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TdF

July 28, 2014, 1:33 p.m.
sanrensho
Posts: 7543
Joined: June 17, 2003

Some good GIFs this year.

Cobblestone stage was riveting. Overall, Vuelta last year was more interesting than the TdF, and will be again this year.

Just happy that the stem-starer didn't win, but there was really no one to slug it out with Nibali.

"The song of a bird…We used to ask Ennesson to do bird calls. He could do them. How he could do them, and when he perished, along with him went all those birds…"-Return from the Stars, Stanislaw Lem

"We just walk around, and sometimes we go out and dance, and then we listen to the environment."-Ralf Hutter, Kraftwerk

July 28, 2014, 1:53 p.m.
mr_fungle
Posts: 4740
Joined: Nov. 20, 2002


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f78ad23NKBk

July 29, 2014, 1:11 p.m.
Oldfart
Posts: 5731
Joined: June 24, 2003

I keep treading race analysis that says the race would have been totally different if Froome and Contador not exited early which is absolutely true. But they way it is stated is suggesting that Nibali would not have been able to keep up in the mountains or TT. I say bullshit. One Contador is probably riding more clean that before which means his ability is now more normal. Both Froome and Contador screwed up tactically by letting Nibali get all that time early on, if they were actually able to do anything about it. Froome rides like shit, hence the crashes. Contador I don't think is that much better, hence the crashes. Nibali had no crash of any consequence. I think he did go down once though. I also think that Nibali stepped it up this year and truly focused on the race whereas Froome and Contador did well early in the year. I did not think that Nibali was a likely winner at the start but I was impressed by his tactics and strength.

Debate? Bikes are made for riding not pushing.

July 29, 2014, 1:18 p.m.
Duncan
Posts: 7707
Joined: Sept. 11, 2003

^^^^^
Nobody came even close to Nibali this year … it was always his to lose. There is always the element of luck, but sometimes a rider just seem predestined to win, and this was one of those times. 19 stages (or was it 18?) wearing yellow … you can't argue with that for dominance.

July 29, 2014, 3 p.m.
switch
Posts: 34073
Joined: Nov. 19, 2002

Nibali won the Tour on the second stage of the race.

I hope Froome and Contador are in the Vuelta. And that Quintana and Uran are there too.

It is easy to dodge our responsibilities, but we cannot dodge the consequences of dodging our responsibilities.
- Josiah Stamp

Every time I see an adult on a bicycle, I no longer despair for the future of the human race.
- H.G. Wells

July 29, 2014, 5:13 p.m.
Tom
Posts: 7566
Joined: March 7, 2004

Nibali would have still won. He crushed the cobbles and he was cruising in the mountains.

July 29, 2014, 7:30 p.m.
PaulB
Posts: 1738
Joined: Aug. 6, 2009

No doubt it would have been more interesting in the mountains with the other two guys in it, but the way Nibali was crushing it at the end of the mountain stages, I don't know that they would have been able to take enough time to make up for the first week.

I hope Froome and Contador are in the Vuelta.

Contador has already said he's out.

July 29, 2014, 9:31 p.m.
Onegear
Posts: 1152
Joined: Sept. 16, 2003

I love watching Nibali. He was the rider for the TdF this year. He was on form at Trentino-Adratico, and prepared for the tour by learning the stages. A pro. I loved watching him in the Wiggans TdF 2012. He attacked stages uphill down hill even though he knew the train would bring him back.

Froome is not the same type of rider at all. Super focused, super strong, and disciplined. He is excellent in a strong team but doesn't race enough in bad weather. I think that was his down fall this year. Wiggans crashed last year in the Giro, in bad weather. Excellent rider, but lacking that .5-.75% difference to the guys that are better in the weather and greasy roads. All in all, we are talking less than 1% difference from these guys. All so fast and work so hard.

Contador had a shitty crash, but was down on time after the cobbles. His team was strong, as is evidenced by the stage wins and KOM jersey after he was out.

I love watching the all of them, but like any spectator, I have my favorites.

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