Tour de France on TV

Tag: Joaquim Rodriguez

  • Joaquim Rodriguez – meet Froome and Wiggins

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    Alex
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    Chris Froome has won his first stage race, the Tour of Oman, and a mighty impressive win it was too. He took the lead on stage four on Green Mountain, putting time into Cadel Evans, Alberto Contador and Vincenzo Nibali, and then won the following day to extend his lead by a few seconds thanks…

  • What did Joaquim Rodriguez win in 2012?

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    Alex
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    Joaquim Rodriguez won Il Lombardia on Saturday, the last of the five ‘monuments’. After finishing second in the Giro and third in the Vuelta, the vertical sprinter deserves to round off his year with a big win. He’s provided a great deal of entertainment and drawn much admiration – particularly if you’re like me and…

  • Joaquim Rodriguez and glorious failure

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    Alex
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    The three leaders finished stage 20 in reverse order, but it didn’t affect the standings. Joaquim Rodriguez made a valiant attempt to snatch back the red jersey, but couldn’t recoup the time he lost when the Great God Numb-Nuts visited him on stage 17 and demanded that he do His bidding. One dosy moment and…

  • Alberto Contador finally shakes Joaquim Rodriguez

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    Alex
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    The 2012 Vuelta a Espana has featured a lot of Alberto Contador attacks. In pretty much all of them, he has appeared to tow Joaquim Rodriguez along behind him like a little Spanish caravan in a red jersey. However, today, on stage 17, Contador finally uncoupled his unwanted cargo – but how did he manage…

  • How steep is the Puerto de Pajares near the finish?

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    Alex
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    Lungs of Indurain! Who put tarmac on that wall? The end of stage 16 was not all that friendly to a bunch of cyclists who’d already cycled 170km over several mountains and who were into the third week of a Grand Tour. The pace slowed to a degree that would have been comical if it…

  • Alberto Contador and his mid-climb sprints

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    Alex
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    Yesterday’s Vuelta stage was about recovering from pain. A long climb creates deep-rooted, constant physical discomfort and then Alberto Contador garnishes it with sudden sprints that bring an extra layer of acute agony. There aren’t many sports where you have to recover from sudden intense activity while still putting in a reasonable amount of effort.…

  • Joaquim Rodriguez likes the Vuelta a Espana and its summit finishes

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    Alex
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    Long climbs have a ‘Dear Lord, when will it end? I’m so very, very tired of experiencing pain’ quality to them. However, short and steep can’t be beaten for pure agony. Pain is rationed in a long climb. It’s intense and seems unendurable. However, when the road kicks up to 20 or 30 per cent,…

  • Chris Froome looks a bit wobbly

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    Alex
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    Not on his bike, you understand, although it would be totally forgivable – those time trial bikes are too damn narrow. They should do time trials on shopping bikes and Raleigh Choppers to keep everyone safe. No, what I actually mean with that title is that Froome’s Vuelta ambitions look a bit shaky after yesterday’s…

  • Purito Rodriguez is a crafty bugger

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    Alex
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    Joaquim ‘Purito’ Rodriguez is making me talk like a police captain from a derivative Eighties film of late. “Damn it, Rodriguez – what are you doing?” I hear myself say in a grizzled over-the-top American accent. It’s a rhetorical question, because what Purito is clearly doing is ‘going for the win’. He is doing this…

  • Joaquim Rodriguez can sprint uphill

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    Alex
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    If the finish is short and steep, look for a strong short-arse. Joaquim Rodriguez sprints uphill with precisely no respect for gravity. They said he’d win stage six and he did. Sprinting uphill is a demented thing to do. On the flat, you push the pedals until it feels like someone’s doused your thighs in…