another year, another Tour, thank the cycling gods this one was better than the last.
read my take on Le Tour de Change here on PezCycling News, just click on the image below.
Crank Punk
OFFICIAL COACH OF: EVERESTING / TAIWAN KOM CHALLENGE / MONGOLIA BIKE CHALLENGE
Good analysis and NIbali is a deserving and very classy champion who deserves to be on some kids bedroom wall this week- The guy looked and rode the part with a Champioins style, competence and elegance not seen since Gimondi. It should be said that he was not ever pushed in this tour and we never really saw how he would respond to an equally talented and relentless champion, but that is neither here nor there- Great win.
Agreed, SKY has no imagination and no plan B- It was a pity to see the wheels totally come off, and I think that all the training on Teide has surgicaly removed any sense of fighting for the win. SKY has created a team of robotic superdomestiques who are specifically trained to only coalesce around a single leader and who are incapable of reading a race or fighting for a win. Itsa pity given the level of talent and resources in their team, and Richie Porte is just not ready for prime time. Contrast that with Saxo’s 3 stage wins and KOM jersey, and SKY’s complete lack of fighting spirit is self-evident.
TJVG has been given unquestioned leadership of a major team and has just barely reached the level he was at in 2011. He is still young and has time, but he needs to stop talking about podiums and winning these races, focus on improving his climbing and his recovery, and his preparation and stop depending on his natural talent in the TT to win him races or he will just be this generations Levi leipheimer (minus the dope). Good, but never good enough for the GT win…
Not a vintage edition of the TdF even though we had a vintage winner of the very highest quality. A TdF where the MJ is decided by stage 10 is not one that makes it on my DVD shelf, but I might relent if onely to see Nibali FLY across those cobbles again- Chapeau!
Hopefully the racing will be better in the Vuelta! Cheers!