Tour de Pologne 2.WT 31/07 - 06/08

[Eyeballs Out]

I think the final sprint tomorrow is too flat for Sagan or Marcato against Kittel and the rest especially after their efforts today. Sagan might have a good chance in the intermediate sprint because it might be uncontested except for Haussler but can Liquigas chase down the break in time ?? All things considered I think Martin is favourite to stay in yellow

 

[Dekker_Tifosi]

Wow. Sagan must've completely cracked in the last 200 m. Tomorrow will be interesting. Dan Martin to lead out Haussler?

And poor Nordhaug sacrificed himself again so Cav could have an extra leadout monkey in Copenhagen. They better be paying him well, it's tough being a non-Brit on Team Sky.

Yeah ask Hagen. I bet he is crying.

 

[wirral]

Sagan's best bet is to try and come third overall in the stage, bag 4 seconds and thus the overall win.

You can guarantee Marcato will attack with about 3 km to go to try and get the overall.

 

[Mellow Velo]

He's a Limburger. So that makes matters 100000x more powerfull

Then you are forgiven.
Now, what's with the Mighty V needing all the WT points they can muster?
Are they in danger of finishing behind that 2 man Aussie-Belg outfit or something?

 

[goggalor]

Yeah ask Hagen. I bet he is crying.

They're definitely paying him well.

 

[Dekker_Tifosi]

Yes, VDC are in a bad spot for the rider values thingie thought up by the UCI.

Even if they are top 10 in the CQ ranking. UCI doesn't care

 

[Zinoviev Letter]

I'm not sure that Martin is necessarily the most tactically subtle rider.

He seems to have a fondness for what we might call the "Colombian strategy": Wait until it gets steep and then attack until there's nobody left on your wheel.

 

[royalpig180]

Yes, VDC are in a bad spot for the rider values thingie thought up by the UCI.

Even if they are top 10 in the CQ ranking. UCI doesn't care

Is that really the case? I seem to recall that the ranking the UCI used last year to determine which teams got a ProTeam license was much more similar to the CQ ranking than the WorldTour ranking itself. How else would VDC have ever gotten a license? They sure would help their cause with a strong showing here and in the vuelta though.

 

[royalpig180]

Seems to me that the intermediate sprint plan won't work for Sagan tomorrow. He would need to burn up his team to ensure that the break is caught in time for the sprint, and then beat Haussler in the sprint and have someone else from his team make sure that Martin doesn't get a top 3 spot in the sprint either. If the finish is at all tricky and technical as one above poster mentioned, it could actually be pretty well suited to Sagan, and he only needs third. His big mistake in the Kittell stages of the race was being horribly out of position. Not saying that he would have won any of those stages, but he would have placed higher in stages 2 and 3 had he not been so far back. With a strong lead out and a tough finish, he should have no problem podiuming the stage and could even take another stage win.

All in all though, I'd put my money on Martin to hang on for the win. Too many other teams will be motivated to steal the show with a stage win and Sagan will get shut out like he did in the first 3 stages. Too bad he couldn't hold on for 500 more metres today eh?

 

[Michele]

Very impressive ride by Marcato today! He was dropped on the penultimate climb and half way between that and the last climb you could see him riding alone between the cars.

And funny enought Bettini is not considering him for the Olympic test race nor for Worlds.

 

[wirral]

Tomorrow's final 3 km are flat as a pancake.

 

[Kopuliak]

Seems to me that the intermediate sprint plan won't work for Sagan tomorrow. He would need to burn up his team to ensure that the break is caught in time for the sprint, and then beat Haussler in the sprint and have someone else from his team make sure that Martin doesn't get a top 3 spot in the sprint either. If the finish is at all tricky and technical as one above poster mentioned, it could actually be pretty well suited to Sagan, and he only needs third. His big mistake in the Kittell stages of the race was being horribly out of position. Not saying that he would have won any of those stages, but he would have placed higher in stages 2 and 3 had he not been so far back. With a strong lead out and a tough finish, he should have no problem podiuming the stage and could even take another stage win.

All in all though, I'd put my money on Martin to hang on for the win. Too many other teams will be motivated to steal the show with a stage win and Sagan will get shut out like he did in the first 3 stages. Too bad he couldn't hold on for 500 more metres today eh?

Hm maybe he could if he's 1-2 years older.But anyway, I guess, if he even had a plan for TdP (besides preparing for Vuelta) it was win point classification...He did try keep yellow today, he lost it but I doubt he will be too sad tomorrow.

 

[Zinoviev Letter]

Hm I guess, if he even had a plan for TdP (besides preparing for Vuelta) it was win point classification...He did try keep yellow today, he lost it but I doubt he will be too sad tomorrow.

I think he had an eye on GC from the start, or at the very least wanted it badly after yesterday. He wouldn't have put himself into the red like that if he wasn't very serious about it, and there's no way Nibali, one of the biggest stars in cycling, would have been working like a dog for him if the team didn't think he could do it.

