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TDU Race Thread

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CAS79

CAS79

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While I wait for the day Day 1 highlights taking the live commentary on the TDU page Jack Bobridge spent the latter half of the race out on his before being caught by the pack led by Columbia and Katusha.

Griepel claimed a close sprint win over O'Grady and Cooke got third.

Good to see O'Grady is still the better sprinter out of those two, He's just had other jobs to do in recent years.

Armstrong finished with the Group which I understand finished at the same time and no one withdrew while Vitaliy Buts was the only guy to hit the tarmac today.

Tomorrow looks like a day that could see a successful break.

Any ideas on who might try and make a move.
 
Finish line tomorrow is at the end of about a 1km long steady climb into Stirling. Drove through where the finish line will be earlier today (over the 'Skoda' written on the road). Expecting a fairly large crowd at the finish line tomorrow.
 
Another attacking and exciting race today. McEwan was very unlucky getting hit by that camera, definitely did put him off. It was good to see the old fella Stuart O'Grady up there.

I expect to see a similair race tomorrow. I can see one of the Uni SA boys going out on the attack. They always seem to have an aggressive mind set.
 
Interesting to see McEwen hit by a camera - it happens a lot doesn't it. Everyone wants pictures of their favourite riders - and some will stop at nothing to get it. It's a sad sport isn't it.

How good is Andre Greipel's form in January? fair dinkum form for a German. absolutely brilliant it is.

The thing with UniSA is that it is essentially their only race of the season - so they just attack, attack, attack. And with the likes of Bobridge in the team what more could you want. Having UniSA in the race i believe is wrong - they aren't a Pro Team so why have them in there? - i don't agree with it, but i can understand it they do well with what they've got though don't they?
 

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ubolt said:
Interesting to see McEwen hit by a camera - it happens a lot doesn't it. Everyone wants pictures of their favourite riders - and some will stop at nothing to get it. It's a sad sport isn't it.

How good is Andre Greipel's form in January? fair dinkum form for a German. absolutely brilliant it is.

The thing with UniSA is that it is essentially their only race of the season - so they just attack, attack, attack. And with the likes of Bobridge in the team what more could you want. Having UniSA in the race i believe is wrong - they aren't a Pro Team so why have them in there? - i don't agree with it, but i can understand it they do well with what they've got though don't they?
Click to expand...

Dont pro tour races in Europe allow for wildcards of lesser teams. I belive they do.
 
that they do

there was a team in the TDF that had a South Africal rider (the team may of been South African itself) - the gurnsey mainly red, but the name esapes. All major races have the wildcard teams - im liking that idea

Went to the Sunday - couldnt get a Lance pic with my camera...too slow :( will try again sunday

Good to see O'Grady is still the better sprinter out of those two, He's just had other jobs to do in recent years.
Click to expand...
I dont think the general sporting public get how good this guy is...great cyclist, never gives up even when hes hurting, well respected in the peleton and seems like a great guy to boot. And his great work in the TDF for CSC/Saxobank was lost in the wave of Cadel Mania

I think hes more popular and respect with overseas fans and thats a shame

****PS -OFF TOPIC...Cas, I think you should be the Cycling Board Mod!
 
ubolt said:
Interesting to see McEwen hit by a camera - it happens a lot doesn't it. Everyone wants pictures of their favourite riders - and some will stop at nothing to get it. It's a sad sport isn't it.

How good is Andre Greipel's form in January? fair dinkum form for a German. absolutely brilliant it is.

The thing with UniSA is that it is essentially their only race of the season - so they just attack, attack, attack. And with the likes of Bobridge in the team what more could you want. Having UniSA in the race i believe is wrong - they aren't a Pro Team so why have them in there? - i don't agree with it, but i can understand it they do well with what they've got though don't they?
Click to expand...

you answered yourself, they are there because they are Australian and the organisers know they will want to give an entertaining performance at their home race.

Its why the Italian Conti teams race the Giro, or teams like Agritubel and Francaise de Jeux the TDF and so on..
 
roostersgal4eva said:
that they do

there was a team in the TDF that had a South Africal rider (the team may of been South African itself) - the gurnsey mainly red, but the name esapes. All major races have the wildcard teams - im liking that idea

Went to the Sunday - couldnt get a Lance pic with my camera...too slow :( will try again sunday


I dont think the general sporting public get how good this guy is...great cyclist, never gives up even when hes hurting, well respected in the peleton and seems like a great guy to boot. And his great work in the TDF for CSC/Saxobank was lost in the wave of Cadel Mania

I think hes more popular and respect with overseas fans and thats a shame

****PS -OFF TOPIC...Cas, I think you should be the Cycling Board Mod!
Click to expand...

John-Lee Augustyn from Team Barloworld (British team with South African connections) who was impressive on his TDF debut.

