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Le Tour de France 2014 - Stage 18 - Pau - Hautacam
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| Kirchen_75 |
Posted on 24-07-2014 17:44
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Kwiatkowski was clearly chatting with Bodnar across the line by the looks of it 
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| ruben |
Posted on 24-07-2014 17:44
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Fantastic Nibali, demolished his poor competitors.
A demonstration.. Contador and Froome would have had a hard time beating him in this form. Too bad we never saw the battle take place. It could have been so much better than this!
What remains is the battle for podium. Hard to say now but I think advantage Pinot/Peraud. Valverde seems worse day by day.
Bardet/Van Garderen will be another battle in the time trial.
And then there is Mollema/Ten Dam/König for 7th. Up till yesterday I would have given it to König. But today Mollema finally looks something like his old self again, first time this Tour. That might just give him the confidence to give him the edge over 7th place.
And finally Zubeldia seems to have 10th place in the bag with Rolland failing today. Another top 10 for mr Incognito 
edit: and signs of life from Kruijswijk this Tour. After the leg artery operation he had this winter, 15th place in the GC is more impressive then it usually would be normally
Edited by ruben on 24-07-2014 17:46
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| TimoCycling |
Posted on 24-07-2014 17:47
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ruben wrote:
Fantastic Nibali, demolished his poor competitors.
A demonstration.. Contador and Froome would have had a hard time beating him in this form. Too bad we never saw the battle take place. It could have been so much better than this!
What remains is the battle for podium. Hard to say now but I think advantage Pinot/Peraud. Valverde seems worse day by day.
Bardet/Van Garderen will be another battle in the time trial.
And then there is Mollema/Ten Dam/König for 7th. Up till yesterday I would have given it to König. But today Mollema finally looks something like his old self again, first time this Tour. That might just give him the confidence to give him the edge over 7th place.
And finally Zubeldia seems to have 10th place in the bag with Rolland failing today. Another top 10 for mr Incognito
edit: and signs of life from Kruijswijk this Tour. After the leg artery operation he had this winter, 15th place in the GC is more impressive then it usually would be normally
Do you know how König is in TT's? Can he beat our Belkins? |
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| valverde321 |
Posted on 24-07-2014 17:50
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Jacdk wrote:
valverde321 wrote:
So Peraud has 2nd locked up. Pinot is bad at TT's but Valverde is hardly any better in final week TTs and it is a hilly TT, so the advantage is lessened even more between the two.
And what did Rojas do?
He stayed to long behind a car
Kinda a stupid way to get thrown out.
He must have been holding on to it the whole way up the Tourmalet or else I dont know why no one else has been thrown out either.
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| sutty68 |
Posted on 24-07-2014 17:57
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Hmmmmm, Nibali again  |
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| atlanta |
Posted on 24-07-2014 18:04
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Pathetic thank god it is over, anyone thinking Nibali is a god are deluded. Peraud 37 first GT Podium says it all, Valverde would kill Pinot and Peraud(clearly not in good shape), so competition is weak, Valverde the one threat who could challenge.
Nibali fans hate it but tell me how good these climbers are, when Majka can not get a podium for his season goal, yet would be on podium i have no doubt if he did not lose time.
Says it all to me that does, a guy like Contador does it yet here comes non GT winner Majka, called up at the last min and wins 2 stages KOTM, and is defo a podium rider but for first week. |
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| Jacdk |
Posted on 24-07-2014 18:10
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valverde321 wrote:
Jacdk wrote:
valverde321 wrote:
So Peraud has 2nd locked up. Pinot is bad at TT's but Valverde is hardly any better in final week TTs and it is a hilly TT, so the advantage is lessened even more between the two.
And what did Rojas do?
He stayed too long behind a car
Kinda a stupid way to get thrown out.
He must have been holding on to it the whole way up the Tourmalet or else I dont know why no one else has been thrown out either.
Ya something like that all ASO wrote was that he stayed in cover to long behind a car up Tourmalet and that is not allowed.
Still ASO is strange, sometimes they dont care and other times they thrown them out faster then you can say ASO.
Like that rider who were 30sec´s behind the timelimit, i mean come on 30sec. |
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| atlanta |
Posted on 24-07-2014 18:15
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Imagine what Contador would have done with unfresh Majka climbing so well. Haha Nibali would stand no chance like he as never done vs Contador in cycling. |
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| valverde321 |
Posted on 24-07-2014 18:19
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atlanta wrote:
Pathetic thank god it is over, anyone thinking Nibali is a god are deluded. Peraud 37 first GT Podium says it all, Valverde would kill Pinot and Peraud(clearly not in good shape), so competition is weak, Valverde the one threat who could challenge.
Nibali fans hate it but tell me how good these climbers are, when Majka can not get a podium for his season goal, yet would be on podium i have no doubt if he did not lose time.
