# no one following Dauphine?



## Ventruck (Mar 9, 2009)

Well, I'm not either, but this was an entertaining finish. I do think Contador gave him the stage though. He's done that to Schleck after that long climb up Tourmalet, and generally has rewarded riders who helped him in a previous stage. There's also claim he had a bit of mechanical issue and not exactly trying to take stages immediately.


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## redondoaveb (Jan 16, 2011)

Looks like Froome is on his own, Porte was no where to be found.


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## 55x11 (Apr 24, 2006)

1. I really don't want to talk about Dauphine. Yes I watch it. Makes me hate cycling. Dauphine is going to be a snoozefest just like this year's TdF is going to be a snoozefest.
I hope that's not true. But two stage wins by Froome so far? What could be less exciting? No really, any other possible outcome would be more exciting. Anything.

I almost never root against a rider, just for a rider, but Froome may be the exception.

2. Contador "gave" him the stage? is he winning by a wide margin to give stages around?
He attacked and tried to go around Froome with 40m or so to go, but Froome countered with some power and Contador went back again. If Contador could win he would.

I only hope this is one of those Iban Mayo things and Froome is peaking too early and will be cooked by 3rd week of the Tour. But for now he looks golden.


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## BikeLayne (Apr 4, 2014)

I am keeping up on it but I do not bother with streaming the stages as I am not any good at getting those weird sites to work. I watched stage I last night however on Direct TV. I am not rooting for anyone or maybe I am rooting for anyone except Froome or Contador.


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## Rich Gibson (Jul 26, 2013)

Agree. I hope Tinkoff-Saxo or Alonso come along or this is going to be like F1 was with Red Bull; four years of winning by the numbers by Sky. I know Froome is a good person but his riding seems soulness and by the numbers. I sure hope TDF isn't like this.
Rich


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## Monk (Jan 28, 2012)

That final climb was anything but a snoozefest, effin' sufferfest.

Hell, I'll watch any cycling I can get my hands on, I had to scrounge for any coverage I could get for decades. I ain't passing on anything.


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## den bakker (Nov 13, 2004)

Ventruck said:


> Well, I'm not either, but this was an entertaining finish. I do think Contador gave him the stage though. He's done that to Schleck after that long climb up Tourmalet, and generally has rewarded riders who helped him in a previous stage. There's also claim he had a bit of mechanical issue and not exactly trying to take stages immediately.


loose 4 seconds on purpose? With only one stage to realistically gain significant time that's an interesting strategy. 
He tried to go past with 300 meter to go but could not.


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## mambo (Jul 29, 2012)

I don't understand the Froome hate here. I found the Indurain as a rider boring for the same reasons I found Wiggins Tour win boring, they just used to go up at one pace.
Froome attacked old style with surges like Chiapucci and Pantani back in the day. I hate watching those stages where the pace is kept so high that nobody can attack. This was war and exciting to watch too. It was Froome and Contador who made it exciting. Currently they are the two GT riders who are most exciting to watch


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## TricrossRich (Mar 26, 2014)

Monk said:


> That final climb was anything but a snoozefest, effin' sufferfest.
> 
> Hell, I'll watch any cycling I can get my hands on, I had to scrounge for any coverage I could get for decades. I ain't passing on anything.


I agree... I'm just getting into cycling, so I'll watch anything I can get. My previous expeciences watching cycling were simply TDF's throughout the years, if I happen to stop on it while clicking around.



mambo said:


> I don't understand the Froome hate here. I found the Indurain as a rider boring for the same reasons I found Wiggins Tour win boring, they just used to go up at one pace.
> Froome attacked old style with surges like Chiapucci and Pantani back in the day. I hate watching those stages where the pace is kept so high that nobody can attack. This was war and exciting to watch too. It was Froome and Contador who made it exciting. Currently they are the two GT riders who are most exciting to watch


I agree. I thought the battle was pretty good. It was interesting to see how Froome was surging and relenting, and surging again... attempting to break Contador, but Contador just kept holding on.. holding his wheel. I really thought that Contador was gonna go past in that last stretch, that Froome had used all his power to early, but somehow Froome managed to find more and held up.


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## Marc (Jan 23, 2005)

den bakker said:


> loose 4 seconds on purpose? With only one stage to realistically gain significant time that's an interesting strategy.
> He tried to go past with 300 meter to go but could not.


But at the same time...despite Froome's repeated superhuman attacks, Contador stayed with him everytime no matter what.

