Chasing The Tour | Stage 11 – The Nail In the Coffin

July 13, 2012

We're only half way into the Tour but I think we can safely say that Cadel Evans' chances of defending the title are over. I'm sure there are a lot of people holding onto hope but the vibe from here in France amongst most people I speak with is that it's over for Cadel. He's done an admirable job holding his own but Wiggins and his Imperial Stormtroopers have given a crushing blow to the old Jedi Knight that he's unlikely to rise back from.

Hindsight is 20/20 but I would have loved to have seen this Tour replayed with BMC having hired 4 super-domestiques who could have taken on SKY instead of hiring Gilbert and Hushovd for ~3M each. I’m admittedly biased, but all I want is to see is an exciting, close and tense Tour de France all the way to the final TT. Barring disaster I think it’ll be Wiggins and Froome by good margin and Cadel will be fighting it out for the final podium spot with Nibali. It reminds me of the days of USPS domination where they were untouchable (I’m not insinuating anything – I think SKY’s performances are believable).

A stronger BMC may not have won Cadel the Tour, but we would have seen a closer match. BMC’s attack on Wiggins initiated by Van Garderen on the Col de la Croix de Fer was exciting to watch but possibly an act of desparation. It didn’t make sense. It was too far out with two big mountain passes remaining and large bunches still intact riding at a high tempo. It was never going to succeed. We saw the consequences of that effort when Cadel cracked at 6.5km remaining. It would been more tactical to have saved that energy to attack Wiggins when Nibali did closer to the top.

The interesting story that could emerge is a possible intra-team rivalry within SKY. According to my sources close to last year’s Vuelta, there was a fair amount of tention in the team when Froome and Wiggins were contesting the overall win. We’ve seen other exmaples of this happening in 1985/86 with Lemond and Hinault, and Contador and Armstrong in 2009. Froome’s attack on the bunch at 4.5km remaining could have been a bike racer’s primal instincts, but it didn’t seem to be in anyone’s best interest except for Froome’s. They had already put the nail in the coffin for Evans and Froome’s attack which dropped Wiggins had no strategic value for the yellow jersey. He immediately sat up when it appeared that he was ordered via race radio but was then given the go-ahead to sprint for 2nd (which Pinot won). There’s no doubt that Froome is the strongest climber in the race and one of the best time trialists, so there could be some interesting developments in the final week of the Tour.

While Australians are disappointed that this year’s Tour win is a foregone possibility, Gossy is still within reach of the Green Jersey not far behind Sagan. Besides the Poms already celebrating the French are also having a fabulous Tour. Pinot today, Voeckler yesterday, and Rolland on stage 8, the future looks bright for French cycling.

Stage 11 Photos

: Until 1990, the team classification leaders could be recognised by yellow caps. From 2006 to 2011 the best team wore black on yellow back numbers (as shown here). RadioShack-Nissan now lead the Teams Classification but have not agreed to wear the bright yellow helmets.

: The riders descending shortly after cresting the first of two HC climbs of the day, the Col de la Madeleine

: Cadel Evans and Tejay Van Garderen loose contact with Wiggins’ group

: Chris Froome recovers after looking like he was about to crack a few moments earlier and drops the yellow jersey. Shortly after it appeared that he received orders over his race radio to sit up

: La Flamme Rouge. If you’ve ever wondered why the sensational blog “Red Kite Prayer” is called this, it’s what would have been running through Pierre Rolland’s mind as he crossed under the Flamme Rouge

: Pierre Rolland , Europcar, only 800 meters away from securing stage 11 victory.

: Pierre Rolland takes his second Tour win. He took his first on Alpe d’Huez in last year’s Tour

: Chris Froome displayed an amazing feat of strength in helping Wiggins defend the yellow jersey.

: Cadel Evans (BMC Racing Team) approaching the finish line La Toussuire, with 800 meters to go trailing the yellow jersey group.

: Wiggins gives Nibali a pat on the back as a gesture from yesterday’s “look” at the finish

: The media swarm around Cadel Evans after the stage was larger than in Grenoble when he won the Tour. Cadel will fight until the end however. According to the BMC media release, “Cadel is mentally tough so he’s not going to let this day get him down,” van Garderen said. “He’s going to keep fighting. If Sky continues on a decline with their strength in numbers and Cadel shakes off today and has a better day in the coming days, we can get the time back.”

: Mark Cavendish arrived into the finish in La Toussuire with the groupetto looking very exhausted. He admitted that it was a very tough stage.

Stage 12 Preview

Quiz

Q. Who is the first Japanese rider ever to get on a Grand Tour podium at this year’s Tour de France for “most aggressive rider”?

Q. Behind Cadel, who is the next most successful rider on this year’s Tour with the most podium finishes?

Q. Which Rabobank rider was born in Siberia?

Q. Only two riders have won the Giro, Tour and Worlds in the same year. They were Merckx and a rider in the ‘80’s. Who was he…?

