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Lumpy enough to put off the sprinters?
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Hopefully everyone will manage to stay on their bikes today.
where is the spoiler?
i want my money back.
No, that's not lumpy at all, really.
It'll depend if there's a couple of sharp corners in the last 2-3Km for the lead out trains to fall over on.
557m is quite lumpy! All those classified climbs at the end will mean someone like Friere will be a bit fresher than the other sprinters. If the sprinters do struggle, Cancellara will attack with 2k to go 😀
My money is on Jurgen Van Den Broeck to make a break for it. Belgian rider on a Belgian team going for glory on home turf. Well I hope so for the sake of my fantasy tdf team anyway!
What was the verdict on Cav's crash yesterday? I watched the overhead video a couple of times and somebody just failed to make the turn, was that him?
Watching the climb into Avoriaz on Sunday, can't wait.
he failed to make the turn, yeah.
I can't believe more hasn't been made of this though, I really like Cav, but I thought his leaning on freire(sp?) was shocking, almost, 'I ain't going to make it, you're not either'
thoughts?
I've got a bet on cav for green overall (ever the optimist). Odds went from evens to 11/8 after yesterdays stage. In the interview on ITV4 he said green was the priority over stage wins. Do you think we will see him on some breakaways? Don't know how else he thinks he will win it!
What was the verdict on Cav's crash yesterday? I watched the overhead video a couple of times and somebody just failed to make the turn, was that him?
looked like it. Getting a bit of a liability. At least he is entertaining.
Well I heard from someone that Mark Renshaw had broken his collar bone and was out. Which was a bit weird - he looked pretty fine when he was sprinting for second yesterday. Thought that would've effect Cavs chances a lot, but now I can't seem to find anything on him, did they just get confused between him and someone else?
Renshaws not out, but another one of the HTC boys is, adam someone?
He wasn't the only one to go into the turn too fast, it wasn't really anyone's "fault" as such, it was just a racing incident. It's not like he deliberately caused it or anything.
What was worse was the way that HTC sat up as soon as they realised they'd lost Cav and it went from being a long drawn out train to a great big wide bunch in about 2 seconds flat. Recipe for disaster that one.
Today's stage should be quite interesting unless all the favourites decide to save their legs for the cobbles tomorrow where it *will* be total carnage. Cancellara for the stage win tomorrow. For today - I'd go with some Belgian all-rounder or an experienced Classics rider (maybe even Hincapie - shot from left field there).
The HTC rider who is out is Adam Hansen, he dislocated his collarbone yesterday (and still rode in to finish, hardcore!)
The Tour de Suiise crash was strange, he went past another guy on his left and cut across the front of him with room to spare, he must have thought that he could carry that momentum to take him in front of Haussler. Unfortunately Haussler was much closer to Cav's pace and was holding his line with his head down and never saw Cavendish coming.
That one yesterday looked like really terrible bike handling, or some form of tantrum.
Chavanel is in a break away, he's got the legs to stay away all day, and he loves these roads, could be an interesting day
I can't believe more hasn't been made of this though, I really like Cav, but I thought his leaning on freire(sp?) was shocking, almost, 'I ain't going to make it, you're not either'
Once he was heading left rather than right, I don't think he had any choice in the matter
I wish Eurosport would just stream the ****ing thing on their website.
where can we watch it online? i've tried cyclingfans.com ...
For Cavendish yesterday, do you reckon he got too caught up in his position relative to the riders around him and let the corner "sneak up" on him a bit?
I wish Eurosport would just stream the ****ing thing on their website.
They do if you pay for it 😉
I took a punt (fantasy tdf) on Jurgen Van Den Broeck to be the Belgian of the day but he didn't make the break. 2 team mates did though.
where can we watch it online? i've tried cyclingfans.com ...
http://www.itv.com/itvplayer/video/?Filter=155882
Cavendish's brain fades at around 35 mins in
Edited as obviously there is lots of web stream sites and I didn't look hard enough, now enjoying the live streaming on http://www.fromsport.com/v-0/0/148/v-14923.html
justin.tv
ustream.tv
steephill.tv
itv.com/watchitv/
Bream you are aware that is the highlights from yesterday right?
Penny just dropped 😥
Starting to rain in Spa. Looking likely to have more crashes.
