Support NeoGAF

[Wes]

What a time trial by the Aussie.

 

[confuziz]

Congratz to Evans, he really deserved it!

 

[Hanmik]

The Schlecks could have won the tour in the mountains.. They ( once again ) played dumb, and lost it again.. Congrats Cadel..

 

[Darth Sonik]

Powerful stuff from Cadel, what a way to win.

 

[Yagharek]

Really feel for Andy. He's again done everything right, but you also need luck to win the tour.

I can't bring myself to like the "power biking" style of Evans.

What is this? At least respect the achievement if you dont like the result.

Anyways, <3 Cadel. Top bloke, came so close so many other times. Great to see him win in style.

 

[Kabouter]

Woah, huge gap between Cadel and Andy.

And that's why Andy should have helped Contador yesterday ...

Instead, both Andy and Frank decided they were going to effectively be teammates for Evans, preventing someone who was not a threat in any way (Contador) from gaining a few seconds....lulz. Anyway, incredible time trial by Tony Martin, and also a fantastic time trial by Evans. But I still don't feel much excitement for Evans, he didn't really attack this Tour, and I don't like defensive riders.

The two people who made this tour awesome to me were Contador and Voeckler, especially Voeckler.

 

[Mr. Pointy]

EVANS!

Great tour overall.

 

[Kabouter]

EVANS!

Great tour overall.

It so was, much respect goes out to the people who chose the route, so much variation, so much attacking. The new system for sprint points also works incredibly well.

 

[froliq]

First aussie to win the tour. Grats to Evans!

Schlecks' specialty are the mountains and they didn't build a big enough gap there. Evans deserved it, mainly with what he showed in the stage to the Galibier. When no one helped him and where he closed the gap of Andy Schleck from 4+ mins to about 2 in the end.

 

[Leonsito]

Evans crying, powerful moment.

 

[Trunchisholm]

To be honest I would have been happier to see the Tour settled in the Alps. A time trial decider - especially as Evans was in my opinion really conservative through the stages - just feels like a letdown.

He's not a top climber. He can hold his own with the best when in top form, but, if anything, the Schlecks were the most conservative ones.

 

[Keio]

What is this? At least respect the achievement if you dont like the result.

Wow. What a time trial by Evans. Happy?

And I still believe the Tour should be decided in the mountains and not by time trial. Make it a conventional section then.

When no one helped him and where he closed the gap of Andy Schleck from 4+ mins to about 2 in the end.

This I give to Evans. It was painful to watch him urging others to take a turn.

edit: added froliq comment

 

[Omikron]

Wow. What a time trial by Evans. Happy?

And I still believe the Tour should be decided in the mountains and not by time trial.


This I give to Evans. It was painful to watch him urging others to take a turn.

Arguably it was decided in the mountains by the fact the Schlecks (and others) couldn't break Evans.

 

[Leonsito]

The Galibier climb was where Evans won the tour.

And yesterday was when Andy lost it.

 

[Darth Sonik]

Wow. What a time trial by Evans. Happy?

And I still believe the Tour should be decided in the mountains and not by time trial.

No that's the King of the Mountains. Its called the General Classification for a reason.

Usually there is a prologue as well, so TTs are an important part of a tour.

 

[Dead Man]

These two numpties on the Aussie coverage are painful to listen to after the brilliant race commentary.

 

[Keio]

Usually there is a prologue as well, so TTs are an important part of a tour.

True, but the final TT used to be the penultimate stage.

 

[seanoff]

True, but the final TT used to be the penultimate stage.

it is now.

wtf are you on about.

i think once or twice it was the LAST stage.


there have been 2 ITTs in some races, once it was just Alpe D'Huez.

they change it around. if it was just mountains, Pantani would have won it.

it supposed to find the best all rounder. the climbers have their own jersey.

 

[Keio]

they change it around. if it was just mountains, Pantani would have won it.

it supposed to find the best all rounder. the climbers have their own jersey.

Chill The magic of the tour is the mix of different stages; I just see the road & mountain stages as more dramatic than individual time trial, and more fitting the spirit of the Tour.

But hey, it's not me planning the course. We'll see how it is next year.

 

[knitoe]

Awesome ride by Cadel. Wish he won the stage. The tour winner not winning a single stage during the race is kinda lackluster.

 

[Pachael]

Awesome ride by Cadel. Wish he won the stage. The tour winner not winning a single stage during the race is kinda lackluster.

