|
Discovery Channel - TdF 2011
|
|
| Ad Bot |
Posted on 24-11-2024 00:06
|
Bot Agent
Posts: Countless
Joined: 23.11.09
|
|
| IP: None |
|
|
| FreitasPCM |
Posted on 21-11-2010 19:53
|
Grand Tour Champion
Posts: 8389
Joined: 08-09-2009
PCM$: 200.00
|
Pity Popo didn't take it. :/ |
| |
|
|
| Squire |
Posted on 21-11-2010 22:41
|
Protected Rider
Posts: 1404
Joined: 24-07-2009
PCM$: 200.00
|
 22.02.2011: Amgen Tour of California
Stage 9 [Last stage]
Rancho Bernardo - Escondido: 156.2km
Tactics meeting
The last stage of the Tour of California is considered to be the queen stage, but the last 36km are flat or downhill, so any solo attempt by Levi will probably be hunted down by Saxobank. We've given up on the overall and just want this race to finish. A fourth stage win to wrap it all up would be nice though.
Not much happened on the last climb. Yesterday's most unlucky rider, Yaroslav Popovych, was setting the pace.
On the flat part after the last climb, overall leader Devolder accelrated away! He obviously wanted another stage win, but was it worth risking his overall win?
Lampre's Norwegian champion Thor Hushovd tried to go with Devolder. Hushovd was hunting for his third stage victory in this race.
A very select chasegroup formed behind Devolder and Hushovd. Levi and Landis were here for us. George Hincapie (5th overall) didn't make the selection.
18km from the finish, Devolder had time trialed out a gap of 1 minute to the chasers. He had even ridden Hushovd off his wheel.
Hushovd was soon back in the chasegroup, where Landis and Leipheimer were setting the pace. They struggled to cut into Devolder's lead though.
Stijn Devolder's time trial abilities saw him hold on until the finish to grab his second stage win. A great way to confirm his overall victory!
Hushovd led the nine-man chasegroup across. Their advantage over the rest of the race was so big that these nine riders also take the first nine places behind Devolder in the GC.
Today's winner
Results
| 1. | Stijn Devolder   | Saxo Bank | 4h08'08 | | 2. | Thor Hushovd | Lampre | + 21 | | 3. | Tommy Nankervis | Drapac Porsche Cycling | s.t. | | 4. | Levi Leipheimer | Discovery Channel | s.t. | | 5. | Brent Bookwalter | BMC Racing Team | s.t. | | 6. | Danny Pate | OUCH presented by Maxxis | s.t. | | 7. | Damiano Cunego | Katusha | s.t. | | 8. | Rubén Plaza | Euskaltel - Euskadi | s.t. | | 9. | Floyd Landis | Discovery Channel | s.t. | | 10. | Aitor Hernández | Euskaltel - Euskadi | s.t. |
GC
| 1. | Stijn Devolder | Saxo Bank | 31h09'42 | | 2. | Levi Leipheimer | Discovery Channel | + 2'34 | | 3. | Thor Hushovd | Lampre | + 3'41 | | 4. | Damiano Cunego | Katusha | + 4'10 | | 5. | Floyd Landis | Discovery Channel | + 4'23 | | 6. | Tommy Nankervis | Drapac Porsche Cycling | + 4'30 | | 7. | Danny Pate | OUCH presented by Maxxis | + 4'35 | | 8. | Rubén Plaza | Euskaltel - Euskadi | + 4'38 | | 9. | Brent Bookwalter | BMC Racing Team | + 4'56 | | 10. | Aitor Hernández | Euskaltel - Euskadi | s.t. | | 11. | Michael Schär  | Astana | + 5'39 | | 12. | Reid Mumford | Kelly Benefit Strategies | + 5'41 | | 13. | Luigi Sestili | Ceramica Flaminia | s.t. | | 14. | Fränk Schleck | Saxo Bank | + 5'51 | | 15. | Jimmi Sørensen | Team Capinordic | + 5'56 |
Points ranking
| 1. | Stijn Devolder | Saxo Bank | 106 | | 2. | Alessandro Ballan | Lampre | 104 | | 3. | Levi Leipheimer | Discovery Channel | 92 |
Mountain ranking
| 1. | Iván Velasco  | Euskaltel - Euskadi | 54 | | 2. | Markus Zberg | BMC Racing Team | 38 | | 3. | Massimiliano Gentili | Ceramica Flaminia | 34 |
Youth ranking
| 1. | Michael Schär | Astana | 31h15'21 | | 2. | Jimmi Sørensen | Team Capinordic | + 17 | | 3. | Taylor Kuphalt | Trek Livestrong | + 53 |
Team classification
| 1. | Discovery Channel | 93h42'10 | | 2. | Saxo Bank | + 31 | | 3. | Lampre | + 4'26 |
This is the first time in my DS carreer that I haven't been able to win the Amgen Tour of California. It's nothing to be depressed by, as clearly the strongest rider won. Stijn Devolder gained two-and-a-half minute because of his two solo escapes, and defended easily through the time trial.
