Stage 17 TDF : Pau - Revel : Spoiler

Break has a 20 minute lead with 80K to go and no one in the peloton looks like they can be arsed to chase.

The break:

Jose Luis Rubiera and Paolo Savoldelli (Discovery Channel), Oscar Sevilla (T-Mobile Team), Kurt-Asle Arvesen (Team CSC), Erik Dekker (Rabobank), Allan Davis (Liberty Seguros-Würth), Sébastien Hinault (Credit Agricole), Dario Cioni (Liquigas-Bianchi), Stéphane Augé (Cofidis), Bram Tankink (Quick.Step), Pierrick Fédrigo (Bouygues Telecom), Daniele Righi (Lampre-Caffita), Carlos Da Cruz and Thomas Lövkvist (Française Des Jeux), Andrei Grivko (Domina Vacanze), Samuel Dumoulin and Simon Gerrans (Ag2r-Prevoyance)

[font=Verdana]T-Mobile currently leads the team classification even with the abandonment of Kloden but now Discovery have two riders in the break they will overtake T-Mobile......
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Eldrack said:

Break has a 20 minute lead with 80K to go and no one in the peloton looks like they can be arsed to chase.

The break:

Jose Luis Rubiera and Paolo Savoldelli (Discovery Channel), Oscar Sevilla (T-Mobile Team), Kurt-Asle Arvesen (Team CSC), Erik Dekker (Rabobank), Allan Davis (Liberty Seguros-Würth), Sébastien Hinault (Credit Agricole), Dario Cioni (Liquigas-Bianchi), Stéphane Augé (Cofidis), Bram Tankink (Quick.Step), Pierrick Fédrigo (Bouygues Telecom), Daniele Righi (Lampre-Caffita), Carlos Da Cruz and Thomas Lövkvist (Française Des Jeux), Andrei Grivko (Domina Vacanze), Samuel Dumoulin and Simon Gerrans (Ag2r-Prevoyance)

Yeah, the break has gone to over 21minutes :

whiteboytrash said:

[font=Verdana]T-Mobile currently leads the team classification even with the abandonment of Kloden but now Discovery have two riders in the break they will overtake T-Mobile......
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Just heard Dave Harmon say that on Eurosport too.

If things stay as they are Sevilla will move from 25th on GC to 7th !

limerickman said:

Just heard Dave Harmon say that on Eurosport too.

Any watching now ? The train barriers have come on the peleton.... half of the peleton has gone down ! They cant get through........ ! They are losing loads of time..... Sevilla could be in yellow !

limerickman said:

Just heard Dave Harmon say that on Eurosport too.

Savoldelli and Hinault are 7secs ahead of Aversen and the chasers :
Hinault looks tired.

Savoldelli and Hinault now arguing with each other.

Aversen has closed the gap : Delli got pretty narked.
Hinault was shattered.

Savoldelli got a very good win today.

But the chasing group had a crash 10kms out :
Cadel Evans and Landis found themselves on the wrong side of the crash.

Vino/LA/JU/Popo/Rasmussen got a lead due to the crash.
The Team competition being open : you'd asssume that Vino would try to work to help Mobile.
You'd also assume that Vino would work because (before the end of the stage) Landis and Evans were only seconds ahead of Vino on GC.
What does Vino do ?
He sits on the back and doesn't work with JU or DC to try to maximise a time advantage in the run in.

Paul was saying that the cut off time would be around 27:00 - 27:30 behind the winner. It'll be interesting to see how it pans out, with 3 T-Mobile riders coming in at 27:35 (Kessler, Schreck & Steinhauser). Fast Freddy also had a time of 27:35.

peterlip said:

Paul was saying that the cut off time would be around 27:00 - 27:30 behind the winner. It'll be interesting to see how it pans out, with 3 T-Mobile riders coming in at 27:35 (Kessler, Schreck & Steinhauser). Fast Freddy also had a time of 27:35.

Peter; I think the organizers may give them some consideration due to the crash in the peleton.

limerickman said:

Savoldelli got a very good win today.

But the chasing group had a crash 10kms out :
Cadel Evans and Landis found themselves on the wrong side of the crash.

