Tour de Suisse: Stage 6, Meiringen - La Punt (213.3km)

[Moondance]

Proof cycling news hates the Dutch. This was the first write up

Superb stage win for Gesink

By:
Cycling News
Published:
June 17, 17:29,
Updated:
June 17, 17:40

Martin loses yellow to Uran in mountains

 

[The Sheep]

How long is the TT?

 

[Delicato]

Have to say, Armstrong is looking better and better. He could be in the mix at the Tour after all. Not out of the realm of possibility that he wins the GC here, either. We might have a stream of new posters by Sunday.

Don't think so. Wait till the ITT.

Their speed didn't impress me. And the climb wasn't that hard. He hasn't shown anything special.

 

[Epicycle]

Uran still has a shot at the overall, he can TT. He had the setback after his crash 3 years ago but he's really turning into a solid rider and fulfilling his promise. He's still real young, only 23.

 

[Timmy-loves-Rabo]

How long is the TT?

roughly 25 km i think

 

[jaylew]

Gaps aren't listed yet but they are small. New top 10:

1 Robert Gesink (Ned) Rabobank
2 Rigoberto Uran (Col) Caisse d'Epargne
3 Steve Morabito (Swi) BMC Racing Team
4 Fränk Schleck (Lux) Team Saxo Bank
5 Joaquin Rodriguez Oliver (Spa) Team Katusha
6 Matteo Carrara (Ita) Vacansoleil Pro Cycling Team
7 Lance Armstrong (USA) Team Radioshack
8 Oliver Zaugg (Swi) Liquigas-Doimo
9 Jakob Fuglsang (Den) Team Saxo Bank
10 Thomas Lövkvist (Swe) Sky Professional Cycling Team

*Edit* Bala beat me to it.

 

[Moondance]

How long is the TT?

27km. First 11 km is gradual climbing. Rest is even more gradual descent.

Gesink could do it. But I aint hopeful.

 

[jaylew]

Don't think so. Wait till the ITT.

Their speed didn't impress me. And the climb wasn't that hard. He hasn't shown anything special.

Certainly possible but I have my doubts

 

[hfer07]

Have to say, Armstrong is looking better and better. He could be in the mix at the Tour after all. Not out of the realm of possibility that he wins the GC here, either. We might have a stream of new posters by Sunday.

he looked good "following wheels", but I'm sure we won't see him "attacking" anymore, and that's what counts....He's becoming more like the old Evans

 

[Kwibus]

I'm gonna keep my hopes low for Gesink winning it all. The last TT is probably a bit too much for him, but i'm sure that when it really matters he's capable of a decent TT.

 

[Mellow Velo]

The fix is complete. Lance will take this race. Clinic into overdrive.

I saw enough today to confidently predict another of the dullest Tours in history.
Shack will suck everybody dry, then have Kloden pulling for leagues, hoping the other favourites will lose interest or die of boredom.

Still, it will be enough to have the fanboys fainting in excitement and the rest of us looking for a beach.

 

[Bala Verde]

he looked good "following wheels", but I'm sure we won't see him "attacking" anymore, and that's what counts....He's becoming more like the old Evans

You mean the young Evans... The old Evans has changed his habits

 

[Zoncolan]

The fix is complete. Lance will take this race. Clinic into overdrive.

No way he can take a minute off Gesink over 27 km. Gesink has this one in the bag.

 

[Moondance]

The fix is complete. Lance will take this race. Clinic into overdrive.

I saw enough today to confidently predict another of the dullest Tours in history.
Shack will suck everybody dry, then have Kloden pulling for leagues, hoping the other favourites will lose interest or die of boredom.

Still, it will be enough to have the fanboys fainting in excitement and the rest of us looking for a beach.

Even if no more shakeups occur (and tomorrow there is a slight possibility of that) Lance has to make up 54 seconds on the Softie. That's far from automatic IMO.

 

[Rocksteady]

he looked good "following wheels", but I'm sure we won't see him "attacking" anymore, and that's what counts....He's becoming more like the old Evans

If he has any attacks left in him, He will save them all for the TDF.

I thought he looked pretty comfortable today. Interested how the TT goes.

 

[Eyeballs Out]

No way he can take a minute off Gesink over 27 km. Gesink has this one in the bag.