That Contador didn't loose more is amazing.


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## love4himies (Jun 12, 2012)

I watched it yesterday. It was GREAT watching Contador and Froome go up the hill. Froome tried to bike away, but Conti stayed on his wheel and wouldn't take the pull. I was hoping Conti would be able to pass him in the end to take the yellow jersey. 



redondoaveb said:


> Looks like Froome is on his own, Porte was no where to be found.


Porte wasn't able to make it up the hill with him and so Froome gave him the OK to go back.


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## den bakker (Nov 13, 2004)

Marc said:


> But at the same time...despite Froome's repeated superhuman attacks, Contador stayed with him everytime no matter what.
> 
> That Contador didn't loose more is amazing.


he only lost bonus seconds. 
it was not that steep a climb so drafting certainly helped the accountant.


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## Marc (Jan 23, 2005)

den bakker said:


> he only lost bonus seconds.
> it was not that steep a climb so drafting certainly helped the accountant.


Sure drafting helped and it wasn't that steep...but it not being that steep and drafting just as much did not help anyone else.


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## den bakker (Nov 13, 2004)

Marc said:


> Sure drafting helped and it wasn't that steep...but it not being that steep and drafting just as much did not help anyone else.


only one that should have been sitting there was nibali. otherwise no surprises.


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## Hiro11 (Dec 18, 2010)

Froome made me a fan yesterday. He's not exactly the prettiest rider out there as he thrashes away, but you can't argue with the results. He attacked like a man possessed yesterday. Old school, out of the saddle accelerations designed to melt everyone else. The fact that Contador could hang was very interesting to me. It reminded me of old races like Fignon vs. Lemond: the old shool romantic vs. the steady boa constrictor. It's funny, because this kind of racing isn't really Contador's style, perhaps the climb wasn't well suited to his talents.

Other notes from yesterday:
- Talansky and Kelderman both impressed me. Talansky just kept dieseling: while it's clear that he can't match the top guys' accelerations, he kept closing them down. Given an even more climbing-centric stage, I think he's going to impress. Kelderman climbs extremely well for such a tall guy (he is extremely skinny, though). I suspect he will also impress in the Alps.
- TJvG blew up badly on that climb. This is obviously not a good sign for the Tour at all. He continues to fold when the chips are down in Europe. There are some notable exceptions (TdF 2012, a couple stages this year) but in general I don't think he's a legit GC contender for the Tour.
- It's really neat to watch the emergence of Adam Yates. That guy keeps popping up in the top ten. I sense a lot of potential.
- Kwiatkowski also blew up. He looked so strong earlier this year, perhaps he'll look better later.
- I can't believe Ryder H. is in this race. He's got to be exhausted and I'm not sure how much help he's going to be for Talansky. What's Garmin's strategy in this race, are they going for stages?


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## love4himies (Jun 12, 2012)

Hiro11 said:


> - I can't believe Ryder H. is in this race. He's got to be exhausted and I'm not sure how much help he's going to be for Talansky. What's Garmin's strategy in this race, are they going for stages?


That shocked the hell out of me when I saw his name on the roster. He just came off an amazing Giro where he seemed to suffer a bit in the 19 & 20th stages after giving it his all for the previous 3 weeks. Don't know what good he'll be to Andrew (who I think Garmin is hoping to podium or ready for le Tour) if he hasn't had adequate time to recover.

On another note: Did anybody watch it live this morning? I thought I heard an announcement that he was not doing le Tour to ready himself for the World Cup???


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## Ventruck (Mar 9, 2009)

den bakker said:


> loose 4 seconds on purpose? With only one stage to realistically gain significant time that's an interesting strategy.
> He tried to go past with 300 meter to go but could not.


Dauphine ends with 2 stages that have multiple category 1 climbs.

Like I said, he did that at Tourmalet in 2010 when Schleck pulled the whole way. He was leading in GC, but just by 8 seconds. Chaingate probably factored in also and he probably tried to make up for that.


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## Mapei (Feb 3, 2004)

I'm with Monk. I'll watch any bicycle race, any time. I do have my preferred bicyclists (I'm not a fan of Froome; I'm a rabid fan of the Accountant), but I can't help but be entertained just watching bicyclists dance down the road. If the setting is interesting or pretty, so much the better. In other words, I love watching the Dauphine.


