Tour de France Stage 7 - Cavendish takes another win!
by Douglas Ansel on Jul 8, 2011 12:09 PM EDT
in Tour de France
Email
Print
Mark Cavendish of HTC-Highroad won his second stage in the Tour de France today in the town of Châteauroux, where he celebrated his first ever stage win. Alessandro Petacchi of Lampre-ISD finished second, André Gripel of Lotto was third. Yellow Jersey Thor Hushovd of Garmin-Cervélo, meanwhile, successfully defended his race lead for another day. José Joaquim Rojas of Movistar wears the Green Jersey of Points leader, while Robert Gesink took over the lead in the Young Riders' Competition.
Several pre-race favorites, including Chris Horner and Levi Leipheimer of RadioShack, and Ryder Hesjedal of Garmin-Cervélo, were caught behind a crash with 30km to go. They finished 3 minutes behind the main field. The biggest victim of the crash was Bradley Wiggins of Team Sky, who was forced to abandon with a suspected broken collarbone.
Today was another long day at the Tour de France - 214km this time, which makes it the second longest stage in this year's Grand Boucle. That's a lot of time for a doomed break to ride alone, isn't it? At least the organizers were nice to the sprinters, not including a single categorized climb on the profile.
For more on how the stage unfolded, follow me below the jump!
Who wants to draw straws to be in the early break today? Contrary to some of the later, bumpy transition stages, the break was about as doomed to fail as it gets today. In case you need reminding, doomed breakaway = sponsor time for French teams. The others just can't be bothered on days like this, it seems. And so it was, with FDJ putting not one but two men in the break - Mickael Delage and Gianni Meersman. Representing the wildcard pick of Saur-Sojasun was Yannick Talabaron. The final man in the day-long move was Pablo Urtasun Perez of Euskatel. Token Spainard, check. Check that ratio, boys and girls - if one team manages to get two people in a 4-man move, it's a sure sign nobody really cares about the composition of the breakaway because it is D-O-O-M-E-D.
155km to go and they're talking to Gilbert on Eurosport. Managed to show the clip where the kid asks Griepel for his autograph, thinking he's actually Gilbert, too. Ouch, that has to sting for the Gorilla. Gilbert says it's Griepel's time to go play with the sprinters today, but I have a hard time seeing Fast Phil completely sitting this one out because he's in green. If you're watching this early in the stage, prep yourself for a lot more of this type of discussion. And now you can see what Vino had for breakfast! Evidently it was an omlete with chese, tomatoes, etc. today. Then some bananas for "quick sugars." Also, pour yourself some vino, it's going to be a long day.
Okay, time for me to go to class. Nothing to see, they aren't even showing the bike racing yet. That's when you know it's a stage with a foregone conclusion.
55km to go. Yesterday Garmin complained about the other teams not helping set the pace and bring back the breakaways. Funny, that's what they did to HTC the last few years. What goes around comes around, boys. Right now it's HTC putting two on the front to help out Garmin. Vaughters must have made some sort of agreement with HTC - maybe Millar is going to lead out Cav's train again?
53km to go and they are going slower than the slowest expected time schedule today. I hear there's a block headwind. Bummer, dudes. Close-up of Thor, Andy, and Stuey. They all look bored as can be.
43km to go. It's so cute when the commentators point out the break has pulled 10 seconds more out of the bunch. Still doomed, dudes. Gap is 2:46. Kreuzinger chasing back on after a crash. Speaking of crashes, looks like Boonen abandoned earlier in the stage.
38km to go. Big crash. Cioleck, Steegmans, EBH, Coppel, Wiggins, Farrar, Horner, Uran all caught up in it. Wiggins is in a bad way, holding onto his left elbow and not getting back on the bike. Horner is in the ditch for a long time too. Leipheimer and Vino caught behind the crash, chasing back on a long ways behind the bunch. Will have to check post-stage to see all those who lost time. Not likely they'll make it back on with the intermediate sprint coming up soon and sprinters teams keeping the pressure on.
25km to go and Delage takes the intermediate sprint from the break, though it wasn't contested. In the Bunch, Cav takes it over Rojas, Renshaw, and Gilbert. Nobody else tries, though it didn't look like the big dudes were going 100% either. Renshaw does a good job of keeping Gilbert from getting more points. Leadout for the sprint really ate into the break's advantage, they have 56 seconds now.
14km left and the break has 10 seconds. Delage decides he wants the Most Aggressive Rider number tomorrow and attacks. They're on him again though. Perez counters. Looks like we have a fight for the red number on our hands here.
5.5km to go and Leipheimer punctures out of the second peleton, which is already way down and stretched out into a "pain line". Dude has zero luck this year, perhaps even negative luck.
3.7km to go. Cadel Evans is better at following sprinters' wheels than Griepel and a few others are. Farrar is in the second group, so he won't be in the sprint.
Griepel jumps early on the right side of the road, but Cav accelerates up the left hand side and takes it. Petacchi is on Cav's wheel but just can't come around. A bit scrappy in the final km behind the HTC train. Second peleton comes in 3:05 down with Horner, Levi, Hesjedal, and others.
