Teams & Riders Vincenzo Nibali discussion thread

[Electress]

Even though Nibs. is down a bit, and his team don't seem quite all there, he's still got lots of opportunities. Froome seems pretty keen for the first week - I do wonder whether this form will last. I think there are still lots of opportunities for crafty racing. He's nothing like as good as AC or Nibs when it comes to tactics, and look at the challenge AC had marking two guys in the Giro? Froome has basically ensured he is the guy with the target on his back. There's ample opportunity for the wilier, more attacking riders to wear him and the team out, and fray the nerves on the descents. Let's face it, he did not enjoy the pressure of defending champion last year, and as AC said, may well find being the favourite an exhausting position to be in day after day in the mountains. Especially if we get some bad weather.

Guile and guts…Nibs and Contador have it in spades. It is be no means over for either of them. Nairo is in a much worst position to my mind because he hasn't the team, has lost more time, and doesn't seem as likely to try and make opportunities as they others.

 

[Gigs_98]

Re: Nibali discussion thread

I want to know what nibali would have managed to do today if there had been rain.

 

[damian13ster]

I don't understand why Froome is stereotyped as tactically inept rider. He rides perfectly so far, positions himself well, etc. He is just so strong that he doesn't have to resort to long range attacks in the races he is in top shape.
Show me one race in which he lost GC because of tactics?
I am not saying he might not make mistakes in such situations but that hasn't been verified at all.

 

[SeriousSam]

Re:

I don't understand why Froome is stereotyped as tactically inept rider.

For the same reason so many thought he isn't explosive up short hills or can't handle cobbles, or can't descend.

 

[SafeBet]

Great ride today, but team has been underwhelming thus far.
I mean, where was Boom?

I'm not saying it's over, but Froome looks fantastic and it's almost impossible to put Sky under pressure without a super team. Look at 2012.

 

[Eagle]

Re:

Great ride today, but team has been underwhelming thus far.
I mean, where was Boom?

I'm not saying it's over, but Froome looks fantastic and it's almost impossible to put Sky under pressure without a super team. Look at 2012.

Boom had a puncture

 

[staubsauger]

Re:

“He was strong yesterday and maybe even stronger today. I thought before that Quintana was the man to beat, but now Froome is really the strongest at this moment,” Martinelli said. “Right now he’s certainly the strongest.”

Interesting, before today's stage Martinelli thought Q is the man to beat.

To be honest, I thought that too on Saturday!

 

[Rollthedice]

https://twitter.com/TV2SPORTdk/status/618479993631416321/video/1

 

[TMP402]

Re:

I don't understand why Froome is stereotyped as tactically inept rider. He rides perfectly so far, positions himself well, etc. He is just so strong that he doesn't have to resort to long range attacks in the races he is in top shape.
Show me one race in which he lost GC because of tactics?
I am not saying he might not make mistakes in such situations but that hasn't been verified at all.

You could make a case for Romandie this year - from memory, instead of chasing Pinot(?)'s attack, Froome rode a high tempo up the climb, which stopped Quintana et al from attacking him (and when the climb flattened out, Quintana and everyone else was able to sprint for bonus seconds) but ultimately meant he lost the GC to Zakarin.

In terms of basic judgement there is also the Vuelta last year when he lost major time to Contador after starting top quickly, but I guess the DS' could have given better advice and instructions so not entirely his fault. Both weak cases.

 

[movingtarget]

Re: Re:

I don't understand why Froome is stereotyped as tactically inept rider.

For the same reason so many thought he isn't explosive up short hills or can't handle cobbles, or can't descend.

But he can win Tours.

 

[cellardoor]

Can Nibali just ride Roubaix next year already. I mean, he's confirmed that last year was no fluke - he looked just as good as guys like Van marcke and Stybar.

 

[SafeBet]

Re: Re:

Great ride today, but team has been underwhelming thus far.
I mean, where was Boom?

I'm not saying it's over, but Froome looks fantastic and it's almost impossible to put Sky under pressure without a super team. Look at 2012.

Boom had a puncture

Didn't know that, thanks for the info.
Still a subpar performance by the team as a whole.

 

[cineteq]

Re: Re:

Didn't know that, thanks for the info.
Still a subpar performance by the team as a whole.

What's questionable is wasting Westra. Boom looked strong. The others did their job.

 

[franic]

Nibali is very very nervous. In every interview with the Italian TV is incredibly pissed off

 

[pastronef]

Re:

Nibali is very very nervous. In every interview with the Italian TV is incredibly pissed off

maybe he got a letter from Vino after stage 3

 

[Brullnux]

Re:

Nibali is very very nervous. In every interview with the Italian TV is incredibly pissed off

Probably because his team has been ****

 

[Electress]

He's the reigning champion. He's on the backfoot with time to make up on a rival who looks in super good form. I'm not surprised he's feeling the pressure. Of all the contenders, he's under the cosh: AC has already won and is trying to do something near impossible; Quintana is kind of under the radar screen still and Froome, though hot favourite, seems to be very relaxed that he's not defending champion.

 

[Jelantik]

Re:

He's the reigning champion. He's on the backfoot with time to make up on a rival who looks in super good form. I'm not surprised he's feeling the pressure. Of all the contenders, he's under the cosh: AC has already won and is trying to do something near impossible; Quintana is kind of under the radar screen still and Froome, though hot favourite, seems to be very relaxed that he's not defending champion.

yep. my thought too. when TDF started few days ago, I was like.. uhm.. Nibali is flying from the start. But then, he made dumb mistake on crosswind. Suddenly he was in the backfoot. But I still thought, he was excellent last year in the cobble. Turns out nothing happened in the cobble for nibali. (kinda like Porte waiting for ITT, but the road has other way before he got there). So i think he is now under pressure to gain time. And the only changes will be on TTT or he finally has to rely on his climbing leg to start shaving off his time deficit. (also descent skill). But Froome is clearly strong now. He is relax, and I think he knows that he can ride off his opponent (at least at the moment). Quintana so far to me like his Giro 2014. He wasn't impressive in the first week, and lost tons of time too. After that debacle on the neutralize descent, he finally showed on the next mountain that he deserved to win it.

 

[whittashau]

that didn't look good. He seemed to be riding okay afterwards though

 

[Carols]

Not his Tour so far. Hopefully that turns around soon.

 

[DBotero]

Re: Nibali discussion thread

Here's what Vincenzo Nibali had to say after the stage
"The teams always want to be at the front. It's difficult to be well positioned. I crashed 400 metres from the line. I don't quite understand how we found ourselves in such a mess. I don't understand.
"Personally I'm OK. I only slightly hurt my leg and shoulder. It's always a problem to crash. I really don't know what happened. I know it went from left to right and I fell over Froome, who was on my right. I think Barguil is the one who fell over me. I don't know for sure." >Cyclingnews' live coverage

 

[Miburo]

He looked ok after the crash but yea crashing is never good, it messes up your body

 

[TI-Raleigh]

It's been a tale of two races for Nibali. Last year, no mistakes and no crashes. This year, although his form appears to be similar to 2014, he has been put in difficult situations he did not face last year. Must be very frustrating. If stays within a minute or two of Froome, I expect to see him attack on decents and a long raid on a mid-mountain stage.

 

[HelloDolly]

So according to ITV he threw a bidon at Froome whom he erroneously blamed for the Crash . When this happened previously it was DQ offence ?

 

[Rollthedice]

Re:

So according to ITV he threw a bidon at Froome whom he erroneously blamed for the Crash . When this happened previously it was DQ offence ?

Did he miss him?