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I think it's pretty unusual isn't it? I wonder how Evans will feel about it and whether it's even remotely sensible to talk about it in terms of it being a less emphatic victory (that seems utterly ridiculous to even suggest by someone who couldn't even ride one stage!)
Evans won stage 4 didn't he?
Not this year.
Didn't he win the stage with the uphill finish where he beat Contador by about 3 inches?????
How about Contador to begin with?
Modern 3 week stage racing can only be done successfully by mostly riding like an accountant with an eye to doing maybe 1 or 2 pieces of aggressive riding - and you can't say that Cadel Evans hasn't done some aggressive riding this year.
a very calculated win from Evans though, stay in touch through the mountains and absolutely hammer them in the time trial, almost Armstrong-esque.
Stage 4 - follow the link:
http://www.letour.fr/2011/TDF/LIVE/us/400/index.html
Unless of course the official TdF web site is wrong... 🙂
Evans won on the Mur de Bretagne if I recall?
In any case his ride to get back on after his mechanicals on Friday was worth a stage win. I wasn't a fan before, of his tactic of marking the Schlecks and little else (although understood completely why) but the way he drove that group back to the front and then managed to mark the Schleck attacks as well showed a pretty complete rider for the grand tours. people go uphill faster and with more style than him, but to win in Paris takes all round ability and tactical nous and he has both in spades.
He even smiled yesterday.
Contador didn't win a stage last year, Cadel has this year, as above
Ah yes he did, thanks for the correction. It's interesting though; has anyone ever won the tour without winning a stage?
It's almost as if it would be impossible for that to happen. OK so not theoreticaly impossible, but the fact that you're strong enough to win the race overall means you also are 99.9% likely to also win a stage.
EDIT - oops, just seen the post above. Guess it's not that impossible if that's true.
yes you can but it is dull much better the attack every day - Mercyx style- and take each day as an individual race. I feel the "marking" your main rivals and not doing much else feels a bit hollow and cynical but obviously it is effective. Think Lance perfected this technique of planning and doing it only when it mattered but he could also dish out a world of pain to his rivals and rip their legs off. Not sure Evans can do this but he has won which is what matters most. Winning ugly is crap IMHO and he has an ugly win
From the tour website, in black and white;
http://www.letour.fr/HISTO/us/TDF/2010/vainqueurs.html
he had a few 2nds and other top 10 finishes though.
Puleeeaaze... give him a break. Ugly win? You must be joking. That ride yestetday was a stylish a sit comes. He rode his competition into the ground. The Schlecks demonstrated the effects of going too hard and leaving nothing in reserve....
The only thing ugly about his win is the man himself 🙂
I was disappointed that no one tried to touch the stuffed lion that he was cuddling at the end.
"Ugly" win is tosh. No-one wanted to help him in the mountains when the chase to Andy was on, Evan's ride that day was immense. I'm no CE fan but chapeau to the man for what he's achieved.
Alright he hasn't raced it like Fignon, but go look back over this tour; Cadel got in all the pointy end stuff from day one - won a 'flat' stage; the big effort to get back to the group after bike trouble, then put in as much of a burst as he can given he's not a 'punchy' rider to get a few more seconds at the top of the climb leaving the Schlecks behind; then put it all out there in the time trial... he hasn't sat on someone elses wheel all tour like LeMond used to.
His win isn't spectacular, true, he's just been real smart and raced his rivals rather than every single rider in the peleton. But he has raced.
I'm no Cadel fan, but he does deserve this - it is the crowning achievement on what has been an amazing career so far...
Didn't Armstrong win without taking a stage? Maybe his last win. People saying Evans won ugly haven't got a clue. He pulled on stage 19 for an eternity. On the rivet up three big climbs, no help from anyone, one of the rides of the tour.
Well deserved win for Cadel
and if you disagree he'll "cut your head off" 😆
Bet no-one dared touch the Lion!
Some people seem to confuse the GC with either the king of the mountains or the points jerseys in the TDF. The GC is for the best overall rider, not for the fastest sprinter (who'll win the most stages) or the best climber (who should win the king of the mountains).
Evans was comfortably the best overall rider this year - fast uphill, downhill, in the sprints, on flat stages and in the TT. Won a stage (epic fail from the initial poster!0 and was close to the front on most of the others. Anyone who thinks this was man ugly or hollow win must be attracted to odious one trick ponys from Luxembourg.
