Bicycle Racing Thread 2013
- Thread starter The Boy
- Start date
Also, some interesting comments about Froome from Uran:
http://velonews.competitor.com/2013...igginsfroome-fiasco-of-last-years-tour_286701
http://velonews.competitor.com/2013...igginsfroome-fiasco-of-last-years-tour_286701
Nigel Irritable
Five, Ten, Fifteen Years
Nice to see him get a win. I could never really understand how he went from "possibly the biggest threat to Cav" to laughing stock almost overnight.
Also enjoyed Brammeier's sneaky little go in the last few kms.
I'm not sure either, though he's always struck me as a bit of a flake. Also seems as if the level of competition in sprints has really taken a step up in the last couple of seasons, perhaps at the same time as his team's focus has shifted more towards competing for GC? And didn't he have a bad injury a couple of seasons ago? I honestly have no idea, but would be good for him to get back to where he was anyway.
As for Brammeier ghosting of the front in the final kms, I would have enjoyed that a lot more if I hadn't transferred him out of my fantasy cycling team 8 hours previous. Clever little move.
Nigel Irritable
Five, Ten, Fifteen Years
I've told you before that the assembled gamblers of U75 require that you notify the thread at least 24 hours in advance of any changes to your fantasy cycling team.
Yeah, I know, but it was a last minute decision. Proper double face-palm when he was off the front with 1.8km to go
Nigel Irritable
Five, Ten, Fifteen Years
2009 - 1434 CQ points, 9th on the CQ rankings, 11 wins.
2010 - 1598 CQ points, 7th on the CQ rankings, 8 wins.
2011 - 953 CQ points, 31st on the CQ rankings, 5 wins.
2012 - 521 CQ points, 94th on the CQ rankings 2 wins.
I know that CQ can be misleading, but that's just a catastrophic decline. In fact, it's even worse than it looks because when he was winning a lot, he was winning stages of GTs and the like rather than just "shitty small races". It's the sort of pattern you'd expect from someone who was at the end of their career. It's like he went from being a Greipel or Kittel to being a random Ag2r sprinter overnight.
(edited to add: Actually, the decline is much more sudden than the above makes it look. His 5 wins in 2011 all came in the earlier part of the season, culminating in him winning stage 3 of the Tour. It's immediately after that the his shit form starts. Up until then he was on course for a season not significantly worse than the two before).
You are almost certainly right that the standard has gone up, so there's a bigger cohort of very fast but not quite Cavendish fast guys. But his decline is too drastic to be just caused by that. You're probably right about injuries and flakiness too. I'm not sure if him getting less support preceded his drop in standards or followed it. Certainly nowadays, it would be a pretty brave DS who decided to prioritise his chances over those of people like Hesjedal or Martin.
Nigel Irritable
Five, Ten, Fifteen Years
Nice from Cavendish (as usual).
It's been a really entertaining first half of the Giro, but it's been a bit disappointing that Nibali hasn't really had to do much to beat the two guys everyone assumed were his main rivals. They've both had something seriously wrong with them. Hopefully Evans can make a real fight of it. It would be great if Uran or Gesink could threaten too, although they've both conceded quite a bit of time.
I've no desire to see Scarponi anywhere near the podium, and Santambrogio's sudden improvement at 28 is the kind of thing that makes me a bit twitchy.
I saw a suggestion the other day that Wiggins sudden propensity for bottling it on wet corners may be related to his physical illness - some bad colds and the like can make your sense of balance seem a bit off.
It's been a really entertaining first half of the Giro, but it's been a bit disappointing that Nibali hasn't really had to do much to beat the two guys everyone assumed were his main rivals. They've both had something seriously wrong with them. Hopefully Evans can make a real fight of it. It would be great if Uran or Gesink could threaten too, although they've both conceded quite a bit of time.
I've no desire to see Scarponi anywhere near the podium, and Santambrogio's sudden improvement at 28 is the kind of thing that makes me a bit twitchy.
I saw a suggestion the other day that Wiggins sudden propensity for bottling it on wet corners may be related to his physical illness - some bad colds and the like can make your sense of balance seem a bit off.
twistedAM
Left Of The Dial
Yeah, what would have happened if one of their two GC contenders had got a puncture?
sleaterkinney
Well-Known Member
Just watching the highlights, he looks well pissed off in the downpour.
What the fuck? Surely if Wiggins is getting dropped on a stage like that then it's time to throw everything behind Uran and/or Henao? As in right there and then. Why the fuck did they have *everybody* dropping back for him?
Anyway, props to Cav for his hundredth career win. Not a fan of his, but there's no arguing with that.
Anyway, props to Cav for his hundredth career win. Not a fan of his, but there's no arguing with that.
Nigel Irritable
Five, Ten, Fifteen Years
It looks like everyone else is determined that Cav will finish the Giro with at least 102, as Bouhanni just inexplicably dropped out, citing fatigue. He came second today and there's another potential sprint tomorrow. Fair enough if he doesn't think he can face the mountains, that's pretty much traditional for sprinters in the Giro, but he's one of the favourites tomorrow.
If I was an FDJ DS I'd be fucking pissed off with that.
If I was an FDJ DS I'd be fucking pissed off with that.
It's possible, but he looked absolutely fine with going downhill in the dry on Tuesday.
Especially since tomorrow is the one I had in mind when I predicted he would get at least one stage win.
edit: and he's just fucked my fantasy cycling team with that. I'm joining team Coquard, even if he is a trackie.
Yep. Got AG2r's first win of the season last year at ToC, too. thought he was a bit of a legend for that ride, but hey ho.
Nigel Irritable
Five, Ten, Fifteen Years
That's really going to fuck up Ag2r's Tour preparations. I doubt if Peraud, Gadret and anyone else who was planning to do something there will be overly pleased with their teammate.
The Tour of California has been really good so far. Even the flat stages have been enjoyable. Echelons today. The World Tour teams really put a beating on the North American domestic squads. Pity about the damage that did to the GC chances of the riders from smaller teams who climbed so well in the heat, only to lose a lot of time because their teams just don't have the strength to compete in the wind. But at least it was exciting and Voigt is a popular winner, even if my affection for him has been waning.
The Tour of California has been really good so far. Even the flat stages have been enjoyable. Echelons today. The World Tour teams really put a beating on the North American domestic squads. Pity about the damage that did to the GC chances of the riders from smaller teams who climbed so well in the heat, only to lose a lot of time because their teams just don't have the strength to compete in the wind. But at least it was exciting and Voigt is a popular winner, even if my affection for him has been waning.
Peraud should really have been at the Giro in place of Betancur imo, and the Colombian should have been going to the Tour. I know a French will always want to ride his home tour and all, but. Still, if they do withdraw it'll be a pain in the tits. Or will it be an unexpected bonus train-to-race marginal gains style?
Agreed on the US teams. I got the impression that a lot of the Euros turned up only a few days before the start without bothering to take time to acclimmatise. Would have served them right for one of the local teams to take the GC really.
Looking at the team's twitter they seem to be quite alright with him going home. Sounds like he's been struggling with the conditions which, if true*, seems fair enough I guess.
*He has been climbing badly by his standards, I think.
