# God of thunder strikes!



## yongkun (Aug 9, 2010)

Incredible ride by Thor, managed to follow and overcome the tough course. Thumbs up! 
eat that cav!


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## Lazy Spinner (Aug 30, 2009)

Awesome ride!


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## Ventruck (Mar 9, 2009)

I think it was going his way once his group caught Evans' chase group. 

Found himself in the right positions, and executed his attack. GJ


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## Wookiebiker (Sep 5, 2005)

He was my pick to win...Nice job and congrats to the God of Thunder


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## repartocorse40 (Feb 23, 2009)

that last lap looked painful for everyone....pretty exciting last hour of racing


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## yongkun (Aug 9, 2010)

the chasegroup with thor just came out from nowhere catching cadel group. anyway nice try by gilbert too.


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## moabbiker (Sep 11, 2002)

Domestiques really put the afterburners on near the end. GC guys just couldn't get away. All the hard men who can handle climbs made it and Thor was just the fastest of them all by a big margin. 

Cavendish can go ahead and live in glory on winning sprint stages on pancake flat courses, but a hard hilly course like this defines the men from the boys.


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## pianopiano (Jun 4, 2005)

*smashed them good*

Hey nice thread title. Whatever happened to the once respectful 'spoiler alert' ? lol

I was both surprised and excited by Thor's big win. He smashed them good! :thumbsup:


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## yongkun (Aug 9, 2010)

darn, really sorry for it. my bad


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## iliveonnitro (Feb 19, 2006)

Ride of the day goes to Cadel Evans. He attacked and covered gaps some 800 times.


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## Specialized6000 (Aug 22, 2009)

sorry a bit off topic, but anyone know what lens Thor has in his Oakleys? it has blue and purple hues


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## Sojourneyman (Jun 22, 2007)

iliveonnitro said:


> Ride of the day goes to Cadel Evans. He attacked and covered gaps some 800 times.


I have labeled that 'Ryder Hesjedaling' a race.

Good win by Thor, I'm glad because I actually got a pick right, and as a friend pointed out, I'm excited to see what Garmin's take on argyle, the Norwegian flag and the WC stripes will be.


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## twiggy (Mar 23, 2004)

I was curious actually too.... It seems with the WC jersey that you can't *really* change it much though.... its usually almost identical year-to-year regardless of what team is holding it!


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## ultimobici (Jul 16, 2005)

twiggy said:


> I was curious actually too.... It seems with the WC jersey that you can't *really* change it much though.... its usually almost identical year-to-year regardless of what team is holding it!


Moreno Argentin started the "interpretations" off in 86.








I really wish the UCI would require teams & riders to use the jersey as it is supposed to be.


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## baker921 (Jul 20, 2007)

But will Cervelo have the nerve to produce a rainbow jersey for the rest of 2010?


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## Dank (Nov 26, 2006)

Who did Thor cutoff for the win lolol The God of crying foul wins ...boring... lolol


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## davidka (Dec 12, 2001)

I doubt he'll race much more in 2010. Cervelo get's to promo the world's win next year since Thor will be on their bikes again @ Garmin. Thor's jersey will be an adaptation of argyle and the rainbow stripes. Fingers crossed...


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## albert owen (Jul 7, 2008)

Great race. Great win. My pick, Cav, was nowhere.
Evans put up a terrific show defending his title. Let's hope that Thor is also a good champion - I think he will be.


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## Uncle Jam's Army (Aug 1, 2006)

Man, I thought it was idiotic that the remains of the peloton towed Thor up to the riders up the road (Evans, Gilbert, Kolobnev, Martens, et al.). As soon as I heard Thor was in that group I said to my wife the race is over-Thor is going to win it.


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## JohnHenry (Aug 9, 2006)

thor!

good one, cadel!

cav, lol.


