2012 Vuelta a España - Tour of Spain

Has Froome had media training since the Tour? He's coming across as amazingly gracious and considered compared to a few months ago.

Looking at the Cound's twatter feed, she's clearly not - claiming Wiggins never thanked Froome or the Sky staff for their work at TdF, stoking claims that the team's imploding, generally being a dick.

Obviously the main news from today is the Greenedge Call Me Maybe video. Which is awesome.

wow

Call Me Maybe - ORICA-GreenEDGE Pro Cycling Team - YouTube

Mega lolz

Seems appropriate for an Australian team to make the second best call me maybe spoof video.

Podium shot is clearly faked, I can see the pixels.

No, an Australian actually won a bike race. Trufax

Once

GreenEDGE slang for a GT is a "grandy" and I approve of this.

On the other hand, there are 3 riders actually racing with attacks and counterattacks on over 20% gradients that every single other rider is grovelling on. Really?

after vockler's slow stage win in the tour this year last nights finish was also a very slow one
the stage winners face on the last 500m was a sight to behold and the pace at which he did it was amazeballs
seeing contador only just manage to keep his pedals turning on the steep corners showed just what a challenge that stage was yesterday
rest day today and one more big mountain stage to come on thurs / fri ?

i really hope contador doesn't win

contador was attacking and only increasing his speed to 9.5kph. mental

loved thwe comments at the then end of ther highlights package

every time contador attacks he loses time !

^^ i wish i could manage 9.5kmph on the flat !

The finish was a bit stupid in my opinion. It just becomes painful to watch when they are zig zagging along at 6 km/h.

The finish was a bit stupid in my opinion. It just becomes painful to watch when they are zig zagging along at 6 km/h.

This. 23% for 4k at the end of the 20k climb, at the end of the queen stage after two other stages in the high mountains seems almost cruel. Froome said at one point he thought we was going to have to get off and walk over the line. The only riders that looked ok were Contador and Rodriguez

It's safe and suitable for road bikes (even if that means a 34x28t). Whether the racers like it is another matter.

They're lucky it got paved!

Riders today don't know they're born etc

The finish was a bit stupid in my opinion. It just becomes painful to watch when they are zig zagging along at 6 km/h.

You have to be joking right, that was one of the best stages ive seen for a long time.

Its amazing to see how quickly the riders seem to recover from something like that. It looks like they sit down for a few minutes, have a drink, catch their breath then its back on the bike to ride to the bus for a warm down.

This. 23% for 4k at the end of the 20k climb, at the end of the queen stage after two other stages in the high mountains seems almost cruel. Froome said at one point he thought we was going to have to get off and walk over the line. The only riders that looked ok were Contador and Rodriguez

would walking have been quicker ?
it would have been ace to see contador dismount and 'slain it the last 1km

I hear the Giro is considering this for next year!

http://www.climbbybike.com/climb.asp?Col=Scanuppia---Malga-Palazzo&qryMountainID=3597

12th most difficult climb in the whole world
where does swains come on that list ?

inner ring as ever nails it with this piece on steep climbs:

http://inrng.com/2012/05/mountain-climbing-gradient/

"yet these steep ramps can strip away variable factors meaning a more predictable race. The climb is reduced to a test of power-to-weight ratios."

inner ring as ever nails it with this piece on steep climbs:

http://inrng.com/2012/05/mountain-climbing-gradient/

"yet these steep ramps can strip away variable factors meaning a more predictable race. The climb is reduced to a test of power-to-weight ratios."

the most fearsome climb is a replica of sterile laboratory
Just like a lab. Right down to the white coats and clipboards.

It's the article that's sterile though...

What it adds to the GC racing is debatable but you cannot deny that running a strip of tarmac up a ski run made for a hell of a spectacle.

I hear the Giro is considering this for next year!

http://www.climbbybike.com/climb.asp?Col=Scanuppia---Malga-Palazzo&qryMountainID=3597

Scannupia. They will be walking.

Some pretty decent pics of insane stage 16 including Terpstra walking his bike over the line..

http://www.teamsky.com/gallery/0,27401,26885_8050104,00.html#photo=23