As expected, Levi Leipheimer won both time trial stages. Andrew Talansky added a third win for us in stage 5. Chapeau to our young rookie sprinter. Popovych went agonizingly close to making it four on stage 8, but we should anyway be pleased with our successes. Levi will be back for his revenge next year!
The next big thing on the calendar is the season's second ProTour race, the Paris - Nice stage race. Levi will go back to training, so another ageing American will lead our team in France. Lance Armstrong will aim for the top step of the podium in Nice. Stay tuned! |
| |
|
|
| Squire |
Posted on 21-11-2010 23:10
|
Protected Rider
Posts: 1404
Joined: 24-07-2009
PCM$: 200.00
|
01.03.2011: Monthly summary
February
The most important race in February was arguably the Amgen Tour of California. This month also saw the European racing season kick off. The continental teams had a chance to show some good early-season form and position themselves nicely for possible wildcards for bigger events. The start of the cobbled season towards the end of the month is also worth mentioning.
Notable results
| Le Tour de Langkawi: | Moisés Adalpe (Team Type 1) | | Amgen Tour of California: | Stijn Devolder (Saxo Bank) | | Omloop Het Nieuwsblad: | Yoann Offredo (Française des Jeux) |
Levi couldn't defend his California crown, but he won the Challenge Vuelta a Mallorca and secured our first victory of the season. Lance Armstrong rode the Volta ao Algarve to get in shape for Paris - Nice. The Boss finished 2nd behind Valverde after good performances on a mountain top finish and in the time trial. Bernhard Eisel kicked off his cobbles campaign with a 2nd place in the Omloop Het Nieuwsblad.
As there were no ProTour races in February, these rankings remain the same. We have however the first rankings from the Continental Tour, where Anthony Geslin propels Austrian outfit Vorarlberg - Corratec to the top. The Frenchman performed well in Le Tour de Langkawi, where he won three stages and the points jersey.
ProTour Individual
| 1. | Jens Voigt | Saxo Bank | 78 | | 2. | Tom Leezer | Rabobank | 58 | | 3. | Carlo Scognamiglio | Liquigas | 48 | | 4. | Gerald Ciolek | Discovery Channel | 37 | | 5. | Maurizio Biondo | Ceramica Flaminia | 22 |
ProTour Team
| 1. | Saxo Bank | 79 | | 2. | Rabobank | 58 | | 3. | Liquigas | 48 | | 4. | Discovery Channel | 43 | | 5. | Ceramica Flaminia | 32 |
Continental Tour Individual
| 1. | Anthony Geslin | Vorarlberg - Corratec | 133 | | 2. | Moisés Adalpe | Team Type 1 | 130 | | 3. | Marco Marcato | Vacansoleil | 128 |
Continental Tour Team
| 1. | Vorarlberg - Corratec | 367 | | 2. | Cofidis | 301 | | 3. | Vacansoleil | 287 |
|
| |
|
|
| Squire |
Posted on 21-11-2010 23:40
|
Protected Rider
Posts: 1404
Joined: 24-07-2009
PCM$: 200.00
|
 08.03.2011: Paris - Nice
Past winners
2009: Alejandro Valverde (Caisse d'Epargne)
2010: Sylvain Chavanel (Quick-Step)
The Race to the Sun is the first really significant bike race of the season. This year's parcourse is lacking the big mountain top finish we've seen for the past two years, but it's still a very selective race. The main difficulty will probably be the finish at Mont Faron on stage 6. This climb is known from races like the Tour Méditerranéen. Paris - Nice also features a 16km time trial on stage 5.
