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didn't Boardman have some sort of home-made altitude room in his house when he was riding?
Pretty sure he did. I also seem to remember a photo of Chris on the turbo in his bathroom with the heating turned right up and a steaming kettle in there too! Was probably a Peter Keen thing as I just found this from him in a Guardian article...
"The bathroom carpet went out, the rectal probe went in, the bike on rollers came down, and the heater was switched to 30 degrees. We'd run the bath and shower and you'd get humidity at 90%. And so Yvonne would start training in my bathroom. We cooked her. After an hour there would be a line of oil and sweat and bike-dirt going up the door, across the ceiling and down the wall because she would have lost two litres of sweat. It was hitting the rollers and being flicked up. That's what we did. There was no lottery funding or elite programmes then."
Sounds like Tony Martin did much the same for his TT win in Doha too.
Edit...
Inrng article on tents [url= http://inrng.com/2012/06/the-altitude-tent/ ]here[/url]. And I rather like Floyd's home made effort.
I vaguely remember seeing a video of Ben Swift winter training in his sitting room sealed up and turned into a mild vacuum chamber to mimic higher altitude.
One of those year in the life of Team Sky things a while back
Big day at the Dauphine. On the final climb, the Mont du Chat, now (one of the hardest climbs in France apparently.) BMC and AG2R setting the pace. De Gendt out the back.
Edit.. ooh Valverde attacks and looks like he means business. Bid for Tour top spot in Movistar? Interesting stuff.
Good lord this is some heart in mouth descending!
Exciting isn't it!
Great stage that.
From inrng...
Mont du Chat in #Dauphine. In 1974 Poulidor was 1st to the top using 44x23 gear. L'Equipe says Ag2r's Vuillermoz to use a 32T on back today
That must have been one hell of a grind to the top 😯
Porte is looking very strong for a little fella - should've had that sprint
So it's a clockwise and anti clockwise loop at the same time?
Have we had that before?
I might just take a passing interest in it this year and tune in if there's a GC shakeup
scaredypants - Member
Porte is looking very strong
should've had that sprint
He would've if Froome hadn't got in the way
Looks like Froome wasn't getting in anyone's way today.
Raymond Poulidor and 44 x 23 .
His team manager Antonin Magne liked to argue with the riders about gear sizes.
The riders never got to choose the gears that they needed.
Ben Swift got hold of some of Valverde's energy drink? 😯
Froome flying in the Dauphine...
Lol richie porte
Froome flying in the Dauphine...
........and then not!
Pulling a bluff do you think?
Froomes in a dilemma here! 🙂
Crikey what a stage that was.
scaredypants - Member
Porte is looking very strong...but I'm tipping Fuglsang
😳
Certainly quite a final stage.
We could have an exciting TDF ahead.
Just caught up with the highlights before work. Porte seemed a bit over the top slating (I assume) froome for wanting porte to loose rather than trying to win - or was there more drama not in the highlights package (started about 40km from finish).
I think Porte is wrong, Froome wanted to win but ended up handing it on a plate to Fuglsang as he didn't have the legs to finish what he (and sky) started.
I think he was more on about everyone having a pop even those who had no chance of winning realistically but couldn't be allowed to get too clear.
Him and Froome probably know each other inside out tactically but just not quite where the other one is this year yet. Given the showing it could be a little more mind games as he is a serious contender this year.
What Klunk said. Froome did say afterwards that he wasn't bothered about protecting his podium place and wanted the win.
Yeah exactly - that's what I took as well. Froome had a gameplan - the only way he could possibly win would be to lose Porte early on and get him isolated, and he did that perfectly. He just didn't have the legs on the last climb to take it home.
It was a very strong ride from Porte to get back into contention though. Is he really a big tour GC contender? I don't see it, but he's certainly made some inroads. It was interesting that he [i]almost[/i] managed to sound bitter in the post-ride interview. Something like "I won't forget this in July" 😀
What do we make of this in terms of Froome's chances in the tour though? Obviously this was an 8 day race, not a full Grand Tour. Maybe he was bluffing on the last climb? Sacrifice the Criterium to improve his TdF chances? Seems unlikely given that he's won the CdD in the past as a signal of his intent to take the TdF.
Yeah that was my thoughts as well. I imagine Porte was kind of caught up in the disppointment of missing out on winning by such a narrow margin.
Re. froome. Did less well in TT than expected, faded on the final climb. So seemingly not quite there, he says he's got stuff to work on, but three weeks to go, including tapering theres not much time for improvement? He will have the sky super team though
how long to the exact route comes out ?
. Is he really a big tour GC contender? I don't see it, but he's certainly made some inroads. It was interesting that he almost managed to sound bitter in the post-ride interview. Something like "I won't forget this in July"
I'd say so, last year was solid with a couple of problems and mistakes along with the motorbike on the climb. He was in there till the end and looks stronger this year.
Re. froome. Did less well in TT than expected, faded on the final climb. So seemingly not quite there, he says he's got stuff to work on, but three weeks to go, including tapering theres not much time for improvement?
