Macca
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Everything posted by Macca
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Caught a look at the Arènes de Nîmes at the completion of stage 15 ... quite a sight. The Roman Amphitheatre is still in use and has been used by quite a few bands (Metallica, Dire Straits, Rammstein and others) Anyway, we're now in the Pyrenees and tonight's stage is supposed to be harder than it looks. This is the first of 3 days in the Pyrenees and we might see that Nibali has increased his lead by the end of stage 18 ... or perhaps there's an outside chance that he might be feeling the pinch. I reckon the former argument is far more likely. Here's a write-up of tonight's stage (stage 16) ... The profile ... -
Tonight's coverage starts from 8.30pm on SBS & SBS HD. Whether we see any of the GC riders attack Nibali or whether Nibali shows any signs of cracking remains to be seen. Regardless of all that, it's a very tough stage. The picturesque nature of last night's stage is sure to be repeated tonight and the final climb may prove too much for a few of the GC riders. Porte may be in a position to win a stage or 2 from here on in so there's still a bit to aim for.
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Yeah Cards, after last night, it's hard to see anyone challenging Nibali. Of course, there's a number of grueling climbs ahead but he may well increase his lead. Winning 'le tour' would complete the trifecta for Nibali (he also won the "Vuelta a España" in 2010 as well as the "Giro d'Italia" in 2013) Valverde might challenge and I hope he does but ... it's a big ask - he couldn't go with Nibali last night when the heat was on. There's always the chance that Nibali might crack but he, along with his team, looks too strong. He was far too superior last night and full credit to him for winning the stage. Bad luck for Porte but he'll live to fight another day. The remaining climbs still remain compelling viewing though and you just never know what might happen. I'll post up the profile later on but the riders start climbing the first of 3 category 1 climbs right from the word go tonight.
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Tonight's first climb begins from Saint-Égrève at about 11.10pm. The summit of 'Col de Palaquit' should be reached about 30 minutes later. The 2nd climb from Saint-Martin-d'Hères should commence at about 12.05am. The summit of 'Chamrousse' should be reached about 40 minutes later. Times are approximate only but it's doubtful whether they will start these 2 category 1 climbs much earlier than the approximate times that are given. Niboli has indicated that he may attack Porte tonight and/or tomorrow night but Porte may well have his own plans. Should be a fascinating night and tomorrow night should be just as interesting.
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There are 5 mountain stages left involving twelve category 1 climbs. We're in the 'Alps' tomorrow night and Saturday night and ... next Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, we're in the Pyreness. All 3 of the stages in the Pyreness are tough. I don't reckon it's done yet - it may come down to who has the better team and besides all that, it only takes one bad day for any cyclist to lose valuable time. We may even have someone else as the leader in the next week. Porte or Nibali could hit the wall and an opportunist might take advantage. However, I do agree with you Cards that Nibali looks the likely winner but ... he's got a truckload of work ahead of him to make sure of it. Here are the next 3 profiles but there's 3 more similar outlooks (like the last 2 profiles posted) when they're in the Pyreness next week. Tonight's stage shouldn't present too many problems but the fun begins on Friday ... Tonight ... Friday ... Saturday ...
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Now Contador has crashed - bandaged up and a bit knocked around, he struggles on. Apparently the frame on his bike snapped and it was quite a nasty crash. 3 and half minutes behind the peloton with 5 decent climbs ahead. His teammates have dropped back to help him. Edit: Contador abandons the tour - he didn't look right when he got back on the bike. The attrition rate in this tour is quite something. The conditions haven't helped but we're in the dark about what actually caused Contador to crash the way he did.
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Yep, tonight and tomorrow night they continue to climb in the 'Vosges' ... I get the feeling that Contador has a need to bridge the time gap to Nibali so he might go on the attack tonight. Porte is already up to overall 3rd and he may be more watchful for the time being. Tomorrow night's stage is arguably more difficult so as a contrast, I'll post up both profiles. Regardless of what happens in the next 2 days, both these stages will be fascinating to watch. Here's a write up of tonight's stage (stage 9) from the official site ... Tonight's profile ... Tomorrow night's profile ...
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A preview of stage 8 from cyclingnews.com Live coverage from the official site The climb to the Col de Grosse-Pierre involves a steep 1.2 kilometre stretch which has an average gradient of 12% with a passage of 16% Also, the last climb (La Mauselaine) has an average gradient of 10% for the final 1.8 kilometres (with a maximum gradient of 15%) and ... it's all uphill to the finish.
