Discovery-Rabobank Agreement?

trg said:

Looks like it. Freire refused to chase Popovich. And then didn't even
contest the sprint for second.

Maybe he was tired?

"trg" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Looks like it. Freire refused to chase Popovich. And then didn't even
contest the sprint for second.

There must be an echo in here. I just heard Fignon say the same thing.

"Tuschinski" <[email hidden]> a écrit dans le message de news:
[email hidden]...
|
| trg wrote:
| > Looks like it. Freire refused to chase Popovich. And then didn't even
| > contest the sprint for second.
|
| Maybe he was tired?

Or was just having a bad day? 🙂

Quoted message said:

Looks like it. Freire refused to chase Popovich. And then didn't even
contest the sprint for second.

Popovych's strategy was perfect. He attacked repeatedly, and repeatedly
Freire just sat in, saving himself for the sprint. Ballan finally got fed up
chasing Popo down each time, and refused to chase with Freire on his wheel.
Oscar kept positioning himself to get onto Ballan's wheel; Ballan must have
been furious.

Great strategy.

--Mike-- Chain Reaction Bicycles
www.ChainReactionBicycles.com

trg said:

Looks like it. Freire refused to chase Popovich. And then didn't even
contest the sprint for second.

That's because as mean as it is to hang on while another guy does the
chasing, it's even meaner to do it for second place.

"matabala" <[email hidden]> a écrit dans le message de news:
[email hidden]...
|
| "trg" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
| news:[email hidden]...
| > Looks like it. Freire refused to chase Popovich. And then didn't even
| > contest the sprint for second.
| >
| There must be an echo in here. I just heard Fignon say the same thing.
|
|

Les grands esprits ...

Freire looked strong to me. He was the one attacking up until a little after
Le Mevel was dropped.
BTW, on Velo Club, Jaja also said it looked like Freire and Popovich were
riding for the same team...

Obviously you don't have Eurosport. Either that or you have a higher
threshold of being able to tolerate Sannier and Goddart than I do to be able
to hear Jaja and Fignon.

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Looks like it. Freire refused to chase Popovich. And then didn't even
contest the sprint for second.

That's because as mean as it is to hang on while another guy does the
chasing, it's even meaner to do it for second place.

Yep. When words were exchanged between Ballan and Freire, I have a feeling
Freire fessed up that Ballan was right, he'd screwed things up for both of
them by being greedy. Well, he might have said he was just too blown to
cover anything, and thus wasn't going to contest the sprint for that reason.
Either way he wasn't going to look like a total jerk and risk issues in
stages down the road. Such things do come back to haunt you.

--Mike-- Chain Reaction Bicycles
www.ChainReactionBicycles.com

I heard Freire saying he was tired in an interview after the stage.
Frans Maassen, assistant manager of Rabobank (next to Breukink), who
was in the car behind Freire, said afterwards that Freire wasn't tired
and that he was disappointed that Freire didn't win. It seems to me
that Breukink & Bruyneel (old team mates) made some agreement. Rabobank
can count on Discovery's support in the Alps!

Mike Jacoubowsky said:

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Looks like it. Freire refused to chase Popovich. And then didn't even
contest the sprint for second.

That's because as mean as it is to hang on while another guy does the
chasing, it's even meaner to do it for second place.

Yep. When words were exchanged between Ballan and Freire, I have a feeling
Freire fessed up that Ballan was right, he'd screwed things up for both of
them by being greedy. Well, he might have said he was just too blown to
cover anything, and thus wasn't going to contest the sprint for that reason.
Either way he wasn't going to look like a total jerk and risk issues in
stages down the road. Such things do come back to haunt you.

--Mike-- Chain Reaction Bicycles
www.ChainReactionBicycles.com

"Mike Jacoubowsky" <[email hidden]> a écrit dans le message de news:
[email hidden]...
|> Looks like it. Freire refused to chase Popovich. And then didn't even
| > contest the sprint for second.
|
| Popovych's strategy was perfect. He attacked repeatedly, and repeatedly
| Freire just sat in, saving himself for the sprint. Ballan finally got fed
up
| chasing Popo down each time, and refused to chase with Freire on his
wheel.
| Oscar kept positioning himself to get onto Ballan's wheel; Ballan must
have
| been furious.
|
| Great strategy.

It was the only strategy he could have. There is no way he could beat either
Freire or Ballan in a sprint.

BTW, It was reported in the press today in France that there was an
agreement between Rabo and Disco.

