Tour Down Under - Stage 5: McLaren Vale - Wilunga, 131km

[theyoungest]

The diffrence is that Goss will have support from HTC so there will probably not be one on one sprints between them.

This is about the stage win. I don't expect an entire HTC train to make it over Willunga Hill.

 

[taiwan]

I fancy Davis will play his cards on this stage, but will be lucky to make the podium.

1.Greipel
2.Matthews
3.Goss

Yes, I have a pro-Greipel bias. How do you get rid of those once you have them?

 

[ingsve]

This is about the stage win. I don't expect an entire HTC train to make it over Willunga Hill.

Well, if it will be a bunch sprint and not a small group for the win then Goss will certainly not be alone.

 

[Dundee]

Just a couple of observations.

Greipel has a different role in 2011 than 09 and 10, as the number 2 sprinter last year the requirement to be a winner at races like the TDU was a priority. So your focus would be on the TDU and other races your number 1 is not at.

In 2011 Greipel has a different focus, he is Number 1, he does not need to be winning in January, he needs to be in top form mid year. As mentioned by another, Greipel is 5kg lighter and his attack on the hill was a training attack to see how he recovered. The only hype of a Greipel/Cav showdown came from the promotor, not the riders, telling factor.

As for today, it is possible a group could stay away, but if it is a sprint the climbing will hurt some and with a slight uphill finish the stage suits a Matthews, Davis, Goss and as mentioned above a reinvented Greipel, fast guys who can climb and recover.

Head to head I can not pick a winner as on the day any of the above can make the others look slow.

 

[The Hitch]

What is the estimated finishing time of the race. If someones feeling like a real hero, convert it to gmt

Also whats the temperature there down under?

 

[auscyclefan94]

Why is everyone forgetting Matthews in a stage like this? A thougher stage where the field is a bit decimated/tired.

I expect Rabobank will try something with Ten Dam on Willunga hill, which will ofcourse not make it (if Evans and Valverde can't, how the hell should Ten Dam be able to?), but it will tire/decimate the field, so Matthews can try and win the sprint again.

And no I don't think this will happen or work everytime. I'm just wondering why nobody suggested Matthews before.

I am not, he is a good tip but I think Greipel is climbing very well and he was very strong on Checkers Hill yesterday. He easily accelerated away from Goss.

I can't see him beating Matthew Goss unless Goss punctures again, but surely, Matthews is a possibility for the win.

A group containing someone like Simon Gerrans, Michael Rogers, Ballan, Porte etc, could be able to stay away, but not very likely.

Again, if Evans, Valverde, Luis Leon Sanchez and sagan can't stay away then they won't. Every one of the big teams would have to have riders in the break for it to stay away. Even then some of those big teams would lose out because their riders would have to attack the breakaway group to be able to win overall.

.

That's why SA's government funds it's own race and none of the others want to. As a tax payer in SA, I help fund the event. ACF, as a Victorian, does not. Therefore the race stays here.

SA is south and is the bottom, central section of this continent. Adelaide, being on it's southern central coast, has a point when it says it's Down and Underneath the vast majority of the rest of the continent. We're Down and Underneath most of it. We hold a bike race in our Federated, but separate, state. We call it the Tour Down Under, not the Tour of Australia.

We are sorry if you feel short changed or angry about this. We are sorry we bothered setting up a race down here. If you dislike it, you're welcome to continue pretending we don't exist. We are sorry we are not European and we are sorry we don't share your timezones and seasons. We are sorry we have set up a competent-enough event to attract UCI support. ***** more if this annoys you. It's of little consequence. We're here to stay. We're sorry. Deal with it by ignoring us and denigrating us if this makes you feel better about yourself and your snowed-in, overpopulated location. We'll continue holding an event and we'll keep doing the best we can. You're welcome to hate less, reduce your cynicism, and join us in enjoying it if you like.

Otherwise consider dealing with your displeasure in whichever way you see fit. Just troll a bit less. You don't own the sport and your trolling demonstrates that you sure as hell aren't better than anyone else. you're quite a bit worse in fact.

Thanks and hope this helps!

Doesn't change the fact that Australia is Down under...So are you going to have the tour down under in one state of Australia/Down Under every single year? I don't see how that is fair. Yes taxpayers payed for the tdu but you also payed for the Grand Prix and the Victorian Government took that from you. Now Victorians are paying for it! It is very much possible that the Victorian or any other government could do that. Only problem with Melbourne/Victoria is that the city is far densely populated than Adelaide.

 

[auscyclefan94]

What is the estimated finishing time of the race. If someones feeling like a real hero, convert it to gmt

Also whats the temperature there down under?

It is going to be high 20's, should finish around 3:50am GMT

 

[The Hitch]

It is going to be high 20's, should finish around 3:50am GMT

Thanks. Might get up to watch this and some AUS open at the same time.

 

[Waterloo Sunrise]

Why I am staying up to watch this rubbish after getting up at 3am to watch that shower of ****.

Let's call it research for when Sky realise cycling is some seriously cheap TV per minute for 404.

 

[Waterloo Sunrise]

Can we just call it the orange jersey so I don't have to listen to *** commentators saying ochre like it's a vegetable.

 

[msjett]

Can we just call it the orange jersey so I don't have to listen to *** commentators saying ochre like it's a vegetable.

