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Parrott wrote:I can't see him being the leader next year. He will be36 and working for tejay

depends on his form in the lead up, i reckon. tejay is still very young and historically most riders are given a couple more years before having the pressure of team leader at the Tour imposed on them. but Tejay is very good.

Tejay will most likely get the job of team leader at the Giro first, just to break him in

It would make sense to me, he is going to be one year older and stronger and Cadel is likely past his peak being one of the oldest tdf winners last year. He is not going to get faster with age.
American team, American leader. That's my guess anyway.

I think a team should try to scoop Tejay and Froome... But next year will see the return of Pistolero Contador. Can we start the TdF 2013 thread now?

pretty sure they are both contracted with their current teams next year.
Contador will definitely liven it up.

Cadel is really 3 time winner of The Tour.

Sky crash! Boom. Nibali a chance - hope a team goes for it!

JM

That was BS.

It has been a pretty crappy tour this year. The Giro was way better.

KOM is now the most exciting part of this tour. If Sky continues to play this crap game of Froome/Wiggins where there is competition, and no one challenges....eghhhh.

Voeckler is at least having a go, as to his challenger. The white jersey is almost sewn up also for TJ.

Also the teams seem to be getting very tired. The last backstage pass from Matt White he looked wrecked. At least they have Robbie and Neil Stephens who seem to make the video's a lot of fun. Neil gives it to the riders too which is pretty funny.

Yep, I'd have to agree it hasn't been a stellar year. Is it just me or does it feel like the (Most Likely) tour winner hasn't really proven himself. Besides the time trial and probably the upcomming time trial it just feels like Wiggins has let his team do all the work and just followed them along. He's not been challenged and had to prove himself as a real tour champion.

Trev Campbell wrote:Is it just me or does it feel like the (Most Likely) tour winner hasn't really proven himself.

i think he's proven himself as stronger than all his challengers. the problem is, froome wasn't allowed to challenge him - this will detract from his win. i think Sky have out-strategised themselves in the credibility stakes.

Trev Campbell wrote:Yep, I'd have to agree it hasn't been a stellar year. Is it just me or does it feel like the (Most Likely) tour winner hasn't really proven himself. Besides the time trial and probably the upcomming time trial it just feels like Wiggins has let his team do all the work and just followed them along. He's not been challenged and had to prove himself as a real tour champion.

I compared this the other day to Lance win #5 or some such. But even then, thats not fair to Lance. He won stages (albeit under clouds). Call me old fashioned, I like my Tour winner to be an occasional stage winner, too.

Jim

familyguy wrote: I compared this the other day to Lance win #5 or some such. But even then, thats not fair to Lance. He won stages (albeit under clouds). Call me old fashioned, I like my Tour winner to be an occasional stage winner, too.

Jim

And not just a time trial stage winner

Strawburger wrote:

familyguy wrote: I compared this the other day to Lance win #5 or some such. But even then, thats not fair to Lance. He won stages (albeit under clouds). Call me old fashioned, I like my Tour winner to be an occasional stage winner, too.

Jim

And not just a time trial stage winner

it's what you'd described as a calculated assault on the yellow jersey. team orders are team orders. can't expect froome to smash wiggins unfortunately.

one thing is though, at least cadel tried (the attack failed). sky, as a team, are just stronger. not once was wiggins attacked on his own.

Yeah, technically TT's are stages, but its just not the same, y'know?

Sky are hanging together more than Disco Channel ever seemed to on big stages. I cant see Wiggins even approaching a mountain without 4 guys ahead of him, let alone climbing away to win one. But as pointed out, its a team sport, and his team are rock solid.

Jim

familyguy wrote:I compared this the other day to Lance win #5 or some such. But even then, thats not fair to Lance. He won stages (albeit under clouds). Call me old fashioned, I like my Tour winner to be an occasional stage winner, too.

