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Tour de France 2017 |OT|

Fun wall coming up:

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Cav's fault?? Lol. No.

First off, I meant Cav's fault in the sense that he brought it upon himself, not that he was doing anything malicious either.

In rewatching the videos, it was Cav that really initiated the contact which ended up causing the accident. The elbow was purely a reaction on Sagan's part to keep from going down himself.

Its all water under the bridge at this point though. Both men are gone and its going to be a less interesting Tour as a result.
 

Fonds

Member
I dislike how the Tour organisation handled this regardless of where the blame lies.

You don't let just the affected come in to discuss it.
You either let all team representatives come in and discuss the issue, or you don't let any in and discuss it among yourselves.
This type of conflict resolving is way too biased.
 
Really chewing up the sky train now.

Moellma gone.

Can't see anyone from Orica either. (Edit: Yates is still there, Chaves no where to be seen)
 
The Sky Team is absolutely ridiculous. Fabio's attack has been fantastic, I hope he can win the Tour.

Crossing my fingers for Nairo to get dropped.

Edit: AJO ARUUUUUU! Nairo choked thank god.
 
Pls, Aru got this.

Now there is no talk of co-leaders.

Speriamo. I don't like Froome or Sky, but I have to admit they're strong as fuck. Today they looked on a whole other level climbing. Fabio may be strong, but his team is non existent, and having a strong team is really important.
 
Seeing Nairo get absolutely destroyed and Aru winning just made my day. I'll miss Sagan, but I'll keep watching if my boy Aru keeps doing this well.

Edit: dp, sorry.
 
Speriamo. I don't like Froome or Sky, but I have to admit they're strong as fuck. Today they looked on a whole other level climbing. Fabio may be strong, but his team is non existent, and having a strong team is really important.

I think people are selling Astana short, especially as now Fulgsang will be a dom, and also they arguably the best grand tour team in the peloton for the last five years.

Sky are strong, but Fabio is an amazing climber, as seen by how he actually extended his lead when the others attacked.

Edit: I feel for Quintana, I love anyone who does the Giro while also targetting the Tour. None of this season starts in July shit.
 
I think people are selling Astana short, especially as now Fulgsang will be a dom, and also they arguably the best grand tour team in the peloton for the last five years.

Sky are strong, but Fabio is an amazing climber, as seen by how he actually extended his lead when the others attacked.

Edit: I feel for Quintana, I love anyone who does the Giro while also targetting the Tour. None of this season starts in July shit.

Astana may have strong riders, but they're not as strong as the Sky Team. I don't see anyone being as strong as they are. That's worrying, because having that support is absolutely needed as stages go by. Fighting solo against a strong team is extremely hard, and I'm afraid just being a strong climber isn't enough.

I don't hate Nairo, but I do hate his fans. I can't believe how delusional Nairo's Colombian fans can get. He's a great athlete, but he's not better than his competition, and this is something those fans can't get. I bet it's hard trying to always live up to people's unreal expectations.
 
I hope Aru becomes the new Bertie and starts doing all kinds of shenanigans. It was dreadful to watch the Sky skeleton train.
 
Astana may have strong riders, but they're not as strong as the Sky Team. I don't see anyone being as strong as they are. That's worrying, because having that support is absolutely needed as stages go by. Fighting solo against a strong team is extremely hard, and I'm afraid just being a strong climber isn't enough.

I don't hate Nairo, but I do hate his fans. I can't believe how delusional Nairo's Colombian fans can get. He's a great athlete, but he's not better than his competition, and this is something those fans can't get. I bet it's hard trying to always live up to people's unreal expectations.

Fulgsang, Zeits, and Hrivko, plus Cataldo should all be able to help.

This might be the weakest Astana teasm overall in a few years, but they actually have experience and now how to race three week tours and finish on the top step. They are the only team other than Sky who really know how to do that.

I am obviously biased and want Aru to win, but i said before the start that he was the best non-Froome candidate. I think that has been shown and it will come down to Aru and Froome.
 

Fonds

Member
Well, at least it was't a complete walkover.
Nice to see Aru take this one.

Froome isn't as strong as we've seen him before. Hope we'll see some more cracks in the Sky armor in days to come.
 
Good to see someone taking on Sky. Not looking like Porte has it in him if he can't smash a stage like that which you would have thought would be ideal for his style.

Edit: not sure why you'd think Froome doesn't look strong. He's in control of the race already. He doesn't need to win stages.
 
Good to see someone taking on Sky. Not looking like Porte has it in him if he can't smash a stage like that which you would have thought would be ideal for his style.

Edit: not sure why you'd think Froome doesn't look strong. He's in control of the race already. He doesn't need to win stages.

Yeah. The fact he didn't win today's stage doesn't mean much. He's already wearing the jaune, and managed to finish strong today. A third place is a pretty great result, especially considering he beat pretty much all of his main rivals, except for Aru.
 
Froome looked poor at the Dauphine, and I would say when he launched his album ttack today it was with the intent to win/seriously distance his rivals.

Froome might be in Yellow, but that is only because of the TT. Otherwise, he would be 30 seconds behind Fabio.

A long way to go, but I am very confident Fabio has whatbit takes. Just pissed off I can't bet in Korea. I think right after the Dauphine, Aru was 40/1. telegraph said a week ago bet on him at 22/1, now he is 4/1 :((((
 

Fonds

Member
Last years Froome would've been able to rid himself of the rest and close the gap to Aru.
I'm just not as convinced as I have been by Sky and Froome in previous years.
Yes he's taken the yellow but not by as wide a margin as expected.
 
