# Passive and Gutless Riding.



## Creakyknees (Sep 21, 2003)

(spoiler below)
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So the break is established, 4-5 minute gap, and the camera moto shows the speedometer reading 30 kph... that's about 18mph. Back at the bunch, they are going 35kph... about 20-21... basically, tooling along, biding time.

This is the Tour de France, not a midweek practice crit... why the hell aren't these boys blistering the pavement? Yeah yeah, I know why... strategy... teamwork... energy conservation... I reject these things. I want to see guys hauling ass, not tooling along looking at each other.

/rant


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## OldEndicottHiway (Jul 16, 2007)

Creakyknees said:


> (spoiler below)
> .
> This is the Tour de France, not a midweek practice crit... why the hell aren't these boys blistering the pavement? Yeah yeah, I know why... strategy... teamwork... energy conservation... I reject these things. I want to see guys hauling ass, not tooling along looking at each other.
> 
> /rant



But the scenery is so nice. Look at all those cute little towns, buildings and bridges. Who wants to ride fast through that? 

They should stop for baguettes and cheese. :thumbsup:


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## Creakyknees (Sep 21, 2003)

avg speed with 85k to go: 23.3 mph
I've done rallies with faster paces than that.


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## den bakker (Nov 13, 2004)

boycott the thing. That should show them.


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## Marc (Jan 23, 2005)

OldEndicottHiway said:


> But the scenery is so nice. Look at all those cute little towns, buildings and bridges. Who wants to ride fast through that?
> 
> They should stop for baguettes and cheese. :thumbsup:


And Wine. Must. Stop. For. Grape juice.


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## Henry Porter (Jul 25, 2006)

I have no problem with it, you race to win.

Besides, it's Friday Creaky.


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## Creakyknees (Sep 21, 2003)

I blame Johan Bruyneel.


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## Marc (Jan 23, 2005)

Henry Porter said:


> I have no problem with it, you race to win.
> 
> Besides, it's Friday Creaky.


Kinda like the Giro a few years back when literally everyone was "training for TdF"?


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## Sylint (Jul 27, 2009)

I could prolly compete in this stage.......


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## stevesbike (Jun 3, 2002)

because you race when there's a point to racing. No one who matters is going to get away on straight, flat roads. GC riders waiting for tomorrow. Sprint stages are always raced this way.


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## OldEndicottHiway (Jul 16, 2007)

Sylint said:


> I could prolly compete in this stage.......



I was thinking the same thing.  Even with cheese stops. 


In other news Team Radio Crash has just provided us with the first exciting event of the stage. Again.


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## mohair_chair (Oct 3, 2002)

Why the hell aren't these boys blistering the pavement? Because this is the Tour de France, not a midweek practice crit.


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## OldEndicottHiway (Jul 16, 2007)

Marc said:


> And Wine. Must. Stop. For. Grape juice.



Back in the day they'd roll down the road with a cigarette. I don't understand how this fine tradition went by the wayside.


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## den bakker (Nov 13, 2004)

OldEndicottHiway said:


> I was thinking the same thing.  Even with cheese stops.
> 
> 
> In other news Team Radio Crash has just provided us with the first exciting event of the stage. Again.


and another. wiggins out. 
horner as well probably


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## Marc (Jan 23, 2005)

den bakker said:


> and another. wiggins out.
> horner as well probably


Lots of folks on the deck.


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## OldEndicottHiway (Jul 16, 2007)

Big bummer for Wiggins. 

Also Farrar and Horner went down.  

Geez.


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## Marc (Jan 23, 2005)

OldEndicottHiway said:


> Big bummer for Wiggins.
> 
> Also Farrar and Horner went down.
> 
> Geez.


Wiggins officially out.


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## GDeAngelo (Aug 9, 2009)

Team Radioshack can't catch a break.


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## Len J (Jan 28, 2004)

Longest stage of the day yesterday in the rain...mountains coming up and a flat stage today...........

It was predictable.

Len


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## Sylint (Jul 27, 2009)

Len J said:


> Longest stage of the day yesterday in the rain...mountains coming up and a flat stage today...........
> 
> It was predictable.
> 
> Len


 
definitely, but when I'm slacking off at work and watching cycling on my work iPad, I expect nothing less than 70kph from the peloton. 

Sucks wiggo went down. 

Levi can't seem to catch a freaking break either....

I missed Horner, what happened? *freaking work....*


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## Sylint (Jul 27, 2009)

mohair_chair said:


> Why the hell aren't these boys blistering the pavement? Because this is the Tour de France, not a midweek practice crit.


 
shh...don't bring practicality into this...what in the world are you thinking?!?


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## OldEndicottHiway (Jul 16, 2007)

Shocking finale. 

Yay. 

Woo.


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## 55x11 (Apr 24, 2006)

den bakker said:


> and another. wiggins out.
> horner as well probably


not out but losing 3+ min doesn't look good. Levi might as well forget about GC, maybe try to go for a long breakaway in mountains and hope for a stage win?


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## DZfan14 (Jul 6, 2009)

OldEndicottHiway said:


> I was thinking the same thing.  Even with cheese stops.
> 
> 
> In other news Team Radio Crash has just provided us with the first exciting event of the stage. Again.


That cracking sound was Karma kicking Radio Crash in the teeth.