Correct. Armstrong's time-trialling has been his weakest discipline since he came back. I think the old man struggles to get into any kind of aero position these days

If anyone beats Gesink for the GC it will be Morabito

 

[hfer07]

You mean the young Evans... The old Evans has changed his habits

but the "new Evans" is the one "attacking" and getting older every day, of course..

 

[jaylew]

Splits up:

1 Robert Gesink (Ned) Rabobank 25:18:57
2 Rigoberto Uran (Col) Caisse d'Epargne 0:00:29
3 Steve Morabito (Swi) BMC Racing Team 0:00:36
4 Fränk Schleck (Lux) Team Saxo Bank 0:00:38
5 Joaquin Rodriguez Oliver (Spa) Team Katusha 0:00:42
6 Matteo Carrara (Ita) Vacansoleil Pro Cycling Team 0:00:54
7 Lance Armstrong (USA) Team Radioshack 0:00:55
8 Oliver Zaugg (Swi) Liquigas-Doimo 0:01:01
9 Jakob Fuglsang (Den) Team Saxo Bank 0:01:17
10 Thomas Löfkvist (Swe) Sky Professional Cycling Team 0:01:38

Gesink could hang on. He certainly seems to be on good form.

 

[kurtinsc]

Seems like Lance has an okay shot at a podium... but is still a longshot for the overall.

A minute on Gesink? Possible... but not probable I'd say. He was 35 seconds up on Gesink in the 15km stage 1 TT last year at the tour. Even if you assume he's back to that level... it still wouldn't quite be enough.

 

[Delicato]

The fix is complete. Lance will take this race. Clinic into overdrive.

I saw enough today to confidently predict another of the dullest Tours in history.
Shack will suck everybody dry, then have Kloden pulling for leagues, hoping the other favourites will lose interest or die of boredom.

Still, it will be enough to have the fanboys fainting in excitement and the rest of us looking for a beach.

Excuse me, but WTF you are talking about? He finished in the 2nd best group on a mountain stage finishing on the descent. Schlecks were clearly holding back. Heck, only Gesink and some 2nd tier riders like Uran (he is a future star, no doubt, though) are really interested in winning this race.

Even Morabito finished with him.

Pretty sure that Shack will be dropped on the Alpine and Pyrenees climbs.

 

[Alpechraxler]

Lance did quite ok but his "sprint" at the end one hell of a disaster ...

Nice performance by Morabito.

 

[kurtinsc]

Based on stage 1, wouldn't lovkvist or Fuglsang be Gesink's biggest worry?

 

[kurtinsc]

Excuse me, but WTF you are talking about? He finished in the 2nd best group on a mountain stage finishing on the descent. Schlecks were clearly holding back. Heck, only Gesink and some 2nd tier riders like Uran (he is a future star, no doubt, though) are really interested in winning this race.

Even Morabito finished with him.

Pretty sure that Shack will be dropped on the Alpine and Pyrenees climbs.

Wouldn't the assumption be that Lance cares about this race as much as the schlecks do?

 

[theyoungest]

Excuse me, but WTF you are talking about? He finished in the 2nd best group on a mountain stage finishing on the descent. Schlecks were clearly holding back. Heck, only Gesink and some 2nd tier riders like Uran (he is a future star, no doubt, though) are really interested in winning this race.

Even Morabito finished with him.

Pretty sure that Shack will be dropped on the Alpine and Pyrenees climbs.

Sorry to say, but Gesink wasn't interested in winning this race. Not until today, at least. He spent a lot of energy in useless attacks in one of the earlier stages (the one that Schleck won) and took it easy in the prologue, because "it's all in function of the Tour anyway". This result obviously changes it.

People forget that the TT isn't the only stage to follow, there are still two other stages in which time differences can be made. If the GC stays the same, Gesink has it in the bag, barring accidents. He really isn't such a bad TT-er, the longer the TT, the better he does.

 

[Dekker_Tifosi]

Gesink only did 1 longer TT this year, Basque Tour, which was 15km, and which was after a fall (duh) earlier in the race with some road rash remains.
He finished 15th...And that was one of his lesser TT's.

I'm pretty sure he can do it if he doesn't fall or get sick.
In a similar time trial in the Tirreno 2008 he was 6th. Also 30km over hilly terrain.