TdF Stage 17 *Spoilers*

Orleandrew
Orleandrew Posts: 61
edited July 2010 in Pro race
PROFILVIGNETTE.gif

P*ssing it down this morning, might make it a bit more interesting (not that it wasn't already going to be!)
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Comments

  • iainf72
    iainf72 Posts: 15,784
    Hopefully it'll make it a bit harder, because it's really not *that* hard.
    Fckin' Quintana … that creep can roll, man.
  • Orleandrew
    Orleandrew Posts: 61
    Yeah, looks a piece of cake from the profile. Needs something to make it a challenge :P
  • iainf72
    iainf72 Posts: 15,784
    It's not going to be a race of attrition really. The first 2 climbs shouldn't pose too much of an issue. Also, it's not like you climb, descent and then climb right away again (like on some of the savage Giro stages)

    It's really all down to the final climb.

    But then, maybe someone will try and light it up earlier.
    Fckin' Quintana … that creep can roll, man.
  • Orleandrew
    Orleandrew Posts: 61
    Soulor>Tourmalet is pretty much climb-descend-climb, but yeah, I know what you mean. Probably not much gonna happen til halfway up the Tourmalet.
  • Kléber
    Kléber Posts: 6,842
    I wouldn't call it a piece of cake. But the stage is not a killer. So long as riders have a low gear for the Marie Blanque then they'll be ok, as this climb is very steep but it's short. Once riders are at the top of this climb there's 50km until the start of the Soulor and then again you've got a decent gap between the Soulor and the Tourmalet. The stage has plenty of rolling roads in between.

    Whilst all eyes on are Schleck-Contador, the stage suits a breakaway as they can exploit the rolling roads in between the climbs to build up a lead. Only since it's probably the last chance for a breakaway in the chance, well we could see a mental start plus a fierce pace to the Tourmalet.

    Rain's forecast and the route is currently covered in low cloud and fog. We'll see if this affects the race but annoyingly the biggest effect could be on the TV coverage, we'll have less images.
  • disgruntledgoat
    disgruntledgoat Posts: 8,957
    The descent off the Marie Blanque is quite exciting too. Went down there a few weeks back and there were some lovely left-right hairpins through a village (poor surfacing and gravel!), a couple of cattle grids and they'd even arranged a river to run across one of the longer hairpin bends.
    "In many ways, my story was that of a raging, Christ-like figure who hauled himself off the cross, looked up at the Romans with blood in his eyes and said 'My turn, sock cookers'"

    @gietvangent
  • secretsqirrel
    secretsqirrel Posts: 2,123
    Hmm bad weather.......... a Vino\Cuddles soak off? 8)

    [sigh] Ah! the Giro, those were the days [/sigh]
  • verylonglegs
    verylonglegs Posts: 4,023
    Looking at various webcams in the area kleber is right, tv coverage is going to very patchy today if it stays like it is.
  • Pokerface
    Pokerface Posts: 7,960
    Expect to see someone from Sky having a go in a break - and Sastre. Plus the usual mountain breakaway suspects.


    And a sprint-off early in the stage for green jersey points. Thor will try and hoover up a few extra points to make up for his 20th place in the sprint finish tomoro. :oops:
  • DaveyL
    DaveyL Posts: 5,167
    iainf72 wrote:
    Hopefully it'll make it a bit harder, because it's really not *that* hard.

    Get on OK at the Etape then, did you? :D
    Le Blaireau (1)
  • iainf72
    iainf72 Posts: 15,784
    DaveyL wrote:
    iainf72 wrote:
    Hopefully it'll make it a bit harder, because it's really not *that* hard.

    Get on OK at the Etape then, did you? :D

    You know fine and well I don't cycle.
    Fckin' Quintana … that creep can roll, man.
  • BikingBernie
    BikingBernie Posts: 2,163
    iainf72 wrote:
    It's really all down to the final climb.
    Or probably the last 5km of the final climb...
  • DaveyL
    DaveyL Posts: 5,167
    iainf72 wrote:
    DaveyL wrote:
    iainf72 wrote:
    Hopefully it'll make it a bit harder, because it's really not *that* hard.

    Get on OK at the Etape then, did you? :D

    You know fine and well I don't cycle.

    My sources told me there was a Basso lookalike in full 2007 Discovery Channel kit doing laps of Richmond Park, so I did wonder...
    Le Blaireau (1)
  • SpaceJunk
    SpaceJunk Posts: 1,157
    Pokerface wrote:
    Expect to see someone from Sky having a go in a break - and Sastre. Plus the usual mountain breakaway suspects.


