2012 Criterium du Dauphine - spoiler tags must be used

ednwireland

cracking finish to stage 1 of Criterium du Dauphine

Inquitus

Schleck climbing like a baws 3 weeks before the tour.

happytramp

Evan's looked super strong today as in Cancellera strong. If it's a sign of things to come I'd say he's firmly back in the driving seat for the tour. Not sure Wiggo will be able to match him but it should be a great battle.

Also Dan Martin seems to have caused a crash with about 28k to go. He looked like he hurt his shoulder and was very slow to get back on the bike but managed to finish the stage. Hope he and the others are okay.

marathon50

What happened to Dan Martin over 17mins down had high hopes for
him in this race thought a top 10 finish was on the cards for him,
following his good results in his last few outings. He may look
at getting away in a break for a stage win now.

TheBlaaMan

Dan Martin injured but restarting today - as a cyborg..


https://twitter.com/DanMartin86/status/209937775573745664


we have the technology to rebuild him........:D

dastardly00

Dan Martin is obviously suffering pretty badly after yesterdays crash. He finished 10min 54sec behind the winner today. He's now last overall, 28min 01sec behind the leader.

GetWithIt

Amazed how well Tony Martin has recovered from his training accident. Will be really interested to see how he hangs in today over the mountains.

That 150/1 for the TdF from PP about 8 months ago is looking somewhat generous at this point in time.

Chips Lovell

At this stage I think Andy Schleck's Dauphine highlights should be compiled with a Benny Hill music soundtrack.

buffalo

Phenomenal ride by Wiggins yesterday, was watching the highlights last night. When Evans was in sight, and so close! the commentators talking about a 'sprint finish', heh. But 34" better than the world TT champ, and over a minute better than everyone else. I'm in awe.

Barring a crash or a miracle breakaway from someone else, the Tour should be his. Assuming he can still handle mountains okay, but judging by Paris-Nice and Romandie, he's well in.

TheBlaaMan

buffalo wrote: »

Phenomenal ride by Wiggins yesterday, was watching the highlights last night. When Evans was in sight, and so close! the commentators talking about a 'sprint finish', heh. But 34" better than the world TT champ, and over a minute better than everyone else. I'm in awe.

Barring a crash or a miracle breakaway from someone else, the Tour should be his. Assuming he can still handle mountains okay, but judging by Paris-Nice and Romandie, he's well in.

Wiggins was amazing yesterday, but I think he is far from a shoe-in to win the Tour. Sure, he'll be there or thereabouts and without Contador to worry about he must be odds on for a podium at least, but Evans actually pulled away from him in the last 5km once he got the message - and he had lost a bidon, so was perhaps suffering in that sense. I think Evans will improve his TT performance. I cannot see Wiggins loosing 1'40" in the next few days so the Dauphine is his to loose, surely.

One thing that the last few days have shown is that Andy Schleck will be no-where in the Tour on current form and if he looses even 3 minutes (he lost twice that yesterday) in the final ITT. Having to change his bike after the spill meant they got no SRM data, so a double blow for his preparations.

The Hesjedal v Wiggins comparison in the mountains will be very interestig to watch, but I think Evans will have the measure of both IF he gets the right team around him.

Its going to be a great TdF !

ben.schlomo

Any thoughts on a stage winner today? Lots of big prices available.

buffalo

ben.schlomo wrote: »

Any thoughts on a stage winner today? Lots of big prices available.

Have you got an online spot for cycling bets? I indulge in the occasional flutter, but never made it past paddypower.com, which is only offering TdF at the moment.

ben.schlomo

buffalo wrote: »

Have you got an online spot for cycling bets? I indulge in the occasional flutter, but never made it past paddypower.com, which is only offering TdF at the moment.

Yep bet365 have stage betting for the Criterium. And i just went to check prices and its gone, damn it, maybe in the live betting later in the day hopefully, was looking forward to an auld dabble on someone.

dastardly00

ben.schlomo wrote: »

Any thoughts on a stage winner today? Lots of big prices available.

Hard one to predict today. The mountains should rule out a bunch sprint, and the last 40km are downhill/flat so the GC guys shouldn't be fighting it out.
Most likely a breakaway win, maybe somebody like Thomas Voeckler. Or I'm sure a team like AG2R will try to get riders in a breakaway.

riparooo

Brilliant ride today by Dan, fininshed in 17th just 59 seconds behind the winner. Should drag him off the bottom of GC.

niceonetom

The psychological tussle going on between Evans and Wiggins is brilliant. Hard to know quite how to read Bradley's decision to bridge the last gap to Cadel's group on his own today. A show of strength? But if was really so strong wouldn't it show more composure to simply let his team pull them back? Might a display of strength not actually betray a little anxiety on his part? Then again, we didn't see how that move first got away today, and I think I remember Bradders having a special dislike of downhill attacks so maybe he wanted to send a message that he, or at least the jersey he's wearing, deserve more respect - the descent of the Colombier is fast and technical AFAIK... anyway, this all bodes very well for July.