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## den bakker (Nov 13, 2004)

Ventruck said:


> Dauphine ends with 2 stages that have multiple category 1 climbs.


look at the grades on the last climb last day.


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## Cinelli 82220 (Dec 2, 2010)

redondoaveb said:


> Porte was no where to be found.


MIA since mid January.


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## atpjunkie (Mar 23, 2002)

Marc said:


> But at the same time...despite Froome's repeated superhuman attacks, Contador stayed with him everytime no matter what.
> 
> That Contador didn't loose more is amazing.


but sucking his wheel and allowing him to close every break and still didn't have the legs to come around. That was a dominant performance by Froome even if only gaining a few seconds


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## atpjunkie (Mar 23, 2002)

Mapei said:


> I'm with Monk. I'll watch any bicycle race, any time. I do have my preferred bicyclists (I'm not a fan of Froome; I'm a rabid fan of the Accountant), but I can't help but be entertained just watching bicyclists dance down the road. If the setting is interesting or pretty, so much the better. In other words, I love watching the Dauphine.


racing is racing


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## Rashadabd (Sep 17, 2011)

den bakker said:


> loose 4 seconds on purpose? With only one stage to realistically gain significant time that's an interesting strategy.
> He tried to go past with 300 meter to go but could not.


Now, _that_ is bike racing. The last 15 or so minutes of that stage were simply brilliant.


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## foto (Feb 7, 2005)

Who is the Accountant?


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## foto (Feb 7, 2005)

This was a great stage finish. How can someone hate this? There were attacks from 5 different riders in the last 5 k with one forced to do all the work, and showing true dominance at the end. Froome may not be popular but it can't be denied that this is good racing.


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## obed (Jan 12, 2014)

I watch all I can, but for me it is a learning experience... don't know it well enough to be a fan of any particular rider...I am still trying to figure out stratagies...


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## Troutstalker (Dec 28, 2013)

With the time bonuses at stake there is no way one can argue that Contadore was willing to sit back and give the stage win to Froome. He tried to pass but didn't have it in the end. 

I thought it was good racing.


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## aclinjury (Sep 12, 2011)

not a Conti fan, but I'll be rooting for El Pistolero to wax Froome's ass this TdF. Will also be hoping that Froome's right hand man Porte to suffer.


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## Mapei (Feb 3, 2004)

El Pistolero. The Count-a-Dor.



foto said:


> Who is the Accountant?


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## Rokh On (Oct 30, 2011)

Not sure what the hec happened with NBCSP today. Did they even show today's stage? It's not on my DVR. It wasn't listed on the channel guide so I setup to record the NFL whatever they had listed.


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## spdntrxi (Jul 25, 2013)

Rokh On said:


> Not sure what the hec happened with NBCSP today. Did they even show today's stage? It's not on my DVR. It wasn't listed on the channel guide so I setup to record the NFL whatever they had listed.


I have Uverse... and so far the only issue is stage4 is stage3 and stage5 is actually 4 and so on. 60min a stage is pretty lame anyways.


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## TricrossRich (Mar 26, 2014)

spdntrxi said:


> I have Uverse... and so far the only issue is stage4 is stage3 and stage5 is actually 4 and so on. 60min a stage is pretty lame anyways.


I didn't realize that NBCSN was airing this... I've just been watching highlights online. I just checked this morning though and fortunately my DVR has been recording it.... looks like I got some watching to do.


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## Hiro11 (Dec 18, 2010)

Haven't watched today's stage yet, but as a biased Yank I'm glad to see that both Tejay and Talansky hung with Froome today. By all accounts this was a tough stage where both Froome and AC were a bit isolated, I'm looking forward to watching it. 

Given Tejay's strong rides the past two days, it looks like he simply had a bad day earlier and doesn't have a core fitness issue.


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## AJL (Jul 9, 2009)

TricrossRich said:


> I didn't realize that NBCSN was airing this... I've just been watching highlights online. I just checked this morning though and fortunately my DVR has been recording it.... looks like I got some watching to do.


Same here, just started watching last night and the TdS is right around the corner!


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## MMsRepBike (Apr 1, 2014)




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## love4himies (Jun 12, 2012)

No problem for Froome, the peloton waited very patiently for him to get a new bike and to take his lead at the front again.



Did anybody see how he crashed? I thought he was being well protected???


