Teams & Riders Vincenzo Nibali discussion thread

[roundabout]

Not surprising, it has been terribly overrated imo so I'm more surprised by the fact it only won by 6%. Anyway, hopefully this *** hype will have faded in a few years.

uh, a GT rider nearly beating all classic specialists at their game is great

your indignation makes it even greater

 

[LaFlorecita]

uh, a GT rider nearly beating all classic specialists at their game is great

your indignation makes it even greater

I'm not denying most people thought it was a great stage. (I don't agree - for me it was probably the worst stage ever - but I am biased of course)

I think it's ridiculous to call it "legendary" --> overrated!

Plus of course I think it was a lottery that has no place in a GT - I even said that before the stage - I will never like any cobbled stage in a GT. So I won't ever look back at this stage with anything other than extreme frustration and anger. Hopefully next year the cobble stage is extremely dull so we won't have to see them again at the Tour for a couple years.

That is my opinion, you can disagree all you like but it won't change my feelings. Cobbles don't belong in a GT, they're a lottery. It's nothing but luck. You can be as good on them as you like, if you puncture you're done for.

 

[Kwibus]

Not surprising, it has been terribly overrated imo so I'm more surprised by the fact it only won by 6%. Anyway, hopefully this *** hype will have faded in a few years.

It's not overrated. When I think back on 2014 than imo that stage is the most memorable one.

Contador ride at the T-A was fantastic as well, but the cobbled stage made the most impression on me. Not because of a single rider in particular, like Contador at T-A, but because there was happening a LOT and there were a lot of great rides while there were also riders that were having an awful time and were just plain dropped from the pack etc. There was just SO much happening that it is the stage of the year imo and apparently most people agree on that.

 

[happytramp]

Anyway, hopefully this *** hype will have faded in a few years.

No, in every possible way, no. This tour stage was flat out amazing. Unexpected in almost every conceivable way. This is why people love cycling. The guy (lets call him the underdog for good measure) had never competitively raced over a single cobble stone in his life, yet manages to put the sort of time rarely even seen on big mountain stages, into his biggest opponents. I get it that the guy you liked lost time but just try to see it from the average cycling fan's point of view! It was properly exciting in an era when attacks inside the last 3km are becoming the standard way of deciding races. We've literally seen thousands of races where the best climber eventually drops the second best climber and wins the stage but this was just something a little bit different. That's why it deservedly won moment of the year.

 

[pigoonse]

2014 CN Reader Poll: Tour de France cobbled stage voted moment of the year!

http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/201...france-cobbled-stage-voted-moment-of-the-year

it's been a bad week for this Nibali fan. Thanks for posting that, cineteq!

that stage was the best and included many great performances from the riders, but how well VN did on the cobbles was awesome and unexpected.

 

[cineteq]

Not surprising, it has been terribly overrated imo so I'm more surprised by the fact it only won by 6%. Anyway, hopefully this *** hype will have faded in a few years.

*** hype? Everybody agrees it was the best single day in 2014. In tuned with the poster below

uh, a GT rider nearly beating all classic specialists at their game is great

your indignation makes it even greater

it's been a bad week for this Nibali fan. Thanks for posting that, cineteq!

that stage was the best and included many great performances from the riders, but how well VN did on the cobbles was awesome and unexpected.

You're welcome.

 

[pigoonse]

No, in every possible way, no. This tour stage was flat out amazing. Unexpected in almost every conceivable way. This is why people love cycling. The guy (lets call him the underdog for good measure) had never competitively raced over a single cobble stone in his life, yet manages to put the sort of time rarely even seen on big mountain stages, into his biggest opponents. I get it that the guy you liked lost time but just try to see it from the average cycling fan's point of view! It was properly exciting in an era when attacks inside the last 3km are becoming the standard way of deciding races. We've literally seen thousands of races where the best climber eventually drops the second best climber and wins the stage but this was just something a little bit different. That's why it deservedly won moment of the year.

very well said describing why the stage stood out and why it was so uniquely deserving. i certainly had not seen anything like it; but i have only been watching cycling since 2007 for TdF, and from 2009 trying to watch as many races i can. the ability to get decent european streaming really changed my world

 

[maxmartin]

Not surprising, it has been terribly overrated imo so I'm more surprised by the fact it only won by 6%. Anyway, hopefully this *** hype will have faded in a few years.

You should stop passing gas around here.

 

[nhowson]

It's not overrated. When I think back on 2014 than imo that stage is the most memorable one.

Contador ride at the T-A was fantastic as well, but the cobbled stage made the most impression on me. Not because of a single rider in particular, like Contador at T-A, but because there was happening a LOT and there were a lot of great rides while there were also riders that were having an awful time and were just plain dropped from the pack etc. There was just SO much happening that it is the stage of the year imo and apparently most people agree on that.

Agreed, saying the stage was just about Nibali gaining time is very disingenuous. Because LaFlo will whine back, other things that happened include:

-Froome crashing out
-Porte being pulled by Thomas
-Crash, Crash, Crash (Especially where VdB went head over handlebars)
-Lemoine's face
-Sagan toiling away
-Valverde struggling on
-Boom with a rare big win
-Fuglsang and Westra's help

 

[Netserk]

Agreed, saying the stage was just about Nibali gaining time is very disingenuous. Because LaFlo will whine back, other things that happened include:

-Froome crashing out
-Porte being pulled by Thomas
-Crash, Crash, Crash (Especially where VdB went head over handlebars)
-Lemoine's face
-Sagan toiling away
-Valverde struggling on
-Boom with a rare big win
-Fuglsang and Westra's help

That was Bak, not VdB.

