Tour de France 2013 15h

[sylvainmeteo]

Melotte wins, but he's prolly far under reg (150/200 I think)

Matt finished 6th and he's 4th overall, it's good

[Robyklebt]

Not as I expected somehow.. Didn't think Recien would control to win the end... tought and hoped he'd let Gaurain do the job. Who is still the clear GC favorite IMO. But ok, stage favorite Melotte, get one as soon as possible to be able to breath easier later, understandeable too. Then of course Saxo came with his idiotic tempo... really hope he loses half his team tomorrow... just fear Zibi risks joining, which wouldn't be nice at all. Ok, in the end Saxos tempo doesn't really change much... the boys in front weren't going to play a big role anyway.. .but he just ride senselessly nonstop... in every gruppetto too, just kills his riders everywhere, in escapes not by riding but by sprinting without a plan it seems, if not in the escape in the peloton.. for sprinting at GPMs and intermediates probably, which then he doesn't do... just weird and very bad.

Anyway, then more or less the expected scenario at first, 2 Reciens go, Seeldrayers chases.. then double attack, where Groselj unfortunately couldn't follow... Rakhat did, safety following on Seeldrayers... all 86+ in front then.. .Preidler another reg attack.. then just tempo, safe stage win for Melotte, second Esteban. Preidler shockingly weak somehow, almost as if he didn't only have bad form but also helped Seeldraeyers to weaken himself... probably not, but expected him a bit stronger. Tomorrow, some guys under reg, not Preidler obviously. Who isn't stage favorite after reviewing the profile once more... more like FL with Roy or even Benni? Depending on how it's ridden. Rakhat takes the mountain jersey, hehe, didn't even realize he won the Cima Coppi, or whatever they call that in this post Giro criterium. Good, probably gone tomorrow, but no problem. Groselj white, this one I hope to have at the end. FL stupid.. .but saved himself by checking and then sending the pw to his sitter.
Tomorrow Poke again for FL? And Aix the hero for Gaurain? Or TAKA? Oh, Esteban would have deserved the red maybe, he tried, hoping that Melotte prefers saving some reg maybe? But Melotte then clearly stronger, deserved win. And yellow, but that won't be easy to defend... almost impossible, with the TT and the hard alps... reg again, to follow. But could go and win more stages for sure.

[luques]

Good day for my team... tomorrow will be difficult to keep all guys inside the time limit, but ok Mario and other main helpers are ok!

Little recap:

Ciccio get some good points for the sprint jersey... ok he is not anymore a favo but he is showing he can compete for intermediate, so why not for the final sprint?

Mario good second place, we hope for a victory but today Melotte simply had better form than us... anyway get some seconds on the other climbers and we are in Top10 which was our objective.

Why Mario attacked? Simply because he feels... Esteban does always what he wants! (Moreover the Luques ds wanted to give a difficult option to Melotte, attack and be under reg or let me win and cooperate with other favo... he choose the first one unluckily... we will see tomorrow)

Tomorrow i will be on smartphone and not always present... so terrible day for me... hope to lose not much!

[sylvainmeteo]

Damn... 10 sec pff

GW Melotte, he was very strong, even under reg after the yesterday's stage...

A bit surprised that Luques didn't try with his climber to go alone at the end of the downhill

[Robyklebt]

Luques was on his smartphone... so more difficult. Plus Luques was in the Rakhat escape. So less energy anyway, even after the tempo the guys in the back did.
And Melotte was under reg pretty sure. But never the 150-200 you said yesterday.

Pretty boring stage today actually

[Recien Nacido]

948 to beginn today

[luques]

Difficult day... smartphone make all more difficult

Happy that Alexeev and Bulloch are still at TdF, now a good rest day before the beginning of the second week, time trial and mt ventoux are on the list!

Oh and why Esteban didn't attack? As i said he does what he feels and he doesn't feel moreover i wasn't online most of the time and didn't have idea of what the energy of the other climbers were... i simply tried to follow and stay with the other best climbers...

Good rest day to all!

[gaurain rx]

I have really nice sitters! Thanks taka, thanks Aix!

and yeah, result seems pretty good gc wise!

