I forgot to mention this in the last blog I wrote, but what did we think of the projection on the Arc Du Triomphe?
I liked some of it. I really liked when they played the shadows of the reliefs, that was my favorite. But I wasn't a big fan of the stuff they played for each jersey presentation. I think it might have been more interesting if they played back snippets of the jersey winners riding in the tour, instead of those weird abstract things that happened. And WHAT was that content they played back and made Froome watch after he was given the final jersey? Every time they cut to him, his smile was, "Why am I watching this?"
The music wasn't great either. I think a little to techno dancey dance. Maybe I'm spoiled because I think this is the best album of music for cycling ever (featured in the Wide World of Sports coverage for 1986 and 1987). Just listen to the first song and imagine cut scenes of riding through the Alps.
I also think I'm a big fan of them finishing in the twilight and watching the helicopter shots of Paris as it lights up. Really like that warm colour of the street lights. I hope they continue that.
Alright, everyone back to discussing what will happen next year...
Happy happy riding.
Thursday, July 25, 2013
Monday, July 22, 2013
TdF Withdrawls Start... Now.
Tour de France 2013 is in the books. Chris Froome is declared the winner* with Nairo Quintana 2nd.
In terms of our pool, Marc is the surprise winner with an amazing surge by Joaquim Rodriguez in the Alps. The finals standing are as follows:
1. Marc - Joaquim Rodriguez (3rd - 5:40 WINNER)
2. Derek - Alberto Contador (4th - 6:27)
3. Arnold - Alejandro Valverde (8th - 15:26)
4. Dan - Richie Porte (19th - 39:41)
5. Manny - Dan Martin (33rd - 1:13:08)
6. Dave - Cadel Evans (39th - 1:30:14)
7. Tom - Tejay Van Garderen (45th - 1:38:57)
8. Blaine - Rein Tarrame (102nd - 2:59:09)
9. Craig - Chris Froome (1st place = last place)
10. Kevin - Thibault Pinot (DNS Stage 16)
11. Toby - Jurgen Van Den Broeck (DNS Stage 6)
So congrats to Marc. I'll be in touch to get you your gift card.
I was glad to see Quintana take the last mountain stage and the Polka Dot jersey. He seemed to me to be the best choice to win that jersey. It renews my hope that the polka dot jersey will be fought for again by pure climbers and not opportunists.
Speaking of the last mountain stage, While Froome may not have cracked it was nice to see that he could be beaten. Quintana and Rodriguez rode a smart race and just waited. Think of how many stages Quintana could have won if he waited to attack.
It was funny to see Quintana on the final podium on the Champs-Elysees receiving the final polka dot jersey. Standing on the top step, he was still shorter than the two podium girls! He is a slight man, which makes him a top climber. And hopefully will be for years to come.
The green jersey competition sort of sputtered out at the end for me. Sagan built an unassailable points lead and it was impossible for anyone to challenge.
It was nice to see Kittel win on the Champs-Elysees. I like it when lesser teams have great success in the Tour. It just goes to show that sometimes having a lot of money and a lot of top talent is not always the recipe for success. Are you listening BMC, the New York Yankee's and the New York Rangers?
I can't say it was a "Changing of the guards" and Cavendish is on the way out. I just think he's had trouble getting the train together that he had on High Road and Columbia when he was unbeatable. Perhaps the puncture on the boulevard sapped to much energy from him. In any case, I hope there's a better challenge for the green jersey next year, and if anything, 4 people who could win the sprints should continue to make flat stages interesting.
What the flip happened to Lieuwe Westra? Less than 40k until the end of the race and he ABANDONS? What happened?
In the search for the answer to this question I did find this AWESOME VIDEO of a guy getting tripped while chasing Van Garderen up the l'Alpe d'Huez. While I feel bad for the guy who face plants into the pavement, he shouldn't be running after the riders. It's just dangerous.