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## den bakker (Nov 13, 2004)

Uncle Jam's Army said:


> Man, I thought it was idiotic that the remains of the peloton towed Thor up to the riders up the road (Evans, Gilbert, Kolobnev, Martens, et al.). As soon as I heard Thor was in that group I said to my wife the race is over-Thor is going to win it.


absolutely, they should just have sat up and lost the race with certainty instead of most probably loose the race. It's the obvious thing to do.


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## Uncle Jam's Army (Aug 1, 2006)

den bakker said:


> absolutely, they should just have sat up and lost the race with certainty instead of most probably loose the race. It's the obvious thing to do.


There were other things they could have done, but did not. Like, I don't know, maybe, just maybe, attack Thor and drop him from the group. Or, how about this, if you can't drop him, make Thor tow the group up to the break rather than the other way around? The last thing you do is give a free ride to a guy like Thor to the line in a finish like that.

About the only guys in the finishing group of 25 that wanted a sprint finish were Thor, Freire, and Davis. Everyone else could only win it in an attack. So why let it come down to a sprint finish with three confirmed sprinters (with no teammates left) in the group?

And yes, it was practically certain those guys would lose the race with Thor in there. The finish was exactly like the TdF stage to Barcelona last year; tough, uphill finish. And who won that one? That's right. Thor. 

Just plain dumb tactics. Thor played it smart, though, and when the race came back together at the end, everyone else's chances were doomed.


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## den bakker (Nov 13, 2004)

Uncle Jam's Army said:


> There were other things they could have done, but did not. Like, I don't know, maybe, just maybe, attack Thor and drop him from the group. Or, how about this, if you can't drop him, make Thor tow the group up to the break rather than the other way around? The last thing you do is give a free ride to a guy like Thor to the line in a finish like that.
> 
> About the only guys in the finishing group of 25 that wanted a sprint finish were Thor, Freire, and Davis. Everyone else could only win it in an attack. So why let it come down to a sprint finish with three confirmed sprinters (with no teammates left) in the group?
> 
> ...


4 sprinters, one with 2 team mates (who did quite a bit of the chasing by the way). Matti has proven before he is as fast as Thor, and after 250km, sprints are not that clear cut.


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## twiggy (Mar 23, 2004)

Uncle Jam's Army said:


> There were other things they could have done, but did not. Like, I don't know, maybe, just maybe, attack Thor and drop him from the group. Or, how about this, if you can't drop him, make Thor tow the group up to the break rather than the other way around? The last thing you do is give a free ride to a guy like Thor to the line in a finish like that.
> 
> About the only guys in the finishing group of 25 that wanted a sprint finish were Thor, Freire, and Davis. Everyone else could only win it in an attack. So why let it come down to a sprint finish with three confirmed sprinters (with no teammates left) in the group?
> 
> ...


Sorry, but I've gotta agree with Den here.... there is SO much else going on here that I don't think that there is any way that the group could have isolated Thor specifically... You don't think they would have dropped him if they could??...everyone was going all out as it was.... and how would they 'make' Thor tow the group up to the break? ... If he didn't care to do that then they would have shot themselves in the foot by not working WITH him, which they did.... the group that came from behind was taking turns, with Thor contributing, not just being towed... you could see him doing turns on the front! 

The Evan's group took themselves out of it by not working together to chase Gilbert.... they were too afraid to work together, everyone wanting someone else to do the work, and thats why they were caught!

... Its easy in hindsight to say that Thor was a threat, but going into the race all eyes were on Gilbert, Evans, Friere, Pozatto.... You can't blame the group for not singling him out!


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## kbwh (May 28, 2010)

Allan Davis: "Thor closed the gap in the last lap by himself."
It was an exciting race. I thought it was all over when Edvald faded in the big break. But the cards were dealed several times after that, and in the end Pippo came like a rocket and almost pipped (yup) Davis for the bronze.

In Copenhagen, we'll bring women too.








How's that with argyle?