Last year's winner Sylvain Chavanel is on the starting line, and must be considered a favourite this year as well. Alejandro Valverde can never be disregarded. Other important names include Thomas Lövkvist, Vladimir Karpets and strong Saxobank duo Denis Menchov and Andy Schleck. Fabian Cancellara will be seen sporting his World champion colours in this race.
Lance Armstrong is coming here with some decent form after his 2nd place in Algarve. He also finished 2nd to Fuglsang in the GP di Lugano at the beginning of this month. Lance is hoping to improve on his 3rd place in Paris - Nice from last year, and we have brought a decent squad to help him do that. New boys Pardilla & Zubeldia line up for us, but they're probably not in full racing shape yet.
Discovery Channel
Lance Armstrong
Rémy Di Gregorio
 Yaroslav Popovych
 Sergio Pardilla
Haimar Zubeldia
Egoi MartÃnez
 Cameron Meyer
 Jurgen Van Goolen |
| |
|
|
| valverde321 |
Posted on 21-11-2010 23:43
|
World Champion
Posts: 12986
Joined: 20-05-2009
PCM$: 530.00
|
Nice preview. Looks like a pretty important race for you this season.
Edited by valverde321 on 21-11-2010 23:43
|
| |
|
|
| Squire |
Posted on 21-11-2010 23:54
|
Protected Rider
Posts: 1404
Joined: 24-07-2009
PCM$: 200.00
|
valverde321 wrote:
Nice preview. Looks like a pretty important race for you this season.
Thanks! It's one of Armstrong's three targets (the others being Suisse & Lombardia), so it's quite important. The team might look stronger than it is though, as the Spaniards are quite weak on form. Prologue coming up in a few minutes! |
| |
|
|
| Squire |
Posted on 22-11-2010 00:16
|
Protected Rider
Posts: 1404
Joined: 24-07-2009
PCM$: 200.00
|
08.03.2011: Paris - Nice
Stage 1
ITT Issy-les-Moulineaux: 6.0km
Tactics meeting
A short prologue gets Paris - Nice going. Not much to say about this one. Armstrong will go flat out, but the main favourite is of course World TT champion Cancellara, who rides his first race for his new team Liquigas.
Valverde is always an early starter in prologues. His time turned out to be very strong today.
It wasn't beaten before Cancellara put his giant legs to work. Those legs took him through the course 6 seconds faster than Valverde.
A slight surprise was Benoit Vaugrenard's strong showing. The Frenchman came very close to beating Cancellara, as he was only 1 second behind at the finish.
The old Texan with his usual yellow-themed equipment placed comfortably inside the top ten with his ride. 10 seconds off the pace and 7th place is a good start to the race.
Today's winner
Results
| 1. | Fabian Cancellara | Liquigas | 7'11 | | 2. | Benoit Vaugrenard | Française des Jeux | + 1 | | 3. | Alejandro Valverde | Caisse d'Epargne | + 6 | | 4. | Alessandro Ballan | Lampre | + 7 | | 5. | José Iván Gutiérrez | Caisse d'Epargne | + 9 | | 6. | Sylvain Chavanel | Quick-Step | + 10 | | 7. | Lance Armstrong | Discovery Channel | s.t. | | 8. | Dennis Van Winden | Rabobank CT | + 12 | | 9. | Cameron Meyer | Discovery Channel | s.t. | | 10. | Thomas Lövkvist | T-Mobile | + 13 |
|
| |
|
|
| Squire |
Posted on 22-11-2010 01:26
|
Protected Rider
Posts: 1404
Joined: 24-07-2009
PCM$: 200.00
|
09.03.2011: Paris - Nice
Stage 2
Auxerre - Paray-le-Monial: 193.0km
Tactics meeting
The flattest stage of the race comes early. I can guarantee a mass sprint, but there aren't many strong sprinters present.
In the absence of pure sprinters, Cancellara used his raw power to take home another victory. The yellow jersey wearer can celebrate two wins in his first two racing days of the season!