Just read that the Directeur Sportif, John Lelangue has left BMC for personal reasons. We'll probably never know the true reasons, but they were definitely a team without a rudder this tour. I don't think it was his fault, but it sure seems he's taking the fall for it. The highlight was Tejay's second place on l'Alpe d'Huez. I'm betting there will be a big shuffle on that team in the off season.
Time to start counting the days until the start in England next year.
Happy riding!
*While Froome my not have doped, he did cheat on l'Alpe d'Huez. I'm not going to let that go.
In terms of our pool, Marc is the surprise winner with an amazing surge by Joaquim Rodriguez in the Alps. The finals standing are as follows:
1. Marc - Joaquim Rodriguez (3rd - 5:40 WINNER)
2. Derek - Alberto Contador (4th - 6:27)
3. Arnold - Alejandro Valverde (8th - 15:26)
4. Dan - Richie Porte (19th - 39:41)
5. Manny - Dan Martin (33rd - 1:13:08)
6. Dave - Cadel Evans (39th - 1:30:14)
7. Tom - Tejay Van Garderen (45th - 1:38:57)
8. Blaine - Rein Tarrame (102nd - 2:59:09)
9. Craig - Chris Froome (1st place = last place)
10. Kevin - Thibault Pinot (DNS Stage 16)
11. Toby - Jurgen Van Den Broeck (DNS Stage 6)
So congrats to Marc. I'll be in touch to get you your gift card.
I was glad to see Quintana take the last mountain stage and the Polka Dot jersey. He seemed to me to be the best choice to win that jersey. It renews my hope that the polka dot jersey will be fought for again by pure climbers and not opportunists.
Speaking of the last mountain stage, While Froome may not have cracked it was nice to see that he could be beaten. Quintana and Rodriguez rode a smart race and just waited. Think of how many stages Quintana could have won if he waited to attack.
It was funny to see Quintana on the final podium on the Champs-Elysees receiving the final polka dot jersey. Standing on the top step, he was still shorter than the two podium girls! He is a slight man, which makes him a top climber. And hopefully will be for years to come.
The green jersey competition sort of sputtered out at the end for me. Sagan built an unassailable points lead and it was impossible for anyone to challenge.
It was nice to see Kittel win on the Champs-Elysees. I like it when lesser teams have great success in the Tour. It just goes to show that sometimes having a lot of money and a lot of top talent is not always the recipe for success. Are you listening BMC, the New York Yankee's and the New York Rangers?
I can't say it was a "Changing of the guards" and Cavendish is on the way out. I just think he's had trouble getting the train together that he had on High Road and Columbia when he was unbeatable. Perhaps the puncture on the boulevard sapped to much energy from him. In any case, I hope there's a better challenge for the green jersey next year, and if anything, 4 people who could win the sprints should continue to make flat stages interesting.
What the flip happened to Lieuwe Westra? Less than 40k until the end of the race and he ABANDONS? What happened?
In the search for the answer to this question I did find this AWESOME VIDEO of a guy getting tripped while chasing Van Garderen up the l'Alpe d'Huez. While I feel bad for the guy who face plants into the pavement, he shouldn't be running after the riders. It's just dangerous.
Just read that the Directeur Sportif, John Lelangue has left BMC for personal reasons. We'll probably never know the true reasons, but they were definitely a team without a rudder this tour. I don't think it was his fault, but it sure seems he's taking the fall for it. The highlight was Tejay's second place on l'Alpe d'Huez. I'm betting there will be a big shuffle on that team in the off season.
Time to start counting the days until the start in England next year.
Happy riding!
*While Froome my not have doped, he did cheat on l'Alpe d'Huez. I'm not going to let that go.
Thursday, July 18, 2013
20 Seconds Is Not Enough.
What ever respect I had for Froome and Team Sky, I think I lost today. On the final climb up l'Alpe d'Huez, Froome was cracking so Porte slid back to the team car, got what appeared to be an energy gel and a bottle and handed it to Froome.
