Just re-watched the interview... at the end he did take some responsibility and said that his team put him in a good position (I had a hard time understanding him the first time around).

I'd like to retract my comment about him not showing humility. Sorry about that.

I think we're on the same page then. I do not believe that he would win each time he finishes top 3 if only he had a stronger team. Given his ridiculous performance so far, it's amazing that he's continuing to place where he does. Actually - waaaaaay back in the day (think early 1900s) he would probably be leading the tour right now. For a few years, it was scored kind of like sailing is today - lowest point total based on finish position in each stage wins the tour. For their stated goal of winning the points classification they're doing a stellar job...we just expect too much.

As far as humility goes, I can't really tell whether or not he has, or has wanted to, express any. I don't follow him in Slovak media and his English is so terrible that I don't assign too much weight to whatever comes out when he's questioned by reporters in English. English/German education in Slovak schools is pretty good but I guess while the rest of us were learning proper grammar he was out busting his a$$ becoming one of the best cyclists in the world. I'd have a hard time spelling my name after a sprint in a local bike race let alone give an interview in a language that I only sort of understand/speak.

Agreed. The best line I've heard in other sports when one of the favorites is constantly second-guessed for failure to produce wins as readily as expected: "Look, the other guys are trying to win, too."

It's not as though the rest of the competition has conceded the game and Sagan/LeBron/Manning/Federer, et al, simply boots it from time to time ~ all the other guys out there are talented paid professionals as well, who have dedicated themselves (and their team/support resources) to their own shot at winning. Nobody is owed/guaranteed results or has any 'right' to win based on reputation, especially in a sport like cycling where you don't get a bunch of superstar calls from the refs like in the NBA.

It's pretty funny reading the early posts about the "pre-race favorites" before the TdF started.

I'm wondering if anyone feels duped that the green-jersey holder can't seem to outsprint the "true sprinters" for a stage win. My naivety probably gets the best of me here, but why don't guys like Greipel and Kittell go for the points jersey? Or are they just unable to beat Sagan in mid-stage sprints? Nobody is dominating both the points and stage wins like Zabel or Cipollini used to. Do the current sprinters (beside from Sagan of course) lack the skill or do they just not care about points? As it stands, I would say kittell is the best sprinter but he doesn't have the jersey.

Zabel won the points jersey six times and a total of 12 tour stages. He twice won the green jersey without a stage win so I wouldn't really say he dominated in terms of stage wins. Cipo did dominate in both but only at the Giro which was at times essentially set up for him. It's not about beating Sagan at the intermediate sprints but being able to get over the hills and mountains beforehand in time to take points. Greipel and Kittel are huge in cycling terms and not able to be up there on the variety of stages that Sagan is. Pretty sure even Cav didn't win it with 6 stage wins one year. It's a jersey for the most consistent finisher not necessarily the most successful one.

It's just disappointing to see Sagan come in 2nd and 3rd so often without winning a stage. I guess I just romanticize the sprinters of old.

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Dtyrrell

To no one in particular, i think Porte could pose a challenge to Nibali. Nibali has improved his ITT, but it remains to be seen where he is relative to Porte. A few pages back someone compared Porte to Levi, but i think Porte may have a bit more fast twitching capabilities

I agree about Porte, I don't think he's opened the taps yet. Not fully. The stage into Chamrousse will be a good test.

WRT Sagan & Talansky; seems to me that both are examples of inexperience.
Sagan: wants to lock out the jersey and still win stages. Yesterday he got pipped by Kristoff who admitted to doing absolutely the bare minimum the day prior. That is how you win a sprint stage, start prepping a day or two beforehand and forgo some points/glory in the short term for the longer goal. Sagan may have won had he done that.

Talansky: got hurt in a bunch-sprint crash. Why was he even there? He said he was trying to get out of Gerrans way but still, why was he there if hes' riding for GC? That said, both Froome and Contador went out thanks to fairly avoidable crashes. Pilot error etc.
WRT Talansky's team: its all well for us armchair road captains to claim that there is a team dynamic problem at GS but I guess only those on the team actually know. If Talansky lost the respect of his team by acting like a prima donna and making Cat 5 racing mistakes, well, he woudn't be the first to do that. But thats a big IF, based on a bunch on internet gossip. GS may be fine for all I know. I read somewhere else that Talansky told the team to keep riding so perhaps they just did that.

Yes. Cippolini never won the green jersey, and only wore it on two occasions. He also regularly pulled out of the Tour as soon as the mountain stages started.

Sagan is not really a sprinter, but he's a much more complete rider than Super Mario ever was.

Cipollinin in fact never finished the Tour despite starting it many times and taking lots of wins. Climbing was just something he did not do well or enjoy.

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Don't forget to attack!

When my cousin rode for Garmin it was very obvious there was no team spirit. Racing was more like a 'job' where you did what you were told to do. When Sep won the Omloop het NIeuwsblad he wasn't even allowed to race for himself originally, and had to call his manager to talk to Vaughters. It's just an example about a distant relationship with awkward communication between people. The rest of the riders would also never meet with each other or train together, they only looked at each other as coworkers who would work together during certain races. THat's why he loves Belkin now - while they don't have any rockstars on the team, they really ride as a team and a big group of friends including the staff. Very different dynamic.

