- Feb 14, 2010
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I just hope the stage is interesting because of the course and the racing, not injuries.
Since October, a lot of teams have counted on Stage 3 as their chance to beat Contador. After reading it for months, it's nice to have Judgment Day arrive. As long as he gets through it healthy, the mountain finish on Stage 8 should be interesting.
I've noticed more this year than others that some guys who had sub-par seasons claim to be perfectly prepared and in the form of their lives - Wiggins, Andy, Cavendish. I'm just glad that there's the truth of the race replacing a bit of the BS every day.
Would the race have been safer thus far if there were 20 teams instead of 22?
There's a lot of motivation for guys to be in the break today. They'll have a chance to pick their own lines through the cobbles, and if it's dry, have less dust to deal with. There's also a much better chance to stay upright with no jostling and no line of riders going down in front of them. There are a lot of guys who are already more than nine minutes back and no real threat to GC. I think maybe a bigger group of fifteen or twenty might get away while the nervous peloton tries to save what skin they have left.
For guys like the Texan, it's go time. The Schlecks can't in good conscience put time on Contador today if he has a mechanical or something after he convinced the second group to wait for them yesterday.
Since October, a lot of teams have counted on Stage 3 as their chance to beat Contador. After reading it for months, it's nice to have Judgment Day arrive. As long as he gets through it healthy, the mountain finish on Stage 8 should be interesting.
I've noticed more this year than others that some guys who had sub-par seasons claim to be perfectly prepared and in the form of their lives - Wiggins, Andy, Cavendish. I'm just glad that there's the truth of the race replacing a bit of the BS every day.
Would the race have been safer thus far if there were 20 teams instead of 22?
There's a lot of motivation for guys to be in the break today. They'll have a chance to pick their own lines through the cobbles, and if it's dry, have less dust to deal with. There's also a much better chance to stay upright with no jostling and no line of riders going down in front of them. There are a lot of guys who are already more than nine minutes back and no real threat to GC. I think maybe a bigger group of fifteen or twenty might get away while the nervous peloton tries to save what skin they have left.
For guys like the Texan, it's go time. The Schlecks can't in good conscience put time on Contador today if he has a mechanical or something after he convinced the second group to wait for them yesterday.
- Jun 16, 2009
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Publicus said:
And try to knock LA off as well?
I agree that astana need to attack as that will be a good defence for AC. IF they can do that is another matter.
- Mar 17, 2009
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auscyclefan94 said:And try to knock LA off as well?
I agree that astana need to attack as that will be a good defence for AC. IF they can do that is another matter.
If Radio Shack can attack with Popo and Rast, and it is seen as a credible threat to AC, then I don't know why Vino, Grivko and Iglinsky seem so implausible. And I forgot Noval.
- Jun 25, 2009
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- Jun 16, 2009
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Publicus said:
Iglinsky seems to be the only rider amongst all the guys you've listed which can ride on cobbles. The others I don't think are that great tbh.. JB should of brought in Steegmans for the cobbles. Popo and rast are not that great and vino isn't really a cobble guy.
LA is probably a better overall cobbled rider than AC as you can have a very strong cobbled team but if your leader can't ride on the cobbles, the team is not of much use.
I don't think Hushovd has to ride for Sastre today. He's a good shot for the stage win, and I would guess Cervelo wants a stage win. Klier and Hunt can take care of Sastre.
And I don't think Riis will allow Cancellara to ride for his own chances, they'll probably use the entire team to try and control the race over the cobbles. The same for Flecha and EBH with Sky, Wiggins said yesterday that they would try to gain time on this stage.
With Vandevelde out of the race, Van Summeren and Maaskant are definitely going to try something today.
My final pick is Ballan. Burghardt is tired from yesterday, while Hincapie probably will captain his team to get Evans safely over the cobbles.
Top five then:
1. Hushovd
2. Maaskant
3. Ballan
4. Van Summeren
5. Vandenbergh
And I don't think Riis will allow Cancellara to ride for his own chances, they'll probably use the entire team to try and control the race over the cobbles. The same for Flecha and EBH with Sky, Wiggins said yesterday that they would try to gain time on this stage.
With Vandevelde out of the race, Van Summeren and Maaskant are definitely going to try something today.
My final pick is Ballan. Burghardt is tired from yesterday, while Hincapie probably will captain his team to get Evans safely over the cobbles.
Top five then:
1. Hushovd
2. Maaskant
3. Ballan
4. Van Summeren
5. Vandenbergh
- Jun 16, 2009
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how aobut hondo??? team will work for him as there leader went down yesterday..that's my roughie
- Mar 11, 2009
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Saxo won't go anywhere. Cancellara O'Grady, Voigt and Breschel to be paired off with the Schlecks.
Shack will want the front, but won't want it hard. All their climbers are hurting already. I'm only surprised, given the carnage, that neither Levi or Horner have broken anything............yet.
BMC? Could........but when was the last time Cadel cobbled? Plus, Hincapie kissed the tarmac twice, yesterday and limped home.
