Tour de France Stage 4: Lorient - Mur de Bretagne - 172.5 km

[No_Balls]

It´s July so sprinting for wins is a bad sign while wheelsucking in a further back while looking like Andy is the form of a lifetime.

for the guys saying alberto looked bad:

this doesn't say much but it's still weird,basso and klodi aren't explosive at all and did better than him

"Setting his own pace"

 

[funnytanlines]

seems like he took it in stride. it was pretty close and even cadel admitted he didn't know if he won or not. and least he didn't do the pistol thing haha. more then the win, he was happier to gain some time back time on the other GC's.

http://velonews.competitor.com/2011/07/news/alberto-contador-takes-some-time-back_181909

LOL Contador fail! I wonder what his reaction might have been when he realised evans won. does anyone know what happened to gilbert yesterday he wasnt that strong but it also might have been because he used up a lot of energy following contador.

 

[greenedge]

Nice work by Evans. Pipped Contador. Hard luck for him earlier but his team pulled him through. Kloden is looking like a big threat. Also last yr Shleck only gained his time on Contador in the 1st week by latching onto Cancellara. Nice work by Hushovd as well.

 

[Midnightfright]

Nice work by Evans. Pipped Contador. Hard luck for him earlier but his team pulled him through. Kloden is looking like a big threat. Also last yr Shleck only gained his time on Contador in the 1st week by latching onto Cancellara. Nice work by Hushovd as well.

It appears this week he would of been better to latch into Evans

 

[Ferminal]

for the guys saying alberto looked bad:

Look at Tony!

 

[just some guy]

2nd best climber in the world looks pretty much under the hammer as well

 

[joeyrobbo]

Dunno why Jens is getting involved.. am also slightly confused why Contador's performance is getting criticised by some

The bottom line is that Contador dropped every main GC contender except Evans on a relatively short climb. How people can criticise a rider for attacking, dropping most of his rivals, and finishing a close second is beyond me.

If the situation was the other way around, and Contador had lost 8 seconds to Schleck today then imagine the hysteria there would be. Andy Schleck has shown nothing all year, and the climb today indicates that this isn't a bluff - riders don't lose time on purpose.

 

[nevada]

Dunno why Jens is getting involved.. am also slightly confused why Contador's performance is getting criticised by some

The bottom line is that Contador dropped every main GC contender except Evans on a relatively short climb. How people can criticise a rider for attacking, dropping most of his rivals, and finishing a close second is beyond me.

If the situation was the other way around, and Contador had lost 8 seconds to Schleck today then imagine the hysteria there would be. Andy Schleck has shown nothing all year, and the climb today indicates that this isn't a bluff - riders don't lose time on purpose.

Because in the Giro he was riding away at will and making everyone else look very average. He wasnt very convincing yesterday.

 

[BYOP88]

Because in the Giro he was riding away at will and making everyone else look very average. He wasnt very convincing yesterday.

The climbs in the Giro were slightly longer and steeper, when he left them behind.

 

[Dutchsmurf]

Because in the Giro he was riding away at will and making everyone else look very average. He wasnt very convincing yesterday.

In the Giro he had real mountains to work with. This was only a small hill and he got countered by 3 (Gilbert, Evans, Vino) of the best guys on small hills.

 

[UpTheRoad]

Because in the Giro he was riding away at will and making everyone else look very average. He wasnt very convincing yesterday.

Did you recall the recall the discussion regarding AC's form after stage 7 of the Giro and the finish up to Montevergine? He was gapped in the sprint the talk centered on how he didn't have it this year.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l5v7Q_mWbds&t=12m0s

He didn't look very convincing then, either, but we certainly know how it turned out.

 

[JimPanzen]

In the Giro he had real mountains to work with. This was only a small hill and he got countered by 3 (Gilbert, Evans, Vino) of the best guys on small hills.

And that's exactly what's impressive. Furthermore, he wasn't only reacting, he put real pressure on them. Though I also think that this isn't a real indication for the form in high mountain stages, for none of the GC contenders.

 

[Kwibus]

Because in the Giro he was riding away at will and making everyone else look very average. He wasnt very convincing yesterday.

Sometimes I really wonder what people are thinking. So bluntly yelling stuff which are totally wrong. Trolls? Haters? Or simply not much knowledge about cycling?

This was a very short hill which is perfectly suited for riders like Evans and Gilbert. Contador almost beat Evans on his specialism. This certainly is proof that Contador wasn't very convincing yesterday...

 

[oncehadhair]

Great win by Evans, despite the effort put in to get back on and make it to the front.
Great strength by George H - great team player - like Stuart O'Grady, Jens Voigt and Neil Stepphens in his prime.
Hoshovd has just ridden himself into legend status - showing he's an all-rounder in the same class as Eric Zabel.
And Contador looked gone half way up the climb. Did well to recover and almost take the stage.

 

[cineteq]

In what was seen as a debatable move, Gilbert chased down teammate Jurgen Van den Broeck when he accelerated and distanced himself from the leaders. Onlookers suggested that Gilbert might have panicked and had only split seconds to decide what to do.

Read more: http://www.velonation.com/News/ID/8970/Tour-de-France-Jurgen-Van-Den-Broeck-and-Philippe-Gilbert-discuss-stage-four-tactics.aspx#ixzz1RKBOEZLb

 

[Escarabajo]

Hitch, you sound as if someone died. I don't want to sound like an *ss, but stop being so dramatic. It's cycling and you should know that this can happen in cycling. Get over yourself. It certainly is dissapointing if your favourite rider lost a lot of time, but the last few days you sound as if you ended up in a depression only because Sanchez lost time

Considering Sammy was the climber after AC and AS last year there is still a lot possible. Ofcourse he's waaay behind allready and his chances for a podium a very slim, but expect Sammy attacking in the mountains. That's something to look forward too.

I don't understand why Sammy Sanchez chances for podium is very slim?? this was stage 4 FGS. He is a very good climber and anything can still happen. Maybe he has very slim chances for the win but not for the podium IMO. And yes Hitch is being very dramatic. We need the happier Hitch back.

 

[UpTheRoad]

In what was seen as a debatable move, Gilbert chased down teammate Jurgen Van den Broeck when he accelerated and distanced himself from the leaders. Onlookers suggested that Gilbert might have panicked and had only split seconds to decide what to do.

Read more: http://www.velonation.com/News/ID/8970/Tour-de-France-Jurgen-Van-Den-Broeck-and-Philippe-Gilbert-discuss-stage-four-tactics.aspx#ixzz1RKBOEZLb

I seriously thought that Gilbert was trying to get a gap on his bridge to VDB2 and then have VDB2 lead him out for the final jump to the finish. But if that were the case, he didn't let VDB2 get far enough ahead and he didn't get any gap, either.

 

[Publicus]

Because in the Giro he was riding away at will and making everyone else look very average. He wasnt very convincing yesterday.

He was routinely criticized here and elsewhere for getting capped on an uphill sprint at the Giro. Which led to his move on Stage 8 and then he blew the doors off on Etna. Next Thursday we will have a better idea of how he is going.

 

[alberto.legstrong]

keep dreaming.

+1 .