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

[Anonymous]

Makes Sky's decision to put all eggs in one basket (Henderson) look really foolish. Not the first time they do this mistake...

i think to be fair both wiggins and thomas knew they didnt have the form to win, that was proved to day when wiggo was dropped like a cheap pastry. Henderson or downing were there best bets and it happened to be hendo that got in yesterdays break.

Sky aside (cos its really not all about sky, i almost get bored having to reply to countless sky posts), i think whats more important is what a good stage today was and what a good tour this has been so far, certainly shuts up those that said (including me) it was a bad race and not challenging.

lets talk about albacini, or how well porte, meyer have done etc rather than just talking about sky.

 

[Anonymous]

I hope you finally found your comforting pavement.
This man comes from rehab.

what are you whittering on about, i understand no part of those two sentances.

 

[auscyclefan94]

i think to be fair both wiggins and thomas knew they didnt have the form to win, that was proved to day when wiggo was dropped like a cheap pastry. Henderson or downing were there best bets and it happened to be hendo that got in yesterdays break.

Sky aside (cos its really not all about sky, i almost get bored having to reply to countless sky posts), i think whats more important is what a good stage today was and what a good tour this has been so far, certainly shuts up those that said (including me) it was a bad race and not challenging.

lets talk about albacini, or how well porte, meyer have done etc rather than just talking about sky.

Go ape **** at 'em Dim for bagging your boys! (just like you do to me)

 

[Anonymous]

Go ape **** at 'em Dim for bagging your boys! (just like you do to me)

its nothing to do with that, im just bored with the entire race discussion being about sky, and if you look at my posts, i havnt actually brough up sky, yesterday i said how well porte had ridden and what a good stage it was, today i opened up by praising meyer and Albasini. Theres far more to the race than talking about what sky have done right or wrong (theyve won a stage, wheres the problem)

Its turning into a cracking race, the parcours so far has been really good and very challenging, its a million times better already than the tdu and california etc and all anyone can talk about is sky.

Todays stage was grim, if Armstrong or Cancellara had been there it almost certainly would have been neutralized.

 

[Cobblestoned]

its nothing to do with that, im just bored with the entire race discussion being about sky, and if you look at my posts, i havnt actually brough up sky, yesterday i said how well porte had ridden and what a good stage it was, today i opened up by praising meyer and Albasini. Theres far more to the race than talking about what sky have done right or wrong (theyve won a stage, wheres the problem)

Its turning into a cracking race, the parcours so far has been really good and very challenging, its a million times better already than the tdu and california etc and all anyone can talk about is sky.

Todays stage was grim, if Armstrong or Cancellara had been there it almost certainly would have been neutralized.

But dear skyfans, Armstrong is actually there

I think no one really believes your "praising" is honest. It's a kind of alibi-praising.
But anyway, Lance Armstrong and RS not there - so we can FULLY concentrate on team SKY and their fanbois.
Shame on SKY. They can't even dominate their 2.1 homerace.

 

[Libertine Seguros]

Got to say I've been pleasantly surprised, was expecting today to be the only stage that Columbia didn't take to a Greipel snoozefest.

Now that Columbia have the GC sewn up and will be controlling the breaks, I hope we can't expect a stats-padding Greipelizing of the race.

Maybe the people who paid for the race to be there can try to push that parcours for a semi-classic - late in the season as it is, before or after the ToB as a nice Worlds tuneup for some of the minor types, or jumping in the early May tunedowns from the April classics, get a decent but non-elite field, a bit like Frankfurt.

 

[Anonymous]

I think no one really believes your "praising" is honest. It's a kind of alibi-praising.

Believe what you like, I have admiration for a number of riders, which team they are on is largely irrelevant. As a team i support sky, but riders, i support countless.

Porte particularly has impressed me this week, that is not a smoke screen. His style and attacking has animated the race.I also think Albasini dealt with the cobbles superbly while others came to a standing stop.

You really are rather cynical, almost boringly so.

Im going on a ignore fest i think.

 

[Boardslide]

Crazy stage, much more racing than I expected to see at the ToB this year.

Great stage today, a pity we had to have typical Welsh weather but still impressed at how many people turned out and especially up on the Black mountain. This stage proves that Britain has a variety of terrain suitable to provide a good tour even if we don't have the alpine climbs of Europe, we do have leg sapping technical courses which are just as good and without having to submit to doing mindless circuits.

 

[Lyds97]

Constitution Hill in the rain was awesome, some great power riding by Albasini.