Race Results Summary

Tour de France (2012) - Stage 11

Albertville to La Toussuire - Les Sybelles (148km)

12 Jul 2012

View the full race results

Stage

Position	Name	Nationality	Team	Time
1	ROLLAND, Pierre	FRA	TEAM EUROPCAR	4:43:54
2	PINOT, Thibaut	FRA	FDJ-BIG MAT	55
3	FROOME, Chris	GBR	SKY PROCYCLING
4	VAN DEN BROECK, Jurgen	BEL	LOTTO BELISOL	57
5	NIBALI, Vincenzo	ITA	LIQUIGAS-CANNONDALE
6	WIGGINS, Bradley	GBR	SKY PROCYCLING
7	SÖRENSEN, Chris Anker	DEN	STB	+1:08
8	BRAJKOVIC, Janez	SLO	ASTANA	+1:58
9	KIRYIENKA, Vasili	BLR	MOVISTAR	+2:13
10	SCHLECK, Frank	LUX	RADIOSHACK-NISSAN	+2:23

General Classification

Position	Name	Nationality	Team	Time
1	WIGGINS, Bradley	GBR	SKY PROCYCLING	48:43:53
2	FROOME, Chris	GBR	SKY PROCYCLING	+2:05
3	NIBALI, Vincenzo	ITA	LIQUIGAS-CANNONDALE	+2:23
4	EVANS, Cadel	AUS	BMC RACING	+3:19
5	VAN DEN BROECK, Jurgen	BEL	LOTTO BELISOL	+4:48
6	ZUBELDIA AGIRRE, Haimar	ESP	RADIOSHACK-NISSAN	+6:15
7	VAN GARDEREN, Tejay	USA	BMC RACING	+6:57
8	BRAJKOVIC, Janez	SLO	ASTANA	+7:30
9	ROLLAND, Pierre	FRA	TEAM EUROPCAR	+8:31
10	PINOT, Thibaut	FRA	FDJ-BIG MAT	+8:51

Sprint Classification

Position	Name	Nationality	Team	Points
1	SAGAN, Peter	SVK	LIQUIGAS-CANNONDALE	232
2	GOSS, Matthew Harley	AUS	ORICA-GREENEDGE	205
3	GREIPEL, André	GER	LOTTO BELISOL	172
4	CAVENDISH, Mark	GBR	SKY PROCYCLING	129
5	BOASSON HAGEN, Edvald	NOR	SKY PROCYCLING	95
6	WIGGINS, Bradley	GBR	SKY PROCYCLING	91
7	EVANS, Cadel	AUS	BMC RACING	91
8	FROOME, Chris	GBR	SKY PROCYCLING	80
9	VEELERS, Tom	NED	ARG	76
10	VAN HUMMEL, Kenny Robert	NED	VACANSOLEIL-DCM	69

Mountains Classification

Position	Name	Nationality	Team	Points
1	KESSIAKOFF, Fredrik Carl Wilhelm	SWE	ASTANA	66
2	ROLLAND, Pierre	FRA	TEAM EUROPCAR	55
3	SÖRENSEN, Chris Anker	DEN	STB	39
4	SCARPONI, Michele	ITA	LAMPRE - ISD	33
5	FROOME, Chris	GBR	SKY PROCYCLING	32
6	PINOT, Thibaut	FRA	FDJ-BIG MAT	32
7	VELITS, Peter	SVK	OMEGA PHARMA-QUICKSTEP	29
8	VOECKLER, Thomas	FRA	TEAM EUROPCAR	28
9	KERN, Christophe	FRA	TEAM EUROPCAR	20
10	VOIGT, Jens	GER	RADIOSHACK-NISSAN	18

Young Rider Classification

Position	Name	Nationality	Team	Time
1	VAN GARDEREN, Tejay	USA	BMC RACING	48:50:50
2	PINOT, Thibaut	FRA	FDJ-BIG MAT	+1:54
3	TAARAMAE, Rein	EST	COFIDIS, LE CREDIT EN LIGNE	+23:50
4	VALLS FERRI, Rafael	ESP	VACANSOLEIL-DCM	+30:51
5	KRUIJSWIJK, Steven	NED	RABOBANK	+38:23
6	NERZ, Dominik	GER	LIQUIGAS-CANNONDALE	+49:26
7	MALACARNE, Davide	ITA	TEAM EUROPCAR	+52:52
8	IZAGIRRE INSAUSTI, Gorka	ESP	EUSKALTEL - EUSKADI	+56:53
9	SAGAN, Peter	SVK	LIQUIGAS-CANNONDALE	+58:04
10	GALLOPIN, Tony	FRA	RADIOSHACK-NISSAN	+1:00:04

tags: 2012 Tour de France, Bradley Wiggins, Cadel Evans, Pierre Roland

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Anonymous

Watching Evans try to attack up the
Col de la Croix de Fer and then see van Garderen sitting up several times to ensure Evans was not dropped was the first bad sign. The end result was no surprise.
Anonymous

Watching Evans try to attack up the
Col de la Croix de Fer and then see van Garderen sitting up several times to ensure Evans was not dropped was the first bad sign. The end result was no surprise.
Anonymous

I only learnt this phrase recently but it looks like Cadel had “Le Jour Sans”.
Anonymous

I only learnt this phrase recently but it looks like Cadel had “Le Jour Sans”.
http://www.chromaticdramatic.com/ Chromatic Dramatic

