J
Jason M Hensley
Guest
No way BMC will put those guys in a break for a stage win. If they go into a break (now that we're in the mountains) it will only be to pace for Evans, not for a stage win.
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TdF 2013
- Thread starter jrd5497
- Start date
No way BMC will put those guys in a break for a stage win. If they go into a break (now that we're in the mountains) it will only be to pace for Evans, not for a stage win.
I wouldn't be surprised to see Contador or Schlek both surge on some individual stages and make you go
Not sure Contador has what it takes without take some major "risks" to get an overall though. Froome might have it highly in his favor now, but there are a lot of unpredictable miles to go still. One thing for sure is the teams and peleton itself have not been predictable this year.
I think Cav was just blown and wasted too much during the day, that and he didn't expect the challenge he got. You have to give Kittle credit however that is for sure, and if you look at the finish footage from above he is a BIG boy compared to Cav, who is not a small rider in his own right.
The Americans are kind of back to where they have always been (in the last 20) except for Lance's wonder years. Horner, Hindcapie, and Levi all big stand outs and thought to help keep the American cycling name at the top after Lance's retirement made waves but nothing ever dominating. I think seeing any American's stay in the top ten overall when they hit Paris will be an accomplishment. It's going to be hard to say where the next major stand out from the US will happen, maybe Tejay can be that new figured head as he matures given he has a lot of good years ahead if he stays healthy. He has had a great year so far and he is gaining that all important foundation.JJason M Hensley
Guest
I completely agree with you about Teejay. He is our best bet for a strong American. It has become obvious that Evans isn't as strong as he used to be and is on the decline, and BMC should give Teejay the reigns to lead the tour in a year or two. Now Talansky has looked very very impressive so far, and like Teejay he can climb and time trial fairly well, giving him a good shot as well with Garmin to maybe make a run at a tour in a couple of years.
del518
I have a few pair.....
I need to adjust my DVR. The last 3 stages, it has cut off before the end of the stage. It's not to big if a deal cuz they always replay the end of the race prior to th next stage. I am relatively new to bike racing so I have to ask.....is Kitel (and his team) that good or are they/he just lucky with his 2 stage wins? I would have to assume lucky as no one predicted him to win the 1st stage.JJason M Hensley
Guest
So Marcel Kittel is a pretty good sprinter, but I would have him ranked 3rd or 4th. Mark Cavendish is by far the best, Andre Greipel is 2nd, and either Kitel or Sagan in the 3rd and 4th spots. After that you have guys like Matty Goss and Tyler Farrar who are also pretty good.
To answer your question, it's both really. Cav had a great lead out to the finish but Kittel straight up out sprinted him and Greipel. He has good skill and his team has put him in position to contest almost every sprint stage.
Yea BMC is a weird bird, even when Hindcapie was on the team. Some of their decisions leaves me
I just hope these guys don't get overly eager in these early years and get popped and catch a two-year ban for something. We see how that wrecked Contadors progress. Not to mention with no real depth currently to Amercans riding at this level. There are a lot of talent showing in the under 23 range if you look at the races like Amgen ToC, Tour of the Gila and a few others but it will be awhile before we can see them represent in the grand tours, but there is hope.
You might set it to record the prime time cut in the late afternoon or night. Today they lost coverage from NBC in the first repeat, it was just blank screen even into the scheduled indy qualifying. Kittle has a lot of potential and he earned his wins, his inexperience will still show but as long as he stays healthy his name is going to mentioned a lot more in the future.JJason M Hensley
Guest
You know another name i've been hearing in the young American group has been Dombrowski. He races for team Sky now and is a very good climber. Wouldn't surprise me to see him as a strong domestique, mountain stage win rider here soon.I think our best bet will be Brent Bookwalter, he finised second at the US Pro Championships without a single teammate. Every lap on the climb he was right up front driving the pace or 2 to 3 riders back.
And who knew yesterday's flat stage would see Froome lose time to Contadore(2:45 back now) and Valverde's change at the Tour completely destroyed 10 minute loss due to the wind and bad break with the wheel. Contador learned from his past mistakes in the wind where he lost time to Lance on stage 1. I think Contadore can actually put some time into Froome on the TT next week since it is a bit more uphill and we also have the big climbing stage tomorrow, Mt. Ventoux and the d'Huez stage next week. It should be a great 3rd week!JJason M Hensley
Guest
You think Contador can gain on Froome in a TT? Why would you think that? Froome has outclimbed and out TT'd the Pistol in every race since Contador came back from suspension. The only way Contador got time on Froome was because Froome didn't have the teamates to carry him to the lead group. Now Contador does have a better team right now, especially with Kreuziger helping him pace, so that may help. But 1 on 1, Froome is better in every way.
Bookwalter is a good racer for sure, but he probably isn't a team leader or anything. He hasn't shown any TT capabilities yet. Talansky and TJ are the only well rounded riders we have with a podium future, as of now of course. Who knows what the future holds... Some outstanding riding yesterday.