Top Ten:
225 comments
|
0 recs |
Do you like this story?
Comments
Podium!
Do not interfere in the affairs of Dragons, for you are crunchy and taste good with ketchup!
How the heck to they get "Green" flowers?
Do not interfere in the affairs of Dragons, for you are crunchy and taste good with ketchup!
Thought of that after I posted, but still..... that is over the top, no?
Do not interfere in the affairs of Dragons, for you are crunchy and taste good with ketchup!
Oh puleez, this is le Tour!
Nothing is over the top.
My fruit bowl is full of sex wax--gavia
by Douglas Ansel on Jul 8, 2011 12:33 PM EDT up reply actions
Oh la dee da
those people in Nice sure know how to live it up.
"On paper, your team is awesome." -- Pigeons on my WVDS team, and life in general.
but does it have another name
or is it still a rose?
Just spinning the pedals in the hills of Western Maryland
Greipel was going good
positioning is everything on a long flat run in like that.
"It's a lovely thing, feeling that momentum. If you're lucky, it's also about grace." Tim Winton
It seems like Greips came into the Tour a little out of shape
but is now riding his way into shape
Focus on easy first. If that's all you get, that ain't half bad - Caballo Blanco
shape and speed were never his problems I think
just positioning.
Maybe he is too used to “der manschaft” train….
In search of a new tagline.
Yeah, he was very fast
but too far back in the last 2km. Looks like Lotto ran out of firepower.
My fruit bowl is full of sex wax--gavia
by Douglas Ansel on Jul 8, 2011 12:22 PM EDT up reply actions
I'd like to see Greipel get a stage
Focus on easy first. If that's all you get, that ain't half bad - Caballo Blanco
He started his sprint too soon
but that was because he surrendered about 6 places from the time Gilbert took him to the front.
meh.
Honestly, where he ended up was impressive
But he has a tendency to handicap himself. He needs a train, can’t seem to function well without (pulling from this and other races I’ve seen him in).
My fruit bowl is full of sex wax--gavia
by Douglas Ansel on Jul 8, 2011 12:33 PM EDT up reply actions
Yea, you put him on Renshaw's wheel today and he wins easily.
"It's a lovely thing, feeling that momentum. If you're lucky, it's also about grace." Tim Winton
doubt it - Cav would have a slipstream and a half to fire from
Warning... not everything I say should be taken entirely seriously
Well, there is that to consider.
"It's a lovely thing, feeling that momentum. If you're lucky, it's also about grace." Tim Winton
feillu was well positioned too
then lost it and then went crazy trying to get back. Guy seems to have some speed but somehow doesn’t seem to know how to make the most of it.
Galimzyanov
relegated??
If cobble delusions are wrong, who wants to be right? -JFS PGH
by Chris Fontecchio on Jul 8, 2011 12:21 PM EDT reply actions
And not Feillu?
Dude is like a pinball.
My fruit bowl is full of sex wax--gavia
by Douglas Ansel on Jul 8, 2011 12:22 PM EDT up reply actions
weird
I haven’t seen anything.
If cobble delusions are wrong, who wants to be right? -JFS PGH
by Chris Fontecchio on Jul 8, 2011 12:22 PM EDT up reply actions
his wild ass movement didn't look to disturb anyone
"It's a lovely thing, feeling that momentum. If you're lucky, it's also about grace." Tim Winton
Luckily he was on the other side of the road
I’m just worried he’ll be close to someone some day
My fruit bowl is full of sex wax--gavia
by Douglas Ansel on Jul 8, 2011 12:47 PM EDT up reply actions
Yea Gesink in white
"It's a lovely thing, feeling that momentum. If you're lucky, it's also about grace." Tim Winton
Which he'll probably take to Paris + 200 points
"Oh man, it’s going to take days to kill all these people!"
BadAss [Ti] Sporks is pleased
"It's a lovely thing, feeling that momentum. If you're lucky, it's also about grace." Tim Winton
same here
stupid social norms
"Ants don’t worry, they operate like a fantastic team, they accept obstacles and deal with them in a positive manner, they don’t complain and remain positive. An ant doesn’t work on emotion, is proactive and always chooses the ant role."
Nicely done Dansel...
"How strange it was to see men doing something beautiful. Something pointless and elegant." Tim Winton, 'Breath'
Why thanks :)
Gotta have something to do on LAFSs (long-a## flat stages). So might as well commentate!
My fruit bowl is full of sex wax--gavia
by Douglas Ansel on Jul 8, 2011 12:23 PM EDT up reply actions
It's great!
"How strange it was to see men doing something beautiful. Something pointless and elegant." Tim Winton, 'Breath'
+1
thanks for doing this! Several times over.
If cobble delusions are wrong, who wants to be right? -JFS PGH
by Chris Fontecchio on Jul 8, 2011 12:24 PM EDT up reply actions
+3
I picked Riccardo Ricco for my 2011 VDS team, and submitted said team well before the submission deadline. I fully understand the error of my ways, and plead with the VDS Gods to allow me to resubmit my team.
