As I was watching the Tour last night my waters broke.
And I didn’t even know I was pregnant.
I’m gonna call the baby ‘Stage 5’.
Read all about it on PezCycling News, just click on the image below.
crankpunk
Coaching, Bike Tours, Journalism, Taiwan KOM
Well, Lee, we certainly agree that this was an incredible stage and that Nibali produced a sparkling performance in one of the best GT rides seen in many years- This is up there with Cadel on the Strade Bianche, Salvodelli on the Colle de Finestre, Quintana on the Gavia/Stelvio/Val Martello and even Contador on Fuente de. Just a world-class performance by NIbali and Fugelsang- another world class bike handler, MTB champion and all around stud- Chapeau to them both.
We can also agree that riding cobbles in a classic when you are fully peaked and well rested and riding them after 4 days of TdF mayhem is no damn joke, and so Sagan and Cancellara can both take a bow, but Boom flat out outperformed them all- Another stunning performance from a rider of undeniable quality.
We can certainly agree that Froomes inability to control his bike for whatever reason (fascination with his powermeter/stem perhaps?) has led to him crashing thrice in 2 days, on FLAT roads (including at km 4 in stage 4) in addition to the crash he took at the Dauphine again on FLAT roads. Hitting wattage numbers in glorious isolation on a volcano (in between TUEs and inhaler pops) is not riding in a nervous peloton of 180 world class cyclists. Froome is a poor bike handler and is only effective when he is in front, or when he is behind a reliable wheel. This is now established fact, and while its a pity that he is out, he is not complete enough to win this Tour. Wiggins would have helped, but he cannot steer the bike for him or avoid dodgy moves from others. Froome is approching Andy Schleck levels of bike handling folly and needs to re-evaluate his prepration and riding style. What did Robert Millar say in his advice for surviving the first week of a GT? DO NOT FALL OFF!
Now where we get crossed up is on Contador. You should have mentioned that the man reported a mechanical with blocked gears on the run in. I tend to believe his as a committed fanboy. You tend to not as a skeptic, but you should report what the man says and take it at face value. AC got his butt whooped yesterday and fair play to Nibali, but ALL the GC contenders got spanked yeaterday for minimum 2 mins. ALL OF THEM. Dude, Nibali freaking dropped a 3x PR winner (Fabu) and Cobbles savant (Sagan) like so much rotten fruit yesterday! That is not at all about AC or anyone else being crap, its about Nibali having a performance for the ages. Please do not conflate or confuse the two.
AC being mismanaged? Come on Lee… The man has won an amazing Palmares since hooking up with Riis who, for all of his considerable and well documented flaws is one of the finest tacticians in cycling. Those two engineered Fuente De and won the 2012 Vuelta from NOTHING, came 4th in the TdF on AWFUL form, and hold the number 1 ranking as we speak (in spite of not doing the Giro) and have a win or a second place in every race they have entered this year. We get it, we get it, we get it…You think Contador is a doper and suspect his every turn of a pedal- We KNOW that, but give credit where credit is due- He is a superb bike racer, is making do with what he is given without complaining publically- Frankly, most riders would KILL to be mismanaged like this..
Yep, AC does not have the team Nibali does *at the momment*, but Roche, Rodgers and Bennati are not crap and Kreuz is getting hosed by this passport thing…Besides, every day that Nibali has the jersey is another day that AC and the boys sits in wheels, do minimal work, get a nice early massage, truncated interview, good dinner and bedtime- You know that GTs are won in the hotel and giving away the jersey might not be as easy as one might think. Also, with ALL the GC contenders in a big clump, the reality of shared temporary agendas among the GC players, Nibali might have his hands full on some of these leg breakers in the Vosges and Pyrnees.
Your analyses are good in spite of our disagreements, but that is the beauty of cycling! Thanks for the hard work, enjoy the racing and I am sure that we will disagree about AC again- Hopefully when he is on the podium driving you ABSOLUTELY CRAZY with the Pistolero thing! 🙂
Cheers!
DoctorNurse