QS? All about control
Rabo? Haha
Garmin? The not so magnificent 7
It will happen and it will be Cervelo. (sorry Carlos)
Iban Mayo was 2004, btw. USPS were joined by Hamilton's Phonak and CSC, in killing him off (what a surprise there)
Who was in yellow and got caught up and delayed in the crash, so lost the maillot?
Thor Hushovd, that's who.
Shack will want the front, but won't want it hard. All their climbers are hurting already. I'm only surprised, given the carnage, that neither Levi or Horner have broken anything............yet.
BMC? Could........but when was the last time Cadel cobbled? Plus, Hincapie kissed the tarmac twice, yesterday and limped home.
QS? All about control
Rabo? Haha
Garmin? The not so magnificent 7
It will happen and it will be Cervelo. (sorry Carlos)
Iban Mayo was 2004, btw. USPS were joined by Hamilton's Phonak and CSC, in killing him off (what a surprise there)
Who was in yellow and got caught up and delayed in the crash, so lost the maillot?
Thor Hushovd, that's who.
- Jun 16, 2009
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Mellow Velo said:Saxo won't go anywhere. Cancellara O'Grady, Voigt and Breschel to be paired off with the Schlecks.
Shack will want the front, but won't want it hard. All their climbers are hurting already. I'm only surprised, given the carnage, that neither Levi or Horner have broken anything............yet.
BMC? Could........but when was the last time Cadel cobbled? Plus, Hincapie kissed the tarmac twice, yesterday and limped home.
QS? All about control
Rabo? Haha
Garmin? The not so magnificent 7
It will happen and it will be Cervelo. (sorry Carlos)
Iban Mayo was 2004, btw. USPS were joined by Hamilton's Phonak and CSC, in killing him off (what a surprise there)
Who was in yellow and got caught up and delayed in the crash, so lost the maillot?
Thor Hushovd, that's who.
Cadel is quite confident about the cobbles from a interview yesterday. He is not too sore as he only got bruises (press says otherwise but it is wrong). Hincapie is not too bad even though he has abrasions. BMC still have Burghardt, Kroon and Ballan even if hincapie was out. Cadel on cobbles? We'll see but when he rode on them in april he said that his mtb skills helped him like in the montalcino stage of the giro.
I am just hoping that today, Cancellara will fail dismally.
- Apr 28, 2010
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Mellow Velo said:Saxo won't go anywhere. Cancellara O'Grady, Voigt and Breschel to be paired off with the Schlecks.
Shack will want the front, but won't want it hard. All their climbers are hurting already. I'm only surprised, given the carnage, that neither Levi or Horner have broken anything............yet.
BMC? Could........but when was the last time Cadel cobbled? Plus, Hincapie kissed the tarmac twice, yesterday and limped home.
QS? All about control
Rabo? Haha
Garmin? The not so magnificent 7
It will happen and it will be Cervelo. (sorry Carlos)
Iban Mayo was 2004, btw. USPS were joined by Hamilton's Phonak and CSC, in killing him off (what a surprise there)
Who was in yellow and got caught up and delayed in the crash, so lost the maillot?
Thor Hushovd, that's who.
Sky could spring a surprise today. Flecha, Cummings, EBH, Barry, Pauwels and Thomas have the makings of a decent cobbles team for Wiggins, who should also have the power to do something himself.
Edit: Although to be honest, a surprise for Sky would be that they don't balls it up Giro style and manage to not lose Wiggins any time.
Stewie loves the cobbles, all the Aussies are used to rough roads. What will decide todays stage is where your spare wheel is when you get a flat.
If youre a gun rider, you wont want to be on the cobbles as part of the peleton, better off to get out ahead, have some space and a neutral service car right up your ****.
If youre a gun rider, you wont want to be on the cobbles as part of the peleton, better off to get out ahead, have some space and a neutral service car right up your ****.
- Jun 16, 2009
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I think it is absurd that ASO is not letting teams have extra mechanics out on course. Riders are going to puncture and crash and they have to give them a chance to get back on.
- Mar 11, 2009
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mickkk said:
I thought of Sky: ideal team. However, I also thought of the safety first policy in the prologue.
Not sure how they will play it.
- Mar 11, 2009
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Roland Rat said:
I thought of Sky: ideal team. However, I also thought of the safety first policy in the prologue.
Not sure how they will play it.
- Jun 16, 2009
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Mellow Velo said:
Brailsford has said that wiggo is eager to attack.
It will be possibly more dangerous when the riders are going into cobbled sections then the cobbled sections as everyone wants to be at the front so it will be a brutal day.
- Apr 28, 2010
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Mellow Velo said:
In Brailsford's ITV podcast interview he was talking about taking some risks to try and get time on Contador et al, and suggesting this might be the stage to do it. Seemed odd he would announce that publicly before the event though, so it might just be a bluff.
- Jul 30, 2009
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Roland Rat said:
But they sort of announced it publicy by having Flecha in the team and when they picked Barry over Henderson.
If your GC contender is 70+kg rouleur with a Belgian streak to him you have to have a go on this stage.
The surprise would be if they dont have a go. But that would also be dumb.
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