Porte seems like a good guy. If Froome doesn't win, i'd like Quintana to win- he's a great story.
cycling news recent form rankings;
[h=2]1. Richie Porte (BMC Racing)[/h]Previous ranking: 1st
Overview: On the eve of the final Dauphine stage Porte looked close to unbeatable. No one had managed to make him break a sweat in the mountains and his buffer over Froome, Fuglsang and the rest of the field was healthy enough to suggest that the Australian would stand atop the final podium. Even his rivals were throwing in the towel.
What transpired on stage 8 turned the race on its head with all three podium spots changing hands and Porte suffering defeat in what was the third closest Dauphine in history. For the second year in a row, Porte would endure a brutal end to his Dauphine dreams.
Where did it go so horribly wrong for the Australian? That depends on your view. One camp will argue that several riders raced at all costs to ensure that Porte would lose, while another set of analysts will determine that Porte made a critical mistake in watching Froome too closely and a third group will suggest that Porte's BMC teammates weren't up to the task of defending yellow from the outright onslaught that ensued.
The truth to this defeat lies somewhere in mist of battle. Porte couldn't chase every attack and in letting Aru and Valverde go he made the right call. Allowing Fuglsang to go was dangerous, but with his team close to regaining control there was no point in panicking. Froome's acceleration atop of the penultimate climb swung the momentum away from Porte but the Australian's final ascent to the line was almost enough to regain the lead. Did everyone race to ensure Porte would lose? Most likely not. This was the final hit-out before the Tour de France, and if Froome, Valverde or Contador had been in yellow, the intent to attack would have still surfaced.
Highlight: The Dauphine time trial performance was arguably his best ever ride against the clock, while his overall condition in the mountains was another plus.
Lowlight: Losing the yellow jersey on the final stage could plant the seed of doubt in his mind. Whether Porte can transition from being the best week-long race specimen on the planet to a Grand Tour winner is the biggest question of the summer.
[h=2]2. Chris Froome (Team Sky)[/h]Previous ranking: 5th
Overview: Froome is still the man to beat come to July but the sheen of invincibility wore off a long time ago, and despite flashes of form during the Criterium du Dauphine, his performance raised several concerns for the Sky management to ponder. Froome crumbled in the second half of the time trial, and on two of the three mountain stages he was dropped by Porte. The narrower the margins blur between these two riders, the quicker they grow apart. As for Froome's form, Patrick Fletcher raised the point in the recent Cyclingnews podcast – if Louis Meintjes is riding away from you, then you've got problems.
Highlight: Hung onto Porte's coattails on the Mont du Chat and showed signs that his form is moving in the right direction.
Lowlight: The stage 4 time trial to Bourgion-Jalieu wasn't a complete catastrophe but it was well down on where Froome has been at this point in recent years. He'll head to the Tour without a victory to his name in 2017 – a position few would have expected at the start of the campaign.
[h=2]3. Nairo Quintana (Movistar)[/h]Previous ranking: 4th
Overview: Hasn't turned a pedal in anger all month and will continue to be protected in cotton wool by the Movistar hierarchy until he's dispatched to Düsseldorf at the end of June. His reputation ahead of the Tour has probably improved given that neither Porte nor Froome could stamp their complete authority on the Dauphine.
Highlight: Hasn't been asked 'can you drop Tom Dumoulin in the mountains?' for two whole weeks.
Lowlight: He didn't win the Giro.
[h=2]4. Alberto Contador (Trek Segafredo)[/h]Previous ranking: 3rd
Overview: The sight of Contador sitting up on climbs and soft-pedalling to the line isn't one we're familiar with. For a rider who so often throws caution to the wind and attacks with breath-taking regularity it doesn't sync with his typical swashbuckling approach. For that reason alone, it's difficult to predict just where Contador's form lies. At the Dauphine he was ordered not to go too far into the red by his coaching team, and his rivals watched with jaws agape as he dossed around at the back and then sat up on climbs. There was the occasional foray but the question now is whether Trek is gently managing a rider in decline or if the Spaniard is building up to something special for July.
Highlight: The individual time trial was impressive and he dropped Froome on Alpe d'Huez.
Lowlight: Dropping out of the top 10 on the final day but if the race is 'just training' then what's the point in finishing 9th?
[h=2]5. Dan Martin (Quick-Step Floors)[/h]Previous ranking: 6th
Overview: Another Criterium du Dauphine podium finish for the Irishman, who continues to evolve into a real top-five contender for the Tour de France. What has caught the eye most this season is that Martin's attacks now have more purpose to them – a skill that would have probably saved him a lot of energy in last year's Tour.
Highlight: Moving from eight to third overall on the final Dauphine stage.