Horner badly hurt
off to the hospital. Fuck fuck fuck!!!
If cobble delusions are wrong, who wants to be right? -JFS PGH
by Chris Fontecchio on Jul 8, 2011 12:23 PM EDT reply actions
I'm amazed he was back on the bike and could remain upright.
"How strange it was to see men doing something beautiful. Something pointless and elegant." Tim Winton, 'Breath'
his whole world was somewhat realigned
Bet he didnt know which way was upright. Poor lad
Warning... not everything I say should be taken entirely seriously
plus, finished at 12.41 back
"Wizard's first rule. People are stupid. They will believe anything they want to be true or fear to be true." -- Terry Goodkind
don't know. i'll have to check his twitter later
"Wizard's first rule. People are stupid. They will believe anything they want to be true or fear to be true." -- Terry Goodkind
Pulling for the redneck
Seemed on good form, an inspiration to roughly 40 year old guys everywhere who get by on a big helping of not knowing when to quit. Well, that and Double Doubles.
JVDB? How he finished?
"I love bike races warm up, warm down, cobbles mountains or flats."
perezbike
.
How a "child" saw this sprint
Feilleu is dangerous!
"Not a great entertainer is young Edvald" - Bradley Wiggins
by Troygirl on Jul 8, 2011 12:26 PM EDT reply actions 1 recs
Not made by me. But another Norwegian.
Cav is right about Feilleu.
"Not a great entertainer is young Edvald" - Bradley Wiggins
Art.
"It's the greatest job in the world until Peyton comes off the field and you think his thumb might be broken and there's three minutes left in the AFC Championship Game and you're down by three to New England and you haven't taken a snap all year. Yeah, it's a great job until that point." - Jim Sorgi.
"If I couldn't play for the Colts, I would probably stop playing football." - Peyton Manning.
by gizzardfanny on Jul 8, 2011 12:44 PM EDT up reply actions
stay safe or piss off a domestique?
Screw Bernie!
Focus on easy first. If that's all you get, that ain't half bad - Caballo Blanco
Yeah, I dont think he cares too much
Like I said at the end of the last thread. This is the new normal, it is a different kind of a TdF, set up for puncheurs rather than sprinters at the beginning. I am kind of surprised they didn’t work this out and change tactics. And as if the other teams should leave the train undisrupted, other people want to win right.
Yes and no, but it had nothing to do with Cav.
"How strange it was to see men doing something beautiful. Something pointless and elegant." Tim Winton, 'Breath'
This was such a crap day
Both Wiggo and Horner were the big questionmarks in the GC. Would have loved to see what they were capable of
sentiment of the day
I picked Riccardo Ricco for my 2011 VDS team, and submitted said team well before the submission deadline. I fully understand the error of my ways, and plead with the VDS Gods to allow me to resubmit my team.
Indeed
but it was kinda heart warming to see his team waiting for him for so long. Didn’t they lose a white jersey on it?
To make the day worse, Soler has woken from his coma but can’t speak nor swell.
Yes, Geraint and Eddy finished 3' down
Might have been nice for him to keep it longer but was going to lose it in the mountains whereas Wiggins if he had been able to carry on couldn’t really afford to lose time.
by randomgerbil on Jul 8, 2011 12:39 PM EDT up reply actions
I don't doubt it
BUT I just don’t see why (other than out of concern) the whole lot of them hung about with Wiggins. Think I would have preferred either Eddy or G to have been ruthlessly sent on up the road. Even if they lost the jersey to Gesink as earlier as, say, tomorrow.
"I’m hoping for the Mortirolo-Gavia combination, then we can ride down to Bormio for ice cream." Emma Pooley on the Giro Donne
How many riders to wait for Wiggins?
I think they did the right thing. Wiggo was the main man and they already have a solid stage win and some days in White. Could be risky leaving any horsepower up the road in these types of situations.
no-one else is a GC threat, so they can bin time (and it might even help the stage hunting)
But with an intermediate sprint 15km away, and the finish only 40 away, i think they realised that they needed to TTT to have any chance of catching a HTC driven peloton
Warning... not everything I say should be taken entirely seriously
civetta has (more than) a good point
The interviews ITV4 got post race indicate that G and EBH survived unscathed during the melee. EBH stopped on autopilot, G was still up ahead with two others.
At times to be ruthless is to be right. Sky lost more than their GC candidate, they lost a white jersey and their team ranking. Three losses not just one.
Understandable the team waited, but in part foolish also – you can always ask riders to drop back and help if needed.
yes
"I’m hoping for the Mortirolo-Gavia combination, then we can ride down to Bormio for ice cream." Emma Pooley on the Giro Donne
Agree about both Wiggo and Horner
sucks bigtime for the excitement of the GC battle
"It's a lovely thing, feeling that momentum. If you're lucky, it's also about grace." Tim Winton
Yes, it's very disappointing
that two of the most interesting stories in this year’s TdF had to end like this. I feel the old goat and the transformed track rider had so much more to tell.
yep
I’ve not always been the biggest Wiggo fan but I was really impressed with him when I saw him at the Nat Champs the other week. He looked fantastic. I doubt he’d’ve won it but I was looking forward to seeing what he could do.
