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2012 Tour de France


PauloBarnesi

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They have just resigned with Pinarello.

Blimey - so they have ! My source has given me duff gen ! He also told me that Cav was getting one of those road-going McClaren thingies to replace his Audi R8. He damn well deserves it though.

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Do you guys reckon Wiggins will win?

If he can keep any sort of team around him in the mountains, yes. Rogers and Knees need to stay both crash free and on form.

Evans's team is looking strong in these early stages ...

Think you missed out Froome; he was sensational at the Vuelta last year.

Knew Froome was the man. I think he’s a strong possibility for a place on the podium. If only he hadn’t lost that time...

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Do you guys reckon Wiggins will win?

If he can keep any sort of team around him in the mountains, yes. Rogers and Knees need to stay both crash free and on form.

Evans's team is looking strong in these early stages ...

Think you missed out Froome; he was sensational at the Vuelta last year.

Knew Froome was the man. I think he’s a strong possibility for a place on the podium. If only he hadn’t lost that time...

Froome looked incredible today. Really think Sky should have thought about this guy leading rather than Wiggins. If they'd put as much effort into getting Froome through the first week intact as they had Wiggins I think they would have a better chance of winning overall.

I reckon Evans can drop Wiggo on the longer mountain stages, but Froome looke better than anyone on that climb today.

If Sky had been bold in the Vuelta they would have made Froome leader and made Wiggo work for him and they'd have won it. They could end up making exactly the same mistake here.

I know I'm being negative about Wiggins but I think he comes across as a right prick. Would much rather Evans or Froome won it.

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Let's look at the time trials before we jump to any conclusions; Wiggins form this season has been sensational, particularly in TT. He's his own man, with a dry and often misunderstood humour. Funny you should say Wiggins is a bit if a prick as Evans has hardly covered himself in glory over the years, and until recently was a press nightmare; didn't he hire Lance's bodyguards!!

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Froome I did miss, and embarrasingly so, as he has been superb and should rightly have been on my radar.

What a ride from him, and all of team sky, yesterday. Great stage.

The knocking of Wiggy by some is a bit harsh. yes, he's a prickly character, but I like the way he comes across. Most of the top riders are a bit spikey.

I also think, if he stays with the climbers as i think he will, then his TT's will see him prevail. He deserves to be team leader, and hopefully he'll win it.

Then Froome's time will come. Maybe even next year!

Cav won't be too bothered by not winning green this year. It's all about the Olympic road race gold for him .... although i do think Sky will have to decide between going for yellow or green in future tours - tricky to do both!

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You will always go for Yellow. Green is not even vaguely on the same level. Over the next few years depending on the course, it will be hard for Cavendish, to deal with someone like Sagan, who if he continues will be the new Sean Kelly imo.

Wiggins did really well yesterday on the kind of climb he would have previously failed miserably on. Sky had scouted the climb and trained for it specifically, they had the right gears. The kind of attention to detail they have applied to track cycling has gradually been applied to the road and it showed yesterday. Tactically they have been suspect (particularly in the classics), but yesterday they showed some real nous.

Anyway the first TT will show where Wiggins and Cuddles are...

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Let's look at the time trials before we jump to any conclusions; Wiggins form this season has been sensational, particularly in TT. He's his own man, with a dry and often misunderstood humour. Funny you should say Wiggins is a bit if a prick as Evans has hardly covered himself in glory over the years, and until recently was a press nightmare; didn't he hire Lance's bodyguards!!

I actually met Cadel at the Dauphine in 2008 - he was the nicest guy in the world, had time for everyone at the finish and again the start the next day. When he went on to the tour that year he seemed to implode with the pressure of everything, but has adjusted since then. Didn't know about Lance's bodyguards mind you.

I took exception to Wiggins' treatment of Garmin after they had the confidence to back him in the Tour. He dropped them like a stone at the end of that season, his Wigan to Man Utd comments were a bit of a slap in the face I thought, particularly when Sky hadn't even entered a race at that stage.

