[Closed] TdF Stage 9 - A Clearer Picture [Spoilers]

Martin to start at 10:57am, Sagan at 1:42pm, Cancellara at 1:54pm, Froome at 3:24pm, Evans at 3:36pm, Wiggins at 3:39pm (all riders 3 minutes apart).

I dont think Wiggow will win it today but top 3 and he takes some time of Cuddles - does not even need a mechanical for that today - and wear Yellow till the end

Odds on Wiggo winning the tour without ever winning a stage?

Bit boring to watch TT though IMHO

What is the weather like re conditions being the same for the day?

PS You ok? Not sleeping or something this is terribly early for you

I fancy Sagan today...

Martin, Gesink and Scarponi are killing my velogames team...

Martin has been riding with a broken wrist. Surely he doesn't just want to get the miles in? I think he has been waiting for today so he can take a win. I think wiggins has got to play his cards and will put in his best time trial. So him or Spartacus for 2nd and 3rd.

How far back do you think Cadel will be? I think Wiggins will put a minute into him assuming no mechanicals.

Sagan will do well but it he gave a lot yesterday and this is long so doesn't suit his short sharp power bursts like a prologue.

I fancy Sagan today...

I fancy him everyday. Martin on course, 1st at 1st time split.

PS You ok? Not sleeping or something this is terribly early for you

Don't worry, haven't got out of bed yet 🙂

22 degrees, little bit of cloud, and a tiny bit of a tail wind I think.

Martin on the road and in the lead surprise surprise

I'll stick my neck out for my 2p prediction: Wiggo 1st Froome 2nd

and Evans to loose time but not a massive amount

I fancy him everyday.

Don't worry, haven't got out of bed yet

:shudders:

Evans seemed to be talking criptically yesterday, saying that today's time trial could turn things updside down? surely he hasn't got something special in his back pocket of courage?

Where are you getting splits? Nothing on cyclingnews yet.

exactly, he would have had this marked as a key stage all year

he'll do better than expected

splits on letour.com

Where are you getting splits? Nothing on cyclingnews yet.

Look at the OP. Martin will be at split 2 any second now.

[url= http://www.letour.fr/le-tour/2012/us/live/aso/ ]http://www.letour.fr/le-tour/2012/us/live/aso/[/url]

Martin up at split 2, only by 23 seconds though. Almost definitely not enough.

Disappointing from DZ, although all Garmin have had a rough time.

Ta brakes

Voigt just gone 9s slower than Martin at first check (which would translate to ~20s at the finish all things being equal). Now we know Jens can ride a good TT, but you'd also expect him to lose rather more than that to the big boys - not going to be Tony's day today I don't think.

telegraph is saying Martin punctures so if he changed a wheel or bike then that is fast - he's not having much luck though is he.

13:38 Voigt 13" behind Martin at 31.5km

Voigt is second at the second check as well... he was 9" behind Martin at 16.5km and at the 31.5km mark, he's only 13" slower than the world champion.

Voigt only 13s slower at the 2nd check. Either Jens is going super fast or Martin is not having a good day (not surprising with a broken wrist).

I'd be surprised if he had a puncture based on those splits - or if he did he lost very little time due to it. Very steady differences between him and other riders.

he did, Ned Boulting spoke to him and confirmed. he's having a stinker this tour...

Strange - must have been going really well for the rest of the split where he did it, and not so well on the other splits! Can only assume it was in the first split (I'll take at 14km on the sweepstake) and he lost motivation afterwards.

cancellera getting ready

Cancellara takes lead at first split, 38s ahead of Martin

Ah - they've just said Martin's puncture was 5km from start - I picked the correct split anyway.

Is there a neutral service car following each rider with a spare bike/wheel? What did Tony Martin do about his tyre?

am watching the tt.is it my eyes going,or do the bikes not run rim brakes 😕 at least 2 i have seen don't seem to have a front brake.

that irritating scouser gets about doesnt he ?! 🙂

rf90
they are probably tucked in behind the steerer/crown under the down tube

brakes are built into the forks

[i]at least 2 i have seen don't seem to have a front brake. [/i]

aren't some of them a "built" into the back of the forks for aero advantage

some of them have brakes inside and or behind the fork

RF all the brakes are hidden behind the fork crown / integrated with the Chain stay under the BB for max aero 🙂

ah! 🙂 (was envisioning a fred flintstone's style stopping maneuver/or hitting a tree e.t.c 😳

Is there a neutral service car following each rider with a spare bike/wheel? What did Tony Martin do about his tyre?

No - a team car following each rider (or at least most big names - I guess some of the lowlier riders might get neutral service if the team doesn't have enough drivers to go round). He'll have got either a wheel change or more likely a complete bike change (Martin will likely have had a spare TT bike on top of the car - Wiggins certainly does).

