Stage 8 **SPOILER**

[PpPete]

Only just watched the highlights. Am I right in thinking it was Sky pressing on that did for LA ?

In which case "respect" is due, even if it turned out that Wiggo couldn't hold on at the end. And I'm not saying that because I don't Lance. If Sky can dispose of GC podium contenders then fair enough. Don't suppose they can deal with the others as easily though.

 

[MacB]

To be fair Wiggins only dropped away with about 3.5k to go, he said in interview that he knew he was flagging and wanted to get to 4k and then minimise his losses. Had he been able to hang in with the bunch then we'd all have been singing his, and Skys, praises.

 

[dragon72]

Where was Steve Cummings? He did well on the clmbs in the last 2 Giros ( or Giri, si preferete)

Hate to be an italophone nitpicker, but...
"se preferite"

 

[Stephen-D]

i watched it on Eurosport and i thought it was Astana that turned up the pressure at the right moment to distance Lance, i am thinking im wrong?

 

[threebikesmcginty]

The climb yesterday looked brutal in that heat and there were some pasty looking riders who were all feeling the heat. Wiggins is in a group of half a dozen all 2 minutes odd off the lead and there are some good riders in that bunch, can't all be written off yet surely.

 

[rich p]

Hate to be an italophone nitpicker, but...
"se preferite"

Mi dispiace!! You are correct of course!

 

[Ludwig]

Mi dispiace!! You are correct of course!

 

[Crackle]

To be fair Wiggins only dropped away with about 3.5k to go, he said in interview that he knew he was flagging and wanted to get to 4k and then minimise his losses. Had he been able to hang in with the bunch then we'd all have been singing his, and Skys, praises.

Even if he'd finished in the bunch I thought it was odd. They're not going to get rid of any GC favourites at that point and no, Armstrong was not a GC favourite and as Stephen-d says, it was Astana who did for Armstrong.

I thought Wiggo's best chance was to stay with the GC's on the climbs, look for a weakness and exploit it and then do the TT of his life because he's not a climber, certainly not enough of one to attack. I was surprised to see them burning the team up at that point, though arguably, come the final climb, there'd have been no team to burn up.

 

[Flying_Monkey]

Armstrong was not a GC favourite? You are having a laugh. He may not be now. But he certainly was before this stage.

 

[Chuffy]

Armstrong was not a GC favourite? You are having a laugh. He may not be now. But he certainly was before this stage.

Theoretically maybe. Before Stage 3 you might have been right but by yesterday he was over a minute down on Evans and Contador and we know from last year that he can't match Contador in the mountains, so that minute equates to a significant gap. He was only a serious GC threat if Contador fell off, closely followed by Evans, Schleck, Basso, Kreuziger, Wiggy, Sastre and Menchov

I think Bertie was just taking the opportunity to get some payback for last year and Sky were riding last years race, trying to drop Tex from the podium in favour of Wiggy.

 

[Crackle]

Armstrong was not a GC favourite? You are having a laugh. He may not be now. But he certainly was before this stage.

You think? He realistically had a chance of beating Contador or Schleck or even Evans and a host of others this year. I thought he had an outside shot of a podium place at best.