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## Jwiffle (Mar 18, 2005)

love4himies said:


> No problem for Froome, the peloton waited very patiently for him to get a new bike and to take his lead at the front again.
> 
> 
> 
> Did anybody see how he crashed? I thought he was being well protected???


in post race interview, froome said he hit a hole in the road which took him down.


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## love4himies (Jun 12, 2012)

Jwiffle said:


> in post race interview, froome said he hit a hole in the road which took him down.


Thanks. Maybe he should have been looking ahead instead of down at his stem.


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## jlandry (Jan 12, 2007)

love4himies said:


> thanks. Maybe he should have been looking ahead instead of down at his stem.


zzzzing!!!


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## r1lee (Jul 22, 2012)

love4himies said:


> Thanks. Maybe he should have been looking ahead instead of down at his stem.


lol...


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## aclinjury (Sep 12, 2011)

love4himies said:


> Thanks. Maybe he should have been looking ahead instead of down at his stem.


lol exactly my first thought.

My second thought, Sky boss might want to call Wiggins just in case.

on a sidenote: Grey Lemond's word "anything can happen in a long Tour" is starting to be foreshadowed by the Dauphine.


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## love4himies (Jun 12, 2012)

aclinjury said:


> My second thought, Sky boss might want to call Wiggins just in case.


:lol: It is a long tour and should always have a plan "B".


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## Cinelli 82220 (Dec 2, 2010)

love4himies said:


> :lol: It is a long tour and should always have a plan "B".


Their "Plan B" for the Giro worked out great eh?

Just a few months ago they were making it sound like little Richie Porte would be taking Paris Nice again and the Giro. 

Pride goeth before a fall.


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## El Scorcho (Dec 14, 2005)

I just cheered for Contador for the first time in my life. 

Impressive.


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## Marc (Jan 23, 2005)

El Scorcho said:


> I just cheered for Contador for the first time in my life.
> 
> Impressive.


Same here.


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## upstateSC-rider (Aug 21, 2004)

El Scorcho said:


> I just cheered for Contador for the first time in my life.
> 
> Impressive.


I've been cheering for him since that gutsy Vuelta win, but yes, extremely impressive.
This is what I caught while at work, can't wait to get home and see the last few k.
Read it from bottom to top.



> 17:48:29 CEST
> Andrew Talansky, meanwhile, moves up to third place overall, 39 seconds down on Contador. Kelderman slips to 4th place, 59 seconds down.
> 
> 17:44:39 CEST
> ...


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## burgrat (Nov 18, 2005)

Great stage today! The GC battle was awesome and also the fact that Westra caught the 2 Katusha guys to win the stage topped it off. Today was about as exciting as it gets.
Tomorrow will be interesting. Froome is gonna bring it to Contador. I'm hoping Contador can hold the lead for the win. It'll be a good one!

PS: Talansky in 3rd? Awesome ride so far by him. His future looks bright!


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## love4himies (Jun 12, 2012)

I can't believe I missed it :cryin:. I had too many chores to do this morning.


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## mambo (Jul 29, 2012)

Go go Contador!:thumbsup:


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## kbiker3111 (Nov 7, 2006)

What a stage today! Contador waited until the last possible moment but had just enough to make it count. I'm sure he would have liked to do that to a healthy Froome instead of the guy in bandages but it was still an impressive move.

Hesjedal showed guts riding in the break all day then pacing Talansky all the way to the finish. If he had just sat up a little more at the finish it would have given Froome a bit more of a gap to Talansky, but its pretty hard to think tactically at the end of your fifth climb after riding all day in the breakaway.

When the Katusha twins we crushing the last climb together I had flashback of Geweiss and got a little concerned, but then they fell apart in the final kms and Westra rode through them both. I'm not sure it meant anything about anything, but I'm glad they weren't breathing through their noses.


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## love4himies (Jun 12, 2012)

Here are the last 5 km:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RRnHY-5CRvY


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## Rashadabd (Sep 17, 2011)

burgrat said:


> Great stage today! The GC battle was awesome and also the fact that Westra caught the 2 Katusha guys to win the stage topped it off. Today was about as exciting as it gets.
> Tomorrow will be interesting. Froome is gonna bring it to Contador. I'm hoping Contador can hold the lead for the win. It'll be a good one!
> 
> PS: Talansky in 3rd? Awesome ride so far by him. His future looks bright!


It was great and this race has been so much fun. A. Contador is a baaaad man.


