Yet Another Cycling Forum

General Category => Freewheeling => Racing => Topic started by: welshwheels on 04 March, 2012, 03:51:23 pm

Title: paris nice
Post by: welshwheels on 04 March, 2012, 03:51:23 pm
http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10150673824689873&set=t.100000741706261&type=3&theater     

Outstanding performance by wiggins today I thought he did really well especially in the rain in the second half of the TT
Title: Re: paris nice
Post by: bobb on 04 March, 2012, 03:55:35 pm
That's a great pic. Shame about the rain.... If only....
Title: Re: paris nice
Post by: Salvatore on 05 March, 2012, 08:20:37 am
The commentator on the French stream I was watching started talking about PBP yesterday at one point. It took place not far from the start.

And today the course takes them to Orleans, partly on the     D97 (http://yacf.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=34801.msg971480#msg971480).
Title: Re: paris nice
Post by: citoyen on 05 March, 2012, 03:29:10 pm
Superb ride from Wiggo yesterday. Shame he couldn't quite find that extra second, but to see Tony Martin finishing so far back puts his performance in those conditions in some kind of perspective. Bodes well.

As for today's stage...
(click to show/hide)

d.
Title: Re: paris nice
Post by: David Martin on 05 March, 2012, 05:42:46 pm
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Title: Re: paris nice
Post by: mattc on 05 March, 2012, 06:29:25 pm
Superb ride from Wiggo yesterday. Shame he couldn't quite find that extra second, but to see Tony Martin finishing so far back puts his performance in those conditions in some kind of perspective. Bodes well.

Yup. And SchleckA was astonishingly poor -  a minute behind Wiggins after just 9km?!?

His excuse "This is not a real test for me. The distance was too short "   :facepalm:
http://www.cyclingweekly.co.uk/news/latest/532002/andy-schleck-off-the-pace-in-paris-nice-time-trial.html
Title: Re: paris nice
Post by: ran doner on 05 March, 2012, 06:48:05 pm
Why Wiggins will beat Frandy at the ToF. Taken from the ITT at Paris-Nice. (http://twitter.com/Greghenderson1/status/176423304838660096/photo/1/large)
Title: Re: paris nice
Post by: welshwheels on 05 March, 2012, 07:42:52 pm
wiggo did well today but bonnen looks strong     wiggo in yellow http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10150675937949873&set=t.100000741706261&type=3&theater
Title: Re: paris nice
Post by: citoyen on 07 March, 2012, 03:04:58 pm
Thoughts on current situation on stage 4...

(click to show/hide)
Title: Re: paris nice
Post by: citoyen on 08 March, 2012, 03:31:57 pm
I recommend anyone who didn't see it live to watch the highlights of today's stage (stage five). Proper exciting finish.

d.
Title: Re: paris nice
Post by: PeteB99 on 08 March, 2012, 05:08:26 pm
Is it on freeview or just Sky?
Title: Re: paris nice
Post by: Ewan Houzami on 08 March, 2012, 05:12:47 pm
WillsomebodyPLEEEEASEuploaditontoYouTubepronto?!!!!!!
Title: Re: paris nice
Post by: citoyen on 08 March, 2012, 05:29:28 pm
Highlights are on Eurosport 2 at 6pm. Don't know if they're on anywhere else.

Edit: and repeated at 9pm.

d.
Title: Re: paris nice
Post by: Salvatore on 08 March, 2012, 06:22:16 pm
WillsomebodyPLEEEEASEuploaditontoYouTubepronto?!!!!!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vHoLQgjX2v4&feature=youtu.be
Title: Re: paris nice
Post by: David Martin on 08 March, 2012, 06:42:12 pm
The steeper climbs aren't Brad's cup of tea. Kudo to Wiestra, a good move and possibly a rider who will be going for grand tour wins in the future.
Title: paris nice
Post by: citoyen on 08 March, 2012, 09:31:51 pm
Sunday's final stage could be interesting - a 10km ITT, all uphill. Westra is no slouch against the clock, apparently.

