Critérium du Dauphiné - Stage 3 TT

GetWithIt · 08-06-2011 1:01pm #1

A pretty important stage given it covers the same route as the TdF Time Trial.

RobFowl · 08-06-2011 1:03pm

Nico off at 16:01 french time

GetWithIt · 08-06-2011 1:04pm

Any thoughts as to how Roche will go today?

My thoughts are that the route may actually suit him. It's quite lumpy with a lot of technical turns which he should handle well coming from a sprinting background.

tippx · 08-06-2011 2:34pm

TT has been Nicos weak point in previous races where he has not had the proper feel for it, lets see if training camp has had any improvement on his abilty,its def an area he needs to work at

lennymc · 08-06-2011 2:44pm

did i read somewhere that he only got a TT training bike this year (or did i completely imagine it)

niceonetom · 08-06-2011 2:49pm

lennymc wrote: »

did i read somewhere that he only got a TT training bike this year (or did i completely imagine it)

That rings a bell. That and hearing that he had bought himself (out of his own pocket) a powermeter. It doesn't inspire confidence does it? I suspect the French teams just don't really get time-trialling in the modern age. Perhaps they've never really recovered from those 8 seconds and are still refusing to believe that TTing is something that requires more than determination.

lennymc · 08-06-2011 2:51pm

niceonetom wrote: »

That rings a bell. That and hearing that he had bought himself (out of his own pocket) a powermeter. It doesn't inspire confidence does it? I suspect the French teams just don't really get time-trialling in the modern age. Perhaps they've never really recovered from those 8 seconds and are still refusing to believe that TTing is something that requires more than determination.

i do remember him saying he was getting a power meter for the first time this year. Didnt know he bought it himself tho!

amjon. · 08-06-2011 2:57pm

You'd think SRM would be falling over themselves to have a leader of a pro tour team using their product. Apparently they give their powermeters to the teams they sponsor for free.

niceonetom · 08-06-2011 3:02pm

amjon. wrote: »

You'd think SRM would be falling over themselves to have a leader of a pro tour team using their product. Apparently they give their powermeters to the teams they sponsor for free.

Well if a team already has a groupset sponsor they may well forbid their riders from using anyone else's cranks. I don't know though.

I think it's more of a mentality among some of the french teams. They seem to lag behind in terms of technology, training methodology and nutrition stuff. Everyone else is looking for marginal gains, they're still looking for the next Fignon.

Chips Lovell · 08-06-2011 3:08pm

lennymc wrote: »

did i read somewhere that he only got a TT training bike this year (or did i completely imagine it)

yeah, that's correct.

RobFowl · 08-06-2011 3:11pm

el tonto wrote: »

yeah, that's correct.

+1
Personally feel he's be far better off in a team like HTC/BMC/Garmin where attention to detail and technology seems a bit more advances.

Apparently AG2R still eat whatever food the hotels provide even during the tour !!

RobFowl · 08-06-2011 3:13pm

That said a/c Da

stephenj_roche Stephen Roche

Nicolas is doing a great time, almost catching his 2 min man

Chips Lovell · 08-06-2011 3:15pm

RobFowl wrote: »

+1
Personally feel he's be far better off in a team like HTC/BMC/Garmin where attention to detail and technology seems a bit more advances.

Apparently AG2R still eat whatever food the hotels provide even during the tour !!

I think he's doing OK where he is for the moment. If he gets picked up by a big team, I'd like to see him wait till it's certain he'd be their GC leader. If Wiggins doens't deliver this year, I could see him being a team leader at Sky.

GetWithIt · 08-06-2011 3:19pm

Riblon is doing a good TT (currently 4th) and Nico has said before that that's generally his guide for where he should be.

RobFowl · 08-06-2011 3:42pm

Looks like Evans just caught Nico

http://www.justin.tv/elm3ssigoaltv#/w/1308640880

dastardly00 · 08-06-2011 3:44pm

not a good day in the saddle for Nico

2nd intermediate time-split (27.5km): Roche 77th @ 3:27 behind Wiggins

GetWithIt · 08-06-2011 4:01pm

Another shocking TT from Nico. Did he fall off the bike during the first section?

GetWithIt · 08-06-2011 4:04pm

start 171th parti at 16:01:00
chrono 1 15.0 km 90th at 00:01:51
chrono 2 27.5 km 79th at 00:03:27
arrivee 42.5 km 41th at 00:03:31

kilns · 08-06-2011 4:10pm

Not a great Time Trial from Roche. Although he did finish strong it seems, matching Wiggins' time in the final third and taking time off the others. Will be interested to see why he fell so far behind in the first sector.

he will drop a good bit down the GC now.

tippx · 08-06-2011 4:33pm

RobFowl wrote: »

+1
Personally feel he's be far better off in a team like HTC/BMC/Garmin where attention to detail and technology seems a bit more advances.