Glad the GC's still reasonably tight. I like Porte for the overall, been impressed by how competitively he's been riding.

As for the ITV coverage, I'm afraid the less-than-charismatic Dean Downing doesn't add much to Ned's role; he doesn't seem to bring an in-depth knowledge of the domestic scene like he ought to.

 

[Chuffy]

Tomorrow should be fun. It's a vicious stage, two longish drags at the start followed by a never ending succession of short, sharp climbs. It's a proper leg-breaker. Peak Hill (the final climb) is a 25% killer but too far from the end to do any real damage. Will probably come together for a sprint in Teignmouth.

 

[Anonymous]

Tomorrow should be fun. It's a vicious stage, two longish drags at the start followed by a never ending succession of short, sharp climbs. It's a proper leg-breaker. Peak Hill (the final climb) is a 25% killer but too far from the end to do any real damage. Will probably come together for a sprint in Teignmouth.

I dunno, i think they may let a breakaway of riders well down the gc go away tommorow. Gonna tip Russ Downing and Haussler to be in the break

Stage 4 maps/profiles

 

[Chuffy]

I dunno, i think they may let a breakaway of riders well down the gc go away tommorow. Gonna tip Russ Downing and Haussler to be in the break

Could be! If the sprinters change their minds after Peak Hill there's plenty of easy riding to bring the breakaway back, so long as they haven't been given too much of a head-start.

 

[stefrees]

Just watched stage again, as a biased and proud Brit, the tour so far has been a success and interesting. I don't think sky messed up too much, they got a stage win but nothing they could have done today would have kept them the lead, tomorrow will be tough. It cheered me up after getting back from watching villa lose away at stoke, should have been in stoke yesterday not today

 

[Anonymous]

cyclingtorrents have stage 1 and 2 highlights so far, stage 3 in the morning i guess. Certainly worth downloading st3 to watch again. Took about 15 minutes per stage to download

real shame this isnt being streamed live, i think some of our non-british freinds might change their opinion about the tob.

 

[auscyclefan94]

its nothing to do with that, im just bored with the entire race discussion being about sky, and if you look at my posts, i havnt actually brough up sky, yesterday i said how well porte had ridden and what a good stage it was, today i opened up by praising meyer and Albasini. Theres far more to the race than talking about what sky have done right or wrong (theyve won a stage, wheres the problem)

Its turning into a cracking race, the parcours so far has been really good and very challenging, its a million times better already than the tdu and california etc and all anyone can talk about is sky.

Todays stage was grim, if Armstrong or Cancellara had been there it almost certainly would have been neutralized.

Please tell me how this race is better than the tdu? You've got to be kidding!

1) TDU is at the start of the year and ToB is in the mid-to-late season.
2) TDU still gets a better field than ToB
3) The reason why people are talking about Sky is because i would say they have brought the strongest squad and it is is their home race!


TSF, what would you as a sky fan want and expect from Sky at the ToB?
- A stage win
- Overall Honours

 

[Andy99]

Please tell me how this race is better than the tdu? You've got to be kidding!

1) TDU is at the start of the year and ToB is in the mid-to-late season.
2) TDU still gets a better field than ToB
3) The reason why people are talking about Sky is because i would say they have brought the strongest squad and it is is their home race!


TSF, what would you as a sky fan want and expect from Sky at the ToB?
- A stage win
- Overall Honours

1) TDU is in the off season. Nothing more than a pre-season training camp.
2) TDU is protour, so obviously has more Protour teams as they are obliged to turn up. Personally I am happy for the TOB not to be Protour as it enables local Conti and Pro Conti teams to ride. This often makes for better racing and helps with the development of the sport - encouraging sponsorship of lower budget teams.
3) Don't personally care either way about the sky 'issue'. But surely the fact that the 'strongest' team as you so eloquently put it, can't control the event, surely suggests that the racing may be quite hard?!

I think you have just got to look at the time gaps to see that the TOB makes a better race. How is the TDU won? by being the best sprinter I guess.

The TDU also loses out by not being a 'tour' in the true sense of the word. Whilst the ToB at the moment isn't perfect with the transfers etc, at least it is a 'tour'. The Teams in the TDU stay in the same hotel for the duration, FFS!

Isn't the TDU just the same 'route' each year? basically a circumnavigation of Adelaide? No true point to point racing, bringing the event and it's atmosphere to different towns/cities en route??

 

[Anonymous]

Please tell me how this race is better than the tdu? You've got to be kidding!