I am sure it's not the only thing they say that is annoying....btw, I had to laugh, I think it was Phil who called livestrong, Livingstone....hillarious.

 

[simonk]

Hmm, cyclingfans says that the SBS-live-thing is Geo-restricted. Omg, if i have stayed up for this, just to see that i cant watch the race, then im gonna tilt.. Damnit you, Tour Down Under and SBS.

 

[Waterloo Sunrise]

Sky now licking Lance's **** - joy.

And they're off.

Cav break-away win, 4 minutes 30 seconds (ish).

 

[Anonymous]

Hmm, cyclingfans says that the SBS-live-thing is Geo-restricted. Omg, if i have stayed up for this, just to see that i cant watch the race, then im gonna tilt.. Damnit you, Tour Down Under and SBS.

there may be a versus or sky sports stream

SBS is accessible through a proxy, ive already tested it. though its not live yet.

edit: streams expected about 2.55cet apparently, for the last hour or so of the race.

 

[Zinoviev Letter]

If I can't watch this, after coming home from the pub a bit early just to do so, I will cry like a 5 year old girl.


A slightly drunk 5 year old girl.

 

[Ferminal]

Sif don't stream it from the start...

 

[Bailey]

Doesn't change the fact that Australia is Down under...So are you going to have the tour down under in one state of Australia/Down Under every single year? I don't see how that is fair. Yes taxpayers payed for the tdu but you also payed for the Grand Prix and the Victorian Government took that from you. Now Victorians are paying for it! (mad) It is very much possible that the Victorian or any other government could do that. Only problem with Melbourne/Victoria is that the city is far densely populated than Adelaide.

Yes, the "united states of Australia", as a geographical continent, is "Down Under" the rest of the world. The nickname usually applies to AUS in general and as a whole. This race is merely a tour that takes place somewhere down here. SA does not own the term, but uses it. It could easily be called the Tour of SA. Either way, let's all just agree this is a cycling tour that take place somewhere down under.

As Mr Big, the super villain, said in Live and Let Die (when 007 tried to introduce himself to him as "Bond, James Bond"): "Names is fo' tombstones, baby!"

On your other point, you think it's not fair for SA to keep funding and having this event? That's like Illinois saying it's unfair that it never gets to hold the New York marathon! Or like New York saying it's unfair that it never gets to hold the Hawaiian marathon. It's absurd.

We value cycling more than Victoria, so we splash out on it over here. We fund and host a successful event, and we treat the riders, teams and visiting fans like royalty (except for Cavendish, who we leave to ride around on our open roads!) End of story.

Your government could've easily started funding an event like this 13 years ago. It chose not to. Instead it offered Bernie Ecclestone a **** load of money to take our F1 race without even talking to us. Now the pro tour calendar is pretty full, as the ToC knows only too well. That squeezes itself in, but clashes with the Giro. Our race is fully developed, successful and incredibly profitable. It's thriving.

If Victoria wants to tax-payer fund and host a larger scale week-long cycling event, go right ahead. Don't be surprised if SA gets protective of this one after the backdoor F1 GP debacle. Never again will an SA government allow that **** to go down behind the scenes. It will keep on making it worthwhile for the UCI to keep coming back here to SA, that's all.

In the meantime, try not to choke too much on that wonderful F1 GP you stole from our back door! How many millions did you lose on it last year? And the year before? And the year before that?

*poke*

 

[Anonymous]

Youre not missing much. I really dont know if i can cope with three hours of these two ****ers

Team Lay-o-Pard.. wtf

 

[Zinoviev Letter]

Moderately entertaining bickering between Australian posters aside, it's a fair point that the TDU happens in Adelaide because the State government is willing to put resources into making it happen. If other parts of Australia want to host cycling, hopefully they'll put some money into doing so. Until then, there's no point in whining that South Australia won't share the race they pay for with you.

On another note, I really don't see why people give out about the TDU being a sprinter's race. The sprinters have to have their day sometime, and early in the season is a perfect time to let them at it. It's not as if any halfway decent stage racer is going to whip himself into shape in January.

 

[ingsve]

Youre not missing much. I really dont know if i can cope with three hours of these two ****ers

Team Lay-o-Pard.. wtf

Is that the SBS stream or have you found one that isn't geoed?

 

[Anonymous]

Is that the SBS stream or have you found one that isn't geoed?

Ive got sky sports in the house so im watching that. But am still keeping my eyes out for streams.

As far as I know, 2.55am cet the streams start.

 

[Spare Tyre]

The SBS Livestream has started: http://www.sbs.com.au/cyclingcentral/livestream/

I don't know if it's geo-restricted.

 

[Anonymous]

The SBS Livestream has started: http://www.sbs.com.au/cyclingcentral/livestream/

I don't know if it's geo-restricted.

it is geo restricted. its just about accesible if you can find a really fast proxy, but they block them pretty quickly.

oh, team leopard have asked to be called team lay-o-pard.. sorry.. Lay-O-Pard-TREK.. conceited ****s. i like them less every day.

 

[icefire]

The SBS Livestream has started: http://www.sbs.com.au/cyclingcentral/livestream/

I don't know if it's geo-restricted.

Unfortunately, it is

 

[Zinoviev Letter]

The 5 year old girl weeping is about to commence