PARIS-TOURS **SPOILER**

frenchfighter

Live coverage should start at about 2.30 uk time. Expected to finish about 3.30-4 uk time.

Cnews and ES should have a ticker
http://uk.eurosport.yahoo.com/cycling/l ... 15178.html

Various feeds here:
http://www.cyclingfans.com/node/1390

Tom BB

Come on Wiggo

frenchfighter

The first break formed after 37km of fast racing. In the move are: Juan Antonio Flecha (Team Sky), Jonas Jorgensen (Saxo Bank), Travis Meyer (Garmin-Transitions), Yuriy Krivtsov (Ag2r-La Mondiale), Simon Geschke (Skil-Shimano), Nikolas Maes (QuickStep), Aleksejs Saramotins (HTC-Columbia) and Laurent Pichon (Bretagna-Schuller).

The initial move included four of them but the other four quickly joined them.

The opened a gap of 3:50 after 85km but the peloton is keeping them in check and the gap is down to just two minutes after 170km of the 233km race.
-Cnews

ilm_zero7

live feed here:
http://www.fromsport.com/v-0/6/184/v-78536.html

secretsqirrel

Live on ES now.

ilm_zero7

1'04'' the gap - nothing.. unless someone makes a move
it looks fast and flat - is it all like this?

I thought there was a bit of a climb toward the end

afx237vi

Felt so Good wrote:

1'04'' the gap - nothing.. unless someone makes a move
it looks fast and flat - is it all like this?

I thought there was a bit of a climb toward the end

Gets hillier a bit later, but it still favours the stronger sprinters.

ilm_zero7

my money is on Chav or Robbie Mc - with something to prove after the selectors didnt pick him for the worlds perhaps?

afx237vi

Well I went for Guarnieri in PTP... more out of hope than anything, but he has a chance I think. Romain Feillu is in good form.

ilm_zero7

all over for the escapees now - only 20 seconds and falling

inkyfingers

I was just out on my bike thinking that I wish I'd gone for McEwan rather than following the crowd and going for Gilbert in PTP...oh well.

Would love to see Robbie win this.

Was also wondering whether anybody has seen Robbie McEwan and Billy Crystal in the same room?

frenchfighter

Does Gilbert want to try and sprint?! One more cote at 9km.

ilm_zero7

disruption by the tight roads and Lequatre goes alone and builds a 30 second cushion

frenchfighter

Well come on Lequatre. There is no real selection behind you.

afx237vi

The Grammont will kill him. Bunch sprint.

frenchfighter

Don't think I have ever rooted for a Shack rider before, but COME ON LEQUATRE

Moomaloid

my Eurosport link starts with 4km to go! What a joke

ilm_zero7

Moomaloid
http://www.fromsport.com/v-0/6/184/v-78536.html

i think Leqatre can do this - the rest seem so disorganised

afx237vi

He's dying.

afx237vi

Freire. The Worlds was LAST WEEK YOU MUPPET.

ilm_zero7

what a great sprint - dont you feel for Lequatre?
Oscar does it

ilm_zero7

afx237vi wrote:

Freire. The Worlds was LAST WEEK YOU MUPPET.

youre not a fan then!!

frenchfighter

DAMN

Much respect to efforts like that. No one else had the balls to go for it. Not even the 'favourites'. Does Gilbert or Pozzato think they will win a bunch sprint with the type of sprinters most probably in that group...

Mr Oscar, king of the hide your face until the last 50m. I guess he is the best at never giving any wasted effort and has a palmares to show that.

afx237vi

Felt so Good wrote:

afx237vi wrote:

Freire. The Worlds was LAST WEEK YOU MUPPET.

youre not a fan then!!

Yes, but I think he got his training schedule out of sync by 7 days

Typical Freire though. Nowhere one minute, world class a minute later.

etapechamp

great sprint for freire

shinyhelmut

frenchfighter wrote:

Mr Oscar, king of the hide your face until the last 50m. I guess he is the best at never giving any wasted effort and has a palmares to show that.

Otherwise known as a sprinter.

Kléber

I don't think Gilbert could have attacked as there were guys up the road. Had he jumped, he would have bridged across and found them stuck on his wheel.

Cumulonimbus

afx237vi wrote:

Felt so Good wrote:

afx237vi wrote:

Freire. The Worlds was LAST WEEK YOU MUPPET.

youre not a fan then!!

Yes, but I think he got his training schedule out of sync by 7 days

Typical Freire though. Nowhere one minute, world class a minute later.

6th last week wasnt exactly nowhere.. N ot everyone who beat him started today and a flattish sprint is probably more suited to him than anyone who beat him last sunday.

Not that i picked him for PTP :oops:

inkyfingers

Another good finish that, was really rooting for Lequatre but knew deep down he wouldn't make it. Gilbert was right at the front but maybe didn't have the legs for an attack...been a long season for him I suppose.

A good win for Freire, especially as i don't think he's won PT before? He may not have done the business in the worlds but winning PT and MSR plus a few stage wins here and there is a pretty decent season for him.

frenchfighter

inkyfingers wrote:

Another good finish that, was really rooting for Lequatre but knew deep down he wouldn't make it. Gilbert was right at the front but maybe didn't have the legs for an attack...been a long season for him I suppose.

A good win for Freire, especially as i don't think he's won PT before? He may not have done the business in the worlds but winning PT and MSR plus a few stage wins here and there is a pretty decent season for him.

I would be pretty sure he has got legs this far into the season and he sure has huge motivation. Maybe suffering a little from jet-lag although he said he was pleased with his training prior. Last year he rode well at the end of the season and took a few wins for it. He is going to be massively up for Lombardia - going to be a cracker what with Gesink and Martin (both on great form) and some notable others targetting the win.

inkyfingers

frenchfighter wrote:

inkyfingers wrote:

Another good finish that, was really rooting for Lequatre but knew deep down he wouldn't make it. Gilbert was right at the front but maybe didn't have the legs for an attack...been a long season for him I suppose.

A good win for Freire, especially as i don't think he's won PT before? He may not have done the business in the worlds but winning PT and MSR plus a few stage wins here and there is a pretty decent season for him.

I would be pretty sure he has got legs this far into the season and he sure has huge motivation. Maybe suffering a little from jet-lag although he said he was pleased with his training prior. Last year he rode well at the end of the season and took a few wins for it. He is going to be massively up for Lombardia - going to be a cracker what with Gesink and Martin (both on great form) and some notable others targetting the win.

I wasn't getting at Gilbert, it's OK to have a bad day or to save yourself a bit for the next race, just that I was expecting him to try something...so much so that I picked him for PTP!

I actually think your description of the end of his season last year is uncharacteristically understated FF...he was immense at the end of last year! I wonder whether his great ride at the Vuelta may have have taken the edge out of his legs for the autumn classics this year?....so watch him now win Lombardy by a mile!

Is the tougher Lombardy course this year or does it start next year?