This has been one of the best tours for a lot of years - one for heroes in fact. Cadel put in several heroic efforts and thouroughly deserves to win.
mucho respect for Cadel, he deserves it, consistently strong and a valiant winner too.
unlike Andy Shleck who really showed he is a total cock on numerous occasions this year, and i'm glad he didn't win the GC
if Voekler hadn't fluffed that descent on stage 18, am i right in thinking he'd be on the podium?
roughly what time is the finish in Paris today?
Best tour for years and a deserved win. Pity he comes across so badly. In he Armstrong years I shouted for Evans then saw an interview.He is nearly as miserable as the Texan. I like to see diferent riders every year and I reckon that we might see a few wins by Andy in the future.
As EpicSteve said. Cadel was great he didn't have to attackas much as the Schlecks did and that's part of the art and cannyness of being a GC rider. I don't mind Frank but Andy really hasn't done himself any favours this year. He just made it clear he is a climber and that's it! He can't time trial for toffee and he'd get mullered in a sprint his little spindley arms will snap if it's too windy. I'm not a CE fan but he rode a great race, I don't like AC either but was great to watch it would've been interesting to see how it would've ended if AC hadn't had that massive time loss on stage 1 (not that I wanted him to win). By far THE best tour in the last 14 years.
Didn't Armstrong win without taking a stage? Maybe his last win.
Almost, he only just won one of the TT stages one year but he has won a stage every year.
As mentioned above, Cadel won Stage 4 and h's put in some great riding this year, almost singlehandedly chasing down gaps in the mountains. Lets not forget, the guy is a former World Champion and he's a classy rider even if he doesn't come across very well at interview.
epic fail from the initial poster
Yes alright don't rub it in 😳
Armstrong is also joint 4th in the list of all time stage winners with 22 so it can't really be claimed that he didn't ride to win.
The problem is, random people go for the stage win each stage, but they aren't in contention for the GC - so it makes no sense to try and beat them. So stage wins have become a different race to the GC really.
Surely the race within a race aspect of the tour is what makes it so great, no?
Never been a Cadel fan, but he was great this year, fought for seconds and never gave up in the alps. Fanbloodytastic tour this year.
Fanbloodytastic tour this year.
+1
I remember watching him racing a mountainbike at the World Champs in Cairns many years ago.
Right determined little bugger.
Very pleased to see him win the TdF. He earned it and he deserves it.
Great tour, ultimately won by the least attacking of the big contenders - which the others should note.
Credit to CE for playing it right, but I want to see 60km solo wins, I thought TV was spectacularly good to watch. The commentators were right, CE is diesel style riding, which sadly is spot on for those kind of races.
So, teams cut to 6 bodies to prevent people relying on the team so much, and lose the time trial.
That might work.
VVVV Like AS you mean VVVV
Pleased to see Cadel win - wouldn't be nice to come 2nd 3 times.
" He pulled on stage 19 for an eternity. On the rivet up three big climbs, no help from anyone, one of the rides of the tour"
Andy kicking off so early and staying ahead was an amazing achievement. But Cadel's catch up was almost as brilliant - real tortoise v.s. hare stuff to stay in contention for the GC.
Cadel was blistering in the TT. Interesting his remark that he was disappointed not to beat Tony Martin. It was close.
And Cav 2nd rider from the British Isles to win the green jersey.
I really enjoyed watching this year's Tour - and Cav competing for the Green Jersey added a bit of additional spice on the flat stages. It's a pity that Geraint Thomas faded out of contention in the young rider comp, as that would have been fantastic if he'd been able to duke it out to the end.
Overall, I thought it was a really strong showing from the British riders - just a pity Bradley Wiggins crashed out before he had a chance to test himself against the GC contenders.
So do we reckon we might have seen the first 'clean' winner of the Tour for who knows how long?
He's the first to take the green jersey isn't he? Second rider to stand on the podium, Robert Miller being the first with the polka dot jersey.
I was being a smart ass by saying British Isles though so he is the second
Sean Kelly being the first.
Wonder if Kelly thinks he's from the British Isles.
I thoroughly enjoyed the tour this year, and feel it was a well deserved victory for Evans, he rode with true grit. It was a shame wiggins crashed out before his race really began, and I was also disappointed contador couldn't keep the same blistering form he had in the giro (cue the haters). But watching a schleck ask evans to chase contador up the alpe d'heuz showed some cheek, Evans had them all right where he wanted them.
Great tour, ultimately won by the least attacking of the big contenders - which the others should note.
Dunno about that, the way he rode was more down to the position he was in relative to the other contenders, and his TT abilities relative to theirs rather than because that's the way to do it in general.