This quote from Lopez is probably translated rather poorly to English, but is so good;

“I knew all my opponents would try to attack me, so then I decided to attack myself,” López said. “It worked out well.”

You are a brilliant madman Lopez!

I believe that is referred to as panache, and I love it!

“I knew all my opponents would try to attack me, so then I decided to attack myself,” López said. “It worked out well.”

You are a brilliant madman Lopez!

more that the Colombians from the high altitudes are going so well, does this mean the other climbers without this advantage are cleaner these days and therefore find it harder to compete against the likes of Chavez, Lopez and Henao?

Probably, it makes a lot of sense. But from what I read, this Colombian resurgence in world tour level racing is deeper and broader than 20-30 years ago. It’s all good for cycling. Imagine the face of the peloton when the east Africans get fully engaged. But also an argument for continued vigilance.

@piwakawaka

Good reason not to give up beer!

Right. Just eat less food! Cheers!

more that the Colombians from the high altitudes are going so well, does this mean the other climbers without this advantage are cleaner these days and therefore find it harder to compete against the likes of Chavez, Lopez and Henao?

I’ve always been mindful of the body weight/sickness paradox, the lower you go the ‘sicker’ you can get. Good reason not to give up beer!

…and is it a sign of a cleaner peloton that these guy’s seem to have this?

A sign of a cleaner peloton, that top GC riders get sick or have bad days? Could be, could be. Hadn’t considered that possibility. I like that. I certainly wouldn’t think that Tejay (in spite of training with Armstrong) or Talansky (in spite of being on the same team as Danielson) are dirty.

Still, there are riders that seem more resilient, for example; Froome, Quintana, Contadore, Nibali and others. And in spite of the Contador hate on this site, I have a hard time believing any of those four are dirty either.

@Rick

I expect Tejay to be working for Porte next month. I will be rooting like crazy for Talansky tomorrow!

Well, that didn’t turn out so good. Good race, short, but competitive and fun to watch. And Talansky and Tejay finished off the podium. Gawd, how can you not maintain a second place with a rider like Dombrowski pulling your butt over the mountains? Go figure.

Porte is showing some form and Tejay would be the elite of the elite domistique, but I have no confidence that Porte will podium. Let alone a top five VSP finish. He’s going to get sick, have a bad day and pfffft. I’m looking at the Columbians.

TDF is not as high as Swiss, Dauphine or Giro, I wonder whether this will negate some of the natural advantage guy’s like Quintana get in the high mountains and is it a sign of a cleaner peloton that these guy’s seem to have this?

@Rick

I expect Tejay to be working for Porte next month. I will be rooting like crazy for Talansky tomorrow!

Well, that didn’t turn out so good. Good race, short, but competitive and fun to watch. And Talansky and Tejay finished off the podium. Gawd, how can you not maintain a second place with a rider like Dombrowski pulling your butt over the mountains? Go figure.

Porte is showing some form and Tejay would be the elite of the elite domistique, but I have no confidence that Porte will podium. Let alone a top five VSP finish. He’s going to get sick, have a bad day and pfffft. I’m looking at the Columbians.

Nice to see TJVG riding better, especially downhill in the rain and snow!!

I’m turning into a JoDomBro fan boy, excellent week for him.

Two real good days for Tejay. But darn it, he always has one bad day, whether a three-week or one-week race, and it’s all for naught. Same as Talansky. But I’m with you on Dombrowski. After his Giro and now the TdS. Wow. Steady, consistent, day after day, and no bad days. Hope he races the Vuelta. Nice kid too. Vaughters better get out the checkbook next year, that boy has GC written all over him.

Nice to see TJVG riding better, especially downhill in the rain and snow!!

I’m turning into a JoDomBro fan boy, excellent week for him.

Is GT worried about his place at TDF, Landa Henao and Poels all looked a lot better than Sky’s protected man in Switzerland?

Never seen it worn like that. But he’s wearing a Buff. It’s a neck gaiter…normally in cold weather you pull it up over the back of your head but under your helmet. Keeps you warm in cold weather.

I think they hired the Orica Green Edge driver from the year before.

@Rick

I keep waiting for Talansky to have a break out year. I am hoping this is the one!

