FISO

All this focus on Froome, what do we make of the way Richie Porte is riding?

Moist von Lipwig wrote:some great photos kicking about from Dutch corner yesterday, sadly none I can get to to repost whilst at work. Love the one of Adam Hansen with a pint of lager.

It's just one of the iconic sights of sport. Can't imagine anything remotely similar happening in any other sport.

Amazing really that there's hardly ever any incidents.

CanaryYellow wrote:All this focus on Froome, what do we make of the way Richie Porte is riding?

Yes, probably lost now but in the aftermath of Ax 3D I did note that if anything Porte's ride raised even more questions than Froome's. Same yesterday on L'Alpe really.

The release of power data from Froome seems if anything to have raised even more questions, with the doctor concerned coming out saying that the data didn't say a lot other than he'd been consistent since Vuelta-11 and that the performances were humanly possible (albeit with an exceptional V02Max, which slightly unbelievably Sky don't seem to measure). He's said he'd need more data (ie prior to 2011, from the period when he was apparently just an average pack rider) to draw any other conclusions, although clearly couldn't realy ever say whether there was any artificial assistance or not. General opinion seems to be that Brailsford is just trying to be a bit too smart about this. Just another PR stunt, albeit at least a step in the right direction.

Really, really hope they are clean. Would be incredibly destructive if Sky ever got pinged.

Anyway, should be a great stage today. De Gendt??

Sky were just way too strong yesterday for everyone else. Even without 2 key riders (3 if you count G) they're just way too strong on a stage like that. Today is a day that would be harder to control though. If Contador wasn't cooked then today would be the day to try and isolate Froome early and break him. Not sure the motivation's there for anyone now though. Is the real fight now for the podium, rather than for Yellow?

unc.si. wrote:Sky were just way too strong yesterday for everyone else. Even without 2 key riders (3 if you count G) they're just way too strong on a stage like that.

Sky were poor again yesterday. Lopez and others pulled them along for a bit admittedly but the team were blown apart as soon as anything happened. Even Porte was dropped on the opening Cat 2 leaving Froome isolated - luckily everything settled after that and everyone caught up. As soon as action started again it was just Froome + Porte. Movistar had several up there for example.

Today will be strange with an HC straight out of the gate followed by a 2nd straight after. Froome needs his team today if anybody tries anything stupid as there is a lot of distance afterwards - with some Cats 2 and 3 thrown in.

Well if having the race completely under control (despite the initial chaos) until the final slopes of Alpe d'Huez is poor I'd hate to see what a good team could do.

unc.si. wrote:Well if having the race completely under control (despite the initial chaos) until the final slopes of Alpe d'Huez is poor I'd hate to see what a good team could do.

There were only two of them a long time before the final slope!

Well, looked pretty under control to me.

Suspect it won't look under control today though, assuming of course that anyone tries to break them.

Froome could find himself without any friends for a big chunk of the race, depending on whether Porte can avoid doing what he did on the post Ax 3D stage.

I think an isolated Froome is strong enough to wheel hug anyone except maybe an in form Quintana (who he destroyed on Ventoux). The issue is which wheel to hug if they all play silly burgers from the off.

murf wrote:Today will be strange with an HC straight out of the gate followed by a 2nd straight after. Froome needs his team today if anybody tries anything stupid as there is a lot of distance afterwards - with some Cats 2 and 3 thrown in.

There are actually two * Cat 1 and a Cat 2. Brutal

http://news.bbcimg.co.uk/media/images/6 ... de5bd2.jpg

Already started! A mini break on the short flat bit before Yazz starts to sing, G setting the pace on the peloton.

"Hang about, what's this? Mark Cavendish has attacked the peloton on the way down Col du Glandon. Yes, you did read that right."

Jack Bauer has crashed and abandoned, a shame as we are not much more than 24 hours from Paris.

Nice from Cav

Decent descendeur as it happens. Sprinters tend to be good bike handlers. I guess he's giving himself a bit of a buffer for the Madelaine. Don't want to get into time cut problems.

murf wrote: Jack Bauer has crashed and abandoned, a shame as we are not much more than 24 hours from Paris.

face first into a barbed wire fence apparently. OUCH.

I thought that it was a strange stage GC wise, as Contador attacked far too late, imho. The attacks had to come on the first ascent if they were going to get anything like the time they needed to on Froome?

TST doing what I thought they should have done yesterday.

Siutsou, Thomas and Stannard have cracked, and Lopez looking dodgy...