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## Uncle Jam's Army (Aug 1, 2006)

twiggy said:


> Sorry, but I've gotta agree with Den here.... there is SO much else going on here that I don't think that there is any way that the group could have isolated Thor specifically... You don't think they would have dropped him if they could??...everyone was going all out as it was.... and how would they 'make' Thor tow the group up to the break? ... If he didn't care to do that then they would have shot themselves in the foot by not working WITH him, which they did.... the group that came from behind was taking turns, with Thor contributing, not just being towed... you could see him doing turns on the front!
> 
> The Evan's group took themselves out of it by not working together to chase Gilbert.... they were too afraid to work together, everyone wanting someone else to do the work, and thats why they were caught!
> 
> ... Its easy in hindsight to say that Thor was a threat, but going into the race all eyes were on Gilbert, Evans, Friere, Pozatto.... You can't blame the group for not singling him out!


You are right, it was a great move to bring Thor to the line. (And yes, they towed Thor; the video feed never showed Thor at the sharp end, but according to Davis, I guess Thor closed one gap by himself). Brilliant.

At least Evans, Gilbert, Leukmanns, Kolobnev, Brakovic and a few others did what they could to prevent a sprint finish. Those guys have more b#@ls than the rest of that group. 
The rest just served the race up on a platter for Thor.


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## twiggy (Mar 23, 2004)

Yeah, you're right. You had a much better vantage point than Davis and the group of guys I watched it with live on TV here. ...


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## Dan Gerous (Mar 28, 2005)

The Italians must be very unhappy with Pippo. They worked hard all day, they sent riders up and managed to put Pippo in a small group up front but he just sits, never tried a thing more than follow one of Gilbert's attacks. He was riding like he was riding for someone behind no?

Good one for Thor though. Cadel and Gilbert were monsters, too bad they couldn't close the deal but at least they tried.


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## Infini (Apr 21, 2003)

It sounds from interviews like Thor did a lot of work on the last lap to catch the breaks.


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## T K (Feb 11, 2009)

Cadel was a stud, but I couldn't help but think he was just falling for the suckers bet. I knew he would eventually blow up.
Thor is the the man.
I love it when people say, he should of done this. Or, they should have done that. Ever been in a race?
You can only do what your legs and lungs let you do. I'm sure if those other guys could have done somthing to not bring Thor to the line they would have. This is the World Championships!
Thor won it because he was the best man on the course, period. Stop b!tchin'!


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## ChilliConCarnage (Jun 1, 2006)

I was rooting for Thor, and this would have been a very exciting race for me to watch, but accidentally seeing this thread title earlier in the day spoiled everything for me.


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## johnny dollar (Jul 21, 2010)

Great race, but what was with all the breakaways not working together?


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## OnTheRivet (Sep 3, 2004)

When Gilbert attacked on the climb last lap and Cadel and Kolobnev went after him, Thor was actually right behind them just a few seconds back and got back on on the downhill before the rest of the group. Clearly he showed he was strong and deserved the win.


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## weltyed (Feb 6, 2004)

until that final close, it must have been nerve aracking for the heavy hitters. it seemed like there were hundreds of attacks and escapes. that final group had enough firepower to stay away, but it didnt seem like they were working together to get a good enough lead. they were buruing themselves, but not working together. gilbert tried his giro move, but it was windy and uphill.

thor did a great job of reeling them in, waiting a bt, getting some semblance of recovery, then just nailing it.

will be interesting to see slipstream with teh rainbow next year.and on a cervelo, right?

i wonder how this changes the team dynamic...tyler out of the classics altogether and doin small early stage races, competing in the giro (unless they want him in CA), helping in le tour, then competing in the vuelta?


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## kbwh (May 28, 2010)

Dan Gerous said:


> The Italians must be very unhappy with Pippo. They worked hard all day, they sent riders up and managed to put Pippo in a small group up front but he just sits, never tried a thing more than follow one of Gilbert's attacks. He was riding like he was riding for someone behind no?


Don't quite agree. Pippo can sprint. He opted for the sprint solution when he saw that the break had no chance (and his legs were almost falling off too). 
He chose Freires wheel in the final. Normaly a good choice, but not yesterday.