You got the order of the French results wrong. Rolland today and Pinot on Stage 8…
http://www.chromaticdramatic.com/ Chromatic Dramatic

You got the order of the French results wrong. Rolland today and Pinot on Stage 8…
Andy_roos

Could anyone please tell me how the riders get the “tight fit” look with their jerseys? Are the jerseys custom made for each rider? I bought a size small Nalini team jersey and yet I don’t get the tight fit, I still have a bit of flap and looseness.
- Notso Swift
  
  Here is is tip the pro’s may be sponored by Nalini but they don’t ride what we can buy!
  I was told that Castelli are the only ones that use the same materials for Garmin as the public can buy, that is pure hearsay but from an ex-ProTour Mechanic
  Still not everyone fits right someone yesterday have their jersey riding half way up their back
- lefthandside
  
  It’s all the bench presses and lat pulldowns the pros do to fill out their jerseys
- Brett_tivers
  
  teams have race fit cuts and the companies generally make supporters kits a lot more traditional. i know for a fact that this year louis garneau was making a supporters jersey of europcar in the exact replica to the cut and material of the pro riders based on so many request
- Sam
  
  Most of them are custom measured during the early part of team training camp. And sometimes it’s brand new/prototype skinsuit-type material.
- http://twitter.com/chris_carpenter Chris Carpenter
  
  My Rapha Pro Team Team issue jersey fits me like a glove, it’s a large and I’m pretty lean. It’s a fantastic fit and looks the business. Sure it costs a bit extra but hell it’s worth it.
Andy_roos

Could anyone please tell me how the riders get the “tight fit” look with their jerseys? Are the jerseys custom made for each rider? I bought a size small Nalini team jersey and yet I don’t get the tight fit, I still have a bit of flap and looseness.
http://twitter.com/callumdwyer Callum Dwyer

I personally thought it was all over after Monday’s ITT. Well done to Cadel for having a crack instead of sitting on all the way to Paris for second. Froome vs Wiggins maybe the only thing that keeps this tour interesting now.
http://twitter.com/callumdwyer Callum Dwyer

I personally thought it was all over after Monday’s ITT. Well done to Cadel for having a crack instead of sitting on all the way to Paris for second. Froome vs Wiggins maybe the only thing that keeps this tour interesting now.
Keen to learn

Forgive me, I dont know alot about cycling etiquette, but love watching the tour play out. So, I ask this question from “short time watcher – first time commentator” …. whats to stop Froome from just going for it at some stage? He looks clearly in good shape. Shouldnt the strongest rider win? Of course this would not be good for the team culture. But you have chances in life ..why not just take them? Or will the longer lasting affects of not following team orders osctrasize him later in cycling life?
- Anonymous
  
  Well, if he were to attack & race to be yellow jersey, then not only would Team Sky be mad, they’d drop him from the team, & then other teams would also classify him as a “traitor,” of course that’s one possibility. The other could be that he becomes a megastar & all the teams want him, haha. It’s a question of etiquette.
- Anonymous
  
  Team rules stop him from going on. He has been hired to look after Wiggo just like Richie and Mick. If he doesn’t do his job, he will not only get a bollocking from Wiggo, but from the Team management. He will also no doubt get little team support. His payback will be in the Vuelta where no doubt ( if he rides it) he will be team leader. It’s a bit of you scratch my back I’ll scratch yours. Riders have been doing it for ages, and if you watched last night when Sagan was decending with a team mate, Phil mentioned that during a sprint, Sagan noticed that no one was coming around him, so he sat up and gave the win to his lead out man. A reward for all the times he has worked for Sagan. Same thing here.
- jules
  
  one reason is that Froome lost time (about 1:30) early on in the race – this made Wiggo the team leader.
  
  another is that the harder the race is, the less impact a given time difference has. so while Wiggo has a couple of minutes lead, if Froome were to attack every day and rip the leading group to shreds, there would likely be some big time gaps as everyone has better and worse days. this would tend to dilute Wiggo’s current time advantage.
  
  a better strategy is to just ride tempo and try to keep everything together – no one makes up time if riding in the same bunch as their opponent, and if they do attack, you’re more likely to have the energy to respond.
Keen to learn

Forgive me, I dont know alot about cycling etiquette, but love watching the tour play out. So, I ask this question from “short time watcher – first time commentator” …. whats to stop Froome from just going for it at some stage? He looks clearly in good shape. Shouldnt the strongest rider win? Of course this would not be good for the team culture. But you have chances in life ..why not just take them? Or will the longer lasting affects of not following team orders osctrasize him later in cycling life?
Notso Swift

If Froome didn’t have to stop he would have been a minute up on Wiggins for the stage, just saying

Trivia time
There is only one Japanese rider at the tour this year, Europecar, can’t remember his name, but he was the first Japanese to finish (same year 2 got to the end)
Kloden
NFI
Stephen Roche did it in the 80′s,
Notso Swift

If Froome didn’t have to stop he would have been a minute up on Wiggins for the stage, just saying

Trivia time
There is only one Japanese rider at the tour this year, Europecar, can’t remember his name, but he was the first Japanese to finish (same year 2 got to the end)
Kloden
NFI
Stephen Roche did it in the 80′s,
Peter