Edit: on the other hand, is he really in Wiggo's league? Nah!

d.
Title: Re: paris nice
Post by: welshwheels on 08 March, 2012, 09:40:37 pm
I thought wiggins and team sky did outstanding today that final climb was a bit nasty !!! richie porter did a good job of winding the pace up not really wiggins's cup of tea that climb !!!  http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10150682844614873&set=a.10150682842709873.417355.194104484872&type=1&theater
Title: paris nice
Post by: citoyen on 08 March, 2012, 10:13:30 pm
Westra lost 19 seconds to Wiggins on the stage 1 TT. Don't know if he went in dry or wet conditions. Could be tight on Sunday but I'm backing Brad.

d.
Title: Re: paris nice
Post by: David Martin on 08 March, 2012, 11:20:49 pm
Getting a nice pride of lions in that team sky bus.. Wonder if Brad will give Cav one for his little girl..
Title: Re: paris nice
Post by: mattc on 09 March, 2012, 09:36:58 am
Getting a nice pride of lions in that team sky bus.. Wonder if Brad will give Cav one for his little girl..
On first reading, I had no idea what 'lions' you were talking about. This makes for some very confusing images ...  ;D

(I've remembered 'em now, don't worry.)
Title: Re: paris nice
Post by: David Martin on 09 March, 2012, 10:52:48 am
Try this link.. https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10150682768009873&set=a.10150682764479873.417340.194104484872&type=1&theater
Title: Re: paris nice
Post by: Salvatore on 09 March, 2012, 12:58:51 pm
Getting a nice pride of lions in that team sky bus.. Wonder if Brad will give Cav one for his little girl..

He's already got a stuffed donkey for her after winning Kuurne-Brussels-Kuurne
podium picture (http://sports.yahoo.com/sc/photo%3Fslug%3Db82d76027df104f7a22ed37dd5aec7ba-getty-509176094&docid=u6hTBRn4qMNYlM&imgurl=http://l.yimg.com/j/assets/p/sp/getty/47/fullj.b82d76027df104f7a22ed37dd5aec7ba/b82d76027df104f7a22ed37dd5aec7ba-getty-509176094.jpg&w=660&h=440&ei=sf1ZT8zdIMbN0QWCgLXKDQ&zoom=1&iact=hc&vpx=657&vpy=303&dur=2220&hovh=183&hovw=275&tx=93&ty=67&sig=108977696443559009930&sqi=2&page=1&tbnh=134&tbnw=163&start=0&ndsp=39&ved=1t:429,r:11,s:0)
Title: Re: paris nice
Post by: Karla on 09 March, 2012, 03:52:54 pm
(click to show/hide)

Sunday's final TT should be a hoot.
Title: Re: paris nice
Post by: David Martin on 09 March, 2012, 09:21:28 pm
Close though.. It's really a close thing between Wiggo, Leipheimer and Westra.  Any failure on Sunday and you lose.. Tension to the last few minutes

..d
Title: Re: paris nice
Post by: Biff on 09 March, 2012, 11:36:04 pm
In the first TT Wiggo laid off in the wet. I think he'll give it the beans. I shall scream loudly.
Title: Re: paris nice
Post by: Nuncio on 11 March, 2012, 12:17:20 pm
Try this link.. https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10150682768009873&set=a.10150682764479873.417340.194104484872&type=1&theater

Or this one: https://twitter.com/#!/5lark1/status/178559603880116225/photo/1
Title: Re: paris nice
Post by: Ewan Houzami on 11 March, 2012, 01:46:50 pm
(click to show/hide)
Title: paris nice
Post by: citoyen on 11 March, 2012, 07:43:31 pm
Really impressed by Westra's performance today, but there was never really any doubt about what the result would be. Brad went into the race as favourite and rode like it from start to finish, backed up by some fine work from his lieutenants and tactical nous from the team bosses. A very well deserved victory and another huge feather in his cap. Chapeau!

Roll on July...

d.
Title: Re: paris nice
Post by: bobb on 11 March, 2012, 07:46:10 pm
That would probably be considered his most significant win on the road. Nice one Wiggo!  :thumbsup:
Title: Re: paris nice
Post by: mattc on 11 March, 2012, 07:46:22 pm
Roll on July...

I just hope he doesn't overdo it inbetween, thinking he can win every race ...  ::-)
Title: Re: paris nice
Post by: spesh on 11 March, 2012, 08:38:36 pm
Roll on July...

I just hope he doesn't overdo it inbetween, thinking he can win every race ...  ::-)

I'd say he's looking for an early season peak in form, then maybe taper a bit and aim for another peak in time for the TdF/Olympics, so he and the team management should be carefully picking the races.

The other way to do it is to be pretty anonymous in the first part of the season, then use the Giro d'Italia and the Critérium du Dauphiné as a springboard for le Tour.
Title: Re: paris nice
Post by: Nuncio on 11 March, 2012, 09:42:50 pm
The green jersey was an unexpected bonus to the stage and overall.