Nice to have got that Dauphiné in the bag now…
"I’m hoping for the Mortirolo-Gavia combination, then we can ride down to Bormio for ice cream." Emma Pooley on the Giro Donne
plus LOADS
form and half, this year.
Really wish he would fire it back up for the Vuelta to test himself in a 3 weekrer again
Warning... not everything I say should be taken entirely seriously
Only 80 finished "same time"
Ouch.
Including a few that fell off the back of the peloton at the end, 81-98 were between the two main groups and P2 at 3’06" is 99-179.
More than 3’06":
Wouter Pouls 3’37"
Biel Kadri 4’14"
Yarolav Popovych 6’38"
Sergio Paulinho 6’38"
Ramunas Navardauskas 6’38"
and then the group at 12’41":
Dmitriy Fofonov
Jesus Hernandez
Andrey Zeitz
Gerald Ciolek
Gert Steegmans
Christopher Horner
Navardauskas probably popped after being on front
Popovych and Paulinho probably pulled Levi back up to P2.
Tejay lost 2’44" today. Pop after leadout duty?
"Oh man, it’s going to take days to kill all these people!"
I would assume so
He was on the front about 6km out I think.
My fruit bowl is full of sex wax--gavia
by Douglas Ansel on Jul 8, 2011 12:36 PM EDT up reply actions
Looks like for Tejay
Finished with Danny Pate, so they probably got together after pulling the train.
Ok apparently Feillu had a 55x12 (and not an 55x11)
Which is even smaller than 53×11. So why the odd gears?
55×12 9.6066 meter
53×11 10.098 meter
My fruit bowl is full of sex wax--gavia
by Douglas Ansel on Jul 8, 2011 12:45 PM EDT up reply actions
comment of the day
I picked Riccardo Ricco for my 2011 VDS team, and submitted said team well before the submission deadline. I fully understand the error of my ways, and plead with the VDS Gods to allow me to resubmit my team.
Jani Brajkovic's tweet
Where is the hero, who is gonna neutralize the race, now? Hypocrates [sic]
Carbo-Hydrat protein
A-B-C-D Vitamin
he was pulling hard :)
But I wouldn’t claim it to be the same situation as there was no oil on the road today.
Cav up to 3rd in Green jersey comp
150 points and only 17 back from 1st.
"It's a lovely thing, feeling that momentum. If you're lucky, it's also about grace." Tim Winton
Might close a bit tomorrow
Only one cat 4 before the sprintermediate, so the sprinters will probably have a last hurrah then.
At a pool party
Can someone update me where the following are in the GC?
Bert
VDV
Ryder
Thanks!
Never use a metaphor, simile, or other figure of speech which you are used to seeing in print.
Never use a long word where a short one will do.
If it is possible to cut a word out, always cut it out.
Never use the passive where you can use the active.
Never use a foreign phrase, a scientific word, or a jargon word if you can think of an everyday English equivalent.
Break any of these rules sooner than say anything outright barbarous.
-Orwell, Politics and the English Language
www.battleredblog.com
by tehGrindCrusher on Jul 8, 2011 1:10 PM EDT via mobile reply actions
Sure
Contador + 01’ 42"
Vande Velde + 01’ 57"
Ryder Hesjedal + 04’ 28" (lost 3’06" today with the second peloton after the crash)
Thanks!
Never use a metaphor, simile, or other figure of speech which you are used to seeing in print.
Never use a long word where a short one will do.
If it is possible to cut a word out, always cut it out.
Never use the passive where you can use the active.
Never use a foreign phrase, a scientific word, or a jargon word if you can think of an everyday English equivalent.
Break any of these rules sooner than say anything outright barbarous.
-Orwell, Politics and the English Language
www.battleredblog.com
by tehGrindCrusher on Jul 8, 2011 2:50 PM EDT via mobile up reply actions
Just one thought
Watched Versus yesterday pre-race, and Bob Roll was going on about how Contador had a lot to learn about riding to avoid crashes.
Today, Ligget said Contador was lucky to avoid the crashes.
So is it luck or skill?
Apparently, when Contador crashes or gets caught out, it is because he is stupid.
But when others crash, it is bad luck.
Rant over.
Yeah that's stupid talk
Contador has won 6 grand tours. There’s nothing Bob Roll can teach him.
"Oh man, it’s going to take days to kill all these people!"
Radio Shack proving they needed 4 leaders this tour...
If anything happens to Kloden, they should just pack it in…
(I hope Horner’s okay)
So now do they ride for Kloden?
Or go for exploits on their own?
Agree. As long as Kloden is a podium contender, the team will ride for him.
Will we have to see how the tactics develop.