It would have been explosive if Cadel was on form. First TJ up the road and then another BMC rider might have allowed him to bridge all the way to Rolland & taken the stage…. To Dream the Impossible Dream….
Notso Swift

Well when you do a report and give it to your boss, then he presents it to his boss with his name on it… if you make too much noise you will be the one out the door :-)
From a Sky perspective it is about media, the British public have has Wiggo primed as their first GT winner for 4 years, the team is all about Wiggo.,If Froome comes a long with a funny accent (because Wiggo is such a smooth talker… ) they know it is just like their Cricket heros in the 70′s and 80′s a fake. THey can get away with it that other races but the Tour… I think they would rather lose

Froome will be able to go to another team as a big dollar leader, everyone knows that now

EDIT Why are these reply becoming new posts???? This was for Keen to Learn
Paolo

Not only will Wiggins not be liked much by the fans, he will also be told that his team mate was the stronger rider when he won the Tour. Froome should just go for it, he’ll get a big bucks contract somewhere else anyway. His “loyalty” already cost him the Vuelta last year. Anyway, Thibaut Pinot is the man and will rule the big mountains in the next ten years.
- Ouestlebeouf
  
  Froome should channel Hinault a la ’86…difference being unlike LeMond, Twiglet would be out the back quick sticks. Dreaming, but I’d love to see it…
Anonymous

Loving how Liggett refers to Michael Rogers as “Australian” but Richie Porte as “Tasmanian”
- PistolPete
  
  That is because in Europe many of them actually assume that we are a separate country due to our representation in the pro ranks over the last few years (Porte, Sulzberger, Goss, Wurf, Clarke etc). That, and these guys are really proud of the place they come from (they compete for the Tassie Cup).
  - Hubbard
    
    Touche! hahaha
- http://twitter.com/chris_carpenter Chris Carpenter
  
  Pretty much the same as Cav being refered to as a ‘Manx man’ – Isle of Man lad born and bred
Anonymous

I hope it rains and Cadel gets 3 minutes back on a descent… but it’s unlikely… oh well, he did his best. Goes to show that it’s only one bad day that can ruin the tour de france
- http://twitter.com/chris_carpenter Chris Carpenter
  
  Sorry one day? I think overall Cadel hasn’t had a great season: he didn’t fair well in this years Dauphine either. Brad is just really, really strong, has an amazing team to back him. BMC on the other hand haven’t sparkled: at all.
http://twitter.com/gr3g5ki Greg Ski

I know it’s just the way it has to be but all this ‘having to ride for team leader’ stuff makes for nauseating watching. Once Cadel was a goner BMC should have let Tejay off the leash and let him go for a stage win and possibly being a podium contender. Cadel could have just drafted someone else. Cadel is a big boy he’d get over it
- http://twitter.com/peelay Phill Hodgkinson
  
  Totally agree with this point, when Cadel was done they should have been able to change tactics on the road (even discussed before stage) that Tejay should have been allowed to go ahead. We’ll never really know how he would have faired, but he was riding well and could very well have put himself on or within easy reach of the podium, instead they have neither within reach of the podium (unless something goes terribly wrong for the others).
- http://twitter.com/peelay Phill Hodgkinson
  
  Totally agree with this point, when Cadel was done they should have been able to change tactics on the road (even discussed before stage) that Tejay should have been allowed to go ahead. We’ll never really know how he would have faired, but he was riding well and could very well have put himself on or within easy reach of the podium, instead they have neither within reach of the podium (unless something goes terribly wrong for the others).
AJ

I’m amazed at how quickly so many people are writing Cadel off. There is still plenty of climbing left in this race and how he can regroup in coming days will be telling. Wiggo was hardly convincing on any of the climbs, again. Froome almost caused major embarassment to him as Wiggo clearly had nothing left to go with him.

Cadel is a far superior climber than Wiggo and on the long climbs, he has the ability to put time into him. As far as I am concerned, this race is far from over.
- Anonymous
  
  Yeah but its not just Wiggo climbing is it. How do you isolate him and then string him out? Sky responds very well to attacks by just gradually increasing tempo. And worst off is they climbed two HC last night and Froome was on Wiggins wheel the whole time!
  
  They are like a two stage rocket, grinding out the HC then having Froome to drag his arse over the line. How do you respond to that when you are isolated by design in the mountains?
  - Mark
    
    And that seems to be it – how can BMC isolate Wiggo without ruining Cadel’s race? One for the team tacticians to mull over.
    - Anonymous
      
      I think a stage like tonight is were you strike. Super aggressive attacking in the second hills and just try and pull your team together after the second climb and outpace them. Hopefully yesterday tired out Sky’s boys and BMC can pull something back with fresher legs?
  - Greg
    
    Wiggins doesn’t look like a strong climber at all when he’s on his own. He seems as though can only stick to the wheel of his team mates (when they wait for him).
    
    I think the form Cadel had last year would have blown Sky off, and caused Wiggins to be isolated, but he just doesn’t have that form again this year. From early in the season he just didn’t seem to be as strong as he was last year.
    
    If someone manages to get Wiggins isolated, then watch out, I think he’ll probably implode.
- ed
  
  yeah maybe mano v mano but first he has to get rid of the rest of team sky. lets not forget cadel is another year older & has had a disrupted preparation this year with illness. He looked sharp in the first week but has been exposed in the last couple of stages. He needs more LEUTs to help him out in the mountains.
  