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Don't forget to attack!

Right on. That's exactly what I was alluding to in my previous post when I said he finished 162nd the day before his win and I didn't even know about this interview. Cannondale's stated goal is to with the points comp. Not win the points comp AND a stage or two. If it had been the latter then their tactics seem a little off since he was basically at the top of the scoreboard in every stage but 2 or 3 and even in those stages, he was up front at least until the intermediate sprint. Perhaps next year they'll change the approach to include "virtual" rest days to bag a stage win too (whoever he rides for then).

Love the inside scoop. Keep it coming!

Re: inside scoop - anyone have a link to the "inside the peloton" POV videos? I saw them show a few snippets during yesterday's NBCSN broadcast.

Porte's race is over.......Costa going backwards also.

last guy who can make a challenge is Valverde.

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Chicago Cubs - 2016 WORLD SERIES Champions!!!!

"If ever the time should come, when vain and aspiring men shall possess the highest seats in government, our country will stand in need of its experienced patriots to prevent its ruin." - Samuel Adams

the pain. the pain!!! I love watching days like this. they just gut themselves. it’s awesome.


and (he naively says), I believe (shouldn't use that word) the dope controls have worked and the field is clean. I grew so accustomed to the LA crowd being invincible. they could put in herculean efforts day after day after day. they never bonked. now, watching guys pop ... it’s somewhat unsettling. it’s almost, dare I say it, human.

I kind of loved watching Tony Martin "quit" the other day. I kept wondering, "wow, how can he keep doing this?" then BANG, he was done. awesome. friggin awesome.

And look at even now - any time they ask Vaughters a question, his response is "I don't know, I'm not in the car".

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clm
Nashville, TN
https://twitter.com/ironclm | http://ironclm.typepad.com

Nibali shows them who the boss is....this race is over (well, it was over a few days ago )

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Chicago Cubs - 2016 WORLD SERIES Champions!!!!

"If ever the time should come, when vain and aspiring men shall possess the highest seats in government, our country will stand in need of its experienced patriots to prevent its ruin." - Samuel Adams

Porte :(

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The entire event (IM) is like "death by 1000 cuts" and the best race is minimizing all those cuts and losing less blood than the other guy. - Dev

And we haven't even mentioned David Millar here and how he was treated - regardless of whether it was right or not, communication was definitely unprofessional (again).

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Don't forget to attack!

I agree. Barring a total disaster (which this TDF has proved could happen) this is one is in the bag for Nibali.

More than likely the overall lead won't change, but if we could see Teejay get a podium spot....that would be pretty bad ass. Of course a win by him would be amazing

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When all is said and done. More is usually said than done
Ba Ba Booey

Chris Horner is pretty impressive. He keeps talking the talk about how he's there for Rui, but I dunno. It seemed clear that Horner had the edge over Rui today. Now, there's a bunch of team dynamics and the supposed bronchitis. Sure. But push come to shove, if Rui has a bad (worse) day and Horner gets the green light, I think we'll be surprised. Will Horner win? Nah. But I think that he could animate the race and, if Valverde continues to have some energy, I could see a tag team vs an isolated Nibali as a pretty entertaining scenario...throw a couple of others in there - Tejay, for example, and it only gets better. Astana didn't look good today (Nibali aside, of course) and the crash may whack Fulgsang's ability to help, considerably reducing Nibali's support. But he may not need any support...

Horner is almost 11 min down.....what makes you think Nibali considers him a threat at this point?

If Horner attacks, and I am Nibali, I just wave and say "Good Luck, Chris!"

There is zero reason to chase him....and certainly not chase him to a point where it sets up others to counter-attack Nibali.

Horner goes, you let him go and ride your race.....and chances are pretty good that he either comes back, or gains such a small amount of time that it is inconsequential.

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Chicago Cubs - 2016 WORLD SERIES Champions!!!!

"If ever the time should come, when vain and aspiring men shall possess the highest seats in government, our country will stand in need of its experienced patriots to prevent its ruin." - Samuel Adams

Sure did miss AC and Froomie yesterday. Nibs would not have appeared so....Postal.

Horner, shmorner. The Omertà holdout. Not a fan.

And the Pyranees are steep. Purito gets a stage. He's still riding, no?
It's probably over but there will still be moments. Rooting for Tejay and Ben King. ( BK to finish.)

Ritchie Porte lost 9 minutes on the climb yesterday.

This Tour is becoming an aggregation of substantial losses for Sky.

Perhaps part of the problem was caused by the Stages power meter.

Sir Dave forgot to take into account the fact that only left leg power is measured, and chose riders who's power output is inflated by their left leg dominance.

Poor little Ritchie Porte rode the climb at the power output he was told to by Tim Kerrison but clearly his Stages inflated power was insufficient to enable him to keep up with riders who train far less scientifically.

He was even passed by several riders wearing heart rate straps.

I look forward to Sky making available Ritchie's left leg power data for the stage.

A marginal gain Sir Dave might consider is employing a bike handling coach. No point having the best power to weight ratio in Le Tour if some little Italian goes so fast on the flat and down hill you fall off trying to keep up.

LOL - so you're dismissing the critical left-leg-watts-to-kilograms metric? luddite.