Tour de France 2012

[Cav']

Day 4 Stage 3

Very hilly at the end, 4 hills in succession

 

 

Heading towards the Channel with head winds?

 

 

Nice painful climbs at the finish

 

 

In all, short sharp climbs to blow the sprinters away, all short and sharp. Will all the GC boys stand the pace?

 

 

Last climb into Boulogne-Sur-Mer quite brural after 200km

 

Another finish for Sagan or perhaps Valverde,EBH, or Gilbert

[Squier]

Similar finish to what Evans won last year early in the Tour.

 

I want to put my money on Spartacus but I sometimes think he's too strong for his own good. Many riders will know they've got a shot if they can get onto his wheel if he attacks. He'd have to change his tactics and wait for the likes of Wiggins or Evans to go. I'm sure they'd like to prove a point today! So much that can happen!

 

I'm already planning my escape route this afternoon. I'm not missing this finish!

[Tumbleweed]

Similar finish to what Evans won last year early in the Tour. I want to put my money on Spartacus but I sometimes think he's too strong for his own good. Many riders will know they've got a shot if they can get onto his wheel if he attacks. He'd have to change his tactics and wait for the likes of Wiggins or Evans to go. I'm sure they'd like to prove a point today! So much that can happen! I'm already planning my escape route this afternoon. I'm not missing this finish!

 

I reckon Spatacus would have to launch an attack from quite a way out to take it.

 

I don't think those climbs are long enough to shell the sprinters.

Edited July 3, 2012 by Tumbleweed

[Wyatt Earp]

Eish!

Cool pic after the finish.

 

http://cyclingtipscontent.s3.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/07/MG_1077.jpg

 

What a great image.

He might not be Sagan, gosh some even call him Spatacus and Candelbara or stupid and whatever else.

He might not be the captain of the East Rand hiking club, but.........

 

......looking at this image, he surely is a man at the pinnacle of fitness in the biggest stage race with the worlds absolute best cyclists.

I personally would love to see this man in yellow for as long as possible.

[TiBones]

And those quads look used! I'm used to seeing Spartacus with his tree trunks. What a rider!

[Wyatt Earp]

And those quads look used! I'm used to seeing Spartacus with his tree trunks. What a rider!

 

I said to the missus on Saturday that I have never seen sprinters as thin as they are this year, the sprinters are now looking like climbers used to look years back.

[petatodd]

What a great image.

He might not be Sagan, gosh some even call him Spatacus and Candelbara or stupid and whatever else.

He might not be the captain of the East Rand hiking club, but.........

 

......looking at this image, he surely is a man at the pinnacle of fitness in the biggest stage race with the worlds absolute best cyclists.

I personally would love to see this man in yellow for as long as possible.

 

Please watch this to get a better idea of how much pain he was in (apologies for not embedding it)

http://bcove.me/15tewrlx

[Wyatt Earp]

Please watch this to get a better idea of how much pain he was in (apologies for not embedding it)

http://bcove.me/15tewrlx

 

I saw that, thus me saying I would love to see him in yellow a bit longer.

All out champion.

['Dale]

New generation of helmets this year... check out the Garmin dude.

 

http://cyclingtipscontent.s3.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/07/helmets.jpg

[Robrider]

My predictions:

 

There will be no major shake up in the overall standings. The favourites will all mark each other, but none will attack till the last climb. Not much time to be gained, and its still early days. So I think if someone has a bad day, they can lose it, but they won't win it today.

 

One of the more aggressive/opportunistic riders will try attack on the early climbs, eg Gilbert.

 

Sparticus will follow all the attacks at the end, to hold on to the yellow (hope he does), but won't get the stage.

 

If the front guys are all together at the end it could be anyone, like Evans did last year.

 

An early break with some climbers could stay away today, especially if they aren't a threat to GC.

['Dale]

There was a lot of serious road furniture during the final 10 kms of Stage 2.

Hectic stuff at 70 km/h!

 

http://cyclingtipscontent.s3.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/07/CORVOS_00019540-168.jpg

[Tumbleweed]

New generation of helmets this year... check out the Garmin dude.

 

Adam Hansen ‏@HansenAdam

These new helmets in todays cycling remind me of my childhood days..... http://pic.twitter.com/DuejXpXy

 

[TNT1]

There was a lot of serious road furniture during the final 10 kms of Stage 2.

Hectic stuff at 70 km/h!

 

http://cyclingtipscontent.s3.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/07/CORVOS_00019540-168.jpg

 

Fark steaks. Look at all those wheel suckers. I see one or three guys doing all the work. Bet they didn't even win. Bet those wheel suckers went round them at the finish. Bastards.

[kosmonooit]

Apparently by closing the vents in the helmets they save a few watts in terms of cleaner aerodynamics. Pity about all that facial hair that is trending as well.

Edited July 3, 2012 by kosmonooit

[TNT1]

Apparently by closing the vents in the helmets they save a few watts in terms of cleaner aerodynamics.

 

It's a real saving. Like the difference in fuel consumption between driving with your windows open and driving with them closed.

[428 others]

Hope this was not posted somewhere else, if so, apologies...