ruben wrote:
How is Westra more suited to a finish like todays than Wiggins?
Prior to this stage he has never shown any aptitude for this kind of finish or any kind of mountain finish for that matter.

He was a much more unlikely winner on this kind of finish than Wiggins ever was. So explain yourself.
Westra was a good talent in his youth (he started racing at age 8), then quit cycling completely as junior because he enjoyed life more. He started partying and working until he got tired of that life. Then restarted his career years later, and a lot of kilo's heavier (he weight almost 100kg at one point). He's been slowly evolving ever since his comeback at age 23 and still has so much progress potential. His time trial was the first thing that became really good (kinda like Wiggins only had his time trial in his early road career).
Only this winter he started training in Spain and focussing on climbing and slimmed down..

2 completely different stories. But with the same outcome.

ruben wrote:
Wiggins was close today wasn't he? So why couldn't he win like that. I think Leipheimer and Valverde were pretty much at their limit in his wheel at it is.

Westra still remains primarely an ITT specialist just as Wiggins and Leipheimer. Even the latter one, known as absolutely not explosive and a coward, has shown in the past that he can attack and can win like Westra did today (like in US Pro cycling challenge and CAlifornia). So why would Wiggins not be able to do that on a good day?

Avin Wargunnson wrote:
Edit: Just noticed Westra trolling in the betting section. Seems like Ruben has really angered someone

shraggi wrote:
Ummm... because we know he is rubbish on these sorts of climbs, we know from the TT where Wiggins beat Westra pretty convincingly that Wiggins is on better form that Westra or maybe just better at Time trials yet due to the fact Westra was beaten on the TT and not on Mendee we can see that he is better than Wiggins on these types of finishes, I guess we'll see in col d'eze though, if Wiggins beats Westra.

ShortsNL wrote:


That a fast conclusion isn't it? For both climbing and TT, you are taking one race as full proof that Wiggo is in better form, and one race as proof that Westra is bigger at climbing. There are so many variables and circumstances, you can't really draw the conclusion just yet.

What we know as supposed facts from various news sources:
-Wiggo took far more risk than Westra in the rainy opening TT. Westra said it himself to the press that he was playing safe, while he heard that Wiggo was riding downhill at full speed.
-Westra has been undergoing serious mountain training. It is said that he lost 4 kg in weight, from 72 to 68.
-Previously, nobody would argue that about who is a better rider. Just look at the PCMDaily2012 DB, 79MO/81TT for Wiggins compared to 60MO!/76TT for Westra.

So what can we tall from this? Is Wiggins in great form just because he came second in the opening TT? And has Westra suddenly became a superstar on the mountain? It would be more reasonable to assume that Westra is in better form, since he has been doing good in all areas from the start, yet that in the long term he is still the weaker rider. We'll just have to wait and see if Westra's form is good enough to compete for yellow.

CLURPR wrote:
And according to Team Sky's twitter, there is an elite group of 28 at the front today. Wiggins, Westra and Leipheimer all there.