2016 Tour de France

[tombeej]

Some GoPro highlights from yesterday's stage:

 

['Dale]

This Marriott advert is driving me mal !!!!!

The guy in the bath with the pink razor?

 

Hehehe

What a bad ad ????

[Mntboy]

Could be a good call, that.

 

Also I expect to see someone like Gallopin taking a flyer in a break today.

 

These 'medium mountain stages' are the most difficult to control by teams. Much more opportunity for a break of strong riders to get away - and stay away. Often the GC teams seem to actually prefer that - let some good guys who are not GC threats go off and fight for the stage, which takes the pressure off them a little bit. It allows them to focus on their rivals, leaving things to the finale to try and take a few seconds out of each other.

 

So as a result, these medium mountain stages tend to become 'two races within a race': (1) a select group in a strong, committed breakaway contesting the win, and (2) the GC guys forgoing stage honours to rather focus on sneaking a few critical bonus seconds from their rivals in some last minute attacks.

 

Reinforcing this scenario even more is that fact that none of the big GC names are carrying yellow today, which means none of these teams feel obligated to defend the jersey.

Well that is the traditional script for these sort of stages, anyway.

 

So there's another scenario that might happen: a GC guy who has lost a bit of time (e.g. Porte) to attack from further out. The thinking behind this being that the main rivals might not respond because they're still watching each other and still want to keep their powder dry for the 100% efforts they'll be needing in the last 1 - 2 km.

 

So someone like Porte might be seeing this as a great opportunity to gain back some time before the proper mountains, which is when the GC teams will be much more alert and tend to respond immediately to everything.

Also someone like Take-me-home-or-not who seems to specialise in the mountains jersey.

I agree. I think the break will definitely be comprised by guys eying either the KoM jersey or the stage win. I'll add a few names who might get themselves involved: Voeckler, Cummings or Pauwels to support Danny T and Chavanel used to enjoy a stage such as this.

 

Re Porte - today has potential for him to regain time if he races smart. His comments you quoted from CN has wondering what he has planned. Today won't win the TdF for a GC contender but it could very easily lose it if they don't pay attention. It was by riding well in such stages that Cuddles won his TdF!

 

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[Oxter]

Always looking for another headline....

 

"If Sagan wins another two stages, I'll stay in cycling."

Oleg Tinkoff

But not if Bertie wins that yellow jersey everyone keeps talking about??

[jcza]

I'm expecting Teklahaimanot or Berhane in the break today. Not sure if the break will succeed. Stage win Valverde or Dan Martin. However looking at my Fantasy team I should rather keep quiet.

[Long Wheel Base]

This Marriott advert is driving me mal !!!!!   

Same here. My wife also moans every time it comes on. But that chick isn't bad looking though........

[Sasquatch]

The nine breakaway riders have attacked at km 21: Andriy Grivko (Astana), Rafal Majka (Tinkoff), Cyril Gautier (AG2R-La Mondiale), Greg van Avermaet (BMC), Serge Pauwels (Dimension Data), Bartosz Huzarski (Bora-Argon 18), Thomas De Gendt (Lotto-Soudal), Romain Sicard (Direct Energie) and Florian Vachon (Fortuneo-Vital Concept).

['Dale]

I'm expecting Teklahaimanot or Berhane in the break today. Not sure if the break will succeed. Stage win Valverde or Dan Martin. However looking at my Fantasy team I should rather keep quiet.

 

Really wanna se Tekla' in the polka dot jersey sometime soon.

Hoping he's ready to fire up the turbo diesel engine.

[hboli4]

The nine breakaway riders have attacked at km 21: Andriy Grivko (Astana), Rafal Majka (Tinkoff), Cyril Gautier (AG2R-La Mondiale), Greg van Avermaet (BMC), Serge Pauwels (Dimension Data), Bartosz Huzarski (Bora-Argon 18), Thomas De Gendt (Lotto-Soudal), Romain Sicard (Direct Energie) and Florian Vachon (Fortuneo-Vital Concept).

 

That is a VERY strong group of riders...

[Benjamin]

The nine breakaway riders have attacked at km 21: Andriy Grivko (Astana), Rafal Majka (Tinkoff), Cyril Gautier (AG2R-La Mondiale), Greg van Avermaet (BMC), Serge Pauwels (Dimension Data), Bartosz Huzarski (Bora-Argon 18), Thomas De Gendt (Lotto-Soudal), Romain Sicard (Direct Energie) and Florian Vachon (Fortuneo-Vital Concept).[/size]

Right, go Majka

[bertusras]

Okes, does anybody have a feed to watch, or does it only come online later?

[hboli4]

Reckon Majka is targeting the polka-dots again. I know it is still a long way out but a couple of 'what-if's:

 

Bert to be on form and take yellow, Sagan to keep green and Majka to claim the dots. Do you reckon three jerseys will make Oleg stay?

 

Wonder when last/if a team has taken all 4 jerseys? Google?

['Dale]

Stage 5

 

Still no one able to make anything stick off the front of the peloton. At the other end, Bora-Argon 18's sprinter Sam Bennett is yo-yoing off the back already. The Irishman has been struggling since suffering quite a nasty finger injury on the opening stage.

['Dale]

More attacks, more reactions, and now we have a group of nine off the front with a small advantage.

['Dale]

Here's the group of nine:

 

Cyril Gautier (AG2R-La Mondiale), Serge Pauwels (Dimension Data), Rafal Majka (Tinkoff), Andriy Grivko (Astana), Bartosz Huzarski (Bora-Argon 18), Thomas De Gendt (Lotto Soudal), Greg Van Avermaet (BMC), Romain Sicard (Direct Energie), Florian Vachon (Fortuneo-Vital Concept)

['Dale]

It looks like this could be it. This group has over two minutes, and counting, on the peloton.