At 3 weeks out it's entirely possible he came to CdD half gubbed at the end of a training block and all he has to do now is rest/taper.
Although I think he's just not there this year - which may be great news for Thomas - Landa and Froome make for a strong pair of domestiques!
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At 3 weeks out it's entirely possible he came to CdD half gubbed at the end of a training block and all he has to do now is rest/taper.
Normally I'd assume this, though it would be a change to previous years when he's been flying at the Dauphine.
I'd say so, last year was solid with a couple of problems and mistakes along with the motorbike on the climb. He was in there till the end and looks stronger this year.
Re Porte in 2016 TdF, BMC really messed up when he lost about 2 minutes on stage 2 with a late mechanical and the rest of his team at the front stage hunting for GVA. He never looked in the race for the win after that. They need to be all in for Porte if he's going to win it. Be interesting to see if he can prove the 3 week doubters wrong.
Froome has had very little race time this year. I wonder after the last two Tours (where is has started like a house on fire and held on in the third week) whether he is taking a different approach this year and trying to get to Stage 1 still slightly undercooked. Apart from Les Planche Des Belle Filles, the first week won't really see a GC shake up. It'll be won and lost in the Pyrenees in the 3rd week and I think Porte might just be running on fumes by then.
Looks like it's all going to be about stage 17 and 18 then. Those are some meaty climbs inc a summit finish on Izoard to sort out the GC.
Superficial - Member
Looks like it's all going to be about stage 17 and 18 then. Those are some meaty climbs inc a summit finish on Izoard to sort out the GC.
Ahem.....
17/18 look like a right ding dong couple of days! Final selection on the Izoard?POSTED 1 WEEK AGO #
🙂
I reckon it could come down to Stages 17 and 18 personally. 😀
I reckon it could come down to Stages 17 and 18 personally.
Ahem...
Superficial - Member
Looks like it's all going to be about stage 17 and 18 then. Those are some meaty climbs inc a summit finish on Izoard to sort out the GC.
😀
😀
Be nice if it was but could be mostly over by about stage 13. They could do with an ITT after 12 and before the next load of mountains to mix things up.
Actually stage 13 could be a really interesting one, only 100k but all up or down.
Stage 18 you say? Ah, that'll be the stage I'll be camped out on Izoard for. Women's race that day too, must make sure we don't go too high as they don't ride all the way up.
So - anyone else planning on watching at the roadside? What stages? I went to a couple of Vuelta stages last year but this'll be my first TdF visit.
Porte on cycling news...
"Aru has gone up the road and then no one else is going to ride. There's only so long that you can sit there and gamble for the race. I was there to try and win and I had to chase. It didn't quite work out but I think that I can hold my head high," Porte said. "I didn't crack under pressure and I did a good last climb. I think you've got to take some positives out of the negative style of racing."
I don't know what he's complaining about really, if you're in the leaders jersey you've got the most to lose. Everyone's going to try and isolate you, sit back and let you chase and then attack when you're done. That's just the way it is if you're leading the race.
So - anyone else planning on watching at the roadside?
No 🙁
He should be more bummed about the fact that the BMC team were nowhere and he was isolated very early on. Also his crap descending skills meant that Kwiatkowski from Sky passed him on the descent and then caught up with Froome's group to pull for Froome. Complaining about others is pathetic and it's pretty clear he a weak character, so unless he can sort that out as Cadel Evans did, then I don't see him threatening for the win in the TDF.
Also his crap descending skills meant that Kwiatkowski from Sky passed him on the descent
Whilst Porte is not brilliant going downhill, Kwiatkowski is brilliant, pretty much anyone would get done by him if he's attacking.
Normally I'd assume this, though it would be a change to previous years when he's been flying at the Dauphine.
I was going to say the same as [b]slowpuncheur[/b] - The last few years seen Froome flying up the first mountain, grabbing a lead, consolidating in the TT, and the holding on to it in the final days. Given Porte looks very strong in the TTs this year, and the mountains are more spread out, are they hoping Froome will be fresher for the final week this time, and not peaking in the build-up.
Or maybe his training hasn't gone well.
I vaguely remember seeing a video of Ben Swift winter training in his sitting room sealed up and turned into a mild vacuum chamber to mimic higher altitude.
Normally you want to sleep at altitude and train at sea level. This means you can perform maximal training efforts down at sea level, [b][i]and[/i][/b] get altitude adaptation at night. This is the reason everyone has gravitated to training on Tiede - 2200m at Hotel Parador and 40k down to the beach.
Complaining about others is pathetic and it's pretty clear he a weak character, so unless he can sort that out as Cadel Evans did, then I don't see him threatening for the win in the TDF.
Remember well the reformed Cadel's race saving effort towing a line of riders up the mountain. The old Cadel would have had a strop about that and probably lost the race.
Porte also needs to go watch the Giro and see how Dumoulin conducted himself.