Tour of Britain - 11th to 18th September - Race Thread

[LugHugger]

Greipel won 4 stages in the Vuelta last year, Cavendish has "only" 3 so far.

Edit: this is not meant as a comparison between the two, but rather to show that Greipel from his performances could be the biggest competition to Cavendish, but alas being on the same team it isn't to be

You're quite right and I've no interest in entering into a p*ssing contest over who's the better sprinter of the two.

 

[Sneekes]

Greipel (with a nod to Farrar) is Cav's biggest competition - no doubt. But # wins isn't necessarily the correct barometer - I think you can only really judge sprinters on head-to-head results.
Greipel -v- Cav is going to be one of the most exciting things of 2011

 

[Armchair Cyclist]

Right: I'm off into town to watch the sprint: last 800m or so at c7%: more Bozic than Greipel I would suggest.

 

[Kwibus]

This sentence remembers me on something but I can't recall it.
Please help !

This is what you remember it from.
It's a internet fun kinda thing. meanwhile in USA/Russia and Finland are kinda good.

Very offtopic, sorry

 

[Anonymous]

Right: I'm off into town to watch the sprint: last 800m or so at c7%: more Bozic than Greipel I would suggest.

Good tip..

 

[Armchair Cyclist]

Made me smile in the park where the team buses were gathered after the stage: semicircle 12 people deep around the TeamSky bus to get Wiggins autograph (and to his credit, he stayed at the door of the bus for a long time, posing for snaps and signing), while Bozic leant on the bonnet of a car while two kids asked for an autograph: exactly the same number who were approaching some bloke wearing a Sudbury Wheelers CC kit (He's dressed as a cyclist: he must be famous!)

 

[stefrees]

Made me smile in the park where the team buses were gathered after the stage: semicircle 12 people deep around the TeamSky bus to get Wiggins autograph (and to his credit, he stayed at the door of the bus for a long time, posing for snaps and signing), while Bozic leant on the bonnet of a car while two kids asked for an autograph: exactly the same number who were approaching some bloke wearing a Sudbury Wheelers CC kit (He's dressed as a cyclist: he must be famous!)

And if you believed what you read on the uk based teams Twitter than sky aren't popular with the fans at all.....

 

[Jamsque]

My 2010 'Gutsiest Ride of the Tour of Britain' award goes to Marco Frapporti of Colnago - CSF.

I was looking at the GC after today's stage, and I noticed that nine of the top ten are riders who were in the break that got ten minutes on stage 2. Frapporti is the only guy there who wasn't in that break. He is three and a half down on Albasini, and nearly seven minutes ahead of the next-best rider who wasn't in the break, Lucas Sebastian Haedo.

After missing the break on stage 2, he was seventeenth on 3 which had time gaps like a mountain stage. He made the big split on 4, won from the breakaway on 5, and came eighth and eleventh in the bunch sprints on 6 and 7.

I'll be surprised if he isn't in the top twenty of stage 8 tomorrow.

 

[Armchair Cyclist]

And if you believed what you read on the uk based teams Twitter than sky aren't popular with the fans at all.....

In fairness, most of the autograph hunters were nine year olds who couldn't name more than 3 cyclists and one team...

Sky did not feature among the replica kits that I saw adults wearing at all if that is any measure of popularity among fans rather than the general public.

 

[Mellow Velo]

Have to say I have lost interest in the race, over the past couple of days.
The GC was done by half way. The course, as a whole, needs to be re-designed.

 

[Sum_of_Marc]

My 2010 'Gutsiest Ride of the Tour of Britain' award goes to Marco Frapporti of Colnago - CSF.

I was looking at the GC after today's stage, and I noticed that nine of the top ten are riders who were in the break that got ten minutes on stage 2. Frapporti is the only guy there who wasn't in that break. He is three and a half down on Albasini, and nearly seven minutes ahead of the next-best rider who wasn't in the break, Lucas Sebastian Haedo.

After missing the break on stage 2, he was seventeenth on 3 which had time gaps like a mountain stage. He made the big split on 4, won from the breakaway on 5, and came eighth and eleventh in the bunch sprints on 6 and 7.

I'll be surprised if he isn't in the top twenty of stage 8 tomorrow.

Oh come on. Frapporti has rode well, yes - but his breakaway on Stage 5 gained over 9 minutes. Which goes along way when the break on Stage 2 was only just over a minute more at 10'40.

I would give more credit to Ian Bibby of Motorpoint. Taking a very good 2nd place on Stage 3 having been in the break all day, over Black Mountain and then Constitution Hill - and then also making the decisive move the very next stage, with that split coming very early on with the aggressively raced start. On the two toughest stages of the race, he was up there. He is 11'20 down on GC, having lost 10'40 of that on Stage 2.

All this from a rider on the British Domestic circuit, with limited experience racing at this level. (One of a few British Domestic riders who really deserve a chance to race at a higher level)

 

[Winterfold]

Have to say I have lost interest in the race, over the past couple of days.
The GC was done by half way. The course, as a whole, needs to be re-designed.