Rules state that no feeding was to be allowed on the final climb up l'Alpe d'Huez. And yet, they willfully broke the rules. A 20 second penalty was given to Froome and Porte, along with a small monetary penalty for both them and the team manager in the car. This really bothers me.
Van Garderen was 3 kilometers from the finish, and he cracked. He didn't slide back to the team car and take on an energy gel and a bottle. He suffered until the end and lost the race.
It's like Froome and Team Sky are thumbing their nose at the tour and doing as the please to keep him in yellow. What if he didn't get the illegal feed? He could have lost way more time that the 20 second penalty he received.
We'll never know.
This infraction, in my opinion is, just as bad as if he were doping. He was cracking. He was losing ground to his competitors. If he truly wanted to win this clean, he wouldn't be breaking even these rules.
I read this article where he claims there was a mechanical problem with the car. Whatever. That gives you the right to break the rules? I don't think so.
There will always be an asterisk on this win by Froome in my book. He didn't win clean.
Rules state that no feeding was to be allowed on the final climb up l'Alpe d'Huez. And yet, they willfully broke the rules. A 20 second penalty was given to Froome and Porte, along with a small monetary penalty for both them and the team manager in the car. This really bothers me.
Van Garderen was 3 kilometers from the finish, and he cracked. He didn't slide back to the team car and take on an energy gel and a bottle. He suffered until the end and lost the race.
It's like Froome and Team Sky are thumbing their nose at the tour and doing as the please to keep him in yellow. What if he didn't get the illegal feed? He could have lost way more time that the 20 second penalty he received.
We'll never know.
This infraction, in my opinion is, just as bad as if he were doping. He was cracking. He was losing ground to his competitors. If he truly wanted to win this clean, he wouldn't be breaking even these rules.
I read this article where he claims there was a mechanical problem with the car. Whatever. That gives you the right to break the rules? I don't think so.
There will always be an asterisk on this win by Froome in my book. He didn't win clean.
Wednesday, July 17, 2013
167
167th. That's where Cadel Evans finished today's time trial. I was scrolling down to see if Jean Christophe Peraud finished after he hit the deck a 2nd time and Cadel finishing in 167th caught my eye.
What a disappointment. I get that he wasn't going to win the tour but I thought he'd at least make an attempt to defend his position. According to one article I read, "Cadel Evans (BMC) is 18th overall at 24mins 24secs, after holding back energy for a hoped tilt at stage win..." Yeah. Sorry, but Cadel doesn't have the explosive power needed to breakaway on any of the mountains stages that are left. He's a better time trialist than climber and should have used today's stage to show some strength. If anything, do it for the fans.
He'd better get into a break in the next couple of days and make an attempt or I will be really disappointed with BMC.
BMC should be very disappointed with this tour. They've really imploded and it seems like there's a bit of infighting between Phillipe Gilbert and management as to what the goal of the tour should be. Gilbert believes they should be going for stage wins and not the G.C.. But it sounds like management was trying to hold a high place overall since it's important to gaining points for the UCI Pro Tour.
In this instance, I think Gilbert is right. They need to do something to save face, and stage wins would do it. I don't think they need to worry about UCI points with Cadel Evan's 3rd place in the Giro. I think after the Pyrenee's they should have let Gilbert fly. He's hungry for victories.
Enough about my team. I'm still disappointed.
...
I like Contador's bid today to win. He was riding as a man possessed. Too bad he didn't win. But he didn't lose by much. I guess a bike change at the top of the final climb was the way to go.
I'm of two minds on this one. On one side, I think you should start the stage and end the stage with the same bike, unless there's a mechanical of some sort that you have to change bikes. But the other side thinks, it's a level playing field and everyone has the option to do it or not. Old school, new school.
Big loser of the day was Bauke Mollema. Off the podium he goes. He can hold the wheels in the mountains, but put him against the clock and it's not so good.
The 2nd biggest loser on the day has to be Derek. Sorry buddy, if Contador maintains his 2nd place, you slip to almost the bottom of our pool.
