TdF Stage 11 – A Very Tight Race [Spoilers]

The stage after the first rest day. Does this herald the start of a new race? Perhaps… It depends on how things go. I expect it to be a very tight race, with the big favourites within three minutes of each other. Not enough to think the race is done and dusted, but still a sizeable margin in the general classification. This is why we avoided widening the gaps with a time trial, for example, and we sought instead to create undulating stages to promote attacks. This stage could be one for the likes of Peter Sagan.

Welcome back, hope you all enjoyed the rest day, and maybe did a bit of riding yourself. Let’s get straight to it..

Now as many of you may have realised, I’ve never been a huge Contador fan. He’s a great rider, but he’s always been tainted by doping, and he has a whiny voice and stupid finish line celebrations. However, I can’t wish a broken leg on anyone, and I’m just in awe that he rode 18km uphill with a broken leg. So I hope he gets better soon, but I’m not too sad that he’s out of the tour.

But what did actually happen? Did Belkin run him over? Do specialized frames explode?

http://road.cc/content/news/123757-real-story-what-happened-alberto-contadors-broken-specialized-tarmac-bike-tour

http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/contador-crashed-twice-on-one-descent

Finally, a great attack by Nibali, a huge effort from Martin, and a great effort from Porte to put him into 2nd place. It very much feels like Nibali’s race to lose, but Porte’s race to win.

Photos from stage 10[/url].

And finally we can think about today.. I’m gonna say Sagan. Don’t think we’ll see much from the GC. All very dependent on who’s in the break though.

A few useful links

Live Cycling News Text Updates[/url]
Steephill[/url]
Official Tour Live Feed App[/url]
Classifications
Withdrawals
Fantasy League Standings
Loser League Standings

Finally after a first hectic week the Fantasy leagues are starting to shape up, with Lampshade by Alan at the top spot, but without Porte or Nibali how long can he hold on?

In the loser league I’m making up for my poor performance in the winning league by holding onto the top (bottom?) spot, despite having Nibali..

http://velonews.competitor.com/2014/07/news/greedy-kwiatkowski_336453 – definitely a future star

http://www.cyclingweekly.co.uk/racing/tour-de-france/simple-message-turned-richie-portes-season-around-130289 – hes really very human

http://www.pezcyclingnews.com/page/interviews/?id=132751#.U8Y07bFrySo

http://velonews.competitor.com/2014/07/news/loss-big-stars-reminder-human-side-tour-de-france_336446

http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/gallery-a-brutal-first-ten-days-of-the-tour-de-france – you can say that again

http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/tour-de-france-nibali-passed-me-like-an-aeroplane-says-rodriguez

http://www.bbc.com/sport/0/cycling/28300995 – Geraint’s blog for all you fan boys

http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/cancellara-pulls-out-of-tour-de-france

Gonna be a lot of frogs up the road…

How bout them slippers?

http://www.bikeradar.com/road/gear/article/cycling-shoes-of-the-pros-21-days-of-tour-tech-41716/

Better than this one anyway

and I’m just in awe that he rode 18km uphill with a broken leg

Nice summary and agreed on this

If sagan doesn’t win today I can see the green jersey cuddly toy getting launched into orbit.

ITV4 summary/highlights last night tried to do the definitive Contador bike round-up, they had his crashed bike and the snapped bike, and ran the tangled-with-belkins-roof-rack story for the snapped one.

I’m a bit more ambivalent about doping in as much as I think everyone deserves a second chance (even valverde which makes me choke) – blow it and get caught again and it should be a lifetime ban. I’ve broken my tibia and I couldnt even watch contador riding in the highlights programme after knowing it was broken, and you’d have to be pretty callous to see him climbing off, obviously in tears and in pain, and not feel for the guy.

I just hope Nibali isnt allowed to ride away with it and everyone else races defensively to guarantee podium/top 10s – though a decent battle for the lower steps would be just as interesting.

If sagan doesn’t win today I can see the green jersey cuddly toy getting launched into orbit.

😀

the state of that shoe!

Don’t like Sagan, he’s marked man and too predictable for anyone to let him win, so it’s getting boring.

