Stage 8 - Sunday, July 11 2010, Station des Rousses - Morzine-Avoriaz

jwshooter

bril stage evans should be in yellow ? . schleck wow .

ps . pity to see armstrong go down this way .

alibabba

Yip evans in yellow

thereturn

Was that Roche who came in a couple of minutes with a teammate behind or wishful thinking on my part?

glanman

no he is in the main bunch, behind armstrong and chavanel as far as I have seen...

thereturn

glanman wrote: »

no he is in the main bunch, behind armstrong and chavanel as far as I have seen...

He was defo ahead of both those anyway.

glanman

thereturn wrote: »

He was defo ahead of both those anyway.

Sorry he was, he came in 23rd, 2.18 behind. Well done Nicolas (I have been dipping in and out of GAA all day so not totally up to date with todays race)

Hermy

ednwireland wrote: »

roche just dropped seriously suffering

Great ride indeed! Shame my first sighting of him was as he dropped of the main group.:(

DirkVoodoo wrote: »

And I actually feel pretty sorry for Lance, I don't know why but my heart went out to him, pretty unlucky all day.

Ah, don't feel too sorry for Lance - he hasn't shown much sympathy for others in the past.

cooker3 wrote: »

Schlek attacking. Contador can't respond!

Can't or won't. I was a bit surprised myself Contador didn't go with them but aren't his best attacks saved for when things get really steep.

JOHN_70

Roche 16th 3'11" down

thereturn

glanman wrote: »

Sorry he was, he came in 23rd, 2.18 behind. Well done Nicolas (I have been dipping in and out of GAA all day so not totally up to date with todays race)

Super thanks.Not bad

fitz213

He's now 16th, 3'11" behind. Serious ride!
http://www.letour.fr/2010/TDF/LIVE/us/800/classement/index.html

glanman

thats overall in GC!! 23rd in todays stage

JOHN_70

3'11" down on GC only 2'18" down on the stage, not a bad day for him.

cooker3

Hermy wrote: »

Can't or won't. I was a bit surprised myself Contador didn't go with them but aren't his best attacks saved for when things get really steep.

I think he definitely responds if he can, there is no reason for him not to. This gives Schleck a huge boost.

Mr. Presentable

Great stage. A pity in many ways tomorrow is a rest day.

Hermy

cooker3 wrote: »

I think he definitely responds if he can, there is no reason for him not to. This gives Schleck a huge boost.

Agreed.

cooker3

Man, these wiggle ads are seriously annoying me. 2 more weeks of this on a loop.

JacksonHeightsOwn

i damn near cried when Roche blew up

so im back to wanting Sastre for GC

poor oul Lance though, 2 crashes, then some twat falls in front of him when getting a bag of grub, that was the straw that broke the dopers back

i wouldnt be surprised if Lance pulls out now to be honest

im sure Roche is delighted he has a rest day now,

a faboulous ride from him, onwards and upwards now!

BryanL

I think Lance might be riding clean, great to see him go out like this, riding the tour like he used to ride before he started to work with Ferrari.
Great ride out of Roche just behind Basso and Vino

Slideshowbob

nipplenuts wrote: »

Great stage. A pity in many ways tomorrow is a rest day.

Maybe they could turn the Tour into 300 mile stages and make it 40 days without a rest day to keep you happy.

Don't worry should be another good stage on Tues

If you into seeing people getting flogged to death n all dat - rent Gladiator tonight or google such stuff .............

Cyclists are humans too - the whole 3 week grand tour is questionable as it is as to whether its beyond normal human ability !!!

And people go on about drug abuse here !!

cantalach

Lance should focus on the positives...at least he won't have to pay for a new custom reg on his private jet:

cooker3

Lance just said on twitter
"When it rains it pours I guess.. Today was not my day needless to say. Quite banged but gonna hang in here and enjoy my last 2 weeks."

JacksonHeightsOwn

cooker3 wrote: »

Lance just said on twitter
"When it rains it pours I guess.. Today was not my day needless to say. Quite banged but gonna hang in here and enjoy my last 2 weeks."

thats the spirit,

Come on Lance!

Mr. Presentable

Slideshowbob wrote: »

Maybe they could turn the Tour into 300 mile stages and make it 40 days without a rest day to keep you happy.

Don't worry should be another good stage on Tues

If you into seeing people getting flogged to death n all dat - rent Gladiator tonight or google such stuff .............

Cyclists are humans too - the whole 3 week grand tour is questionable as it is as to whether its beyond normal human ability !!!

