Just in that Wiggins is out
http://www.sbs.com.au/cyclingcentral/news/44158/Injury-forces-Wiggins-out-of-Tour-de-France
http://www.sbs.com.au/cyclingcentral/news/44158/Injury-forces-Wiggins-out-of-Tour-de-France
Tour De France 2013
- Thread starter mariachi-19
- Start date
This is going to be a good tour. Sky are without Wiggins and Uran. Their team, while good, probably won't be able to dominate like last year. Plus Contador and Rodriguez are much better than Nibali was at this point last year.. Shame he was the Giro.. Nibali in top form (this year's version) would be great here.
Reckon there are too many mountain finishes for any one rider to dominate. Might be similar to last year's Vuelta where the top guys attacked often
Reckon there are too many mountain finishes for any one rider to dominate. Might be similar to last year's Vuelta where the top guys attacked often
I think Sky will do fine without Uran and Henao. Still more than enough strong riders with the likes of Kyrienka, Hagen and especially Porte. And I think Froome will have less need for his team compared to Wiggins last year, since Froome will be among the best climbers in the pack.
I only see Contador really challenging him for the title in Paris.
I only see Contador really challenging him for the title in Paris.
This year will be good fun! I'm really looking forward to see Froome vs Contador in the mountains.
Froome's going to comfortably win it. No way Contador's form is going to catch up with Froome with less than a month to go, unless Contador dopes of course.
Froome would have won last year as well had Wiggins not been the team leader. Going to stroll it I reckon
And the Vuelta in 2011.....which well was a bad move, Wiggins for the tDF was always working fine, but they should of switched the leadership in the Vuelta....but I guess if he won that, he'd force his leadership in for the Tour causing insane friction.
Insane talent though, apparently showed it big time yesterday too. Mowing down Contador...
Insane talent though, apparently showed it big time yesterday too. Mowing down Contador...
this is incorrect. Contador and Rodriguez have not raced for a while I think. They will build and be very strong in the tour. I'd also look out for Schleck to win a stage or two in the mountains if he has a decent tour of switzerland.
tbh.. How amazing he is makes me fear in regards to how he improved so much.. I'm hoping my fears are unfounded though.
His rise out of nowhere was the anomaly......but he hasn't really massively oddly improved since his arrival really, he'd be a two time Grand Tour winner if he was leader from when he started at Sky, and saying that, had he won them two tours, I think he would of went for the Giro-Tour double this year, could of held all 3 in little over 18 months.....can't see him attempting the Vuelta again now he's undisputed leader pretty much.
But yeah, always wary with cycling unfortunately. Though some like Cavandish, I'm like 99% certain he's just that damn good.
But yeah, always wary with cycling unfortunately. Though some like Cavandish, I'm like 99% certain he's just that damn good.
No clean rider will do the double for a long long time.
Hope that's the case. Good for him that he's better, but coming back from a disease and becoming amazing quickly reminds me of a cyclist from America. Hopefully I'm just paranoid!
Is anyone else thinking of how individual riders will do though? Starts in just under 2 weeks and I'm already buzzed with questions..
Can Voeckler get himself a few stage wins , or even hold onto his mountains title? Will Sagan pull one over Cavendish or will Cavendish come out on top? And BMC. Is Evans a contender this year? Is TJ Van Garderen a contender for young rider still thid year?
Personally, as a Europcar fan I want to see them do well. Rolland is the one going for GC this year, and he's gotten 8th and 10th in the tour before. Definately has the talent to do something long term.
I'm far too obsessed over this.
Can Voeckler get himself a few stage wins , or even hold onto his mountains title? Will Sagan pull one over Cavendish or will Cavendish come out on top? And BMC. Is Evans a contender this year? Is TJ Van Garderen a contender for young rider still thid year?
Personally, as a Europcar fan I want to see them do well. Rolland is the one going for GC this year, and he's gotten 8th and 10th in the tour before. Definately has the talent to do something long term.
I'm far too obsessed over this.
I want to see Sagan challenge Cav for sure. He will go on breaks in the hills and mountains to get points. Think Voeckler will work for Roland.
I'm more excited to see Saxo, Movistar and Sky fight off. Movistar has a very strong team.
Also, if Rodriguez shows the legs he had in last years Vuelta, he won't need his team to do very well.
Who's the leader for BMC? Still Evans? Last year it was quite obvious that Van Garderen was better and if he hadn't been forced to help along a rather slow Evans he might have put in a challenge
Could well be Van Garderen this year I reckon.
Has Evan's stocks with the team dropped that much has it?
They have made it clear it is Evans. He had a solid Giro... Upto Van Garderen to displace him.
Cadel is done imo. Big fan if him but I reckon he's cooked. Van Garderen really looks the goods though.
Strange..
Cadel may be done, but Van Garderen has done nothing to sugest he is better yet. This tour is his opportunity.