Still think there is more to come from Porte. Reminded me of Cuddles pulling them all up the hill on Monday. He needs to do something else.

No handed wheelies. How is this even possible?

Also…

Richie Porte is sounding like a number 2 again.

“Now it’s my opportunity to show that next year, I can not only be supporting him, but another card to play.” (From here http://www.cyclingweekly.co.uk/racing/tour-de-france/simple-message-turned-richie-portes-season-around-130289 )

That statement says to me he is simply eyeing up a high GC place to justify to himself that he can be a joint team leader in a grand tour in the future rather than a super domestique.

I’ve got news for you Richie, you are the team leader in a GT right now. And you are second overall. Why not try to win the thing?

Would love to see Sagan win it today, hopefully he can get away and we can see another of his ridiculous stage win celebrations. If he doesn’t win today will he ditch the wolverine bike and go back to his hulk one?

sagan surely but I almost want him to not do it to just see how stroppy he gets

ITV4 summary/highlights last night tried to do the definitive Contador bike round-up, they had his crashed bike and the snapped bike, and ran the tangled-with-belkins-roof-rack story for the snapped one.

The ITV podcast spoke to Nico Roache and got the definative answer. Simple really.

1. Contador stacks it big due to a bump in the road just after he had got some food from his pocket.
2. Chain dropped on bike and losing time so Nico give him his bike and says to get moving and until the doctors car finds him.
3. Contador stops after a further 1km along the road due to the amount of blood coming from his knee to get it patched up (this is what we saw on the TV)

So the “2 crahses” theory is balls.

I just hope Nibali isnt allowed to ride away with it and everyone else races defensively to guarantee podium/top 10s – though a decent battle for the lower steps would be just as interesting.

I’d be very surprised if this wasn’t the case. Can’t see Porte, or anyone else in the top 10, risking a do or die raid unfortunately. Nibali would have to crack, or more likely, crash, to lose it.

2. Chain dropped on bike and losing time so Nico give him his bike and says to get moving and until the doctors car finds him.

Well you definitely see Nico on the side of the road trying to wave down a team car soon before the coverage moves to Contador being bandaged up, so that sequence sounds likely.

Edit…

How bout them slippers?

Like that new Bontrager XXX LE one. (Thankfully no Giro Empires… must resist purchase!)

RealMan,
Just want to say thanks for these updates. I had originally thought that the big GC boys packing up [spoiler? ;-)] would make for a slow year, but I reckon this will prove to be one of the best tours for a while. It’s not in the bag yet by a long way.

Perhaps Porte is just playing it cool to keep the pressure and press focus down a bit. If he where to be on the podium that would be a great result, he can afford to work on protecting his position and wait to see how Nibali goes when the big mountain stages begin. If Porte is in the same form as last year he can threaten if he has the equivalent support he gave Froome last year.

Kwiatkowski is definately a rider for the future. Brilliant performance this year at only 24(?). A good all rounder with a good sprint. Seems to be lots of younger guys making their way up this year.

I was a bit shocked by Contadors crash on stage ten and it wasn’t until I’d seen the rider interviews afterwards that I realised how tough the day was. Talansky was ready to drop and both him and Horner had no idea Contador was out. But Nibali still looked fresh. I hope the other GC boys will have a good go at the top spot but he is comfortable there. He may have an easy ride but it only takes one bad day, and still eleven stages to go.

As for today surely it must be Sagans day. How is Degenkolb’s injury? The hills may be a bit too much for him. I seem to be becoming an Orica Greenedge fan this year so I’d like to see Albisini or Gerrans do something.

Saying that Porte isn’t trying to win is a bit unfair.
At the end of stage 10 Porte was the only one chasing. If he wasn’t trying to win, he could have sat on like everyone else in the chase group (TJ, Valverde etc) who appeared to be riding for 2nd and far more interested in jumping Porte at the end than helping to limit Nibali’s lead.

Agree with the Nibali’s to loose and Porte’s to win. Hopefully there are a few others in the top 5 who feel like giving it a go and the weight of the attacks will wear down Astana. It’s going to be interesting with the big stuff still to come.

Anyway full support behind the local lad (if only so that we can have a good party here!)