Today's winner
Results
| 1. | Fabian Cancellara | Liquigas | 4h34'25 | | 2. | Bobbie Traksel | Rabobank | s.t. | | 3. | Alessandro Ballan | Lampre | s.t. | | 4. | Gert Steegmans | Katusha | s.t. | | 5. | Nick Nuyens | Rabobank | s.t. | | 6. | Mirko Lorenzetto | Lampre | s.t. | | 7. | Roberto Traficante | CarmioOro | s.t. | | 8. | Yann Huguet | Agritubel | s.t. | | 9. | Alejandro Valverde | Caisse d'Epargne | s.t. | | 10. | Ricardo Mestre | Agritubel | s.t. |
GC
| 1. | Fabian Cancellara | Liquigas | 4h41'30 | | 2. | Benoit Vaugrenard | Française des Jeux | + 7 | | 3. | Alejandro Valverde | Caisse d'Epargne | + 11 | | 4. | Alessandro Ballan | Lampre | + 12 | | 5. | José Iván Gutiérrez | Caisse d'Epargne | + 15 | | 6. | Lance Armstrong | Discovery Channel | + 16 | | 7. | Sylvain Chavanel | Quick-Step | s.t. | | 8. | Cameron Meyer | Discovery Channel | + 18 | | 9. | Sébastien Joly | Française des Jeux | + 19 | | 10. | Thomas Lövkvist | T-Mobile | s.t. |
Edited by Squire on 22-11-2010 01:49
|
| |
|
|
| olabj |
Posted on 22-11-2010 09:11
|
Protected Rider
Posts: 1105
Joined: 17-09-2008
PCM$: 200.00
|
7. Roberto Traficante CarmioOro
Dude.... Lol. That is funny  |
| |
|
|
| Squire |
Posted on 22-11-2010 14:19
|
Protected Rider
Posts: 1404
Joined: 24-07-2009
PCM$: 200.00
|
10.03.2011: Paris - Nice
Stage 3
La Clayette - Saint-Etienne: 183.0km
Tactics meeting
Today we encounter some quite serious climbs. The Cote du Mas d'Atuech towards the end looks pretty selective. We want to have a man in the break to give Armstrong some extra help, and maybe we can get a stage win?
Rémy Di Gregorio was sent out in the break of the day. The break contained Michael Albasini of the Lotto team, amongst others.
The big last climb saw some accelrations coming from the peloton. Valverde and Lövkvist went on the move when the break was caught halfway up the hill.
An 11 man elite group formed near the top of the climb. Armstrong had made it and Di Gregorio kept him company. Our plan had been a success so far. Defending champion Sylvain Chavanel was missing, as was yellow jersey Cancellara.
Thanks to a good job from Di Gregorio and a few others, the lead group held on all the way. Just before the line, Valverde looked to have the advantage. Lance Armstrong tried desperately to catch his wheel!
Nothing to do about Valverde, who was the superior sprinter in this group. Armstrong finished second, and these two riders are now also 1st and 2nd in the GC.
Fabian Cancellara struggled home a minute behind Armstrong & co. Chavanel was in the same group as the yellow jersey, and doesn't seem to be on the form he had last year.
Today's winner
Results
| 1. | Alejandro Valverde | Caisse d'Epargne | 4h52'39 | | 2. | Lance Armstrong | Discovery Channel | s.t. | | 3. | John Gadret | Astana | s.t. | | 4. | Andy Schleck | Saxo Bank | s.t. | | 5. | Brice Feillu  | Cofidis | s.t. | | 6. | David López | Euskaltel - Euskadi | s.t. | | 7. | Sébastien Joly | Française des Jeux | s.t. | | 8. | Thomas Lövkvist | T-Mobile | s.t. | | 9. | Rémy Di Gregorio | Discovery Channel | s.t. | | 10. | David De la Fuente | Saunier Duval | s.t. |
GC
| 1. | Alejandro Valverde | Caisse d'Epargne | 9h34'15 | | 2. | Lance Armstrong | Discovery Channel | + 6 | | 3. | Sébastien Joly | Française des Jeux | + 13 | | 4. | Thomas Lövkvist | T-Mobile | s.t. | | 5. | David López | Euskaltel - Euskadi | + 20 | | 6. | Bauke Mollema | Rabobank | + 21 | | 7. | Brice Feillu | Cofidis | + 28 | | 8. | John Gadret | Astana | s.t. | | 9. | Andy Schleck | Saxo Bank | s.t. | | 10. | David De la Fuente | Saunier Duval | + 32 |
|
| |
|
|
| Squire |
Posted on 22-11-2010 16:45
|
Protected Rider
Posts: 1404
Joined: 24-07-2009
PCM$: 200.00
|
11.03.2011: Paris - Nice
Stage 4
Le-Puy-en-Velay - Pont du Gard: 193.0km
Tactics meeting
This is the last chance for the sprinters, if there had only been any decent sprinters here. We could see a third stage win for Cancellara here, if a break doesn't go clear.