And people go on about drug abuse here !!

Woah!
Way to miss my point!

velo.2010

Regarding Contador, remember that while apparently very dominent in the mountains he has never managed to take minutes(unlike LA in his day who would put serious time into the best climbers) out of the other favourites in a Grand Tour. His winning margin last year was thanks largely to his TT efforts. The most he took out of Schleck was 45 seconds on a summit finish.

Saying that, his performances are more likely down to better drug controls the last few years(Contador himself appears to riding clean). The best all-rounders are fairly similar in ability and today's stage showed that. I've been watching certain riders and types of riders who have performed extraordinarally well in the past but who look a shadow of their former selves. No more roulers hanging on until the death anymore!

Schleck needs another 2 minutes if he's to stand any chance in the long TT. Contador may be struggling still with those injuries from earlier. Armstrong might have the freedom to go attack and try to win a stage.

Beached

Great stage today.
The look on Roches stage with 6K to go was heartbraking, but when you step back, it was still a great achievement for Nicholas Roche to arrive around 2 min after the best in the world.

jwshooter

glanman wrote: »

Sorry he was, he came in 23rd, 2.18 behind. Well done Nicolas (I have been dipping in and out of GAA all day so not totally up to date with todays race)

GAA does she have a sister

IM0

velo.2010 wrote: »

I've been watching certain riders and types of riders who have performed extraordinarally well in the past but who look a shadow of their former selves.

tbh after seeing contador's dauphine Alpe dhuez performance I started to wonder the same about him, he was known for having a savage kick [litteral sense not wicklow lingo:p ] but that seems to have gone this year and he is alot more 'human' now - he couldnt hold schlecks wheel or get on it even, nevermind drop Janni B on alpe dhuez despite trying dozens of times

jwshooter

me@ucd wrote: »

tbh after seeing contador's dauphine Alpe dhuez performance I started to wonder the same about him, he was known for having a savage kick [litteral sense not wicklow lingo:p ] but that seems to have gone this year and he is alot more 'human' now - he couldnt hold schlecks wheel or get on it even, nevermind drop Janni B on alpe dhuez despite trying dozens of times

your adding 2+2 and coming up with a presumption .dont forget presumptions are the mother of all f@CK ups .

to much talk of doping ,just enjoy the f@uking racing .

Lumen

jwshooter wrote: »

your adding 2+2 and coming up with a presumption .dont forget presumptions are the mother of all f@CK ups .

to much talk of doping ,just enjoy the f@uking racing .

Bad day? :pac:

Hermy

Slideshowbob wrote: »

Maybe they could turn the Tour into 300 mile stages and make it 40 days without a rest day to keep you happy

Great idea Bob.:rolleyes::D

AstraMonti

Just finished watching it recorded. I am really happy for Schleck. He rides amazingly, although I was hoping that he would jump in front much earlier, he seemed so relaxed against anyone else.

titan18

cooker3 wrote: »

I think he definitely responds if he can, there is no reason for him not to. This gives Schleck a huge boost.

With it being so close to the finish, there's a case for him to not respond as Schleck wasn't going to be able to pull out too much time.

jwshooter

they are savage men , hit the ground doing 60 hop up "if the can" get a new bike and head on .

on_the_nickel

titan18 wrote: »

With it being so close to the finish, there's a case for him to not respond as Schleck wasn't going to be able to pull out too much time.

It's not a great case though is it? Any way you look at it Schleck now has a massive confidence boost. Hope so, I backed him at 8/1!

BryanL

what about the sky tactics? they attacked Armstrong really when there was no need and ended up with wiggins blowing up anyway.
Surely they should have left Astana do the pacing on the final 2 mountains and Contador would have been isolated a lot sooner?

buffalo

AstraMonti wrote: »

Just finished watching it recorded. I am really happy for Schleck. He rides amazingly, although I was hoping that he would jump in front much earlier, he seemed so relaxed against anyone else.

That was what exactly what struck me - he seems so relaxed, like he was out on a Sunday spin. Really confident.

titan18

BryanL wrote: »

what about the sky tactics? they attacked Armstrong really when there was no need and ended up with wiggins blowing up anyway.
Surely they should have left Astana do the pacing on the final 2 mountains and Contador would have been isolated a lot sooner?

Ya,the Sky tactics were bad.Should have left Saxo and Astana do the work.