In article <[email hidden]>,

trg said:

"Mike Jacoubowsky" <[email hidden]> a écrit dans le message de news:
[email hidden]...
|> Looks like it. Freire refused to chase Popovich. And then didn't even
| > contest the sprint for second.
|
| Popovych's strategy was perfect. He attacked repeatedly, and repeatedly
| Freire just sat in, saving himself for the sprint. Ballan finally got fed
up
| chasing Popo down each time, and refused to chase with Freire on his
wheel.
| Oscar kept positioning himself to get onto Ballan's wheel; Ballan must
have
| been furious.
|
| Great strategy.

It was the only strategy he could have. There is no way he could beat either
Freire or Ballan in a sprint.

BTW, It was reported in the press today in France that there was an
agreement between Rabo and Disco.

What was the agreement? Drop Le Mevel on Bastille Day?

They made the final five kilometers _look_ like a race.
Freire knows how to set aside his feelings in the heat of
battle and take third. No use aggravating Ballan who would
have been second in a bunch sprint anyway. McEwan could
learn from Freire. Popovych executed the only strategy he
had, and he came through.

--
Michael Press

"Michael Press" <[email hidden]> a écrit dans le message de news:
[email hidden]...
| In article <[email hidden]>,
| "trg" <[email hidden]> wrote:
|
| > "Mike Jacoubowsky" <[email hidden]> a écrit dans le message de
news:
| > [email hidden]...
| > |> Looks like it. Freire refused to chase Popovich. And then didn't even
| > | > contest the sprint for second.
| > |
| > | Popovych's strategy was perfect. He attacked repeatedly, and
repeatedly
| > | Freire just sat in, saving himself for the sprint. Ballan finally got
fed
| > up
| > | chasing Popo down each time, and refused to chase with Freire on his
| > wheel.
| > | Oscar kept positioning himself to get onto Ballan's wheel; Ballan must
| > have
| > | been furious.
| > |
| > | Great strategy.
| >
| > It was the only strategy he could have. There is no way he could beat
either
| > Freire or Ballan in a sprint.
| >
| > BTW, It was reported in the press today in France that there was an
| > agreement between Rabo and Disco.
|
| What was the agreement? Drop Le Mevel on Bastille Day?
|
| They made the final five kilometers _look_ like a race.
| Freire knows how to set aside his feelings in the heat of
| battle and take third. No use aggravating Ballan who would
| have been second in a bunch sprint anyway. McEwan could
| learn from Freire. Popovych executed the only strategy he
| had, and he came through.
|
| --

"The latest rumour to emanate from the coulisses of the Tour de France is
that Freire agreed to attack Ballan and then allow Popovych win the stage in
return for the Discovery rider giving Rabobank team leader Denis Menchov a
hand in the Alps."
- Eurosport

Freire's not mean enough to screw Ballan out of a chance to win and then
take second from him in a sprint, so he didn't contest third. Otherwise, if
it was just a bad tactic that made him lose, I think he would have sprinted
for second. He is in the hunt for the green jersey.

Agreed about Popo. It was the only choice he had.

In article <[email hidden]>,

trg said:

"Michael Press" <[email hidden]> a écrit dans le message de news:
[email hidden]...
| In article <[email hidden]>,
| "trg" <[email hidden]> wrote:
|
| > "Mike Jacoubowsky" <[email hidden]> a écrit dans le message de
news:
| > [email hidden]...
| > BTW, It was reported in the press today in France that there was an
| > agreement between Rabo and Disco.
|
| What was the agreement? Drop Le Mevel on Bastille Day?
|
| They made the final five kilometers _look_ like a race.
| Freire knows how to set aside his feelings in the heat of
| battle and take third. No use aggravating Ballan who would
| have been second in a bunch sprint anyway. McEwan could
| learn from Freire. Popovych executed the only strategy he
| had, and he came through.
|
| --

"The latest rumour to emanate from the coulisses of the Tour de France is
that Freire agreed to attack Ballan and then allow Popovych win the stage in
return for the Discovery rider giving Rabobank team leader Denis Menchov a
hand in the Alps."
- Eurosport

Freire's not mean enough to screw Ballan out of a chance to win and then
take second from him in a sprint, so he didn't contest third. Otherwise, if
it was just a bad tactic that made him lose, I think he would have sprinted
for second. He is in the hunt for the green jersey.

Agreed about Popo. It was the only choice he had.

For that deal to make sense Freire can win a duel against
Popovych two times out of three in the final kilometers.
Furthermore, Freire did not attack Ballan per se. Agree
that Friere sitting on Ballan makes a deal look plausible,
but through the miracle of hindsight, I do not think
Poppvych needed for Freire to attack anybody.

--
Michael Press