2018 Tour de France - Page 6
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L_Master
United States7946 Posts
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HolydaKing
21226 Posts
On July 20 2018 00:00 L_Master wrote: I'm pretty surprised they let Kruijswijk go up the road... They'll catch him, I'm pretty sure. | ||
L_Master
United States7946 Posts
pretty good chance, but still slightly risky. Tbh I don't know what happened to Kruisjswijk, he was damn good when he should have won the Giro, but then after that he turned back into just a "decent climber". | ||
Gjhc
Portugal161 Posts
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darthfoley
United States7999 Posts
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darthfoley
United States7999 Posts
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LennX
4494 Posts
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darthfoley
United States7999 Posts
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HolydaKing
21226 Posts
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darthfoley
United States7999 Posts
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L_Master
United States7946 Posts
It's definitely a battle between Froome and G now. I guess G is unproven in the third week, but barring a collpase from G, Froome is going to lose. | ||
L_Master
United States7946 Posts
On July 20 2018 00:46 darthfoley wrote: Still so sad I couldn't watch richie Porte on Alpe d'Huez Yea. Would have been nice to have him in the race ;( On July 20 2018 00:44 HolydaKing wrote: Ok Thomas was the strongest this time imo, much like yesterday. If Sky doesn't disallow him to win, he'll win this tour most probably. I felt like Froome was marginally stronger. Stress on marginally. G has a good kick and followed wheels effectively, whereas Froome wasted energy with several big attacks that he didn't have the strength to hold. G didn't. He also had better tactics and positioning into the sprint. That said, if there is a difference between the two currently, it's subtle and there is no way Froome is clawing back 1:40 unless G makes a mistake or collapses third week. | ||
Elmonti
Spain299 Posts
Shoutout to Dumo, Nibali, Bardet and Kruijswik, brave guys. Quintana just doesn't seem to have the legs...maybe he reached his peak a couple of years ago? Nice recover from Landa. Young Bernal showing his talent yet again. | ||
L_Master
United States7946 Posts
On July 20 2018 01:18 Elmonti wrote: The 32yo pistard Gerain Thomas wins at Alpe d'huez, nice. Shoutout to Dumo, Nibali, Bardet and Kruijswik, brave guys. Quintana just doesn't seem to have the legs...maybe he reached his peak a couple of years ago? Nice recover from Landa. Young Bernal showing his talent yet again. What does this mean? If it means what it sounds like, can we not be disrespectful in this thread? I get that you don't like Sky and think they are a dirty, cheating team and that's fine...but not everyone does and it's generally disrespectful and not something I nor others particularly want to read. If it doesn't mean what it sounds like, apologies in advance. | ||
L_Master
United States7946 Posts
I can understand Cav, with his crashes lacking form, and Kittel in general struggles with hills and is just checked out this season, but I'm surprised at all the others. Wonder if it's crash aftermath or what? This hasn't been an issue like this in past tours, and it's not like these stages are being ridden much faster than we've seen in the past. It's the usual tempo up climbs until the final climb, then race that. | ||
Elmonti
Spain299 Posts
On July 20 2018 01:34 L_Master wrote: What does this mean? If it means what it sounds like, can we not be disrespectful in this thread? I get that you don't like Sky and think they are a dirty, cheating team and that's fine...but not everyone does and it's generally disrespectful and not something I nor others particularly want to read. If it doesn't mean what it sounds like, apologies in advance. It sounded exactly as you thought it did. I understand that might annoy some people, but I also find annoying and disrespectful to cycling when people say "Wow, such a good ride by Thomas, they are so much better than anyone because they train som hard and have so much money" and pretend these kind of things we are seeing since 2011 are fine. However, you are the OP and this is your thread, so if that bothered you I apologise and from now on I'll try to talk about the results of the stage. Also I hope you'll understand how I feel when I see the sport I've loved so many years being destroyed like this (once again), beacause I feel they are laughting at our faces and nobody can stop them (once again). I hope you understand how difficult is for me to say "Well, Thomas won in Alpe d'Huez, great climb!" without thinking this guy is a Team pursuit pistard winner of Harelbeke turning into a top10 climber at 30 years of age. Having said that, only pure race results from now on. Looks like Sagan is gonna sprint alone in Paris, so many top sprinters withdrew today, even tough Popeye, which is totally unusual.... | ||
L_Master
United States7946 Posts
