UKC

In response to requests for a spoiler free thread, I thought I'd start this one to allow discussion of the previous day's stage without ruining people's evening viewing of the highlights show.

So as in title, no Spoilers before 8pm please!

In reply to balmybaldwin: Cancellara is off to a good start, I reacon he will be giving Wiggins a run for his money as long as he keeps form up.

Think Cadel Evens needs to show some pace today if I wants to stay with Wiggins also.

In reply to CGlennie: carcellara is not a threat he will lose time in the bigger mountains.

Evans will bide his time until the mountains and the TT. The debate is if his has the form, judging on his prologue time the evidence would suggest not. However the race is still very young.

In reply to Blinder: Agreed, at this stage i'm not putting my money on Cadel Evens just yet, Wiggings has plenty of strong riders around him in team Sky I would suggest that will help to carry him through. Don't think Cavendish will be as succesfull this tour though. The team are not built solely around him this year like HTC where last year.

In reply to CGlennie:

The top performer in week one seldom figures much at the end. I don't see Cancellara being any different really. He may still be there for a little while, but I doubt he'll be challenging much once they get into the alps.

In reply to CGlennie:

There's a number of reasons he won't be as succesfull this year, not just the team but he's obviously lost a lot of weight and some power this year too. he'll still pick up a few, as he did yesterday, maybe even Paris, but this is not really 'his' year, maybe sky promised him something for next year after getting the Yellow this year.

In reply to CGlennie:

I said before the start that I think Evans is 'slight' favorite, but wiggo has the best chance he will probably ever have. I've seen nothing so far to change that view.

As expected Evans lot a small amount of time on the v short TT, probably about expected. Until we see what he can do in the mountains, and probably the final long TT, we won't know for sure. Plus lady luck may still have a large part to play.

In reply to Tiberius:

maybe sky promised him something for next year after getting the Yellow this year.

Don't think I get that perspective; should Wiggins win this year, why wouldn't they want to go for it again?

In reply to Tiberius:

I thought that it was quite public that Cav is focusing more on the olympics this year? Hence, he has been training road racing ability in at the expense of a little sprint form.

In reply to Mr Powly:

Got to remember that Sky and Team GB are pretty much interchangeable, so Cav plays second fiddle in the the Tour this year, but has a team built around him at the worlds and the Olympics.

Next year the course may not suit Wiggins, so the focus may be back on green.

In reply to Mr Powly:

A number of possible reasons, this year is about as good a chance as he can have, lack of competitors and a course suited to him for instance. Next year may be a hilly course with Schlek back etc.

Cav's ultimate aim has to be total number of stage wins I guess. Perhaps with a side dish of wins on the Champs.

This year is a little unusual in that Cav is probably aiming for the Olympics so he's slimmed down a bit. Interesting that he can still turn the speed on though, just winning yesterday. Although obv with his old htc team he'd have been out of sight winning that one last year.

In reply to balmybaldwin:

Looking through my pictures from yesterday, and spoted that Jens Voigt was pushing Morkov up the climb of Mont Lambert (after he had been caught by the pack) any idea why? are they good mates? - they are on different teams after all

In reply to balmybaldwin:

Well, the two main protagonists of Evans and Wiggo are both looking good. Unfortunately for Wiggo his team is taking a pounding, losing one and others getting injured.

BMC on the other hand seem to be going from strength to strength. Evans has suffered in the past from not having a decent team behind him. this year he seems to have the best.

I'm not putting money on him yet, it's early days and I'm still hoping wiggo can pull something out, but so far I've seen nothing to alter my initial thoughts that Evans is favorite.

In reply to balmybaldwin:

I suspect it was probably a respect thing from the old man of the peloton (Voigt) helping out a guy who has absolutely battered himself in the opening week.
Voigts a good guy.

In reply to Tiberius:

Unfortunately this is true to a certain extent. I do think that Sky have been a bit timid at the finishes and should be riding more prominently at the front of the group just to protect Wiggins, which would have the bonus of assisting Cav.
Being conservative and hanging back has lead to Wiggins being involved in 2 sprint crashes, luckily so far without penalty to him directly.
That said, Wiggins still has better team mates for the hills than BMC.

In reply to fxceltic:

I hope so, but one has gone home with a broken leg, and a couple of the others are probably battered and bruised.

Wiggo has been lucky though. Evans put effort in and came home in the leading group yesterday, but wiggo got the same time due to the crash which he avoided though.

In reply to Tiberius:

Siustou is a good climber, this is true, however when you look at the others in the team I think you are forced to draw the conclusion that Siustou was picked to drag them through the flat stages rather than be the man for the mountains, so in that sense it is not as disastrous as it could have been had, Froome, say, been badly hurt going over his bars in the finish the day before.

The most dubious of all the team picks was probably going for Eisel as Cavs sherpa rather than picking Danny Pate, or Flecha.

In reply to balmybaldwin: it sure was a good day yesterday with the break early on, real shame they didn't hold out till the end. Plus Cav looked somewhat pissed to be caught up in the crash at the end..

although i'm liking the 3k rule that means they all get the same time. At least it's not as big an issue.