TDF 2011: Stage 2 Les Essarts - Les Essarts (Team Time Trial) - 23km

[Papa Juggs]

I guess the question is can Gilbert hold onto the yellow?

Would be awesome to see Cadel get the jump. Looking good for the Aussie so far.

Expecting the sprint teams to get some time here but with so much mountains to come they're gonna need it.

 

[Bond.ShaneBond]

Teams take off in reverse classification with 7 minute intervals, so we have:

Saxo
Euska
Vacansoleil
AG2R
Saur-Sojasun
Rabo
FDJ
Liquigas
Garmin
Europcar
Quick Step
Movistar
Astana
Katusha
Sky
Lampre
Cofidis
Radioshack
HTC
Leopard
BMC
Omega

Wouldn't expect more than 90 seconds between first and last with this being a short one, but TTT are always fun to watch. But it is hard to justify watching this over the tennis!

For the yellow Kloden, Thor, Thomas and Martin will all be liking their chances. Saxo and Euska will want to make some time, and Leopard will be reminding Cancellara to keep his powder dry or he will drop the Schlecks.

 

[Hellgood]

Is Evans likely to lose significant time like he did in the last team time trial in 2009? Or is his team better this year?

 

[Timmy from Thomastown]

Is Evans likely to lose significant time like he did in the last team time trial in 2009? Or is his team better this year?

His team is equally crap by all accounts but the TTT is shorter...and of course last time he lost a rider to a crash within the first 5kms and they made the mistake of dropping him rather than waiting for him.

 

[Freakie]

Yeah can't see huge gaps happening tonight unless there is a crash. Not sure if it would be wise for Cadel to take Yellow so early, that's alot of defending to do for such a relatively weak team.

Will watch tonight for sure, just to hear Phil utter "these time trial bikes just don't handle like normal bikes".

 

[blue gunslinger]

Teams take off in reverse classification with 7 minute intervals, so we have:

Saxo
Euska
Vacansoleil
AG2R
Saur-Sojasun
Rabo
FDJ
Liquigas
Garmin
Europcar
Quick Step
Movistar
Astana
Katusha
Sky
Lampre
Cofidis
Radioshack
HTC
Leopard
BMC
Omega

Wouldn't expect more than 90 seconds between first and last with this being a short one, but TTT are always fun to watch. But it is hard to justify watching this over the tennis!

For the yellow Kloden, Thor, Thomas and Martin will all be liking their chances. Saxo and Euska will want to make some time, and Leopard will be reminding Cancellara to keep his powder dry or he will drop the Schlecks.

well I don't know about that

 

[Papa Juggs]

The tennis?

You've got to be joking?

Wimbledon final with no fev? Doesn't deserve ratings.

 

[Freakie]

I got home last night and put the tele on, was on channel 9, first sound was ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh! **** you Sharapova and over to SBS I went.

Tennis doesn't interest me at all, although that said the best book I have read is Andre Aggasi's biography, go figure.

 

[s1bbald]

Wimbledon final with no fev? Doesn't deserve ratings.

The ball just bounces too predictably for the man. Needs the unpredictability of an oval ball, or deck of cards. On a serious note, I remember lamenting the last TTT, I hope that it isn't tonight that decides the tour too much, but I don't think it's long enough for that...

 

[blue gunslinger]

I got home last night and put the tele on, was on channel 9, first sound was ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh! **** you Sharapova and over to SBS I went.

Tennis doesn't interest me at all, although that said the best book I have read is Andre Aggasi's biography, go figure.

now put sharapova on a bike and..........................well she can take the lead and I will watch her back

 

[Hornberger]

I don't like the TTT's. GC is an individual event, your time shouldn't be determined by the 4th fastest person on your team. I know cycling is a team sport but being on strong team is already a massive advantage. Its unfair for the weaker teams.

 

[Sasquatch]

Yeah can't see huge gaps happening tonight unless there is a crash. Not sure if it would be wise for Cadel to take Yellow so early, that's alot of defending to do for such a relatively weak team.

Will watch tonight for sure, just to hear Phil utter "these time trial bikes just don't handle like normal bikes".

If he gets it they don't need to defend. They can just sit on and let sprinters teams take control. If no team controls, then they give it up to a non threatening break rider.

 

[Freakie]

If he gets it they don't need to defend. They can just sit on and let sprinters teams take control. If no team controls, then they give it up to a non threatening break rider.

Only if the sprinters teams actually want to work otherwise it's BMC to do the work, remember the stage a few years ago when one team had the jersey (can't remember for the life of me who it was) and they refused to work and the sprinters teams didn't either, the break got 20+mins....

 

[Hornberger]

Only if the sprinters teams actually want to work otherwise it's BMC to do the work, remember the stage a few years ago when one team had the jersey (can't remember for the life of me who it was) and they refused to work and the sprinters teams didn't either, the break got 20+mins....

Then Contador or Schleck team will have to work to stop the break away getting a lead they can't peg back later in the tour.

 

[Bond.ShaneBond]

The tennis?

You've got to be joking?

Wimbledon final with no fev? Doesn't deserve ratings.

That is just extremely wrong. Djokovic Nadal rivalry has been brilliant this year, clearly the best two players in the world in the biggest match of the year. Five sets is awnnnnnnnnn.

 

[Bond.ShaneBond]

http://www.cyclingnews.com/features/feature-2001-a-team-time-trial-odyssey

Sweet article about CAs TTT in 2001 to keep Stewie in yellow. I remember watching the 25 minute highlights on SBS for this Tour, one of my first, by the end of it Stewie was my hero. It was shattering when Zabel pipped him for the green in Paris.

 

[Vader]

Only if the sprinters teams actually want to work otherwise it's BMC to do the work, remember the stage a few years ago when one team had the jersey (can't remember for the life of me who it was) and they refused to work and the sprinters teams didn't either, the break got 20+mins....

I remember that stage.. It was on the 2006 race, a transit stage across the southern coast of France, as the peloton transferred from the Pyrenees to the Alps. The entire peloton were so far behind that the tour organisers would have been well within their rights to eliminate the lot of them for failing to finish inside the time cut off.

It had all sorts of ramifications afterwards..

Oscar Pereiro was one of the riders in the breakaway. He made up all the time he'd lost in the Pyrenees and then some - enough time to actually take the yellow off Floyd Landis.

Landis took a heap of drugs and flew through one of the stages in the Alps, only to get busted for the pharmaceutical assistance - and we all know what followed from there..

Pereiro ended up being declared the winner, after Landis got stripped of his title.

 

[DrTomSwift]

BMC are doing an impressive ride. Hopefully they can keep it up.

 

[Donakebab]

BMC are doing an impressive ride. Hopefully they can keep it up.

Dropped as soon as you posted this...

Still 7 left though, so still doing well.

 

[Tigerdrive]

Great ride by BMC there.

 

[mattys123]

Is it just me or is it better that Cadel is just off the lead?

I think that's perfect, he is as close to Yellow as he can be without having the pressure of wearing it.

Make Hushovd's team do all the chasing down work over leading into the mountains, while BMC just sit back and protect Cadel.

Great ride by BMC.

 

[Donakebab]

Great ride by BMC there.

Don't think it could have worked out better for them, no time loss and no pressure of defending the yellow for Cadel.

 

[DrTomSwift]

That's a great result for BMC, no real benefit being in yellow this early.

 

[DrTomSwift]

In official results Sky has been elevated to second because of their lower hundredths fof a second.

From cyclingnews.com

 

[Contador]

Considering the predictions of significant time losses for Cadel, that is a great ride by BMC. Gaining anther 23secs on Contador is huge.