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## Ventruck (Mar 9, 2009)

love4himies said:


> Thanks. Maybe he should have been looking ahead instead of down at his stem.


lmao froome getting rekt


but really he had some classy comments regardless if the crash took a toll on him. Guess we'll see how the next stage goes.


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## 55x11 (Apr 24, 2006)

umm.... DVR?


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## Cinelli 82220 (Dec 2, 2010)

Ventruck said:


> but really he had some classy comments


Yes he did.
He tweeted "Chapeau" to Contador! So maybe he isn't that bad a guy.


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## dnice (Jul 12, 2012)

froome clearly didn't have it today, but the question i want answered is who made the strategic call to wait to attack at 1k? froome or the DS? if froome, then that's pretty shrewd damage limitation strategy (as compared to chasing bertie straight away, blowing up and losing even more time).


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## BikeLayne (Apr 4, 2014)

I caught it on the one hour wrap up on TV. Amazing finish. Congratulations to Contador for the great ride.


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## aclinjury (Sep 12, 2011)

dnice said:


> froome clearly didn't have it today, but the question i want answered is who made the strategic call to wait to attack at 1k? froome or the DS? if froome, then that's pretty shrewd damage limitation strategy (as compared to chasing bertie straight away, blowing up and losing even more time).


definitely Froome. In the past, every time Conti attacked, Froome would respond and not sit around to wait for his man to pull him. This time, he just didn't have it. It probably confused the crap out of Porte as Porte didn't see Froome respond immediately. No legs.

And with about 200 meters to go, Conti even managed to put in more time on Froome. So Froome response was short lived. I think if Conti had gone 500 meters sooner, he might have put in another additional 10-15 seconds on Froome, which would probably be enough to seal this race.

But stage 8 will be very interesting. I expect Froome to initiate the attack this time, and Conti just looking to cover.


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## il sogno (Jul 15, 2002)

Great stage today. Allez Contador! Talansky's gonna be a force to be reckoned with in the Tour.


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## quadrat (Aug 26, 2011)

El Scorcho said:


> I just cheered for Contador for the first time in my life.
> 
> Impressive.


That's a shame, you missed many years of satisfaction. Contador is the only rider of this generation who doesn't need the team to win stage races, or who solo attacks from 20 miles out. And you never see other favourites but Contador in a breakaway like in the 2012 Vuelta or Tirreno this year.

Wiggins isn't doing well at the moment, only 14th in the opening time trial of the Tour of Switzerland. He certainly isn't stronger than Froome.

Eurosport Asia offers 5 hours of cycling today, starting 17:00 CEST. Had to postpone yesterday's broadcasts due to the car race in Le Mans. First stages 7 and 8 of the Dauphine, later on stage 1 and 2 of the Tour de Suisse.


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## foto (Feb 7, 2005)

Trolololololo!!!

Guess who missed the break today? 

The Dauphine has proved to be anything but boring.


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## MMsRepBike (Apr 1, 2014)

So far today is a great stage as well. Lots of things happening early on, lots of strategy. This should be a great finish.


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## Marc (Jan 23, 2005)

foto said:


> Trolololololo!!!
> 
> Guess who missed the break today?
> 
> The Dauphine has proved to be anything but boring.





MMsRepBike said:


> So far today is a great stage as well. Lots of things happening early on, lots of strategy. This should be a great finish.


Shame that Eurosport is too busy covering LeMans and superbike to cover Dauphine until 0830AM CDT.


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## love4himies (Jun 12, 2012)

Wow great racing again today.


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## Marc (Jan 23, 2005)

Ha, and Old Steak Face was too busy playing poker not racing with Froome to catch Talansky's move. Well done.


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## foto (Feb 7, 2005)

Yawn


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## love4himies (Jun 12, 2012)

Hope there's a plan B for Sky at the TdF.


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## burgrat (Nov 18, 2005)

Awesome, awesome day of racing!!! Congrats to Talansky. Well deserved! Contador took it to Froome. 
The Tour will be very interesting this year!


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## foto (Feb 7, 2005)

Marc said:


> Ha, and Old Steak Face was too busy playing poker not racing with Froome to catch Talansky's move. Well done.


What are you talking about? How far out should Contador have gone to solo up to Talansky?


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## dnice (Jul 12, 2012)

race of the year. seriously, this is why we love cycling. i almost had tears in my eyes when conti attacked and dropped froome, and then again when talansky won. immense! a brilliant, attacking win. chapeau, you beautiful pit bull! chapeau!


