Pro Cycling 2018

Mrs Smoker said:
Yeah, that's why I asked. The rule is silly to me, but what do I know. I get it if the difference was for instance, like today's, 40 seconds. But if it drops to, dunno, 5-10, I'd really like to see them trying to win in the last stage.
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Even if it just 2 sec for example, i have major duobt Dumoulin will attack tomorrow. This is the same man that wait for Quintana last year after Quintana crashed when the race is on even Qunitana never wait for Dumoulin when he took that famous natural break. Even yesterday he wait for Pinot to catch up even he knows he will lose a bit of time. You cant get more sportmanship than that. :lol:
 
Pinot out sadly. But my godness, Sky still with complete squad at the front ( barring Knees and Kiryenka). Take some effort from Dumoulin to drop them all before take on Froome.
 
vangagal said:
Yeah, his style not easy to watch for some i must admit but there's beauty on it. No one can do such a high cadence on mountain like him. This Giro prove he can do an attack like others not just his usual tactic.
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Froome rides a 34/32 gear ratio , custom made for him. I think the others have the 34/30 as their easiest gear. (Heard this on the Lance Armstrong Podcast) hence the high cadence.

https://lancearmstrong.com/themove/themove-giro-ditalia-week-two-recap

What a feast of racing these last 3 weeks have been. It doesn't get much better than this.
 
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Santi_Mesut_Alexis_87 said:
He tried, but he isn't clearly a climber cyclist.
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He's a superb climber, but not a 'pure' climber in the mould of Yates or Quintana for example. He clearly didn't have the reserves (like pretty much everyone else after yesterday's stage) to attack Froome today, but being less than a minute behind on GC, he had to try.

I think Dumoulin is a class act, a gentleman and a tough as hell competitor who I'm sure will challenge for many more grand tours.
 
Here's the schedule of, I assume, top races left in the year. Anything else worth a check up?

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Criterium du Dauphine as a preparation for Le Tour is worth to watch, every big guns who didnt ride Giro will be there,and the scenery usually nice too. I dont know outside that list which race worth to watch thou. :D
 
This has to be his greatest grand tour victory. Not just because it's the third in a row and the one he was missing, but also because of the manner of the win. All of his Tour victories felt like processions, with Sky and Froome suffocating the rest and dominating from start to finish. This is something else, far more heroic. This is the one that puts him up there with cycling legends. It'll be interesting to see how he does in the Tour, I think he still has some gas left in the tank. With Nibali, Quintana and others, it'll be a great battle.
 
That was a great Giro marked by some sensational solo efforts. Probably the most impressive individual rather than team-led contribution I've seen from Froome as well, and as much as I don't think he should have been starting here, his breakaway to Bardonecchia was just awesome.
 
Criterium du Dauphine started today. Michal Kwiatkowski with the win on prologue. van Endem and Moscon on 2nd 3rd consecutively. Geraind Thomas crashed but looks ok and losing 21 secs. He just cant get enough of crashes. Looking good for Sky ahead of Le Tour. So many man to choose for their super domestique.
 
Expect to see Thomas with Pinarello stabilisers on his bike at the Tour:wenger:.

The bulk of Tour Froome-doms are here, so will be interesting to see how they get on.

Add in Bernal, one of Poels/Kiri (I'd prefer Poels) Froome-dog himself (to Castro, Rowe, G, Kwiato and Moscon and we might see the return of the sky train yet!

Haven't seen today's stage yet, going to catch it later tonight.
 
RedFish said:
Expect to see Thomas with Pinarello stabilisers on his bike at the Tour:wenger:.

The bulk of Tour Froome-doms are here, so will be interesting to see how they get on.

Add in Bernal, one of Poels/Kiri (I'd prefer Poels) Froome-dog himself (to Castro, Rowe, G, Kwiato and Moscon and we might see the return of the sky train yet!

Haven't seen today's stage yet, going to catch it later tonight.
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Moscon, Kwiatko, Froome, GT, Poels are definitely on Tour. Rest will be toss up. What a squad they have.
 
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Team Sky crushed it on TTT stage today. 4 top GC on their hand right now. :lol: You basically cheat with Spain, Italy, Poland's National TT Champs on your squad. With Le Tour has TTT also and no ITT, it looks good for Team Sky.

RedFish said:
Bernal is going, as Sky have fast tracked him to the Tour team according Cycling news. The next superstar in waiting.