Kloden has seemed to be the strongest one of the Shackers anyways
"Oh man, it’s going to take days to kill all these people!"
After the stage, Levi said it was all for Kloden
I picked Riccardo Ricco for my 2011 VDS team, and submitted said team well before the submission deadline. I fully understand the error of my ways, and plead with the VDS Gods to allow me to resubmit my team.
uh oh
Badger, badger, badger, badger, badger, badger...
by TheFigurehead on Jul 8, 2011 2:22 PM EDT up reply actions
how long by private plane?
"Ants don’t worry, they operate like a fantastic team, they accept obstacles and deal with them in a positive manner, they don’t complain and remain positive. An ant doesn’t work on emotion, is proactive and always chooses the ant role."
Intermediate sprints early in mountain stages
Anyone interested in the green jersey should notice that most of the mountain stages have an intermediate sprint early in the stage before significant climbing has happened.
e.g. 8, 12, maybe 13, 16, maybe 17, 18. The “maybes” have a cat 3 before the sprint, the rest no more than a cat 4 (and several have no categorised climb).
Also, there are quite a few sprints that follow a single cat 2 or cat 1, which could be interesting to see if someone like Hushovd can stay with the bunch up the first mountain of the day, grab the sprint (less any break) and then drop back to the broom wagon.
The way the sprinters sometimes barely avoid missing the cutoff as it is
I’m wondering if we’ll see a sprinter go too hard for an intermediate and be unable to finish on time because of it.
Selective GC standings - lots in the hurt locker
Selective GC standings
2 EVANS Cadel 141 BMC RACING TEAM 28h 29’ 28" + 00’ 01"
3 SCHLECK Frank 18 TEAM LEOPARD-TREK 28h 29’ 31" + 00’ 04"
4 MILLAR David 56 TEAM GARMIN – CERVELO 28h 29’ 35" + 00’ 08"
5 KLÖDEN Andréas 74 TEAM RADIOSHACK 28h 29’ 37" + 00’ 10"
6 FUGLSANG Jakob 13 TEAM LEOPARD-TREK 28h 29’ 39" + 00’ 12"
7 SCHLECK Andy 11 TEAM LEOPARD-TREK 28h 29’ 39" + 00’ 12"
8 MARTIN Tony 175 HTC – HIGHROAD 28h 29’ 40" + 00’ 13"
9 VELITS Peter 179 HTC – HIGHROAD 28h 29’ 40" + 00’ 13"
10 GESINK Robert 41 RABOBANK CYCLING TEAM 28h 29’ 47" + 00’ 20"
11 VINOKOUROV Alexandre 61 PRO TEAM ASTANA 28h 29’ 59" + 00’ 32"
12 GILBERT Philippe 32 OMEGA PHARMA – LOTTO 28h 30’ 00" + 00’ 33"
13 VAN DEN BROECK Jurgen 31 OMEGA PHARMA – LOTTO 28h 30’ 06" + 00’ 39"
15 BASSO Ivan 91 LIQUIGAS-CANNONDALE 28h 30’ 30" + 01’ 03"
18 ROCHE Nicolas 101 AG2R LA MONDIALE 28h 30’ 39" + 01’ 12"
19 CUNEGO Damiano 161 LAMPRE – ISD 28h 30’ 39" + 01’ 12"
24 CONTADOR Alberto 1 SAXO BANK SUNGARD 28h 31’ 09" + 01’ 42"
25 DANIELSON Tom 52 TEAM GARMIN – CERVELO 28h 31’ 24" + 01’ 57"
26 VANDE VELDE Christian 58 TEAM GARMIN – CERVELO 28h 31’ 24" + 01’ 57"
28 TAARAMAE Rein 151 COFIDIS LE CREDIT EN LIGNE 28h 31’ 40" + 02’ 13"
29 SANCHEZ Luis-Leon 47 RABOBANK CYCLING TEAM 28h 31’ 42" + 02’ 15"
32 SANCHEZ Samuel 21 EUSKALTEL – EUSKADI 28h 32’ 03" + 02’ 36"
38 THOMAS Geraint 117 SKY PROCYCLING 28h 32’ 45" + 03’ 18"
47 URAN Rigoberto 118 SKY PROCYCLING 28h 33’ 51" + 04’ 24"
48 HESJEDAL Ryder 55 TEAM GARMIN – CERVELO 28h 33’ 55" + 04’ 28"
50 LEIPHEIMER Levi 75 TEAM RADIOSHACK 28h 33’ 56" + 04’ 29"
51 MOLLEMA Bauke 45 RABOBANK CYCLING TEAM 28h 34’ 07" + 04’ 40"
52 KOLOBNEV Alexandr 197 KATUSHA TEAM 28h 34’ 18" + 04’ 51"
57 KREUZIGER Roman 66 PRO TEAM ASTANA 28h 35’ 02" + 05’ 35"
75 MONCOUTIE David 157 COFIDIS LE CREDIT EN LIGNE 28h 36’ 55" + 07’ 28"
107 GADRET John 104 AG2R LA MONDIALE 28h 41’ 14" + 11’ 47"
119 HORNER Christopher 72 TEAM RADIOSHACK 28h 42’ 26" + 12’ 59"
and Wiggins, Brajkovic DNF
Don't give up on the Eskimo that easily!