1) TDU is at the start of the year and ToB is in the mid-to-late season.
2) TDU still gets a better field than ToB
3) The reason why people are talking about Sky is because i would say they have brought the strongest squad and it is is their home race!


TSF, what would you as a sky fan want and expect from Sky at the ToB?
- A stage win
- Overall Honours

expectations from sky, a few stage wins, i have said since the very start that HTC had the strongest side.

How much of the race have you actually seen? St1 and St2 are both now up on cyclingtorrents, stage 3 will be up in a few hours, download st3 and tell me that it isnt better than the tdu , but if you havnt seen all three stages i dont see how you can comment

 

[auscyclefan94]

expectations from sky, a few stage wins, i have said since the very start that HTC had the strongest side.

How much of the race have you actually seen? St1 and St2 are both now up on cyclingtorrents, stage 3 will be up in a few hours, download st3 and tell me that it isnt better than the tdu , but if you havnt seen all three stages i dont see how you can comment

I have watched 1hr highlights on tv and will watch the st 3 highlights later. Know what happened during the stage. I have watched this race in the past as well and my opinion stands.

Andy99, you can argue that Tdu is protour so it attracts better riders but ToB is in europe and is in september so pros would be more attracted to race there.

Obviously you did not watch tdu either as there was some very good racing. TDu has a similar route every year but the riders want it flat and they don't want transfers so it attracts riders.

Andy99, in the past handful of editions it has been the best sprinter which has won this event and the tob is in a better time slot where riders don't mind the harder parcours.

 

[Andy99]

I have watched 1hr highlights on tv and will watch the st 3 highlights later. Know what happened during the stage. I have watched this race in the past as well and my opinion stands.

Andy99, you can argue that Tdu is protour so it attracts better riders but ToB is in europe and is in september so pros would be more attracted to race there.

Obviously you did not watch tdu either as there was some very good racing. TDu has a similar route every year but the riders want it flat and they don't want transfers so it attracts riders.

Andy99, in the past handful of editions it has been the best sprinter which has won this event and the tob is in a better time slot where riders don't mind the harder parcours.

Of the Protour teams that are at the ToB - they obviously do have quality riders in their squads. There are not more Protour teams because the organisers do not want any more in the race. See point above about encouraging lower level squads - and boosting the grass roots (I know it's a bit above grass roots - but you know what I mean!)

Did watch the TDU - for the last few years (it's the only race that Sky cover in the UK), and to be brutally honest, I did find it a little boring - though obviously we are all nationalistically biased!

I agree with your last paragraph I never thought I would say that

 

[Anonymous]

in the past handful of editions it has been the best sprinter which has won this event and the tob is in a better time slot where riders don't mind the harder parcours.

you talking about tour of britain or tour down under being won by sprinters?

 

[Mellow Velo]

Fact: Neither race rates high in any pecking order.
However, the racing is full on at the TOB, because of it's calander slot, whereas, at the TDU, almost everyone is riding for the kms..............or the cash.

Yesterday's stage was brutal, but much of that was down to a typical Welsh early Autumn day. While Constitution Hill is evil, there are far more difficult parcours to be found in Wales, if you have your next stage in the West Country.

Take today's stage. It looks great.................in a mirror.

 

[auscyclefan94]

you talking about tour of britain or tour down under being won by sprinters?

Tour of britain, they may not nessercarily be "pure sprinters" but they are guys who can sprint well and climb very little.

 

[Mellow Velo]

Tour of britain, they may not nessercarily be "pure sprinters" but they are guys who can sprint well and climb very little.

You actually say that, when Andre Greipel has won two of the past three Down Unders?
He got spat out, tout bleeding suite, yesterday and failed to make the finishing ramp, the day before.

 

[Lyds97]

I actually enjoyed watching the TDU, but I think that has a lot more to do with having been deprived of racing since Lombardia than the quality of the race.

In ACF's defence however, this edition of the ToB has been a lot more interesting than the last couple.

 

[Anonymous]

Tour of britain, they may not nessercarily be "pure sprinters" but they are guys who can sprint well and climb very little.

Um, Geoffroy Lequatre is a sprinter? Romain Feillu arguably? Martin Pedersen a sprinter? Nick Nuyens a sprinter? Mauricio Ardila a sprinter?

Ok, so its not won by a contador, or a moncoutie, but hardly what you would call sprinters. TO be fair i expected Griepel to win this year but the parcours has proved to be a bit harder than i expected.