Paris - Nice '10

[olmania]

Boom is really, really strong. Really.

Really ?

[Luna]

I watched the stage on TV today. But in the finale I got disturbed by a visitor. Luckily I found the video of the final 5 km on http://www.youtube.com/user/worldcyclingchannel2 without knowing the outcome before i saw it. That was fun. And a nice stage. What a pity Grega didn't make it. And A.C. again in trouble behind the main field. That was close. Nice from the Rabo team car to pull him back to the bunch after the crash. Even his own team mates, who dropped only to help him coming back, couldn't follow them^^

[Bear]

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

I think in english they say just "cross-winds". That is what I was reading.

[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

I think in english they say just "cross-winds". That is what I was reading.

Ok, cross winds.
Why not an other cross wind today ! And the end of the stage with little uphills can be interesting for offensive riders.

[US Radler]

Did A.C. get a penalty for driving behind the Rabobank car?

[Luna]

No, he didn't. Maybe because the crash happend inside the last 3 km, where every crash victim gets the same time as the group, to which he belonged at the moment of the crash. If not, I guess the commissaires just tolerated it, considering that it was simply not his fault to crash out of the peloton at that time.

[Bear]

Very interesting what Hinault said to cyclingnews:

French cycling legend Bernard Hinault had some interesting comments on yesterday's happenings, saying he thought Caisse d'Epargne left their move a little late. Had they gone earlier, they might have had a break of three or four minutes, enough to really make a difference in the GC.

He also pointed out that Contador showed that he has a problem with the wind. “It’s probably his only weak spot. In this respect, his team must learn to protect him because we could find ourselves in the same situation on the Tour, especially in Holland where it could be even more windy. In the first three days, there could be splits any time.”

Three or four minutes seems not realistic to me because a lot of teams would have chased in the main bunch. But Hinault is a pro, he must thought about that. And he points out AC's (maybe) one and only problem, the wind. I am excited to watch today stage.

[Luna]

I just read the same statement one minute ago. Seems, we are both reading the cn-ticker

In the report to the last stage I read the following:

“Our team manager Yvon Ledanois knew the finale of the stage perfectly because he came here a few weeks ago to see what the last kilometers looked like. He told us that at 23 kilometers from the finish, as soon as we turned right, the wind could play a very important role and that we had to be in front of the bunch right there,” said Valverde.

Maybe that's why they waited so long.

[Bear]

Yes, that seems to be the reason.

I just read the same statement one minute ago. Seems, we are both reading the cn-ticker

Yap, I think so too. After yesterdays stage the favorites are down to less riders when you look on those names in the quote.

This is known as the “race to the sun”, but this year it may be considered “the race of the wind”. The peloton split yesterday, and while most of the peloton was able to finish within 17 seconds of the lead group, 11 riders dropped nearly five minutes, and 47 riders lost over seven minutes. Big name losers include Tom Danielson (Garmin-Transitions), Wouter Weylandt (Quick Step), Oscar Pereiro (Astana), Yaroslav Popovych (RadioShack), Daminao Cunego (Lampre), Christian Vande Velde (Garmin-Transitions) and Christopher Horner (RadioShack).

[iBanesto]

Hinault is an Idiot. Seems to be the week of the old men, Merckx said a couple of days ago that Boonen could win Sanremo. Yeah,... right.
Chaotic finale today, sprint result is somewhere between odd and worthless. Luis-Leon Sanchez 3rd+time bonus, Vorganov 8th in a "bunch sprint", yeah... right.
My personal idiot of the day: Bradley Wiggins. I quote:

"I think a lot of people still think I’m a bit of a fraud. I know one rider in particular who is adamant that I was on drugs last year at the Tour. I don’t know if that’s a general sentiment. Some don't think that but a lot of the French riders do," he said.

"But now the young riders know that success on the road is an achievable goal. For years we were always told by French teams: 'You'll never do anything at the Tour. How can we possible compete with these guys, they've got another gear.' You actually start believing that crap after a while. I believed that there was no way of getting top ten in the Tour if you didn't take drugs. But then when I saw Christian Vande Velde get fifth in 2008, that Tour changed everything for me."

People ride bad, because they are told by the French teams that Dopers are unbeatable.
Yeah... right.

[Mayo]

Hinault is funny^^

Of course Wiggins is as clean as all the french teams

Peter Sagan is impressive with his 20 years of age. He was impressive as a junior too but that he would be among the best in the world this fast.. Not the first good result in this year and I'm anxious to see how he'll do on the difficult stages because he normally is a good allrounder.