Currently with Roman Kreutziger in 3rd place, no one in our pool wins. I think Manny with Dan Martin in 10th is the closest. But 10th is not 3rd. It'll be like the Tour de France from 1999 to 2005, no one won.
...
Huh, just as I'm finishing this blog post, this article comes out. I still think I'm right and Cadel can't breakaway to win.
l'Alpe d'Huez x 2 tomorrow!
Happy Riding.
What a disappointment. I get that he wasn't going to win the tour but I thought he'd at least make an attempt to defend his position. According to one article I read, "Cadel Evans (BMC) is 18th overall at 24mins 24secs, after holding back energy for a hoped tilt at stage win..." Yeah. Sorry, but Cadel doesn't have the explosive power needed to breakaway on any of the mountains stages that are left. He's a better time trialist than climber and should have used today's stage to show some strength. If anything, do it for the fans.
He'd better get into a break in the next couple of days and make an attempt or I will be really disappointed with BMC.
BMC should be very disappointed with this tour. They've really imploded and it seems like there's a bit of infighting between Phillipe Gilbert and management as to what the goal of the tour should be. Gilbert believes they should be going for stage wins and not the G.C.. But it sounds like management was trying to hold a high place overall since it's important to gaining points for the UCI Pro Tour.
In this instance, I think Gilbert is right. They need to do something to save face, and stage wins would do it. I don't think they need to worry about UCI points with Cadel Evan's 3rd place in the Giro. I think after the Pyrenee's they should have let Gilbert fly. He's hungry for victories.
Enough about my team. I'm still disappointed.
...
I like Contador's bid today to win. He was riding as a man possessed. Too bad he didn't win. But he didn't lose by much. I guess a bike change at the top of the final climb was the way to go.
I'm of two minds on this one. On one side, I think you should start the stage and end the stage with the same bike, unless there's a mechanical of some sort that you have to change bikes. But the other side thinks, it's a level playing field and everyone has the option to do it or not. Old school, new school.
Big loser of the day was Bauke Mollema. Off the podium he goes. He can hold the wheels in the mountains, but put him against the clock and it's not so good.
The 2nd biggest loser on the day has to be Derek. Sorry buddy, if Contador maintains his 2nd place, you slip to almost the bottom of our pool.
Currently with Roman Kreutziger in 3rd place, no one in our pool wins. I think Manny with Dan Martin in 10th is the closest. But 10th is not 3rd. It'll be like the Tour de France from 1999 to 2005, no one won.
...
Huh, just as I'm finishing this blog post, this article comes out. I still think I'm right and Cadel can't breakaway to win.
l'Alpe d'Huez x 2 tomorrow!
Happy Riding.
Out Goes Another One.
First off, some good news. Most of you have probably figured it out, but I emailed Toby to confirm...
He got his bike back! Yeah Toby! I hope it gives you many more miles of pure pleasure. It's funny, I was thinking what happened was, since the tour was in town, you're bike probably got thrown in with the rest of the bikes that were coming through. You've got that bag the pros use (me too!) so it was easily confused. Then it went onto a team truck, taken to the start line, pulled out, and when the mechanic opened it...
I'd like to think that was the case. Plus I could have sworn Cavendish was riding it to the win on Stage 5...
...
Sorry Kevin. Thibault Pinot has dropped out. Sore throat. DNS stage 16.
This shuffles up our pool a little bit. But not by much. See the column on the left for the current standings.
I thought today's stage would be relatively uneventful. But had some good moments in it.
It was nice to see Contador on the attack. I don't think he's trying to catch Froome, but trying to distance himself from Mollema to move up into 2nd place. He still has a jump, which was nice to see.
I can never tell if he just slows and drifts back to the peloton, or if Porte and Froome raise the tempo and drag him back. If that's the case, then once they catch him, it doesn't seem like they slow back down. Maybe I'm just not watching close enough.