Also, Grand Tour know-how will serve Cadel well here, unless he is too tired from the Giro.
I didn't say 'better' though, I said he looks 'the goods'. He did pretty well in the California and won the Young Rider Classification last year.
He certainly has a bright future.
Agreed on the experience of Cadel. But his team as well - Last year I got the feeling that they had all but given up on him for some reason. (Just my observation, could be completely wrong). Even when he won it he had to sack up and pull out some strong individual performances.
I like you said just think he's gassed. Doesn't have enough in the tank and psychologically he knows it. Though he rode quite well it still felt as if he wasn't 'giving all he could give' at the Giro. Of course he could have been saving up for the TDF. But then again I could be wrong, because at 36 you no longer really have the mental capacity to leave everything on the road. Just to balls-out destroy your body for the victory is something that is a big psychological advantage in the hungry younger pre 30 riders.
He certainly has a bright future.
Agreed on the experience of Cadel. But his team as well - Last year I got the feeling that they had all but given up on him for some reason. (Just my observation, could be completely wrong). Even when he won it he had to sack up and pull out some strong individual performances.
I like you said just think he's gassed. Doesn't have enough in the tank and psychologically he knows it. Though he rode quite well it still felt as if he wasn't 'giving all he could give' at the Giro. Of course he could have been saving up for the TDF. But then again I could be wrong, because at 36 you no longer really have the mental capacity to leave everything on the road. Just to balls-out destroy your body for the victory is something that is a big psychological advantage in the hungry younger pre 30 riders.
So. All kicks off today/tonight. Well keen
Anyone using the Skoda tour tracker website? fecking hell the quality is shitouse.
The GreenEdge bus is stuck under the finish line with about 10kms left now
According to the commentary team finish will now be 3km from finish
The bus has been removed just in time
But no Cavendish, Greipel or Sagan for the sprint. All taken out in the crash
But no Cavendish, Greipel or Sagan for the sprint. All taken out in the crash
Missed the first stage, though seen the crash. Did the crash affect any of the expected tour leaders?
Everyone got the same time today regardless. But as far as I know none of Froome, Evans, Contador were caught out
Thanks for that. Didn't want a situation like last year where one of the main contenders basically gets ruled out due to being stuck after a crash
I thought I saw cuntador with a ripped top.
You might be right. He came in quite late and I had changed channels by then
Contador is hurt, his team said they won't know how he is till the morning
The very temp 3k finish line would have been a disaster.The bus has been removed just in time
But no Cavendish, Greipel or Sagan for the sprint. All taken out in the crash
Tony Martin out with broken collar bone I think I just read
Gerraint Thomas has been sent for X-rays
Contador should be fine
Froome has a cut and bruise but nothin serious
Gerraint Thomas has been sent for X-rays
Contador should be fine
Froome has a cut and bruise but nothin serious
No doubt. Aside from the problem of communicating with the drivers in such a short space of time the potential finish looked dangerous as well.
Lot more casualties than I thought
Not good
INJURY UPDATE: TONY MARTIN
Saturday 29 June 2013 - 20:58
Omega Pharma - Quick-Step Cycling Team rider Tony Martin crashed during the final kilometers of Tour de France Stage 1 on Saturday. He finished the race, but after the finish he was transported to the General Hospital of Bastia, where he passed a few examinations. The CT scan excluded fractures.
However, he has a concussion and a contusion on his left lung. He also has soft tissue damages on his hip, chest, left knee and shoulder, and also on his back. Furthermore, he has a very deep wound 5cm wide on his left elbow that reaches his muscles, which causes a lot of pain and a problem moving his arm. Tony Martin will join the rest of the team tonight after today's examinations. Any decision on his participation at the second stage of the Tour de France will be taken after considering how the clinical situation evolves during the night.
OPQS would like to thank the medical service of the Tour de France, as well as the medical staff of the hospital in Bastia for their help and support.
Loved the end of today's stage with the peloton closing in
Good race today, although nothing much happened with regards to the overall favourites. Interestingly the stage winner today recovered from testicular cancer in 2002...
feck I would love to ride one of those machines. My $1500 bike doing 100km is a fecking nightmare. To ride something worth 10 times that would be so smooth.
That descent about 20km out was hectic. The technical riding is of a crazy level of balls/skill.
edit: Admittedly Cadel has looked fairly solid so far. Just biding his time. Looking at this field though I can see him winning it again which would be excellent.
That descent about 20km out was hectic. The technical riding is of a crazy level of balls/skill.
edit: Admittedly Cadel has looked fairly solid so far. Just biding his time. Looking at this field though I can see him winning it again which would be excellent.
Shame for Simon Clarke. He really had a go at the KOM. Huge props to Gerrans for getting Orica's first stage win.
Cavendish special but a massive crash right at the end. Not sure who all are involved yet