    And a sprint-off early in the stage for green jersey points. Thor will try and hoover up a few extra points to make up for his 20th place in the sprint finish tomoro. :oops:

    And good on him for doing so. You know Cavendish, Asthma Doper and Co. aren't restricted from doing likewise.

    If he's got the smarts to take the chance and earn some points which nets him a third Green Jersey, well, hats off to him. That would be 3 more than the other two riders combined.
  • iainf72
    iainf72 Posts: 15,784
    DaveyL wrote:

    My sources told me there was a Basso lookalike in full 2007 Discovery Channel kit doing laps of Richmond Park, so I did wonder...

    :lol:
    Fckin' Quintana … that creep can roll, man.
  • Kléber
    Kléber Posts: 6,842
    Plus the KoM is up for grabs, the unheralded Charteau against the prissy Moreau.
  • iainf72
    iainf72 Posts: 15,784
    The weather is absolutely filthy according to all the tweets.
    Fckin' Quintana … that creep can roll, man.
  • fastercyclist
    fastercyclist Posts: 396
    Anyone got access to earliest estimated time for the riders to reach Tourmalet?
    The British Empire never died, it just moved to the Velodrome
  • Kléber
    Kléber Posts: 6,842
    About 3.00 UK time
  • Orleandrew
    Orleandrew Posts: 61
    fastercyclist wrote:
    Anyone got access to earliest estimated time for the riders to reach Tourmalet?

    Click on the time schedules tab on this page: http://www.letour.fr/2010/TDF/LIVE/us/1 ... etape.html
  • gabriel959
    gabriel959 Posts: 4,227
    Got meetings all day today so will probably miss all the action, Great!
    x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x
    Commuting / Winter rides - Jamis Renegade Expert
    Pootling / Offroad - All-City Macho Man Disc
    Fast rides Cannondale SuperSix Ultegra
  • verylonglegs
    verylonglegs Posts: 4,023
    http://www.luzsaintsauveur.com/cam.htm at the foot of the tourmalet or more pointlessly as you can't see bugger all is the observatory at the top http://bagn.obs-mip.fr/webcamV2/
  • fastercyclist
    fastercyclist Posts: 396
    Kléber wrote:
    About 3.00 UK time
    Orleandrew wrote:
    fastercyclist wrote:
    Anyone got access to earliest estimated time for the riders to reach Tourmalet?

    Click on the time schedules tab on this page: http://www.letour.fr/2010/TDF/LIVE/us/1 ... etape.html

    Thanks guys. Can stop sweating about missing it now. :lol:
    The British Empire never died, it just moved to the Velodrome
  • takethehighroad
    takethehighroad Posts: 6,821
    133553156-86e3034cfc6be066c68e3854f6031f3c.4c480890-full.jpg

    Top of the Tourmalet
    (via @nedboulting)
  • Pokerface
    Pokerface Posts: 7,960
    I wonder if we'll see loads of crashes on the descents due to the wet. Or maybe we'll see Vino trying to neutralize the stage. :)
  • DaveyL
    DaveyL Posts: 5,167
    Ned's just added a twitvid as well, the wonders of modern technology!

    http://twitvid.com/KV6MX
    Le Blaireau (1)
  • stokepa31
    stokepa31 Posts: 560
    holy cow. its going to be a belter in that weather. I think AS is gonna have to pile it on early if he wants to take a couple of minutes from AC but I think he might just do it. my prediction is for AC to pop
    Burning Fat Not Rubber

    Scott CR1
    Genesis IO ID
    Moda Canon
  • gabriel959
    gabriel959 Posts: 4,227
    Hasn't it started already?
    x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x
    Commuting / Winter rides - Jamis Renegade Expert
    Pootling / Offroad - All-City Macho Man Disc
    Fast rides Cannondale SuperSix Ultegra
  • skavanagh.bikeradar
    skavanagh.bikeradar Posts: 1,097
    So long as they don't start faffing about because of the rain. Race damn you!
  • mididoctors
    mididoctors Posts: 18,908
    gabriel959 wrote:
    Hasn't it started already?

    11.30
    "If I was a 38 year old man, I definitely wouldn't be riding a bright yellow bike with Hello Kitty disc wheels, put it that way. What we're witnessing here is the world's most high profile mid-life crisis" Afx237vi Mon Jul 20, 2009 2:43 pm

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