Interesting to see Contador misjudge a corner and then take out Froome. I could tell Froome was mad about having to unclip after running off the road for a spell. Why was he mad? Because someone is attacking at a point that most people wouldn't attack? Shouldn't he expect to get hit from every direction all the time from the people who want to beat him? And then to try and wave Contador forward to make him take a pull on the flat run into town? Why should he? Froome's the Malliot Jaune. Why would Contador want to help him.
And while we're at it, what was with the thumbs up from Contador to Quintana? I don't think Quintana attacked. They were going downhill, Contador was risking it all and missed to corner. Was everybody supposed to stop and wait for him?
I get the gentlemanly fair play that goes on in the sport, but I think that pulling over and waiting because someone crashed should really be for the yellow jersey wearer and a rival close enough to unseat the leader. That's why I think waiting for Lance Dopestrong back in 2003 (it was 2003 right?) when he was hooked by a spectator and crashed makes sense. He in yellow, the crash was no fault of his own so the riders waited.
Contador is not in contention for yellow. At best, he's trying for 2nd place so I don't think in they should have waited.
And besides, Quintana didn't attack. Contador made an error in blaming the young phenom. Let's see if it comes back to bite him in the ass.
Which it might in terms of a possible "Spanish Armada".
Rodriguez was active today. He put in a couple of digs to put some of the G.C. contenders in trouble. The big looser of the day was Laurens Ten Dam.
I think everyone is out for their own placings now. The fight is for 2nd place (and 3rd, for us). You could throw a blanket over the 2nd through 6th place riders. Quintana will have the help of his team, Contador his, and Rodriguez will be a wild card. And none of them will work together to dislodge Froome. It's too bad. It would have been nice to see them all hitting at him until he cracked.
Time trial tomorrow should be another chance to sort out the top of the G.C. I can't wait to see.
Happy riding.
He got his bike back! Yeah Toby! I hope it gives you many more miles of pure pleasure. It's funny, I was thinking what happened was, since the tour was in town, you're bike probably got thrown in with the rest of the bikes that were coming through. You've got that bag the pros use (me too!) so it was easily confused. Then it went onto a team truck, taken to the start line, pulled out, and when the mechanic opened it...
I'd like to think that was the case. Plus I could have sworn Cavendish was riding it to the win on Stage 5...
...
Sorry Kevin. Thibault Pinot has dropped out. Sore throat. DNS stage 16.
This shuffles up our pool a little bit. But not by much. See the column on the left for the current standings.
I thought today's stage would be relatively uneventful. But had some good moments in it.
It was nice to see Contador on the attack. I don't think he's trying to catch Froome, but trying to distance himself from Mollema to move up into 2nd place. He still has a jump, which was nice to see.
I can never tell if he just slows and drifts back to the peloton, or if Porte and Froome raise the tempo and drag him back. If that's the case, then once they catch him, it doesn't seem like they slow back down. Maybe I'm just not watching close enough.
Interesting to see Contador misjudge a corner and then take out Froome. I could tell Froome was mad about having to unclip after running off the road for a spell. Why was he mad? Because someone is attacking at a point that most people wouldn't attack? Shouldn't he expect to get hit from every direction all the time from the people who want to beat him? And then to try and wave Contador forward to make him take a pull on the flat run into town? Why should he? Froome's the Malliot Jaune. Why would Contador want to help him.
And while we're at it, what was with the thumbs up from Contador to Quintana? I don't think Quintana attacked. They were going downhill, Contador was risking it all and missed to corner. Was everybody supposed to stop and wait for him?
I get the gentlemanly fair play that goes on in the sport, but I think that pulling over and waiting because someone crashed should really be for the yellow jersey wearer and a rival close enough to unseat the leader. That's why I think waiting for Lance Dopestrong back in 2003 (it was 2003 right?) when he was hooked by a spectator and crashed makes sense. He in yellow, the crash was no fault of his own so the riders waited.