Says it all to me that does, a guy like Contador does it yet here comes non GT winner Majka, called up at the last min and wins 2 stages KOTM, and is defo a podium rider but for first week.
Valverde has said he's in great form and keeps making non form related excuses like his bike isn't working or he doesn't like the rain so idk if he is in poor form or not.
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| cactus-jack |
Posted on 24-07-2014 18:23
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My take on Nibbles nibbling at the competish:
Nibali hasn't dominated the entire Tour like he did today. He's been consistent and most of the time he's taken 10-20 seconds on the other riders.
In my book, Nibali, Contador, Froome and Quintana are the four best GC riders by a longshot. There is a big gap down to nr. 5. Without the other three riders, Nibali is supposed to be the strongest rider. He should be far ahead of guys like Pinot, Valverde and van Garderen. They are good, but they arn't among the top 4.
This was the most dominant show from Nibali this Tour. He climbed Hautacam in 37:25(?). Riis did it in 34.40, Armstrong in 36:20, Indurain in 35.21. Even though Nibali flew away from the others, he's still far behind the other human blood bags on wheels (comparing times from different races doesn't mean that much, but still).
Dominant? Yes.
Suspicious? Perhaps a bit.
Doped? Doubt it.
Still, I think the accusations arn't really based that much on the climb itself, but perhaps more history and association (Astana, Vino).
There's a fine line between "psychotherapist" and "psycho the rapist"
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| Ad Bot |
Posted on 25-11-2024 06:22
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| Cossack |
Posted on 24-07-2014 18:29
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atlanta wrote:
Imagine what Contador would have done with unfresh Majka climbing so well. Haha Nibali would stand no chance like he as never done vs Contador in cycling.
I'm not really sure as 2,5 min was quite a big advantage for Nibali before the mountains and today he got 6,09 W/kg, so Contador beating him for that big margin would be very highly suspicious. Nevertheless, that would be a great battle and knowing Contador and his balls we would see some crazy attacks by him.
So who else is glad that thanks to Froome's abandon we received one of the more open Tours (in terms of style of racing, not fight for 1st) without the Sky train? Astana were clearly not as strong, they had some worse days and on better ones they weren't dropping half of favourites Porte-style 
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| Riis123 |
Posted on 24-07-2014 18:36
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valverde321 wrote:
atlanta wrote:
Pathetic thank god it is over, anyone thinking Nibali is a god are deluded. Peraud 37 first GT Podium says it all, Valverde would kill Pinot and Peraud(clearly not in good shape), so competition is weak, Valverde the one threat who could challenge.
Nibali fans hate it but tell me how good these climbers are, when Majka can not get a podium for his season goal, yet would be on podium i have no doubt if he did not lose time.
Says it all to me that does, a guy like Contador does it yet here comes non GT winner Majka, called up at the last min and wins 2 stages KOTM, and is defo a podium rider but for first week.
Valverde has said he's in great form and keeps making non form related excuses like his bike isn't working or he doesn't like the rain so idk if he is in poor form or not.
I think it quite obvious by now that he is getting older (fun fact, no shit sherlock). For a rider who has been on top of his career for almost 10 years, AND has raced from february-oktober almost every year on a consistent, high level (which I guess is the big point here). Its true that he is best at heat, but the rain and the bike is just bullshit, no more I feel (like I assume you also do after that comment ). When all is said and done if get gets podium, he will be more than content with that result in spite of him not riding up to his own and other's expectations and Contador and Froome abandoning. A podium in the Tour de France is big for him, no matter how people twist it after the Tour.
How the rest of his career will turn out, I honestly have no idea. I could imagine him riding a hard spring again and go to the Vuelta, but I feel like he also wants to help Nairo in the Tour. Whats for sure is his role as a GC-contender (at least in the Tour) is over.
Edited by Riis123 on 24-07-2014 18:38
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| dark_x2012 |
Posted on 24-07-2014 18:40
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I am surprised by how much you overrate Nibali for beating second tier GC contenders.  Why don't you compare W/kg between Nibali, Contador and Froome? Or height/h? You'll just see How week the competition at the Tour is. But that doesn't mean he doesn't deserve this Tour. He can handle his bike unlike Froome, or can stay focused and not eat on a 80km/h downhill. But please people don't make mountains out of molehills.
Edited by dark_x2012 on 24-07-2014 20:02
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| Jacdk |
Posted on 24-07-2014 19:49
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No matter how much you like or dislike Nibali 2 facts shine through his win and his "superiority"
1. Froome and Contador, Quintana wasn't there
2.his "competition" is no where near any of those 3, with the nearest Rodriguez weak after his Giro crash , it was a no-brainer that Nibali would win without those 3
But in the end its guess work, Nibali won and those 3 weren´t there. Thats all we know and i highly dobut Nibali will be there next year knowing that not only Contador, Froome and Quintana will be there they are also hungry.