Lowlight: A mechanical robbed the Irishman of a very decent performance in the time trial.
cycling news recent form rankings;
[h=2]1. Richie Porte (BMC Racing)[/h]Previous ranking: 1st
Overview: On the eve of the final Dauphine stage Porte looked close to unbeatable. No one had managed to make him break a sweat in the mountains and his buffer over Froome, Fuglsang and the rest of the field was healthy enough to suggest that the Australian would stand atop the final podium. Even his rivals were throwing in the towel.
What transpired on stage 8 turned the race on its head with all three podium spots changing hands and Porte suffering defeat in what was the third closest Dauphine in history. For the second year in a row, Porte would endure a brutal end to his Dauphine dreams.
Where did it go so horribly wrong for the Australian? That depends on your view. One camp will argue that several riders raced at all costs to ensure that Porte would lose, while another set of analysts will determine that Porte made a critical mistake in watching Froome too closely and a third group will suggest that Porte's BMC teammates weren't up to the task of defending yellow from the outright onslaught that ensued.
The truth to this defeat lies somewhere in mist of battle. Porte couldn't chase every attack and in letting Aru and Valverde go he made the right call. Allowing Fuglsang to go was dangerous, but with his team close to regaining control there was no point in panicking. Froome's acceleration atop of the penultimate climb swung the momentum away from Porte but the Australian's final ascent to the line was almost enough to regain the lead. Did everyone race to ensure Porte would lose? Most likely not. This was the final hit-out before the Tour de France, and if Froome, Valverde or Contador had been in yellow, the intent to attack would have still surfaced.
Highlight: The Dauphine time trial performance was arguably his best ever ride against the clock, while his overall condition in the mountains was another plus.
Lowlight: Losing the yellow jersey on the final stage could plant the seed of doubt in his mind. Whether Porte can transition from being the best week-long race specimen on the planet to a Grand Tour winner is the biggest question of the summer.
[h=2]2. Chris Froome (Team Sky)[/h]Previous ranking: 5th
Overview: Froome is still the man to beat come to July but the sheen of invincibility wore off a long time ago, and despite flashes of form during the Criterium du Dauphine, his performance raised several concerns for the Sky management to ponder. Froome crumbled in the second half of the time trial, and on two of the three mountain stages he was dropped by Porte. The narrower the margins blur between these two riders, the quicker they grow apart. As for Froome's form, Patrick Fletcher raised the point in the recent Cyclingnews podcast – if Louis Meintjes is riding away from you, then you've got problems.
Highlight: Hung onto Porte's coattails on the Mont du Chat and showed signs that his form is moving in the right direction.
Lowlight: The stage 4 time trial to Bourgion-Jalieu wasn't a complete catastrophe but it was well down on where Froome has been at this point in recent years. He'll head to the Tour without a victory to his name in 2017 – a position few would have expected at the start of the campaign.
[h=2]3. Nairo Quintana (Movistar)[/h]Previous ranking: 4th
Overview: Hasn't turned a pedal in anger all month and will continue to be protected in cotton wool by the Movistar hierarchy until he's dispatched to Düsseldorf at the end of June. His reputation ahead of the Tour has probably improved given that neither Porte nor Froome could stamp their complete authority on the Dauphine.
Highlight: Hasn't been asked 'can you drop Tom Dumoulin in the mountains?' for two whole weeks.
Lowlight: He didn't win the Giro.
[h=2]4. Alberto Contador (Trek Segafredo)[/h]Previous ranking: 3rd
Overview: The sight of Contador sitting up on climbs and soft-pedalling to the line isn't one we're familiar with. For a rider who so often throws caution to the wind and attacks with breath-taking regularity it doesn't sync with his typical swashbuckling approach. For that reason alone, it's difficult to predict just where Contador's form lies. At the Dauphine he was ordered not to go too far into the red by his coaching team, and his rivals watched with jaws agape as he dossed around at the back and then sat up on climbs. There was the occasional foray but the question now is whether Trek is gently managing a rider in decline or if the Spaniard is building up to something special for July.
Highlight: The individual time trial was impressive and he dropped Froome on Alpe d'Huez.
Lowlight: Dropping out of the top 10 on the final day but if the race is 'just training' then what's the point in finishing 9th?
[h=2]5. Dan Martin (Quick-Step Floors)[/h]Previous ranking: 6th
Overview: Another Criterium du Dauphine podium finish for the Irishman, who continues to evolve into a real top-five contender for the Tour de France. What has caught the eye most this season is that Martin's attacks now have more purpose to them – a skill that would have probably saved him a lot of energy in last year's Tour.
Highlight: Moving from eight to third overall on the final Dauphine stage.
Lowlight: A mechanical robbed the Irishman of a very decent performance in the time trial.
