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Froome riding a negative split? Wow, good comeback...
Froome does seem to be speeding up a lot. Pacing crucial, there is a lot of time to gain/lose on that final climb.
Tom D is still flying though!
Can't ride that final climb super fast in the wet. It's way too twisty.
41 seconds to make up on the climb for Froome
Froome just fumbled a turn
No bike change for Dennis and Froome.
I wonder if Dumoulin will change seeing as he kicked off most of the debate around it.
Edit... no change for Dumoulin.
I've heard the word cacophony more times today than the rest of my life put together
Oooh big time by Roglic. Paced that well.
Much better to watch than a flat TT
I know a lot of the final climb is barriered, but hats off to the Norwegian fans, very well behaved from what I can see.
Wow what a margin for Doumilin
tore the field a new one (and chased down froome on a climb)
I know a lot of the final climb is barriered, but hats off to the Norwegian fans, very well behaved from what I can see.
Did you see the police just totally level the bloke in red? LMFAO!
Froome's on drugs and using a motor though, amirite?
Did you see the police just totally level the bloke in red? LMFAO!
Ahh no missed that one.
Not a bad result for Froome in the end really!
What a win by Doumilin. Froome's ride a bit disappointing really considering the year he's had.
Everyone might be laughing at Lutsenko for that bike change, but so far he's got the Strava KOM, and that's all that really matters...
https://www.strava.com/segments/765271
😆
EDIT: Keldernam is on Strava, so I assume that he will post a faster time later.
comentators....
before: vuelta is perfect prep for this giving froome the advantage
after: should be please with the result considering how hard vuelta was
😀 🙄
I know a lot of the final climb is barriered, but hats off to the Norwegian fans, very well behaved from what I can see.
Only because they can't afford to get drunk.
Froome's ride a bit disappointing really considering the year he's had.
? He's just ridden and won 2 Grand tours, over 6000km in six weeks not to mention all the mountains. You don't think he might be just a tad tired and if he was, could you blame him?
Dumoulin was always the favourite though, built his season around the Giro and ITT world champs. Froome wasn't even sure he was going to ride until quite late in the day.
Froome's ride [s]a bit disappointing really[/s] not entirely surprising considering the year he's had.
Brad smashed the Olympics TT a bit after winning the TDF, so not sure why Froome couldn't do better today. sure Dumoulin was fav a and won, but Froome wasn't even close, and was only just made the podium.
Yeah, good old Brad eh...
dragon - MemberBrad smashed the Olympics TT a bit after winning the TDF, so not sure why Froome couldn't do better today. sure Dumoulin was fav a and won, but Froome wasn't even close, and was only just made the podium.
There were 95 km in two time trials in the 2012 TdF so Wiggins would have been well prepared for the Olympic ITT. In contrast only one 40 km ITT in the Vuelta and a massive amount of mountain stages including several 20%+. Froome spent a lot of time between the TdF and the Vuelta training at altitude to get ready for the Vuelta. Does that answer your query?
p.s. He won the Tour and the Vuelta this year too so it probably a little bit tired (mentally and physically) wouldn't you think? Dumoulin skipped the Tour and the Vuelta after winning the Giro and has been training for this event for months.
... and probably re-stating the point, for Brad the Olympic ITT was a big season goal and not a case of "well if I finish the Tour with a bit of form I'll give it a go and see how I get on." For Froome it was always Tour and Vuelta and anything else was a bonus.
No doubt that Dumoulin wanted the result today more than Froome, especially after the Tour crash and the disappointment of Rio last year.
So. No races tomorrow. Who's watching the livestream of the UCI elections?
Well that was better than I thought it would be.
I'm looking forward to next year's showdown on the TdF - Dumoulin v Froome. It's got to happen hasn't it?
I'm looking forward to next year's showdown on the TdF - Dumoulin v Froome. It's got to happen hasn't it?
i know team sky are tdf obsessed but I'm think froome will go for the Giro next year so he will hold all the grand tours at the same time. Whether he can do the double again (giro - tdf version) is anyones guess. Will the tdf organizers make it a Dumoulinesque parcour ? His climbing is much improved but he'll still drop time in the mountains so he'll need TT miles to win it back.
It'll be interesting - I agree that Froome probably would like a Giro but I bet he's also thinking that 5 TdFs would be nice
Though he does have the chance of matching a feat only Mercx and Hinault have ever done by winning 3 consecutive Grand Tours - or maybe even match Mercx with 4 in a row if he can do the Giro TdF double. It has to be tempting to try.
matching a feat only Mercx and Hinault have ever done by winning 3 consecutive Grand Tours
Indurain and Anquetil? 🙂 (though I guess they did 3 in a row on the way to 5 and 4 in a row.)
No doubt he'd like 5 to put him on a par with Anquetil, Merckx, Hinault and Indurain. We'll see how he's regarded a few years down the line. I don't think he's currently thought of in the same class, but it's a different time and an age of GC specialists so expecting wins in the classics is unrealistic (though he might have half an eye on Innsbruck next year.)
And he's 32. Contador retiring at 34 and not won a GT since the Giro when he was 32, and last "won" the Tour back in 2010. Look at Contador, Merckx, Indurain, the decline comes pretty quickly.
[quote=mrblobby ]Indurain and Anquetil? (though I guess they did 3 in a row on the way to 5 and 4 in a row.)
No - Indurain never even won the Vuelta, and whilst Anquetil did the Vuelta TdF double and Giro TdF in successive years which nobody else has ever done, he did them in the wrong order so was never reigning champion of all 3. I'm talking about 3 successive wins across all GTs, Froome is currently on 2 (he already has 3 TdF wins in a row).
I'm not sure Froome is ready to take a chance on not winning the next TdF by doing the Giro first. I have a suspicion the competition next year is going to stronger that this year too (providing the contenders can keep their bikes rubber side down).
Froome has already stated he is going for a fifth TdF win. He has also said he would like a crack at the Giro so I'm guessing Tdf 2018 and if he wins that, Giro 2019.
Aha, sorry aracer, I thought you meant 3 consecutive TdF 😳
I guess it's probably a bit easier these days with the schedule change to the Vuelta and the GC riders usually not challenging for the spring classics too. Merckx's 72 season was crazy, wins San Remo, Liege, Giro, Tour, Lombardia and sets the hour record. Then in 73 goes on to win Vuelta and Giro, as well as Paris-Roubaix and Liege. Just mental by any standards.
I'm guessing Tdf 2018 and if he wins that, Giro 2019.
That would be my expectation. Vuelta both seasons too. Unless the Giro route this year is too tempting.
So on to the road races. Previews here...
https://cyclingtips.com/2017/09/preview-elite-mens-road-race-2017-road-world-championships/
Froome has already stated he is going for a fifth TdF win. He has also said he would like a crack at the Giro so I'm guessing Tdf 2018 and if he wins that, Giro 2019.
That's what I was expecting as well.
Great race in the u23 men just now! 4th for GB
Just caught up with the women's race. Great racing by the brits but there wasn't much anyone could do about the Dutch, just unstoppable.
And they're off in the Men's road race. Long way to go.
I'll predict Fernando Gaviria.
Tough to call. The hill was decisive in the women's race but not that hard and a long way from the finish.
It's a great course IMO but quite honestly, the differential in team sizes, sheer length of course and the relatively "easy" climb mean that somebody from a full-strength team has a 50:50 chance
... the other 50 is perfect Pete, obvz (though maybe not quite steep enough for him to ride away from a big organised team)