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## love4himies (Jun 12, 2012)

Now that was one hell of a race!


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## turbogrover (Jan 1, 2006)

Big, big congrats to Andrew Talansky!!
It was a really gutsy ride on his part, and he did everything he could, to stay in front of Contador. Great race today! Had me on the edge of my seat!


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## mambo (Jul 29, 2012)

What an effort by Contador with no team. Majestic. Bravo.

Froome crushed.

Nice to see one of the non absolute favourites win. Well done Talansky.

What a great race the Dauphine has been.


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## Rashadabd (Sep 17, 2011)

love4himies said:


> Now that was one hell of a race!


Great racing on every level. It looks like Talansky decided to give me an extra father's day present and I don't even know the guy.  Loved it, loved it, loved it.


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## Retro Grouch (Apr 30, 2002)

dnice said:


> race of the year. seriously, this is why we love cycling. i almost had tears in my eyes when conti attacked and dropped froome, and then again when talansky won. immense! a brilliant, attacking win. chapeau, you beautiful pit bull! chapeau!


Amen.

The stage had all the elements of a perfect movie ending. Even without pricey tickets, annoying CGI, sex and violence.


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## MMsRepBike (Apr 1, 2014)

Very satisfying outcome.


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## Cinelli 82220 (Dec 2, 2010)

MMsRepBike said:


> Very satisfying outcome.


Not to mention shocking. Totally not what I expected.

Glad for the winner, and haha at Froomey. Waiting for Miz Cound's smartazz tweet which is sure to come.


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## Cinelli 82220 (Dec 2, 2010)

quadrat said:


> Wiggins isn't doing well at the moment, only 14th in the opening time trial of the Tour of Switzerland. He certainly isn't stronger than Froome


He has been building up muscle and training for the track since being selected for the Commonwealth Games. He's known for a while that he was not on the Tour team.


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## Creakyknees (Sep 21, 2003)

Well that turned into a helluva bike race after all! Congrats to Talansky. I hope El Pistolero hasn't peaked too early. but damn he looked fast today.


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## Ventruck (Mar 9, 2009)

Talansky with the surprise. Big ups to him. I was rooting for Contador, but this wasn't a bad outcome at all.


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## upstateSC-rider (Aug 21, 2004)

Creakyknees said:


> Well that turned into a helluva bike race after all! Congrats to Talansky. I hope El Pistolero hasn't peaked too early. but damn he looked fast today.


x2. And without a team.

And with regards to the finish...Boom Shaka laka


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## Fireform (Dec 15, 2005)

Local boy makes his mark--very proud of Talansky!


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## love4himies (Jun 12, 2012)

Creakyknees said:


> Well that turned into a helluva bike race after all! Congrats to Talansky. I hope El Pistolero hasn't peaked too early. but damn he looked fast today.


I think he's going to do very well at the Tour. As Andrew stated in his interview at the end of race, this one is not on the same scale as the TdF. 

Froome on the other hand I think has some work to do.


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## aclinjury (Sep 12, 2011)

Talansky stole the show as Contador kept his eyes on Froome and forgot about Talansky.

But haha Froomey is damaged good! lol. Me like. Froomey's girl has to now hold back her celebratory tweet because her boyfriend lost. lol

But I still say the Tour will be between Contador and Froome. In a 3 week race, and by then Froome will be healthy,.. gonna be hard for Talansky to sneak away a win.

Shame that Wiggins won't be at the Tour.


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## aclinjury (Sep 12, 2011)

Cinelli 82220 said:


> He has been building up muscle and training for the track since being selected for the Commonwealth Games. He's known for a while that he was not on the Tour team.


yeah. He's been talking about returning to the track a lot ever since being slapped in the face by Sky. I don't blame him. Sky (and Froome) showing no respect to the man at all. It's as if he's now an afterthought on that team. At this point I don't even think he even cares nor motivated about the Suisse Tour, just want it to be over with! so he can focus on the track, and finding another team, I'll bet.


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## Hiro11 (Dec 18, 2010)

Bar none the race of the year so far. Quintana's Giro is obviously more important and ultimately impressive, but for sheer drama this Dauphine had it all. In the last stage we got:

- Poker faced Talansky pulling the break mostly alone for easily the last 8 K. He's been so close in winning a big race for the past two years, it's great to see him break through.

