2008 TDF Stage 6 : Aigurande - Super-Besse Sancy



Runitout said:
Valverde is looking very, very strong.
This is a tough one. Evans is consistent but never great. He is like the Australian George Hincapie. It is hard to escape the feeling that he'll find a way to lose. On the other hand Valverde has a history of bad luck and bad days at the Tour. It is hard to escape the feeling that something will torpedo Valverde's chances.

That said, Valverde's performance, even while recovering from crashing, is rather impressive. He looks like he is back to his pre-Puerto level.
 
Valverde looked strong last year early on in stages 8 and 9 in the Alps, doing a lot of attacking from the contenders' bunch. He does look in better form coming into this year's race though. He probably needs to put more than 4 minutes on Evans in the Pyrennees and the Alps though IMHO, and he is already a minute or so behind. It's going to be interesting... that's for sure.
 
Capt.Injury said:
I just don't think Cunego is what everybbody thinks he will be. When he won the Giro, It didn't have as many Huge Mountains as most (I recall one stage with Aprica and Mortirolo and that was it i believe), And he had alot more freedom, because everyone was to worried about Simoni, who was his team leader and Defending champ. IM just not sure he has what it takes to win the TDF, and I am not entirely sure he can podium. HOpe he can prove me wrong, but so far, I haven't seen any indication that he can.
Yes, I think you are correct. I am increasingly pessimistic on his possibilities in terms of grand tours. I believe (although Cunego doesn't) that he should focus more on classics, where he is able to do well.
 
Bro Deal said:
This is a tough one. Evans is consistent but never great. He is like the Australian George Hincapie. It is hard to escape the feeling that he'll find a way to lose. On the other hand Valverde has a history of bad luck and bad days at the Tour. It is hard to escape the feeling that something will torpedo Valverde's chances.
.
For different reasons neither of these two riders is my favorite. I would like to support the idea that someone else will win it. But who? I do not see that kind of depth in the field - lots of relatively untested guys. Hopefully I will be proved wrong.
 
Powerful Pete said:
Fair enough. I spent 15 kms hanging for dear life on to the 'big boys' group this evening... and we were only motoring in the low 40 kp/h range. Imagine the pain and suffering for Valverde on a TdF uphill finish at far more taxing levels for far longer... :eek:

pain and suffering is what this sport is all about.
It may be a cliche but it is the truth.

The fact of the matter is that anyone who races, at any level, has more bad days than good in this sport.
If there is a secret to the sport, in my opinion, it is to minimise the number of bad days.
The rider who does that has the best chance of winning.
Just my two cents worth.
 
Klodifan said:
if evans wins, it will be a very sad day for cycling. actually, strike that. cycling already sucks. when a guy like cadel is considered a tour fave and garners so much media attention, you know the sport is in the pits.
Why is this, because he isn't all out there trying to blow everyone off the road. Tell me a long competition in any sport where the end result is decided in points that isn't won by the most consistent person. Consistency is the key, if he wins because the other riders cant be consistent for three weeks then he deserves to win!!! And of what benefit to himself and the team would it have been for him to go on an all out attack???? Tell me??? It would have likely resulted in a yellow jersey and alot of energy waistage by his team in the preceding days so early in the tour, not a smart plan.......... i'm sure anyone with half a brain or half an idea on tactics could work that out.

The winner of the race is the person with the least time over all the stages, how you do it is irelevant. And for the record evans can attack and i'm sure can leave all but a very select few if not all behind in the high mountains, the question is if he's in a position where he doesn't need to, why expend the energy!!!!
 
Scotttri said:
Why is this, because he isn't all out there trying to blow everyone off the road. Tell me a long competition in any sport where the end result is decided in points that isn't won by the most consistent person. Consistency is the key, if he wins because the other riders cant be consistent for three weeks then he deserves to win!!! And of what benefit to himself and the team would it have been for him to go on an all out attack???? Tell me??? It would have likely resulted in a yellow jersey and alot of energy waistage by his team in the preceding days so early in the tour, not a smart plan.......... i'm sure anyone with half a brain or half an idea on tactics could work that out.

The winner of the race is the person with the least time over all the stages, how you do it is irelevant. And for the record evans can attack and i'm sure can leave all but a very select few if not all behind in the high mountains, the question is if he's in a position where he doesn't need to, why expend the energy!!!!

I don't know if I speak for everyone in the anti Cadel club but here goes:

We don't want him to win because he's a boring wheelsucker. I mean even Lance (we at the anti Cadel club hate him too) rode the last 1km by HIMSELF.

