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Le Tour de France
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| Crommy |
Posted on 20-07-2008 21:15
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Just watched the stage, and how damn unlucky is Menchov.
But I think this will be tight. Evans was really struggling today, without Kreuziger, he would be in an even worse situation. Sastre wasn't that strong, Menchov climbed as well as he did if not better, so CSC won't be able to shake him off. Kohl looked good too, he may have used a lot of energy today though.
Menchov could win it in the next 2 stages if he plays it right. He looks the strongest up the slopes at the moment.
Kreuziger looks like he'll win Le Tour at some point in his career, he is looking very strong. Maybe an Andy Schleck versus Roman Kreuziger battle starts in the next few years?
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| kadel |
Posted on 20-07-2008 21:24
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Domestique
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I think Menchov might have lost the Tour right there. He had a chance to gain lots of time on Evans. Those two are pretty close in the TT, so I think Menchov could have won it. |
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| Smoothie |
Posted on 20-07-2008 21:33
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It was very unlucky for Menchov, to say though. He should have felt the road was slippy but to defend him the Road surface changed and the road condition changes very quickly.
I wonder how long Kohl can keep up these Dominating performances... |
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| Ad Bot |
Posted on 24-11-2024 19:45
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| Hasselinhoo |
Posted on 20-07-2008 22:50
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Stagiare
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Smoothie wrote:
I wonder how long Kohl can keep up these Dominating performances... The next doped rider  |
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| Deadpool |
Posted on 20-07-2008 23:00
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Just to note, I think Kohl distinctive style of climbing, when he's off the bike with his head rocking from side-to-side looks awesome. |
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| Smoothie |
Posted on 20-07-2008 23:08
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 I love hoe Kohl Rocks his head, its looks so funny. It gets more over the top the steeper the climb  |
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| sakai5 |
Posted on 21-07-2008 00:43
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Stagiare
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mb2612 wrote:
5 posts over 10 minutes,
was that an accident? 
loading the page was so slow 
correcting now! |
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| Levi4life |
Posted on 21-07-2008 06:44
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Smoothie wrote:
I love hoe Kohl Rocks his head, its looks so funny. It gets more over the top the steeper the climb
when he climbs he listens to his most recent album, American Gangster
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| YtimK |
Posted on 21-07-2008 07:47
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when he climbs he listens to his most recent album, American Gangster
loooks a bit like Jay-Z doesn't he??
Edited by YtimK on 21-07-2008 07:48
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| Aquarius |
Posted on 21-07-2008 09:43
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issoisso wrote:
Jerôme Pineau says he has italian friends who rode with Riccò when he was 15 and say he always bragged about how he doped and even showed them how to do it.
So, with aquarius gone, do I have to take the mantle of comparing past and present performances with watts? 
well, so be it.
for starters, Sella was around 400 watts at the Giro. the performances this season are immensely worse (by everyone of the Giro's top riders) than last year. This year's performances that got Riccò a second place at the Giro would've had him struggle to crack the top 50 of last year's Giro. so that's good news. Sella, for instance, had a top career performance of around 435 watts, while Riccò and others last year were around 455 watts. this year the best anyone showed was around 424 watts (Menchov in Pampeago) and 420 for everyone else. Gargantuan difference.
At the Dauphiné, the best registered marks were around 410.
So far at the Tour, Evans has shown around 420 watts. that's a 20 watt improvement over himself two years ago.
Riccò at the Aspin? 445. the rest of the pack on the Aspin? around 415.
Hautacam:
Piepoli and Cobo 439
F.Schleck 432
Kohl 423
Efimkin 411
favorites group at 408
Dueñas 406
Goubert 402
Kirchen 385
Di Gregório 335
Cunego+Valverde around 400
Voigt's "fantastic" Tourmalet performance? 385...
doesn't say all tht much, but it is interesting, or at least I think so 
I'm not dead. Just not playing PCM 2008 and a bit bored by pro cycling as well as quite busy these days...
Sella's wattages were quite low during the last Giro BUT it were tough roads, so he was more tired than Riis before he started Hautacam in 1996 and established the wattages record.
So, Riis 485 W are overrated and can hardly be taken into consideration when you compare them to the 410 W threshold, whereas Sella's are underrated and would be higher (how much ? 420 ? 430 W ?) on a more standard route.
Cyclismag says the level of the Tour favourites is pretty high this year although no one breaks records (well, there was Ricco, but...).
There's one thing to keep in mind though : the 410 W threshold applies to the average of all the final climbs of mountain stages during Grand Tours, not only one of them.
Second thing to keep in mind is that this threshold is widely overrated since it considers all parameters as optimal : motivation, temperature, recuperation, whatever... |
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| SotD |
Posted on 21-07-2008 11:12
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World Champion
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No matter if this ends up with another doping scandal it has been one of the greatest tour's for me in recent years. The fact that 6 riders can win this Tour is amazing at this point, and the favorites lacking to make up the stakes from "lesser" riders opens up this Tour de France into an entirely new aspect.
Very nice. Also a big thumbs up to the organizers for trying something new. Taking out the TTT and reducing the TT km's was a bold move, but great for the race imo, also the fact that the flat "boring" stages was spiced up with some hills throughout the stages made it appear less of a flat stage, and bareable to watch.
I'm really looking forward to the next mountainstages, something I haven't really felt since Beloki was outperforming Lance. |
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| ruben |
Posted on 21-07-2008 11:13
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So probably the first clean rider in the top 20 according to that theorie is surely Laurens ten Dam B) |
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| Aquarius |
Posted on 21-07-2008 15:04
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Unfortunately you can also be doped and perform under 390 W. |
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| Crazy_Ivan |
Posted on 21-07-2008 15:20
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Under 23
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What annoys me is that these guys stick to their "code" with regards to not attacking or going for it when another has a fall, yet they have no problem breaking the law to get an edge. |
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| ruben |
Posted on 21-07-2008 20:08
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Unfortunately, I don't trust Goubert |
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| Aquarius |
Posted on 22-07-2008 07:48
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lol, I was just teasing you. I don't know Ten Dam well enough to have an opinion about whether he's clean or not.
Goubert ? I find it natural for a Virenque's buddy to peak at 38 at AG2R, erm... :'D
I thought I had bashed AG2R and Agritubel often enough in the past. They make me quite sick since a positive case (if not many) at them one of these days would be anything but a surprise, yet that would ruin French cycling credibility. |
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| ruben |
Posted on 22-07-2008 10:10
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I'm just teasing too you know. |
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| CrueTrue |
Posted on 22-07-2008 10:28
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I haven't been active on the forum the past two weeks due to the speed problems, but let me sum up: CSC!!!!! |
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| Smoothie |
Posted on 22-07-2008 10:35
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So what do you guys think about today's stage.
Its a very tough day, Will Evans have another bad day?
My thoughts stand like this. Valverde will get droped, Cunego will be slightly better, the starting town is an omen for him Cuneo -> Cunego
Evans will be fine, Menchov will put the hammer down and get caught on the downhill, Kohl is bound to go for the two summits. But its hard to say if another break will make it. If Samuel Sanchez can make it over with the main guys he could dash quickly on the down hill to take the stage. Its wide open though! Its gonna be good! |
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| ruben |
Posted on 22-07-2008 10:36
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Grand Tour Champion
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Cunego will suck again.
I think/hope Menchov/Valverde/Sastre and Kohl will ride away on the last climb. Valverde winst the sprint. Kohl takes the yellow, Menchov moves into 2nd place and Schleck/Evans lose a minute |
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