Viewing 19 posts - 41 through 59 (of 59 total)
  • Tour de France stage 14 – Blagnac / Rodez – A steep climb for more time
  • igm
    Full Member

    Arguably careless from Aru

    I don’t often accuse you of understatement, but credit where it’s due. Beautifully understated.

    PS the 8km before that was good too. You could feel the tension building as Sky were loitering with intent at the front and Aru/Astana weren’t.

    mrblobby
    Free Member

    Not seen it yet but sounds like someone forgot to read the road book!

    jambalaya
    Free Member

    I said arguably as maybe he didn’t have the legs ? PS I owe you a reply

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    lunge
    Full Member

    That interview with Valgren is hilarious, Astana clearly not the most together team in the tour!

    igm
    Full Member

    Ok this is the bit I missed.

    Aru 18″
    Bardet 23″
    Uran 29″

    That’s tightened up a bit.

    greentricky
    Free Member

    Landa is a massive threat as well now, so Sky have a stacked hand to play going forwards

    matts
    Free Member

    “Froome has is now”

    “Good”

    lolwut?

    grahamt1980
    Full Member

    To be fair aru is almost having to wonder if he will even be on the podium now. Mind you all of the top 4 are in the same place and any of the top 7 could win

    Superficial
    Free Member

    “Froome has is now”

    “Good”

    lolwut?

    For Aru, going into the mountains with a weak team, being in yellow and having to chase every attack could be seen as a burden. I suspect he’d quite like a 1-2s deficit on yellow. Indeed it may have been today’s tactic by Astana to lose the yellow jersey – hence Valgren’s comments. However, I’m sure losing 25′ was not part of the plan.

    matts
    Free Member

    For Aru, going into the mountains with a weak team, being in yellow and having to chase every attack could be seen as a burden. I suspect he’d quite like a 1-2s deficit on yellow. Indeed it may have been today’s tactic by Astana to lose the yellow jersey – hence Valgren’s comments. However, I’m sure losing 25′ was not part of the plan.

    Did you watch the interview? Maybe ceding the jersey by a couple of seconds would benefit Aru overall, but I’m not sure that was how Valgren was reacting to it.

    Superficial
    Free Member

    Did you watch the interview? Maybe ceding the jersey by a couple of seconds would benefit Aru overall, but I’m not sure that was how Valgren was reacting to it.

    Yeah I watched it. To me it sounded like team orders at the start of the day were to lose yellow, and on hearing (from the reporter) that had been achieved, he thought ‘mission accomplished’ – clearly he did not know the time gap in that interview. I may have got the wrong end of the stick but there’s no way Valgren is (openly) gunning for Sky as you seem to be suggesting.

    anagallis_arvensis
    Full Member

    I cant see how losing time helps Aru. He needs to gain 2mins for the tt.

    igm
    Full Member

    I think Aru is fighting for the podium now.

    Bardet on the other hand…

    ferrals
    Free Member

    I hope/expect Bardet will leapfrog Aru tomorrow. Looks like an interesting stage. Just as well I’ve got a bunch of work to catch up on tomorrow arvo 😆

    edhornby
    Full Member

    Bardet at 23s !!!! really would love to see a french winner, but that TT remains Froome’s back pocket card

    mrblobby
    Free Member

    Bardet… will be interesting to see if winning it for him is more important than a podium for AG2R. Lets see if he’s willing to…

    aracer
    Free Member

    What more is Valgren supposed to do exactly – he can’t pedal Aru’s bike for him? It’s up to the team leader to look after himself to some extent – if Valgren provided the wheel to get him to the front then he’s done his job, and it isn’t his fault if Aru can’t (or won’t) make use of the support he’s providing. I can’t see it being a problem at all with Sky, because Froome won’t be losing the wheel.

    greentricky
    Free Member

    What more is Valgren supposed to do exactly – he can’t pedal Aru’s bike for him?

    Not ride off because the leader cant hold it, provide some shelter and support to get a tired leader home

    I can’t see it being a problem at all with Sky, because Froome won’t be losing the wheel.

    I think we have seen times in this tour where Landa could of happily cycled off the front and left Froome isolated but he hasn’t done it unless given team orders to

    aracer
    Free Member

    If Aru can’t hold his teammates wheel to move up, then I’m not quite sure what else a teammate can do for him in that situation – there’s the rest of the peleton to shelter in, on the final climb it’s every man for himself if Aru needs a teammate to support him there then he’s already stuffed. It hadn’t exactly been a testing day for the GC contenders up to that point – pretty much the only point of teammates for them on that finish was to position them before the final climb!

    I think we have seen times in this tour where Landa could of happily cycled off the front and left Froome isolated but he hasn’t done it unless given team orders to

    A completely different situation – we’re not talking about Valgren riding off the front (and I note it wasn’t Landa positioning Froome for this finish, Froome hasn’t ever had a problem holding Kwia’s wheel).

Viewing 19 posts - 41 through 59 (of 59 total)

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