He won Stage 4 (Mur-de-Bretagne) pipping Alberto on the line.

 

[knitoe]

He won Stage 4 pipping Alberto on the line.

Don't remember that. Guess, because of the bunch finish.

 

[outunderthestars]

Hell of a TT by Evans!

 

[Incognito]

awesome tdf and amazing TT by evans.

 

[captscience]

Amazing ride by Cadel. Definitely wasn't the case that Andy blew it. Cadel would have taken yellow even if it was Contador or Cancellara with a 57 second lead!

 

[midonnay]

has anyone not win it after holding the yellow jersey at the final stage? (ie: injury or a big crash etc)

 

[speedpop]

Was happy that Tony Martin won the TT. The man is a titan and been quiet all tour.

Huge congratulations to the headbutt king Cadel Evans. He may not be as flashy as some of the greats who have ridden over the mountains and as Phil Liggett and Paul Sherwen always say, "he's a diesel machine who takes a while to get up to speed but once he does he's an absolute machine." Seeing a fellow Australian stand upon the podium tomorrow will certainly be a highlight. We've seen him be put on the defensive two times in the mountains and watched him claw back in a way that he has never done before. He has been more humble toward his teammates and it has shown in the way that ol' George Hincapie has helped create a buffer for him on the slopes every single time. BMC did ridiculously well compared to some of the more elite-filled teams.

This year's tour has been great outside of a lot of shockers and forced retirements earlier in the month. Will have to pop the champagne tomorrow and begin another withdrawal process for cycling until the Vuelta a Espana in September.

 

[Tarazet]

To be honest I would have been happier to see the Tour settled in the Alps. A time trial decider - especially as Evans was in my opinion really conservative through the stages - just feels like a letdown.

I've got to disagree - Evans was the only one of the contenders who rode to win the Tour de France every day, and his team put more time on the front when it mattered than Saxo Bank and Leopard did. And don't forget this:

 

[Kurtofan]

Two minutes of silence for Norway on the Tour.

 

[Dead Man]

Two minutes of silence for Norway on the Tour.

Watching the F1, but that's a nice touch.

 

[Kabouter]

Two minutes of silence for Norway on the Tour.

That's nice, other than that though, this last stage is always a snoozefest, and needs to be replaced with a time trial through the street of Paris.

 

[Dead Man]

Well that was anticlimactic, even though it was the first Aussie to win. I think I would prefer them to race the whole way, I know it is difficult to make up time on flat stages, but that doesn't mean it should be a foregone conclusion. Just my 2c though.

 

[Baconsarnie]

Yes! Great finish for Cavendish!

 

[SkylineRKR]

Brilliant. Absolutely brilliant play by HTC and Cavendish. Winning Champs Elysees in green with more than a wheel on his challenger.

Cavendish can't be beaten in an honest sprint, he's too good.

 

[Darth Sonik]

HTC played a blinder there, Cav with the hattrick win on the Champs Elysees plus a green jersey.

What a great tour we had this year.

 

[Tarazet]

Well that was anticlimactic, even though it was the first Aussie to win. I think I would prefer them to race the whole way, I know it is difficult to make up time on flat stages, but that doesn't mean it should be a foregone conclusion. Just my 2c though.

After 3 weeks of suffering every single day, I think it's a proper tribute to the riders to let them take it easy and enjoy what they've accomplished. I never watch the parade stage though.

 

[SkylineRKR]

Its just how it is. Paris is a parade lap. With bonifications still in tact and a very small gap anything would be possible but thing is the peloton won't let the potential threat for yellow run off. The yellow contenders are climbers anyway, so they won't really have much of a chance to run away.

 

[Dead Man]

After 3 weeks of suffering every single day, I think it's a proper tribute to the riders to let them take it easy and enjoy what they've accomplished. I never watch the parade stage though.

Yeah, it's nice for the riders, for sure. Boring as hell to watch though.

 

[seanoff]

cadel has been upstaged in australia by the TV analyst.

 

[Dead Man]

cadel has been upstaged in australia by the TV analyst.

Yeah, turned it off one he came on. Woeful.

 

[Kung Fu Jedi]

Didn't have a chance to comment yesterday, but what an awesome ride in the time trial for Cadel. He looked amazingly focused the whole time, and Andy is never going to win a Tour until he learns to ride a TT better. It's just a fact. You have to be an all around good rider to win, and the Schlecks are awful in the TT.

