Tour de France Stage 3 Wanze - Arenberg Porte du Hainaut, 207km

[MacRoadie]

Just watched the replay again in high-def and paused/zoomed. Contador's rear tire was definitely flat coming across the line.

 

[M Sport]

Funny, I thought you made excuses when your rival actually beats you...

Best comeback of the day

 

[offbyone]

Just finally watched the stage. Pretty exciting to watch.

However, I am not sure I agree with the result. The tour de france is being decided by mechanicals. But I guess that is racing.

 

[Red Lobster]

Just finally watched the stage. Pretty exciting to watch.

However, I am not sure I agree with the result. The tour de france is being decided by mechanicals. But I guess that is racing.

Yup, the Vuelta was decided by one last year and it had very little to do with cobbles.

 

[lancaster]

Riding with brakes rubbing was a different era the ease
with which hushed won the Sprint was amusing, never went full gas. Cunego can now focus on the maillot a pois. glad samu sanchez didn't lose huge time. There should be classics stages in all its, it's part of bike racing so it's fair that gc boys are able to survive days like yesterday and strade bianchi.

 

[Escarabajo]

Just watched the replay again in high-def and paused/zoomed. Contador's rear tire was definitely flat coming across the line.

+1. Absolutely. I just saw the same thing in HD.

 

[Escarabajo]

WaaWaa What a baby. Excuse maker.
Bet Zipp would wish he would close his yap.

I remember a few years back when Lance rode a stage with the brakes rubbing. He joked about it post stage - did not complain waawaa.
And it was his rear brake - he did not notice until after when his mechanic told him lol.

Alberto could look down and see his front brake rubbing.
C'mon, reach down and open the release.
If it is still rubbing, gnaw through the HB tape and housing and chew through the cable. HTFU AC. Bang bang.

Absolutely. Same goes for Armstrong in Alpe D’Huez.

I think both looked OK. Actually excellent for a Skinny climber like Contador.

I am impressed with Andy.

 

[woodburn]

Absolutely. Same goes for Armstrong in Alpe D’Huez.

I think both looked OK. Actually excellent for a Skinny climber like Contador.

I am impressed with Andy.

Lance was not impressed.

“Andy [Schleck] was in the front, but he had a great team and he didn't have to do anything,” Armstrong continued. “He went in completely rested and we were just fighting for their wheel.”

 

[boardhanger]

Absolutely. Same goes for Armstrong in Alpe D’Huez.

I think both looked OK. Actually excellent for a Skinny climber like Contador.

I am impressed with Andy.

Yet the whole peloton waited for him yesterday
buy not for others today. So when has the TD becomome a race decided in the mountains an dT.Ts. I thought every rirder had a chance???

 

[Anonymous]

what did he do wrong in the finale?

It was neutralized. Had the Cancellara group raced to the line your boy would have been way up on AC, AS and LA.

 

[Moose McKnuckles]

So far, honestly, Cadel has looked the best out of all the GC contenders.

 

[Anonymous]

WaaWaa What a baby. Excuse maker.
Bet Zipp would wish he would close his yap.

I remember a few years back when Lance rode a stage with the brakes rubbing. He joked about it post stage - did not complain waawaa.
And it was his rear brake - he did not notice until after when his mechanic told him lol.

Alberto could look down and see his front brake rubbing.
C'mon, reach down and open the release.

If it is still rubbing, gnaw through the HB tape and housing and chew through the cable. HTFU AC. Bang bang.

Not sure why Zipp would care.

His wheels today were DT Swiss hubs, tied to Ambrosio Nemesis rims. - no Zipp anything in sight.

BTW - you are tedious.

 

[Road Hazard]

Just finally watched the stage. Pretty exciting to watch.

However, I am not sure I agree with the result. The tour de france is being decided by mechanicals. But I guess that is racing.

I'm up to 2x watching the video on Versus. I thought the pave was a bit much but I have to say it was exciting.

Mechanicals yea, different times with different results... crashes (poor Frank) yea, but the top riders showed they are top riders. Cadel, always in the the lead group!

Thor, good ride, hung in there and took the sprint, I dunno can't get to emotional about it though.

Andy, awesome. Cancellara, awesome. O'Grady, awesome earlier on.

Alberto, chapeau du jour because the haters thought his light frame (I ain't talking about the bike) couldn't handle it, but he was bunny hopin, pave ridin' bike racin today.

