TDF Stage 19 - Albertville - Saint-Gervais Mont Blanc, 146km

JK.BMC · 22-07-2016 4:36pm

pelevin wrote: »

What the hell would be the point in watching if not for some excitement to stir the soul, & Dan's efforts to animate racing, & with Bardet of a very similar mindset, means infinitely more to me than whether they come 10th or rather 11th on GC at the end of the race.

Actually delighted to see Bardet win today, and riders attacking each other; makes me wonder what sort of form Quintana is actually in, he made an effort today. Probably the best mountain stage this year?

Eamonnator · 22-07-2016 4:36pm

terrydel wrote: »

Are you sarcastically saying I am suggesting anything that benefits stronger teams should be removed, because I said that one action that is currently legal and benefits stronger teams should be outlawed?

Yes

Tigerandahalf · 22-07-2016 4:36pm

What Poels is doing is incredible.
Is he a great talent or is there something else?

Glancing around him and the bike going sideways and 30 secs he is back on the group.

Does the power from their meters go public?

JK.BMC · 22-07-2016 4:37pm

Itziger wrote: »

Hehe, Bardet's teammate who was with him up to 10k to go and helped form the gap comes home 8.20 down! took it nice and handy coming up that last climb.

Mikael Cherel I think. Very good lead out rider in the sprints if I remember correctly.

StevieGriff · 22-07-2016 4:38pm

Tigerandahalf wrote: »

What Poels is doing is incredible.
Is he a great talent or is there something else?

Glancing around him and the bike going sideways and 30 secs he is back on the group.

Does the power from their meters go public?

Nope. Sky fart on about transparency and never make good on their promise.

Burial. · 22-07-2016 4:39pm

Mollema goes from 2nd to 10th...that's got to be crushing.

terrydel · 22-07-2016 4:40pm

Eamonnator wrote: »

Yes

Are you being sarcastic now?! :pac::P

donfers · 22-07-2016 4:41pm

It's all about attacking at the right time, Bardet did it when there chaos on the descent and got a gap and sustained it on the final climb, they were catching him to begin with but then in the middle part of the climb it slowed down a bit and that was the winning of the stage...the sky train, especially the likes of Poels with their metronomic wattage-based style make it next to impossible for a sole rider to sustain a gap for more than a few hundred metres. So attack them towards the finish or break the team first (which is also incredibly tough considering their collective strength) - a good time to have attacked would have been early on in the climb when Poels and Froome were at the back of the main group and Froome was still getting used to the new bike but noone had the balls or daring to go from that far out to try and bridge to Bardet/Costa

Tigerandahalf · 22-07-2016 4:41pm

StevieGriff wrote: »

Nope. Sky fart on about transparency and never make good on their promise.

Well surely all riders' data should be available to the tv audience.

I would like to be able to see 2 riders climbing against each other and all their data being displayed on the tv screen. Don't know if the technology is there for that but I'd imagine it is.

Eamonnator · 22-07-2016 4:42pm

terrydel wrote: »

Are you being sarcastic now?! :pac::P

Yes.

Dodge · 22-07-2016 4:44pm

Dan up to 9th now. He attacked and it didn't stick but at least he tried.

Attackers who finish top 10 GC >>>>>>>Wheel suckers hanging on to finish in top 10 GC

Waitsian · 22-07-2016 4:44pm

JK.BMC wrote: »

You are ridiculously harsh towards Dan; you and a few others; he...animated the stage; looked like he gave his all; chapeau Dan. I think a top 10 overall would be a fine result for Dan.

He knew, his team knew, anyone that follows his career knew he wouldn't win the TdF. I don't think he ever will. He's a Classics rider. But you hit the nail on the head. A top 10 finish, hell top 20 even, would be fabulous.

Chapeau indeed! Might he 'do' a Kelly and win the Vuelta someday?

terrydel · 22-07-2016 4:44pm

Tigerandahalf wrote: »

Well surely all riders' data should be available to the tv audience.

I would like to be able to see 2 riders climbing against each other and all their data being displayed on the tv screen. Don't know if the technology is there for that but I'd imagine it is.

That technology would absolutely be there.
Personally I'd have no interest in it, but if it made the sport easier to believe in then why not.

dastardly00 · 22-07-2016 4:45pm

donfers wrote: »

a good time to have attacked would have been early on in the climb when Poels and Froome were at the back of the main group and Froome was still getting used to the new bike but noone had the balls or daring to go from that far out to try and bridge to Bardet/Costa

I agree totally with you, but the only thing I would add is that at that point in time the last Astana domestique (Diego Rosa) was drilling it at the front of the group. So it would've been quiet difficult for someone to attack and bridge across to Bardet.

Pudsy33 · 22-07-2016 4:46pm

pelevin wrote: »

But you said Dan went too early. Noone caught Bardet. So waiting longer didn't get anyone across to him. I'd say Dan was hoping for the stage far more than gaining a few seconds & I see nothing wrong in trying when he did.

Yeah fair enough, can't argue with that! At least he was giving it a go. Porte and Quintana had little digs which probably put paid to his efforts.

cromcruach · 22-07-2016 4:46pm

Everyone else complaining about grip and Dan has the wit to put in a plug for his Specialized tyres!

JK.BMC · 22-07-2016 4:48pm

Tigerandahalf wrote: »

What Poels is doing is incredible.
Is he a great talent or is there something else?

Glancing around him and the bike going sideways and 30 secs he is back on the group.

Does the power from their meters go public?

Ah Good Afternoon! And welcome to the Wout Poels Conspiracy Theory Forum.

Ok- perhaps real time power stats would be very interesting. But Poels is riding consistently on the climbs, the key domestique, riding like Froome in 2012, Porte in 2013 and very like Thomas in 2015. All are world class climbers. And currently Poels is something like an hour down on GC.

