor ride by Schleck. But smart. I guess that's how you win.

In any other year, Contador being down by almost two minutes would make the race more interesting. This year, after the Giro, it may just hand the race to Andy. All because of a single crash that Andy was also held up by but not penalized for.

Very strange Tour this is shaping up to be. Unfortunately, I'm feeling my support of Schleck falter. He's already got a healthy buffer but he hasn't actually done a lick of racing on his own yet--all year!

Last year Andy sat on Canc over the cobbles & there was no such outrage. This is a team race. Makes no sense for the Shlecks to ride on the front in the TTT. Alberto will take his time back in the ITT. Andy needs to be at least 2.30 in front to have any chance.

 

[roundabout]

1 question. It may have been answered already but no way I'm reading all of this thread.

Who finished second? Official page says BMC but there are people saying that it was Sky.

 

[ScottyMuser]

1 question. It may have been answered already but no way I'm reading all of this thread.

Who finished second? Official page says BMC but there are people saying that it was Sky.

BMC, Sky and Leopard trek all finished between 4 and 5 secs back - IIRC BMC finished 4.5 secs, sky 4.6, and leopard 4.7-8 - i.e. it was incredibly tight, and those splits will not havemade a difference in GC, excepting on countback if a tie at the end.

 

[JimPanzen]

AS must be ****ing himself right now from laughing so hard. 1.38 over Contador due to a crash and wheelsucking in the TTT, this must be like a dream for him. Though I still think Contador will tear the whole bunch apart in the mountains anyway.

 

[jens_attacks]

+1 It is pretty amazing. AS takes all the races but the TdF as a training, and now even the last 3 km of yesterday and the whole ITT today. His team would have been faster if he would have been in the front even just 10 seconds at a time, that is for sure.

It is like last year: AS in the shadow of Cancellara and never looking like a worthy champion, more like a junior.

and he is top 10 now!!

fuccin agree and that's coming from a guy who supported last year andy not alberto.that's not how a champ acts.

bmc,amazing ride.extremely disappointed by the shack,i hope they won't fail like last year.astana and saxo did as expected,maybe astana even better than expected.

gc riders of tour de france 2011,stand united and attack the shiit out of the schlecks!they can't handle pressure anyway.

 

[c&cfan]

AS must be ****ing himself right now from laughing so hard. 1.38 over Contador due to a crash and wheelsucking in the TTT, this must be like a dream for him. Though I still think Contador will tear the whole bunch apart in the mountains anyway.

i hope so.

f*ck it...

do you know what i really hope for? AC to explode this race, even if he explodes himself first. for him this is about winning or not winning! if he cant brake them in pone stage, attack from even more far out the next time, until they explode or he explodes!

give them hell!!

 

[roundabout]

BMC, Sky and Leopard trek all finished between 4 and 5 secs back - IIRC BMC finished 4.5 secs, sky 4.6, and leopard 4.7-8 - i.e. it was incredibly tight, and those splits will not havemade a difference in GC, excepting on countback if a tie at the end.

Thank you. This restores my confidence in the official timing.