Lovely sport, cycling. It's not just about being strong.


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## tdi-rick (Oct 2, 2007)

Infini said:


> It sounds from interviews like Thor did a lot of work on the last lap to catch the breaks.


From today's Sydney Morning Herald....



> .....Hushovd was a deserving winner, as Davis was quick to acknowledge.
> "I got on Matti's wheel. Then Thor came up on the left hand side. I was umming and ahring whether to follow Thor or stay on Matti...but it was not only in the sprint.
> Thor closed a gap in the last lap by himself and did what he did in the sprint. So there is no taking anything away from the world champion"


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## nayr497 (Nov 8, 2008)

Great end of the race! I had to go out and visit some friends (and watch football, eck!) but thankfully made it home before midnight EST and got to see the finally couple of hours. Very exciting, though I didn't ride so well Sunday after being up that late...and drinking!

Enjoyed seeing Thor win it. Liked the hard work by Cadel. And I was cheering on Gilbert.

Fun racing to watch. Has me even more excited for the next two months of fall riding!


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## Creakyknees (Sep 21, 2003)

great quote from Davis:

"After 260 kilometres, sprinting after that distance is a lot different,” Davis said. “The majority of the races throughout the year it is pretty normal to cramp, especially in an uphill finish like that. I was in a high cadence, and I should have stayed there but I went down a cog and cramped straight away. But there is no taking away from Thor today. Not only in the sprint, but Thor closed the gap in the last lap by himself, and to do what he did in the sprint, there is no taking that away from the world champion."


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## AJL (Jul 9, 2009)

Great win by one of the top protagonist's in the peleton. Go Thor!

World's stripes with Argyle - please Garmin, skip the Argyle for Thor's jersey.


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## twiggy (Mar 23, 2004)

I'm hoping for the regular WC stripes on the Jersey/shorts, but then with a transparent 'outline' of argyle over it (ie: just black lines to represent the argyle pattern?) maybe??


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## Dan Gerous (Mar 28, 2005)

Skip the argyle, Thor's not a golf player...


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## weltyed (Feb 6, 2004)

i was thinking barely-visible white solid and dashed lines for teh argyle.




twiggy said:


> I'm hoping for the regular WC stripes on the Jersey/shorts, but then with a transparent 'outline' of argyle over it (ie: just black lines to represent the argyle pattern?) maybe??


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## twiggy (Mar 23, 2004)

weltyed said:


> i was thinking barely-visible white solid and dashed lines for teh argyle.



yeah, that could work? Wanna get together and draw it up for them? I'll bring the crayons!


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## kbwh (May 28, 2010)

Dan Gerous said:


> Skip the argyle, Thor's not a golf player...


Right. He always wanted to be a cyclist. 
According to a cyclist friend of mine Hushovd wasn't allowed to join the older riders on +50 km midweek rides when he was twelve, but stubborn as he was he'd follow a hundred meters behind or so. But he learned bike handling from downhill maniac Sean Yates. Dag-Otto Lauritzen lived in the same little town on the Norwegian south coast, and would get folks like Indurain and later Armstrong come and ride post-TdF crits. Lots of inspiration to be found for a boy who didn't want to golf.


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## T K (Feb 11, 2009)

Jonathan Vaughters and his staff.


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## AdamM (Jul 9, 2008)

> The Italians must be very unhappy with Pippo. They worked hard all day, they sent riders up and managed to put Pippo in a small group up front but he just sits, never tried a thing more than follow one of Gilbert's attacks. He was riding like he was riding for someone behind no?


Yep, the only time I saw Pippo have his nose in the wind all afternoon was when he helped chase down Nibali (that's how Leaky team support works).


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## Creakyknees (Sep 21, 2003)




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## AJL (Jul 9, 2009)

AdamM said:


> Yep, the only time I saw Pippo have his nose in the wind all afternoon was when he helped chase down Nibali (that's how Leaky team support works).


LOL! :thumbsup:


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