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Tour de France 2014 |OT| Riding Around 101

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Kabouter

Member
I will say, I have massive amounts of respects for Talansky for how he's fighting to stay in the race, and I actually think he might make it.
 

Linkinito

Member
I will say, I have massive amounts of respects for Talansky for how he's fighting to stay in the race, and I actually think he might make it.
Yep. Pity to see a favourite struggling way behind, but he fights to make it the finish. What a demonstration of courage.
 

kottila

Member
Man, Sagan got completely outplayed, as did the rest of the peloton really. Masterful win by Gallopin.

He is a one man team that everyone wants to beat and noone wants to work with, so his strength works against him.

Thought the stage was exciting from the start of the climbs, plenty of attacks, tight fast downhills and Gallopin holding off the peloton by seconds. Rarely do transistion stahes have this much action. There has hardly been a boring stage so far
 
Sagan in no man's land again. As others have said, can't wait till he's on a real team. Apparently he's headed to Tinkoff next year so that'll be a definite upgrade over the soon to be folded Cannondale group.

And great effort by Talansky. Thought for sure he was getting off when he stopped and was leaning on the guardrail, so was pretty surprised he got back on and beat the time check.

Mikkel Condé v2.0 ‏@mrconde
Peter Sagan is furious again! Just threw his bike through the air behind the podium truck. #TDF
 

Pacbois

Member
Tommorow's finish, should be very interesting.

PROFILCOLSCOTES_2.png
 

Pacbois

Member
Nibali is killing it. Great stage from Pinot & Bardet, give them a few years (and maybe a better team) and they'll be serious contenders.
 
as usual, there was porte's one bad day which completely eliminates him from the position. it's like clockwork for him. happened at last year's tour on first mountain stage, happened on first mountain stage at dauphine, and now this. even worse, i'm sure he'll be fine the rest of the race as he usually bounces back fine.

strong ride from nibali, although he should be thanking katusha for burning everyone out. sheesh. french riders coming on strong! and tejay was impressive. looks like the real battle will be for the 2nd and 3rd spots.
 

JPKellams

Member
Richie not ready to lead a time/should have brought Wiggo - check.
Don't sleep on Valverde, the Bond villain of cycling - check.
I won't take credit for switching to #TeamNibali after Stage 5 (was a bit obvious), but if you want to give me credit for it, I won't decline either. :)

Surprising thing for me this year is that attrition is really letting French riders shine. Without the crashes/support riders cracking, these guys wouldn't be top 5, but now there is a strong chance of a Frenchman on the podium. Which is kinda cool.
 

someday

Banned
Richie not ready to lead a time/should have brought Wiggo - check.
Don't sleep on Valverde, the Bond villain of cycling - check.
I won't take credit for switching to #TeamNibali after Stage 5 (was a bit obvious), but if you want to give me credit for it, I won't decline either. :)

Surprising thing for me this year is that attrition is really letting French riders shine. Without the crashes/support riders cracking, these guys wouldn't be top 5, but now there is a strong chance of a Frenchman on the podium. Which is kinda cool.
I also wonder how Nibali would have fared against a healthy Froome and Contador, especially if stage 5 ended with Nibali having 2 minutes on them both. He's looking fantastic but he's not the explosive climber that they are. This really could have been a great battle.
 

Linkinito

Member
Time for the great Alpine stage:
Tour-de-France-Stage-14-1400751517.png


With the mythical col d'Izoard, highest point in the Tour this year at 2,360 meters:
PROFILCOLSCOTES_1.png


And Risoul hosts a stage finish in the Tour for the first time ever after the Tour de l'Avenir and the Critérium du Dauphiné:
PROFILCOLSCOTES_2.png
 
Time for the great Alpine stage:
Tour-de-France-Stage-14-1400751517.png


With the mythical col d'Izoard, highest point in the Tour this year at 2,360 meters:
PROFILCOLSCOTES_1.png


And Risoul hosts a stage finish in the Tour for the first time ever after the Tour de l'Avenir and the Critérium du Dauphiné:
PROFILCOLSCOTES_2.png
These mountain stages always blow me away at the ability for these guys to make these ridiculous extended climbs.
 

Joni

Member
I also wonder how Nibali would have fared against a healthy Froome and Contador, especially if stage 5 ended with Nibali having 2 minutes on them both. He's looking fantastic but he's not the explosive climber that they are. This really could have been a great battle.
There were question marks on both of them, so I think he would have won anyway.
 

Pacbois

Member
Nibali should have left the 2nd place to Peraud but eh. However, Pinot and Bardet had an amazing fight for the white jersey and won a lot of time to Valverde. Pretty good stage.
 

Joni

Member
Lotto-Belisol and Omega Pharma-Quick Step will remember to bet on Greipel and Cavendish again next year. Van De Broeck came in on 26th place, he is now number 11 and Kwiatkowski came in on 46th, he is now number 17.
 

kottila

Member
He wheelsucked the whole way up and attacked right in his face before the finish line, I'd say Nibali did good keeping the second place for himself.

edit: he just said so himself on tv

IMO wheelsuck+attack on the line is allowed when you clearly are a much weaker rider, but you then you shouldn't expect any gifts. Second place in a stage is not really thatig of a deal anyway, and nibali is close to the kom-jersey because of those points
 
Great ride by Rogers yesterday. You just knew he would smash them on the descent, just like his first win at this years Giro.

Durbridge was funny, a Movistar helper knocks him down, he wants to punch the guy then accepts his help for a push! Stupid from the helper, but classy to help him out.
 

waypoetic

Banned
I was hoping Tony Martin would be in front on today's stage. Sadly that's not the case. That rest day made my boys in OPQS weak...
 
If we speculate that Contador wouldn't have beaten out Nibali, then him abandoning the Tour is almost the best thing that could've happened to Mr. Tinkoff. As cruel as that may sound. They got themselves a nugget with Majka.
 

waypoetic

Banned
You didn't see any of the climbers with their shirts open? Could pretty much see every rib on one of them.

I know it's all about power to weight ratio, but some of them looked pretty much on the limit of doing damage levels of bodyfat.
Yes, we're slender dudes. What of it? Our health? I'm fine, those dudes are fine. This sport isn't about being built like a belgian bull.
 

Kabouter

Member
UCI pull him out?

Apparently now being said by some that it's for excessive sheltering behind cars (which would mean ASO would have pulled him out), but that's so strange to me, because tons of riders have been doing that to a ridiculous degree this tour.

Edit: Yup, that seems to have been the reason. Surprising.
 

Tugatrix

Member
Apparently now being said by some that it's for excessive sheltering behind cars (which would mean ASO would have pulled him out), but that's so strange to me, because tons of riders have been doing that to a ridiculous degree this tour.

Even the winner yesterday did it, this is something else, my bet is doping
 
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