You know, I’d never pick either one for a top ten (let alone top five) finish in a Giro/TdF/Vuelta. They both have trouble finishing three weeks, albeit Talansky’s 2014 TdF abandon was epic (2 crashes, lot’s of pain, but finished the stage) and Van Garderen’s 2015 TdF abandon was sad (he had a migraine).

I do prefer watching Cannondale versus BMC. Obviously Cannondale is not as strong as BMC, but there’s lots of exciting great young talent on that team, BMC just feels like a second or third place. I mean, what’s not to like about Joe Dombrowski, Formolo, Brown, Moser, Navardauskus, et al?

I have a feeling that BMC management agrees with your assessment. I expect Tejay to be working for Porte next month.

I will be rooting like crazy for Talansky tomorrow!

 

I keep waiting for Talansky to have a break out year. I am hoping this is the one!

You know, I’d never pick either one for a top ten (let alone top five) finish in a Giro/TdF/Vuelta. They both have trouble finishing three weeks, albeit Talansky’s 2014 TdF abandon was epic (2 crashes, lot’s of pain, but finished the stage) and Van Garderen’s 2015 TdF abandon was sad (he had a migraine).

I do prefer watching Cannondale versus BMC. Obviously Cannondale is not as strong as BMC, but there’s lots of exciting great young talent on that team, BMC just feels like a second or third place. I mean, what’s not to like about Joe Dombrowski, Formolo, Brown, Moser, Navardauskus, et al?

Those of us who cheer for the USofA watch Teejay but forget Andrew Talansky. Why do we do that?

Don’t know, never understood that either, but there is something I just don’t like about Van Garderen. Their results are similar, top ten and top five results in world tour stage races, they’ve both won top shelf stage races :::shrug:::

I am guilty of this. So someone please help me understand. Those of us who cheer for the USofA watch Teejay but forget Andrew Talansky. Why do we do that?

That may change next month when it looks like van Garderen will be riding in a support role for Richie Porte.

Regarding your initial question, I think it is because Talansky has historically dropped down the standings pretty quickly in big races. As a result, he is out of sight of the lead and therefore out of mind. Tejay, on the other hand has at least made it to the rest day near the top of the standings and therefore top of our minds.

I keep waiting for Talansky to have a break out year. I am hoping this is the one!

And Buck, no, am not there physically (although am in Switzerland) but Swiss TV does live streaming. Btw, TJ just crashed the rest.

Beautiful suffering going on right now, on finish at Rettenbachglacier in Austria. Snow on Festum Propaetae!

Are you there now???  Such a BRILLIANT stage going on right now!!!

This race has had so many abandons this year.  Between the parcourse and the weather, they’re dropping like flies!

@wiscot

He must have chosen the one with the built in ear muffs too.

You can be damn sure no Etixx QS rider would wear that abomination. Their riders know that good headwear looks like. Did you see the “cap” Froome was wearing at the end of the Dauphine? It had his name on the side but looked five sizes too big.

He must have chosen the one with the built in ear muffs too.

Ha! Yep – you nailed it, methinks. (Chuckling into my Danish lager here… For the record: Neither Carlsberg nor Tuborg – although there’s nothing wrong with either)

@wiscot

That, or a knit tea cosy.

Aye, that’s likely. Maybe he didn’t want to upset his mother:

“Where are you riding this week, Phillipe?”

“Switzerland, mother. I’m riding the Tour of Switzerland.”

“Ooh, it gets cold there. They have snow and mountains. I hope you don’t catch cold. I’ll knit you a nice little hat to keep your head warm. The doctor says you lose a lot of heat through your noggin.”

“I’ll be fine mother, honestly. The team give me caps and helmets.”

“You can’t be too careful dear (she says while furiously knitting up a storm). Here, wear this, it’ll keep you warm.”

“No, really mother, I’ll be fine.”

“Do as I fucking tell you Phillipe. There’s a good boy.”

“Yes mother.”

. . . and the rest is history.

That, or a knit tea cosy.

@wiscot

@Teocalli

errrr….excuse me…..but……

What . . . the . . . fuck . . . is . . . that?

Gilbert today……..

I just did some deep web research. Gilbert is wearing the yet-to-be-released Giro “Armadillo” helmet. Flexible and tough, though only available in gray.

Okay. I’m going to pretend I never saw that photo of Gilbert.

Abandonments gauche et droite!

