Procycling thread

[dorlomin]

7 minutes ago, Sarto Mutiny said:

He's not actually British. Didn't even need Google for that one.

Ah a bigot who thinks Mo Farah is not British. Neither is Bradley Wiggins who was born in Belgium, Or Steven Fletcher Scottish as he was 10 before coming to Scotland. 

 

So you think people should only be allowed to compete for the country they were born in. 

Edited July 24, 2016 by dorlomin

[Daydream]

7 minutes ago, peasy23 said:

 

I would suggest that if Froome was doping and all those guys were clean, then he would have won by a lot more than 4 minutes.

 

I think Froome looked well within himself, almost like he was making it look (semi) competitive.  Bardet nearly passed out with effort on the stage he won.     

[Sarto Mutiny]

9 minutes ago, dorlomin said:

Ah a bigot who thinks Mo Farah is not British. Neither is Bradley Wiggins who was born in Belgium, Or Steven Fletcher Scottish as he was 10 before coming to Scotland. 

 

So you think people should only be allowed to compete for the country they were born in. 

I'm all for Monaco residents being allowed to compete under whichever flag they so choose. I'm fair like that. They can compete for the UK even if they don't want to pay any tax here. Entirely their business.

How long have you been a cycling fan, by the way? 

[dorlomin]

3 minutes ago, Sarto Mutiny said:

How long have you been a cycling fan, by the way? 

This weekend I missed my target. I have been shooting for 300 miles in under 24 hours. Not by much but by enough to feel down at it. 

 

On the actual thread about actual cycling with actual cyclists I do not do the whole "miles\speed" twat thing. Whether it is the first time you have broken 20 or 200 miles cycling is about the camaraderie and fellowship on the road. Every PB is your own personal world record. 

As for the pros. I watch them. I try to learn from them. I respect them. 

I do not squeal "drugs" just because I am a sore loser bitter at someone I do not like winning. Hence I have little to offer this corner of P&B, other parts of the internet have a more "evidence based" approach and there I talk more about the pros and the competitive side of the sport. 

[kiddy]

35 minutes ago, Sarto Mutiny said:

He's not actually British. Didn't even need Google for that one.

We've a keen yin here!

[Sarto Mutiny]

8 minutes ago, dorlomin said:

This weekend I missed my target. I have been shooting for 300 miles in under 24 hours. Not by much but by enough to feel down at it. 

 

On the actual thread about actual cycling with actual cyclists I do not do the whole "miles\speed" twat thing. Whether it is the first time you have broken 20 or 200 miles cycling is about the camaraderie and fellowship on the road. Every PB is your own personal world record. 

As for the pros. I watch them. I try to learn from them. I respect them. 

I do not squeal "drugs" just because I am a sore loser bitter at someone I do not like winning. Hence I have little to offer this corner of P&B, other parts of the internet have a more "evidence based" approach and there I talk more about the pros and the competitive side of the sport. 

That's interesting. 

1. I don't dislike Chris Froome. He isn't in the least bit objectionable as a person. A bit dull, but nobody's perfect. Don't hate the player, hate the game.

2. I don't know if he, or anyone else, is on anything. I suspect some are, for a multitude of reasons, which I am too tired to list right now. I respect them all, because even if doped, to do what the pro cyclists do is incredible. I still watch, after all. Mechanical doping is another matter entirely - if I thought that was prevalent in the peloton, that would end it for me.

Besides, it's a misconception to say dopers are lazy. Doped riders can generally train harder than clean ones, after all. There isn't a magic bullet.

But the similarity between Sky in this year's Tour and US Postal are too strong for me. To have five Sky riders in a lead group of 15 going up the Joux Plane yesterday? Previous GC winners unable to keep up with domestiques? Is there nothing about that that seems...unusual?

[Gnash]

1 hour ago, dorlomin said:

Ah a bigot who thinks Mo Farah is not British. Neither is Bradley Wiggins who was born in Belgium, Or Steven Fletcher Scottish as he was 10 before coming to Scotland. 

 

So you think people should only be allowed to compete for the country they were born in. 

They are all different situations to Froome.  Froome didn't spend any time growing up in the UK.  Farah and Wiggins have spent most of their time in the UK, so I think that makes them British.  Fletcher as far as I understand has been in Scotland more than anywhere else, so no problem accepting he's Scottish and can play for Scotland.

Froome just isn't British at all, and while I don't blame him personally, I don't think he should be allowed to compete for the UK.  

[printer]

He is not even the greatest British cyclist, that is Beryl Burton. 

Oh dear!

[Mark Connolly]

17 hours ago, Sarto Mutiny said:

But the similarity between Sky in this year's Tour and US Postal are too strong for me. To have five Sky riders in a lead group of 15 going up the Joux Plane yesterday? Previous GC winners unable to keep up with domestiques? Is there nothing about that that seems...unusual?

One (probably very naive) suggestion could be that those GC winners were no longer doping...

