Tdf Stage 3 *Spoiler*

greasedscotsman
greasedscotsman Posts: 6,962
edited July 2012 in Pro race
Been out today riding the last bit of the course and looks pretty tough to me! Don't think any of the climbs are that mental, but there just isn't and flat between them. The Cote de Herquelinque is pretty steep, narrow and twisty. If someone hasn't got good position on this, they might loose time! Descent down into town through Ostrehove was really good, especially as it was quite windy! Think the final climb up to the finish would suit Sagan perfectly!
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Comments

  • takethehighroad
    takethehighroad Posts: 6,821
    I'm very excited about this stage. I used to live just south of Orchies and the climbs in the finish are tough
  • TMR
    TMR Posts: 3,986
    2012_tour_de_france_stage3_profile_live_tv.png
  • Yellow Peril
    Yellow Peril Posts: 4,466
    I really fancy Cadel to stretch his legs on the last climb here just to check Wiggo's response to his kick and maybe to claw back a few seconds.

    EDIT: I've just realised it doesn't finish on the top of the Cat 3...bugger!
    @JaunePeril

    Winner of the Bike Radar Pro Race Wiggins Hour Prediction Competition
  • emadden
    emadden Posts: 2,431
    Yellow Peril wrote:
    EDIT: I've just realised it doesn't finish on the top of the Cat 3...bugger!


    of course it doesn't ... dont forget - its 2012 - the year of the crappy parcours :P
    **************************************************
    www.dotcycling.com
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  • LeicesterLad
    LeicesterLad Posts: 3,908
    Looking forward to this one, final run in looks perfect for Sagan, but at 20/1 Sylvain Chavanel would be my betting mans pick!
    http://www.twitter.com/InTheGC http://www.InTheGC.com http://www.facebook.com/intheGC
  • Anonymous
    Anonymous Posts: 79,667
    I've managed to convince my boss to allow me access to this website for the remainder of the tour. Looking forward to keeping up to date here, as the bbc commentary is pretty poor.
  • TMR
    TMR Posts: 3,986
    sjmclean wrote:
    I've managed to convince my boss to allow me access to this website for the remainder of the tour. Looking forward to keeping up to date here, as the bbc commentary is pretty poor.

    Visit www.cyling fans.com
    Choose a live stream
    Plug headphones into work PC
    Minimise bowser and crack on with work while listening to the Tour on Eurosport
    Profit

    :)
  • ddraver
    ddraver Posts: 26,695
    LeicesterLad wrote:
    Looking forward to this one, final run in looks perfect for Sagan, but at 20/1 Sylvain Chavanel would be my betting mans pick!

    Same - Sagan for PTP but I have an eye on EBH today....don't think the last little ramp is enough for Gilbert/Sagan to get totally clear so an EBH type might knick it on the line....
    We're in danger of confusing passion with incompetence
    - @ddraver
  • Pross
    Pross Posts: 43,462
    I'm keen to see how our Olympic hopeful copes with the series of climbs close together. Hopefully there'll be a bit of racing over them. Is the finish hill long enough to be dangerous to the GC contenders? From what I can tell it's only about 500m long so providing everyone is concentrating on the run-in and there are no crashes or mechanicals just before the 3km mark then it shouldn't be a problem but we saw small gaps last year on these types of finishes.
  • TMR
    TMR Posts: 3,986
    Pross wrote:
    I'm keen to see how our Olympic hopeful copes with the series of climbs close together. Hopefully there'll be a bit of racing over them. Is the finish hill long enough to be dangerous to the GC contenders? From what I can tell it's only about 500m long so providing everyone is concentrating on the run-in and there are no crashes or mechanicals just before the 3km mark then it shouldn't be a problem but we saw small gaps last year on these types of finishes.

    I think the only difference is that the run in after the last climb is longer on the Olympic course. Isn't it 30 KM or something? You're right though, it's probably a fairly comparable effort, so it'll be good to see how he does. I'd LMAO if Cav took the stage.
  • RichN95.
    RichN95. Posts: 27,253
    Pross wrote:
    I'm keen to see how our Olympic hopeful copes with the series of climbs close together. Hopefully there'll be a bit of racing over them. Is the finish hill long enough to be dangerous to the GC contenders? From what I can tell it's only about 500m long so providing everyone is concentrating on the run-in and there are no crashes or mechanicals just before the 3km mark then it shouldn't be a problem but we saw small gaps last year on these types of finishes.
    The last climb is 700m at 7.4%
    Twitter: @RichN95
  • knedlicky
    knedlicky Posts: 3,097
    RichN95 wrote:
    Pross wrote:
    I'm keen to see how our Olympic hopeful copes with the series of climbs close together. Hopefully there'll be a bit of racing over them. Is the finish hill long enough to be dangerous to the GC contenders? From what I can tell it's only about 500m long so providing everyone is concentrating on the run-in and there are no crashes or mechanicals just before the 3km mark then it shouldn't be a problem but we saw small gaps last year on these types of finishes.
    The last climb is 700m at 7.4%
    Yes, and the climb 6.5 km before the finish is 1.3 km long and up to 8.5%, so should get rid of the pure sprinters (as well as possibly any GC contenders who aren’t paying attention).
  • petemadoc
    petemadoc Posts: 2,331
    Looks like the field will be split into pieces in the last few km today. Might Evans might try and take some time out of Wiggins with an explosive break?
  • hammerite
    hammerite Posts: 3,408
    Aw3zEtRCAAA-Dz3.jpg

    Run in to the finish courtesy of Graham Jones. By the angle of the houses it looks quite tough (in my mere mortal eyes).
  • DeadCalm
    DeadCalm Posts: 4,249
    They're off. Morkov one of five in the break.
  • okgo
    okgo Posts: 4,368
    I'd love Cancellara to go up the cat 3 and get a gap on the downhill, but I think that may be wishful thinking...that finish looks horrid!
    Blog on my first and now second season of proper riding/racing - www.firstseasonracing.com
  • Yellow Peril
    Yellow Peril Posts: 4,466
    DeadCalm wrote:
    They're off. Morkov one of five in the break.

