Tour de France 2013

perhaps he was a little tired from yesterdays pootle to the shops in Ax 3 Domaines on his bike

perhaps he was a little tired from yesterdays trip to the shops in Ax 3 Domaines on his bike

tsk. answer is obvious!

He forgot to put on his Power Balance bracelet of course....

was wondering why Froome who looked strong enough, didn't put the willies into them by attacking himself? Know he's got the jersey and a time advantage, but as Movistar did the obvious and waited till the last climb to try and break him, why wouldn't he go with 2 or 3 km to the top of the last climb knowing its all downhill to the end?

I'd say that he didn't have to, he could have risked not pacing himself properly, and even if he had been strong enough it would have been too much of a show of dominance.

^^ because there is no history of individuals doping outside a team context?
.

And Brailsford and Kerrison know nothing about it? They haven't spotted anything in his performance that they can't explain? Does he sneak off to the toilet a lot at the hotel and stay in there a really long time but when he comes out there's never a smell? Or are they in on it too - deciding to risk the destruction of the team, their reputations and their entire future in sport to allow one rider to dope?

Froome's got some weird Kenyan microbes giving him a natural EPO injection through their fermented shit.

Trust me, I'm a doctor.

^^Seriously doubt it, Froome is not doped. But we'll seen it all before, so in that respect the argument doesn't hold.

was wondering why Froome who looked strong enough, didn't put the willies into them by attacking himself? Know he's got the jersey and a time advantage, but as Movistar did the obvious and waited till the last climb to try and break him, why wouldn't he go with 2 or 3 km to the top of the last climb knowing its all downhill to the end?

Would have been wasted energy, he might have gained up to a minute by the summit, but they would have reeled him in easily on the descent. There were 4 Movistars, 3 Belkins and a couple of Saxos all keen for their respective captains not to lose any more time.

Especially the rider whose stupid maneouvre knocked Kennaugh off in the first place...he seemed to turn around, see Kennaugh sliding off down the bank, and then pedal merrily on. I thought it was a gentleman's sport?

I've just rewatched this, it was definitely his fault, not Kennaugh's. He was undertaking and shoulder barged him. Undertaking nodder cunt!

He looks properly dazed as he climbs out of the buhses (as you would!).

He took his helmet off quickly too, I was watching it thinking 'I hope that's not a head injury'. In which case...

I suppose because there are qualified professionals further back who are supposed to deal with that sort of thing. Kennaugh is not a protected rider and so no teammates waited with him. The team doctor and the team car come later in the cavalcade. Still, you're right that it doesn't look as if they're a peloton of Good Samaritans.

I wonder how long it took, presuming this happened. There should be a fast reaction when this kind of incident happens. I'm a realist, I don't expect the other riders to stop and help. But there should be others who can.

No idea. I just thought it was strange that the whole team, except for Froome, was so knackered. I don't think I've seen that before. I didn't watch yesterday's stage, and even if I had done I wouldn't have been able to tell how exhausting the work was that they did. Sky have their own chef, don't they? I admit it's unlikely, but they wouldn't broadcast it much if they had a stomach bug. Then again, perhaps the other teams had heard something. And why did Kiriyenka, who is normally so strong, not make the time cut? Anyway, just speculating.

Sky were worried by the questions about doping yesterday after Froome's win, so ordered everyone else in the team to slow down a bit today so it looks less systematic. They don't want everyone to realise they are doping.

Just speculating :)

I just finished watching the recording of today's race and I find myself impressed with Froome for being able to hang on at the front.

It's a cracking TDF so far I think, I may have to nip over to France somehow or other before the end.

was wondering why Froome who looked strong enough, didn't put the willies into them by attacking himself? Know he's got the jersey and a time advantage, but as Movistar did the obvious and waited till the last climb to try and break him, why wouldn't he go with 2 or 3 km to the top of the last climb knowing its all downhill to the end?

I think he could have easily cooked himself.
I'm not sure how many more attack/attack/attacks he could have held off, which is why Valverde's complacency was so infuriating - today was the day to crack Froome and they let him off.

Or maybe, he is just that much better than anyone else out there, that no team/group of riders can break him.

Quintana is my new fave after this weekend and I'll be sure to watch him much more closely from now on.

I'd like a french win by the end of the week. Please Thibaut!

no disrepect to Peter Kennaugh, but seems a bit of jingoism at play in the coverage I've seen, as Vasili Kiryienka didn't seem to get props for what seemed to be a monster turn on the front yesterday & apparently suffered today as a result

More like the last man getting the glory, I'm sure if another rider (regardless of nationality) had done the final big pull before the decisive attack, he'd be getting the coverage that Kenyak is getting.

And Brailsford and Kerrison know nothing about it? They haven't spotted anything in his performance that they can't explain? Does he sneak off to the toilet a lot at the hotel and stay in there a really long time but when he comes out there's never a smell? Or are they in on it too - deciding to risk the destruction of the team, their reputations and their entire future in sport to allow one rider to dope?

