Keith Richards
Posts:781
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| 07/12/2013 01:46 PM |
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Posted By stronzo nonfumare on 07/12/2013 01:08 PM
Also seems to me that leaving valverde for dead at the side of the road just for a wheel change was unfair. last climb of the day I understand. but 70 or 80km out? seems to be breaking the unwritten rules
He was a victim of circumstance. Cav's team was trying to lose Kittel. Who was behind Valverde when he did his wheel change. |
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It is his word versus ours. We like our word. We like where we stand and we like our credibility."--Lance Armstrong. |
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stronz
Posts:447
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| 07/12/2013 01:51 PM |
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| Youre right Keith OPQS was pushing real hard and valverde just couldnt bridge up in the wind. Really an amazing display of team tactics, strength and opportunism today. Gotta love this stuff! |
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jmdirt
Posts:775
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| 07/12/2013 02:00 PM |
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| stronz, I don't think that CF saw it as a threat. He figured that the two front groups would come back together before the end. I know that sounds dumb, especially in hind sight, but how else can he explain one of the best TTers in the TdF not getting in that group? |
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Cosmic Kid
Posts:4209
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| 07/12/2013 02:07 PM |
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Posted By stronzo nonfumare on 07/12/2013 01:08 PM
And that, Mr. Froome, is kicking your ass. how on earth do 5 guys from the same team get away in a break? was froome unable to follow any of the saxo wheels as all ten of them sped by him?
because one Saxo rider (or matbe it was Belkin guy) sat up just as Saxo hit the gas. Things were getting stretched, one guy sits up in the wind and opens the gap......BOOM. Game over. Froome was up there (you could see him at one point trying to come across) but it happened so fast, there was no time for SKY to react. They were letting OPQS do the pace work and got caught out. |
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| Just say "NO!" to WCP!!!!
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Hoshie
Posts:134
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| 07/12/2013 02:17 PM |
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Yep. This is classic Tour D France turn about.
Now Contador sees the possibilities so Froome is going to have work extra hard to stand a chance.
A younger AC got caught out once you may recall, and he learned that lesson.
J
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Cosmic Kid
Posts:4209
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| 07/12/2013 02:23 PM |
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As exciting as today's race was, let's keep some perspective......Saxo burned a LOT of matches today and *only* gained a minute. Today's result was because of team tactics, not individual strength.
AC is still almost 3 minutes down and, at some point, will need to go mano-a-mano with Froome. Up through today, he has not been up to the challenge.
Saxo may be stronger than SKY, but Froome is still stronger than AC (at this point). Today removes the stranglehold that SKY seemed to have on the race, but Froome is still in a comfortable position. |
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| Just say "NO!" to WCP!!!!
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stronz
Posts:447
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| 07/12/2013 02:29 PM |
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| i havent seen it but sounds like it was very quick. Looking forward to watching tonight |
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Keith Richards
Posts:781
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| 07/12/2013 02:31 PM |
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And now Froome knows it will not be a processional ala 2012 with Wiggins. He is going to be more vigilant from here on out.
“It was incredible. We talked about it this morning as we knew the wind was strong,” Cavendish revealed. "Gert Steegmans wanted to go, and this was after 60 kilometres, and Tony Martin said to wait a little longer. Next thing, Gert goes and it just kicked off from there.
Belgians. Don't mess with them in the wind. |
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It is his word versus ours. We like our word. We like where we stand and we like our credibility."--Lance Armstrong. |
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jimmybagadonuts
Posts:7
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| 07/12/2013 02:47 PM |
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| Watch out for Quintana he's got a green light now. He will certainly try to shake things up. |
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Yo Mike
Posts:338
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| 07/12/2013 03:15 PM |
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| French riders will of course target Sunday's stage for Bastille Day: Ventoux. |
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CERV
Posts:151
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| 07/12/2013 03:35 PM |
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That was a great stage. Not much more exciting than echelon racing in cross winds. Doesn't matter how strong you are if you are in the wrong position and end up in the gutter or with a gap.
Don't mess with the belgians.
It's really too bad about valverde as that takes away movistar having two GC options to attack and counterattack the yellow jersey, It's up to Belkin and Saxo now. |
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79pmooney
Posts:3189
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| 07/12/2013 03:42 PM |
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Cosmic, Contador appears to be coming in to form. Froome has been at a high level for a long time. I can imagine their paths crossing soon. If they do, Froome may be on the big time defensive and may need all of those minutes. Plus, as I posted weeks ago, Contador has a gift for picking up allies when needed.
Still very much a horse race! Could even be the best in years. Let's hope.
Ben |
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PlanB
Posts:15
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| 07/12/2013 03:52 PM |
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| Following up on Cosmic's comment, there's another way to look at this, the meta-tactics: Sky conceded a a minute-plus on the road today as the investment in taking five minutes out of Contador's climbing legs on the weekend. There are many kinds of opportunity in racing. I'm not saying that it was planned, and certainly not that it's a done deal, but if you've ever raced for competent tacticians, you know that this is exactly the kind of poker that's going down in DS's bucket seat. |
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Entheo
Posts:317
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| 07/12/2013 04:12 PM |
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| froome faded in the vuelta against purito. but i think he's stronger now. but contador, sans pyrennian beef, can he still repeatedly attack in the 3rd week en las montañas? he'll have to ride heras-style change of tempo to break froome; but again, not sure he can if he's on a different 'diet' (wink wink). |
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Keith Richards
Posts:781
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| 07/12/2013 04:17 PM |
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I think Contador's form is coming around. I had an old TdF video and Robert Millar states in an interview, "my form usually comes around on the 10th or 11th day."
Can Froome really hold the form with the attacks that are coming? Contador got Purito on a transitional stage. |
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It is his word versus ours. We like our word. We like where we stand and we like our credibility."--Lance Armstrong. |
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