Tour Down Under - Stage 1: Mawson Lakes - Angaston, 138km

[avantage]

Well, Greipel got 2nd, so why bash him for being not good enough??
He was faster than everybody but one.


Also, regarding Cavendish, I very well remember his comments about usually winning without 100% effort. He said he did 3 full power sprints in 2009: Milan San Remo and the first and the last of his Tour stages.

So... He must be very off the mark, if his usual 70% effort is not good enough for anything worth of note. Of course it can be deliberatel, to fool everybody and make his future stage win bigger news in the press.

 

[The Hitch]

Good win for Goss, but i think Greipel is faster and will come good next few days. Also hope it really was a puncture that took out the one jose and that hell be able to mix it up tomorow.

Also well done to EE for sending 2 riders in the break.

Greipel doesn't have much of a chance in this scenario IMO if Goss has Cav and Renshaw doing leadouts for him, and Goss can climb a little better than Greipel too (though they're saying on the radio that Greipel's lost some weight, maybe he will be able to climb a little better). Shouldn't be very close. I wonder if HTC will go for a second podium place if Goss gets it wrapped up.

I certainatly am not a fan of the TDU or the way its hyped up by the Aussies on here. But is it really that bad? That after a crappy sprint on stage 1 we know whose going to win?

Down the line Cavendish will expect payback at the big tours. Seems to be how it works these days.

Give them an inch, they’ll take a yard. Maybe hell repay Cav at the Giro, but once Goss has had his taste for blood he will be a carnivour forever.

 

[Cobblestoned]

I love cyclingfans. They turn everything into a doctoral thesis and a discussion about meaning of life.

 

[search]

Also hope it really was a puncture that took out the one jose and that hell be able to mix it up tomorow.

from saxobanksungard.com: "We did what we could to bring Baden (Cooke) in a perfect position and the Haedo brothers did an amazing job," concluded Saxo Bank-SunGard's Brian Vandborg.

looks like Cooke is the one for the sprints at saxobank

 

[The Hitch]

from saxobanksungard.com: "We did what we could to bring Baden (Cooke) in a perfect position and the Haedo brothers did an amazing job," concluded Saxo Bank-SunGard's Brian Vandborg.

looks like Cooke is the one for the sprints at saxobank

Hopefully thats just for the TOur. Dont see jose beating these guys anyway. But i hope he gets opportunities at gts and other races.

 

[Captain_Cavman]

Well done to Goss. But can't help feeling that if Greipel and Goss had been on each others teams, Greipel would have won easily and Goss would have struggled to get in the frame.

If Greipel is to win any of these he can't be giving away so much ground, and that's with Sky screwing up every time and Garmin no-showing. It's not going to get any easier.

 

[Zinoviev Letter]

Well done to Goss. But can't help feeling that if Greipel and Goss had been on each others teams, Greipel would have won easily and Goss would have struggled to get in the frame.

That's the nature of road sprinting, particularly in the era of the specialised sprinters team. Put any of the best 10 sprinters in the world on the end of the HTC train and they will win a lot of races. A lot of these guys are close enough to each other in terms of individual ability, so of course having what amounts to a headstart will often be decisive.

Now, that doesn't mean that those sprinters are simply interchangeable. Cavendish is still going to make the most of the advantage his team gives him more often than anyone else because he's the fastest.

 

[rzombie1988]

Goss is the favorite for the overall. Renshaw is really the best leadout man in the world and did a great job again.
Also good to see Greipel in shape after switching teams. He doesn't tend to loose his form during the season, so I hope for some strong results. Hopefully he'll be in better position in the sprint tomorrow. 15th place with 300m was a bit too far back and he lost a lot of engery in the wind between 300m and 200m.

Renshaw IMO is the most underrated cyclist. He never gets the credit he deserves. He should be getting paid as much as Cav does. I think he could lead just about anyone to a victory.

 

[Zinoviev Letter]

Renshaw IMO is the most underrated cyclist. He never gets the credit he deserves. He should be getting paid as much as Cav does. I think he could lead just about anyone to a victory.

Renshaw gets loads of credit. He's generally regarded as the best lead out man in the world. And I bet he's on very good money, because if he wasn't he'd be off somewhere else looking for his own wins.