I wonder if Westra is regretting his easing off and freewheeling to the line on his stage win.
Title: Re: paris nice
Post by: David Martin on 11 March, 2012, 10:16:25 pm
The green jersey was an unexpected bonus to the stage and overall.

I wonder if Westra is regretting his easing off and freewheeling to the line on his stage win.

He wouldn't have made up 8 seconds though..
Title: Re: paris nice
Post by: Gaston Lagaffe on 12 March, 2012, 06:32:47 am
Really impressed by Westra's performance today, but there was never really any doubt about what the result would be.

When Westra crossed the line about 30 seconds ahead, with Wiggins 2 seconds down at the split, I was worried.
Title: Re: paris nice
Post by: Exit Stage Left on 12 March, 2012, 07:35:01 am
I wonder how much aerodynamic difference the filling in of the ventilation slots on the Team Skyt helmets made. Was it a deciding factor? It's something you can do in the cooler weather of early season, but not so much in July.
Title: Re: paris nice
Post by: bobb on 12 March, 2012, 08:01:02 am
Not sure, but they didn't seem that bothered about being super areo as most of them were on road bikes with clip ons.

All this talk of it being close - correct me if I'm wrong, but surely as Wiggins went last he would have had his directeur bellowing in his ear all the way up, so he just rode more or less to Westra's pace giving it just enough to beat him at the end. Had Westra gone even faster, Wiggins would have just gone faster too (assuming he could) so there was no need to bust his balls when all he needed to do was stay within a few seconds of him...
Title: Re: paris nice
Post by: Pip on 12 March, 2012, 08:03:22 am
Shameful omission of reporting this triumph in BBC breakfast news tv sports report. Looking at the list of past winners, Brad has joined an elite list of big names, many unfortunately tarnished by drugs involvement
Title: Re: paris nice
Post by: GruB on 12 March, 2012, 08:06:34 am
Great for Bradley, but I still suspect the changes in speed on the TdF stages will be his undoing.  He has a great engine but doesn't seem to be able to respond when those nearby up the pace a bit, even if for only a short time.  Fingers crossed though as I would really like to see him win this year.
Title: paris nice
Post by: citoyen on 12 March, 2012, 08:07:09 am
All this talk of it being close - correct me if I'm wrong, but surely as Wiggins went last he would have had his directeur bellowing in his ear all the way up, so he just rode more or less to Westra's pace giving it just enough to beat him at the end.

Quite. It was an impressive effort by Westra but there was never any doubt about what the result would be.

d.
Title: Re: paris nice
Post by: Domestique on 12 March, 2012, 08:16:37 am
Would have been nice if he got a mention on the BBC news.
Iirc he looked good last year and went into the TDF on very good form. I am trying to think how to word this properly, I reckon it must take two years or so to get a team built around someone. I wonder how much time Brad has lost out on by crashing last year when it comes to winning the TDF.
Title: Re: paris nice
Post by: David Martin on 12 March, 2012, 08:26:04 am
He has gone now from believing that he might do quite well, to believing that he might make the podium (until his crash), to now believing that he can win. And with this years course ideal for him (apart from one or two very steep sections), he must now rank as one of the favourites.

..d
Title: Re: paris nice
Post by: Nuncio on 12 March, 2012, 08:36:00 am
Wiggins was interviewed by, unsurprisingly, Sky and was asked if he knew he was behind at the timing point. He did, not only because he was fed the information but also because of the 'huge' sign.  But it was all about riding to his own schedule.  He didn't say if he'd had to up his pace to match Westra’s unexpectedly good performance, but there was only the one intermediate timing point, and I doubt, however good Sky’s preparation and implementation was, that they could be confident, to the second or even handful of seconds, where he was in relation to Westra’s time.

Having said that, the performance of the team was just about faultless. There was

-   Wiggins’ stunning prologue result (considering the conditions and necessary caution)
-   the attention which enabled Wiggins and Thomas to be in the front echelon on the decisive first stage, and also for them to help drive it home allowing the rest of the team to take it easy while others were busting a gut
-   Richie Porte and co keeping the pace high on the final climbs to dissuade the more explosive climbers from attacking effectively.
-   Wiggins ‘delivering’.

With Cav, Wiggins, Boassen-Hagen and Richie Porte all winning it’s been a stellar start to the season.  Not that it really matters but I see that Sky are now top of the team rankings after Paris-Nice.