  In previous years this race would be far from over but with the use of race radios racing is more controlled and brakeaways are less successful. There is always the weather – especially as they head into the warmer regions of the south and then the unpredictable weather in the Pyrenees.
  - Thommo
    
    These guys are not doped up – ther’e human (even though Wiggo has looked more like a machine so far). Evans has had a bad day - who’s to say Wiggo or Froome won’t either? Still a long way to go, but that last TT is still looking to be a big hurdle.
- http://twitter.com/chris_carpenter Chris Carpenter
  
  Really, better climber? Doesn’t appear that way to me. Brad looked reasonably fresh yesterday, Cadel looked the thousand yard stare: completly wasted
Anonymous

Serious sock height violation by Froome. Boassen-Hagen is another one. Way too low!
AaronG

CT, I don’t 100% agree with the USPS analogy. The Posties used to set Lance up, but then at least he would attack somewhere on the final climb and “light up the race”. SKY does the same, but all Lamb Chops does is sit on the metronomic pace that his Garmin tells him to ride at. Successful strategy? Time will tell, but most probably. Good to watch? Hardly! Panache? Hell no!

The different pedalling styles between Wiggins and Cadel was evident last night. Wiggins maintained a perfect cadence dictated by his Garmin and hardly left his saddle………….Cadel monstered his bike, got out of the saddle, back in, then out again…..in other words, Wiggins made love to his bike and Cadel raped his!
- NickV
  
  Wiggins seems more like Indurain, he smashes everyone in the TT and then just rides tempo on the wheels up the climbs.
  It worked for Indurain for 5 years but generally people look back on those Tours (in regards the the race for GC) as pretty boring races.
  Rather Cadel’s gutsy win last year – isolated in the mountains, stage win against Contador, chasing Schleck solo – than the scientific teamwork of Sky. You can commend them for their teamwork but it’s about as exciting as watching a boa constrictor kill it prey…
  - http://twitter.com/chris_carpenter Chris Carpenter
    
    Sorry, last year? Cadel only fought right at the end, if he hadn’t TT’d better than Schleck he wouldn’t have won. No less than impressive this year. Oh and Sky, they now have 3 wins, 3 different riders, 3 differents stages. A very good team with one goal, a Brit on the podium. Working so far? BMC have 3 WC riders and really nothing to show.
- JBS
  
  Not sure I fully agree with that last bit, unless by “make love” you mean “missionary position, no foreplay, separate beds afterwards.” Contador “makes love” to his bike, in and out of the saddle, changing positions with a light touch as the situation requires; dancing up the hills together. Wiggins sits on top and hammers away at a constant speed until he’s finished.
  
  Cadel is certainly one for the rough and tumble, however.
  - giffsa
    
    “makes love” like an Englishman, I guess.
  - Tricky Dicky
    
    Feel sorry for Chris Anker Sorensen’s missus then. “Christ dear, are you still going?”
JBS

Well last night confirmed for me what I’ve suspected since the first climb of this Tour, the wrong bloke is going to win. The real pity from last night, in terms of pure cycling drama, is that in that moment when Froome dropped Wiggins there wasn’t a big GC threat (think Contador, A Schleck or Evans) in the group to take advantage. How much more exciting would it have been for one of those guys to have countered Froome’s effort before he got the call to switch off the gas. Speculation I know, but would Froome has turned off the gas in that situation?

Anybody know if Froome is off contract this year, because I reckon his asking price has gone up tenfold.
- NickV
  
  inrng tweeted last night, “For those wondering, Froome is locked into a good contract with Team Sky. He’s not going anywhere unless a billionaire makes a wild offer”.
jules

how good is Pinot? this guy will be a scary prospect in a few years.

Froome can only blame himself for taking the Sky cash. he could be in yellow now if he went somewhere else.
Fitzroyalty

Tejay lead that break away waaay to easily. He looked really comfortable while Cadel was sweating it.
Bit of a gun with a bright future.

Also, did anyone notice Cadel looking pale in the last half? Sunscreen, or a cold maybe?
Anthony

There is a long way to go. Let’s just wait and see. It is not uncommon to have a bad day. I bet Cadel feels fantastic tomorrow after coming out of a low. I think tactics need to be played out more spontaneously. Last nights plan by BMC would have been amazing if Cadel was in the zone, it just wasn’t the right day for him. Cadel didn’t seem right, it is unlike him to fade so early after attacking, he was clearly in trouble that far out. They are not machines. Last nights move was probably planned months ago, it certainly stood out when I saw the route. Let’s see what happens when the tables turn. Expect the unexpected.
- Abdu
  
  Exactly, one bad day and it’s not all over. I do think though that he’ll be flat again today, I just don’t think he’ll recover that quickly. When you’re flying though, it’s a different story. How many times have we seen a great ride one stage not quite getting the chocolates, then they win the next? Eddy Bo-Hag for one. Pierre Rolland deserves a big wrap though, after he binned it on the bend and saw he’d carved up his leg I thought he was gone, gutsy little Frogman that one.
  