I agree. Having the crit in London as a finale is a given but the penultimate stage could be in the surrey hills or on the downs.

Personally I think the uk terrain is much better for hard one day and classics racing. You could set many fantastic and exciting 200km + races.

 

[Anonymous]

In fairness, most of the autograph hunters were nine year olds who couldn't name more than 3 cyclists and one team...

Sky did not feature among the replica kits that I saw adults wearing at all if that is any measure of popularity among fans rather than the general public.

A lot of that is to do with the current price of the kit, even at tsf its still £50+ and we have the best uk price. Most of the public simply cant afford it.

 

[Derrick]

Do you mean to say people actually buy that kit?

 

[stefrees]

Yes, I have the shirt, worn proudly on montalcino stage of giro,and both luchon stages, and Bordeaux in tour, with pride. First time in numerous visits abroad where vie been able to do so for a team from my country. And I certainly wasn't the only one, particularly in Bordeaux- there were loads.

 

[Carlo Algatrensig]

Don't be so mean to Dean - he is warming to the camera and came across a lot better today than on earlier stages.

I will happyily accept that he has got better through out the week. He certainly is becoming less camera shy.

Although talking about the TV coverage has anyone else found it wierd that Hugh Porter can be heard in the background doing the live commentary at the finish while he is doing his voice over for the TV coverage.

 

[Winterfold]

I may get in trouble for this comment but the podium girls dresses are a considerable improvement on eg the worlds biggest stage race

 

[Mambo95]

Personally I think the uk terrain is much better for hard one day and classics racing. You could set many fantastic and exciting 200km + races.

As a resident of Cardiff, I dream of a Cardiff-Swansea classic. Using the run-in to the stage on Monday, with the Constitution Hill as the finale again. First they'd go over Caerphilly Mountain, the Bwlch, the Rhigos and Black Mountain. It would be a great climbers race, about 200km.

 

[Anonymous]

I may get in trouble for this comment but the podium girls dresses are a considerable improvement on eg the worlds biggest stage race

why will you get in trouble. If you look in the podium girls thread i have done my best to record this momentous occasion.

 

[happychappy]

I would give more credit to Ian Bibby of Motorpoint. (One of a few British Domestic riders who really deserve a chance to race at a higher level)

Isn't/wasn't he a MTB racer? No wonder he's so good

 

[goggalor]

I may get in trouble for this comment but the podium girls dresses are a considerable improvement on eg the worlds biggest stage race

I don't know... In the Tour the podium girls have that touch of class and elegance--except perhaps the poor polka dot girls this year. The ToB chicks, on the other hand, uh, let's just say it's been a while since the British were at the forefront of fashion.

Unless you meant the Tour of California, in which case you are also wrong.

 

[salixcycling]

I don't know... In the Tour the podium girls have that touch of class and elegance--except perhaps the poor polka dot girls this year. The ToB chicks, on the other hand, uh, let's just say it's been a while since the British were at the forefront of fashion.

Unless you meant the Tour of California, in which case you are also wrong.

The girls at the TdF might have had class and elegance, but the dresses were, with perhaps one exception (I would have to ask my wife to know which one), dreadful. It was not just the polka dot dresses - those were just the most obvious errors.

The ToB dresses are better, although they are a little obvious.

 

[salixcycling]

The final stage made up a little for the previous 2 stages. We knew what we were getting so no false hopes of echelons and splits. There were fights for the intermediate sprints, Sky used tactics and got something out of it, and it didn't rain. And it gave Greipel a good send-off from HTC

Not sure if anyone else watched it though.

 

[Winterfold]

I wasn't commenting on the haute couture. Like the typical cycling fan looks at podium girls to check out avante garde fashion.

There has been a pleasing honesty to the upfront appeal of the ToB girls

Back to racing - HTC totally owned Sky on this, that's got to hurt.

 

[Cobblestoned]

While OP TeamRSfans seems just occupied with some RS-threads and Lance's birthday, I wanted to mention that Greipel took another stage win and Albasini won ToB.
Mountain jersey to the great Johnny Hoogerland, Points classification to the great Greg Henderson


September 18, Stage 8: London 100km
1 André Greipel (Ger) Team HTC - Columbia 1:57:07
2 Lucas Sebastien Haedo (Arg) Team Saxo Bank
3 Roger Hammond (GBr) Cervelo Test Team
4 Greg Henderson (NZl) Sky Professional Cycling Team
5 Borut Bozic (Slo) Vacansoleil Pro Cycling Team

Final general classification
1 Michael Albasini (Swi) Team HTC - Columbia 29:23:47
2 Borut Bozic (Slo) Vacansoleil Pro Cycling Team 0:01:05
3 Greg Henderson (NZl) Sky Professional Cycling Team 0:01:10
4 Richie Porte (Aus) Team Saxo Bank 0:01:13
5 Johnny Hoogerland (Ned) Vacansoleil Pro Cycling Team 0:01:32