I have VDS points tied up in that young man….
"Age and treachery will overcome youth and skill" - Fausto Coppi
by muk on Jul 8, 2011 1:38 PM EDT up reply actions
think the GC for winning, anyway - is down to 3 (short of more crashes)
Contador
a Schleck (not A Schleck)
Evans
Warning... not everything I say should be taken entirely seriously
Think how much fun we'd have if Contador had been in the crash
4’48" would mean we’d see him attacking day after day in the mountains.
and . . .
Millar, Fuglsang, Velits, Vinokourov, Gilbert, Basso, Roche, and Cunego are also really out of it.
Basso, Evans and Contador all have the problem
of no alternative threat to send up the road and force a chase
I think Vino has a good chance in this race now
He’s got a couple of strong teammates for the mountains, all he needs to do is hang on for a podium place.
It's not having what you want, it's wanting what you've got.
Agree kind of
After last years giro, I am not sure he can carry the form to the end of the third week.
We haven't actually seen what kind of shape Basso is in yet
I’m not writing him off for the podium yet. I think we are going to see Evans following lots of wheels for a while now while we see who has good mountain legs this year. He doesn’t need to attack in the early mountains and he can probably dictate whether he takes yellow.
The need for team mates as alternative threats seems to be a myth to me.
"It's the greatest job in the world until Peyton comes off the field and you think his thumb might be broken and there's three minutes left in the AFC Championship Game and you're down by three to New England and you haven't taken a snap all year. Yeah, it's a great job until that point." - Jim Sorgi.
"If I couldn't play for the Colts, I would probably stop playing football." - Peyton Manning.
Do you really think Cadel was more worried about Frank than Sastre by the Alpe d'Huez?
Cadel knew he could absolutely crush Frank in the TT. (and he did) There’s no way Cadel was thinking “I better mark Frank instead of chasing Sastre”.
Saxo had great team tactics. But Cadel was not marking the Schlecks.
"Oh man, it’s going to take days to kill all these people!"
He kept following attacks
admittedly, not just by the Schlecks.
Having watched the race many times
I can assure you that Cadel’s eyes were fully focused on Fränk and he was contempt with sitting on Fränk’s wheel till it was too late and ALpe d’Huez wasn’t the only stage where Sastre won time due to this.
It was a big mistake by Cadel(I myself pointed that out many times during the race) but the English speaking press was partly fault due to their over hyping of Fränk’s climbing capabilities based on his earlier Alpe d’Huez victory(they forgot how Fränk had won it like they forgot that Sastre could TT).
Agree
It’s rare for any GC contenders to do the one-two punch.
I remember:
1. Schlecks in the 2009 Tour
2. Liquigas in the 2010 Giro.
"Oh man, it’s going to take days to kill all these people!"
Astana 2009 (LA & AC)
scored a 1st & 3rd…
And recall Lemond and the Badger…so maybe it’s not so rare.
Evans and Contador have TT ability on their side versus many other contenders.
Super dope. Is that like EPO on steroids?
I think it will come down to Cadel, A Schleck, and Bert still...
(no change from my pre-tour thoughts…the fact that A Schleck’s real quiet, I feel bodes well for him…but cadel looks strong…)
Gesink looks good, but I wonder if his crash hurt him.
I root for Basso for VDS points, but wonder.
JVDB for VDS points too – but hope top 5.
Roche – score something. DAMN!
+1
I think that the “real” contenders for the podium remain the same as on day 1. Those that had a chance to squeeze their way onto the bottom step(s) are falling (literally) by the wayside as the race goes on…
"Age and treachery will overcome youth and skill" - Fausto Coppi
by muk on Jul 8, 2011 1:45 PM EDT up reply actions
My thoughts almost exactly JJY
but I think Cadel is so much
a. smarter tactically than Andy that I can see him making a critical mistake
b. better in TT
that I think Andy comes third or just misses out
Cadel looks physically strong
I just hope that he has worked on his mental side too as the press will notice him more and more, perhaps even brink up old clips. We all know how the press can be.
As long as the press can still access his voicemail
all should be well
"He will sooner grow flowing locks of golden Bon Jovi-hair from his bald and barren head." - Jens discussing the possibility of Riis bringing a sprinter to a Pistol/GC fight.
by omnevelnihil on Jul 9, 2011 12:19 AM EDT up reply actions
Winning a GT is much harder than it looks...
Yikes- Nasty day and its a shame that so many contenders crashed out of the race/contention, but as everyone was happy to say on stage 1- that’s TdF racing…..
