Le Tour 2018

With all the top sprinters being eliminated by the mountains this year, next year will be a very flat race... they always over compensate.....
 
mustclime said:
With all the top sprinters being eliminated by the mountains this year, next year will be a very flat race... they always over compensate.....
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Last year was one of the worst tours I can remember.... this one has been almost GIRO like :) (despite Sky’s attempt to pacemake it to death). ;). Sooo next year...... yikes!
 
Juggernaut said:
Last year was one of the worst tours I can remember.... this one has been almost GIRO like :) (despite Sky’s attempt to pacemake it to death). ;). Sooo next year...... yikes!
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Yes, at least other teams know what they need to do to upset sky, it just isnt quite there yet.

Movistar is the biggest disappointment, they had the depth but failed to execute. That being said, I think the average watcher doesnt understand that Sky is setting such a sick pace that they are shredding everyone else. They had 6 riders at the base of the final climb on Wednesday, 6!!!! Compare that to yesterday and the other terms are doing something.
 
stb222 said:
Yes, at least other teams know what they need to do to upset sky, it just isnt quite there yet.

Movistar is the biggest disappointment, they had the depth but failed to execute. That being said, I think the average watcher doesnt understand that Sky is setting such a sick pace that they are shredding everyone else. They had 6 riders at the base of the final climb on Wednesday, 6!!!! Compare that to yesterday and the other terms are doing something.
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I may be a little premature (insert joke here) but I really think this EB kid is going to be what NQ was supposed to be. I was impressed.
 
Juggernaut said:
I may be a little premature (insert joke here) but I really think this EB kid is going to be what NQ was supposed to be. I was impressed.
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He is extremely promising. Just the fact that sky is bringing him to the tour at his age means a lot. Pierre latour looks he might be a contender too.
 
Wow...Sagan just floats up the fields seemingly out of nowhere in the last k or two. Really impressive
 
What do you guys think Team Sky is going to do? Do they support Thomas and try to win it for him? Or do they still ride for Froome? Or do both riders get the green light to go for it in the upcoming mountain stages? I personally think it would be messed up if the team director tells Thomas to give up the yellow after holding it all race and help Froome get the yellow. I guess Dumoulin still has a chance if he can keep it close in the Pyrenees due to his pending gains in the time trial......

Either way, it should be quite interesting.....
 
I think froome will spin his way past everyone in the mountains. He's been pretty resilient the last few years and always makes a move.
I know he's looked tired, but you never know with these guys. It could all be a show.
 
jShort said:
I think froome will spin his way past everyone in the mountains. He's been pretty resilient the last few years and always makes a move.
I know he's looked tired, but you never know with these guys. It could all be a show.
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Just curious....I have no knowledge in regards to racing/max heart rate/cadence/etc, etc but how is one guy able to spin like that for extended periods of time when everyone else maintains a much "easier" cadence? I just don't understand it. Why wouldn't he just move up one gear and conserve energy? Is he just that much better cardiovascular wise than every single other guy on the tour that he is able to do it? Just seems odd to me.......
 
oobaa47 said:
Just curious....I have no knowledge in regards to racing/max heart rate/cadence/etc, etc but how is one guy able to spin like that for extended periods of time when everyone else maintains a much "easier" cadence? I just don't understand it. Why wouldn't he just move up one gear and conserve energy? Is he just that much better cardiovascular wise than every single other guy on the tour that he is able to do it? Just seems odd to me.......
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A couple reasons, one being physiological. Some people are more effecient at higher cadences. Two riders at the same power have their own personal sweet spot for cadence where they are the most efficient. The second reason is he runs the largest cassette possible. I think he has at least a 32. Most guys are probably running 28s. Historically most riders have only had 25s, which is crazy with a standard 53/39 crank.
 
Quintana frustrates the hell out of me. How can a guy who can do what he did today play it so conservatively the rest of the time? His ride today was fantastic. When he rode away from Majka he looked like he was riding on flat terrain.
 
Q is a bum

im only here for the froome/GT drama, but after today that looks like its gone out the window as well, now im just watching to see if this primoz dude can knock froomey off the podium
 
1speed said:
Quintana frustrates the hell out of me. How can a guy who can do what he did today play it so conservatively the rest of the time? His ride today was fantastic. When he rode away from Majka he looked like he was riding on flat terrain.
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And he has done similar in the past, Alpe du Huez a few years ago was another time, that Stelvio stage of the Giro the year he won it. Unfortunately, it is because sky allowed him to do it. If he was a threat to the GC. they would have been on him like flies on shit. You may have noticed the gap hovered around 1:07 for most of the attack. I don't think that was a coincidence. Sure, if Sky followed, they would have shed more riders sooner, but if the other QC guys were on Quintana, he may have taken half that amount of time. Honestly, they should have followed as it would have shredded Dumolin.
 
stb222 said:
And he has done similar in the past, Alpe du Huez a few years ago was another time, that Stelvio stage of the Giro the year he won it. Unfortunately, it is because sky allowed him to do it. If he was a threat to the GC. they would have been on him like flies on shit. You may have noticed the gap hovered around 1:07 for most of the attack. I don't think that was a coincidence. Sure, if Sky followed, they would have shed more riders sooner, but if the other QC guys were on Quintana, he may have taken half that amount of time. Honestly, they should have followed as it would have shredded Dumolin.
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Yeah, that makes sense. I don't mean to imply that he can ride away form the leaders - just that he actually can attack when he wants to. In other stages, he hasn't even tried what he did today. With a team like his, one or more of them could have been doing this on every mountain stage. So far the only one who has done so is Valverde. Sky's strategy today obviously served Thomas well, but I wonder if they had chased Quintana harder if it would have done even more to hurt Froome. And I wonder if Quintana knew that Froome wasn't strong today.
 
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