2018 PRO thread

Questions about bike hire abroad and everything light bike related. No off-topic chat please

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KB
Posts: 3967
Joined: Mon Jan 12, 2004 12:32 pm
Location: HULL UK

by KB

maquisard wrote:
Thu Jul 19, 2018 10:40 pm
I think it might end up being more complex than that however. Froome is clearly fatigued, he couldn't make his attack stick and he didn't have a sprint at the end of the stage. On the other hand Froome is a proven three week GT racer but Thomas isn't and could have jour sans any day of the race.

The final ascent to Mende will be an interestng test before Pyrenees.
I also think that Froome looked fatigued today. He usually makes those attacks stick. But it also presents another problem in that Thomas appears to be lacking in assertiveness, whereas Froome, judging by the way he has ridden, still considers himself to be the boss. It's not normal to attack when your team mate's in yellow, which is not the done thing IMO. Why not wait until Thomas has a jour sans. Maybe he won't. Or maybe Froome will have a bad day as well after his Giro exertions.

The one who appears to have his head wired is Dumoulin. I've been very impressed with him in the Alps.

The road to Mende could be very interesting, especially if it's the same scenario as the stage there in 1995 when Jalabert won and put Indurain under huge pressure.

by Weenie


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wingguy
Posts: 4318
Joined: Thu Mar 08, 2012 11:43 pm

by wingguy

Snabb wrote:
Thu Jul 19, 2018 11:46 pm
G was a second tier classics rider who became world beating climber at the age of 32. You must eat fish and chips and have bad teeth to believe in that story.
So, you are saying you don't watch any pro cycling then? Since G left the Track behind after London Olympics he's been a model of continuous progression (apart from learning how to stay upright).

No one believes he suddenly became a top climber at 32 because he didn't suddenly become a top climber at 32.

Multebear
Posts: 1395
Joined: Sat May 02, 2015 10:11 pm

by Multebear

SKY's tactics on the AdH stage today made perfect sense. G's lead is so big, that he doesnt have to be concerned about TD at the moment. But Froome needs to worry about TD, since the gap between them is small. And if Thomas wont be able to stay in the race/keep his lead, Froome needs to have a bigger margin to TD.

Regarding the SKY leader role. I'm pretty sure nothing has changed yet. Why should they even consider making G the leader now? They are place 1st and 2nd, they only have to worry about getting a big enough margin for both of them to win. If G stays in the race and keeps his lead, I'm pretty sure SKY will let him win. First of all because faking a problem for G at the end of a race is too big of a risk if not Froome has a comfortable lead over TD, and second of all because it's un sportsman like, and the UCI rule book says you have to race for it, you can't give the victory to someone else. But most importantly SKY is a TEAM. They probably don't care who wins, as long it's one from the team. And they don't get caught up in details like CF not getting his 5th tour win this year. The team win is the most important thing.

bilwit
Posts: 1526
Joined: Sun Apr 03, 2016 5:49 am
Location: Seattle, WA

by bilwit

KB wrote:
Thu Jul 19, 2018 11:48 pm
maquisard wrote:
Thu Jul 19, 2018 10:40 pm
I think it might end up being more complex than that however. Froome is clearly fatigued, he couldn't make his attack stick and he didn't have a sprint at the end of the stage. On the other hand Froome is a proven three week GT racer but Thomas isn't and could have jour sans any day of the race.

The final ascent to Mende will be an interestng test before Pyrenees.
I also think that Froome looked fatigued today. He usually makes those attacks stick. But it also presents another problem in that Thomas appears to be lacking in assertiveness, whereas Froome, judging by the way he has ridden, still considers himself to be the boss. It's not normal to attack when your team mate's in yellow, which is not the done thing IMO. Why not wait until Thomas has a jour sans. Maybe he won't. Or maybe Froome will have a bad day as well after his Giro exertions.

The one who appears to have his head wired is Dumoulin. I've been very impressed with him in the Alps.

The road to Mende could be very interesting, especially if it's the same scenario as the stage there in 1995 when Jalabert won and put Indurain under huge pressure.
They've already set Thomas up to fail and he has (mistakenly) accepted it. He and the DS both admitted that the plan was for him to pull Froome and then launch Froome and not follow. Luckily it worked out for Thomas with Dumoulin pulling him to the finishing sprint. If none of the rivals could follow then he would have willingly let Froome take time/the jersey from him.
Snabb wrote:
Thu Jul 19, 2018 11:46 pm
Suddenly in his late 20s he got asthma and discovered he hade a blood disease all his life and he actually was a multiple GT winner
:lol: he is truly a once in a lifetime unbelievable talent :wink: :wink:

Multebear
Posts: 1395
Joined: Sat May 02, 2015 10:11 pm

by Multebear

nathanong87 wrote:
Thu Jul 19, 2018 12:33 pm
i like G, despite all the crashes, i think he interviews well and good personality. I hate his oakleys though haha
This.

Those ugly Jawbones have become his trademark and makes him easy to recocnize in the sky train. But please, just pick another of the countless cool Oaklay shades. Even the Flight Jacket would look better.

bilwit
Posts: 1526
Joined: Sun Apr 03, 2016 5:49 am
Location: Seattle, WA

by bilwit

Multebear wrote:
Fri Jul 20, 2018 12:35 am
nathanong87 wrote:
Thu Jul 19, 2018 12:33 pm
i like G, despite all the crashes, i think he interviews well and good personality. I hate his oakleys though haha
This.