On that note, I again am not that suspicious of what Thomas did. Similar things have happened in other sports, and there is precedence there. A 4km pursuit is rather similar to the 1500/mile in athletics. There have been great 1500m runners that have gotten a bit older, changed their focus, and become strong 10000m or half marathon runners. In fact, it's usually around the age of 30 that the full aerobic development and strength usually starts to arise for "faster" more anaerobic guys. In that sense Thomas hitting 30 and developing that is the typical career arc of a track and field endurance oriented 1500m specialist. If anything, I even see that as more possible in cycling because you can have great short power physiology, add some weight for more raw watts, then eventually drop that weight and lose some of that explosive power while transitioning your training over to sustaining a higher %VO2 and fatigue resistance. Dan Martin for instance, has the physiology to ride a 4km as good as Thomas if he threw on some weight and added a little raw power. So too Valverde. If Valverde has the ability to put out high power on the TT bike in an ideal position, he would absolutely smash the 4km with gaining a little muscle for raw power, and in form he climbs great. I guess the difference between you and I is guilty until proven innocent versus benefit of the doubt. I firmly believe that what Thomas did, what Kwaitko can do, etc. What they have done is indeed impressive though, and given the current status of sport that inherently means skepticism is warranted, I just view it from a "hmm, a clean rider could do this, but at the same time it's on the edge of plausibility". The difference is, to you Sky is guilty and definitely doping. Guilty until exonerated. For me, it's the opposite. Of course Sky is suspicious as fuck, and if you asked me if they are cheating with a gun to my head, I'd say yes. However...to condemn I have to have proof. Either leaked information about positives, a failed test, or some performance that is truly unbelievable. If you ask me what's suspicious about Froome, it's his incredible consistency. I can't think of one single climb Froome has done where I though watching "Pfft. No way this is legit". He's always just a little bit better than everybody else climbing, and then of course sinks time into them in TT. In that same vein, if you ask me where I'm most suspicious about Sky, it's not in their riders doping the same way they did in 2000s era with massively increased physiology. I think what there might be is something drug wise that helps you get very lean and maintain power, and also potentially use of drugs for recovery. Which is also why I'm not that suspicious of Thomas and Kwaitkowski in the way you are. If they had shit that was that magical, their top guys should just be on a comically different level than everyone else...but they aren't. Froome is only a marginally better climber than guys like Quintana, Porte, Landa, etc. He's just always performing at his best. That, more than anything is where my suspicion lies. | ||
L_Master
United States7946 Posts
Today's Alp D'Huez was over 41'. The record for the Tour is in the low 36'. That's 15% faster. On garbage, heavier slower bikes. That's the biggest indicator that cycling is MUCH more clean now that it was then. People are, without a doubt, still using stuff...but I think what they are using has limited physiology impact. It seems to be much more recovery or leanness based as far as I can tell. The difference between today and 2005 is that today you can be clean and ride top 10 in the world, maybe better. Froome, G, Dumoulin, even Sagan wouldn't even be world tour level, let alone domestique level 15 years ago. Probably the sprinters of that peleton could win outright today's TdF. | ||
darthfoley
United States7999 Posts
It's really sad to think about the Armstrong era. I grew up watching the TdF with my father since I was maybe 5 years old. I remember getting my T-Mobile jersey and hat and going out into my neighborhood and pretending to be Jan Ullrich with his big "diesel" engine. I also remember how adamant both of us were that Lance was innocent (considering we weren't cycling experts by any means, nor was there any conclusive proof for a long time) and how bummed I was when Ullrich got banned from the 2006 Tour. I was sure there was some sort of confusion and that he would be reinstated. My father was particularly hurt when Lance did the whole Oprah confession thing, and when even Hincapie admitted it to be true. I have so many memories from that era: Beloki's terrible crash, Pantani attacking, Armstrong's famous look-back, the Armstrong/Mayo crash, Armstrong being so dehydrated his lips were white, Vino winning on the Champs, etc. Not only do I have to look back on those memories as super tainted, but the American broadcast N E V E R mentions anyone from that era ever. No flashbacks, not even a casual name drop. It's understandable, but saddening nonetheless. It simply feels like that decade never existed. It also makes my favorite commercial of all time look like a joke. Because it was a joke. | ||
Skynx
Turkey7150 Posts
For one I spent an evening trying to come up with ways of most painful mafioso tortures fit for those disgrace of so called human beings who felled Nibali. Get huskard in EU west you fucking pieces of shits. | ||
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