- Ryder (almost) single-handedly destroying a world-class peloton by pushing the break. What a teammate to have. I couldn't even believe he was in this race after the fairly heroic Giro he just pulled off.

- Contador's amazing and painfully close fight back despite the total lack of any kind of help. He probably couldn't care less about today, he looks great heading into the Tour.

- Froome's unbelievably aggressive riding earlier in the week, ending in pain, complete dejection with a pathetic finish behind his team mates. He's still the safe money for the Tour, obviously.

Awesome week of racing. Now we've got Suisse and the Tour. And the riding weather is perfect. I love this time of year.


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## El Scorcho (Dec 14, 2005)

Way to go Talansky!

He can be the American Tommy Voeckler, what with all the faces.....


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## 55x11 (Apr 24, 2006)

I thought Contador would close the gap to 39 seconds, even when it stopped coming down around 56-58 seconds and even went up a bit, to 1:01.
Somehow it was hard to believe Talanski's gamble would pan out. Especially when Contador was closing in so quickly early on.


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## bradkay (Nov 5, 2013)

55x11 said:


> I thought Contador would close the gap to 39 seconds, *even when it stopped coming down around 56-58 seconds and even went up a bit, to 1:01.*
> Somehow it was hard to believe Talanski's gamble would pan out. Especially when Contador was closing in so quickly early on.



I was laughing at the announcers talking about Contador losing extra time there... that was time lost to Nieve - not to Talansky. Even so, Andrew managed to hold on to the GC victory. Chapeau!


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## Dr_John (Oct 11, 2005)

Really exciting. Contador looked great. Great win by Talansky. Froome 12th? Wow. He sunk like a rock.

That helmet Talansky's wearing might be the stupidest looking Mr. Mushroom helmet in the Pro peloton. Who makes that thing?


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## aclinjury (Sep 12, 2011)

Dr_John said:


> Really exciting. Contador looked great. Great win by Talansky. Froome 12th? Wow. He sunk like a rock.
> 
> *That helmet Talansky's wearing might be the stupidest looking Mr. Mushroom helmet in the Pro peloton. Who makes that thing?*


POC makes it. POC helmets are a bit of a throwback, salad bowl, mushroom, looking. Their road helmet is sort of like their mtb and skateboard helmet. But that helmet does have a nice coverage of the back in case you fall. And the price is not cheap either, something like $270! The only dorkier helmet is the Giro Air.


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## Dr_John (Oct 11, 2005)

aclinjury said:


> POC makes it. POC helmets are a bit of a throwback, salad bowl, mushroom, looking. Their road helmet is sort of like their mtb and skateboard helmet. But that helmet does have a nice coverage of the back in case you fall. And the price is not cheap either, something like $270! The only dorkier helmet is the Giro Air.


Thanks!


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## il sogno (Jul 15, 2002)

Talansky and Contador were impressive. 

Froome? Epic fail.


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## den bakker (Nov 13, 2004)

den bakker said:


> look at the grades on the last climb last day.


ouchie.


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## kbiker3111 (Nov 7, 2006)

il sogno said:


> Froome? Epic *fall*


FIFY

To everyone discounting Froome after the last two days, I think you'd be surprised how much a bad tumble can affect your form. I'd be willing to be he hasn't slept the last two nights. After his first day in the mountains I think the form is there, he just had some bad luck before the important stages.


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## Rokh On (Oct 30, 2011)

I agree. I think Froome was hurting a bit more than he let on. Maybe even more than his own team knew. Schlanger was rambling on about team disorganization or confusion but I think it was nothing more than Sky slowing down waiting on Froome. I don't think they realized he was hurting as bad as he was. I think the Sky drama machine will be working overtime now. They need Wiggins. 

Great win for Talansky. Really happy for him but as Bobke pointed out Contador was there with the "B" team. Talansky had plenty of help and didn't have to do much work for a good portion of the stage. Contador had to do it on his own. 

This turned out to be a great race and I hope it was a preview for the TdF. And if I had to listen to Schlanger for 3 weeks I think my ears would bleed.


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## love4himies (Jun 12, 2012)

Rokh On said:


> Contador had to do it on his own.


Which is one of the great things about Contador. Love watching that man ride.


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## LostViking (Jul 18, 2008)

Great race. Froomie and Conti are ready to shoot it out in France and young Mr. Talansky has made a statement.

Anyone who did not enjoy the last few days of racing doesn't love cycling.


