It will be an exciting World’s with the riches in the Dutch women’s team - Next year the world’s will feature a mixed ITT with aggregate times being the winner - Can you imagine the Dutch team with on the women’s side Van Dijk, Van Der Breggen, Blaak while the men can start Dumoulin, Van Ebdem and Kelderman - A mighty tough team.
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They are insanely strong. Mind you the Dutch have always been one of the strongest cycling nations.
Why does Yates sit at the back of the peloton?
Did I just see a stunt bike jump over the peloton??
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You been eating shrooms again?
Commentary needed a “please don’t attempt this at home” line…
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Heard the commentary mention it but I missed it!
Was a pretty good stage, I only stayed up till 70kms to go, but saw the mountain bike jump over the break away group. Saw the rest this morning on the highlights recap.
Van Avermat extends lead in yellow. Alaphillipe looked so good on the downhills and won the stage and got the polka dot jersey for King of the mountains.
I guess the real racing for GC favourites will be todays stage.
Dan Martin moves up to 17th
Uran loses time
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Commentators also said BMC pretty ■■■■■■ that Ritchie got injured, and leaving team next year and they may not select him in the Vuelta even if he is fit and wants to ride.
It’s a MTF finish and the stage is very short, 108km, but with Alpe d’Huez tomorrow, I suspect a little will be kept in reserve. The final climb isn’t that steep, and you wouldn’t expect it to be too selective.
Teams allow Sky to have a sunday coffee ride on the flat parts of a mountain stage and then wonder why Sky is strong in the mountains. Though breakaways must love Sky leading the peleton.
Lets see who is the bigger team. Ewan rides the Vuelta while Porte doesnt. Then you have your answer.
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The same was happening in the Roubaix stage. I can sort of understand it happening in the mountains, as they clearly have the best domestiques. But on a classics stage, why continuously give them the advantage there?
Though to be fair Sky was driving it on the PR stage. Ride aggressively on the flat and there is every chance the sky train rides at a slower tempo on the climbs.
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Yeh but didnt BMC do that last year and everyone questioned why BMC was doing the work out the front when Sky had the lead overall.
What teams are capable of pushing the pace instead of Sky - Movistar?
Would it be goood for BMC to push the flat stages tomorrow for Van Avermaet? Should he try and get in a breakaway again.
Teams need to work together against Sky imo.
Movistar certainly have the cattle to drive out the front on the mountains.
However if Landa / Uran aren’t quite right at the moment, they’ll take a back seat.
Well that was an exciting stage with Thomas breaking Nieve’s heart by grabbing him just 300 metres from the finish - It was a bad day for MS with Yates fading in the final climb - The day never augured well for Yates when unfathomingly his only two mountain domestics in Howson and Nieve went into the break and magnified when Yates struggled on the first climb - Nieve lost his stage victory because of the brilliant riding of Dumoulin - he attacked on the descent on the descent of the penultimate climb and lead the sky peleton by about 40 to 50 seconds which he held on the climb, which forced Sky to attack the group with 5kms to go to bring back his lead - Dumoulin doesn’t ride out of his skin and Nieve wins the stage Finally, Dumoulin was clearly the ride of the day while yates must be ill or similar.
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Cavendish, Kittel, and Renshaw all done, finishing outside the time limit.
Back in 2007 two mates and I saw Robbie McEwan meet the same fate on a very similar stage. We perched on the way up the Cormet de Roseland and thought everyone was through until another rider came into view, then another one came through and that was Robbie. Missed the time limit. O’Grady and Rogers crashed on the way back down the mountain in a not so good day for the Australians.
Evans ended up second to Contador by a matter of seconds.
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Gee last nights stage was good. surprised there is not more discussion. might try and stay up tonight to watch full stage.
Yaco, would the team be dissapointed that Nieve didnt even try and hold on for second? I know the win meant everything, but still 2nd is better than 5th.
Hard to get excited about Sky winning again.
Can only hope Tom pulls something out of the bag.
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So will the Yeates brother even be good enough to compete at a grand tour or are they always going to have these stinking stages that wreck their chances.