@wiscot @Teocalli

I can’t help but get this idea that something must have fell out of a tree as he road by, landed on his head, and wouldn’t let go. I don’t know what? A tree squid? Whatev… Strange indeed.

Ha!  This is great!

@Beers

yup, and Assos being Swiss, I understand why they’re the manufacturer of choice, but the actual design is just god awful.

Looks like they use the same “designer” as the Tour of California. Which is not a good thing.

I can’t help but get this idea that something must have fell out of a tree as he road by, landed on his head, and wouldn’t let go. I don’t know what? A tree squid? Whatev… Strange indeed.

yup, and Assos being Swiss, I understand why they’re the manufacturer of choice, but the actual design is just god awful.

I won’t repost, but he really should know better. I think he’s losing it in his old age.

@Teocalli

errrr….excuse me…..but……

What . . . the . . . fuck . . . is . . . that?

Gilbert today……..

@Buck Rogers

So much for the Curse, eh??? Dude fucking KILLED it with CLASS!!! The Man has certainly honoured this jersey so far this season!

From the sublime to the piss poor, how bad are the leader’s jerseys?

If I’m not mistaken, those are Assos logos on the shoulders. I will get some of their bibs, but I think the styling of their jerseys is a bit meh, and carries through to these jerseys.

errrr….excuse me…..but……

What . . . the  . . . fuck . . . is . . . that?

@Erik

So my steephill.tv feed just tried to tell me it had an urgent Firefox update from eeyah dot fuckbox dot com. Watch out for that! That’s worse than a sharp curve 150 meters from the line.

It’s really nice to have your computer worked on and when the tech gives you that look of “You were watching porn, weren’t you?” and you can stare him down with a look of “Nope, pirated feeds of adult men riding bicycles in Lycra.” Admittedly, it’s probably more socially acceptable to be doing the former…

Don’t forget, they are also men who shave their legs and have stricter diets than most supermodels.

@Erik

So my steephill.tv feed just tried to tell me it had an urgent Firefox update from eeyah dot fuckbox dot com. Watch out for that! That’s worse than a sharp curve 150 meters from the line.

It’s really nice to have your computer worked on and when the tech gives you that look of “You were watching porn, weren’t you?” and you can stare him down with a look of “Nope, pirated feeds of adult men riding bicycles in Lycra.” Admittedly, it’s probably more socially acceptable to be doing the former…

What’s worse is my father-in-law is generally go to tech guy.

So my steephill.tv feed just tried to tell me it had an urgent Firefox update from eeyah dot fuckbox dot com. Watch out for that! That’s worse than a sharp curve 150 meters from the line.

It’s really nice to have your computer worked on and when the tech gives you that look of “You were watching porn, weren’t you?” and you can stare him down with a look of “Nope, pirated feeds of adult men riding bicycles in Lycra.” Admittedly, it’s probably more socially acceptable to be doing the former…

And FUCK! Who knew that there were two Izaguirres in the race! My VSP pick is for Jon, not Gorka (if it comes down to mattering at all)!!!

I was thinking exactly the same thing!

Apropos of abso-fucking-lutely nothing, this needs a place on the V site somewhere.

@piwakawaka

@Pali65

From a bit further out you can see how the teams have set themselves up.

Well this adds some spice to the incident……

http://www.cyclingweekly.co.uk/news/racing/riders-arms-danny-van-poppel-relegated-tour-de-suisse-233466?utm_source=Facebook&utm_medium=Social

That sucks! They should have given him a friggin’ medal for bike handling skillz. How he stayed upright and didn’t cause a major pile up is a miracle. The speed they went into the corner was incredible.

So much for the Curse, eh??? Dude fucking KILLED it with CLASS!!! The Man has certainly honoured this jersey so far this season!

From the sublime to the piss poor, how bad are the leader’s jerseys?

Wise words indeed. It is the smiles and laughs, and hopefully a long lifetime’s worth, that pay off for the hard work. Cheers!

Must be a tricky one – there are only 3 mountain days so if you have a bad day today your Tour could be over.

@Teocalli

I wonder if it’s the same driver that got one of the team buses stuck under the finish gantry on a Giro(?) stage a few years ago?

Orica Green-Edge at the TdeF.

I wonder if it’s the same driver that got one of the team buses stuck under the finish gantry on a Giro(?) stage a few years ago?

