Tour de France 2012

evans is really struggling here…could be sky 1st and 2nd!

Ha, almost. Can’t see Evans getting any time back on Wiggins and his sideburns on any of the remaining stages. Froome should be able to take second place in the mountains - and I would think it would be in Sky’s best interests to let him get as much time as possible on Evans, because, ‘It’s a long way to go to Paris’.

What a performance. You could see Wiggo’s position and TT form was so much better than Evan’s. Wiggo was still seated on the uphill gradients where Evans had to get out of the saddle! As long as Wiggo doesn’t lose form, all is good. Evans does tend to pick up some form in the second half of a Tour, so he might be able to make a daring attack on a mountain stage, but Froome and Wiggo both being strong, it would be 2 on 1 and BMC won’t have the riders to help Evans when it gets steep. Froome took 2nd in the Veulta last year - his potential is so good. Sky’s tactics are really working now. Cav is sitting back and I think his mind is on the Olympics?

I was hoping it’d be closer than that. It’s pretty much over but the shouting. Wiggo looks unstoppable now. Cadel is a fighter though, and yes, it’s a long way to go yet. Hopefully we’ll see some fireworks, otherwise it’s going to be dull for the remainder.

Evening, chaps! Just popping in during rest day to say I’m really enjoying it this year (I’m about a day behind viewing the stages). I absolutely did not expect that performance from Wiggins in the ITT, wow. And Froome, well, a second place looks likely.

Of course anything could happen in the next two weeks, but still…

I don’t normally pray for crashes, but from now on that’s all that could save Evans. Or a dozen flats a day. …

Problem is even if Wiggo crashes I reckon the boy Froome would be too much for Evans. The guy managed to launch a “sprint” up a 20% gradient in stage 8 for gods sake. Huge bump in the middle of today’s stage; expect Sky to motor up it once again shedding all other contenders out teh back but really hope someone (Nibali?) can get off the front and cause Wiggins to actually have to stand on his pedals for once.

Does anyone know any bars or restaurants that show the Tour. I don’t want to go to downtown to watch, too far, and late when I get home.

I contacted aboriginal girl who refused to give me her husbands contact details saying that he has exclusive commercial arrangements and won’t supply in Taiwan anymore.

I don’t want to use streaming its just not good enough.

There’s still a lot of racing left to be done. It’s not easy to wear the yellow jersey for 11 days; very tiring for the team. Fromme seems stronger in the mountains than Wiggins. Maybe we’ll see a repeat of the famous 1986 Tour that saw Hinault and Lemond start the race as teammates and then turn on each other?

As Cirille Guimard once said:
‘You can’t have two ten-point stags in the same herd of deer. You can’t trust it. It can only end in one thing: mortal combat.’

[quote=“asian boy”]Does anyone know any bars or restaurants that show the Tour. I don’t want to go to downtown to watch, too far, and late when I get home.

I contacted aboriginal girl who refused to give me her husbands contact details saying that he has exclusive commercial arrangements and won’t supply in Taiwan anymore.

I don’t want to use streaming its just not good enough.[/quote]

On Tap has it…go there and say the bear sent you. It’ll draw a laugh.

Next two days will be exciting-the downhill section before the finish today will let Cadel test Bradley’s descending. Tomorrow, SKY will try to burn off all contenders ont he final HC climb. Who will be able to keep up.

As I write, a 25 rider break has 7 minutes going up the first major climb (cat.2) with an HC and cat 3 to come.

[quote=“asian boy”]Does anyone know any bars or restaurants that show the Tour. I don’t want to go to downtown to watch, too far, and late when I get home.

I contacted aboriginal girl who refused to give me her husbands contact details saying that he has exclusive commercial arrangements and won’t supply in Taiwan anymore.

I don’t want to use streaming its just not good enough.[/quote]

Patio84 bar and grill is showing it. We’re located in Tianmu if that’s better for you.

Watching on stopstream.tv
Eurosport - Live

Well, we have a Nibali attack downhill, but Wiggins isn’t standing on his pedals yet. :laughing:

Edit: Nibali caught on the next climb. Bu hao wan.

hehehehe…

Voeckler FTW!

a gutsy ride indeed. I love his bursts of pace and I emulate that in my own racing. Well, just riding these days.

Apparently the peloton are not keen on Tommy V. I love him! Enjoyed watching his old school gurn and bare style of riding. No power meters for Tommy.

Great win. And great coaching from his DS in the run-in. Anyone else would have followed the attacks but they somehow knew no one had the legs to win from that far out. As Dave Harmon said it was probably the slowest sprint finish he’s ever seen.

Oh and great ride from Jens Voight too. 40 years old and still mixing it with the big boys.

edit; on a related note, anyone else wake up this morning with the Turkish Airlines ad stuck in their head? By the end of the tour I believe I’ll have seen that ad around 800 times. (and don’t even get me started on Ivan and Vincenzo frying up that Sidi shoe; they been frying it for three or four years now)

Gotta admire little Tommy, though. Gutsy ride! Yeah, where the hell did Jens come from? He just showed up all of a sudden.
Today’s stage is the one to watch, I think. I’m going to look for Cadel starting something. Nibali will go on the attack on one of the descents, of course, and Evans is sure to follow. “Iron Cross Mtn.” is the same one Landis blew up on a few years ago. Will we start to see cracks in Team Sky, will they be able to control the pace? Gonna be a good one! Woo!

Hope so. But can you see Cadel climbing away from Wiggins? He’s had plenty of opportunities to do it so far. He couldn’t get away yesterday. Evans stood on the pedals and ‘sprinted’ to the finish but Wiggins was right there behind him, sitting down. I’m curious as to Wiggins strategy though. So far he has been content to sit on Evans’ wheel, banking on his own superiority in the time trials. But if he is in better condition than Cadel - and that would seem to be the case - then why not go on the offensive? Why not beat Cadel to the finish and break his spirit?

Maybe today we will see Cadel (and Nibali) get dropped by Froome and Wiggins?

As far as I can tell… He is using a scientific approach than just a strategy. Whatever is going on it’s working so far. www1.skysports.com/cycling/news/15264/7888281/
They seem to be quiet about this science though (don’t blame them). I think they looked at all the numbers including what numbers they had for other riders (like Evans). From that they worked out what he had to put out in watts/power (climbs, TT, flat, etc). He looks close to emancipated in his weight so they probably worked on his power to weight ratio a lot. A weakness would probably be descending, he can descend, but Evans and Nabili can do so just a little better, so as others have said this is going to be the area of attack, but I’m damn sure Sky know that and they will try their best to counteract that.