Contador is not in contention for yellow. At best, he's trying for 2nd place so I don't think in they should have waited.
And besides, Quintana didn't attack. Contador made an error in blaming the young phenom. Let's see if it comes back to bite him in the ass.
Which it might in terms of a possible "Spanish Armada".
Rodriguez was active today. He put in a couple of digs to put some of the G.C. contenders in trouble. The big looser of the day was Laurens Ten Dam.
I think everyone is out for their own placings now. The fight is for 2nd place (and 3rd, for us). You could throw a blanket over the 2nd through 6th place riders. Quintana will have the help of his team, Contador his, and Rodriguez will be a wild card. And none of them will work together to dislodge Froome. It's too bad. It would have been nice to see them all hitting at him until he cracked.
Time trial tomorrow should be another chance to sort out the top of the G.C. I can't wait to see.
Happy riding.
Sunday, July 14, 2013
And We're Done...
First off, this is not a good picture.
It looks like Froome is disco dancing. Staying Alive, as it were.
...
Chris Froome proved to me today that he will win the tour. Contador and the others fell away. I don't think there's enough climbing left to really take time out of Froome.
I wonder if Froome emptied his tank today, he certainly looked it. At the end he didn't look like a man under control, he looked desperate to finish. To stick enough time between himself and his rivals.
I don't think Froome will win with the margin he has. I think it will shrink a little. If any of the contenders have anything left, they will throw everything they have at Sky and try to dismantle the machine. If he truly did gas out, then all he can do is hold the wheels until the end. Which really is all he needs to do.
So congrats to Froome. Job well done. I'll be honest, not a fan of his. I don't think it's that I wanted to see him fail as much as I didn't want him to win so easily. Maybe my own selfish reasons for wanting excitement in the tour. This feels like we're going to slide to the end with Froome comfortably not having to "work" anymore for his win.
Unless he feels like pulling a Lance Dopestrong move and continue to decimate the field... Just to prove a point.
...
On another note, "F**king Quintana. That creep can roll." I just love watching him ride off the front of the peloton. Effortless. He's young, and hopefully has a lot of climbing left in those legs to continue to light up the tour in the mountains. A few years of experience and he'll start riding smarter races.
I think my excitement really stems from the idea of making the polka dot jersey relevant again. What this tour has lacked, in my opinion since Richard Virenque, is a pure climber. Granted Verinque may have been on dope, but he wasn't going for the yellow jeresey.
Quintana may be it for the next few years. While I love this kid, I don't think he'll ever be a yellow jersey contender. The G.C. men have always been adequate climbers and top time trial guys. Quintana seems too slight to be good against the clock. Once the road turns up however, he just seems to sprout wings. It's truly a joy to watch.
The green jersey has gotten a bit of a make over in recent years with the changing of the points tally in the intermediate sprint. Perhaps the ASO can do something to make the polka dot jersey more competitive. I think the biggest problem is bonus points awarded for the last climb and for mountain top finishes. I think all rated climbs should have the same exact point values. G.C. riders are always going to try hard on the last climb and one of them are, more often than not, going to win the stage. And thus the highest point tally on the day. Today was a perfect example with Froome moving into the polka dot jersey solely because he won the stage.
...
In terms of our pool, if the tour ended today the standings would be as follows:
Derek would win because Contador finishes third.
Marc - Rodriquez (8th)
Manny - Martin (11th)
Arnold - Valverde (15th)
Dave - Evans (16th)
Dan - Porte (26th)
Tom - Van Garderen (47th)
Kevin - Pinot (52nd)
Blaine - Taaramae (89th) FYI - Peter Sagan, a sprinter, is ahead of you at 68th place.
Craig - Froome in first regulates you to last of the finishers
Toby - Van Den Broeck (DNS stage 6th)
I think this will be the final tally unless someone else fails to start or finish a stage.
...
Tomorrow I'll work on a rest day recap of the week I missed. There was a lot to talk about, all of which now seems irrelevant, but exciting at the time.
