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Archibald said:cancellara not in yellow, so if (like last year) the DS's make an agreement, the instruction will go through Hushovd.
anyone who actually believes it was cancellara's decision conveniently forgets about the race radio that Riis used to let him know what was happening a kilometres behind him and instructed him to do what he did.
Moondance said:OPL proving that they're just as good as strangling a stage to death as HTC in their glory days
thats sport for you - some times it exciting some times it isnt...Dekker_Tifosi said:This is boring with a Capital B
Only last 10/5km will be nice
Jamsque said:Killing off the what now? Jesus you guys are pathetic. OPL are riding to win the damn stage, just like every single other team.
Jamsque said:Killing off the what now? Jesus you guys are pathetic. OPL are riding to win the damn stage, just like every single other team.
Moondance said:OPL proving that they're just as good as strangling a stage to death as HTC in their glory days
Moondance said:OPL proving that they're just as good as strangling a stage to death as HTC in their glory days
well i disagreeZinoviev Letter said:Oh come on. Everyone knows that. But just as nobody liked watching Wimbledon's brutally effective "route one" football, nobody likes watching a team or two teams do the HTC thing. We do after all watch this stuff for hours and hours in the hope of excitement and entertainment and there's nothing particularly exciting about 150 kms of a doomed break being left to dangle off the front.
Jamsque said:'Do the HTC thing'? Seriously? You guys think that HTC invented the concept of riding to pull back the breakaway?
well said!!!!!!!Zinoviev Letter said:Did someone take a bite out of your lunch or something?
No, nobody thinks that HTC invented the concept of riding to pull back the breakaway. What I do think is that HTC are a team devoted with machine like precision to a particular, very effective, tactic. A tactic which involves letting a small break go away and then holding them, dangling, out in front of the peloton all day. Their whole team strategy is premised on making sure that the break of the day is futile and that late attacks can't be successful either. It's not a tactic they use, they are the incarnation of that tactic. They are very good at it. And as a consequence, most flat stages have about three minutes of excitement apart from an occasional crash.
Believe it or not, knowing in advance that the break of the day is doomed, that they'll be left out there till the last few kms to ensure no further significant breaks and that late attacks will be squelched with a grim efficiency, does not in fact add to the excitement and entertainment a stage provides.
I sometimes wonder if the posters here have ever watched a bike race before. This is how racing has always been. A break of four/five/six gets away in the first 30km, they ride hard for half an hour to pull out a gap, then they ride easy for the middle part of the stage, then they ride hard at the end once the peloton speeds up.Eyeballs Out said:Part of it is that breakaways are riding a lot more conservatively these days - save plenty for the last 40 km and / or another day
Why? Delage did the same yesterday..YoRUsh said:Dont think the other will like Johnny much right now...Taking all the prizes is kind of not-done isnt it?