The Official 98th Tour de France, thread, 2011.

[1066familyman]

Good point, they could almost blow Contador away early doors here as it's true that he does look weak at the mo. Maybe the new look Evans will give it a real go but almost certainly AS will be cautious as ever.

 

[Pantani]

That was the point I made in post 1.
I've not been convinced by Bert going up hill, this week, and at no point has AS put a wheel in front of AC.

That's twice now Evans has gone and AC has had nothing.
Sure you can argue he doesn't have to, just manage the seconds.
But if AC was pressured more esp after his big loss he might not be the man they think he is, esp after that tough Giro.

Very much this. I feel if Andy attacked today he could have put time in to Contador but he didn't and maybe never will. His DS needs to tell him when to attack which will always be his downfall.

 

[1066familyman]

Pantani, I know you think AS is tactically inept. So, aside from just picking the wrong moments when he finally does decide to attack, do you think it's just a big fear factor for him that if he attacks too early and fails he won't have enough left to stay with Contador when it matters? Almost as though AS is mentally weak, confidence wise. Although I did hear Phil saying the other day that their new team name was chosen as a reference to a tank as they feel they can just steamroller all the opposition

 

[1066familyman]

Rather fetching team colours going on there.

 

[Pantani]

I feel he is too afraid of failure. He knows he can finish second by following Contador and he doesn't dare to risk second place for the chance of winning it all. It probably doesn't help that when he did attack last year (incidently that attack was also too late on that particular climb) he lost his chain and lost the 30 seconds that effectively cost him the Tour. So I do agree with you that it is a confidence thing and I wonder if it all comes down to his (relative) lack of bike handling skills.

 

[1066familyman]

Yep, 'chaingate' certainly won't have done him any favours psychologically. Real shame... I'd love to see him put it out there in a shit or bust type Tour one of these days, but I suppose he'll never be that kind of rider.

 

[Stat Brother]

But he never will win it if he doesn't try.
For me it's not about the time, lets face it, if Evans did what he did today and stage 1, he wouldn't gain 30secs over the entire tour.

But if a similar thing happens tomorrow, and what reason do we have to think it won't.
Evans goes into the rest day having beaten AC 3 times in man v man racing.
Whereas AS at the same time knows he hasn't/can't beat him, racing or TT, so AS will always the the place behind AC, Q.E.D.

 

[Pantani]

Back to Sky's woes, I noticed today that Thomas and Uran managed to finish in the lead group. They seem to have the legs to stay up there even on the hillier stages, such a shame they had to lose so much time yesterday.

 

[Pantani]

I'm gonna tip Voeckler again, and will probably keep doing so until he wins, seeing as he will keep trying until he does that seems fair enough. Other than that one of the Sky boys, probably Thomas today.

 

[Stoichkov]

.
I've not been convinced by Bert going up hill

Nor me, he looks very poor although - a bit of me thinks he might just be sand bagging until the proper mountains start?

His 'attack' yesterday was decidedly half-hearted. I'd have thought if hw really was in poor shape, he wouldn't have bothered at all.

The pace was never that high - Thor finished in the group and Gilbert escaped for second - a proper mountain stage will see them blown away.

The race proper starts in the Pyrenees and, unless Contador puts 3mins into everyone on the first big climb, this could be a great race. Its already 'alright'!

 

[Woodchip]

My predictions have been wrong all tour so far. So to carry on that trend I'm going to go with Juan Antonio Flecha winning todays. I think Sky are going to try to prove that they can survive without Bradley.

 

[Tyrone Biggums]

Absolute carnage then on that turn.

Vino looks like he's been thrown down an embankment and is out of the tour. As is Zabriske.

Van Den Broeck out of the tour too, this is disastrous.

 

[Stat Brother]

I just missed that, was it really that bad?

 

[Woodchip]

I'm about to watch it on ITV4+1, SB.

 

[black & white seagull]

Reporting on Twitter that Vino has a fractured pelvis, Willems a fractured collarbone, Zabriskie a fractured wrist and Van Den Broek a fractured shoulder blade.

 

[Stat Brother]

Holy shit!

 

[Stat Brother]

What the f*** was that all about, someone is going to get such a shoeing from the Sky boys

 

[Stoichkov]

Jeez, this is mental.

 

[black & white seagull]

Jesus Christ, what kind of nightmare is this?! Hoogerland seems worse off, despite Flecha having been the one hit by the car. Reckon the driver is on his way home already...

 

[black & white seagull]

And what about this? It would appear that Karpets pushed Contador off his bike earlier...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UKuJCGV8m-w