Apparently AG2R still eat whatever food the hotels provide even during the tour !!

And thats after they have to ride 7km back down the mountain to the hotel (in the rain ) because of shi* logistics from Ag2r in the most prestigous race in the world!!

dastardly00 · 08-06-2011 4:57pm

Overall not a great TT from Nico (again).
He started off very slowly, losing 1min 51sec to Tony Martin after the 1st time split. His performance improved radically though in the 2nd and 3rd sections of the TT. He actually was faster than Wiggins in the 3rd section!
He finished 43rd, 3min 31sec behind Tony Martin.
Nico is now 16th in the GC, 3min 26sec behind the leader Wiggins. His teammates: Riblon, Peraud, Kadri have overlapped him and are now 8th, 13th and 14th respectively.

Daniel Martin finished 89th, 4min 51sec behind Tony Martin (overall: 118th, 13min 40sec behind).

Fantastic ride by Wiggins and he has a great chance of winning the race now.

kilns · 08-06-2011 5:01pm

I suppose he has sacrificed his time trialing to compete in the mountains, as he said he lost a good bit of weight for last years tour so he could

No major team will sign him as GC man if he cant perform in the TT's.

Ag2r seem to be strong enough this year so his own team leadership could be under threat.

But if he could somehow find a solution to his TT he would be a serious contender

RobFowl · 08-06-2011 5:03pm

dastardly00 wrote: »

Fantastic ride by Wiggins and he has a great chance of winning the race now.

Great ride all right but look at the profile of the last 3 stages.
If he's to win he'll have to ride better than he ever has before...

kilns · 08-06-2011 5:07pm

Dan Martin has said he has targeted one of the next three stages for a stage win so should be interesting to see how he goes when he does go for it

Gipo3 · 08-06-2011 5:11pm

Seems Roche is going to give it a lash too.

dastardly00 · 08-06-2011 5:17pm

RobFowl wrote: »

Great ride all right but look at the profile of the last 3 stages.
If he's to win he'll have to ride better than he ever has before...

yeah true. It's going to be very interesting indeed. The last 2 stages look extremely tough :eek:
Not only will Wiggins have to ride better than he ever has before, but his team will have to also. It was interesting today that a good few of team Sky performed very well in the TT. Boasson Hagen, Thomas, Uran were all in the top 20.
They might have less energy to help Wiggins in the coming days, although tomorrow is a flat stage and they can recover (there's also the possibilty that they did a very good reccie of the stage today and that's why Boasson Hagen et al performed so well).

JacksonHeightsOwn · 08-06-2011 5:59pm

Wiggo won't last in the big hills, he's a steady up them, but when the pace is lifted, he nearly always loses contact,

Was there ever a time in last years Tour when Wiggo would have been ahead of Roche in the hills?? I think not

I fear for Roche in that AG2r team, I really thought he would have benefitted from a move to Sky last year when there was murmorings, he'd never be as good as Wiggins at TT's, but under brailsfords tutelage he'd surely make a mark improvement

John.Icy · 08-06-2011 6:33pm

I think it's a decent enough ride. He matched, maybe was even faster than Wiggins in the last split. As for the start, it was poor, but Roche numerous times has admitted to troubles in early parts of rides, and only coming into his stride the more time went by.

If he can get anywhere near his superb climbing from the vuelta where he was arguably in the top 6 climbing wise most days, he will come in the top ten here at the Dauphine, as there a a good few guys he can leapfrog in the mountains.

ROK ON · 08-06-2011 6:42pm

el tonto wrote: »

I think he's doing OK where he is for the moment. If he gets picked up by a big team, I'd like to see him wait till it's certain he'd be their GC leader. If Wiggins doens't deliver this year, I could see him being a team leader at Sky.

WTF??? You mean Roche. Not a snowballs chance in all of hell.
Try G Thomas, EBH and that is before the talk of them signing Cav reappears this summer.

kilns · 08-06-2011 7:13pm

what about Sean Kelly/An Post upping the budget and signing Roche, Martin and Deignan

John.Icy · 08-06-2011 7:55pm

ROK ON wrote: »

Try G Thomas

Roche is head and shoulders above Thomas, not even close who would be a team leader out of those two IMO.

Thomas is grand for a few days of hard effort before he blows up and loses 10+mins on one stage. You need more from a team leader.

Critérium du Dauphiné - Stage 3 TT

Comments