TdF Stage 5 – A Stage Riddled With Dangers [Spoilers]

@RealMan – I did read that when it came out, in May

Well TBF I also read that Wiggins was out of the tour in May, and yet we’re still talking about it…

🙂

More banner amendment needed – Go Wiggo Cav Chris Geraint Porte

Devastated to have to withdraw from this years TDF. Injured wrist and tough conditions made controlling my bike near to impossible.<<<<< chris froome tweet from about 10 mins ago.I haven’t been watching so apologies if there have been a hundred interviews with him explaining already,but I guess the conditions spoke for themselves anyway.

Forgot one

For those of you obsessed with Wiggins…

http://www.theguardian.com/sport/2014/may/29/orica-greenedge-interest-bradley-wiggins

I’d rather they didn’t. The Yates brothers are doing a pretty stand-up job

Nah I’d be chuffed to see Wiggins in OGE, they’re a great team, and he’d be a great addition.

What a stage. Looks like almost everybody came of at one point or another. Unfortunately sometimes luck is not on your side and you puncture/fall/get hit (as did some of the spectators who got punted into the ditch), but that is what makes it a spectacle. Cycling is not a glamorous sport, but that was one of the best and most gripping races I have ever seen. To cap it all this is the start of a 3 week stage race.

Why bother to think about the guys that are out I think that Talansky, Niballi, Contador, Porte and few of the others will give us a race to remember.

I watched the whole stage on Danish tv. It’s amazing how hard cycling is to follow without commentary. Didn’t need English commentary for the football last night though 🙂
A pave stage should be on every tour that is ortherwise mountain biased. Really mixes it up and makes it more about complete racers rather that just tt riders who can climb well.

What a day to be away form PC or TV will be interesting to see how this developes. Will Contador work with Porte in Mountains? Will OPQS be tempted to contest GC given how strong Kittel is and Kwaitkowski’s time? Great ride by G today!

A pave stage should be on every tour that is ortherwise mountain biased. Really mixes it up and makes it more about complete racers rather that just tt riders who can climb well.

Was quite an incredible stage to watch, great drama, plenty of disappointment too. On reflection though, as good as it was, I don’t think it really has a place in a 3 week grand tour, unfortunately too much of a lottery for such a race and an already nervous accident prone peloton. Hinaults words about Paris Roubaix came to mind on a few occasions, “a race for dickheads”.

Edit… just watching Nibali on the pave again… a bloody good ride!

Like f1 road racing is a better spectacle when you add rain!

Danny79 – Member
Great ride by G today!

Definitely, the pull to get away from Bertie’s group was fantastic.

I don’t think it really has a place in a 3 week grand tour, unfortunately too much of a lottery for such a race and an already nervous accident prone peloton.

They couldn’t really do a 5 day tour of the western front battlefields to show respect for 100 aniversary of the outbreak of wwI without riding over the roads of the time.

Most of the crashes seemed to be the roads though rather than the pave. The high pace and the rain were the problem. Sure it was a tough day but it was going to be.

I’m not a fan of Froome it was a shame to see him go out so early. All the same a spectacular days racing which can only make the rest of the tour more interesting. Can the rest of the gc boys make it up? Nibali seems to be on form after all.

Talansky…

There was panic the whole stage it was panic for 155km. I really had no idea of what happened behind me.

Van Garderen…

It was insane. I heard Froome is out of the Tour. You guys got your drama but it takes the whole race down a notch when you have a big favourite who is now out. In theory it can make the race less exciting towards the end. I think the ASO, they need to rethink putting things like this in the race

Contador…

“From a stage like this with the cobblestones, it is a nice show for television, but it has a pretty big risk,” said Contador. “Froome was the favourite to get the win and is now out of the race. Of course you will feel sorry for him, because to prepare for the Tour there are many months of physical and psychological work and many sacrifices which are not seen.

Think that about sums it up.

Is there any way I can watch the stage now?

There’s a .ts file on Pirate Bay.

Most of the crashes seemed to be the roads though rather than the pave. The high pace and the rain were the problem. Sure it was a tough day but it was going to be.

they were running a hell of a pace prior to pave, it was manic/panic stations almost from the start.

Agreed that making it an effective lottery is not the desired result
Remember that Froome was out before the Pave started and it sounds like he would have been on any stage that was wet due to the lack of control he had due to his wrist injury. Is pave any different from descending a mountain in the wet risk wise?
Hinaults the dickhead. A thug who was once handy on a bike.

So much for not being able to win the tour today.

Nibali to hold yellow the whole way to Paris … and others to say this was the day that they couldn’t get the time back from

What a killer stage! Not a Froome fan but the race will be worse without him, I can get behind Porte though!!

A little bit of sex wee came out when I seen how Nibali was riding (proper fan boy!!), my man crush on Porte has got me a tad confused who I’m going to cheer for! Excellent ride from Thomas, it was great seeing him pulling away from and putting time into Contador for Porte.

Where’d Valverde finish? I bet no one thought Nibali would be 2 mins up on GC after 5 stages, madness!