Happy riding.
...
Chris Froome proved to me today that he will win the tour. Contador and the others fell away. I don't think there's enough climbing left to really take time out of Froome.
I wonder if Froome emptied his tank today, he certainly looked it. At the end he didn't look like a man under control, he looked desperate to finish. To stick enough time between himself and his rivals.
I don't think Froome will win with the margin he has. I think it will shrink a little. If any of the contenders have anything left, they will throw everything they have at Sky and try to dismantle the machine. If he truly did gas out, then all he can do is hold the wheels until the end. Which really is all he needs to do.
So congrats to Froome. Job well done. I'll be honest, not a fan of his. I don't think it's that I wanted to see him fail as much as I didn't want him to win so easily. Maybe my own selfish reasons for wanting excitement in the tour. This feels like we're going to slide to the end with Froome comfortably not having to "work" anymore for his win.
Unless he feels like pulling a Lance Dopestrong move and continue to decimate the field... Just to prove a point.
...
On another note, "F**king Quintana. That creep can roll." I just love watching him ride off the front of the peloton. Effortless. He's young, and hopefully has a lot of climbing left in those legs to continue to light up the tour in the mountains. A few years of experience and he'll start riding smarter races.
I think my excitement really stems from the idea of making the polka dot jersey relevant again. What this tour has lacked, in my opinion since Richard Virenque, is a pure climber. Granted Verinque may have been on dope, but he wasn't going for the yellow jeresey.
Quintana may be it for the next few years. While I love this kid, I don't think he'll ever be a yellow jersey contender. The G.C. men have always been adequate climbers and top time trial guys. Quintana seems too slight to be good against the clock. Once the road turns up however, he just seems to sprout wings. It's truly a joy to watch.
The green jersey has gotten a bit of a make over in recent years with the changing of the points tally in the intermediate sprint. Perhaps the ASO can do something to make the polka dot jersey more competitive. I think the biggest problem is bonus points awarded for the last climb and for mountain top finishes. I think all rated climbs should have the same exact point values. G.C. riders are always going to try hard on the last climb and one of them are, more often than not, going to win the stage. And thus the highest point tally on the day. Today was a perfect example with Froome moving into the polka dot jersey solely because he won the stage.
...
In terms of our pool, if the tour ended today the standings would be as follows:
Derek would win because Contador finishes third.
Marc - Rodriquez (8th)
Manny - Martin (11th)
Arnold - Valverde (15th)
Dave - Evans (16th)
Dan - Porte (26th)
Tom - Van Garderen (47th)
Kevin - Pinot (52nd)
Blaine - Taaramae (89th) FYI - Peter Sagan, a sprinter, is ahead of you at 68th place.
Craig - Froome in first regulates you to last of the finishers
Toby - Van Den Broeck (DNS stage 6th)
I think this will be the final tally unless someone else fails to start or finish a stage.
...
Tomorrow I'll work on a rest day recap of the week I missed. There was a lot to talk about, all of which now seems irrelevant, but exciting at the time.
Happy riding.
Saturday, July 13, 2013
Echelons
Since Dan is tired I will have a go at yesterday's stage. It was a hummer, and just shows you how unpredictable a stage can be. And it also demonstrates that once the echelons form, not even the best riders in the world can close the gap. Unfortunate for Movistar to now be out of GC contention, as that would really have been a good alliance with Saxo to have more GC contenders to go up the road and force SKY to chase. But Belkin rode very strong also yesterday, and they can also help dislodge SKY from the Jersey as they have good GC position. And Quintana is not so far down on GC that he would be allowed to go up the road without some attention from SKY. So it should really be a great weekend.
Before yesterday, I was thinking that the Giro was taking it's toll on Cav. Didn't seem like he had the jets on when Kittel came off his wheel and beat him by half a wheel, but yesterday proved that he was still very much on his game. Even though he and Sagan didn't get their noses in the wind, it's still extremely hard riding to stay in the front echelon and take a minute out of the guys behind you......so for sure, hat's off to Cav and Sagan for getting into the front group when they did.