I agree, there's no credibility to a GC winner if he only wins the ITT and makes no attempts to win and demonstrate personal prowess on other stages. Absolutely boring to see Friggins being towed by Froome and other domestiques stage after stage. And then when the going gets tough, Froome had to repeatedly wait for his captain on climbs. That's just BS. LanceA's dominance was far more exciting and one gets a real sense that the man is superior and deserves the GC jersey.

sogood wrote:And then when the going gets tough, Froome had to repeatedly wait for his captain on climbs. That's just BS. LanceA's dominance was far more exciting and one gets a real sense that the man is superior and deserves the GC jersey.

agreed. what i found particularly galling was froome itching to be let off the leash last night to chase alessandro "why did i use my dog's name?" valverde for the stage win, but being told to stay with Wiggo, despite the fact there was only 3km or so to go and the GC competition - if it can even be called that anymore - had already been dropped. there's team work and there's sterility, i think the line was crossed in this Tour.

Well I guess not every TDF can be exciting. It would just have been nice to see a Mano a Mano fight at somestage, ala Cadel-Schleck last year or Contador-Schleck the year before, Even Astana in 2009 let Contador and Armstrong duke it out for a while to see who was strongest, pity Sky didn't let Froome and Wiggins do this. Wiggins has been given a bit of an armchair ride to the title this year I think. But kudos to him and his team they have done what they set out to do.

Oxford wrote:All the actors are there, the scenery is in place, but its just a yawn fest, no is challenging anyone seriously.

the main reason is that Sky have the strongest rider in the race (Froome) riding tempo at the front on all the climbs. he's not allowed to attack, just ride tempo and keep everything together. it's so boring even Froome is complaining about it.

Sadly Cadel Evans did not even fire a shot, many questions have to be asked.
Thomas Voeckler showing (in the last few stages) that we are in an actual Cycling Competition,
and not just a "travelling roadshow" ... great fight to take the KOM jersey,
and then defend and retain. Great work, from an oldie.
The youngsters Sagan 1. Froome 2. and Van Gardenen 3. then new blood in TdF.
Wiggins win, now almost set, was rather lackluster... and showed out the "Team"
more than the individual.
Will be nice to see Peter Sagan, in Paris, with the Final Stage win.
The Fat Lady, now warms the vocal chords, for this Year.
Cheers

The ITT will be interesting (not from a spectator POV, however) in that Froome could end up in yellow with just a simple earpiece malfunction. He'll be riding just ahead of Wiggo and if he doesn't hear the "Chris, slow down, you're ahead of Bananaman" call we might be able to make up the time. If that doesn't work he should take Wiggo out for a steak after the TT

Given that, why didn't they just have a single TT stage and save everyone a lot of sleepless nights? Voeckler is the only one out there at the moment who's doing anything entertaining.

jules21 wrote:the main reason is that Sky have the strongest rider in the race (Froome) riding tempo at the front on all the climbs. he's not allowed to attack, just ride tempo and keep everything together. it's so boring even Froome is complaining about it.

It's base training for Froome for next year's TdF bid and it's wheel sucking training for ITT Specialist Wiggins. They don't deserve the energy I need to expend to stay up and watch at 1am night after night.

Even now I am still cranky about last night.


http://norbs.tk/9c


Be warned, some sweary bits.

Oxford wrote:In Comic Book Guys voice from the Simpsons: "Worst TdF everrrr".

Seriously, there's been no panache from anyone, no serious grand standing, just nothing, its like watching a made for TV movie. All the actors are there, the scenery is in place, but its just a yawn fest, no is challenging anyone seriously.

Quite so, totally due to an unchallenging course which seems to have been designed to favour time trialists.
For me, it's the heroics usually seen on mountain stages that create all the interest in the TDF. Flat stages where some wheelsucker wins after a 20 second sprint and long drawn-out TT's are as boring as batsh@t, as are courses where the jersey winners are decided in the first week.
Tuned out long ago due to lack of interest.

bigfriendlyvegan wrote:The ITT will be interesting (not from a spectator POV, however) in that Froome could end up in yellow with just a simple earpiece malfunction. He'll be riding just ahead of Wiggo and if he doesn't hear the "Chris, slow down, you're ahead of Bananaman" call we might be able to make up the time. If that doesn't work he should take Wiggo out for a steak after the TT

Given that, why didn't they just have a single TT stage and save everyone a lot of sleepless nights? Voeckler is the only one out there at the moment who's doing anything entertaining.

If we had been given one ITT and one TTT, then maybe we'd have seen Wiggins being reigned in to stop him outpacing his team and blowing up the stage time. Three ITT's is balls.

Jim