Paris - Nice '10

[Bear]

Today the "Race to the sun" begins. With Contador, Valverde and Sanchez are three really strong spanish riders at the start. There is also Kreuziger, VandeVelde, Leipheimer, Cunego and maybe other riders who can take a win.

What are your favorites for the win in the GC, the prologue winner or the best climber?

I think, Tony Martin will take the win in todays prologue

[Lizard]

GW to Contador.

[Bear]

GW to Contador.

Hopefully not, I don't like this guy

[olmania]

Today the "Race to the sun"

Actually not. It's snowing in all the South of France this afternoon
But, the start is in the North, so they are lucky

[iBanesto]

Contador will win the Prologue like last year. It's tailor made for him, not too short, not too technical and plenty of up and down. Just remember Tour de France Prologue in Monaco last year or the time trial in Pais Vasco. Comparable courses, Contador only beaten by Cancellara.

[Luna]

There is always much, that can happen at Paris - Nice. Neither the prologue, nor the mini mountain top finish must pre-decide the race. Espesially the Caisse d'Erpagne duo has several options on the last stages. It's well possible that the GC will be re-shuffled on one of the last 2 stages, even without a hunger attack from A.C.^^ Contador can not react to every single attack on him after the respective last climb of the day. Than the finishing time bonusses can decide; or simply a gap that could be created by one or another. At least i hope it will be a little more open race.

[Bear]

Does somebody know a working stream? I only find a stream where I am not allowed to watch the race (because I am from Germany )

Otherwise I have to wait for the review on euro...

[iBanesto]

http://voetbal-kijken.blogspot.com/

Maybe I should put this in my signature or something.

[Luna]

http://www.p2pstation.net/

[Luna]

Boah, Voigte, ey! Didn't expect that.

[iBanesto]

Bah, no Contador victory, should be more modest with my predictions...
But a nice victory for Boom, really. He could become the dutch Devolder in the weeks ahead.

[Luna]

Don't mess with Volderke !


Leipheimer, too, looking to be in good shape. Last years he had the Tour of California already behind him. Now he's building his form towards it with the new date in may. Maybe he can keep up with the other contenders in the hills and mountains and be a real threat to A.C./Cd'E.

[olmania]

Big Boom
Big Voigt
Normal Contador

And ... Sagan 20years old (youngest guy of the peloton), first important race and 5th

[Luna]

Sagan already showed atrong performances at Tour Down Under. 5th at the Willunga stage, 4th at stage 3.
Also strong at Costa degli Etruschi and Laigueglia, 15th and 16th, both times as a support rider for a better placed team mate. Really not bad for such a young gun.

This year seemengly a strong generation of neo pros appears to emerge from U23 or continental level. Keukeleire, Bos, Sagan, Valls and some others..

[olmania]

Bos

What a fu**ing bast***.
So i hate him
Sagan is really young and really strong, incredible. I Hope he will be here for le Tour or others big races.

[Luna]

Bos

What a fu**ing bast***.
So i hate him

Because of that incident at the Tour of Turkey last year? Yes, that was very awkward. I didn't like that either. But now it's past. I'm sure he learned his lesson. Now he found a team that I like and he has my blessings to beat Cav or Greipel whenever he meets one of them, or both. He's a really fast guy!

[olmania]

Bos

What a fu**ing bast***.
So i hate him

Because of that incident at the Tour of Turkey last year? Yes, that was very awkward. I didn't like that either. But now it's past. I'm sure he learned his lesson. Now he found a team that I like and he has my blessings to beat Cav or Greipel whenever he meets one of them, or both. He's a really fast guy!

Yes, i just can wait to see him again. But he did the worst thing you can do in a ms ... just horrible.
So, now that's sure that a lot of people hate him, normal.

[iBanesto]

Sagan, what kind of a rider is he, can somebody tell me? Because I'm not really sure when I look at his results. There are the two stages Down Under where he was really good, both of them hilly. Now he is very good in the prologue, a difficult one. Top 10 of the prologue are all either superb time trialists or classement candidates. And then I look at his results from last year and I see him winning bunch sprints in some race in Poland, 10th place in the European Championship in a bunch sprint. I check the Liquigas Homepage und Sagans Wikipedia page and find out he has a big history in MTB and Cross. MTB Junior World Champion 2008, Vice World Champion in Cross the same year.
So now I know he's good, but I still don't know in what, it looks like a little bit of everything to me.

[Bear]

I don't know this guy. But seems like he will win much more in the future. Those allround skills you don't find often. Voigte was great today, i am waiting for the pictures from euro...

Fight for the GC will be great I think, Leipheimer in good shape. I am excited of the next stages, maybe there is another young gun to show his talent. Lars Boom also a nice prologue-winner. I didn't had him on my list.

[Luna]

Sagan, don't know either. Maybe he's just that sort of allrounder as Boom. Good in time trial, good in the sprints, good in the hills. And he'll be very motivated now, at the start of his career as a pro. Wants to be in the action everywhere. Who knows how long he will be able to ride at that level. Maybe he needs to rethink his efforts once he feels tired, and make a more precise plan of what he actually wants or what he might be able to really win, instead of finishing 5th everywhere. Interesting rider, anyway. I'm curios about what he'll become.

[olmania]

Tomorrow can be interesting by the weather : big wind (50-70km/h) and 2° ... a real cold wind !
So i don't know the name in english (when some good flat riders accelerate and play with the wind "coup de bordure" in french) can happen tomorrow

[Luna]

I don't know the english word either. But I know it in german: "Windkante"!

Steegmans was blowing away from the wind today, breaking his collarbone. Must have been a spectacular crash.
-> http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/steegma ... collarbone

[Bear]

Great stage today. The wind was blowing and no mass sprint. I didn't expect that before. Caisse d'Epargne really strong today. It was important to stay in front of the peloton. They did it perfectly. Voigte good as well. And this Boom, wow, how he went in front to the first group, powerful. I am really excited how he can manage the next (more hilly) stages. Climbs seems not to be a bad thing for him.

[olmania]

I said you yesterday : the weather, the wind.
And yeah, big wind for suprises ! Same thing tomorrow with a few little hills

[iBanesto]

Boom is really, really strong. Really.