Edited by Jacdk on 24-07-2014 19:51
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| Miguel98 |
Posted on 24-07-2014 19:51
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Jacdk wrote:
No matter how much you like or dislike Nibali 2 facts shine through his win and his "superiority"
1. Froome and Contador, Quintana wasn't there
2.his "competition" is no where near any of those 3, with the nearest Rodriguez weak after his Giro crash , it was a no-brainer that Nibali would win without those 3.
Yes, Froome and Contador weren't heere... But that takes nothing, NOTHING away that Nibali deserved this Tour. He was the strongest. And if you think that Nibali's win isn't deserved because Froome and Contador weren't here, or because of "weak competition", please, stop beeing an idiot. |
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| dienblad |
Posted on 24-07-2014 19:52
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cactus-jack wrote:
My take on Nibbles nibbling at the competish:
Nibali hasn't dominated the entire Tour like he did today. He's been consistent and most of the time he's taken 10-20 seconds on the other riders.
In my book, Nibali, Contador, Froome and Quintana are the four best GC riders by a longshot. There is a big gap down to nr. 5. Without the other three riders, Nibali is supposed to be the strongest rider. He should be far ahead of guys like Pinot, Valverde and van Garderen. They are good, but they arn't among the top 4.
This was the most dominant show from Nibali this Tour. He climbed Hautacam in 37:25(?). Riis did it in 34.40, Armstrong in 36:20, Indurain in 35.21. Even though Nibali flew away from the others, he's still far behind the other human blood bags on wheels (comparing times from different races doesn't mean that much, but still).
Dominant? Yes.
Suspicious? Perhaps a bit.
Doped? Doubt it.
Still, I think the accusations arn't really based that much on the climb itself, but perhaps more history and association (Astana, Vino).
Amen / +1 / (Y)
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| Jacdk |
Posted on 24-07-2014 20:01
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Miguel98 wrote:
Jacdk wrote:
No matter how much you like or dislike Nibali 2 facts shine through his win and his "superiority"
1. Froome and Contador, Quintana wasn't there
2.his "competition" is no where near any of those 3, with the nearest Rodriguez weak after his Giro crash , it was a no-brainer that Nibali would win without those 3.
Yes, Froome and Contador weren't heere... But that takes nothing, NOTHING away that Nibali deserved this Tour. He was the strongest. And if you think that Nibali's win isn't deserved because Froome and Contador weren't here, or because of "weak competition", please, stop beeing an idiot.
If you claim Nibali had any competition at all you need to stop looking down that fanboy tunnel.
And Winning without competition is not winning.
Does it mean anything in the end, no he won the Tour De France so he can be happy. |
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| Guido Mukk |
Posted on 24-07-2014 20:01
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atlanta wrote:
Imagine what Contador would have done with unfresh Majka climbing so well. Haha Nibali would stand no chance like he as never done vs Contador in cycling.
but he was not there to show that, Isnt that fact? Useless debate.
Unfresh Majka would have not been at polka-dot after todays stage when Contador would have been here. |
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| Miguel98 |
Posted on 24-07-2014 20:07
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Jacdk wrote:
Miguel98 wrote:
Jacdk wrote:
No matter how much you like or dislike Nibali 2 facts shine through his win and his "superiority"
1. Froome and Contador, Quintana wasn't there
2.his "competition" is no where near any of those 3, with the nearest Rodriguez weak after his Giro crash , it was a no-brainer that Nibali would win without those 3.
Yes, Froome and Contador weren't heere... But that takes nothing, NOTHING away that Nibali deserved this Tour. He was the strongest. And if you think that Nibali's win isn't deserved because Froome and Contador weren't here, or because of "weak competition", please, stop beeing an idiot.
If you claim Nibali had any competition at all you need to stop looking down that fanboy tunnel.
And Winning without competition is not winning.
Does it mean anything in the end, no he won the Tour De France so he can be happy.
Fanboy of Nibali? Are you shitting me? I don't like Nibali a lot. I don't like Astana. Nice... Winning without competition, which he had, is still winning. Besides, if you take the time off that he won in the cobbles, this Tour is closer than it seems. But it seems that your a fanboy of either Contador or Froome, so I have no idea why I'm arguing with you... |
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| Jacdk |
Posted on 24-07-2014 20:29
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Miguel98 wrote:
Fanboy of Nibali? Are you shitting me? I don't like Nibali a lot. I don't like Astana. Nice... Winning without competition, which he had, is still winning. Besides, if you take the time off that he won in the cobbles, this Tour is closer than it seems. But it seems that your a fanboy of either Contador or Froome, so I have no idea why I'm arguing with you...
I couldn't care less about Contador or Froome.
But i also dont care for the craziness thats going on around nibali right now, that he somehow redeemed himself today and proved that he would have won no matter who was there.
He won fine but lets not disregard the facts but also lets not guess on what might have happened, he won end of it, lets move on to Vuelta now.
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