And anyone who thinks Cadel didn't earn this wasn't paying attention. He battled every day and rode a very smart Tour. He was strong in the mountains and most of all, he was very patient. He knew that he didn't have to pick up big time in the Alps, he just needed to keep the other contenders in sight.

While the final ride into Paris isn't exactly exciting, I still like to keep it on in the background while I work or do things around my place, then settle in for the sprint finish. That's always chaos.

Great Tour this year. One of the best I can remember. I'm already missing it and counting the days until next year.

 

[olore]

That's nice, other than that though, this last stage is always a snoozefest, and needs to be replaced with a time trial through the street of Paris.

À la -89

 

[rykomatsu]

4th place finish by Voeckler is pretty impressive imho. Wish it was a podium finish for him, but all around a very exciting tour this year

 

[Kabouter]

À la -89

Yep, clearly upset the French too much to lose a tour in their capital.

 

[speedpop]

As much distaste there is for the final stage (and let's be honest, outside of the final few laps & sprint it is boring) it still needs to be done for the cyclists. It's always nice to put it on while you're doing something else.

4th place finish by Voeckler is pretty impressive imho. Wish it was a podium finish for him, but all around a very exciting tour this year

He really deserved it, especially after watching him sacrifice his body climbing through the Alps only to fall in the last stage through there.

 

[Kabouter]

As much distaste there is for the final stage (and let's be honest, outside of the final few laps & sprint it is boring) it still needs to be done for the cyclists. It's always nice to put it on while you're doing something else.

I don't see why it needs to be done for the cyclists. They have days of parade laps to go on after the tour (criteriums that pay handsomely). And the cyclists were obviously fine in the days when the final day was a time trial.

 

[Tarazet]

I don't see why it needs to be done for the cyclists. They have days of parade laps to go on after the tour (criteriums that pay handsomely). And the cyclists were obviously fine in the days when the final day was a time trial.

At least they've been keeping it mercifully short. In 2009 it was 164 km of snooze. This year it was only 95 km, which makes it properly criterium-like. Anyway, happy all around with the results. Everyone who stood on the podium today earned it with stellar performances. Poor Andy Schleck, though, he's Poulidor all over again. Second place three years in a row!

 

[Kabouter]

At least they've been keeping it mercifully short. In 2009 it was 164 km of snooze. This year it was only 95 km, which makes it properly criterium-like. Anyway, happy all around with the results. Everyone who stood on the podium today earned it with stellar performances. Poor Andy Schleck, though, he's Poulidor all over again. Second place three years in a row!

In an interview with Dutch TV he said he hopes he doesn't become the next Zoetemelk, haha.

 

[Tarazet]

Good news about Boonen, who had that nasty crash in the first week:

http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/boonen-to-test-himself-in-tour-of-poland

After having had to abandon the Tour de France because of a crash, Tom Boonen is ready to take on the second part of the season with a view to the World Championships in Copenhagen, Denmark, in September. The Quick Step rider is due to start at the Tour of Poland this Sunday, and hopes to score a stage victory while further fine-tuning his form.

"I've been able to train well these last ten days," Boonen told Sportwereld. "I'm not affected anymore by my crash in the Tour. My condition was already good in France and now I'll try to refine it. I feel very good on the bike."

The Belgian crashed on his head during stage five and suffered a concussion, forcing him to withdraw on stage seven with a severe headache. Now, he wants to make amends for lost opportunities.

"I want to test myself and try to win a stage," Boonen said about his participation in the Tour of Poland. "On the climbs, I want to hold on for longer than I normally do, to see how far I can get. I started out as a pro in the 2000 Tour of Poland. It's an important competition in my preparation for the Vuelta and the Worlds."

Boonen especially hopes to bid for success at the week-long race as all its stages finish on city-centre circuits. "I've had a look at the route and I noticed that almost all the stages that are adapted to my skills, end on a city circuit. On these types of parcours it's important to have a good pedal flow and to never get caught off guard," he added.

The 30-year-old will be joined in Poland by the following teammates: Dario Cataldo, Francesco Chicchi, Marc de Maar, Davide Malacarne, Francesco Reda, Kevin Seeldraeyers and Kristof Vandewalle.

...You were expecting a doping scandal weren't you? Not this time.

 

[Kabouter]

Good news about Boonen, who had that nasty crash in the first week:

http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/boonen-to-test-himself-in-tour-of-poland



...You were expecting a doping scandal weren't you? Not this time.

Was expecting talk of the Clasica de San Sebastian actually