  Wiggo deserves a lot more credit though, sure he’s been wheelsucking the whole way and the tactics are decided for him, but he’s going to grow into that yellow jersey you watch. He might even win a stage in his own right (not a TT).
  
  Remains to be seen whether Richie P wants to stay a lowly paid serf (who Wiggo owes a huge debt to, the way he shelled that bunch to get rid of the danger riders, all Wiggo had to do was hang onto his wheel), or fulfil that ability. He’s a TT gun and obviously a great climber, any other team would be happy to build a tea,m around him as a potential GC winner. Same with Froome, and even Cav - he approached Green Edge once so he might need to consider changing teams to get a decent lead out train.
  
  As you say, anything can happen. Like this…http://youtu.be/60PoYdbcdCI
  - Aro
    
    Hahaha, love the guy wearing bibs and a t-shirt giving Wiggins a reassuring pat on the back. Surprised he didn’t receive a backhand to the facial region. Sporting dummy spits, are they ever not funny?
    - Abdu
      
      Don’t forget Cadel was leading La Vuelta in 2009 when he punctured and his team car was blocked getting to him. The spares van couldn’t swap his wheel for about five minutes and surprise surprise a Spaniard Valverde won…
Timbodger

Man I thought Wiggo was skinny but I think his kit would be baggy on Froome. That guy better hit the fastfood restaurants in Paris after the Tour or from side on all you will see is a bike going past you!!
ed

Gees these anglos are dominating the Tour and GreenEdge for sure will win the stage tonight, I mean no other teams would think of getting in a breakaway to win a stage. So smart these anglo teams, the euros are just playing catch up. And how about Cadel, I think he can ride off the front for 100km and take back 10 minutes as Sky are just johhny come latelys and aren’t as good as Cadel, if Cadel could team up with Gerro and other GreenEdge riders that would just be tops. Im looking forward to the day where we have three or four pro tour teams, because we are just the best at this sport. I mean these Frenchies should stop calling it the Tour de France and change it to Tour de Aussies as we are by far the most awesome country riding in the race. Also our riders have the most passion & they train the hardest. No one wants to win more than them – especially Gossy, Gero and Cadel. And I’m not bitter about Wiggins – sure he has won Paris Nice, Romandy and Criterium Dauphine this year but that doesnt mean anything except when Cadel won Romandy & Criterium Dauphine last year. I wonder where Jens Voight is? – rather than ask him about how he is going i might ask him what he thinks of Cadel & GreenEdge.

Ahh sorry about that – my keyboard was taken over by Mike Tomolaris.
- Rabbit
  
  Bloody hillarious….. Can’t wait for the day that Tomo stops talking.
  - Abdu
    
    Good luck with that.
    
    Tomo might not be your cup of tea, but I appreciate his genuine love of the sport and enthusiasm for it (how many other sports head can you say that about - ie. in the footy you’ve got James Brayshaw or BT pumping themsleves up and talking like some loud mouthed jock how thinks he’s ten times funnier than he is). You just wait for the Olympics on channel 9, I think Eddy Maguire is commentating on the road race…
    
    I’ll take Tomo’s occasional Labrador-puppy like enthusiasm anyday. Last night was a classic when he asked Paul Sherwin which cliche he was going to trot out, thought Paul was going to hit him with his suitcase of courage. SBS will skew the coverage to the Aussies, because it is…an Australian audience. I always laugh when I hear Poms whining about our jingoism, because I watched the Olympics living in London once and had to check how many gold medals the Aussies had won (saw plenty of English badminton players taking a fine 45th place though).
    
    Then again, I like watching Marngrook Footy Show and would possibly cut my left nacker off before watching The Channel 9 Footy Show. Each to his own.
- jules
  
  ed, Tomo is trying to make the sport more appealing to the ‘average’ viewer. while estalished cycling fans might get excited about Bauke Molleme and that new young prospect from Costa Rica, the average viewer who just switches on to see what all the fuss about probably wonders what language that rider called Tejay Van Garderen would speak and “where are the aussies?”
  - ed
    
    The coverage can still be appealing without being biased /unbalanced. A few years ago they would interview riders of all nationalities & from all teams – now its only Cadel and the Australian riders in GreenEdge & occasionaly Jens – but only to ask him what he thinks about Cadel. Yes I am very thankful of the coverage SBS provide but there is no need to dumb it down. I mean last night they cut the vision as soon as Cadel crossed the line and went to Tomo & Sunderland – surely they could have kept the footage going whilst there was still GC guys coming in and those guys could have just been talking in the background. Yeah its good to be proud of our riders but they are not the only ones in the peloton. Cycling is a sport of many nationalities, the coverage should reflect that.
    - jules
      
      i also saw the interview with Jens and after he tipped Wiggo for the TT win, it seemed a bit as though they cut the interview there when they didn’t the answer they wanted. but who knows
    - Abdu
      
      Maybe the SBS team are too busy Tweeting…?
    - Robert Merkel
      
      SBS have a second camera crew devoted specifically to covering GreenEdge, and it’s my understanding (though I don’t have a reference for it) that GreenEdge or one of their sponsors have kicked in to pay for it.
    - Abdu
      