I think Cadel is allergic to wind. Or he's half sheep (who knows what dodgy sexual exploits in Oz have produced - that one was aimed at you Thunder ;-)

And he's dopey (no not THAT kind of dopey) - I mean he looks half asleep all the time - his sweet little dreamy blue eyes are always half closed.

I think this is the first time I haven't liked someone because they're boring...

Cadel is the Lewis Hamilton of cycling. On that note - I think Lewis Hamilton is actually a robot. Either that or they have some kind of live air brushing technology that allows skin and hair to be perfect all the time.

Here endeth the pointless ramble...


Plus he's a BORING WHEEL SUCKER.
 
Eldron said:
I don't know if I speak for everyone in the anti Cadel club but here goes:

We don't want him to win because he's a boring wheelsucker. I mean even Lance (we at the anti Cadel club hate him too) rode the last 1km by HIMSELF.

I think Cadel is allergic to wind. Or he's half sheep (who knows what dodgy sexual exploits in Oz have produced - that one was aimed at you Thunder ;-)

And he's dopey (no not THAT kind of dopey) - I mean he looks half asleep all the time - his sweet little dreamy blue eyes are always half closed.

I think this is the first time I haven't liked someone because they're boring...

Cadel is the Lewis Hamilton of cycling. On that note - I think Lewis Hamilton is actually a robot. Either that or they have some kind of live air brushing technology that allows skin and hair to be perfect all the time.

Here endeth the pointless ramble...


Plus he's a BORING WHEEL SUCKER.


We'll see. I disagree with the wheel sucking rants, I haven't scene him do it anymore than anyone else in the last 18 months!!
 
Scotttri said:
We'll see. I disagree with the wheel sucking rants, I haven't scene him do it anymore than anyone else in the last 18 months!!

The wheel sucker mantle has legs longer than the Shimano versus Campy debate.

Fair dues to the guy - if he wins through consistency he still wins.

Then he can claim to be the second best TdF rider in 08 - Conty would have handed him his buttox on a platter :D

I tried but I just could not bring myself to say something nice about Cadel.
 
Klodifan said:
if evans wins, it will be a very sad day for cycling. actually, strike that. cycling already sucks. when a guy like cadel is considered a tour fave and garners so much media attention, you know the sport is in the pits.
If he wins the Tour, it won't be any worse than wheelsucker Contador winning the Giro.
 
Eldron said:
Cadel is the Lewis Hamilton of cycling. On that note - I think Lewis Hamilton is actually a robot. Either that or they have some kind of live air brushing technology that allows skin and hair to be perfect all the time.
Not quite. Lewis Hamilton wins sometimes. :D Evans is the David Coulthard of cycling: Consistent, nothing special, could win the championship if he was on the best team and he had a bad teammate and the stars aligned just right and it was a leap year.
 
Bro Deal said:
Not quite. Lewis Hamilton wins sometimes. :D Evans is the David Coulthard of cycling: Consistent, nothing special, could win the championship if he was on the best team and he had a bad teammate and the stars aligned just right and it was a leap year.
Considering that this is a leap year, I take it that you give him the heads up to win this Tour? :D
 
TheDarkLord said:
If he wins the Tour, it won't be any worse than wheelsucker Contador winning the Giro.

The Giro was a strange race - really exciting but to have the GC winner not take a single stage and win it "under the radar" is awful.

It could be described as a Cadelesque victory ;)

@Bro Deal - I bow to your superior analogy with one exception - Couthard has a character.
 
TheDarkLord said:
Considering that this is a leap year, I take it that you give him the heads up to win this Tour? :D

No chance - David Coulthard is way too old to get into cycling.
 
Bit tough. It's not like he's been a perennial bridesmaid in the tour. And how would he go with team Disco/USPS in support? He'd probably come second... in the team. He'd wheelsuck bekind Ekimov for the whole race and forget that he has to pass him to win... :D
 
Eldron said:
@Bro Deal - I bow to your superior analogy with one exception - Couthard has a character.
I cannot see Evans in this outfit:

_39245513_david200_245.jpg


I like the fashion accessory on his arm.
 
Bro Deal said:
I cannot see Evans in this outfit:

_39245513_david200_245.jpg


I like the fashion accessory on his arm.


If he rode for Chipotle he'd be forced to wear the plaid....
 
If you don't want to see wheelsuckers win... go watch triathlon. The winner in RR is the guy who can go the furtherest/fastest on his tank of gas. Wheelsucking helps that cause.

If Evans wins... is this forum going to turn anti-Cadel as well as anti-HWMNBN and I'll be musette?... :D