And a very wet descent...

I have never seen anyone ride like Porte has done these last 3 weeks. I just cannot wrap my head around what is he is doing (or how he is doing it) at all.

If he isn't sandbagging he must have the strongest mental attitude in sport. All that hurt and no plaudits whatsoever.

The question is how many time he has actually been dropped?

Today I wasn't convinced when he was dropped before going back back to Froome.
Yesterday he was marking Contador, before kicking on to Froome?
The stage before he cracked early on, I wasn't convinced with how deep he had gone, as Kennaugh had done most of the work?

But then I am bitter after seeing him look very impressive of tour of GB a few years back, and having him trash Fantasy Cycling teams for years, and now when he should have finished 2nd he tarted abouth on one stage, then got lost in the echelons...............

As an aside: why are Sky being questioned when out greatest cyclist (Cav), and freak in that he does not fit the mould isn't?

TST only drove the peleton yesterday to protect their lead in the team competition as Trek and Movistar had 3 each way up the road.


last bit of lumpy action this year. Purito from Quintana today imo.

Cav needs to win to maintain his record of winning at least 3 stages.

Not convinced myself.

blahblah wrote:Cav needs to win to maintain his record of winning at least 3 stages.

Not convinced myself.

He'll be more concerned today about having never been beaten on the champs elysee before

but does he suffer from night blindness?

Moist von Lipwig wrote:

blahblah wrote:Cav needs to win to maintain his record of winning at least 3 stages.

Not convinced myself.

He'll be more concerned today about having never been beaten on the champs elysee before

Yep, and not a forgone conclusion for the first time in a while?

blahblah wrote:

Moist von Lipwig wrote:

blahblah wrote:Cav needs to win to maintain his record of winning at least 3 stages.

Not convinced myself.

He'll be more concerned today about having never been beaten on the champs elysee before

Yep, and not a forgone conclusion for the first time in a while?

I'll be very suprised if there's not a crash on the final right hander what with lotto, OPQS and Argos all fighting for position.

So next stop Leeds. I'll mark down Cummings to take the stage

Well I'll be there in 2014, either at the Grand Depart or somewhere along the route. Look like being good stages.

Great ride by Froome. Hard to see who might challenge him for the next few years. Quintana will be a big threat. Maybe Nibali as well, although surely he has to ride the Giro so makes it harder for him to challenge in the Tour. The likes of Betancur, Majka and possibly Uran could also threaten. Can easily see Froome winning 3 tours though. The combination of climbing and time trialling makes him very tough to get the better of in a Grand Tour.

Not a classic tour in terms of the GC battle, but some great stages. Pity really from a spectacle point of view that Contador couldn't make more of a fight of it.

2 British wins in 2 years. Never would have believed that 10 years ago (and Froome's definitely British from birth due to his dad, despite where he was born and has lived). Also the first African born winner.

Nice nod to the doping doubters in his acceptance speech. Reassuring to see Walsh coming out in support of him as well. The questions are valid, given the history of the sport and Froome's transformation in 2011, but the bottom line is that there's nothing out there to suggest that he's doped so he deserves to be treated as a clean winner. The more Sky can do to increase transparency the better.

With Mark Renshaw on his way to the team Cavendish will have a stronger arsenal at his disposal next year and a full season with Omega under his belt will only help.

From here.

Excellent news?

But then the Uran rumours could take the edge off it?

Yes, will be interesting to see what happens if Uran and Renshaw both end up at Omega.

I see Stuey O'Grady's retired, so one of the Old Stalwarts won't be lining up in Leeds.

Another rider that unfortunately probably won't be in next years race is Jens Voigt. Hopefully he'll be at the ToB, but he's as good as said that 2013 was his final Tour.

Everybody's favourite racer, almost universally popular and a genuinely nice guy. Hard as nails, obviously. No one knows how to hurt themselves as much as Jens. Pity he couldn't get one final win at Annecy really (was never likely, but then you could say that about most of his wins).

Good to see he went out fighting though. He wrote an article on bike radar (I think) saying he and Millar both knew the game was up this year when they couldn't kick on when away.

I see Froome's won his first post Tour Criterium race as well, beating Porte in a sprint finish.

Now there's a surprise

unc.si. wrote:Well I'll be there in 2014, either at the Grand Depart or somewhere along the route. Look like being good stages.

I wish they'd hurry up and fix the day 3 route. Currently a dotted line running very close to my house....