Le Grande Boucle TDF 2012 Evans repeat?

[Dahoss2002]

Aight TDF kicks off saturday. Who yall got for podium? I say Evans, Menchov, Sanchez. I left Wiggins out cuz I dont wanna get too chalky. If anyone wants to do a fantasy TDF, Velogames is a good site. With all the problems that bike racing has, I still love to watch the TDF. 3 weeks great entertainment every year!!!

[JBmadera]

Very interesting race with a bit of an unusual set of stages - over 100km of ITT and just a few mtn top finishes. So, it really suits Wiggo and Evans. My dark horses are Levi and Chavanel (he could gain a lot of time on stage like 8 or 10), will be following Ryder closely as well.

If Sky and BMC don't cooperate right from the start to not let anybody get too far off the front then I think this years tour is ripe for an upset.

[ManU918]

I love the Tour... Definitely one of my favorite events all year... I took a long shot this year... Robert Gesink at 60-1.

[PhantomOnTour]

There is a minor cycling event taking place this wknd in my area and i just happened to meet one of the competitors.
Ofcourse we began to talk about the Tour, and he made me aware of something i hadn't thought of...and it regards breakaways during the flat stages.
As we know, these are almost always doomed to failure...VERY few get away and last to the finish. So, why do you think these guys go wheeling and dealing when they know they'll be caught?

Sprint points?
No, the early sprint intervals have usually passed by the time someone or someones takes off on a break.

They actually think they can win the stage?
Maybe, but not really.

This guy says the breakaways are mainly so the team sponsors can get TV time as their rider will be shown a lot (along with the logos of all sponsors on his uniform and team car).

$$$$$$$

[Dahoss2002]

There is a minor cycling event taking place this wknd in my area and i just happened to meet one of the competitors.
Ofcourse we began to talk about the Tour, and he made me aware of something i hadn't thought of...and it regards breakaways during the flat stages.
As we know, these are almost always doomed to failure...VERY few get away and last to the finish. So, why do you think these guys go wheeling and dealing when they know they'll be caught?

Sprint points?
No, the early sprint intervals have usually passed by the time someone or someones takes off on a break.

They actually think they can win the stage?
Maybe, but not really.

This guy says the breakaways are mainly so the team sponsors can get TV time as their rider will be shown a lot (along with the logos of all sponsors on his uniform and team car).

$$$$$$$
I agree mostly. Every now and then u get a really well planned one like last year when One of Andy Schlecks teamates took off first then Andy made a break and teamate waited on him. Allowed Andy to get some time back and put time into his rivals. Would have won him the tour if he could TT a little.

[JBmadera]

There is a minor cycling event taking place this wknd in my area and i just happened to meet one of the competitors.
Ofcourse we began to talk about the Tour, and he made me aware of something i hadn't thought of...and it regards breakaways during the flat stages.
As we know, these are almost always doomed to failure...VERY few get away and last to the finish. So, why do you think these guys go wheeling and dealing when they know they'll be caught?

Sprint points?
No, the early sprint intervals have usually passed by the time someone or someones takes off on a break.

They actually think they can win the stage?
Maybe, but not really.

This guy says the breakaways are mainly so the team sponsors can get TV time as their rider will be shown a lot (along with the logos of all sponsors on his uniform and team car).

$$$$$$$

Well, that is sort of true, but since most guys aren't Cav or Sagan their only shot to win is w/a breakaway. Even at my level, Cat II, there are always multiple breakaway attempts in evevy race (in both road races and crits), and sometimes they are successful.

Given the course this year I think we see more successful breakaways then in past TdF's.

[gm10]

It's turning into one of those editions that will only be remembered for the wrong reasons.

Wiggins was never a superior athlete, Froome was a nobody before he joined Team Sky. Today they are blowing away the competition. There's only ever one explanation for such astonishing improvement - DRUGS.

[Dahoss2002]

Wiggo has always been a good TT. Wasnt Wiggins a track racer? Froome beat him in a TT at the Vuelta last year and prolly coulda won La Vuelta if he wasnt supporting Wiggo. Froome is better climber on the steeper gradients. With another long TT coming up, someone is gonna have to put on a serious mountain attack to crack Wiggo.

[gm10]

Wiggo has always been a good TT. Wasnt Wiggins a track racer? Froome beat him in a TT at the Vuelta last year and prolly coulda won La Vuelta if he wasnt supporting Wiggo. Froome is better climber on the steeper gradients. With another long TT coming up, someone is gonna have to put on a serious mountain attack to crack Wiggo.

If both are that much better than the rest, they would have shown in the past, but they clearly haven't. Wiggins is 32, riders don't improve that much at that age. Froome is only 27 but didn't do anything before Team Sky worked its magic. Both are very unlikely stories in their own right.

[Dahoss2002]

If both are that much better than the rest, they would have shown in the past, but they clearly haven't. Wiggins is 32, riders don't improve that much at that age. Froome is only 27 but didn't do anything before Team Sky worked its magic. Both are very unlikely stories in their own right.
Its not that they are better than the rest. They are dominating the time trial and there is still a big TT left. U will see some furious attacks in the upcoming mountain stages. At last years La Vuelta they were both beat by Juan Cobo in the mountains. Although that lead looks insurmountable with another TT coming up, Bradley could easily crack on one of the mountain stages. Not having an explosive climber like Contador or Andy Schleck in this years edition does play into his hands though.

