Pro Cycling Discussion Thread 2015

Calpol said:
The French are having yet another awful tour. Yesterday encapsulated just how they have forgotten what it takes to win at their own race. Pinot and Bardet should never have lost that finish to a non-climber. I still get the impression that there is a culture within french cycling that rejects the scientific approaches now being adopted by the likes of Sky, Movistar and most others in favour of an outdated philosophy and rider mentaility. We saw it with how Pinot reacted to his bad luck in week one and again yesterday where the two of them wasted time at the top of the climb arguing about who would work. Meanwhile Cummings just gets his head down and goes for the win like it was life or death.

I am also convinced that this french failure again is partly responsible for the abhorrent behaviour of some of their "experts" and journalists which has served to encourage those idiots at the side of the road. Lets hope one of them tries something with G or Yogi because I reckon someone might get lamped if they do :)
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Absolutely this. Superb post.
 
My mother always told me not to gloat but I had £20 on Griepel at 10-1 yesterday :)

I would love Nibali to take off today and fly down the last mountain as the rumours say Sky are getting tired. Quintana attack would be even better; he's mugged Uran on a descent remember
 
GSVBagpuss said:
My mother always told me not to gloat but I had £20 on Griepel at 10-1 yesterday :)

I would love Nibali to take off today and fly down the last mountain as the rumours say Sky are getting tired. Quintana attack would be even better; he's mugged Uran on a descent remember
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Congrats on your little win:)
Unfortunately unless Froome gets ill and has a really bad day it doesn't look like anyone has the form to cause an upset. Sky still have 9 men and they just look too strong. Tactically Contador is the only one who can pull a surprise move and make a break but his form has been arguably as poor as Nibali - pedalling squares on a couple of the uphill finishes. van Garderen is one paced and just doesn't look like he has it in him. Movistar will no doubt try the Valverde, Quintana 1-2 combo but it still looks like Sky will have too many men to respond. The only hope is that Froome can be isloated for a long period and two or three teams combine to put the pressure on.

In the past that has happened on national grounds (eg the spanish ganging up to cost Robert Millar a Vuelta victory) but I can't see Astana, Movistar and Tinkoff co-ordinating anything like that.

From a GC perspective, if Froome stays on his bike this tour is the poorest competition for some time. For me it illustrates that 9 men teams make it too easy to defend and control a race.
 
Calpol said:
From a GC perspective, if Froome stays on his bike this tour is the poorest competition for some time. For me it illustrates that 9 men teams make it too easy to defend and control a race.
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Especially when that 9 men has the quality and discipline of SKY's they have some phenomenal athletes backing up Froome with both Porte and Thomas possible GC contenders in the future and they have a single goal that they focus on to the exclusion of all else they could clearly win more stages or Jerseys but Chris Froome in yellow in Paris is the only focus!
 
I have correctly predicted every Griepel win in this tour and have not had a single penny on it because I am not a "betting man"..... I could seriously have made some cash if I wasn't such a muppet :(

Nibali will be a no show. Ettix may fair very well on this stage today I only fear they are very tired coming into this stage with work they have been doing in breakaways and on the front.

Katusha will keep pushing and OGE are hunting as well. I honestly can't even predict at random who I think will win today, it's wide open this one.
 
The peloton will have to catch the breakaway on the second, if not the first cat 2 climb. If Sagan - in the breakaway again - makes it to the top of the second climb he's got a chance for the win because with his mountain biking chops he should descend like a man possessed.

Oh yeah, and Kennaugh has abandoned, so Sky are down to 8 men. I did wonder where he was on Saturday when Sky had a full train out front and there was one white jersey missing. Slightly cryptic tweet from Sky saying that there are more details to follow.

Greg van Avermaet has gone home as well, as his wife is about to give birth.
 
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SoliD said:
Great to see Cummings win today, tactical masterpiece on how to win a stage that!

Disgusting to hear the reports of urine being chucked at Sky. Although not the first time an englishman has been soaked :(
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Just catching up with it on ITV player. Wow, unbelievable! Why do people do this? It amazes me that we never see anything more crazy than this.
 
Vonhelmet said:
The peloton will have to catch the breakaway on the second, if not the first cat 2 climb. If Sagan - in the breakaway again - makes it to the top of the second climb he's got a chance for the win because with his mountain biking chops he should descend like a man possessed.

Oh yeah, and Kennaugh has abandoned, so Sky are down to 8 men. I did wonder where he was on Saturday when Sky had a full train out front and there was one white jersey missing. Slightly cryptic tweet from Sky saying that there are more details to follow.

Greg van Avermaet has gone home as well, as his wife is about to give birth.
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This breakaway ain't being caught.... Weird stage just got weirder today! At this point I am really just wishing Sagan would FINALLY get a bloody stage win and be done with it :p
 
Breakaway list pinched from the BBC:

Andriy Grivko, Christophe Riblon, Peter Sagan, Thomas De Gendt, Simon Geschke, Marco Haller, Markel Irizar, Bob Jungels, Nelson Oliveira, Ruben Plaza, Daniel Navarro, Pierrick Fedrigo, Adam Hansen, Thomas Voeckler, Michal Golas, Matteo Trentin, Daniel Teklehaimanot, Edvard Boasson-Hagen, Imanol Erviti, Luis Angel Mate, Pierre-Luc Perichon, Jarlinson Pantano and Serge Pauwels.

Good to see Teklehaimanot in there - he was struggling yesterday. I wonder whether Voeckler might try for the win.
 
I see from the BBC that the breakaway are over 15 minutes ahead of the peloton, who are clearly not arsed.

Hansen is off the front of the breakaway - anyone got any detail on how far ahead he is?
 
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