[Salvo Montalbano]

Quintana clearly had something wrong with him. Contador crashed twice was ill then abandoned, Nibili had come off a pretty tough win in the Giro (send nobody these days can do a Giro - Tour double), Porte (a former Sky donestiqueof course and now a ggenuine GC contender) should have probably been on the podium but for his mechanical then the incident on Mont Venteux... it's not as if Froome and Sky blew away a stellar field. You get the impression that they only take part in the Giro and Veulta because they have to - the other teams and riders don't think that way - and they have by far the biggest budget. Maybe it's just that simple? 

[Desert Nomad]

I notice Oleg Tinkov has said he'll not be bothering with TDF victory until Froome retires. Take it from that Contador will be moving if he doesn't retire. Brailsford unfortunately says Froome has years at the top yet.

[Savage Henry]

I notice Oleg Tinkov has said he'll not be bothering with TDF victory until Froome retires. Take it from that Contador will be moving if he doesn't retire. Brailsford unfortunately says Froome has years at the top yet.

Oleg Tinkov sounds like he should be a troll on the General Nonsense forum.

[Daydream]

Quintana clearly had something wrong with him. Contador crashed twice was ill then abandoned, Nibili had come off a pretty tough win in the Giro (send nobody these days can do a Giro - Tour double), Porte (a former Sky donestiqueof course and now a ggenuine GC contender) should have probably been on the podium but for his mechanical then the incident on Mont Venteux... it's not as if Froome and Sky blew away a stellar field. You get the impression that they only take part in the Giro and Veulta because they have to - the other teams and riders don't think that way - and they have by far the biggest budget. Maybe it's just that simple? 

Yes it could easily be that simple!

I've not seen the power estimates for the climbs but my 'hunch' is that 2nd and 3rd on the podium are clean athletes. The old adage that you can't win the Tour clean might be a fallacy, if not now then maybe soon.

In fact Quintana has a mystery illness too and still finished on the podium.

[lionel hutz]

2 hours ago, Desert Nomad said:

I notice Oleg Tinkov has said he'll not be bothering with TDF victory until Froome retires. Take it from that Contador will be moving if he doesn't retire. Brailsford unfortunately says Froome has years at the top yet.

Contador's signed for Trek-Segafredo.

Expect it to be confirmed on August 1st.

[Sarto Mutiny]

9 hours ago, Daydream said:

Yes it could easily be that simple!

I've not seen the power estimates for the climbs but my 'hunch' is that 2nd and 3rd on the podium are clean athletes. The old adage that you can't win the Tour clean might be a fallacy, if not now then maybe soon.

In fact Quintana has a mystery illness too and still finished on the podium.

Lance Armstrong certainly has said on more than one occasion that you cannot win the Tour clean, although the usual caveats apply to anything he says.

Like you, I have my gut feelings about who is clean and who is not. There are a couple of teams who aren't Sky who definitely aren't. No names, no pack drill.

[honestly united]

I would like to put it down to the fact that Froome and Sky target the TdF each year and don't seem to have any interest in the Giro or Vuelta. The majority of the other riders are going to be at a disadvantage in that they are racing much more, don't have the training, resting, backroom staff etc that Froome does and also the whole Sky team are all geared towards TdF whereas other teams don't have that focus. They are not coming in tired from riding in the Giro, or worrying they wont be ready for the Vuelta.

My assumption is that Nieve, Henoa etc would have been training specifically to keep Froome in Yellow in the alps, hence why they were strong in those climbs, would Sky with all their resource have them in the team given this was there only purpose? You look at a lot of the teams, and they have a spread of different types of riders, dedicated sprinters and lead out guys, TTers, climbers, guys that will get in breakaways, teams with 2 guys as team leaders etc - Sky don't they have team to ensure that Froome wins and that is the focus. There is no one trying to get in breakaways, no one looking to win a sprint finish etc.

Either that or he's a doper, but either way Sky bossed it an no one else looked like getting close.

 

My biggest disappointment was that no one tried to attack earlier, from the few attacks there were, these were all on the last few km of the final climb of the day. There needed to be earlier attacks to put the pressure on Sky, if one of the GC attack on the 2nd last climb for example that would have weakend the sky train, but no one seemed willing to give it a go.

[kiddy]

San Sebastian tomorrow, can Adam Yates defend the title he won last year?

[lionel hutz]

1 hour ago, kiddy said:

San Sebastian tomorrow, can Adam Yates defend the title he won last year?

I think his brother may throw up a surprise, as he didn't ride the Tour whilst A Yates and Valverde did.

[Desert Nomad]

San Sebastian tomorrow, can Adam Yates defend the title he won last year?

Depends if GVA gets hit by a motorbike again.

[kiddy]

Mollema takes San Sebastian.

Attacks at the top of the final climb to catch Valverde, Purito & Galloping napping. TT's his way to the line whilst the others look at each other to close him down.