If he wasn’t trying to win, he could have sat on like everyone else in the chase group (TJ, Valverde etc) who appeared to be riding for 2nd and far more interested in jumping Porte at the end than helping to limit Nibali’s lead.

Gives you some appreciation of what it must be like riding at that level and having to constantly be “making the calculation” 🙂 Riding close to the limit, they would all know how they feel and what they were capable of after a big tough hilly day of riding. To give chase to Nibali knowing that there was some properly steep stuff up the road, or to ride at their own tempo limiting losses, or to try and mark their nearest rivals. Might look like they are just sitting in but I’m sure the calculation is a lot more complicated than it appears.

I reckon this one has breakaway win written all over it.

How is Degenkolb’s injury?

Despite Contador’s retirement, there is still one pain in the arse in the Peloton 😀

If Porte is in the same form as last year…

I read somewhere that he and Froome had their traditional pre-tour race up the Col De La Madone and Porte beat him up it. Longer Alpine climbs are more Porte’s thing than the steep, short stuff. However, Porte has historically always had an off day later on in a 3 week tour. Maybe that’s why he’s been relatively quiet so far.

I reckon this one has breakaway win written all over it.

Surely not again… 🙂

And off goes Sagan

Reports that Wiggins is in the Sky team car today. Curios.

Reports that Wiggins is in the Sky team car today

nothing better to do?

Reports that Wiggins is in the Sky team car today
nothing better to do?

Stage start, a good place to be if he wants to chat to other teams I guess.

Stage start, a good place to be if he wants to chat to other teams I guess.

why would he do that?…

http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/wiggins-to-stay-at-team-sky-in-2015

why would he do that?

“He hasn’t signed. We’ve met with his management company and we’ll see where we’re at. Nothing is signed,” said Brailsford.

Leverage?

Bradley Wiggins has told Italian sports newspaper La Gazzetta dello Sport that he plans to stay with Team Sky in 2015 and target Paris-Roubaix and possibly the Hour Record on the track. Team Sky manager Brailsford however told The Guardian that nothing is signed yet. “He hasn’t signed. We’ve met with his management company and we’ll see where we’re at. Nothing is signed,” said Brailsford.

and

Wiggins was speaking at the Pinarello Cycling Marathon event in Italy, organized Team Sky’s bike sponsor.

You don’t quit when your on a free lunch for work, at the very least you might have to buy your own air fair home. You also don’t shout from the rooftops till you have something signed & sealed.

Reports that Wiggins is in the Sky team car today. Curios.

Maybe he’s dropped in to give everyone some support, tell everyone to get behind Richie… Maybe a couple of snide digs to Dave about how he should be riding. 😉

The whole Tour could go any way from now. Will Nibali tire from having to defend the jersey all the time or will the other teams just sort of resign themselves to scrapping it out over 2nd spot leaving His Nibs to ride the rest of it largely unopposed?

Today is one of those sort of nothing transitional stages with a few lumps thrown in at the end to annoy all the pure sprinters.

Leverage?

agree hence the “?…”, slightly conflicting comments from him and Dave B.

Maybe a couple of snide digs to Dave about how he should be riding

Brailsford recently said if Wiggins was riding he’d still be riding for Porte as Porte was always going to be their designated number 2 rider.

Today is one of those sort of nothing transitional stages with a few lumps thrown in at the end to annoy all the pure sprinters.

Yet sometimes the nothing stages end up being the most exciting. Remember the windy echelon stage last year when the Omega, with Cav, and Movistar dropped Froome? Brilliant and fascinating stuff 😀

Talansky going backwards, on his own, on a fairly innocuous section. Not looking good at the second.

Waiting for the Talansky whinge…

It’s looking like Garmin are going to drop Talansky with the efforts, looks like they got the measure of him over breakfast.

Now over 6 mins back on the peleton and pedalling squares.

and the sag wagon is hovering like a top gear special…..

Either he gets put in the back or they give him a 25lb steel 8sp bike to ride home on.

Looks like he’s out.

And he’s back!

maybe he needs some poc elbow pads

Just joined. Whats happened to Talansky? Is Sagan still in the peloton?

Whats happened to Talansky?

Sore back I think they were saying earlier.