 

[auscyclefan94]

It was neutralized. Had the Cancellara group raced to the line your boy would have been way up on AC, AS and LA.

Yes, but he had the same idea as FC to wait and neutralise. He had Kroon and Ballan with him I think so he could of done some damage.

Exactly what I am thinking as well.

Yes, La was struggling even before his incident. Quite a few guys were riding away from him such as Van summeren and van den breakaway.

 

[blaxland]

So far, honestly, Cadel has looked the best out of all the GC contenders.

Totally agree Moose McKnuckles.....
Question;Are you becomming a fan of Mr Cadel(cobbles/gravel master)Evans?

 

[auscyclefan94]

Totally agree Moose McKnuckles.....
Question;Are you becomming a fan of Mr Cadel(cobbles/gravel/tt/mountains master)Evans?

edited!!

 

[jaylew]

Jesus, this thread is huge! No way I'm reading through it all. It was a busy day so I just watched the stage - awesome.

May have already been mentioned, but did anyone notice who finished last in the team competition for the day?

Quickstep

 

[auscyclefan94]

Jens cracks the ****s!

 

[Teddler]

Wow Jens teed off there, although for a hard man of cycling to whinge that they made a difficult stage is a tad disappointing.

 

[Kwibus]

Just saw Lance's interview. I respect his views on the stage much more than people like Andy Schleck, buy far. He didn't whine about the stage. He took his medicine and moved on. That is how you deal with adversity.

Absolutely. He didn't whine a bit, unless you consider him saying he had a bit of bad luck whine, but the way he said it it wasn't whine. When they asked him if the paves should be in a GT he said that he was happy with the stage in a GT and that he liked it. So besides the fact he lost he didn't whine or blame it on anything but took it like a man.
Respect LA.

Grats to Hushovd and ASchleck.
nice work by Contador.

 

[Cerberus]

Lance was not impressed.

“Andy [Schleck] was in the front, but he had a great team and he didn't have to do anything,” Armstrong continued. “He went in completely rested and we were just fighting for their wheel.”

I watched that interview, and I took the comment as praise of Saxo Bank, not as trash talking Andy. He prefaced the comment by saying "you can't simulate the effort of getting to the front [in training], Saxo is the perfect example of this".

 

[Wergeland]

Wow Jens teed off there, although for a hard man of cycling to whinge that they made a difficult stage is a tad disappointing.

He was whining yesterday too. He's a tough rider, but also the biggest whiner of the peloton if there's a "dangerous" course. Saxo really shouldn't let him speak to the media after stages like the past two. He's yelling at people sitting at home "in their livingroom, sipping tea". "Why don't you come here and cycle if you think it's so easy!" etc...

Jens whining before the stage: http://msn.tv2sporten.no/sykkel/tdf/voigt-tirsdagens-etappe-blir-et-blodbad-3243799.html

 

[Maxiton]

He was whining yesterday too. He's a tough rider, but also the biggest whiner of the peloton if there's a "dangerous" course. Saxo really shouldn't let him speak to the media after stages like the past two. He's yelling at people sitting at home "in their livingroom, sipping tea". "Why don't you come here and cycle if you think it's so easy!" etc...

Well, he has a point, doesn't he? Part of the reason people love Jens is that he speaks the truth. Here, he is basically saying, "Sure, we'll turn ourselves inside out racing for you, but we don't need to have our bones broken soley for your entertainment." And I can see how he would feel that way . . . even though I loved watching this stage and think they should do this every year .

 

[bobbins]

No one but Saxo bank decides their own tactics and how they'll ride on the cobbles. They could have ridden them steadily with Frank and Andy and then rode hard to limit their losses on the tarmac but they didn't. Frank would have got time back in the hills if he hadn't taken risks. Why do climbers think it their divine right to get an armchair ride to the mountains when they have an advantage. It's a Tour for all bike riders and no one but themselves decides how to ride the course.

Jens needs to pick up his toys and just get on with the job in hand.

 

[auscyclefan94]

Maziton, sport is very much reliant on fans watching so they do need entertainment. Also, guys don't crash or get caught behind when they stay up the front. Alberto, Lance and Frank were too far behind and got caught out. There losses where partially to do with some bad luck but when Cancellara hits the front you have to be on his wheel.

People are saying the crash caused the split but I watched the vision multiple times and the group was already starting to go away and then the crash happened. It all happened so fast.