Now for just a little home brew, I was able to do one of the routes of the Ronde van Vlaandaren on Thursday. The Ronde van Vlaandaren museum is in Oudenwarde (where it used to finish and still should). Freddy Maertens is kind of the boss of the museum, and Manu (my Belgian 'training partner') knows him, so we hung out with him! He won 5 stages in the 1981 TdF …….and 2 x world champions……and heaps of other races (look him up on Wiki)…..an all rounder that could get over the cols and still win a sprint. He was an amazing rider. A very controversial finish in Barcelona at the World Championships when he was supposed to lead out Eddy, but it all went wrong and the slowest sprinter in the break, Felice Gimondi, ended up winning.
We ran out of time to go to the museum, but someday I will be back. There are 3 rides you can do from the Museum: Yellow is 100km, Blue is 120km and has most of the famous "hellingen" on the route, and red is 140km. If you eventually ride all three, you will have done all 16 hellingen (or muurs) of the Tour of Flanders. The cobbled climbs are very hard if you have to race up them, but not bad at my pace, but I found riding a 2km section of slight uphill on the cobblestones, trying to hold Manu's wheel was the hardest for me…..after about 500m you are cooked, and once you lose a wheel, you just can't get back on it, because standing up is impossible. Some of the cobblestones are as bad as Paris Roubaix (according to Freddy) and going down them????? Wow!
OK, fasten your seat belts, as today could be as unpredictable as yesterday, and then we have two big days. The Ventoux is an extremely hard climb, but the only climb of the stage, so I would expect Froome to rally his troops and you will see them setting a high pace from the start of the climb to limit anyone's ability to dance away. The next stage will be a different story. Thanks for reading......
Before yesterday, I was thinking that the Giro was taking it's toll on Cav. Didn't seem like he had the jets on when Kittel came off his wheel and beat him by half a wheel, but yesterday proved that he was still very much on his game. Even though he and Sagan didn't get their noses in the wind, it's still extremely hard riding to stay in the front echelon and take a minute out of the guys behind you......so for sure, hat's off to Cav and Sagan for getting into the front group when they did.
Now for just a little home brew, I was able to do one of the routes of the Ronde van Vlaandaren on Thursday. The Ronde van Vlaandaren museum is in Oudenwarde (where it used to finish and still should). Freddy Maertens is kind of the boss of the museum, and Manu (my Belgian 'training partner') knows him, so we hung out with him! He won 5 stages in the 1981 TdF …….and 2 x world champions……and heaps of other races (look him up on Wiki)…..an all rounder that could get over the cols and still win a sprint. He was an amazing rider. A very controversial finish in Barcelona at the World Championships when he was supposed to lead out Eddy, but it all went wrong and the slowest sprinter in the break, Felice Gimondi, ended up winning.
We ran out of time to go to the museum, but someday I will be back. There are 3 rides you can do from the Museum: Yellow is 100km, Blue is 120km and has most of the famous "hellingen" on the route, and red is 140km. If you eventually ride all three, you will have done all 16 hellingen (or muurs) of the Tour of Flanders. The cobbled climbs are very hard if you have to race up them, but not bad at my pace, but I found riding a 2km section of slight uphill on the cobblestones, trying to hold Manu's wheel was the hardest for me…..after about 500m you are cooked, and once you lose a wheel, you just can't get back on it, because standing up is impossible. Some of the cobblestones are as bad as Paris Roubaix (according to Freddy) and going down them????? Wow!
OK, fasten your seat belts, as today could be as unpredictable as yesterday, and then we have two big days. The Ventoux is an extremely hard climb, but the only climb of the stage, so I would expect Froome to rally his troops and you will see them setting a high pace from the start of the climb to limit anyone's ability to dance away. The next stage will be a different story. Thanks for reading......
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