[gm10]

Its not that they are better than the rest. They are dominating the time trial and there is still a big TT left. U will see some furious attacks in the upcoming mountain stages. At last years La Vuelta they were both beat by Juan Cobo in the mountains. Although that lead looks insurmountable with another TT coming up, Bradley could easily crack on one of the mountain stages. Not having an explosive climber like Contador or Andy Schleck in this years edition does play into his hands though.

I honestly think that he will only extend. He shouldn't based on all previous form in his career, but he will. Froome is the only danger, but he will be loyal to Wiggins.

[Dahoss2002]

I honestly think that he will only extend. He shouldn't based on all previous form in his career, but he will. Froome is the only danger, but he will be loyal to Wiggins.
I think u are right. Evans and Nibali lack the explosiveness to dislodge him on the climbs. They can only hope he cracks on one of them. He did crack at the Vuelta last summer though he still had a good race. As far as his career form, he was 4th at Tour in 2009 and 3rd at Vuelta last summer. I think hes also been an olympic track champion of some sort though I never watch any of that and have no idea how that relates to his current form. He didnt come completely out of the blue though. If you take AC and AS out of 2009 Tour, Wiggins is second to Lance Armstrong. Based on the field this year, he's no surprise. I think he was pre-race favorite by all the experts.

[cj]

He has won three gold medals in the velodrome, one as a member of a team.

[PhantomOnTour]

Exciting stage today...ahhh, the Pyrenees

Sabotage today with all the flat tires??

[Dahoss2002]

Exciting stage today...ahhh, the Pyrenees

Sabotage today with all the flat tires??
Yea carpet tacks. Someone could have got hurt real bad. Hopefully karma runs full circle.

[PhantomOnTour]

Yesterday's incident marred what could have been a dynamic stage.
There may have been some shuffling among the top 5-10 riders as it was a tough mountain stage.
Nice gesture by Wiggins and Team Sky after Evans and others hit the tacks. It's the way of the Tour...no one attacks in these situations. Armstrong and Ulrich extended each other the same courtesy.

Only one or two more chances for someone to make a move on Wiggins, but this thing may be over already.

[cj]

This could turn into the dumbest sport ever. It is bad enough with all the drugs, but this year, the CLEAR best rider in the Tour is intentionally not trying and letting the lesser man win. That isn't sports.

[PhantomOnTour]

This could turn into the dumbest sport ever. It is bad enough with all the drugs, but this year, the CLEAR best rider in the Tour is intentionally not trying and letting the lesser man win. That isn't sports.
Thank you...Froome could have dropped Wiggins in a few stages but played soldier and helped his general out. Today he was telling Wiggins to keep up :D
Greg LeMond did the same thing for Bernard Hinault, and won the Tour the following year.

I guess Froome will be the general next year?

[gm10]

Thank you...Froome could have dropped Wiggins in a few stages but played soldier and helped his general out. Today he was telling Wiggins to keep up :D
Greg LeMond did the same thing for Bernard Hinault, and won the Tour the following year.

I guess Froome will be the general next year?

The same happened with Ulrich/Riis in 1996.

Froome tried to embarrass Wiggins today. Team Sky is likely to fall apart imo, with Cavendish also reported to be looking elsewhere.

[cj]

The same happened with Ulrich/Riis in 1996.

Froome tried to embarrass Wiggins today. Team Sky is likely to fall apart imo, with Cavendish also reported to be looking elsewhere.

He should try to embarrass him. I was embarrassed for the sport.

[Dahoss2002]

Yea he also lost the Vuelta last summer when Wiggo cracked and he had to wait for him. Froome ended up second only 11 seconds down and Wiggo was a minute and a half back in third. Hopefully all his good work will be rewarded next year. Can't wait to watch him square off against Contador and Andy Schleck in the mountains. He wont be able to wait for Brad then.

[JBmadera]

It has been an odd TdF, but nonetheless still pretty exciting.

Given the parcour, few summit finishes and 100K+ ITT, it was fairly easy for Sky to have designated Wiggo as team leader. Froome has ridden well in the mtns but he did lose time to Wiggo in the first TT and we will see how he does tomorrow.

It just isn't as easy as it would appear to change gears on the road and move team leadership from one rider to another

[cj]

It has been an odd TdF, but nonetheless still pretty exciting.


I have to ask, what exactly has excited you? There have been some pretty boring Tours, but this has to be one of the worst in recent memory.

[JBmadera]

I have to ask, what exactly has excited you? There have been some pretty boring Tours, but this has to be one of the worst in recent memory.

Breaks staying away, Tejay riding well, Cav blasting home today led out by the yellow jersey, just to name a few. For me there is a ton of stuff to enjoy other than the yellow jersey comp. Little Tommy rode huge to win the mtn jersey, thought that was awesome too.

[cj]

Breaks staying away, Tejay riding well, Cav blasting home today led out by the yellow jersey, just to name a few. For me there is a ton of stuff to enjoy other than the yellow jersey comp. Little Tommy rode huge to win the mtn jersey, thought that was awesome too.

Those were pretty good, especially the King of the Mountains. Still, that is like saying the Derby had a great undercard, but the Derby stunk.

Teejay will win the Tour some day, you can book that.