It wasn’t the pavé that put Froome out of the tour. It was some dickhead from Belkin causing a crash 4km into yesterday’s stage. If it wasn’t for that Froome may have lost mins to Nibballi but that would just have set it up brilliantly. Having the fastest guys not in the lead makes a race exciting and it’s the job of the opening week of a GT to engineer that somehow.

Nibali stormed it – absolutely brilliant, totally in the zone. Geraint Thomas also smashed it at the end.

I for one welcome these stages in the grand tours – Contador et al are just annoyed that they could not match Nibali’s bike handling skills.

Nibali was a courageous racer today. incredible effort from a non classics rider to lead his team through those conditions today.

Great to see bike handling becoming an important part of the tour.

The most exciting stage I’ve seen in a long time.

Mrblobby

You, and the riders whose words you quote are forgetting one very important thing, the Pave had NO impact on Froomes crash. By their reckoning, reading those quotes, they shouldn’t race in rain, would you agree?

Or, they’re pissed off because they lost time, thats all. Haven’t heard Nibali or Boom complain?

they were running a hell of a pace prior to pave, it was manic/panic stations almost from the start.

To put Froome under pressure. the first time he went down, they waited for him, then tinkoff hit the front and went full gas, knowing Froome wouldn’t cope. thats racing for you.

Edit … See below

‘Is this still Yorkshire’ best quote so far 🙂

This could have all been in our Italian friends plan….

Take yellow on stage 2 … where others will let you go (cus they don’t wanna defend it so early) … days 3 and 4 sprints you keep yellow “easily”… day 5 being in yellow gives you the support car at the front of the queue and you’re one of the best bike handlers…. so go for it.

Another couple of sprint stages to come to rest up before the mountains on stage 10 ….. Where you’re no mug anyway

Reckon the others have their work cut out

On reflection though, as good as it was, I don’t think it really has a place in a 3 week grand tour, unfortunately too much of a lottery for such a race and an already nervous accident prone peloton.

Sort of see where you’re coming from but don’t totally agree. Cobbles have their place every now and again. Also, the one crash that took out a GC man happened on tarmac. That made for a cracking stage and chapeau to Nibali for making the most of his chance.

Surprised Cancellara was so quiet though.

Much better than watching 22 overpaid crybabies rolling around in pretend agony after tripping over a blade of grass.

So thinking about it, I def reckon Froome’s wrist was fractured after his first crash and he tried to tough it out. Man.

Yeah, unfortunate timing because if he’d had a few dry/flat stages to take it easy on maybe he could have recovered enough to carry on?

The fact they had him ride with strapping AND splints on both wrists makes me think that it was going to be a tall order to get past the stage.

Much better than watching 22 overpaid crybabies rolling around in pretend agony after tripping over a blade of grass.

Bless.

Why did Spartacus just sit in the front group while Schleck was going backwards? Don’t think he even did a pull on the front.

He said he wasn’t going for the win and just wanted to survive, if the stage wasn’t his aim surely he should have been working for his team leader?

Goodness knows what’s going to happen at Trek, but they need a big shake up I reckon.

the Pave had NO impact on Froomes crash

Was it in the run-up to a section though? They tend to all speed up a bit to try to get a good position don’t they?

Just saying, personally I don’t have a problem and enjoyed seeing them deal with something a bit different.

It’s just not Froome’s year, no big deal. Geraint Thomas certainly didn’t look too fussed!

It was a very quick start to the stage generally, I don’t think you can say it had no impact as it would have been in the back of everyone’s mind. Especially with the weather.

Why did Spartacus just sit in the front group while Schleck was going backwards? Don’t think he even did a pull on the front.

He said he wasn’t going for the win and just wanted to survive, if the stage wasn’t his aim surely he should have been working for his team leader?

Goodness knows what’s going to happen at Trek, but they need a big shake up I reckon.

Schleck is just a domestique really (and a pretty poor one at that), so no reason for Fabian to do anything really.

As for not going for the win, that was obviously a lie/bluff/pre-emptive excuse for not winning when he said it, let alone when you watched him ride..

Was it in the run-up to a section though? They tend to all speed up a bit to try to get a good position don’t they?

I think they were still around 40k from the first section weren’t they?

Geraint Thomas certainly didn’t look too fussed!

To balance the quotes above Gee said how much he enjoyed it when he was actually out there. Was a great stage to watch, I can’t decide how I feel about introducing such a lottery to a grand tour, but then every stage is a bit of a lottery frankly, as said repeatedly the cobbles really didn’t have anything to do with Froome’s crash(es)/retirement.

Frank’s team leader though isn’t he? Even nominally. What are Trek riding for now?

RealMan – Member
As for not going for the win, that was obviously a lie/bluff/pre-emptive excuse for not winning when he said it, let alone when you watched him ride

Yeah guess so and think the crash probably rattled him.

of all the teams you have to say Astana handled it well, sky tried to form up but were blown apart by one sharp left hander…. Saxo Tinkoff hit the first pave hard and fast in a good position and seemed to melt away didn’t really see where and how they got dropped. Cannondale also looked good on the run in to the pave but faded.