Vino/LA/JU/Popo/Rasmussen got a lead due to the crash.
The Team competition being open : you'd asssume that Vino would try to work to help Mobile.
You'd also assume that Vino would work because (before the end of the stage) Landis and Evans were only seconds ahead of Vino on GC.
What does Vino do ?
He sits on the back and doesn't work with JU or DC to try to maximise a time advantage in the run in.

Lim: I didn't see the stage; only reading the updates, which suggested Vino attacked simultaneously with the crash, and he is described at the end of the stage as "coming up to take a long pull" -- and at the end he finished just behind Popo in front of the other riders you mentioned -- and he did leapfrog Evans in the GC.

Not doubting your description of the events -- just very interested in some more details on how it played out. Did Vino attack, then sit back until the very end to come up front again?

rejobako said:

Peter; I think the organizers may give them some consideration due to the crash in the peleton.

Actually it doesn't matter. Because they managed to finish with an average of over 42 km/h (they did 42.101), the cut off is 9%, which is over 30 minutes.
Had it been under 42, the cut off would be 27:18. Not sure if the crash would've been considered as it happened over 5km from the finish (from memory).

Vino probably attacked to improve his GC placing, then 3 DC's followed to help them get the team classification and once the big boys have gone JU and co had to follow.

rejobako said:

Lim: I didn't see the stage; only reading the updates, which suggested Vino attacked simultaneously with the crash, and he is described at the end of the stage as "coming up to take a long pull" -- and at the end he finished just behind Popo in front of the other riders you mentioned -- and he did leapfrog Evans in the GC.

Not doubting your description of the events -- just very interested in some more details on how it played out. Did Vino attack, then sit back until the very end to come up front again?

I can only relate what I saw on Eurosport :

The crash happened : riders came down : CE and Landis were behind where the crash happened.
DC and JU/Vino/Rasmussen where ahread in the group as the crash happened.

The group split and DC/JU/Rasmussen up the pace.
Vino came to the front, I think maybe once.
JU came to the front and did a couple of turns.
LA did a turn. GH did a few turns. Popo did a few turns too.

Sean Kelly and Dave Harmon on Eurosport were saying that it was in Vino's interest to try to put time in to CE and Landis and to also help Telekom in the team competition.
At one stage Vino even gave JU a gentle push in the back !

The commentators felt (and I agree) that with the DC boys pushing at the front that he (Vino) should have worked.
Instead he sat at the back and only came to the front in the last 50 metres.

Dave Harmon said "very very strange - no team tactics on the part of Vino"
(Harmon would be a Vino fan).

Vino was the pace maker for Ullrichs attack on Rasmussen in first place. That he gained 10 seconds, nice, but not his main intention. Main intention was to make pace so that Ullrich can attack and gain seconds vs Rasmussen. Btw, another attack by T-Mobile, most active team by far in this Tour and Ullrich has attacked the third time in last four days, so noone can say he wouldn't attack. Last two days he looked very strong, seems as if he reaches his peak, tomorrow will be intresting and on Saturday I expect Lance and Jan to crush the other riders in Time Trial.

Girotour said:

on Saturday I expect Lance and Jan to crush the other riders in Time Trial.

'

This does seem like the most likely possibility. Jan definitely feels good these days. Jan can't make up enough time to threaten Basso, but at this point, it looks like the biggest suspense of Saturday will be whether Jan can pass Rasmussen for that podium spot. I certainly hope so, as I think his conduct in this Tour deserves a reward.

rejobako said:

'

This does seem like the most likely possibility. Jan definitely feels good these days. Jan can't make up enough time to threaten Basso, but at this point, it looks like the biggest suspense of Saturday will be whether Jan can pass Rasmussen for that podium spot. I certainly hope so, as I think his conduct in this Tour deserves a reward.

What's with Vino and his attacks?????? it seems a little childhish...attack for a few seconds so they can get speed up, caught him and leave him behind. And then. what is with the Phonak complaining to Discovery for yesterdays stage????

Great win for Savoldelli today.

He worked hard to get that victory and he deserved his win today, i thought.