Those ugly Jawbones have become his trademark and makes him easy to recocnize in the sky train. But please, just pick another of the countless cool Oaklay shades. Even the Flight Jacket would look better.
no way the jawbones are super cool and unique (dare I say "old school" ?) at this point. The new Flight/Field Jackets are horrible. Froome used to do the all-white-jawbones in 2012 too 8)

KWalker
Posts: 5722
Joined: Mon Dec 28, 2009 8:30 pm
Location: Bay Area

by KWalker

Wow, Phinney is still both:
1. A pro
2. Riding the Tour
Don't take me too seriously. The only person that doesn't hate Froome.
Gramz
Failed Custom Bike

KWalker
Posts: 5722
Joined: Mon Dec 28, 2009 8:30 pm
Location: Bay Area

by KWalker

Snabb wrote:
Thu Jul 19, 2018 11:46 pm
guyc wrote:
Wed Jul 18, 2018 10:31 pm
And since when were G and Froome not amongst the world’s best climbers?

Is it 1999 since you watched any racing?
They are donkeys that became race horses. First Wiggins who was a late 20 something second tier TT type guy who suddenly became a world class climber. Then Froome who wasn`t even cutting it as a domestique and got thrown out of the Giro for cheating. Suddenly in his late 20s he got asthma and discovered he hade a blood disease all his life and he actually was a multiple GT winner. Froome before Vuelta 2011 was a bum and G was a second tier classics rider who became world beating climber at the age of 32. You must eat fish and chips and have bad teeth to believe in that story.

I want to believe goddamit u wankers!
Hmm, Wiggins had multiple track and olympic medals before targeting GC, but sure, guess he was only second tier?
Don't take me too seriously. The only person that doesn't hate Froome.
Gramz
Failed Custom Bike

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tymon_tm
Posts: 3665
Joined: Tue Sep 05, 2006 4:35 pm

by tymon_tm

the issue is - most successfull cyclists have a record of wins going back to their junior years. SKY's leaders don't (and although Wiggins was a superior athlete, track is not road racing). in a discipline where consistency allows improvement over the years, seeing a dude transforming from mediocre to unbelievable over a season or two is - what? amazing? suspicious? in my book it's disturbing and symptomatic - perhaps not a direct proof, but a clear sign of fraudulent practices.
kkibbler wrote: WW remembers.

glam2deaf
Posts: 712
Joined: Mon Apr 27, 2015 4:36 am

by glam2deaf

Snabb wrote:
Thu Jul 19, 2018 11:46 pm
discovered he hade a blood disease all his life
working out you've had this disese all your life, then learning how to manage it should make a pretty big improvement on performance. Just sayin'...

spdntrxi
Posts: 5791
Joined: Sat Jul 20, 2013 6:11 pm

by spdntrxi

glam2deaf wrote:
Fri Jul 20, 2018 2:11 am
Snabb wrote:
Thu Jul 19, 2018 11:46 pm
discovered he hade a blood disease all his life
working out you've had this disese all your life, then learning how to manage it should make a pretty big improvement on performance. Just sayin'...

yeah I'm still searching for mine.
2024 BMC TeamMachine R Building
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AJS914
Posts: 5397
Joined: Tue Jan 28, 2014 6:52 pm

by AJS914

Sky takes a guy like Froome with a high VO2 max, trains them and puts them on the get skinny program (with whatever drugs that might entail). It's all about power to weight ratio. They did the same thing with Wiggins but he wasn't a good team player.

glam2deaf
Posts: 712
Joined: Mon Apr 27, 2015 4:36 am

by glam2deaf

spdntrxi wrote:
Fri Jul 20, 2018 2:49 am
glam2deaf wrote:
Fri Jul 20, 2018 2:11 am
Snabb wrote:
Thu Jul 19, 2018 11:46 pm
discovered he hade a blood disease all his life
working out you've had this disese all your life, then learning how to manage it should make a pretty big improvement on performance. Just sayin'...

yeah I'm still searching for mine.
Hoping to find mine one day.

Wookski
Posts: 1416
Joined: Tue Feb 23, 2016 5:51 am

by Wookski

Looking at the backgrounds of the other WT teams, riders and staff it’s pretty clear that Sky is one of, if not the cleanest team in the sport :lol: Jiffy bags, TUEs and ventolin are nothing compared to what the others have been up to for decades.

The hypocrisy is what makes cycling so amusing!

cdncyclist
Posts: 98
Joined: Wed Feb 17, 2016 12:10 am

by cdncyclist

Snabb wrote:
Thu Jul 19, 2018 11:46 pm
guyc wrote:
Wed Jul 18, 2018 10:31 pm
And since when were G and Froome not amongst the world’s best climbers?

Is it 1999 since you watched any racing?
They are donkeys that became race horses. First Wiggins who was a late 20 something second tier TT type guy who suddenly became a world class climber. Then Froome who wasn`t even cutting it as a domestique and got thrown out of the Giro for cheating. Suddenly in his late 20s he got asthma and discovered he hade a blood disease all his life and he actually was a multiple GT winner. Froome before Vuelta 2011 was a bum and G was a second tier classics rider who became world beating climber at the age of 32. You must eat fish and chips and have bad teeth to believe in that story.

I want to believe goddamit u wankers!
Edit: not worth responding to.
Last edited by cdncyclist on Fri Jul 20, 2018 4:33 am, edited 1 time in total.

by Weenie


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