Will SKY make this ToF the most boring ever?

[maxmartin]

If you scratch W and F, GC battle actually is quite tight and interesting.

 

[roundabout]

No, it will be entertaining for some periods, but the outcome will be inevitable. Sort of like the 1999 Tour which was actually pretty entertaining, but Armstrong won by 7 minutes with 3rd place over 10 minutes back.

 

[Ferminal]

No, last three days have been quite good. Although if Sky don't ride hard it will be quite boring.

 

[yenrod]

Take Sky out the equation & it'd be very interesting LOL

 

[SaxonUK]

No, it will be entertaining for some periods, but the outcome will be inevitable. Sort of like the 1999 Tour which was actually pretty entertaining, but Armstrong won by 7 minutes with 3rd place over 10 minutes back.

Do you really see a huge time difference between the top 3? I don't think Sky will dominate nearly as much as they have so far, hopefully BMC or Liquigas can step up to the plate

 

[Froome19]

If you scratch W and F, GC battle actually is quite tight and interesting.

Firstly certainly not ever.. just think of Armstrong and secondly the racing so far has been exciting and they will most likely make it exciting as they force the favorites to attack early on in stages.

 

[Thee_chisa]

Do you really see a huge time difference between the top 3? I don't think Sky will dominate nearly as much as they have so far, hopefully BMC or Liquigas can step up to the plate

yep, not even had a proper mountain stage yet

 

[maxmartin]

I dare ASO will put another 100km TT into next year

 

[Thee_chisa]

I dare ASO will put another 100km TT into next year

they should do, but also more short stages with mountain finishes. that has always been what the tour is about. can the climbers get enough advantage to stay clear in the TTs

 

[Avoriaz]

Only if the rest of the contenders/teams accept the status quo. Then it may be the most boring TdF ever, but not down to Sky.

I think they sense that Wiggins is fragile in many respects, so fully expect mind games and on the road poker over the next week.

 

[H2OUUP2]

they should do, but also more short stages with mountain finishes. that has always been what the tour is about. can the climbers get enough advantage to stay clear in the TTs

I agree fully. But that's not what THIS tour is about. Well so far anyway, and that's why there's a damn good possibility that it could be very boring from here on out.

I hope not, and I hope Evans, nibali, VDB, etc. all all go crazy on the mountains. But right now, it's no looking to good.

Evans will need at least 60 seconds on Wiggo going into the last ITT.

 

[FignonLeGrand]

Really most boring I can only assume you are 15 or a recent convert to cycling. Go buy a video of Indurains 5 years or Armstrong's 7. It is true that a rider based around TT wins is not the most exciting, but this tdf is already more interesting than many of the past editions.

 

[More Strides than Rides]

Wrong question.

Will the rest of the field make this the most boring tour ever? is much more appropriate.

I think the answer is no, by the way. Cadel will not go down without a fight, as made obvious by those silly attacks weve seen in so far. Nibali is waiting for the high mountains, and the climbers who have lost time will not be riding defensively.

 

[maxmartin]

Really most boring I can only assume you are 15 or a recent convert to cycling. Go buy a video of Indurains 5 years or Armstrong's 7. It is true that a rider based around TT wins is not the most exciting, but this tdf is already more interesting than many of the past editions.

this is the question I am asking not my opinion, and pay attention to "WILL"

 

[FignonLeGrand]

they should do, but also more short stages with mountain finishes. that has always been what the tour is about. can the climbers get enough advantage to stay clear in the TTs

Sorry that's just not true. TDF has often had far more TT kms than last few editions. Go to Giro for short stages with many mountain top finishes

 

[kurtinsc]

I don't really think so.

Wiggins isn't Miguel Indurain. I'm not sold yet that he's capable of hanging on in the mountains. A few years back an old Lance Armstrong broke him in the mountians. Granted, that was the first year Wiggins was a GC guy, but it still leaves thing a bit more open then many people think. I look at 11 and 16 and can conceive of Wiggins losing 3 minutes or so. Not sure that would be enough, but I think Evans trying to hold onto a 50 second lead in the last ITT would be fairly exciting. Evans would have to do better then today though.

 

[goggalor]

It can go both ways. It might completely explode in the mountains, because all the other contenders need to take minutes, not seconds, on Wiggins, and they can't do that by attacking in the last 3 km. Or Sky will control and neutralize everything, which yes, would make it one of the dullest Tours ever.

 

[FignonLeGrand]

this is the question I am asking not my opinion, and pay attention to "WILL"

Ok fair point. But the wwill is irrelevant its already not the most boring.

 

[maxmartin]

It can go both ways. It might completely explode in the mountains, because all the other contenders need to take minutes, not seconds, on Wiggins, and they can't do that by attacking in the last 3 km. Or Sky will control and neutralize everything, which yes, would make it one of the dullest Tours ever.

which one do you think is most likely to happen?

 

[Thee_chisa]

Sorry that's just not true. TDF has often had far more TT kms than last few editions. Go to Giro for short stages with many mountain top finishes

i agree with you, i like TTs. it may be misunderstood as i replied to a guy saying that he dares the ASO to do 100kms TTing next year again

 

[maxmartin]

Ok fair point. But the wwill is irrelevant its already not the most boring.

you get this after only one week race
oh well

 

[Fergoose]

Its been more entertaining than some of the past years already (2009 springs to mind as having me reaching for the noose). It is an advert for why two such long ITTs must never, ever be permitted again. It makes victory a virtual impossibility for roughly 80% of the GC contenders because the time gaps are so huge between a good TT rider and a middling TT rider and equally big between a middling TT rider (e.g. Nibali) and a climber. The good thing is the climbers are all so far behind, surely one of them will roll the dice rather than settle for 8th or 9th... please?!

With a wild estimate I'd say you need about 3 MTFs for a climber to have any chance of making up what they lose in an ITT to a good TT rider (Evans, Wiggins) who can also climb. Plus, ITTs aren't much of a spectacle unless they are just before Paris.

 

[FignonLeGrand]

It can go both ways. It might completely explode in the mountains, because all the other contenders need to take minutes, not seconds, on Wiggins, and they can't do that by attacking in the last 3 km. Or Sky will control and neutralize everything, which yes, would make it one of the dullest Tours ever.

I think this is spot on. Don't blame Wiggins or Sky for having perfect tactics for their strengths, blame all the others for allowing them. Attack early attack often. It shouldnt bbe a 5 km race on the last mounain. Also who is kkidding themselves if they think Nibali can win through defending, its a joke.

 

[FignonLeGrand]

you get this after only one week race
oh well

Well yes remember indurain or armstrong killing off many in the prologue those were really boring.

 

[Fetisoff]

Armstrong tours were way more boring, so definitely voted "no"