    He's now my adopted son. I think I saw him at the Ghent 6 days in 2010 but might be wrong on that
    @JaunePeril

    Winner of the Bike Radar Pro Race Wiggins Hour Prediction Competition
  • LangerDan
    LangerDan Posts: 6,132
    hammerite wrote:
    Aw3zEtRCAAA-Dz3.jpg

    Run in to the finish courtesy of Graham Jones. By the angle of the houses it looks quite tough (in my mere mortal eyes).

    Bloody hell - that looks like the the Mur De Huy!

    I've picked Biggles for the PTP but I think Dan Martin might finish well today
    'This week I 'ave been mostly been climbing like Basso - Shirley Basso.'
  • Turfle
    Turfle Posts: 3,762
    Should be another good finish. Could definitely see Nibali, Evans, and some of the GC riders who are strong in the Ardennes looking to put some other GC riders under pressure. Wiggo looked very strong on stage 1, so not too worried about him.

    The 3 from stage 1 should all be there again. Gilbert flattered a bit, Chavanel looked great for about 3 seconds. One for Dan Martin maybe?

    Brailsford said it might be one for Cav, but I can't really see it with that finish. He may get to the finish well, but can't see him competing for the win.
  • phreak
    phreak Posts: 2,953
    Where has this notion that Evans has a kick come from? For most of his career he's been a wheel sucker extraordinaire and won last year through gutsy tempo riding rather than brute accelerations. Can't see him being able to drop Wiggins on a climb.
  • Turfle
    Turfle Posts: 3,762
    Evans isn't explosive at all, but he's great at the 2, 3, 4 minute efforts to get up hills, and he's an ace descender. Successive hills are good for him.
  • disgruntledgoat
    disgruntledgoat Posts: 8,957
    Might I suggest you go to a popular video sharing site and type in "Cycling World Championships 2009"
    "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
  • phreak
    phreak Posts: 2,953
    disgruntledgoat wrote:
    Might I suggest you go to a popular video sharing site and type in "Cycling World Championships 2009"

    Yeah but Wiggins won a sprint finish during the Romandie and no one thinks he's a sprinter :D
  • calvjones
    calvjones Posts: 3,850
    This might be a carbon copy of Stage 1...
    ___________________

    Strava is not Zen.
  • bigmat
    bigmat Posts: 5,134
    How about Fleche Wallonne? Or that stage of the Tour he won last year? He has a decent kick on a steep uphill finish, better than Wiggins (unless Wiggins has really improved). Might suit Valverde today, he looks to be recovering some form and interesting that Rojas is not contesting green so that he can focus on team duties - maybe Movistar know something we don't?
    http://www.flickr.com/photos/41991871@N ... otostream/
  • ddraver
    ddraver Posts: 26,695
    Remember he was also wheelsucking people who were doped up to their eyeballs....

    no longer (in s'y Allah)
    We're in danger of confusing passion with incompetence
    - @ddraver
  • frenchfighter
    frenchfighter Posts: 30,642
    edited July 2012
    phreak wrote:
    Where has this notion that Evans has a kick come from? For most of his career he's been a wheel sucker extraordinaire and won last year through gutsy tempo riding rather than brute accelerations. Can't see him being able to drop Wiggins on a climb.

    A kick on a short steep hill is different to an acceleration on a 15km mountain. Evans has form there. Easiest eg/. is Fleche-Wallonne

    bettiniphoto_0050906_1_full_600.jpg
    That is J-rod (king of the 20% no less) and Contador (needs no introduction), 2nd and 3rd
    Or here:
    Stage+4-+Cadel+Evans+and+BMC+Team+Machine+SLR01%25283%2529.jpg
    Contador is the Greatest
  • Turfle
    Turfle Posts: 3,762
    FW was a long, grinding 3 minute effort where he outlasted, and eventually overhauled the more explosive riders. Mendrisio was a great tactical win (and tactical cock-up by Spain and Italy), but there was nothing explosive about it.
  • Yellow Peril
    Yellow Peril Posts: 4,466
    Turfle wrote:
    FW was a long, grinding 3 minute effort where he outlasted, and eventually overhauled the more explosive riders. Mendrisio was a great tactical win (and tactical cock-up by Spain and Italy), but there was nothing explosive about it.

    Hopefully Evans will answer this question today (he's my PTP choice). I definitely think it is something he will have worked on purely because of the way Wiggo climbs. Let's see...
    @JaunePeril

    Winner of the Bike Radar Pro Race Wiggins Hour Prediction Competition
  • Turfle
    Turfle Posts: 3,762
    Yellow Peril wrote:
    Turfle wrote:
    FW was a long, grinding 3 minute effort where he outlasted, and eventually overhauled the more explosive riders. Mendrisio was a great tactical win (and tactical cock-up by Spain and Italy), but there was nothing explosive about it.

    Hopefully Evans will answer this question today (he's my PTP choice). I definitely think it is something he will have worked on purely because of the way Wiggo climbs. Let's see...

    Today should be a really good stage for him; along with Nibali he's probably the strongest hilly GC contender. Think the final climb isn't quite steep or long enough for him to get the win, but who knows what the other hills will have taken out of Sagan, EBH etc. Would expect him to be top 5 either way.

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