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2019 Tour de France

fatbob

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? Is that a punt on doping bans to come? Otherwise can't see it is credible with Ineos around him - It's a team that now has had 4 different yellow jersey winners over 8 years with multiple second places too.

Kruijswijk was ultimately a display in wheel-sucking pragmatism rather than giving himself a true shot. Feel bad for JA that he ended with nothing more than the love of every fan compared to a podium place.
 

cantunamunch

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My prediction: 1.

I can sort of see that, if he falls into a Quintana-like pattern.

Otherwise can't see it is credible with Ineos around him - It's a team that now has had 4 different yellow jersey winners over 8 years with multiple second places too.

Wiggo got 1. GT got 1. You're proving @Erik Timmerman's point. Chris Froome was the statistical anomaly, and there's no reason (yet) to think EB can be a similar one.
 
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NZRob

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I have to wonder how many Bernal will win.. He's only 22. Normally victories start late 20s...

There's a lot of potential there but it takes a lot of continuing right circumstances to do multiple. If he stays in Ineos he'll be in the best place for more wins though, Brailsford is a magician.
 

scott43

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I see both points of view..flash in the pan..doped..team dynamics... Still, very young and he can climb..if he can improve his TT form..look out.
 

Erik Timmerman

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I'm not really speculating about doping. Actually the thought never crossed my mind. I just think the race is so hard, and I never felt like Bernal was dominating this race. I do think an uninjured Pinot would have beaten him. There were contenders missing from the race and Ineos has three riders that he'd have to be better than. Will he be injured? Nobody knows. I'm no expert, but it just didn't look to me like the start of the Bernal age.
 
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NZRob

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I'm not really speculating about doping. Actually the thought never crossed my mind. I just think the race is so hard, and I never felt like Bernal was dominating this race. I do think an uninjured Pinot would have beaten him. There were contenders missing from the race and Ineos has three riders that he'd have to be better than. Will he be injured? Nobody knows. I'm no expert, but it just didn't look to me like the start of the Bernal age.

We live in the age of intense hype eh...only time will tell. I just hope next year is as varied and interesting as this year was.
 

Primoz

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I actually don't think this year, or in fact any of last 6, 7, 8? were super interesting. There was some "drama" when people were guessing if/when Alaphilippe will break down, but in reality nothing was happening. There were no real attacks no nothing. Ok still a bit better then last 5 years, when there was not a single try to attack yellow jersey worn by any of Sky/Ineos guys, but it was nothing close to times when people were literally killing each other on climbs and descends. Maybe cycling changed, maybe Sky/Ineos is really so dominating, that you don't stand a chance and you are dead and your team long gone before you could even start attack, while Sky/Ineos still have 5 guys pushing up the mountain in insane pace, or maybe just mentality changed and you think you will win the race sucking wheel of someone 2mins infront of you in overall standing. I don't know, but honestly, these races are too boring for me to even watch them nowadays. Highlights are more then enough for me to see. Not that I would be watching 6h stage before, but at least last 30 or 40km were interesting, nowadays it's nothing there. At least for me.
 

Erik Timmerman

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I actually don't think this year, or in fact any of last 6, 7, 8? were super interesting. There was some "drama" when people were guessing if/when Alaphilippe will break down, but in reality nothing was happening. There were no real attacks no nothing. Ok still a bit better then last 5 years, when there was not a single try to attack yellow jersey worn by any of Sky/Ineos guys, but it was nothing close to times when people were literally killing each other on climbs and descends. Maybe cycling changed, maybe Sky/Ineos is really so dominating, that you don't stand a chance and you are dead and your team long gone before you could even start attack, while Sky/Ineos still have 5 guys pushing up the mountain in insane pace, or maybe just mentality changed and you think you will win the race sucking wheel of someone 2mins infront of you in overall standing. I don't know, but honestly, these races are too boring for me to even watch them nowadays. Highlights are more then enough for me to see. Not that I would be watching 6h stage before, but at least last 30 or 40km were interesting, nowadays it's nothing there. At least for me.

I'd blame most of that on team radios and all of the power data that everyone has.
 

Primoz

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@Erik Timmerman I just read somewhere week or two ago, but forgot who wrote it (all I know it was ex-pro), who said GC contenders should stop looking down at their powermeters and cycle if they want to win. Probably he was right about this, and everyone stare in those numbers and don't dare to push like they did before. It probably works, as we see much less "bad days" nowadays they we saw 10 or 15 years ago. Now almost noone, except for Richie Porte :D, blows up completely anymore.
 
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NZRob

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@Erik Timmerman I just read somewhere week or two ago, but forgot who wrote it (all I know it was ex-pro), who said GC contenders should stop looking down at their powermeters and cycle if they want to win. Probably he was right about this, and everyone stare in those numbers and don't dare to push like they did before. It probably works, as we see much less "bad days" nowadays they we saw 10 or 15 years ago. Now almost noone, except for Richie Porte :D, blows up completely anymore.

You've landed on one of my pet hates with pro cycling. Guy riding up the mountain, pacing at [x] watts. Goes on the attack.....but only for [x] seconds at [x] watts, because he knows that is what he can sustain before he will need to recover. One of the many factors that have made the grand tours generally quite processional. Or at least predictable.

I have to disagree with @Primoz though, I've been following the tour since the early 80's and this year was significantly more interesting than many many of the editions since at least the late 90's, IMO. JA fighting on and on an on, Pinot's attacks, Geraint vulnerable, Jumbo in the mix, and a 22 year old winner. Was a cracker in my eyes. Not to forget Sagan's one-handed wheelie on his TT bike as well :)
 

cantunamunch

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.everything is great..until it isn't..then you wipe out a few pro riders..

Next year it'll be - e-bike jumpers!


I'm just waiting for an e-bike trials cheater. Now that we have one-wheel electric boards, it won't even take much of an invention, merely adaptation to market.

Imagine a little wheelie selection dial - like a pattern selection knob on a sewing machine.
 

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