I agree with JJY- I also think that AC will go for the stage win tomorrow- or at least try to make the elite selection- While I agree that he does not have the teammates to trigger a break, he has shown a very sophisticated ability to use other teams agendas to his advantage, and I suspect that Garvelo will look to VdV, Hesedal and Tomestique to keep the Argyle presence at the front of affairs, SChelcks will want some of that tip of the Peloton action and so will Gesink and Basso, and some of the darker horses will have similar plans and will likely provide the power on the front that AC needs to launch himself (or make the selection)…
Frankly, with the peloton being this nervous, they would all do well to be as close to the front as possible…
I am sure that AC is also working VERY hard to win this race in the hotel- he is probably loving the fact that as soon as the race is over, he can vanish, get his rubdown on, rest, slap the compression kit on, eat and get ready for showtime in the mountains- Okay, so Cadel, Schleck and Schleck and co are doing the same- But AC is the best GT “recoverer” in the peloton and this week is important for him…If we accept that Andy is rounding into form, so is AC, and AC has shown what he gets the recovery sorted…
Andy? Well, jury’s out…
If AC can continue to use a combination of climbing power, patience to use other teams agendas and ambtions to his advantage, and presence at the front to stay ahead of trouble and dictate the pace, he can easily slice 10-20+ seconds off the MJ/Cadel on a day like tomorrow….
He keeps riding smart during the transition stages next week, and then it will come down to a straight knife fight between he, Cadel and Andy by stage 12- And we know that dude does routinely bring a pistol to knifefights in the mountains.
(And I think that Bob Roll should acknowledge that the proximity to crashes is a function of LUCK as well as skill, and even the savviest, most experienced cats in the peloton (Horner/Levi) can be on the wrong side of the crash when the luck is up)
“Frankly, with the peloton being this nervous, they would all do well to be as close to the front as possible…”
I’m starting to seriously think this causes as many crashes as anything else…
"I’m hoping for the Mortirolo-Gavia combination, then we can ride down to Bormio for ice cream." Emma Pooley on the Giro Donne
good point....
But to get caught napping at the back is a bit of a crisis, so cats take their chances in the front, no?
But then if they DON'T call for dudes to be in the front...
And they get gapped or delayed in a crash then cats on here, Bob Roll and the whole world say that people are not experienced enough…
Can’t win…
Brad Wiggins to Ned Boulting on ITV4 right now:
(I paraphrase) Crash at front of the peloton caused by 200 riders jostling for position on narrow roads… you’re constantly being told on the radio stay at the front, the peloton’s about to split…
(good anti-radio argument, actually)
Sounded fairly philosophical, though he was blaming that on the painkillers!
"I’m hoping for the Mortirolo-Gavia combination, then we can ride down to Bormio for ice cream." Emma Pooley on the Giro Donne
Actual interview
here. Dunno if geo-restricted mind.
"I’m hoping for the Mortirolo-Gavia combination, then we can ride down to Bormio for ice cream." Emma Pooley on the Giro Donne
I wonder how much of this need for 200 guys to stay at the front was dictated by Leopard Trek's actions on stage 1.
Don’t know if their desire to push the advantage on AC when he was in an accident on day one made everyone a little more nervous than normal, but I think it may have.
Super dope. Is that like EPO on steroids?
well & they didn't exactly hang about today once it all kicked off, did they?
"I’m hoping for the Mortirolo-Gavia combination, then we can ride down to Bormio for ice cream." Emma Pooley on the Giro Donne
Only Contador gets called out for not riding on the front
any other rider that gets caught behind the crash is simply a victim of bad luck.
It is the same message that can be heard from the sidelines
Of every Cat 5 through to Cat1 crit/circuit race every weekend. This is not new, nor is the theory complicated. I guess at this level , it is easy to underestimate the sheer effort required to make it happen, all day, every day….
"Age and treachery will overcome youth and skill" - Fausto Coppi
by muk on Jul 8, 2011 3:49 PM EDT up reply actions
Geraint Thomas:
All this talk of rider safety… It comes down to us riders!! There are some right muppets in the peloton, even some GC riders!!
(twitter)
Like to guess who?
(ah, I love G)
"I’m hoping for the Mortirolo-Gavia combination, then we can ride down to Bormio for ice cream." Emma Pooley on the Giro Donne
Wouldn't think they're GC material
Badger, badger, badger, badger, badger, badger...
by TheFigurehead on Jul 8, 2011 2:44 PM EDT up reply actions
takes one to know one
dare I say ;-)
"I’m hoping for the Mortirolo-Gavia combination, then we can ride down to Bormio for ice cream." Emma Pooley on the Giro Donne
they have experience on their side...
Warning... not everything I say should be taken entirely seriously
Cav TMI
“1 point today I got bad stomach cramp & farted unintentionally. Really thought I’d..ahem..followed through. So sorry to Liquigas guy behind.”
http://twitter.com/#!/MarkCavendish/status/89405812992253952
As a British Addict
May i say Bollocks?
I was waiting to see if the Dauphine means anything and hoping it did.
Warning... not everything I say should be taken entirely seriously
I'm not British AND don't like Wiggo AND wanted to see it too...