JK.BMC · 22-07-2016 4:49pm

mod9maple wrote: »

He knew, his team knew, anyone that follows his career knew he wouldn't win the TdF. I don't think he ever will. He's a Classics rider. But you hit the nail on the head. A top 10 finish, hell top 20 even, would be fabulous.

Chapeau indeed! Might he 'do' a Kelly and win the Vuelta someday?[/quote

That's an interesting goal. No harm there

donfers · 22-07-2016 4:50pm

dastardly00 wrote: »

I agree totally with you, but the only thing I would add is that at that point in time the last Astana domestique (Diego Rosa) was drilling it at the front of the group. So it would've been quiet difficult for someone to attack and bridge across to Bardet.

fair point....another thing that is annoying me is that little pest Meintjes, getting stronger as the Tour wears on it seems and even squeezed another few seconds out of Dan - Here's hoping his legs go tomorrow because he sure as hell isn't going to attack anyone

terrydel · 22-07-2016 4:51pm

Eamonnator wrote: »

Yes

I don't hold it against you.

GT_TDI_150 · 22-07-2016 4:52pm

Isnt the reason sky have strong men like Poels or the other lads is that they dont put the entire train on the front on every give stage/climb.

It tends to be Nieve and Poels one day with the remainder of the team doing little or no work, then the next day its Kyrienka and Landa doing the tempo riding.

I dont like how sky control stages, but it make more sense than the way astana ride with 6 up front and burn them of one at a time.

RobertKK · 22-07-2016 4:52pm

JK.BMC wrote: »

You are ridiculously harsh towards Dan; you and a few others; he, along with Astana and Bardet, animated the stage; looked like he gave his all; chapeau Dan. The attack didn't stick but I wonder how often you have attacked when the HR is at 190+? I think a top 10 overall would be a fine result for Dan.

I know, he got the timing wrong. My opinion, whether right or wrong is, he would have gained more during this whole tour if he had a bit more patience.

He had a great tour so far and hopefully tomorrow that continues and a top 10 finish. He is improving still as a rider, if he gets his timing right he will be further up in the future.

Pudsy33 · 22-07-2016 4:53pm

mod9maple wrote: »

He knew, his team knew, anyone that follows his career knew he wouldn't win the TdF. I don't think he ever will. He's a Classics rider. But you hit the nail on the head. A top 10 finish, hell top 20 even, would be fabulous.

Chapeau indeed! Might he 'do' a Kelly and win the Vuelta someday?

I'm an eternal optimist, but Dan is capable of a very good Vuelta. Shorter, sharper climbs with better weather suit him to the ground. This year there is one 20 something kilometre TT which will be tough for him, but the longer team TT should hold no fear as Etixx are strong enough in that discipline.

gordongekko · 22-07-2016 4:57pm

Pudsy33 wrote: »

but the longer team YT should hold no fear as Etixx are strong enough in that discipline.

What the hell is a team yt?

Pudsy33 · 22-07-2016 5:01pm

gordongekko wrote: »

What the hell is a team yt?

TT, whoops

dastardly00 · 22-07-2016 6:05pm

GT_TDI_150 wrote: »

Isnt the reason sky have strong men like Poels or the other lads is that they dont put the entire train on the front on every give stage/climb.

It tends to be Nieve and Poels one day with the remainder of the team doing little or no work, then the next day its Kyrienka and Landa doing the tempo riding.

I dont like how sky control stages, but it make more sense than the way astana ride with 6 up front and burn them of one at a time.

Yeah you are correct I think about Sky only using certain riders on certain days.

If you look back at the standings for each stage, Poels was allowed to take it very handy during some of the first 10 days. He didn't have to do any work for Froome and he didn't have to stay in the peloton. So even on the flat days he had no high pressure situations of trying to keep Froome safe during fast sprint finishes. Those kind of scenarios would wear a rider down slowly, both physically and mentally. But Poels was as fresh as a daisy for the mountains.

Waitsian · 22-07-2016 6:56pm

So what's tomorrow's stage like? A tough one? Could someone attack Froome? He looked pretty banged up.

Eamonnator · 22-07-2016 7:19pm

A couple of classy touches today by Team Sky:
When Froome crossed the finish line, the first thing he did was give Poels a " thank you" tap on the back.
When Luke Rowe was being dropped from the Yellow jersey group, the last thing he did was give Adam Yates a push to get him back into the group.
Nice sporting gestures, in a tough game.

cunavalos · 22-07-2016 7:26pm

Dodge wrote: »

Dan up to 9th now. He attacked and it didn't stick but at least he tried.

Attackers who finish top 10 GC >>>>>>>Wheel suckers hanging on to finish in top 10 GC

I know it is only one position in GC but Dan and Etixx can look back to Stage 12 where they had distanced Meintjes in the crosswinds but allowed him back on when Cancellara and Froome neutralised the descent following the Rowe/Gerrans/Stannard crash.

If they had kept the pace up as they and Orica had been doing just before the crash Meintjes could easily have lost a large chunk of time and packed in any GC aspirations.

pelevin · 22-07-2016 7:30pm

cunavalos wrote: »

I know it is only one position in GC but Dan and Etixx can look back to Stage 12 where they had distanced Meintjes in the crosswinds but allowed him back on when Cancellara and Froome neutralised the descent following the Rowe/Gerrans/Stannard crash.

If they had kept the pace up as they and Orica had been doing just before the crash Meintjes could easily have lost a large chunk of time and packed in any GC aspirations.

Shows what a distortion of the race was allowed happen there.

TDF Stage 19 - Albertville - Saint-Gervais Mont Blanc, 146km

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