Stuff like this

[img] [/img]

Or this

[img] [/img]

cheers C.

They are riding fixies and have graduated from the school of uber-hipness, thus no longer have need for pointless things such as front brakes. Maybe.

Edit: Realman, don't try to fool anyone with your photoshoppery. Seamless,btw 😉

Those "crop circles" are very cool.

Sparticus is nailing it

that is definitely aerodynamic (the bmc 😀 i will one day get myself a road bike (when funds allow).obviously slightly cheaper than what the tdf riders are riding though (i did have an old raleigh elan back in the 90's,but it got bent when a van pulled out on me at a roundabout 🙁

Those "crop circles" are very cool.

Probably the best one yet, must have taken ages.

Twitter saying sparticus has passed mollema 3 mins in front! in 20km!

...you can see the team car rolling out behind the riders just after they come down the start ramp - spare bike either side for Coppel (presumably one TT, one road bike as a backup backup)

Twitter saying sparticus has passed mollema 3 mins in front! in 20km!

mollema couldn't even stay on his wheel - he did try!

You're not allowed to draft, it's a TT..

Sagan and Cadel to go top 5.

I fancy Sagan today...

Sagan will do well

Sagan caught for 3 minutes by that well known top TT rider Sandy Casar 😆

Cancellara 69s up on Martin at 2nd check

Cancellara takes lead by 79s from Martin at finish.

I would have thought there would be tape on the BMC where there are gaps in the brake areas to reduce drag by a fraction.

Has angry man made an apperance yet today?

I would have thought there would be tape on the BMC where there are gaps in the brake areas to reduce drag by a fraction.

hypothesising:
Perhapse they tried it and it didn't stick welle enough as the brakes moved, or wrinkled and made it worse. Also there might be rules stipulating that bits have to be seperate components?

On sailing boats some classes only measure the hull, so that lead to designers fitting odd shaped keels which completely covered up sections of the hull, but had to clear by a few mm. I'm fairly sure there's asimilar rule for the forks on a TT bike that they can't be completly faired into the frame.

van garderen +3 on cancellara at first split

going for it or setting pace for cuddles?

Tejay 2 seconds up at the second split. He's one of my climbers, oddly enough. Fantastic stuff.

Cuddles up next!

jimster - Member
I would have thought there would be tape on the BMC where there are gaps in the brake areas to reduce drag by a fraction.

they're moving parts though - the tape would just come off.

on a slightly related topic i thought that the UCI banned all specifically aerodynamic things so how do they get away with brakes like that?

[img] [/img]

Look at that position. How can he lose riding like that?

on a slightly related topic i thought that the UCI banned all specifically aerodynamic things so how do they get away with brakes like that?

It's a stupid rule, and is enforced stupidly as well. Some things go through, some don't.

He'll not get too far without pedals 😉

er my question is how can he ride in a position like that!!!

Anyhow we have about 50 mins & will know the answer..

That skin suit..

[img] [/img]

yeah but look at the codpeice...

Froome fastest at first check by a huge margin!

24s up on van Garderen, 27s on Cancellara

on a slightly related topic i thought that the UCI banned all specifically aerodynamic things so how do they get away with brakes like that?

It's all structural isn't it?

Wiggins 20" ahead of Evans...
Radio Tour has just announced that Wiggins is 20" ahead of Evans with 30km to go in the stage

Froome and Wiggins ripping it at the moment. COME ON!!!!

Zubeldia through 51s down on Froome, Menchov 49s down on Froome - Froome into 4th overall on the road.

The gaps are huge 😯

Haven't seen biopace chainrings for a few years!

Nibali at 52s on Froome - if he keeps this up he'll be in the top 3 tonight.

Money on Wiggins catching him? 😯

[edit- Cuddles] 56s down on Froome at the timecheck 😯

They must be doping 😉

<Evans> 56s down on Froome at the timecheck

That's going to put Froome 2nd tonight if he keeps it up 😯

They must be doping

I know you're joking, but the thought must even be crossing Brailsford's mind!

Wiggins is tearin it to pieces. Looks like Cadel's legs have gone zub zub.

Wiggins + Froome are flying .. 😮

They must be doping

C**t! 😉

Froome to be the biggest rival to Wiggins then?

Bah - Wiggins holding his own. Froome won't take yellow tonight.

LOL @ WackoAK

This is massive... really enjoying it..

I notice wiggins has binned his glasses, will the sideburns catch the wind now? 🙂

Not going too badly that Wiggins chap.

will the sideburns catch the wind now?

It would be funny if it was another moment like Fignon's ponytail