[url= http://www.letour.fr/indexus.html ]http://www.letour.fr/indexus.html[/url]
love their little animated legs
I don't like Cav but do admire his ability. However I do wonder now whether he is getting so desperate for a win that he's just getting a bit "out of shape" when sprinting. The new Abdoujapourov? Really can't see him winning green this year, think he will be too desperate to get a first win. As much as he claims he knows what he needs to do to win Green (not just win sprints) I think his instinct too win is still greater than his maturity and ability to use his head. Thor showed last year that you can win the Green jersey without winning 6 or so stages.
We'll see.
164 out of 1600+ on Road.CC TdF fantasy league. I'm quite impressed.
PMSL @ Bream 😆
Did Cancellera get his new batteries in time?
no epicyclo- he'll be using them tomorrow on the cobbles....
All getting a bit messy again, a few falls on the wet roads...
Andy Schleck crashed? Now on a team mates bike.
Can someone give me a brief rundown of the last 5 minutes. Missed it due to dropping kids off at the pool.
Thought Andy had broken his collar bone how he was holding himself at the side of the road, but seems to be going reasonable now.
Tomorrow will be real fun if the rain continues.
it's carnage out there today...
Look at the live comments for the last few minutes jimmyshands.
Anyone know where Frank is?
[i]Downed camera moto caused the crash involving Andy Schleck according to Radio Monte Carlo[/i]
Frank and Andy are together, 4 minutes behind everyone else apparently.
What are the rules on slipstreaming cars and motorbikes?
Wiggins in with Contador and Armstrong, haven't seen Cav yet, in the first peleton? there's a few HTC boys in there
Schleck is fighting for his tour here, it could be all over before its started
a few of the favourites should attack now - it'll put the schlecks right out of it.
What a mess, total confusion amongst the riders as well.
This is going to have a big impact on tomorrow as well, a lot of riders will be hurting badly after this.
That would be unsporting though.
[i]That would be unsporting though. [/i]
well, it would be racing certainly.
Are you saying they should stop and wait for the schlecks?
warton - Member
Chavanel is in a break away, he's got the legs to stay away all day, and he loves these roads, could be an interesting day
[smug]
looks like they've caught up now.
Are you saying they should stop and wait for the schlecks?
They should. Attacking after a crash isn't the done thing.
fairy tale breakaway there 🙂
yellow jersey neutralised the stage.
That was good.
??? why no sprint???
Fabian seemed to be controlling it at the front, why?
Protest about the dangerous roads, apparently.
It's a protest about the course, make of that what you will.
thats a joke isn't it? what do they want, stages stopped if it rains, totally straight run ins. they need to look at pics from the 40s and 50s to understand what dangerous roads are like.
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Yeah, general consensus seems to be that racing should have resumed, Cancellara controlled it because his GC contender teammates Frank and Andy were caught up in the crash...
they'll all be on 'cross bikes for the cobbles then 😉
someone should tell the bbc sport radio commentary team that they are still live on the internet... 😀
It was fair enough for them to not attack after the crash, but once they were back together they should have resumed racing.
Cancellara controlled it because his GC contender teammates Frank and Andy were caught up in the crash...
and were back in the main group, other teams should of told him where to get off.
If it was an external factor that effected the race then it was a good thing that they neutralised it. (Was it a journo motorbike that caused it?)
Anyone recon if Mark was in that group he would have sprinted anyway just to p off even more people?! 😀
And why didn't that HTC rider stay ahead to keep the second which he deserved?!
Anyone recon if Mark was in that group he would have sprinted anyway just to p off even more people?!
That's what I would've done.
jimmyshand without the motos no one gets paid. they need to be there to cover it, sometimes they lose control, its very rare, but on slippy roads it happens, simply because the riders are faster than they are down hill. doesn't mean you shouldn't race on.
A lot of anger is generated if a camera motorbike brings down a rider, but if it wasn't for the camera motorbikes there would be no money to sponsor the riders or the race.
Just got to accept it as one of those things.
EDIT - like what Warton said...
In my book if something outside the race effects the race then a rider shouldn't look to gain advantage from it.
but once any lost time is regained (ie. the downed riders catch up) it shoudl be business as usual?
They didn;t wait for the rest of the stragglers - just the ones on the yellow jerseys team...
seems they all went down at some point;
lancearmstrong: Got some good "road rash" on the hip and elbow. Bike mangled, cleat on the shoe completely cracked in two. Hope it's dry tomorrow.