No, not Cancellara, but Valverde. He makes it look easy. The Spaniard is truly an all-rounder, and extends his overall lead by six seconds because of the bonus seconds. Those seconds could come in handy for tomorrow's time trial.
Today's winner
Results
| 1. | Alejandro Valverde | Caisse d'Epargne | 4h32'21 | | 2. | Bobbie Traksel | Rabobank | s.t. | | 3. | Rubén Pérez | Euskaltel - Euskadi | s.t. | | 4. | Mirko Lorenzetto | Lampre | s.t. | | 5. | Alessandro Ballan | Lampre | s.t. | | 6. | Jure Kocjan | CarmioOro | s.t. | | 7. | Fabian Cancellara | Liquigas | s.t. | | 8. | Mathieu Sprick | Astana | s.t. | | 9. | Manuel Vázquez | Astana | s.t. | | 10. | John Gadret | Astana | s.t. |
GC
| 1. | Alejandro Valverde | Caisse d'Epargne | 14h06'30 | | 2. | Lance Armstrong | Discovery Channel | + 12 | | 3. | Sébastien Joly | Française des Jeux | + 19 | | 4. | Thomas Lövkvist | T-Mobile | s.t. | | 5. | David López | Euskaltel - Euskadi | + 26 | | 6. | Bauke Mollema | Rabobank | + 27 | | 7. | Brice Feillu | Cofidis | + 34 | | 8. | John Gadret | Astana | s.t. | | 9. | Andy Schleck | Saxo Bank | s.t. | | 10. | David De la Fuente | Saunier Duval | + 38 |
Edited by Squire on 22-11-2010 16:47
|
| |
|
|
| rjc_43 |
Posted on 22-11-2010 16:52
|
Team Leader
Posts: 6716
Joined: 13-10-2007
PCM$: 200.00
|
I really rather like your little jersey logos to show who's in which jersey.
[url=cleavercycling.co.uk]  [/url] |
| |
|
|
| Squire |
Posted on 22-11-2010 17:01
|
Protected Rider
Posts: 1404
Joined: 24-07-2009
PCM$: 200.00
|
rjc_43 wrote:
I really rather like your little jersey logos to show who's in which jersey.
I got both the idea and the jerseys from wikipedia. I figured it was a better idea than posting results for all jerseys, as that would be messy with different table sizes etc. It has been a bit boring lately though, with the overall leader usually having the points jersey as well (Most of AToC and so far in P-N). |
| |
|
|
| FreitasPCM |
Posted on 22-11-2010 17:14
|
Grand Tour Champion
Posts: 8389
Joined: 08-09-2009
PCM$: 200.00
|
Valverde is dominating. Give me a break. :/ |
| |
|
|
| RHW |
Posted on 22-11-2010 17:24
|
Free Agent
Posts: 101
Joined: 29-11-2006
PCM$: 200.00
|
keep it coming  |
| |
|
|
| Squire |
Posted on 22-11-2010 17:30
|
Protected Rider
Posts: 1404
Joined: 24-07-2009
PCM$: 200.00
|
12.03.2011: Paris - Nice
Stage 5
ITT Source Perrier: 16.0km
Tactics meeting
The stage wins haven't been well distributed so far in the race, and today will probably not change that. Cancellara is a huge favourite for the stage victory, but can he save his overall hopes? Lance Armstrong is usually superior to Valverde against the clock, so we could find ourselves defending the yellow jersey tomorrow.
