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tombeej

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Everything posted by tombeej

  1. tombeej
    Gap is dropping. 1.5 km to go and it's at 17 seconds now.
  2. tombeej
    I'd be very surprised. Froome only cares about the gap to his rivals on GC. Sagan wants the win. I'd really think that Sky and Tinkoff have already got the understanding they all need to work together for their own objectives.
  3. tombeej
    3.5 km to go. The gap is at 22 seconds.
  4. tombeej
    Gap is out to 24 seconds. The chasing main bunch are giving it everything and they can't close.
  5. tombeej
    Brilliant, brilliant move there. 2 Tinkoff riders, 2 Sky riders. They've got a proper gap now. Sagan and Bodnar just went. Froome and G were wide awake and put in one huge effort to get across just in time to latch onto their wheels. For the folks who aren't watching this live, these 4 guys have managed to get away on their own and the gap is out to 16 seconds. They're working beautifully together. All 4 of them are doing huge 100% turns on the front. Froome is racing like a proper champion. Taking it to his rivals every chance he gets.
  6. tombeej
    Super impressive pull from Spartacus, goes to the front and strings the entire peloton out in 1 line by himself. Wow, big break with Sagan, Froome and G!! Sagan, what a beast!
  7. tombeej
    The whole peloton is together now. They're all just tapping out a rhythm, ticking off the kays. All looking very relaxed. Guys at the back are chatting amongst each other. Time to re-focus for the sprint. [unless someone has other plans....]
  8. tombeej
    Speeds up and then they come back, speeds up then they come back. But the bunch is taking up the whole width of the road, which tells me the upping of the speed is just the front teams making sure they hold their positions in the front (blocking the road for everyone else trying to sneak up from behind).
  9. tombeej
    Ja, I get the sense that the bunch have decided that they've tried and failed to blow this thing up, so starting to think about the sprint now. Only 24 km left to go.
  10. tombeej
    Quick Step riders are dotted about here and there in the bunch - not a tight unit. Looks like they're not racing now, just happy to sit in the middle. Maybe they've decided the conditions aren't suited enough for them (road keeps changing direction, crosswinds not sustained enough to force real echelons). If I see them suddenly grouping together on the front then maybe we'll see something. But right now it looks like it's going to come down to a std sprint finish.
  11. tombeej
    I think anyone without strong teammates today will eventually crack under this pressure. You can't just hold a full-on sprint for 70 km. Not good news for Meintjes
  12. tombeej
    The cameras need to focus on the front - it's a thick group and there will be a serious bun fight in there to hold position.
  13. tombeej
    2nd group nearly back on - about 100m behind now. They're obviously going at max pace - all strung out in 1 line. Commentators saying there's another big crosswind section coming up now now. The tired chasers might get hit just as they've bridged back. 2nd group back on (I'm typing too slowly )
  14. tombeej
    Pinot and Keldermann lost out and are in 2nd group after that split. Much of FDJ are with Pinot in that chase bunch. Quite a few Movistar support riders caught behind, as well as four AG2R riders. Quintana and Bardet won't have much support now in the front group. When they bit big crosswinds again and the Belgian teams blow this thing up, those guys will have the door shut on them pretty smartly.
  15. tombeej
    When you see all blue suddenly on the front you know something is about to happen. Quick Step have climbed into the drivers seat (and claimed 'shotgun' too).
  16. tombeej
    This Dutch site is claiming winds up to 70 km/h. I think that's exaggerating things a bit. Windfinder is saying sustained speeds of around 30 km/h with gusts up to 45 km/h. But look at the arrows - pretty much a cross tailwind all the way down the course (refer to map below). The course is obviously not a perfect straight line. So they'll get crosswinds whenever the road bends north or south. The DS's should have this map on their dashboards - to know when the road is going to change direction & so when their team needs to be on the front at these critical times.
  17. tombeej
    A video from that 2013 TDF stage 13 with Cav, Froome and Mick Rodgers: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h5LJTMBKtTg
  18. tombeej
    Ja, I remember that day so well. Incredible day. But it was the stage where Cav won in the end (I just Googled it to see - it was stage 13), beating Sagan in the end sprint. And it was the day when Valverde 'lost' the TDF due to a puncture at the worst possible moment. Cav was still with Quick Step then, and it was Quick Step who ripped the race apart. Almost the whole team came to the front as if on cue and started hammering. Then Tinkoff (Saxo Bank) took over and did the rest. I remember seeing yellow on the front most of the time with guys like Mick Rodgers and Tosatto just bossing the front while they protected AC. Here's Cav's description of it: "It's incredible to win like that. We talked about it a bit before the stage, we knew the wind was strong but we didn't know it was strong enough to break it. Then Gert (Steegmans) goes and kicked it off. We kept going and then Saxo went later. I'm so happy. The guys rode out of their skin today. It's incredible to be able to win that." "I nearly missed the final split. Kwiatkowski got me half way across and then I shouted to him to move left. I sprinted and just managed to get in the echelon. "When echelons form it’s similar to falling through ice... you've got like 5 seconds to save yourself or it's all over. I sprinted across the gap, then we were gone. We're a Belgian team and we're used to racing in crosswinds."
  19. tombeej
    There's something very unique about a day of crosswinds and echelons. Just seems to be very dramatic, much more of a full-on fight between teams than the one-on-one battles you get in the mountains. Watching the fight to get in (and stay in) the front echelon can be riveting. Flat stage, sure, but edge of the seat stuff. You can almost feel the sense of fear and desperation running through the bunch as riders try and stay inside.
  20. tombeej
    This is not the day to have a mechanical.
  21. tombeej
    Belgi Belgians just looooove the crosswinds! E-QS & Lotto Soudal must be licking their lips today. The front echelon is going to be "invitation only" with some big bouncers at the door. I think Sky will be just fine. With G, Stannard and Rowe in there, the Dawg will be well protected by his own VIP bouncers who will make sure the door to the front echelon stays open. BMC should be ok. Some strong boys in there to protect Porte and Van Garderen. But a different story for Movistar. I'd love to be a fly on the wall in their team bus. Lots of very worried faces and some chewed nails. Big responsibility on Erviti's shoulders today (I reckon he made the TDF team for this specific type of day, so time to step up boet). The French teams will also be worried. They don't have the muscle needed to fight for their positions in the front echelon - they will get worked over good and solid. A very stressful day in store for Bardet, etc.
  22. tombeej
    Yup, big stress for all the GC teams.
  23. tombeej
    I'll be surprised to see Cav in Paris. The Olympics are just 3 weeks away and he's got to get back to the track now. I see him pulling out on the 2nd rest day - because there are still 2, maybe 3 stages he could win this coming week. No reason for him to stay on any longer than that. Actually he might not even make it to the 2nd rest day. He might just pull out after stage 14 on Saturday. Edit: In fact, I'd put money on the fact that we won't see Cav on the start line for stage 15 (Sunday). It's just too brutal.
  24. tombeej
    Textbook tactics from a team who has superiority in numbers. Durbo did a perfect job. Impey played his role perfectly. And Matthews played his role perfectly. Never made any move, just stuck to Sagans wheel and hitched a ride while Sagan had his legs softened up by Impey. Then came out of Sagan's wheel and started his sprint with perfect timing. That's how you do it, Etixx
  25. tombeej
    The climb begins!
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