The Tour de France looms on the horizon, and those riders planning to race are putting the final touches on their form – or going into last-minute panic mode, final exam cram-style. The Critérium Dauphiné has long been a favorite preparation race serving both purposes rather well.
It’s a favorite of the Tour’s GC contenders as it usually features stages that, if not identical to key stages from the Tour, will at least feature many of the same climbs; habitual Tour winners like Indurain, Armstrong, and Clentador have traditionally used this race as their preferred method of final preparation; riders seeking additional form will take the beating taken from a week of suffering and have just enough time to recover prior to the Tour. And, of course, riders who have aspirations in July may also find they are a few kilos heavy yet and may indulge in some ultra-lean Spanish beef in order to get to fighting weight.
It’s also a dangerous gamble: ride too hard at the Critérium and you could fire off the Guns of Navarone and enter the Tour in a state of fatigue, as Pharmy did in 2003. A delicate balance, this.
The challenge in predicting the results of a preparation race such as this is that the favorites for the Tour are (hopefully) peaking in one month, not during this event. But they’ll be good – maybe good enough to win. But probably not. Combine that with that the notion that a rider with little hope in July may be looking for glory and will be in peak form, leading to an unexpected result – a review of last year’s race with Jani Brajkovic is a great example of this case.
With that we kick off into the first minor-stage VSP for the Critérium Dauphiné. Being a week-long stage race, the points on offer are 7 for first, 5 for second, 4 for third, 3 for fourth, 2 for fifth, with the usual allotment of bonus points for getting the rider right but the place wrong. Also, there are no rest days, so no rest day swaps, but we will have our usual approach for riders who drop out. Piti Principle applies as always. Also review the guide, being careful to note that the rules have changes a bit this year, and we may not have completely updated the guide yet, so if there’s a question, ask.
Best of luck to all.
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What a finish today! Jeez, looks as if HTC has two legitimate sprinters in the mix.
Nice, nice win by JdK. With how wide he had to go, traveled a lot further than Boasson Hagen did. Awesome win.
No change in the overall today. Marcus keeps his lead until Wiggo inevitably has to roll uphill as well. Actually, one of his better quotes is, "All you have to do is keep from cracking for one more minute" or something along those lines. Class.
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@frank
As much as I have tried to hate Wiggins since 2004 when he beat McGee in the pursuit I still kinda like him (hell he is almost Australian given the provenance of his cycling genes) - however he is not part of my picks. But he is holding my scorecard together for now so I say rule brittania!
A lot of the racers are wearing a reddish tint Oakley lens. Anyone know what lens that is? Look to be the Radar Path lens in...red iridium polarized? Looked at the Oakley site and that looks to be the closest match, but maybe the pros get special lens options.
I'm in the market for a new all around lens for my Radars. I have the persimmon in another pair and they are pretty great in everything except very bright sun.
Curses. Have been off line and out of the loop for a couple of weeks and the season of VSP appears to have passed me by. Will have to be flawless henceforth. Hahahaha. No chance!
@frank
I thought Degenkolb's head might fly off in that sprint - it was bobbing up and down like a (very aggressive) woodpecker trying to batter the V-locus into submission. But a great display of raw power and perfect timing nonetheless. (Isn't it about time EBH won something, though?)
@Ron
I have persimmon and grey... I like them both, but the grey is definitely better in full sun (persimmon is better in low / flat / low angle light conditions) Both good tho.
Ha! My favorite sprinting style, to be sure. I'm ready to head back uphill tomorrow, and watch Wiggo execute the dreaded Lemon Turd (when the maillot jaune goes out the back, see Rainbow Turd for clarification)
@sgt
Yellow Turd. Love it.
@all
No changes today in the VSP. Stand by for Sunday's climb - Alpin has another little trick up his sleeve.
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@Alpin
Great shots. I didn't know the EuropeCar Colnagos were green with metallic flake. Makes me want one even more now, thanks.