Froome often seems unimpressive in these situations. Sure, sometimes he comes alive but he often looks like he's unable to keep up, like he's struggling but all the time he's doing exactly what he needs to do to win.

I'm not saying that he could have won that race today if he had wanted to but he probably knew that he was inn the jersey, he's ahead, he's got another time trial, there are only two (?) more MTFs left and those are more suited to him etc etc.. We've seen it time and time again.

I'm not saying that Aru cannot win and I hope he takes Froome to the line but there is nothing that happened today that suggests that Froome is not still the big favourite, More so now that Porte is losing time.
 
As a fan of Nairo Quintana I must admit that I'm a little disappointed to see all the hate for him here. Not really sure what he's done to deserve it.
 

olore

Member
As a fan of Nairo Quintana I must admit that I'm a little disappointed to see all the hate for him here. Not really sure what he's done to deserve it.

Hate is a strong word. Personally I find him slightly arrogant, at least in earlier Tours de France
 
As a fan of Nairo Quintana I must admit that I'm a little disappointed to see all the hate for him here. Not really sure what he's done to deserve it.

I don't hate him, I respect him as an athlete. Though I despise a certain part of his Colombian fanbase, who insist in believing he's the second coming of Jesus, when he's clearly not. He's a great climber, but his tactics coupled with the fact that his competition is really strong, have led him to lukewarm performances.
 

teepo

Member
some of the hate for quinatana stems from the fact that for even cycling fans, wining the tour is all that matters. it's quite sad reading about "lukewarm" performances given all that he has accomplished in the last five years. i can understand not liking him as a person, not liking his riding style, even not liking his fanbase but to try and argue that he's lukewarm? gtfo
 

Fonds

Member
Interesting, Greipel says that Sagan did a similar move on Monday in the mid sprint.

And he also apologized for his early conclusions about the Cav incident, and feels a DQ isn't justified.

You're the last one defending the DQ Joni, time to let it go.
 

Joni

Member
And he also apologized for his early conclusions about the Cav incident, and feels a DQ isn't justified.

You're the last one defending the DQ Joni, time to let it go.

They specifically warned the cyclists that they would be stricter this Tour. And then we get two separate incidents with Sagan in full view of the camera elbowing someone. As for the last one defending it, among others, Keisse and Boonen also defend it, especially the former who said Sagan has being gone further than decently allowed the last couple of months. The Cavendish accident is simply the first one where he caused serious damage. After years of deaths, maybe it is time they crack down on the assholes that are causing danger.
 

Ruruja

Member
I still believe Froome will peak later in the Tour. I think in reaction to his fading in the last few tours, they just moved his schedule backwards a month or so, that's why he wasn't in any serious races for a while earlier in the year and didn't do great at Dauphiné etc.

Also Aru ruined me having a velo top 3 :( good attack though!
 

Fonds

Member
They specifically warned the cyclists that they would be stricter this Tour. And then we get two separate incidents with Sagan in full view of the camera elbowing someone. As for the last one defending it, among others, Keisse and Boonen also defend it, especially the former who said Sagan has being gone further than decently allowed the last couple of months. The Cavendish accident is simply the first one where he caused serious damage. After years of deaths, maybe it is time they crack down on the assholes that are causing danger.

- If they were going to be stricter, they shouldve punished Demare for changing lines multiple times as well. Just shows the arbitrary way in which rules have been and are being applied.
- From the footage available, it's obvious Cav went down before any conscious elbow could be given. The elbow is there to stabilize himself and defend his position. Too wide? -sure. Intentional? -no.
- Why only apply rules when there is injury as a result? If the organization really wants to crack down on unwanted behaviour, punish every rider consistently, regardless of what the results of their actions has been.

I'm all for rider safety and hate riders that deliberately injure or danger others.
The only thing I deem unfair in this instance is that there is no evidence that Sagan purposely brought Cav down and that other riders who broke rules escaped unscathed.
 

Firemind

Member
They specifically warned the cyclists that they would be stricter this Tour. And then we get two separate incidents with Sagan in full view of the camera elbowing someone. As for the last one defending it, among others, Keisse and Boonen also defend it, especially the former who said Sagan has being gone further than decently allowed the last couple of months. The Cavendish accident is simply the first one where he caused serious damage. After years of deaths, maybe it is time they crack down on the assholes that are causing danger.
You mean like the reckless motorcyclists and cars?
 

Joni

Member
- If they were going to be stricter, they shouldve punished Demare for changing lines multiple times as well. Just shows the arbitrary way in which rules have been and are being applied.
- From the footage available, it's obvious Cav went down before any conscious elbow could be given. The elbow is there to stabilize himself and defend his position. Too wide? -sure. Intentional? -no.
- Why only apply rules when there is injury as a result? If the organization really wants to crack down on unwanted behaviour, punish every rider consistently, regardless of what the results of their actions has been.

I'm all for rider safety and hate riders that deliberately injure or danger others.
The only thing I deem unfair in this instance is that there is no evidence that Sagan purposely brought Cav down and that other riders who broke rules escaped unscathed.

Because in the end Demare is acting in the middle of the road and going fast, while Sagan pushes Cavendish into the barricades. He closes the gap against someone going way faster whose only option is going into the barricade.

You mean like the reckless motorcyclists and cars?

Which you might have noticed, they did. Well, at least on the motorcyclists side. Cars are still assholes. They were almost racing each other on single car lanes in the Belgian championship two weeks ago.
 
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