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## Buzzatronic (Mar 18, 2013)

kbiker3111 said:


> FIFY
> 
> To everyone discounting Froome after the last two days, I think you'd be surprised how much a bad tumble can affect your form. I'd be willing to be he hasn't slept the last two nights. After his first day in the mountains I think the form is there, he just had some bad luck before the important stages.


I guess his emergency request for a TUE to get the right pain meds didn't go through.

*runs and hides*.


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## mambo (Jul 29, 2012)

Rokh On said:


> They need Wiggins.


Do they? Have you seen how 'well' Wiggins is going int the Tour of Switzerland - 14th in the TT dropped on today's climb finishing 2 minutes behind Sagan.

I still think Contador is the current best GT rider. Even if Froome arrives at the ToF in slightly better shape than him, Contadors race craft is so superior to Froome's that it could still make a difference.


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## AJL (Jul 9, 2009)

Great race!!! Hats off to Talansky! I'm really looking forward to this year's TDF. Conti and Froome have great form and Froome has time to recover.


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## aclinjury (Sep 12, 2011)

mambo said:


> Do they? Have you seen how 'well' Wiggins is going int the Tour of Switzerland - 14th in the TT dropped on today's climb finishing 2 minutes behind Sagan.
> 
> I still think Contador is the current best GT rider. Even if Froome arrives at the ToF in slightly better shape than him, Contadors race craft is so superior to Froome's that it could still make a difference.


Wiggins doesn't care about Suisse. He's looking to check out of the Sky train. He's already stated he'll be focusing on the track, and 2016 Olympics. So the man is just going through the motion in Suisse to get the hell over it, not to get a win. After getting the slap by Sky and Froome, can you blame the man for being so apathetic riding for them? I would not.


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## Cinelli 82220 (Dec 2, 2010)

aclinjury said:


> So the man is just going through the motion in Suisse


Handing out resumes and networking. The race is not his priority right now.


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## mambo (Jul 29, 2012)

Cinelli 82220 said:


> Handing out resumes and networking. The race is not his priority right now.


I find it hard to believe he wouldn't at least try for the win in the TT, and then perhaps throttle back for the rest of the race. It doesn't look that great on your CV if other teams see that once you decided you were leaving you stopped trying...


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## r1lee (Jul 22, 2012)

mambo said:


> I find it hard to believe he wouldn't at least try for the win in the TT, and then perhaps throttle back for the rest of the race. It doesn't look that great on your CV if other teams see that once you decided you were leaving you stopped trying...



Says a lot about his character. He's getting paid millions of dollars to ride and he's just going through the paces because he's no longer the leader of the team. The fact that he didn't pay froome until a year later and was forced by management to do so, probably was the deciding factor by managements eyes to never resign him.


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## Cinelli 82220 (Dec 2, 2010)

mambo said:


> once you decided you were leaving you stopped trying...


That's common on the pro tour. Why knock yourself out earning points for the team that is kicking you to the curb.
Also, he may have tried his best, but he has been focussing on training for the track team. Not the same as road.


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## foto (Feb 7, 2005)

Cinelli 82220 said:


> That's common on the pro tour. Why knock yourself out earning points for the team that is kicking you to the curb.
> Also, he may have tried his best, but he has been focussing on training for the track team. Not the same as road.


I thought the points go with the rider, not with the team.

Also, it is not the attitude of a boss leader. If being a star is you ambition, you have to ride like one. You don't see contador just pulling the plug and acting like a brat.


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## Hiro11 (Dec 18, 2010)

Cinelli 82220 said:


> That's common on the pro tour. Why knock yourself out earning points for the team that is kicking you to the curb.
> Also, he may have tried his best, but he has been focussing on training for the track team. Not the same as road.


This doesn't change the fact that I wanted to smack him as he soft pedalled in yesterday at Suisse after being dropped. It was a prima donna move, especially given that we know he's in very good form right now. He's just pouting and that's not professional.


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## dnice (Jul 12, 2012)

Hiro11 said:


> This doesn't change the fact that I wanted to smack him as he soft pedalled in yesterday at Suisse after being dropped. It was a prima donna move, especially given that we know he's in very good form right now. He's just pouting and that's not professional.


sometimes there's more to the story than what you see on the tele.
Wiggins dealt double blow in Tour de Suisse | Cyclingnews.com


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## Cinelli 82220 (Dec 2, 2010)

Hiro11 said:


> we know he's in very good form right now


How do you know that?


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