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I actually met Cadel at the Dauphine in 2008 - he was the nicest guy in the world, had time for everyone at the finish and again the start the next day. When he went on to the tour that year he seemed to implode with the pressure of everything, but has adjusted since then. Didn't know about Lance's bodyguards mind you.

I took exception to Wiggins' treatment of Garmin after they had the confidence to back him in the Tour. He dropped them like a stone at the end of that season, his Wigan to Man Utd comments were a bit of a slap in the face I thought, particularly when Sky hadn't even entered a race at that stage.

Headbutting, threatening to cut people’s heads off, etc Not sure Cuddles is totally on the level.

As for Wiggins dumping Garmin; indeed not great. If I recall it was only after that season Sky was born, and whilst the nature of his departure wasn’t well handled (Sky did pay Garmin royally for the privilege), like a footballer, he wanted to his spiritual home. If you have met Brailsford you would want to ride for him? Great, Great Coach.

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Even more interesting

In the year of 2000, after consulting Michele Ferrari and under the management of Mr. Tony Rominger, he shifted to full time road cycling.

That fills me with dread :shock:

Yeah, it would do to be fair. But then Wiggo's comments about Lance really annoyed me. Brad was struggling as a clean rider throughout the early 00's - he would have seen Lance's reaction to Simeoni and Bassons for breaking the 'omerta'. Yet he comes out and basically falls at Armstrong's feet in adoration for the guy and what he's done for cycling.

Whilst I still have faith the guy is clean, his comments today were ominously similar to Armstrong's 'plea' after he won the Tour in 2005 - begging for us all to have faith in Jan Ullrich and Ivan Basso.

If I'm honest I get pretty cynical with so many riders these days but I've always given Cadel the benefit of the doubt. I really hope I'm right.

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Oh I am certainly not saying Wiggins is perfect, just seems strange to prefer him to Evans for personal reasons. And I think as a pair of cyclists, they are hardly exciting; both are defensive riders, something that Evans has tried to get rid of, but he’s hardly likely to set the pulses racing and Wiggins has taken the blueprint of Indurain of defining your success by time trials...

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Yeah I know what you mean. I think this year's Tour will be more exciting in terms of establishing who will contend for the next few years. Sagan looks incredible, and I really hope he's as good as he seems. But Taaramae, Gallopin, Rolland, Van Garderen, Boassan Hagen, will all only get better. I really hope Dan Martin finds his climbing legs too, because he could be leading Garmin in a year's time. Throw in A Schleck, and Contador next year too, and Chris Froome is only 27.

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It's not difficult to see where the adoration for Lance from the Anglophone cycling world comes from.

2000 TdF teams, by country

USA - US Postal

Spain - Banesto, ONCE, Kelme

Italy - Mapei-Quick Step, Mercatone Uno, Saeco, Polti, Vini Caldirola

Netherlands - Rabobank, Farm Frites

Germany - Telekom

France - AG2R, Festina, Cofidis, Francaise des Jeux, Credit Agricole, Bonjour

Belgium - Lotto

Denmark - Memory Card

2012 TdF teams, by country

France - AG2R, Cofidis, Saur, Europcar, FDJ

Italy - Lampre, Liquigas

Australia - Orica

UK - Sky

Netherlands - Argos, Vacansoleil, Rabobank

Spain - Euskaltel, Movistar

Belgium - Omega-Quick Step, Lotto

Kazakhstan - Astana

Russia - Katusha

USA - BMC, Garmin, Radioshack

Denmark - Saxo Bank

1 of 20 to 5 of 22 teams have English as their primary language, and the chances for an anglophone cyclist to race at the highest level have never been better. It's quite probable that absent Armstrong, neither Evans nor Wiggins would be road racing at this level.

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It's not difficult to see where the adoration for Lance from the Anglophone cycling world comes from.