      How long is spot in the coverage for that, about 30 seconds? It would be great to know all about all the other riders too, but I’ll just be happy watching the bloke in accounts face when he asks if I think Cadel will win tonight, and I tell him “nah, Zubeldia might be a shot though…”
      
      When Wade has a spare second, the SBS coverage might be a good post. I’d be interested seeing what they all do, I mean Tomo doesn’t sit there all day picking which shirt he’s going to wear?
    - Abdu
      
      How long is spot in the coverage for that, about 30 seconds? It would be great to know all about all the other riders too, but I’ll just be happy watching the bloke in accounts face when he asks if I think Cadel will win tonight, and I tell him “nah, Zubeldia might be a shot though…”
      
      When Wade has a spare second, the SBS coverage might be a good post. I’d be interested seeing what they all do, I mean Tomo doesn’t sit there all day picking which shirt he’s going to wear?
  - ed
    
    The coverage can still be appealing without being biased /unbalanced. A few years ago they would interview riders of all nationalities & from all teams – now its only Cadel and the Australian riders in GreenEdge & occasionaly Jens – but only to ask him what he thinks about Cadel. Yes I am very thankful of the coverage SBS provide but there is no need to dumb it down. I mean last night they cut the vision as soon as Cadel crossed the line and went to Tomo & Sunderland – surely they could have kept the footage going whilst there was still GC guys coming in and those guys could have just been talking in the background. Yeah its good to be proud of our riders but they are not the only ones in the peloton. Cycling is a sport of many nationalities, the coverage should reflect that.
Mike

That was a fast climb, they were really motoring along which suits the faster climbers like Froome/Wiggins I feel. There are harder/steeper/slower climbs to come, especially in the Pyrenees, which will suit Evans better and give give Wiggins some problems. Then Sky will have the problem of whether to let Froome go for it if Wiggins cracks.

It’s not over yet.
- Sean Doyle
  
  They actually came in 30 mins after the slowest expected time for the stage. It didn’t look like they were riding the speed of recent eras to me.
DG

Sky aren’t fools – Froome signed a 3 year contract extension late last year after his Vuelta success. Given his ability and the fact that he’s only 27 and (mostly) a Brit, I imagine that he’s on a promise to succeed Wiggins eventually as team GC leader. He’s a great talent although like Wiggins he is flattered by the very strong team behind him.
TdFWatcher

“Chris Froome displayed an amazing feat of strength….” Hmmm…
- Tricky Dicky
  
  Don’t be a prat. You can always go here http://forum.cyclingnews.com/forumdisplay.php?f=20 if you want to get into that sort of debate. Careful though, it seems to be full of complete fruitcakes.
  - TdFWatcher
    
    Just kidding man….. Wish Cadel had attacked on the final climb instead of 65km from the finish.
  - Anonymous
    
    I have just started visiting that forum. It is MENTAL. Any rider who performs is up for criticism.
    
    I don’t understand the doping accusations at team sky, all I see is a very strong pace group for climbing that is consistent (read: boring). They set a solid pace and grind it out with zero panache. I would understand the accusations if they did this for half the climb then they pulled aside and Wiggo danced off on the pedals on some huge solo break away every HC but thats just not the case.
    
    Tweeter Sagan said it best:
    
    “Before Tour Sagan think maybe buy satellite dish. If Sky always this boring, maybe now just stick to terrestrial.”
Nick

Hello. I am relative new to bike racing (my second TDF). I was wondering if its against any rule if one team openly collaborate with others such as other team pacing other team main rider to attack and tire out team sky; BMC Liquigas Lotto vs Sky such like that. I am not sure how its done, maybe like team sky protecting their main riders like Wiggins and Froome.
- jules
  
  you’ve ridden two Tours and you’re still unsure if you can collaborate with other teams?
  - Nick
    
    Watching TDF or any bike racing as a fan. I dont think riders in TdF regardless of their age are new to bike racing as I stated above. Anyway sorry for it is not clear enough for you and Thanks for people who answer.
- diamondjim
  
  As is often the case, inrng has some good stuff on a related topic. Have a look at
  http://inrng.com/2011/11/race-fixing/
  The rule in question is:
  1.2.081 Riders shall sportingly defend their own chances. Any collusion or behaviour likely to falsify or go against the interests of the competition shall be forbidden.
  
  I’m not sure about whole teams openly collaborating, but cycling is full of collusion and informal alliances. Just look at any breakaway with more than one team represented (ie. nearly all of them).
  - Abdu
    
    In this phase of the Tour, there’s hardly a stage where there isn’t a deal being done. Usually it’s between the Spanish teams, alliances between Valverde, Sanchez, etc. There was even talk of a couple of races earlier this Spring where one team was paying back a favour from the race before.
    
    No doubt BMC and Liquigas would be talking, working out a way they could combine to stop the Aussie led machine (the mean machine of Porte & Rogers on the front driving the bunch hasn’t been seen for a few years, well probably since Stuey O and Jens did so for the Schlekettes). Maybe using Basso, gift the stage to them in return for Cadel getting a big time gain. I wouldn’t be surprised if Cadel looked up his old Lotto connections for a quick chat.
    