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Yeah, I agree. It's certainly different though. I'm trying to think of another "great" sportsperson who has returned to their original team after leaving that team in rather acrimonious circumstances. It's a huge move all the same and I like it. He'll be embraced by the large majority of Cleveland fans you'd reckon. The city has been so starved of success so in many ways, they have to embrace him. I can't see how it won't work either in terms of them becoming an automatic playoff contender (especially in the East) As for being a true contender, time will tell. 50 wins? 55? A lot may depend on Wiggins and Irving. Kevin Love may be pursued and Wiggins hasn't actually been signed yet despite being drafted as the no.1 pick overall. The other question is what happens to Miami now? (who play in the same conference of course) Ironically, Cleveland have got Miami's first round draft pick next year. ... and well done to the 2 Aussies (Exum & Bairstow)
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Here's a summary of last night's stage from the official site ... ... Boom wins, Nibali triumphs, Contador struggles, Froome pulls out Another flat stage tonight but again, there's a bit of rain about so the riders may need to be quite cautious (especially after the events of yesterday) I guess a lot of attention now goes onto a number of other riders (with Froome being out) but from an Aussie point of view, it will be fascinating to see how Porte goes and how his team reacts to yesterday's setback ... the race has really opened up in many ways but a realistic goal may be a overall podium finish for Porte. He's got a strong team behind him so you just never know. Nibali won the Giro in 2013 and Contador is sure to challenge once they get into the mountains. Valverde and Talansky have claims as well. Contador isn't the time trialist he once was but that may not matter. The race is up for grabs. SBS tour tracker & live coverage from the official site
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Froome crashes again and he's out of the tour ... first Cavendish and now the race favourite is forced to quit. Looked a sick and sorry lad before getting into the team car - such a shame
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Missed that bit ... what happened? ... he's certainly not having a good time of it regardless. It looks as if they've only removed a couple of kilometres of the cobbled sectors after all (down to 13 klms from 15 klms) 7 cobbled sectors remain with the first of these to be encountered with about 70 kilometres remaining in the stage (around about 11.30pm tonight)
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Kittel might make it 3 stage wins tonight ... he looked strong again last night and will be hard to beat. Local favourite Arnaud Démare should be thereabouts at the finish though. Here's a stage 4 preview from ... cyclingnews.com SBS tour tracker & live coverage from the official site
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Yep, it's not looking good for Cavendish which would be a real shame ... being able to ride again after a dislocation (and damaging the ligaments) would be some feat - we'll find out soon enough. Gerrans looks like he'll be able to continue. Kittel and Sagan fighting things out was a good sign though - Rogers and Froome weren't far behind either. As you said, the crowd numbers were amazing. Estimated at a million plus - it was great viewing. Tonight's coverage starts from 8.30pm on SBS ... cyclingnews.com stage 2 preview ... letour.com live coverage Noticed that tonight's stage has a number of smaller category climbs so here's the profile ...
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This site - cyclingnews.com gives quite a good overview for each stage of the tour. Live coverage can be found here ... letour.com (stage 1) While I'm here I'll post up today's profile but I'll mainly just post up the "profiles" when we're in the Alps or the Pyrenees (which will happen from about stage 8 onwards) It looks like SBS will cover the tour from about 8.30pm on Saturday and Sunday evenings and ... from about 10pm weekdays. I'm presuming it's live on the SBS website as well.
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If last night's show is anything to go by, it doesn't look like it. I get the feeling that the Armstrong story isn't done with yet. There's still the possibility of some court room drama and then there's the question of all the money he's made from the sport. Those he crossed won't be letting things go too easily either. Anyway, what is noteworthy is that pro cycling seems to be relatively clean now (as compared to the Armstrong era) Much of what we've recently witnessed is of a retrospective nature rather than being more of a current issue. The sport has taken a monstrous hit but because pro cycling is so big, it will recover it's immense following. The crowds at this year's tour will be huge as always. In other words, it's business as usual. That's not to say that cycling is squeaky clean but with the blood passports now being in operation, taking PED's as a pro cyclist is now extremely high risk. 'Testing' for peptide use seems to be available as well now. ... Official Site ... Tour de France preview (BBC podcast - 77 mins)
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I guess many of us knew a lot of the details already but it was still equally as disturbing to see it all played out again. Having a federal investigation shut down was an eye-opener though - at the time, many probably believed that it should have been shut down. He was certainly a powerful figure. It just goes to show that even in this transparent age, things can still be covered up for a lengthy period of time. In the end, he's the biggest sporting fraud of all time and it's daylight to the next biggest cheat (in terms of fraudulent "achievements") I feel for the people who bought into him lock, stock and barrel - they must feel so betrayed. Seeing those past interviews with him was difficult to stomach (knowing he was just flat out lying for the most part) ... and yeah, the Tour will be great viewing once again. No real mountain stages until some category 2 climbs in stages 8 and 9 but it hots up after that. Starting off in Yorkshire this time around - Froome is favourite whilst Contador is a highly rated 2nd favourite - I thought Alberto might have dropped away a bit but apparently not so. It will be interesting to see how much Richie Porte has progressed - he showed a bit in last year's tour.
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The Kings looked the dominant team for the most part and they thoroughly deserved their triumph. The Rangers fought hard but they just couldn't hold on to a lead ... LA have to take the credit for that though - they're just never beaten. Too good ... highlights of game 5
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Rangers now have a 2-1 lead ... could we have a game 6? Lundqvist doing his utmost to keep them in it. Edit: 30 seconds later it's 2-2!
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This could be all over in 4. The sweep is on. Who was it that tipped the Rangers again?
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"They're trying to smoke us out of here" ... LeBron James. The A/C broke down in the San Antonio facility in yesterday's game and James was forced out of the game late with severe cramps (brought on by the heat, apparently) In any event, the Spurs win game 1 and if they can notch up the next one at home, it's game on! ... highlights of game 1
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Yep, LA certainly know how to come back from a 0-2 scoreline. They just can't be counted out. The Rangers had a huge opportunity today and they'll be smarting from that defeat. The next game is on Sunday (oz time) and you feel that the Rangers almost have to level the series. If not, the Kings will go to New York knowing that they just have to win 1 of the 2 games there to gain a big advantage. ... today's highlights
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I literally could go either way but the series is sure to have high interest. Rangers in 7 but that's just a guess. The last time the Rangers won it ... Spring of 1994 still remembered 20 years later