 

[Red Rick]

That was Bak, not VdB.

They should award jerseys for crashes like that

 

[LaFlorecita]

Looks like some people don't know what IMO means. In MY opinion. I didn't like a single thing, a single second, of that stage. Get over it. It wasn't a legendary stage, it was just a good stage. If Valverde or Froome had done what Nibali did, it would be much less popular.

 

[LaFlorecita]

Agreed, saying the stage was just about Nibali gaining time is very disingenuous. Because LaFlo will whine back, other things that happened include:

-Froome crashing out
-Porte being pulled by Thomas
-Crash, Crash, Crash (Especially where VdB went head over handlebars)
-Lemoine's face
-Sagan toiling away
-Valverde struggling on
-Boom with a rare big win
-Fuglsang and Westra's help

Yeah, those were all very positive things,

For me it's obvious. Stage 8 of the Dauphiné was by far the best day of racing, and stage 5 of the Tirreno was by far the biggest display of strength by a GC rider this season. Stage 9 of the TDF was the biggest display of strength by any rider. Ironically, I've seen a lot of polls, and these 3 stages rarely come up. It's sad that people think of Contador's Vuelta win rather than Contador's Tirreno win. One was 6km of wheelsucking followed by a pathetic 700m attack, the other was a balls out 35km solo with a finish on one of the steepest roads in the world. Same goes for stage 8 of the Dauphiné and stage 9 of the TDF. How are these stages not miles and miles better than any of the options in these polls, bar possibly stage 5 of the TDF?

 

[Flamin]

Looks like some people don't know what IMO means. In MY opinion. I didn't like a single thing, a single second, of that stage. Get over it. It wasn't a legendary stage, it was just a good stage. If Valverde or Froome had done what Nibali did, it would be much less popular.

Of course it wouldn't be less popular. If Valverde and Froome had as much ability on the cobbles and balls of steel as Nibali, it would be exactly the same. But they don't, and that's the reason why people generally like Nibali more.

 

[LaFlorecita]

edit: woops wrong thread

 

[LaFlorecita]

Of course it wouldn't be less popular. If Valverde and Froome had as much ability on the cobbles and balls of steel as Nibali, it would be exactly the same. But they don't, and that's the reason why people generally like Nibali more.

Way to miss the point.

 

[Flamin]

Way to miss the point.

Then what's your point? it's just nonsense to say it would be less popular if Valverde or Froome did it.

 

[cineteq]

For me it's obvious. Stage 8 of the Dauphiné was by far the best day of racing

Dauphiné of all races #LOL => Zzzzzzzzz.

 

[Kwibus]

Looks like some people don't know what IMO means. In MY opinion. I didn't like a single thing, a single second, of that stage. Get over it. It wasn't a legendary stage, it was just a good stage. If Valverde or Froome had done what Nibali did, it would be much less popular.

It was a legendary which I will remember for years no doubt.
The fact you didn't like it is because you were afraid Contador would crash out or lose a lot of time.
I allready mentioned it wasn't just because of Nibalis performance.

 

[Kwibus]

Yeah, those were all very positive things,

For me it's obvious. Stage 8 of the Dauphiné was by far the best day of racing, and stage 5 of the Tirreno was by far the biggest display of strength by a GC rider this season. Stage 9 of the TDF was the biggest display of strength by any rider. Ironically, I've seen a lot of polls, and these 3 stages rarely come up. It's sad that people think of Contador's Vuelta win rather than Contador's Tirreno win. One was 6km of wheelsucking followed by a pathetic 700m attack, the other was a balls out 35km solo with a finish on one of the steepest roads in the world. Same goes for stage 8 of the Dauphiné and stage 9 of the TDF. How are these stages not miles and miles better than any of the options in these polls, bar possibly stage 5 of the TDF?

It's not only about positive things. The crashes are imo not part of the stage being legendary though.

I fully agree with you that a lot of choices in the polls are ridiculous and a lot of stages are overlooked.

 

[Kwibus]

Dauphiné of all races #LOL => Zzzzzzzzz.

You sound like I only watch the TdF fan. Wether the race is big or not, it's about what day of racing was the best this year and stage 8 of the dauphine was an awesome day of racing where the big favourites were played by early attacks from their challengers.

 

[LaFlorecita]

The fact you didn't like it is because you were afraid a GC favorite would crash out or lose a lot of time.

fixed that for you

 

[Red Rick]

You sound like I only watch the TdF fan. Wether the race is big or not, it's about what day of racing was the best this year and stage 8 of the dauphine was an awesome day of racing where the big favourites were played by early attacks from their challengers.

He sounds like that since Nibali of all people won it.

 

[LaFlorecita]

It's not only about positive things. The crashes are imo not part of the stage being legendary though.

I fully agree with you that a lot of choices in the polls are ridiculous and a lot of stages are overlooked.

good to know I am not the only one who feels that way

 

[Kwibus]

fixed that for you

True, you said that multiple times.
Next time they hit the cobbles, relax and enjoy the show

I know you won't, but I can try. Look if next year Contador crashes out I will be gutted too, but if the stage ends up epic again... Well then it's epic.

I was also gutted when Froome crashed out that stage. Which was before the cobbles btw.