2019 Road Racing Season Omnibus (Spoilers Guaranteed)

[j44ke]

Apparently it was a gel that he spilled on his jersey. Either that or his teammates were trying to stab him in the back and missed.

Ah I see. The old exploding gel pack. Right out of the old Westerns. “Ima done for Tex.”

[bdaghisallo]

What is Movistar doing? | CyclingTips

Really odd given the team, or its previous iterations, have won the race a number of times.

That's true but it's been a long time since they were at the pointy end winning those Tours. Indurain's last was 24 years ago and the Tour win they took in 2006 with Pereiro came after the Landis DQ and Pereiro hadn't been racing that Tour as a gc favorite. He gained his time in a break early in the race when he was given a long leash since no one considered him a threat.

The time when Unzue and co were managing gc tactics at the very sharp end and having to formulate winning strategies is very far back in the memory bank.

[j44ke]

Sounded like Quintana’s job was get in the break and wait for Landa. Landa didn’t or wasn’t able to bridge, so Quintana hit it. That’s not abnormal tactics, but they are plan B tactics. And I think that’s been their story with Quintana and Landa. Plan A just hasn’t been there. And Valverde had a quintessential Valverde year in 2018, but this year he looks like a top tier rider who is nearing retirement. I think Q and L moving to different teams will benefit everyone concerned. I kind of feel like Movistar has perhaps been trying to compete with Sky/Ineos by emulation - either out of ambition or pride with a small chip on their shoulder - when really their strengths in the last several years have been as stage and one day race hunters - more like Quickstep. They are one of the great teams with a long running history but also I suspect there is that feeling they don’t get the recognition they should for their palmares because they are a Spanish team, not French, English or Italian.

[rabo]

Valverde is riding really strong.
Movistar got to play all or nothing now it seems.
My feeling was that GT saw his tour win slip away when he attacked the leaders group.
More to come...

[DOOFUS]

I'm calling one more day in yellow for Alaphillipe. He's got a long descent from the Iseran, and although I think he'll lose time today, it won't be enough to put Bernal in yellow.

It's all down to Val Thorens.

[sk_tle]

The time when Unzue and co were managing gc tactics at the very sharp end and having to formulate winning strategies is very far back in the memory bank.

I don't think it required too much strategy at the time. Indurain was so devastating in the time trials and his pace so high in the long climb, assisted by JF Bernard that he was demoralizing to all its opponents. His lowest victory margin was more than 3 minutes in his first TDF win. Chiappucci, Zuelle, Rominger and Pantani got some stage wins but could never really contest.

[j44ke]

Pinot in crisis. Something with his thigh or knee. No teammates around him may be the worst sign.

[WFSTEKL]

Pinot noir. Lights out. One Frenchman remains to carry the improbable forward.

[bdaghisallo]

Pinot - my hope for the win is out. Have to pull for Alaphillipe to make it over the steeps now.

[thollandpe]

Where the heck did the blood on the front of Quintana's jersey come from? Nose bleed?

No, 'tis not so deep as a well nor so wide as a church-door, but 'tis enough, 'twill serve.

Apparently it was a gel that he spilled on his jersey. Either that or his teammates were trying to stab him in the back and missed.

Zounds, a dog, a rat, a mouse, a cat to scratch a man to death!

-- Will S.

[thollandpe]

PS Watching Alaphilippe catch the grupetto on the descent and then cut right through it was some great viewing.



pluck /plək/

1. spirited and determined courage.

2. the heart, liver, and lungs of an animal as food.

I'm hoping to see more of definition 1. Not hoping to see the tables turn on him to definition 2.

[DOOFUS]

Pinot gave Ineos a rider to play off of to get Alaphillipe in trouble. Jumbo has diesels but not mountain punchers, so everything is in Ineos's court. Movistar will be an entertaining sideshow, but now it's all about Bernal attacking.

[j44ke]

Le Bretteur

[DOOFUS]

With how they've used Van Baarle today, Ineos looks like vintage Banesto, while Movistar looks like they're run by Pierre Bazzo.

[DOOFUS]

I'm calling one more day in yellow for Alaphillipe. He's got a long descent from the Iseran, and although I think he'll lose time today, it won't be enough to put Bernal in yellow.

It's all down to Val Thorens.

derp.

[swt]

Wow

[David Tollefson]

Oh, HAIL!

[DOOFUS]

if there is a God, s/he's Colombian. We know that much today.

[skouri1]

this is a sad way to see JA cede his yellow jersey.
i would have loved to at least see him blow up and have bernal pull out/maintain his lead on the last climb.
Alaphilippe could have pulled back time on the descent and probably would have been screwed on the final climb, but it still doesnt strike me as fair to call the stage behind a point they had been racing to... who knows how they would have metered their efforts had they known it would have ended on iseran.
why not have times taken at the bottom of the descent--the end of the passable road? I was really interesting to see what Jumbo visma would have done as well. alas...
at least tomorrow will be interesting.

[DOOFUS]

at least tomorrow will be interesting.

I've been dead wrong a couple of times this tour, but I disagree. Ineos has yellow. Lotto-Jumbo doesn't have the riders to attack. Ineos train leads Bernal to the last climb and he lets loose. Should be a controlled stage with a predictable GC outcome.

It took almost three weeks, but Alaphillipe finally looked like a classics puncheur and not a Tour winner.

Will be interesting to see if he shifts his focus after this year and starts trying to train more for the GC than for one-day races, or if he just takes this year as gravy and sticks to targeting monuments -- Liege, Lombardia, maybe another Milano-San Remo.