Tour de France 2015 - may contain nuts and SPOILERS

[HF2300]

He was unlucky and a little bit naieve on that stage maybe ... take away the time he lost on that stage and the team time trial and he won it...

I totally agree with your analysis .. It was naivity on the whole team's part i the first week, I think

But that's just maths, really. Getting caught by the split in the crosswinds on stage 2 was a mistake, but on paper at least the first week didn't suit Quintana and the job was probably keep him in touch with the leaders, which they did. I think if you'd told him to start with he was going to lose two minutes over a week he wasn't suited to he'd have taken it, thinking he could recover the time in the mountains. Don't forget he did very well over the cobbles - you could argue he made the lost time up there.

Realistically he and the team were just not able, for whatever reason, to make up time on Sky over the whole race, and particularly in the second and third weeks where they'd have been looking to make the time.

 

[400bhp]

But that's just maths, really. Getting caught by the split in the crosswinds on stage 2 was a mistake, but on paper at least the first week didn't suit Quintana and the job was probably keep him in touch with the leaders, which they did. I think if you'd told him to start with he was going to lose two minutes over a week he wasn't suited to he'd have taken it, thinking he could recover the time in the mountains. Don't forget he did very well over the cobbles - you could argue he made the lost time up there.

Realistically he and the team were just not able, for whatever reason, to make up time on Sky over the whole race, and particularly in the second and third weeks where they'd have been looking to make the time.

But losing time on the crosswinds was exactly the issue for Quintana when he rode the Vuelta last year - almost identical. The team didn't knowwho to protect (Valpiti or Quintana) and ended up favouring Valpiti. Really poor.

 

[HF2300]

But losing time on the crosswinds was exactly the issue for Quintana when he rode the Vuelta last year - almost identical. The team didn't knowwho to protect (Valpiti or Quintana) and ended up favouring Valpiti. Really poor.

It was, and it was a mistake; and you point out another issue there, which was that the team appeared divided. Maybe he could have saved a minute there, but that's not quite the point. Saying the race was lost on that stage because Quintana's time loss there was about the same as his losing margin overall, when he wasn't expected (or expecting) to make good time on those sections anyway, doesn't really make sense when the real battle was always going to be in the mountains.

I can't help feeling that if any one stage made the difference, it was probably La Pierre St Martin (which was also a loss roughly equivalent to his losing margin overall); but in reality I think it was the accumulation of a whole lot of things going on - including team strength, tactics and decision making - over the whole three weeks, particularly the second two.

 

[400bhp]

Sky to sign Quintana

 

[400bhp]

It was, and it was a mistake; and you point out another issue there, which was that the team appeared divided. Maybe he could have saved a minute there, but that's not quite the point. Saying the race was lost on that stage because Quintana's time loss there was about the same as his losing margin overall, when he wasn't expected (or expecting) to make good time on those sections anyway, doesn't really make sense when the real battle was always going to be in the mountains. I can't help feeling that if any one stage made the difference, it was probably La Pierre St Martin (which was also a loss roughly equivalent to his losing margin overall); but in reality I think it was the accumulation of a whole lot of things going on - including team strength, tactics and decision making - over the whole three weeks, particularly the second two.

Yeah, agree. Bit like a game of chess (which, for me, all these constituents make bike racing so appealing). But I bet Sky were rubbing their hands after week 1, knowing what they knew (attack and break the minds of their rivals) to La Pierre St Martin.

I loved the stage (was it the first Alpe stage) where Quintana, Valpiti, Contador and Nibbles each had a go at attacking Froome in quick succession. What made it more fascinating was that a photo appeared on Farcebook before the stage (think it was the Tour feed where it came from) with Quintana, Contador and Valpiti sat down on some plastic chairs deep in conversation, clearly(now with hindsight) discussing how to attack Froome.

 

[Bobby Mhor]

Sky to sign Quintana

Dunno but him and Froome were awfy pally during the TdF, just sayin'

 

[gavroche]

Dunno but him and Froome were awfy pally during the TdF, just sayin'

No chance of that. Sky wants to keep it British as they only want a British rider to win the Tour.

 

[Hont]

No chance of that. Sky wants to keep it British as they only want a British rider to win the Tour.

Shame they keep doing it with an African then.

Just messin'

 

[Hont]

so ... [Quintana] had the victory for me too,

Me too. In the white jersey competition.

 

[Bobby Mhor]

No chance of that. Sky wants to keep it British as they only want a British rider to win the Tour.

Me too. In the white jersey competition.

The previous one was a Belgian

 

[gavroche]

The previous one was a Belgian

Yeah, and your Queen is also German and her husband is Greek! The British people really are a funny lot!

 

[gavroche]

FTFY

 

[Bobby Mhor]

Yeah, and your Queen is also German and her husband is Greek! The British people really are a funny lot!

My theory is if you were born in Scotland, yer Scottish.. England, yer English..
I don't buy this 'My grandad was Scottish'pish..
you are where you were born..
The UK has a terrible habit of 'adopting' athletes..
Reet better get thread back on track, folks..

Didn't Sir Dave mention at one time that he reckons he could take a Frenchman on board and win the tour with him?

 

[mjr]

Didn't Sir Dave mention at one time that he reckons he could take a Frenchman on board and win the tour with him?

He said he'd like to, as part of the bizarre undermining of Chris Froome's confidence before the 2014 Tour. http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/brailsford-would-like-to-win-tour-de-france-with-french-rider/

 

[Hont]

Yeah, and your Queen is also British and her husband is German/Danish/Greek!

Actually properly fixed that for you. It's an inconvenient truth that the Queen is less than a quarter German by lineage as her mother was from long-standing English/Scottish heritage and her grandparents had mixed lineage. And as Bobby Mhor said, where you are born has to play a part. If you have to go back to your great, great, great grandfather to find the last in your direct line to be born in Germany, you aint German.

Prince Phillip regards himself as Danish FWIW.