2000 TdF teams, by country

USA - US Postal

Spain - Banesto, ONCE, Kelme

Italy - Mapei-Quick Step, Mercatone Uno, Saeco, Polti, Vini Caldirola

Netherlands - Rabobank, Farm Frites

Germany - Telekom

France - AG2R, Festina, Cofidis, Francaise des Jeux, Credit Agricole, Bonjour

Belgium - Lotto

Denmark - Memory Card

2012 TdF teams, by country

France - AG2R, Cofidis, Saur, Europcar, FDJ

Italy - Lampre, Liquigas

Australia - Orica

UK - Sky

Netherlands - Argos, Vacansoleil, Rabobank

Spain - Euskaltel, Movistar

Belgium - Omega-Quick Step, Lotto

Kazakhstan - Astana

Russia - Katusha

USA - BMC, Garmin, Radioshack

Denmark - Saxo Bank

1 of 20 to 5 of 22 teams have English as their primary language, and the chances for an anglophone cyclist to race at the highest level have never been better. It's quite probable that absent Armstrong, neither Evans nor Wiggins would be road racing at this level.

I actually don't agree. A lack of English speaking teams never hindered Millar, Roche, Kelly, LeMond, Anderson, Hampston etc who all moved to Europe, learned their host's respective languages and ingrained themselves in the continental cycling culture.

Cadel only rode for an english speaking team when he joined BMC and was an established Tour contender (and WC) before then. Likewise Wiggins spent the first half of the decade riding for french teams.

Armstrong was the first english speaker to go to the Tour and dictate his own terms, shunning the french media culture etc. Whilst the increase in American teams is down to his legacy, I don't know that that is something long term because the USADA verdict will have a huge impact on cycling in America.

Germany simply won't invest in cycling as they see it as tarnished after T-Mobiles repeated positives. They don't even show coverage of the tour. I think Denmark is similar now days after Rasmussan? Look at the trouble Riis has had trying to find a sponsor and he has Contador, who could win tours for the next 5 years +.

I think British Cycling's success on the track over the past decade has had more to do with Sky's investment than Armstrong IMHO.

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Oh I am certainly not saying Wiggins is perfect, just seems strange to prefer him to Evans for personal reasons. And I think as a pair of cyclists, they are hardly exciting; both are defensive riders, something that Evans has tried to get rid of, but he’s hardly likely to set the pulses racing and Wiggins has taken the blueprint of Indurain of defining your success by time trials...

Good comparison to Indy that Paul.

I think Wiggy is incredibly similar to Indy in style. Awesome Time Trialist, good climber, but a defensive climber, covering the moves rather than making time there.

Another great stage yesterday, with Wiggy and Froome again at the head, and Cadel trying to steal few seconds at the end, and Wiggy covering it.

I'm loving this TDF.

Today could show a lot. Let's see how Wiggy, Cuddles and Nibbles get on in the TT.

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I actually don't agree. A lack of English speaking teams never hindered Millar, Roche, Kelly, LeMond, Anderson, Hampston etc

Armstrong was the first english speaker to go to the Tour and dictate his own terms, shunning the french media culture etc. Whilst the increase in American teams is down to his legacy, I don't know that that is something long term because the USADA verdict will have a huge impact on cycling in America.

I think British Cycling's success on the track over the past decade has had more to do with Sky's investment than Armstrong IMHO.

As a man who rides a Hampsten (and did the logo!) you could get it right :D

Personally I think the generation in the 80s were the ones who changed it; Anderson refusing to drink perrier and drinking Coke instead, the 7/11 team, but more than anyone the legend that is LeMond. First million dollar rider. Did what the hell he wanted, much to the annoyance of the Badger, etc. I think its hard to imagine Armstrong ever existing without LeMond. LeMond got the US interested (wasn’t he the first cycling Sports Illustrated winner?) and the TV networks. He was also the first to get all of the big sponsorship deals.

Agree that British cycling from those humble beginnings in Barçelona in 1992 has allowed Sky to develop. They had a plan, and its beginning to bear rich fruit.

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That’s a Colemanballs or possibly a Liggettballs... The best guy is David Duffield; It was always Steven Kelly and Sean Roche!

The thing was that they worked out the cost of winning a gold at the Olympics; to win the 100 metres or a track gold was in the tens of millions. For cycling it was something like £1 or £2 million; they put the money in and they are reaping the fruit/medals/gold or whatever :D

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