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## den bakker (Nov 13, 2004)

55x11 said:


> not out but losing 3+ min doesn't look good. Levi might as well forget about GC, maybe try to go for a long breakaway in mountains and hope for a stage win?


yes my bad, when I wrote it he was lying still in the grass.


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## Creakyknees (Sep 21, 2003)

Sylint said:


> ... when I'm slacking off at work and watching cycling on my work iPad, I expect nothing less than 70kph from the peloton. .


you got Rep coming for that


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## Creakyknees (Sep 21, 2003)

nice move by Greipel at the end.


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## Henry Porter (Jul 25, 2006)

OldEndicottHiway said:


> Shocking finale.
> 
> Yay.
> 
> Woo.


Yeah, this stage wasn't the most entertaining. Oh well.


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## OldEndicottHiway (Jul 16, 2007)

Henry Porter said:


> Yeah, this stage wasn't the most entertaining. Oh well.



I was looking forward to another Garmin/HTC showdown at the end. Those are great; no matter who wins we can all enjoy them. 

However, the scenery today imo was the best of the Tour thus far. Loved it.

Hoping the crashes have come to an end, though. Sheesh.


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## biobanker (Jun 11, 2009)

Im starting to really like Cav for what he is: an emotional and sometimes juvenile but always crazy fast bike racer. He wears it on his sleeve but he always seems to be 150% there.

Remarkably candid (but perhaps one sided) interview from him after today's stage. Visibly upset for Brad.


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## penn_rider (Jul 11, 2009)

Supposed to be a great post race interview with Cav on this evenings recap. 

I have never disliked Cav and totally agree with bio. Even though brash, he manages to balance that with a healthy respect for his teammates and fellow riders, ie, his comments about Wiggo and his search for each teammate after a win.


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## billjhsn (Feb 24, 2011)

I'm really getting tired of the HTC-Cervelo story line.


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## spookyload (Jan 30, 2004)

Henry Porter said:


> I have no problem with it, you race to win.
> 
> Besides, it's Friday Creaky.


Due to this post I have decided to leave my wife and become a creepy Katie Perry stalker.


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## spookyload (Jan 30, 2004)

billjhsn said:


> I'm really getting tired of the HTC-Cervelo story line.


 Lucky for you it is about to turn into a Saxo Bank-Leotard-BMC story line for you then. Enjoy.


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## F45 (Nov 25, 2010)

Creakyknees said:


> (spoiler below)
> 
> So the break is established, 4-5 minute gap, and the camera moto shows the speedometer reading 30 kph... that's about 18mph. Back at the bunch, they are going 35kph... about 20-21... basically, tooling along, biding time.
> 
> ...


Because on flat stages, not even the breakaway thinks they have a chance. They are just out there to show the Director that their team deserved a spot in the race and to show their sponsorship names to the television. They know that if they sped up, the team directors of the sprinter teams would yell over the radio to reel them in. With radios there is very little chance of sneaking away like in decades past.


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## den bakker (Nov 13, 2004)

F45 said:


> With radios there is very little chance of sneaking away like in decades past.


right because without radios it's impossible to know if the group is ahead with 2 or 5 minutes. Oh wait, it's not. You can read it off the chalk board.


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## waldo425 (Sep 22, 2008)

OldEndicottHiway said:


> I was thinking the same thing.  Even with cheese stops.
> 
> 
> In other news Team Radio Crash has just provided us with the first exciting event of the stage. Again.


I could go for that. Sounds like a nice ride.


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## il sogno (Jul 15, 2002)

Looked to me like this was a "piano" day. I don't begrudge them a "piano" day.


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## JohnHenry (Aug 9, 2006)

With so many potential GC riders going down; i am surprised the holy of holies, Leotard-Trek didnt neutralize the stage.
gentleman's agreement, and all that, *cough, cough*

funny how phil and paul forgot about that one.


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## den bakker (Nov 13, 2004)

il sogno said:


> Looked to me like this was a "piano" day. I don't begrudge them a "piano" day.


not much piano the last 100km or so.....
That was close to 200km in a crosswind yesterday.


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## den bakker (Nov 13, 2004)

JohnHenry said:


> With so many potential GC riders going down; i am surprised the holy of holies, Leotard-Trek didnt neutralize the stage.
> gentleman's agreement, and all that, *cough, cough*
> 
> funny how phil and paul forgot about that one.


they probably missed the memo that horner and leipheimer were "potentials" this year.


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## Sweeney (Apr 29, 2007)

''The only thing we know for sure about Henry Porter is that his name wasn't really Henry Porter''

Heck, I clicked on this thread thinking you were talking about Andy Schleck..........................Never mind!


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## Ridin'Sorra (Sep 7, 2004)

Sweeney said:


> Heck, I clicked on this thread thinking you were talking about Andy Schleck..........................Never mind!


Lol... so did I.

I guess the ones missing the memo that they're potentials are Horner and Leipheimer... well, were.


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## heathb (Nov 1, 2008)

The TDF lost a lot of it's aggressiveness when drug testing became so common. 

Back in the 90's men were doped to the gill and it was entertaining to watch them chomping at the bit to chase a break if they'd even let an attack go. 

There's nothing more than a little micro dosing going down these days, not nearly enough to turn them into animals of years past. Could you imagine watching clean boxing or football...it would suck.


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