Tour de France 2008
During Stage 16 of the 2008 Tour in his second professional year, John-Lee crested Col de la Bonette in first place before shortly and spectacularly overshooting a hairpin bend on the descent. He was thrown from his bike, sliding 30 metres down the shale mountainside before recovering to complete the stage.[1]
Click to expand...

From Wikipedia, I remember watching that stage on SBS. The TDU climbs look piss-easy compared to the ones in the TDF.
 
CAS79 said:
Dont pro tour races in Europe allow for wildcards of lesser teams. I belive they do.
Click to expand...


the wildcard teams in the TDF and the like are still on the "pro tour" though - UniSA aren't. there is a difference.

i'm not arguing with the situation - it is good for cycling in australia and it is good to see - but it just doesn't make much sense. it's like in Formula 1 and having an aussie team in the Australian GP just because it is in australia.

doesn't matter.

Today's stage was won by the aussie - Allan Davis, with Graeme Brown 2nd and 2007 winner Martin Elminger third. Stuie O'Grady 4th and George Hincapie showing he's still got some pace in those legs of his in 5th. The great frenchmen - known his for his backmarking skills - David Moncoutie was caught with 1km to go in the stage after a 5 man breakaway led the field for a while.

another peloton sprint to round out the day.
 
Was about 250m from the finish line today. Riders went past 4 times approximately every 30 minutes. Looked like a tough stage with many riders falling out the back of the peleton, many even before the start of the last lap.
 
crazyman27 said:
John-Lee Augustyn from Team Barloworld (British team with South African connections) who was impressive on his TDF debut.



From Wikipedia, I remember watching that stage on SBS. The TDU climbs look piss-easy compared to the ones in the TDF.
Click to expand...
I remember now

even the pic of him sliding down the hill that was scarey!!
 

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I understand Slipstream could be disappointed with the ride of Julian Dean yesterday.

While the pack split Slipstream were hoping Dean was going to survive the climbs that are in comparison to Europe small and put himself in a position for the win.

He came home with the autobus.
 
Expecting an interesting race today.

Columbia could attack through Rogers and Hincape, If They get away they will be hard to pin down for the rest of the race while if the peloton doers not allow them to get away than that suits them for Greipel.

It looks like a few teams are trying to give their aussies a chance to claim this race like Davis, Brown and O’Grady.
 
Will be out in my hometown tomorrow having a good look. Apparently one of the drink stations is there so they may be going at a decent speed to grab a few pictures.
 
Been very dissapointed there hasn't been a succesful breakaway this tour. I guess it's because of the shortness of the races and the tour.

Sprint finishes are entertaining, but the extreme effort and heart that goes into riding by yourself (or with a small amount of other riders) for a long period and being succesful is what cycling is all about for me.
 

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crazyman27 said:
Been very dissapointed there hasn't been a succesful breakaway this tour. I guess it's because of the shortness of the races and the tour.

Sprint finishes are entertaining, but the extreme effort and heart that goes into riding by yourself (or with a small amount of other riders) for a long period and being succesful is what cycling is all about for me.
Click to expand...

I know what your saying but a lot of times you need bigger climbs or a series of winding roads to give a break a fair chance if the peloton cares if it succeeds.

There is more than one way to skin a cat and todays stage was interesting tactics as well, Quickstep broke the peloton in half and left Brown on the wrong half by continually quickening the pace over the climbs.

It exposed Rabbobank who had made a poor error early in the day by sending riders with the early breaks, burnt energy when they had bigger fish to fry.

This is a sort of tactic you often seen on the coastal routes of the tours of Spain and Portugal or from time to time in le tour when there is a wind, turn up the pace before a quick turn into a cross wind than turn back into the wind and you can break the pack and hope the guy you want in the wrong half or at least his team get broken.

The short race and close time gaps meant you would have needed something brilliant to get a breakaway to succeed.
 
Congratulations must go to Alan Davis and Qucikstep.

With such a small lead Quickstep had to fend off many attacks over the race and held them all off and successfully led Davis into winning positions over O'Grady and his young Saxo Bank chargers and broke Graeme Brown over Wallunga hill yesterday.

FD Jeaux will leave happy looking orginised and discovering that young Aussie Sulzberger is a catch that in a few years could be very strong for them.
 
The TDU is what it is. It is not a race which will be remembered for a long time, there aren't iconic stages. It is a lead in to the cycling season, and as such is relatively flat. You can't find big climbs in Australia. Having said all that, it appears to be very well run, and chasing Armstrong was a great move. It was a successful Tour, so congratulations to the organizers, best of luck to them for next year. It will be very difficult to replicate the interest in this year's tour, they will have to chase marquee names again if they want to keep it at the level it was at.
 

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