[team fl]

Finally I can play myself again from tomorrow on, yay!

Don't know if that's good or bad but it should be not too optimistic to redo bergwerk's result on Friday.

[sylvainmeteo]

Well after 9 stages

Wins :

2 Gaurain Rx
2 SM Team
2 Recien Nacidos
1 Quickstep
1 Red Wine
1 Luques
1 Petit Singe

0 for FL, Saxo

Wins are quite well given to everyone ^^

Sowerby should win the TT tomorrow

Today Gao wins, due to the big fail from Gaurain and SM the 2 workers of the stage ^^

[gaurain rx]

Well, it kind of crashed at my place 2-3 km before the end... Then, I haven't seen how the sprint was evolving

[cataracs]

Kick the guys with 2climbers and 0 win out of the race !

[team fl]

Kick the guys with 2climbers and 0 win out of the race !

And why that, my love?

[Robyklebt]

GAooo!
Hihi, haha, was kind of funny. Mostly didn't know who to follow yesterday... thought enough SM, Gaurain will kill me otherwise. Ciccio often has train, mmh, him. But sprint, so less energy, so scared to "carry" anybody on his wheel. De roy? Can't win from there I think. August? Well, not unlikely he is followed. So lets make a traaaaaain. Done and won! Lucky, lucky.... Friesenbichler on August, get's the wheel, Bochini and Seeldraeyers on Jo, so they are in front of Brandon who wanted August too, hehe, haha, hohoho. Then Seeldrayers even blocked Brandon with Brad and De Roy on his wheel a bit, excellent man. Was clear: 1+2 August or Joe, depending on what they do. FL did nothing in the end, App probably, August decided not to follow his las leadout man, so Gao who started at 200 and had nobody in his wheel won it.

What a fucking stupid sprint system.

[team fl]

FL did nothing in the end, App probably

I fucking hate it. This whole Tour gives me the shivers. Need a sitter for almost 50% of the stages and 50% of the rest i have to ride fully or partly with the app, which is bullshit for the sprint, which is bullshit itself. I feared that already when I inscribed for the Tour, but didn't think that it would be as bad as it is. Nevertheless I hope that there is some dignity left during the rest of the Tour for Team FL...

[luques]

The app is good for everything in the game except the race (which is the mega-feature for paying users )... and that's the big problem, all other things like transfermarket, team, training i can watch also at home, only race needs to be online/active.

But before better concentrate on improving the sprint system because yesterday i saw some things...

Ciccio is definetely a ^^, let's see if he will win at least one race in this tour but it's complicated... and some rumours speak about a new young sprinter coming (just to give Ciccio some pressure!)

[luques]

Finally... Quickstep with his train! Nice win!

Ciccio still looking for a victory in his career... maybe the last stage in Paris? Actually need he find result cause the team starts to be disappointed with him... every time a good train by Costa&Mansilla and every time a bad result... Mansilla can try the sprint

Tomorrow another flat stage... after the real tour will begin!

Oh, and tonight training Seeldrayers and Primoz can have a +1 and give a good help to their leaders in the final week

[team fl]

wähhhh.

[Robyklebt]

And unhappy FL

[Robyklebt]

Bah, now even that FL wins...

SM gives up green it seems... 12 points back and he gives up? But ok, probably not, depressed straight after the stage, that's all, very likely.
Tomorrow, we'll see, normally should be a pretty safe sprint, but with a depressed SM... maybe not, we'll see.

[sylvainmeteo]

Congrats Luques, I just notice btw that the 3 guys at the 3 firsts places were siebed when Flachbart sieb us, nice cooperation Luques and Quickstep

[Robyklebt]

Yep, was to be expected. We probably attacked Saxo too early. And going green would have helped too. But ok, at least was interesting.

What I didn't understand today is: Why didn't you go for sprint? I mean, with all the 5s you can get rid of half of Quicksteps train pretty easily. And without his train August isn't a big danger. Then the stage very likely is between you, Gaurain and FL (train strength)... August isn't stronger than Ciccio or Gao anymore... so stage chances AND more points for green. OK, middle mountain. less points, so... but still. Your train should have come accross pretty well, then just train, go at 100 or so and hope Joe is followed by somebody, Ciccio or me. and De Roy doesn't overtake you. And hope for place 6 or so for August too. But ok, like this was probably more fun... and IMO you are still the green favorite.