@Pali65

From a bit further out you can see how the teams have set themselves up.

Well this adds some spice to the incident……

http://www.cyclingweekly.co.uk/news/racing/riders-arms-danny-van-poppel-relegated-tour-de-suisse-233466?utm_source=Facebook&utm_medium=Social

So what was going on with Van Poppel today?

The video shows an amazing save on the final corner but it had started as they came into it.

There’s a photo of his bike with the back wheel rearing up into the air and that’s what causes him to then go wide – did he just jam on the front brake too hard?

In which case it’s a bit harder to credit him with amazing bike skills.

The way I read it was if he had not done that them all 3 would have been on the deck as he was chopped coming into the bend.

So what was going on with Van Poppel today?

The video shows an amazing save on the final corner but it had started as they came into it.

There’s a photo of his bike with the back wheel rearing up into the air and that’s what causes him to then go wide – did he just jam on the front brake too hard?

In which case it’s a bit harder to credit him with amazing bike skills.

nah, amazing skills, comes into the corner too hot and has the door closed on him, grabs a bit much – but the key is he doesn’t drop it, and nice to see smooth barriers at this race rather than fences.

I guess you could say he should have read the road book, checked the corner etc but they were all smokin’ fullgas and I thought he handled the bike pretty well

From a bit further out you can see how the teams have set themselves up.

Don’t get me wrong, I LOVE having kids! I’ve got three beautiful sons (and was a solo dad for a couple of years when my two eldest were around 5 and 3), and not a day has passed in their lives that I have regretted it or wished I didn’t have them, and our laughs and fun times are a massive part of that.

BUT, my point is that it’s also not easy no matter how many smiles and/or laughs you’re having. Being a good parent is no ride on the boulevard, as I’m sure you’re aware. Definitely the toughest but easily the best job I’ve ever had.

So much for the Curse, eh??? Dude fucking KILLED it with CLASS!!! The Man has certainly honoured this jersey so far this season!

wow wow wow… much delayed flight at airport right now, go to steephill, watch the last km’s video and what a stud. Just imagine what in the world Alabasini was thinking ? I’m gonna hold him off with my sprint at the end? Just making it respectable. Killed it with class is right. Over the top, descent, catch ’em, pull ’em and out sprint ’em.

@Buck Rogers

@Oli

Get used to it, bud.

Ha! Oli means this in a good way! Kids are addicting! They sure take over your life but most definitely in a great way!!!

Also in a be realistic way; if you think it’s going to be all free time and fun, fun, fun, your expectations are too high, and frustration and trapped feelings will ensue. Far better to understand early that your life is now not your own, and that being busy will be the norm – I believe this keeps you much happier in the long run.

If kiddo’s don’t make their parents smile/laugh at least once a day then the parents are not paying attn.

Now… for the kids sharing the love of the bike… having to maintain three mtn bikes over a race season? Let’s just say that the bikes haven’t been kept as spotless and perfect as when it was just my bike needing maintained. But that’s okay. I consider myself a lucky father. Cheers

The video shows an amazing save on the final corner but it had started as they came into it.

There’s a photo of his bike with the back wheel rearing up into the air and that’s what causes him to then go wide – did he just jam on the front brake too hard?

In which case it’s a bit harder to credit him with amazing bike skills.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1TTEaB-TJec

So much for the Curse, eh??? Dude fucking KILLED it with CLASS!!! The Man has certainly honoured this jersey so far this season!

Also, how much better is it to see a rider who actually looks like an athlete (e.g. has an upper body) compared the frail birds of the GC classification who look like they’d snap if they were caught out by an unexpected gust of wind?

I know he’s still tiny in comparison to your rugby & football types, but much like Tornado Tom in 2012 at P-R, it’s good to see some upper body definition on a rider.

Pinchy wins today again. Did not have him in my top 5, am getting worried here.

Don’t worry, Switzerland has some big arse mountains & I don’t see him revisiting last year’s ToC efforts with le Grande Boucle just around the corner.

So much for the Curse, eh??? Dude fucking KILLED it with CLASS!!! The Man has certainly honoured this jersey so far this season!

massive V to leave the reduced bunch on the final climb and bridge solo to Albisini and Dillier, who were driving to the line together, then unsuccessfully attack them, and have to ride them in, and take the win.