Crashes shouldn’t take contenders out…not having the legs should. Oh well…
i as well. not a wiggo fan, but was really curious to see if he could get a top 10
I picked Riccardo Ricco for my 2011 VDS team, and submitted said team well before the submission deadline. I fully understand the error of my ways, and plead with the VDS Gods to allow me to resubmit my team.
The Wiggo dynamic was another interesting angle in the race.
All gone now. Real pity.
For those who think Cav is a bit of an arse...
His twitter is full of his team
The ITV4 interview he spent more time commiserating with brad than celebrating
Man’s class, I’m saying… :)
Warning... not everything I say should be taken entirely seriously
ah yes Wiggins
who (rightly) as it turned out) left Highroad because he didn’t want to be Cav’s lead out man
"I’m hoping for the Mortirolo-Gavia combination, then we can ride down to Bormio for ice cream." Emma Pooley on the Giro Donne
They used to ride the madison together, so they know how each other works by now
(Ah Cav, those rants after the Olympics about how Brad shouldn’t have ridden with him, because he was too tired to give it all for the mads. I do think he had a bit of a point, but also, after the track worlds, no one was going to let them escape! favourites = marked men!)
by Sarah Connolly on Jul 8, 2011 9:46 PM EDT up reply actions
I don't need convincing, preaching to the choir here.
But keep preaching, because people have put their judgemental heads up their pristine asses as far as I’m concerned. But this is coming from someone who doesn’t really know him either.
"It's a lovely thing, feeling that momentum. If you're lucky, it's also about grace." Tim Winton
Definitely
"How strange it was to see men doing something beautiful. Something pointless and elegant." Tim Winton, 'Breath'
he often acts like a real jerk
even his fans acknowledge that. He’s good and bad. But acting out as a jerk so often just does not equal class. I think “enfant terrible de le peloton” describes him much better.
With Cav you can’t point out some nice tweets he’s made or a good interview he’s had and then say “look, he’s not an arse” – because we all know that a week ago and next week and whenever things don’t go too well, he’ll be back to acting a bit of an arse again.
I don’t think he’s so bad – i guess because i’ve seen enough good come out of him – but class? Gimme a break. You can’t throw tantrums every so often or throw out such petty tit for tat, schoolboy insults right and left and then claim to have class. What was the recent little bs he was tweeting about the gorilla? Like a 5 year old saying “look, he’s the one who started it” – sorry, that aint class in my book.
He is Boy Racer afterall...
I can forgive his tantrums because he always gives respect to the work his team does for him.
Lot to agree with there
One thing he is class at is winning stages
All time stage winners list before the start of the tour
1. Eddy Merckx (Belgium) 34 stage wins 1969-1975
2. Bernard Hinault (France) 28 1978-1986
3. André Leducq (France) 25 1927-1938
4= André Darrigade (France) 22 1953-1964
4= Lance Armstrong (USA) 22 1993-2005
6. Nicolas Frantz (Luxembourg) 20 1924-1929
7. François Faber (Luxembourg) 19 1908-1914
8. Jean Alavoine (France) 17 1909-1923
9= Charles Pelissier (France) 16 1929-1935
9= René Le Greves (France) 16 1933-1939
9= Jacques Anquetil (France) 16 1957-1964
12= Freddy Maertens (Belgium) 15 1976-1981
12= Mark Cavendish (Great Britain) 15 2008-2010
Cav now up to =8, with =7 in his sights this tour
Cav's also up to 27 stages in all Grand Tours
which ties him for 14th place with Marino Basso in the list of GT stage winners:
1 Eddy Merckx 64
2 Mario Cipollini 57
3 Alessandro Petacchi 48
4 Alfredo Binda 44
5 Bernard Hinault 42
6 Erik Zabel 41
7 Learco Guerra 39
7 Delio Rodríguez 39
9 Rik Van Looy 37
10 Freddy Maertens 35
11 Fausto Coppi 31
12 Costante Girardengo 30
13 Gino Bartali 29
14 Marino Basso 27
14 Mark Cavendish 27
Can he beat Merckx? Lots of career left…
He's a good kid. Complex and messed up, but intrinsically good.--Jonathan Vaughters, on Thomas Dekker
The sentimentalist in me hopes no one ever equals Merckx
for decades to come on either list (and it loooks out of sight in reality)
Everyone else below Cipo looks fair game though, and Cipo may not be safe eventually.
Cool stat that if he can get two more this tour he equals Bartali for number of wins.
The investigation isn't about doping
"On paper, your team is awesome." -- Pigeons on my WVDS team, and life in general.
Comments For This Post Are Closed
Secondary Sidebar
User Tools
Related FanPosts on Podium Cafe
FanPosts
Community blog posts and discussion.
Recommended FanPosts
Recent FanPosts
Celebrate the Giro d'Italia at Podium Cafe!
Check our Giro Section for race updates, on-the-scene reports, and other hijinx.
Featured Stories
FanShots
Quick hits of video, photos, quotes, chats, links and lists that you find around the web.
Recent FanShots