Cameron Meyer lost a lot of time on the tough third stage, so he started early today. He was the strongest of the hill-shy riders, and set the first decent time.
It wasn't decent enough to beat Vaugrenard. The Frenchman who almost beat Cancellara in the prologue set a new best time 31 seconds faster than Meyer.
If Cancellara had any doubts about whether he could beat Vaugrenard, those doubts quickly disappeared when he crushed the Frenchman's time by 39 seconds. Cancellara in the hot seat for now, and he would probably remain there.
Having won eleven individual Tour de France time trials in the past doesn't help you much if you're old and tired. Armstrong was on a good day though considering his current time trial abilities, and finished 4th on the day, 48 seconds behind the monster. Unfortunately that means behind him in the GC too.
Alejandro Valverde is better at sprinting away from people than riding for himself, but he did a fairly good job today. 9th place, 1'01 behind Cancellara relegates him to 3rd overall, but it's really close! Only 3 seconds separate the three top riders.
Today's winner
Results
| 1. | Fabian Cancellara | Liquigas | 19'53 | | 2. | Benoit Vaugrenard | Française des Jeux | + 39 | | 3. | Tony Martin | T-Mobile | + 45 | | 4. | Lance Armstrong | Discovery Channel | + 49 | | 5. | Thomas Lövkvist | T-Mobile | + 54 | | 6. | Alessandro Ballan | Lampre | s.t. | | 7. | Dennis Van Winden | Rabobank CT | + 56 | | 8. | Martijn Maaskant | Rabobank | + 59 | | 9. | Alejandro Valverde | Caisse d'Epargne | + 1'02 | | 10. | José Iván Gutiérrez | Caisse d'Epargne | s.t. |
GC
| 1. | Fabian Cancellara | Liquigas | 14h27'22 | | 2. | Lance Armstrong | Discovery Channel | + 2 | | 3. | Alejandro Valverde | Caisse d'Epargne | + 3 | | 4. | Thomas Lövkvist | T-Mobile | + 14 | | 5. | Sébastien Joly | Française des Jeux | + 26 | | 6. | Bauke Mollema | Rabobank | + 59 | | 7. | Tony Martin | T-Mobile | + 1'04 | | 8. | Alessandro Ballan | Lampre | + 1'05 | | 9. | José Iván Gutiérrez | Caisse d'Epargne | + 1'17 | | 10. | Andy Schleck | Saxo Bank | s.t. |
|
| |
|
|
| itsmichael |
Posted on 22-11-2010 17:35
|
Domestique
Posts: 599
Joined: 04-08-2009
PCM$: 200.00
|
I didn't know Van Winden is a that good time trial rider...
Anyways, good ride with Armstrong... Unfortunatly you are 2 seconds behind 
Twitter; @CuriousThing_s  |
| |
|
|
| Squire |
Posted on 22-11-2010 17:43
|
Protected Rider
Posts: 1404
Joined: 24-07-2009
PCM$: 200.00
|
FreitasPCM wrote:
Valverde is dominating. Give me a break. :/
You really seem to dislike Valv.Piti Do you get Vuelta 2010 flashbacks? Unfortunately he's probably got quite good form in P-N, because he has ridden Mallorca and Algarve so far this season.
itsmichael wrote:
I didn't know Van Winden is a that good time trial rider...
The random potensial has been kind on him, as he now has 76TT. |
| |
|
|
| zambeaux |
Posted on 22-11-2010 22:47
|
Under 23
Posts: 70
Joined: 22-03-2008
PCM$: 200.00
|
uf.. Just one second on Valverde, and there are time bonuses, right?. If the parcours is the one I think it is, the one stage where there's a reasonable chance of distancing Valverde is the Mont Faron, and it's still quite unlikely... Maybe you could borrow some race tactics from Guimard  |
| |
|
|
| Squire |
Posted on 22-11-2010 23:15
|
Protected Rider
Posts: 1404
Joined: 24-07-2009
PCM$: 200.00
|
Time bonuses for stage wins are 6, 4 and 2 seconds. You're right about the parcourse, and the fact that Valverde will be difficult.
Guimard had the advantage of having superior riders though
Mont Faron stage coming up later today, I think. |
| |
|