;)

I don't think doping for GTs in 2013 involves large transfusions, or big hits of EPO administered in winnebagos! Sadly there are more subtle ways to prepare than ever before.

...wrong thread though.

Nice to see team Belkin having a good day.

was wondering why Froome who looked strong enough, didn't put the willies into them by attacking himself? Know he's got the jersey and a time advantage, but as Movistar did the obvious and waited till the last climb to try and break him, why wouldn't he go with 2 or 3 km to the top of the last climb knowing its all downhill to the end?

Were you really wondering that? The fact is, he doesn't need to.

no disrepect to Peter Kennaugh, but seems a bit of jingoism at play in the coverage I've seen, as Vasili Kiryienka didn't seem to get props for what seemed to be a monster turn on the front yesterday & apparently suffered today as a result

this. Kiriyenka did a huge turn yesterday, full gas to set it up and it seems like he just had a bad day today like porte and others.

As for Movistar, well played guys, but for the love of fuck dump that risk averse, conservative, cojones lacking twat Valverde and throw your resources behind Quintana. All that work today and did Alejandro ever put his nose in the wind? You've got your foot on the throat of the yellow jersey, one concerted push and he's done and what do you do? Follow the wheels. You lily livered twat.

hmm maybe but everyone looked pretty strung out on that final climb. Valverde set it all up by attacking hard and well early on and it seemed that it was too much effort to spend to attack Froome with 30kms (admittedly downhill) to go when he was looking more comfortable than most, had no problem covering Quintana's attacks and especially when they all have an eye on the TTs coming up in the week...

OGE just went and did it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fAl1-mBhFpU

Laurens Ten Dam's Strava data of yesterday's stage. Ouch.

http://app.strava.com/activities/65474349

^^ Someone needs to teach them the difference between the Hawaiin greeting and devil horns.

I was asking why Froome didn't attack not so much as in wanting to succeed in the break, more so to sow some doubt into the minds of those attacking him, a bit of psychological warfare.

I was hugely entertained by this stage and the back and forth and the implosion of team sky leaving Froome out on the road by himself, with adversaries all around, and he looked after himself admirably.

Apart from having good days in the saddle and being tactically astute, it seems to me that winning Tours requires the ability to fake feeling good/bad and also throw a spanner into the works of what your opponents might do, which an attack, whether it was caught or not would have done..

What about gene therapy?

Is science at a point where they could be having enhancements to endurance and oxygen uptake manipulated this way, and if so, is it doping in the same manner that deliberately sleeping at altitude to provoke natural EPO production is allowed?

WADA have rules against gene doping. They don't have any constraints for altitude training.

I think it depends on your definition of cheating.

For example, Tiger Woods has had laser eye surgery to improve his vision to 20/15.

That's BETTER than it's possible to be born with naturally so, in a game where depth perception is so important, is that cheating?

Yes.

So is fucking a load of prostitutes across the country while your wife is at home..

Especially the rider whose stupid maneouvre knocked Kennaugh off in the first place...he seemed to turn around, see Kennaugh sliding off down the bank, and then pedal merrily on. I thought it was a gentleman's sport?

LOLz

hums Another One Bites the Dust

Maybe they think Valverde is the better overall rider? Maybe Quintana can only do what he does (in his first TdF IIRC) because he is under no pressure not to lose time in the GC?

Also Valverde has had 2 mountain stages - one where he was beaten by Sky, the second where he has taken himself up to second. FFS, there's plenty of time for him to try to get the time back on Froome, he didn't need to do it today, after th first day he has done a decent job in the second. Besides, for all we know Froome is going to crash and all Valverde needs to do is defend to win the TdF, no need to give it everything on the second day in the mountains. If anything it is more surprising that sky took such an early decision to establish a lead.

Will Froome be as isolated again in this race? I doubt it. You have to strike when you have the opportunity, not play a waiting game in the off chance another situation arises. Which also explains why Sky struck on Saturday, they saw the opportunity and took it.

Contrast Valverde yesterday with Sagan on Friday. The latter's team worked their nuts off to eliminate his green jersey rivals and he knew the only way he could reward their hard work was to win the stage. All Movistar did yesterday was eliminate Porte from the GC, which might have happened later in the race anyway as a team going 1-2 in the Tour is rare.

He did what he could, but every time Froome brought him back, Valverde should've tried. Froome couldn't chase them both, repeatedly.

I couldn't understand either. It's the very basics of racing mob handed.

Unless, and this is more likely, Valverde was/is just on the fucking limit..

hmm maybe but everyone looked pretty strung out on that final climb. Valverde set it all up by attacking hard and well early on and it seemed that it was too much effort to spend to attack Froome with 30kms (admittedly downhill) to go when he was looking more comfortable than most, had no problem covering Quintana's attacks and especially when they all have an eye on the TTs coming up in the week...

The early action took its toll for sure, but the group was 20 strong for most of the climb with a lot of domestiques (Sky excepted) still there, so the pace can have been that tough.