Will be interesting to see how the other teams approach it from now on.I thought BMC might have been stronger before the Tour but they haven't shown much bar Evans and Morabito.I don't know if they have the team strength to defend the yellow for Evans and to try and bring him the win like the other teams have.Astana and Saxo will probably do what they have been doing and try and break the race apart and set it up for their leaders.Radioshack will be interesting now, as Leipheimer won't win it, but the team is probably set up to really hurt everyone else.I doubt Lance will quit but he'll try and win a stage and do everything he can for Levi and against Contador.Rabobank and Liquigas will be interesting as they both had two men in the lead group and Kreuziger and Gesink looked really strong.They're set up to have both guys attack,and I reckon Basso could make a lot of guys hurt if he goes to the front to help Kreuziger.

I think it'll be interesting to see what happens from now on.Wish Frank Schleck had still been there as Andy will struggle for help in the later stages,whereas the other contenders won't

Slideshowbob

http://www.youtube.com/user/nicolasroche1984#p/u/2/Cat_sjzFIO0

like father like son

meanwhile his manager managed to get it all on camera :rolleyes:

niceonetom

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-F1_bllJ7jQ

Shade of La Plagne there. Hugely impressive.

Slideshowbob

Aint the UCI establishing rules for who can act as riders agents!?!?

Any ethics required?!?

ROK ON

From today Indo. Roche saying he bonked yday. Not eating proper dinners.

JacksonHeightsOwn

ROK ON wrote: »

From today Indo. Roche saying he bonked yday. Not eating proper dinners.

school boy error perhaps?

so the pace wasnt the deciding factor on the mountains???

if so, we need to send that lad over a bowl of coddle, and quickly!!!!

JacksonHeightsOwn

niceonetom wrote: »

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-F1_bllJ7jQ

Shade of La Plagne there. Hugely impressive.

jesus christ

and footballersget paid more thah these guys

heroic!

ednwireland

ROK ON wrote: »

From today Indo. Roche saying he bonked yday. Not eating proper dinners.

pretty basic error you're not getting through 3 weeks without eating properly (didnt someone once say that that was one ofthe harset things on a GT eating enough)

http://www.independent.ie/sport/other-sports/cycling-the-race-doctors-came-over-straight-away-and-poured-cold-water-on-me-2254932.html

mcgratheoin

how much time do people reckon Schleck needs to put into Contador/Evans/anyone else before the final TT to win the thing?

Will he have a go up the Madeleine tomorrow and try to stay ahead for the 30k descent to the finish or will he wait and just try to attack on the mountain-top finishes (only 2 more of them in the tour this year S14 & S17)

kennyb3

Did anybody here anything re contador (an interview or such), he has bonked before, just wondering if him not having the legs was due to not eating enough also. very unusual to see him with no kick.

Lumen

kennyb3 wrote: »

Did anybody here anything re contador (an interview or such), he has bonked before, just wondering if him not having the legs was due to not eating enough also. very unusual to see him with no kick.

"No kick" is not the same as bonking. In fact getting dropped off the bunch (Wiggins) isn't the same as bonking either.

I've never read any convincing physiological explanation of the various ways to fail at cycling. There are various factors at play (digestive, aerobic, fat burning, neuromuscular, psychological...) and even those paid to know how it all works (e.g. Lim) get all hand-wavy when pressed for explanations.

kennyb3

Lumen wrote: »

"No kick" is not the same as bonking. In fact getting dropped off the bunch (Wiggins) isn't the same as bonking either..

Sorry bad choice of words then, just meant that contador himself might have felt he didnt have the legs for various reasons, one being not eating correctly (but not quite bonking)

Lumen wrote: »

I"'ve never read any convincing physiological explanation of the various ways to fail at cycling. There are various factors at play (digestive, aerobic, fat burning, neuromuscular, psychological...) and even those paid to know how it all works (e.g. Lim) get all hand-wavy when pressed for explanations.

Hence it would be great to hear contadors thoughts about his own performance rather than trying to guess

alibabba

chrisbonnie wrote: »

school boy error perhaps?

so the pace wasnt the deciding factor on the mountains???

if so, we need to send that lad over a bowl of coddle, and quickly!!!!

You'd think he would have his diet sorted out along time before the start of TDF ?

Pasta on its own wouldnt get you up cork screw hill, never mind Morzine !
Jasus tis a shocking error.

Lumen

kennyb3 wrote: »

Hence it would be great to hear contadors thoughts about his own performance rather than trying to guess

"“I didn’t quite have the punch in my legs to react when Andy attacked,” Contador said at the finish. “Last year, Andy put me on the ropes. Now it’s obvious that he will be my most dangerous rival this year.”