[Bear]

Peter Sagan!!! What a performance today

Voigte also strong today and in yellow tomorrow, but this "boy" is great, fore sure he is a mtbiker Lars Boom showed that he is not strong enough to go with the beste climbers, but he looks like a clever rider. Maybe he shows his talent again at PN.

In general, this PN is great, fascianting stages, great landscape, narrow roads, just perfect

[Luna]

Finally Sagan. He deserved this fomr what he showed the last days and weeks.

[Bear]

Just to remember... PETER SAGAN!!!! Great was he does with his 20 years.

[Luna]

Phenomenal!

[iBanesto]

Yes, phenomenal. I hope his team changes his schedule for the next weeks, I read at CN he's going home to Slovakia after the race and won't come back before the Tour of Turkey. I say, this guy is in brillant form, he has no pressure whatsoever, throw him in for Sanremo! He won't lose his form in a week, will he? See how he does there and let him keep going if he still has the necessary freshness, Gent-Wevelgem, Ronde, maybe even Amstel. Just let him ride, don't hide him in Slovakia when he's in the form of his life.

[Luna]

Maybe they don't want to overload him now. He's so young and they have to be careful with him. I already liked to read that he isn't scheduled for any of the grand tours this year. Maybe that would all be topo much for him. Slowly, slowly!

[Cerro Torre RT]

Slow is fine... at the right time. To take him out of the important races by now would only mean to slow him down. I agree to iBan. Let him go for Milano San Remo, and watch what he does. So he can make some experiences in classic races, and afterwards it's up to decide what other classic races he may ride. I mean, in not overloading him, a one-day race is something totally different to a Grand Tour, which i agree he probably should leave out this year. And winning 2 stages at PN does not mean in any way that he is capable of riding at cobblestones. But in my eyes he just earned to take part in some of those races, and who knows, some remarkable results could really boost his career.

[Luna]

Yes, that's true. But i guess, LIQ have already a plan vor Sanremo, and other riders who dedicated themselves to the race. They could feel snubbed if now the young boy gets the free role for Sanremo, which might be allocated to someone other long ago. Not to speak of Benna, who seems to be on good form, either. He needs some guys who stay with him, instead of having a pack of jokers in the team.

And another thing we should not forget. He scored two brilliant wins. Okay. But it played into his cards that nobody in the race really knew him. At his first win he was simply the fastest and best positioned guy to the line. While today, i think it was a little bit of the chasers fault. Riders like Valverde or one of the Sanchez' could have gone with him, but they didn't. Wrong decision. Or maybe purpose. Something like that wouldn't happen again. He will be a marked man now.

But I agree with that it's a pity that he will rest at home while beeing in top form. I'd let him ride Catalunya and/or Pays Basque. If it shall be one day races, then Brabantse Pijl or GP Indurain.

[Lizard]

I think Milano San Remo would be too much for a young gun like him... yes, a one day race is something different than the tour, but at Paris - Nice they don´t ride 293km courses either. I think such distances are quite long for an unexperienced rider. Let him ride P-N seems to be good, maybe some semi-classics aswell and other well-known few day tours.

[Bear]

And another thing we should not forget. He scored two brilliant wins. Okay. But it played into his cards that nobody in the race really knew him. At his first win he was simply the fastest and best positioned guy to the line. While today, i think it was a little bit of the chasers fault. Riders like Valverde or one of the Sanchez' could have gone with him, but they didn't. Wrong decision. Or maybe purpose. Something like that wouldn't happen again. He will be a marked man now.

For me it looked like Sagan was the most clever guy today. At the beginning of the climb, the street was narrow and he was in front. The others like Contador or Valverde were some riders behind. As Sagan attacked. he was many meters in front of the bunch. Maybe the others didn't expect such a attack or the were thinking that this will cost too much energy. Anyway, great job of Sagan

[Bear]

Tondo scores one for Cervelo
Spaniard solos to victory ahead of Valverde and Super Sagan

Super Sagan... I like that

[Luna]

That stage was little boring. After the last climb I feared it would come down to an ordinary bunch sprint. Great ride from Tondo.

[Bear]

Tondo was fighting like hell and deserved the win. The last stages were all really fascinating but today was like a Tdf stage where no favorite tries sth if there is no summit finish

[Luna]

It was such a long way from the summit to the finish. Espacially with the pretended decisive stage waiting at the next day. Think most of them were happy that at least the time bonus for the stage win had gone to a breakaway rider.