Le Tour 2018 stage 11: Albertville > La Rosière 108,5 km

dastardly00

Has the grupetto finished yet? :eek:

Hurrache

I've practically bailed on my first tour for decades, apart from Sunday's stage. From reading Twitter and here it seems like it was another 'unbelievable' day?

https://twitter.com/letourdata/status/1019613992799604736?s=19

Eamonnator

If the rules are strictly applied, I think Cavendish and others will be outside the time limit and thus eliminated from the race.

dastardly00

Eamonnator wrote: »

If the rules are strictly applied, I think Cavendish and others will be outside the time limit and thus eliminated from the race.

Cav, Kittel, Zabel and Renshaw

Eamonnator

Hurrache wrote: »

I've practically bailed on my first tour for decades, apart from Sunday's stage. From reading Twitter and here it seems like it was another 'unbelievable' day?

Yes, Dan Martin, all things considered, rode unbelievably well.

Lumen

Hurrache wrote: »

I've practically bailed on my first tour for decades, apart from Sunday's stage. From reading Twitter and here it seems like it was another 'unbelievable' day?

https://twitter.com/letourdata/status/1019613992799604736?s=19

Like this one six days ago?

https://twitter.com/letourdata/status/1017440578626351106

Hurrache

Or like when he took the record on the Colombiere yesterday, he's having a cracker.

Lusk_Doyle

2smiggy wrote: »

Zero questions being asked by Carlton Kirby. Froome and Thomas could rock up to the start line with syringes stuck in their legs and i'd imagine that would be ignored :pac:

That's not his job.

Sprinter Sacre

2smiggy wrote: »

Zero questions being asked by Carlton Kirby. Froome and Thomas could rock up to the start line with syringes stuck in their legs and i'd imagine that would be ignored :pac:

He was too busy jizzing his pants over the thoughts of "Gee Whizz" winning to question anything. The man absolutely embarrassed himself to new levels today. Nothing new there though, another absolute shill.

Lumen

There's a dedicated thread for Carlton moaning.

fishfoodie

Lumen wrote: »

There's a dedicated thread for Carlton moaning.

With the way things are looking; I think we need to add an extension with a Southern view, & patio

buffalo

Lumen wrote: »

Like this one six days ago?

https://twitter.com/letourdata/status/1017440578626351106

Clearly you're a closeted Froome fanboy.

mloc123

Lumen wrote: »

Like this one six days ago?

https://twitter.com/letourdata/status/1017440578626351106

Only Sky/British riders are under suspicion don't you know, no Irish riders would be up to any of that messing.. :rolleyes:

Edit: I really dislike Froome/Sky... nobody believes the marginal gains BS. But you cannot be skeptical of one team/rider and blindly cheer on another who matches their performance just because they race under an Irish flag.

Eamonnator

Mark Cavendish finished today's stage over an hour down on the winner.

retalivity

Eamonnator wrote: »

Mark Cavendish finished today's stage over an hour down on the winner.

Him kittel and renshaw all excluded. Zabel finished 4secs outside and sprinted for the line, so was let back in

mloc123

Bound to shed a bunch more tomorrow also.. todays cut-off had been slightly extended also.

Boscoirl

Eamonnator wrote: »

Mark Cavendish finished today's stage over an hour down on the winner.

Wow

Doc07

Eamonnator wrote: »

Yes, Dan Martin, all things considered, rode unbelievably well.

Exactly , surely there is room for a little perspective on Sky’s ‘unbelievable’ day.
A recently injured Dan was 27 s down in Thomas having the best day of his life and only 7s down on Froome.
I’m as cynical as they come but hardly a smoking gun for doping from anybody there today IMO.

neris

https://twitter.com/procycletrumps/status/1019665334196948992

Boscoirl

Did Cav drag renshaw down with him?

Would be sickening to go out that way

Pa8301

I've been very disappointed in Bardet this tour. I don't think he has the right mentality. If he had the same attacking instincts as Dan I think he would be a serious rival to Froome but he never seems to attack in time.

equivariant

Don't know where all the sky bashing coming from based on today's stage. It was a prettyexciting and competitive mountain stage that finished with fairly unremarkable time gaps between the gc contenders.

Macy0161

Thomas has a more believable trajectory than Froome. It's hardly out of the blue, given his performances the last few years in week long stage races.

That was as much a tactical feck up by Quintana, Nibali, Bardet et al as it was an "unbelievable" performance by sky.

I'd consider myself a sky skeptic, but basing doping purely on results, and ignoring how it played out is ridiculous. Sky played it right tactically, even down to Thomas sitting on Tommy D, and then jumping in the final.

check_six

I wonder why Froome didn't see fit to use his out of control washing machine cadence in the crucial phases at the end of that stage?

equivariant

check_six wrote: »

I wonder why Froome didn't see fit to use his out of control washing machine cadence in the crucial phases at the end of that stage?

He did a couple of times when he attacked which is normal for him.

sy

Tom Dumoulin was the star today..Thomas made 2 big efforts after sitting in the bunch all day. Dan was impressive again. Reading "Slaying the Badger" at the moment ..hmmm.. tomorrow could be a repeat of that 1986 Tour. It will be interesting. Quintana Nibali and Bardet looked clueless when Thomas made his move...... It was so obvious that either he or Froome were going to attack...maybe they just didn't have the legs. Landa has been disappointing and Valverdi is showing his age. Game over. Froome to launch his big one tomorrow with about 6/7kms to go . I wonder will Thomas chase him ? Any suggestions for the title of the book ? ...

Sprinter Sacre

check_six wrote: »

I wonder why Froome didn't see fit to use his out of control washing machine cadence in the crucial phases at the end of that stage?

I'd imagine Thomas feels pretty pissed off with how circumstances have changed and that Froome is basically saying "**** you all I'm going full retard and winning all 3 GTs in a year" so he's giving Thomas his moment of glory now by giving him yellow and a maybe help him win a stage or two before Froome will go washing machine on one stage and grind out an advantage to hold yellow until Paris.

Froome looked like a bomb waiting to explode today and he clearly held himself back.

Quintana looked awful, as did Bardet, definitely two off peak. Nibali was poor as expected and Landa was shocking. Primoz Roglic is another who'd make you raise your eyebrows at and looked decent today.

Lusk_Doyle

equivariant wrote: »

Don't know where all the sky bashing coming from based on today's stage. It was a prettyexciting and competitive mountain stage that finished with fairly unremarkable time gaps between the gc contenders.

Let's not also forget that it was only 108.5k long too.

equivariant

sy wrote: »

Tom Dumoulin was the star today..Thomas made 2 big efforts after sitting in the bunch all day. Dan was impressive again. Reading "Slaying the Badger" at the moment ..hmmm.. tomorrow could be a repeat of that 1986 Tour. It will be interesting. Quintana Nibali and Bardet looked clueless when Thomas made his move...... It was so obvious that either he or Froome were going to attack...maybe they just didn't have the legs. Landa has been disappointing and Valverdi is showing his age. Game over. Froome to launch his big one tomorrow with about 6/7kms to go . I wonder will Thomas chase him ? Any suggestions for the title of the book ? ...

Not sure that Froome would be allowed to attack Thomas given that Dumolin is third in GC less than 20s behind Froome. If Froome attacks and Dumoulin goes with him then Sky could be shooting themselves in the foot. Dumoulin looked very strong today.

I can't see Froome being allowed to attack the yellow jersey in his own team.

Diarmuid

irishrover99 wrote: »

You must be the only one

Nope. I'm enjoying Thomas make the most of his opportunity. He's a classy rider, with some serious pedigree, I would love to see him win the Tour

Tomorrow should be interesting