QsOTD, Dauphine Stylze...
by Chris Fontecchio on Jun 11, 2009 4:38 PM EDT
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"Valverde was super-strong today," Contador said. "At the base of the climb, he told me he wanted to attack and asked me what I was going to do. I said I was going to stay with Evans and that’s when he decided to attack."
Conspiracy, much? I love this, two Spanish stars, occasional rivals -- though occasional teammates (e.g., Beijing) -- laying bare their plans for the day. Cycling really is like no other sport.
"It was a bizarre race. It seemed not many riders want to win the Dauphine," said Evans...
Not to pile on the guy, but... this is news? Seriously Cadel. When guys show up at the Giro "just for training," you might smell a sandbagger, but the CDL is a training race. It says so here.
Valverde: "Szmyd was a big help on the climb and without him I wouldn’t have been able to make up so much time, but I didn’t give him the win."
Snicker. Hooo-kay... so Szmyd cracked you with his overshifting feint? It's fine, gentlemen don't talk...
"We didn't speak or anything," said Szmyd, "but it was an automatic agreement. As I was almost sure to win, I became stressed out. I had the feeling I might throw up. My legs simply stopped. I told myself, 'you have to do it'. Eventually, I caught Valverde who behaved as a lord of cycling. He's done so much already in his career."
This one comes from the CN recap. Might want to get your stories straight next time guys. Or maybe Valverde assumed none of the press spoke Polish. Still, I love how opponents talk about each other in cycling. Very amusing. Szmyd is a perfect image for why these races are so fun. Big Cats are away; cool, hardworking mice get to play. Yay!
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Lots to smile about today with this stage!
Except for Cadel. I hope Cadel learns from this stage. How to assess. Who to follow. When to take the lead.
... when the Tour starts...
Abruzziamo!
by Chris Fontecchio on Jun 11, 2009 4:59 PM EDT up reply actions
Evans is smiling... or at least "not worrying" ...
sounds like (from Twitter and his website) that his major concern today was to hear that Sebastian Lang didn’t break anything in his crash at 60 km (taken to hospital in ambulance – therefore only 4 *Lotto riders left in the race to help Evans, one of whom = Lloyd is in his first race back after somewhat major injuries). The *Lotto Tour team is potentially diminishing rapidly – I saw one report about Aerts (who left before the race with the “flu”) that it might be cytomegalovirus and he could miss the Tour, and Scheirlinckx abandoned on Stage 3 with a knee injury so not sure how long that might take to improve…
I read somewhere
that Cadel was so busy looking for Savant! that he missed Valverde going up the road, but I can’t personally confirm this rumor.
This isn't the first time the Spanish have worked together though
They’re re-knowned for doing it, or at least they are when you start looking for it (which i do for one of the very unserious sections of my blog).
They’re also well known for telling each other when they’re going to attack. Luis Leon Sanchez told Contador he would at Paris-Nice, they’re just sporting gentlemen and of course most of the Spanish riders are friends which helps :)
I also loved seeing Valv and Szmyd being such good gentlemen. It seems V did look for Szmyd towards the end and if he’d have been seriously pissed off with him for winning he wouldn’t have been grinning and celebrating as he crossed the line.
Still can’t understand why so many people, including Cadel, expected Alberto to help him? If you can suggest one reason why, please, enlighten me. After all Alberto has been playing down his chances for the Dauphine before it even started, and it’s not like he and Cadel are BFFs…
"When he accelerates, he's like Superman emerging from the telephone booth!" La Gazzetta journo Paolo Condo talking about Edvald Boasson Hagen.
from as.com
Contador –
From the start the idea was to preserve. I think of the Tour and I do not want to punish myself. Valverde has been strong. In the first kilometers of climb I said I wanted to prove and he asked me what I was going to do. I told him I was going to stay with Evans and then he decided to attack.
I’m happy with this result. It was as expected. I am a little more relaxed. It was super, but it was expected. If I go now, I won’t be able to in 5 weeks.
also Contador had Zubeldia ahead,
there was no reason for him to help Evans, ridiculous.
Cadel, the yellow jersey is always responsible pulling a dangerous break back, unless you have the Killer doing the work for you.
Mountain Stages in Dauphine better than in Tour this year?
Is it just me or do these three stages of the Dauphine (Ventoux and the next two days) seem way better than the Tour stages in the Alps this year (15, 16, 17). Of those three Tour stages only one mountain finish on stage 15. Yet we have three mountain finishes in a row at Dauphine.
one addition
There are actually only three mountaintop finishes in all of the tour this year. Stage 7, Stage 15 and Stage 20.
dauphiné mountain stages are awesome
and the alps parts are as good as the Tours.
The Tour does some NON mountain-top finish stages that are ridiculously hard and the final descent not too long
like stage 17.
But I agree with you
sometimes life is a false flat
Something's different...
It’s like I’m no longer seeing the world through rose-colored glasses…
I can't understand why people cheat--Mark Cavendish
heh
this needs its own post
Abruzziamo!
by Chris Fontecchio on Jun 11, 2009 5:31 PM EDT up reply actions
you mean it's actually sunshine yellow and not beige?
cause it looks beige to me…
"Wizard's first rule. People are stupid. They will believe anything they want to be true or fear to be true." -- Terry Goodkind
Tell them you want the exact color
of the pipi of the angels.
I can't understand why people cheat--Mark Cavendish
i believe i did say that conta and av were back there plotting...
side note… boy, is this new color scheme washed out
"Wizard's first rule. People are stupid. They will believe anything they want to be true or fear to be true." -- Terry Goodkind
from as.com
“Valverde looked at his companion and friend, waited, stopped at the last corner and gave a victory at the same time lifting the arm as the new leader.”
as.com stated that both riders were happy with today’s results/
I finally understand
why I assumed Valverde had won when he passed me 200 m from finish
gracias
sometimes life is a false flat
Chris, why do you love cancer?
Compare:
Snicker. Hooo-kay… so Szmyd cracked you with his overshifting feint? It’s fine, gentlemen don’t talk…
vs.
‘’I like Marco, and have a lot of respect for him,’’ Armstrong said. ’’I felt like it was a gift on the Ventoux and I also feel like it was a mistake to give the gift. "
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