[luques]

Good day, finally an escape and finally a win

Now begins the real Tour today was the last rest day.

Really nice to see that those who siebed are all behind the guys that were siebed!

Tomorrow probably a sitter but if i come back in time i will probably do the climb, i hope!

[luques]

Congrats Gaurain, really well played today even in a stage were you weren't favo imo, or at least you had all against you

Let's focus on some points:

1) SaxoTinkof nervousness: yep this is a big point of today after yesterday he probably wanted the win and so attacked with all men possible
Km: 26, Pendenza: 4
John Carvalho (Saxo-Bank -tinkof) Attacco al km
Km: 38, Pendenza: -1
Guilherm Carvalho (Saxo-Bank -tinkof) Attacco al km
Campeo Guilherme (Saxo-Bank -tinkof) Attacco al km
Km: 43, Pendenza: 4
Sérgio Paulinho (Saxo-Bank -tinkof) Attacco al km
At the end nothing interesting happen with him (as usual ) bossagan for 4minutes didn't go out of the tour, will be for the next week!

2) Gao's attack: Km: 37, Pendenza: -2
Daoquan Gao (Petit Singe) Attacco al km he also got the gpm ended 15 on this stage... SUPER!

3) Keselovski step to the green jersey:
8.Brad Keselowski (SM Team): 8
9.August derNeunte (Quickstep): 7, with others sprint intermediate coming (Alpe d'Huez stage even if it's difficult, le grand bornand difficult too, annecy easier) he could become the green jersey before coming to Paris

4) FL double attack:
Km: 215, Pendenza: 9
Roy Lichtenstein (Team FL) Attacco al km
Stefano Benni (Team FL) Attacco al km
At the end we can say that he wasn't so lucky but he tried to give some pressure to Gaurain, more attacks in the days to come?

5) Something that i only see after watching the race info:
Km: 230, Pendenza: 11
Brad Keselowski (SM Team) Attacco al km
Km: 236, Pendenza: 8
Brad Keselowski (SM Team) Attacco al km I missed something i think?

6) White battle ended?:
Km: 234, Pendenza: 9
Primoz Groselj (Petit Singe) non può seguire
Tom continued, Primoz not. Is the end of the white jersey battle? I don't think, depends much if Singe will use Primoz for some long attacks or if Gaurain will have to overuse Tom to close the attacks

7) Luques attack, Recien following:
Mario Esteban (Luques) Attacco al km
Sébastien Melotte (Recien Nacidos) contrattacca
Big moment, Esteban attacked, Melotte follow (wasn't he following Preidler, what?!?!) he didn't help and the attack ended with nothing.
Actually i don't understand Melotte behaviour, i mean ok he was on smartphone but...
i- why following Mario? If you want win the stage just hang on Preidler and attack at the end, probably he would have won the stage and some sec; it was clear in my eyes that preidler would have continued till the end to control
ii - why not following Preidler? I mean, Melotte is probably the one with the best chances (or with the only chances) to beat Preidler for GC, if i didn't hang on Preidler and Preidler attacked he would have lost many sec
iii - ok following me but why not helping? I mean it was almost sure that if Preidler group take us back we would have lost, so why not helping? Probably the answer is because of the smartphone... but don't know

8) Final sprint: Rakhat losing a sprint that he should win (really close 50m before and probably would have won), i don't understand really what happened cause i was looking to my sprint, did Preidler sprinted only to take the position in front and after followed? I think Preidler had less energies than Rakhat, and Rakhat followed quite well when Preidler sprinted, the fact he didn't win is quite strange but ok 20m more and he probably would have won

Recap Finished, now happy rest day!

P.S. A little final edit, the most important thing of the day is... Le Singe started again to give fair play vote&comments, i really hope that saxo will continue like this to laugh after the stage

[sylvainmeteo]

and you forgot Matt Kurzejewski dropped