TDF Stage 13: Saint-Girons-Foix 101 km (TV 1:30pm)

Djoucer

This is great stuff.

Martin, Froome and Aru to get away.

ThisRegard

Sean's correct, nobody likes getting caught out in the wet patch.

pelevin

UCI announce 1 man teams for future grand tours and maximum 100km stages.

JoeyJJ

Looks like Dan looses 1 spot in GC

JoeyJJ

Go on Dan!! Surely Uran won't want to let him go.

Itziger

Does S Yates EVER go to the front? Climbing, flat, or downhill??

Great to see the fight back in Dan after last Sunday.

Itziger

Da fuq!

Itziger

Itziger wrote: »

Da fuq!

I was about to say Orica must have been reading here and got on to Yates on the radio :pac:

JoeyJJ

Looks like Yates up with Dan

greendom

A Frenchman wins on Bastille Day - always nice !

JoeyJJ

Dan takes 7/8 out of Uran there

neris

Landas gone fifth where does that leave dan

pelevin

10 seconds for Dan - not big on time but must be a great tonic for the morale & also to be able to sit down with his team later & boost all their faith in him.

Twas kind of a good day for everyone today! - from Barguil to Quintana, Contador, Landa, Aru despite losing Fuglsang can't be disappointed as with others like Bardet & Uran. Most interesting is how Froome feels about the bit of a loose cannon Landa coming more into the picture.

Panrich

neris wrote: »

Landas gone fifth where does that leave dan

6th

Itziger

Wonder what Sky make of the Landa situation. Bit of a potential time bomb ,more than ever, no? Will he try to link up with someone in the Alps and go for the Yellow?

MPFGLB

Dan Martin reminds so much of Stephen Roche...I know alot people wont like me saying that but he has the same tenacity , perseverance, ability to suffer, tactical brain and also even gives out about things like SR...I thought from the first day I say him racing

Except Dan not a great TTer but what a ride today....he kept coming back ...and back and then attacking ...really great racing

Well done that man

Weepsie

Itziger wrote: »

Wonder what Sky make of the Landa situation. Bit of a potential time bomb ,more than ever, no? Will he try to link up with someone in the Alps and go for the Yellow?

Maybe his fellow country man Bertie although it's Basque v Madrid there, will help him in exchange for stage wins.

Landa looked relaxed all day.

ford2600

MPFGLB wrote: »

Dan Martin reminds so much of Stephen Roche...I know alot people wont like me saying that but he has the same tenacity , perseverance, ability to suffer, tactical brain and also even gives out about things like SR...I thought from the first day I say him racing

Except Dan not a great TTer but what a ride today....he kept coming back ...and back and then attacking ...really great racing

Well done that man

http://m.independent.ie/sport/other-sports/cycling-upholding-his-familys-values-29365832.html

Jonathan Vaughters has always thought outside the box when it comes to the business of recruiting for his teams. In the spring of 2007, two Irishmen entered his radar – Nicolas Roche and Daniel Martin. The bloodline was fascinating: Roche (23) was the son of a former world champion and Tour de France winner: Martin (21) was his cousin. For Vaughters, it was an absolute no-brainer – Daniel Martin was destined for greatness. Why? It was in his blood.

This is how he explains it: "Mitochondria, which is the energy factory for the body, is the single biggest genetic factor for determining great endurance athletes. More than heart size, lung size, haematocrit, whatever . . . mitochondrial DNA is only passed via the female.

"If you're a male, you have your mother's mitochondrial DNA, but it ends with you. Your son will not have it. So, Dan Martin has the same mitochondrial DNA as Stephen Roche, via (his mother) Stephen's sister."

pelevin

Brian Smith on analysis seems to be seeing things regarding Sky today as I was - i.e. it didn't make much sense that Landa was riding hard at the front to gain time & at times Froome & Kwiatkowski were pushing hard from behind to close the gap.

Doc07

Dan is one tough Ba?&ard. Great stage.
Hope Contador goes full gas in the Galibier next week and drags Quintana with him to really liven it up.

pelevin

Also to add what was the point in Kwiatkowski dropping out when being close to joining up with Landa, Contador & Quintana & being very likely to win the stage from there? - if that was a decision which is how it appeared. That he'd lead Froome away from his group of big guns was a pretty far-fetched possibility. If they didn't want Quintana for instance to be gaining time back on Froome, then why was Landa working hard right to the finish sacrificing any stage win chance instead of sitting on for the last few km's already having gained plenty time as well as giving himself a chance of the stage & picking up bonus seconds that way?

Like I said much earlier: "Was Froome chasing down Landa & got told knock it off? I think it's up in the air what is really going on regarding Sky, Froome & Landa here"

Leroy42

Its an odd one alright as to why Landa was working at the front right till the end.

However, I think overall Sky now have two top placed GC men, which means the likes of Aru and Uran have to watch both of them. Send Landa up the road, and the other GC guys have to chase him down (with no team to help) and Froome sits in the wheels before dropping them all.

MPFGLB

Froome chasing down Landa rather than making Aru & Bardet do it while up the road Landa working with Contador & Quintana


Maybe SKY are more frightened about Landa than others


P.S. I am not convinced on the mitochondrial DNA thing ...its not been proven plus Vaughters does talk alot of rubbish... Talking of which what a ride by Uran

Leroy42

I don't think Froome was chasing down Landa, although that was an outcome , more he as trying to put time into his rivals in that group.

Coming out of today, Sky had 3 riders in the top groups, what other team had that?

Itziger

Leroy42 wrote: »

I don't think Froome was chasing down Landa, although that was an outcome , more he as trying to put time into his rivals in that group.

Coming out of today, Sky had 3 riders in the top groups, what other team had that?

Quickstep had Brambilla in 50th spot! Second of the team. I know they're set up for Kittel but Jaysus........

pelevin

Leroy42 wrote: »

I don't think Froome was chasing down Landa, although that was an outcome , more he as trying to put time into his rivals in that group.

Coming out of today, Sky had 3 riders in the top groups, what other team had that?

Yes but they had Kwiatkowski presumably told to drop back when Quintana & Barguil were closing in on Landa & Contador. What was the point? That Landa was gaining time was to Sky's advantage. So why didn't Kwiatkoski help Landa gain more time as well as probably winning the stage? The rest were always going to unite to prevent Froome getting away & the amount of gradual descending & flat left, it really was very unlikely.

Brian Smith said he found the way they were riding conflicted & bizarre, & I'd have been very doubtful that Froome would be thinking of anything but a Froome victory rather than a Sky victory in the form of Landa. I think it likely the team as a whole would view things quite similarly also.

Somedude9

It's all about Froome, Landa is just his ace in the hole.

Zzippy

If Landa does attack and take yellow it would be quite reminiscent of Roche-Visentini in the '87 Giro. Be very interesting to see how the Team Sky PR machine would react.

equivariant

That was a cracking bike race to watch. Dan looks very strong - definitely think he could win a grand tour if things went his way i.e. no crashes and decent team around him. I think he has a good chance of a podium this year.