@Oli

Get used to it, bud.

Ha! Oli means this in a good way! Kids are addicting! They sure take over your life but most definitely in a great way!!!

Also in a be realistic way; if you think it’s going to be all free time and fun, fun, fun, your expectations are too high, and frustration and trapped feelings will ensue. Far better to understand early that your life is now not your own, and that being busy will be the norm – I believe this keeps you much happier in the long run.

So much for the Curse, eh???  Dude fucking KILLED it with CLASS!!!  The Man has certainly honoured this jersey so far this season!

@Buck Rogers

@Oli

Get used to it, bud.

Ha! Oli means this in a good way! Kids are addicting! They sure take over your life but most definitely in a great way!!!

Mostly. Sometimes.

Agree.

Addicting when they want you take them out on super long rides.

or side with you in discussions relating to N+1 or other bike related expenditure.

Less so when they tell you that they’re ready for school neglecting to say that whilst they’ve got their shoes on their socks are in their pocket and they’re still looking for their blazer which they haven’t actually seen since Friday afternoon when it was a goal post.

or leave your track pump at a race.

or strip the threads on their brothers MTB’s cranks; one side because they’ve got the wrong pedal and the other one because they they’ve then picked up the other pedal to try the other side.

@Oli

Get used to it, bud.

Ha! Oli means this in a good way! Kids are addicting! They sure take over your life but most definitely in a great way!!!

Mostly. Sometimes.

Get used to it, bud.

Ha!  Oli means this in  a good way!  Kids are addicting!  They sure take over your life but most definitely in a great way!!!

@VbyV

A couple of days or so…..

GRRR.  I was actively looking for it, but somehow I still managed to miss it.  I got lucky with some early picks and I’m up in the standings.  Hurts to miss a whole selection.  DAMN DAMN DAMN!

@Chica

VSP PICKS:

1. Jon Izagirre Insausti

And I thought picking Izagirre to win was stepping out on a limb. Good to have company!

Nice! There are a few of us who didn’t pick G for the win and went with Izagirre instead. Always feel like that guy is on the brink of something amazing, so really hoping he decides to stamp his authority on the race – otherwise if G wins, I’m going to plummet in the standings.

@Minnesota Expat

My name is also Jon Izagirre and I’m riding the Morgarten memorial in Baar tomorrow (amateur event organized by the Tour de Suisse).

If I’d known that, I would have picked you for my VSP! Are you riding any of the amateur stage rides at the Tour this summer?

My name is also Jon Izagirre and I’m riding the Morgarten memorial in Baar tomorrow (amateur event organized by the Tour de Suisse). I was hoping the organizers would get confused and give me VIP treatment, but no luck so far :-(

A couple of days or so…..

VSP PICKS:

1. Mathias FRANK
2. Gee THOMAS
3. Pierre-Roger LATOUR
4. Robert GESINK
5. Tejay VANGARDEREN

VSP PICKS:

1. TALANSKY Andrew
2. THOMAS Geraint
3. VAN GARDEREN Tejay
4. FARIA DA COSTA Rui Alberto
5. SPILAK Simon

VSP PICKS:

1. Geraint Thomas
2. Tejay Van Garderen
3. Mathias Frank
4. Simon Spilak
5. Rui Costa

VSP PICKS:

1. Thomas
2. Tejay
3. Gesink
4. Barguil
5. Spilak

VSP PICKS:

1. Thomas
2. Van Garderen
3. Costa
4. Spilak
5. Gesink

VSP PICKS:

1. Geraint Thomas
2. Rui Costa
3. Mathias Frank
4. Simon Spilak
5. Tejay Van Garderen

VSP PICKS:

1. Thomas, Geraint
2. Spiral, Simon
3. Izagirre, Jon
4. Talansky, Andrew
5. Van Garderen, Teejay

VSP PICKS:

1. Thomas
2. Barguil
3. Gesink
4. Van Garderen
5. Spilak

VSP PICKS:

1. GT
2. Rui Alberto Faria da Costa
3. TGV
4. Simon Spilak
5. Miguel Ángel López

VSP PICKS:

1. GT
2. Rui Alberto Faria da Costa
3. Miguel Ángel López
4. Warren Barguil
5. Simon Spilak