    Hell, if you’re wondering if deals are done mid race, one of the Aussies in the Tour even offered several grand to his breakaway colleague to let him win the nationals once (had a ten grand bonus in his Pro contract if he won a national title).
    - Abdu
      
      and that’s not to give the impression that it’s rigged, just tactical. Last night’s effort with TJ the Gardener and Cadel was a great one, just didn’t quiote work out. What’s to say Nibbles and Cuddles don’t work together either next Weds if they’re still in it? That stage has a 15km descent, so if they got a break on the climb they could make it bigger on the descent as Wiggo sat on the brakes the whole way…
http://twitter.com/ralasdair Alasdair

Surely the answer to ‘boring’ wins like this is to get rid of all the TT’s apart from the Prologue, which is traditional, and short enough to do little more than sort out who gets to wear yellow for the first few days…?
Steel

Not sure if I agree with Wade’s comments re: Evan’s strategy on the day. This was effectively the last role of the dice, and for Evans that meany getting 4 minutes on Wiggins on the stage. He wasn’t going to do that by breaking open the climb in the last 5 km as Sky’s tempo is too high. So he went for broke 50 km from home. Nothing wrong with that in my eyes. I reckon on another day, and with some better form behind him, he would have made it stick. Van Garderen commented afterward that he was surprised that Evans wasn’t going stronger and that on those climbs, he would usually be struggling to hold his wheel. Seems to me that he simply didn’t have the tank to carry it through. He did last year on the Galibier, which for me is the shame for Aussie cycling fans.

I’m moving onto getting Gerrans up for a sneaky stage win. I’ve lost hope in Gossy doing the biz in the sprints.
- Abdu
  
  Dunno, Gossy seems to be quick when he needs to be, like this the other day…http://youtu.be/EKO7v2vrZas
- http://twitter.com/ralasdair Alasdair
  
  While I was watching it, I was surprised that Cadel and Van Gaarderen didn’t try and pull a Schleck-style one-two on Wiggins. Neither were so far down in the GC that Sky could have afforded to let them go, and a series of little attacking digs from them might have shown up Wiggins’ ‘weakness’ (if you can call it that) earlier than it did…
  
  But then by the end, it seemed the answer was that Cadel wasn’t strong enough…
Need_excitement

This tour is so boring, no attacks from the favourites at all. Sure Cadel did attack, but that was weak. I want Cadel to attack ferociously. Can’t wait next year when Schleck and Contador will be back. That’s much better than watching Wiggo vs Cadel, its as good as watching grass grow.
- http://twitter.com/chris_carpenter Chris Carpenter
  
  Uh huh, and if if Cadel was in yellow? So far it’s been a great tour, Sagan and his antics, Griepel and his power, Sky and their control. There’s nobody to take them on, give them credit where it’s due.
Need_excitement

This tour is so boring, no attacks from the favourites at all. Sure Cadel did attack, but that was weak. I want Cadel to attack ferociously. Can’t wait next year when Schleck and Contador will be back. That’s much better than watching Wiggo vs Cadel, its as good as watching grass grow.
daga

Anyone fall out of their chair when Paul Sherwen said Michael Rogers hasn’t won many races? WTF? How about 3 world championship ITTs, Tours of Germany, Belgium, California, TDU, Stage of Giro and more.
Cipo

Stage 11 was the most compelling argument yet for banning race radios. Just awful to see Mick Rogers jump on the radio when Evans attacked asking the DS what he should do. Then again Froome obviously being told to sit up when he attacked with four km’s to go. Who knows what might have happened otherwise.
- ed
  
  agree – they make it all bit too predictable. same with SRM power meters. these guys know how many watts they can push out for how long. no one seems to ride on “sensations” these days. the badger must think its all too robotic.
Cipo

Stage 11 was the most compelling argument yet for banning race radios. Just awful to see Mick Rogers jump on the radio when Evans attacked asking the DS what he should do. Then again Froome obviously being told to sit up when he attacked with four km’s to go. Who knows what might have happened otherwise.
Cipo

Stage 11 was the most compelling argument yet for banning race radios. Just awful to see Mick Rogers jump on the radio when Evans attacked asking the DS what he should do. Then again Froome obviously being told to sit up when he attacked with four km’s to go. Who knows what might have happened otherwise.
http://profiles.google.com/aglogan Andy Logan

Ah the Sky hate…love it. As I said on the comments on Stage 7 after Froome won, so many haters. People are awfully happy to hate when it isnt an Aussie winning.

Face it, Cadel’s prep was not what it should of been, last year he won Romandie, had a good Ardennes campaign and generally was strong in the run up to the Tour. He looked strong and he won the TdF, this year Cadel’s prep has been average at best. Didnt ride Ardennes, was no where in Romandie and he animated the race in the Dauphine but still flattered to deceive, Wiggins however has been the polar opposite, Paris Nice, Dauphine etc and he has dominated.

Sky ride like a unit, last time I checked that was the point of cycling, yes the winners maybe individuals, but its a team sport.

For the record, I have never really been a Sky fan, however being English its great to see Wiggins and Sky doing well, last year you would of found me cheering for Cadel.
http://twitter.com/treadlybikeshop Sam neeft

Spotted a Treadly Bike Shop sticker on the Col Du Madelein. Gone international.