Also Rowe is the road captain, so I'd be suprised if he didn't make the 8 man team.

Edit: http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/bernal-set-to-make-tour-de-france-debut-after-california-victory/
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Oh yes, i forgot they fast tracked him onto Tour this year. So add Rowe and Bernal, it leave 1 or 2 spot up for grab in Team Sky.
Safe to say that Team Sky still has the strongest squad on peloton going to Tour this year. I'm going with Froome, GT, Kwiatkow, Moscon, Bernal, Poels, Rowe, maybe between Henao/Kiri/Castro/or others.
 
Incredible TTT from Sky as you'd expect with that group of national champions :D

35Km Pan flat TTT on stage 3 of the Tour also, so looking very rosy for Sky!
 
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vangagal said:
Team Sky crushed it on TTT stage today. 4 top GC on their hand right now. :lol: You basically cheat with Spain, Italy, Poland's National TT Champs on your squad. With Le Tour has TTT also and no ITT, it looks good for Team Sky.



Oh yes, i forgot they fast tracked him onto Tour this year. So add Rowe and Bernal, it leave 1 or 2 spot up for grab in Team Sky.
Safe to say that Team Sky still has the strongest squad on peloton going to Tour this year. I'm going with Froome, GT, Kwiatkow, Moscon, Bernal, Poels, Rowe, maybe between Henao/Kiri/Castro/or others.
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There's a 31Km Hilly ITT on the penultimate stage.
 
Report in Le Monde that the Tour has excluded Froome from the race this year. Sky are appealing.
 
Yeah, this has been threatening to happen.

So it seems:

http://www.velonews.com/2018/07/tou...ock-chris-froome-racing-tour-de-france_471156
  • The ASO the Tour organizers reserve the right to refuse entry but the UCI rules, technically perrmit Froome to race pending completion of the investigation into his salbutamol case (not a positive or negative test, but an adverse analytical finding).
  • The outcome of this current predicament will apparently be decided by a tribunal (Tuesday) where Froome will be represented by Mike Morgan, a British sports lawyer.


I think it may be better for everyone if he doesn't race, though Sky pulling Froome out voluntarily was never an option as it could be interpreted as an admission of wrong doing. The tribunal will solve this one way or another.

Great news is Sky is strong enough to challenge for the win without Froome, given the strength of their Tour team. Id love to see GT and Poels have joint leadership.
 
vangagal said:
Froome will race on Tour.
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How are you so certain?

The decision due Wednesday as far as I can understand, may not be the end of the matter as it could then be referred to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) which means a resolution before the Tour start is unlikely.
 
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RedFish said:
How are you so certain?
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I dont know. This case will go to CAS definitely and that would take time beyond Tour start date. In this case, Froome will start under UCI's rules, either way i still think he is will be clear to race.

I just Froome to win Tour this year to smack Hinnault's face. Such a hypocrite he is. Anyone but Bardet will do, after his farce last year because his ignorant for TT, he deserved to fail yet again.
 
vangagal said:
I dont know. This case will go to CAS definitely and that would take time beyond Tour start date. In this case, Froome will start under UCI's rules, either way i still think he is will be clear to race.

I just Froome to win Tour this year to smack Hinnault's face. Such a hypocrite he is. Anyone but Bardet will do, after his farce last year because his ignorant for TT, he deserved to fail yet again.
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Thanks, that makes sense. Shame he'd be riding the Tour on a technicality with the proverbial asterix marked against his name.
 
That UCI statement does little to reassure a skeptical public about the integrity of the process or the sport.
 
Joke of a decision but expected nothing else from the UCI. Petacchi should sue them.

Won't be watching the Tour this year, feck Sky and Froome in particular.
 
RobinLFC said:
Joke of a decision but expected nothing else from the UCI. Petacchi should sue them.

Won't be watching the Tour this year, feck Sky and Froome in particular.
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Totally agree any Integrity that the UCI had they have in my eyes lost, I have followed cycling long enough to know that doping is part and parcel but 4 days before the Tour starts after 9 months faffing about he is suddenly cleared makes you wonder what would have happened if ASO hadn't said that he wasn´t welcome, probably nothing.
 
If you don't like it, then don't warch it. If you're a fan, inevitably you wont stay away long if if at all. feck Prudhomme and the ASO and feck Hainault. Cycling is cleaner than it ever has been.
 
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