I really don't think he can be written off when he's just three seconds off the win. So no, he'll hardly be crying into his cornflakes with 2 stage wins, 2nd in GC and probably the points jersey, but unless he's wrecked himself entirely trying to cling onto Martin today, I suspect he'll be fighting hard for the GC tomorrow. Also, he needs to contest the final sprint to guarantee Green too.

 

[Dekker_Tifosi]

Is that really the case? I seem to recall that the ranking the UCI used last year to determine which teams got a ProTeam license was much more similar to the CQ ranking than the WorldTour ranking itself. How else would VDC have ever gotten a license? They sure would help their cause with a strong showing here and in the vuelta though.

Ricco and Mosquera

 

[KubaWinter]

Finally, really amazing stage today.

Theres one intermediate sprint tomorrow, Garmin just needs to lead the peleton all the way to make sure Sagan doesnt explode there to get those seconds.

http://tourdepologne.pl/en/t/etap-vii,czasy-przejazdu/

its after 97km.

I have no idea how to say that, but this sprint isnt that easy, its on Krakow Market Square, and the road is paved with setts : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Main_Market_Square,_Kraków

The sprint is very uneasy and technical. I'm studying in Cracow and I rode there few times on road bike. Of course there were plenty of tourist so my max velocity was about 25-30 km/h, but it was still a little bit slippery. With rain it might be only for guys with cojones made of steel Fortunately it's rather smooth than rough. Rest of the route is covered with rather good tarmac, but there are places with degenerated surfaces with furrows. The finish is the same as it was last year.

 

[Zinoviev Letter]

Ricco and Mosquera

Did either of them ever actually race for Vac?

 

[Dekker_Tifosi]

Did either of them ever actually race for Vac?

Ricco did. Mosquera didn't.
But the rider values include transferred riders for the next season

Pretty sure all teams are after T. Martin now HTC disbands.
Anyway off-topic now, sorry

 

[royalpig180]

Ricco did. Mosquera didn't.
But the rider values include transferred riders for the next season

Pretty sure all teams are after T. Martin now HTC disbands.
Anyway off-topic now, sorry

Actually VCD specifically requested that Mosquera's points not be counted once the doping allegations came to light. But you're right. A good portion of their points did come from the signing of Ricco. They probably would have been up there for a license anyway though as they did perform very well in non WT races throughout 2010.

 

[Zinoviev Letter]

Pretty sure all teams are after T. Martin now HTC disbands.

Even aside from the World Tour points, he'd be the biggest prize after Cavendish, perhaps alongside Goss and the better Velits.

 

[Dekker_Tifosi]

Reportedly Sagan had to lie down on the ground after the finish, he was that exhausted

 

[royalpig180]

The sprint is very uneasy and technical. I'm studying in Cracow and I rode there few times on road bike. Of course there were plenty of tourist so my max velocity was about 25-30 km/h, but it was still a little bit slippery. With rain it might be only for guys with cojones made of steel Fortunately it's rather smooth than rough. Rest of the route is covered with rather good tarmac, but there are places with degenerated surfaces with furrows. The finish is the same as it was last year.

If it is truly the same finish as last year (can anyone else confirm) then I'm not seeing whatever it is you're seeing.

Here's the finish of the same stage last year:
http://www.youtube.com/profile?feature=iv&annotation_id=annotation_59487&user=CanalF10#p/search/4/Tqj0UJDxptk

There was a slight bend with a couple kms to go, but even in the wet the pavement was fine and there was nothing especially difficult about it.

This was a true mass sprint, won by Greipel ahead of other pure sprinters in a true bunch kick. That finish certainly would not have favored Sagan and I don't think he could have top 3'd a sprint like that. Obviously thats a year ago and a very different race, but if tomorrow's finish is indeed the same, I can't see Sagan getting the bonus he needs in the sprint.

Hard to look past Kittel for the stage win if that's the case.

 

[El Pistolero]

Reportedly Sagan had to lie down on the ground after the finish, he was that exhausted

Well they showed it on TV lol....

Not that special to see anyway, happens a lot.

 

[Kopuliak]

I think he had an eye on GC from the start, or at the very least wanted it badly after yesterday. He wouldn't have put himself into the red like that if he wasn't very serious about it, and there's no way Nibali, one of the biggest stars in cycling, would have been working like a dog for him if the team didn't think he could do it.

I really don't think he can be written off when he's just three seconds off the win. So no, he'll hardly be crying into his cornflakes with 2 stage wins, 2nd in GC and probably the points jersey, but unless he's wrecked himself entirely trying to cling onto Martin today, I suspect he'll be fighting hard for the GC tomorrow. Also, he needs to contest the final sprint to guarantee Green too.

I understand and I agree, but I wrote about what he did expected BEFORE TdP 1st stage.It's clear that he did try take a chance after yesterday.But I'm sure that he didn't came to Poland to win GC...

 

[Dekker_Tifosi]

Well they showed it on TV lol....

Not that special to see anyway, happens a lot.

I already switched it off at that point out of frustration Poels didn't win

 

[Zinoviev Letter]

I already switched it off at that point out of frustration Poels didn't win

Quite a ride by him though. If Martin had just a tiny fraction less left after his efforts, he'd have taken a great win.