Inquitus

niceonetom wrote: »

The psychological tussle going on between Evans and Wiggins is brilliant. Hard to know quite how to read Bradley's decision to bridge the last gap to Cadel's group on his own today. A show of strength? But if was really so strong wouldn't it show more composure to simply let his team pull them back? Might a display of strength not actually betray a little anxiety on his part? Then again, we didn't see how that move first got away today, and I think I remember Bradders having a special dislike of downhill attacks so maybe he wanted to send a message that he, or at least the jersey he's wearing, deserve more respect - the descent of the Colombier is fast and technical AFAIK... anyway, this all bodes very well for July.

I think he's just demonstrating his current complete dominance of Evans. He nearly caught him in the TT, pulled back BMC on his own today (well the last bit), and Evans has been reduced to taking risks on descents in order to have any chance of taking some time, at least thats how it looks for now, roll on tomorrow!

ednwireland

where the feck have the highlights gone off eurosport

TheBlaaMan

ednwireland wrote: »

where the feck have the highlights gone off eurosport

Dont get me started:mad:

Eurosport up to their normal behaviour of changing the schedule at the last minute. Now on E/S 2 at 9pm

ednwireland

cheers was out , they didnt show the grand colombiere climb anyway, love campsite in culoz at the bottom with the grand colombiere, biche and richmond close, aix les bains 20km down the road, not a bad spot

found the climb up on spanish telly

edit: also at the the bootom of the climb is a lovely vinyard domaine de bel-air bugey aoc lovely wins oh and savoie wines just across the rhone

TheBlaaMan

TV coverage due to kick off at 12 noon (if anyone is back from their spin by then......) and just in in time for cresting of the Cat 1 Col de la Colombiere - scene of a great stage in the 2009 TdF *- unless they are going very fast (or the f*cking tennis overruns again !)

Eurosport 2 12:00

and an interesting group is already out front with 3:30 over the peleton
Petr Ignatenko, Alberto Losada, Yury Trofimov (KAT), Thomas Voeckler, Pierre Rolland (EUC), Blel Kadri, Christophe Riblon (ALM), Tiago Machado (RNT), Maciej Paterski, Jose Sarmiento (LIQ), Rémy Di Gregorio, David Moncoutié (COF), Egoi Martinez (EUS), Marco Marzano (LAM), Jesus Hernandez (SAX), Sylvain Chavanel (OPQ), Brice Feillu (SAU), Alexandre Geniez (ARG), et Matteo Carrara (VCD)
Shcleck has abandoned

* albeit from the other side.

ednwireland

freshly brewed coffee, peleton climbing the colombiere on the tv, perfection

man thats some ride from team sky up the joux plane very us postal (i didnt want to say that but its what it reminds me of)

dastardly00

Some great descending there from Quintana!
And fantastic climbing from Team Sky on the ascent.

Lumen

Right then, TdF bets are laid.

Evans to win, e/w on Van Den Broeck.

sy

Sky has really laid the gauntlet down for July. Impressive riding and it now looks like Wiggins has the team around him to win the Tour. Evans looked very isolated on the Joux Plane but that was some descent into Morzine!! Great coverage and well deserved win for Quintana

TheBlaaMan

Lumen wrote: »

Right then, TdF bets are laid.

Re the Tour, it will be interesting to see if Sky devote as many soldiers to Wiggins as he has had in this race - I assume they will, and Cav will have to make do with Bernie, EddyBoss plus a bit of help from the climbers for any lead-out train (and to stick with him over the hilly stuff).

On the other hand, Evans' potential to retain the Tour title hinges on what team he can muster around him. He sure has looked very isolated this week, lets hope BMC bring the equal of that awesome Sky team along to ensure that we have a great competition. I favour Evans over Wiggins for the TdF ...... we'll see.

seven stars

GetWithIt wrote: »

Amazed how well Tony Martin has recovered from his training accident. Will be really interested to see how he hangs in today over the mountains.

That 150/1 for the TdF from PP about 8 months ago is looking somewhat generous at this point in time.

Did you take that price? Into 60s on betfair, so you could lay it now for an instant profit.