Le Tour de Pharmaceutical 2014

beamer wrote:Sky lose another man from their team today... presumably just going for breakaway stage wins now anyway. Contador also a team-mate down. Who does he have in the mountains, and will it matter? Nibali at least has the support of Fuglsang, dubbed the "third Schleck brother" a few years back. Seems to me they overplay that sort of thing a bit and the strongest climber generally wins anyway, although a strong team to control things makes it easier as we saw with US Doping Service in the past.

Often true beams, but not guaranteed - Brad Wiggins is by no means the best climber, and he won, as we know. However, that brings your qualifier into play - in Chris Froome he had an excellent climber to drag him up the slopes, and Richie Porte isn't the worst either, as demonstrated last year as Froomes lieutenant.

I wouldn't discount more retirements either - the last two days have been bloody brutal with bad weather making roads treacherous. So many riders have come off, a secomd crash means damage on top of damage, and sore bruises, elbows, wrists and knees taking a second or third clattering will take a toll on almost anyone.

Possible winner ? For me, way too early to call - but Nibali has a fair chance - he's a good all-round cyclist, and significantly, he's not had the battering from crashes that some of his rivals have, that lack of soreness may be worth another minute or two by the beginning of next week.

Yeah, too early to say but still expecting Contador to take the race. He's not been much worse than his 2009 levels this season.

Germany's André Greipel claimed stage 6 in Reims as his compatriot Marcel Kittel was let down by a mechanical in the last two kilometers. Vincenzo Nibali retained the lead on another rain soaked day. No real movement in the GC.
Riders will be looking for some dry weather today.

Go Ritchie. Rough chance. I'm wondering if Cadel Evans is regretting staying out of this one yet.

I don't think it was Cadel's choice.

probably not; he may not be the only unhappy one now, there's lots of climbing this year and the treacherous surfaces (so far) might have suited an ex mountain biker

twas his choice to ride the Giro. Given how he did there, he would've had no chance here.

aye, probably just too old. Does the Giro have the same emphasis on climbing? - I've never watched it.

Yeah, the Giro has had even more climbing than the Tour in the past few years (should remain so till a top Italian sprinter arrives). Wet and treacherous stages are not uncommon. Evans is pretty much the best at avoiding trouble on such stages, but he's past his peak as a climber or time trialist.

OK, thanks. I wondered if the Giro might have been a more sprinty thing.

Talansky has a sook at Gerrans.

First serious climbing section today.

Wow Tinkoff are strong. Still think the final week should be a bit too much for some of them. Porte looked good though.

Meanwhile, Kennaugh has won the tour of Austria.

Richie Porte, local lad, moving up the GC.

A short but very bumpy stage tonight.



Good ride by Porte to move to third in the GC.

1 Vincenzo Nibali (ITA) Astana 33hr 48min 52sec    
2 Jakob Fuglsang (DEN) Astana 0:01:44    
3 Richie Porte (AUS) Sky 0:01:58    
4 Michal Kwiatkowski (POL) Omega Pharma-QuickStep 0:02:26    
5 Alejandro Valverde (ESP) Movistar 0:02:27    
6 Alberto Contador (ESP) Tinkoff-Saxo 0:02:34    
7 Romain Bardet (FRA) AG2R 0:02:39    
8 Rui Costa (POR) Lampre-Merida 0:02:52    
9 Bauke Mollema (NED) Belkin 0:03:02    
10 Jurgen Van Den Broeck (BEL) Lotto-Belisol

A 40km downhill finish. Awesome. Let's see who has the biggest cojones.

JGK wrote:A 40km downhill finish.   Awesome.  Let's see who has the biggest cojones.

Aye. Col Amic might have its name changed to Col Onic   

A major reshuffle of the GC after last night with a sprinter in Tony Martin out climbing the climbers. Nibali gave up the Yellow to save himself for the 10th stage which allowed the unheralded Tony Gallopin to podium. Porte slips to 5th & Contador is now 4.08 off the lead. Another big climbing stage today & we hav'nt even reached the Pyrenees yet.

Going to be brutal tonight.

Also, wouldn't we have normally had a TT by Stage 10?

Not all the time. When Schleck and Contador were the contenders, the TT used to be on the second last stage, as with this year.

JGK wrote:Going to be brutal tonight.

Also, wouldn't we have normally had a TT by Stage  10?

Only one individual TT and no team TT this year.

tricycle wrote:Not all the time. When Schleck and Contador were the contenders, the TT used to be on the second last stage, as with this year.

Lemond's first win was sealed by a TT on the final day.

In recent years we've had 2 TTs haven't we?

JGK wrote:In recent years we've had 2 TTs haven't we?

Normally, and a Prologue.

taipan wrote:

tricycle wrote:Not all the time. When Schleck and Contador were the contenders, the TT used to be on the second last stage, as with this year.

Lemond's first win was sealed by a TT on the final day.

Don't you mean his last one? The 89 tour with Fignon, as opposed to Hinault.