Great for Bradley, but I still suspect the changes in speed on the TdF stages will be his undoing.  He has a great engine but doesn't seem to be able to respond when those nearby up the pace a bit, even if for only a short time.  Fingers crossed though as I would really like to see him win this year.

The counter-argument to this was his performance in the Dauphine last year, when on the harder climbs he was dropped.  But he gradually upped his pace, Indurain-style, and managed to catch up the hares.

Innr ring's views on trhe suject here: http://inrng.com/2012/03/can-bradley-wiggins-win-the-tour-de-france-2/
Title: Re: paris nice
Post by: JT on 12 March, 2012, 09:06:18 am
Great for Bradley, but I still suspect the changes in speed on the TdF stages will be his undoing.  He has a great engine but doesn't seem to be able to respond when those nearby up the pace a bit, even if for only a short time.  Fingers crossed though as I would really like to see him win this year.

Cadel Evans can't respond to changes of pace on steep climbs and he won it. Of the two best riders at that style of riding (who are also GC contenders), one is banned and the other can't time-trial and this year's Tour has quite a lot of TT km's.

Wiggo has the pedigree to be up there - 4th in the 2009 TDF, won the Dauphine in 2011, 3rd in the Vuelta in 2011, 2nd in World TT champs in 2011, and now winner of Paris-Nice.
Title: Re: paris nice
Post by: David Martin on 12 March, 2012, 09:39:27 am
The other standout team performance of Paris-Nice was Vacansoleil. Three different stage winners, team prize, mountains prize and lots of exposure for the sponsors. I wonder if Westra is happy with 2nd or disappointed that he was so close..

..d
Title: Re: paris nice
Post by: bobb on 12 March, 2012, 09:43:41 am
but there was only the one intermediate timing point, and I doubt, however good Sky’s preparation and implementation was, that they could be confident, to the second or even handful of seconds, where he was in relation to Westra’s time

Maybe, but I doubt the Sky bods would have overlooked the fact that all they needed was a man with a pen and paper to write down Westra's times at any point on the road and pass those back to the team. I guess we'll never know...
Title: Re: paris nice
Post by: citoyen on 12 March, 2012, 04:03:53 pm
http://www.guardian.co.uk/sport/blog/2012/mar/12/paris-nice-tour-de-france-bradley-wiggins
Title: Re: paris nice
Post by: mattc on 12 March, 2012, 05:05:33 pm
but there was only the one intermediate timing point, and I doubt, however good Sky’s preparation and implementation was, that they could be confident, to the second or even handful of seconds, where he was in relation to Westra’s time

Maybe, but I doubt the Sky bods would have overlooked the fact that all they needed was a man with a pen and paper to write down Westra's times at any point on the road and pass those back to the team. I guess we'll never know...
I thnk Bobb's right, in that there is no reason they couldn't have done this (barring odd local geography, or regs, possibly). They even do this at lowly UK Championships - I think it was Dangerfield's coach who I heard speaking on this.

But I have a personal pet theory here; Wiggo knows all about pacing, and his own TTing ability. He didn't need to save anything for Monday, he could give it everything - so maybe he could just do his own ride? Personally I'd find that mentally easier - rather than being told "You're 5 seconds down!" and be expected to speed up, or similar. Anyhoo, he's riding the things, not me!
Title: Re: paris nice
Post by: giropaul on 13 March, 2012, 09:14:56 am
I would put money on Sky having staff at, at the most, half km intervals, collecting data on every contender. They would be in radio contact with Yatesy in the car, and with staff with a computer in the bus.

Even back in the 70's, when I was there with ANC, we had staff and others we "collected" all the way up with spare wheels and watches (Joe McLoughlin was up in the young rider category).
Title: Re: paris nice
Post by: Nuncio on 13 March, 2012, 11:05:43 am
I stand corrected.  I'm happy to think that at least some of my Murdoch pounds are going towards stopwatches and timers, and not all to corruptible Met officers, seedy journalists, celebrity pay-offs, and curvaceous (and surprisingly erudite) girls from Essex.
Title: Re: paris nice
Post by: David Martin on 13 March, 2012, 10:50:44 pm
I stand corrected.  I'm happy to think that at least some of my Murdoch pounds are going towards stopwatches and timers, and not all to corruptible Met officers, seedy journalists, celebrity pay-offs, and curvaceous (and surprisingly erudite) girls from Essex. /b]

That would be Peta then?