2013 TdF ~ Decisive stages

inkyfingers

ddraver wrote:

THe alpe is only HC because it always is at the end of a mofo stage, and because the French love romanticism as much as the next guy. I think it's Cat 1 or 2 the rest of the time.

It's category is a bit irrelevant really when you consider how many times the Tour has been won and lost on it.

ddraver

*breathes*

Becasue it's at the end of a mammoth stage with 2 or 3 Proper HC climbs in it already - the point is that this time it isn't...

THe stage amy be won by 5 mins, but it will be won by someone only the nerdiest of us have heard of. There is a possibility that that person could do a "DeGendt in the Giro" but that will require all the other GT teams making a massive mistake...which is wholly possible, but could happen any any bit of road during the 3 weeks.

inkyfingers

I appreciate what you're saying, and the stage may well be won by a non GC rider, but i'm going to stick my nose out and say that we will see a serious GC selection on the Alpe this year.

iainf72

GingerMagician wrote:

Stage 11, for a superior demonstration of TT'ing on the part of Wiggins and Froome. I expect both of them, but especially Wiggins, to put significant time into Contador - as well as a serious chunk into Schleck.

It'll be early days, but I think they'll lay down a marker...

Do you think?

http://www.cyclingnews.com/vuelta-a-esp ... 11/results

I think you're underestimating how good Bert is CLM

inkyfingers

Looking at their form over the last couple of years i'd expect Wiggins to beat Contador, but probably not by that much over 33kms, maybe between 30 and 45 seconds, which I think Contador should be able to make up in the mountains, even just by attacking in the last couple of KMs on all the uphill finishes.

I'd expect that if Froome has his 2012 TT form then he'll be pretty close to Contador in the TTs.

thomthom

iainf72 wrote:

GingerMagician wrote:

Stage 11, for a superior demonstration of TT'ing on the part of Wiggins and Froome. I expect both of them, but especially Wiggins, to put significant time into Contador - as well as a serious chunk into Schleck.

It'll be early days, but I think they'll lay down a marker...

Do you think?

http://www.cyclingnews.com/vuelta-a-esp ... 11/results

I think you're underestimating how good Bert is CLM

Froome was grilled at this stage of the Vuelta. Both in form, Froome is the better tt'er.

ddraver

Depends which one Berties been inject.....ARGH NO RICK NOOOOO!!

greasedscotsman

ddraver wrote:

*breathes*

Steady there fella, this isn't an LA thread, it is just a bit of fun.

ddraver wrote:

Becasue it's at the end of a mammoth stage with 2 or 3 Proper HC climbs in it already - the point is that this time it isn't...

Is that one of those 250km stages, with 2/3 mountain passes and a summit finish where nothing happens until the final climb? Yeah, great. Epic! Not the kind of stage you would really want to take a day off work to watch on the TV. I'd rather have this double ascent. It could be much more interesting for the reasons I've already pointed out.

ddraver wrote:

THe stage amy be won by 5 mins, but it will be won by someone only the nerdiest of us have heard of. There is a possibility that that person could do a "DeGendt in the Giro" but that will require all the other GT teams making a massive mistake...which is wholly possible, but could happen any any bit of road during the 3 weeks.

In fairness, the reason De Gendt was able to do a "De Gendt in the Giro" was because the GC teams sat up at the bottom of the Mortirolo. If they hadn't, he probably wouldn't have even won the stage.

rick_chasey

A) and b), as he's said many times - he only likes the well engineered mountain climbs - the likes of which you usually get in the French Alps... Just so happens Stelvio is comparable - only longer.

He was very good up the Alpe last time they went up.

greasedscotsman

Rick Chasey wrote:

A) and b), as he's said many times - he only likes the well engineered mountain climbs - the likes of which you usually get in the French Alps... Just so happens Stelvio is comparable - only longer.

He was very good up the Alpe last time they went up.

De Gendt?

rick_chasey

Yeah.

greasedscotsman

Is he your top tip for the Alpe then?

rick_chasey

Nah.

I'm curious to see what he can do as a marked man.

I back Contador or Schleck - but then I'm boring like that.

I'm quite psyched to see Andy in form in the Tour actually. Fingers crossed.

rick_chasey

Though, thinking about it, some of those young Frenchies?


1. ROLLAND Pierre 188 TEAM EUROPCAR 3h 13' 25"
2. SANCHEZ Samuel 21 EUSKALTEL - EUSKADI 3h 13' 39" + 00' 14"
4. VELITS Peter 179 HTC - HIGHROAD 3h 14' 22" + 00' 57"
5. EVANS Cadel 141 BMC RACING TEAM 3h 14' 22" + 00' 57"
6. DE GENDT Thomas 203 VACANSOLEIL-DCM 3h 14' 22" + 00' 57"
7. CUNEGO Damiano 161 LAMPRE - ISD 3h 14' 22" + 00' 57"
8. SCHLECK Frank 18 TEAM LEOPARD-TREK 3h 14' 22" + 00' 57"
9. SCHLECK Andy 11 TEAM LEOPARD-TREK 3h 14' 22" + 00' 57"
10. HESJEDAL Ryder 55 TEAM GARMIN - CERVELO 3h 14' 40" + 01' 15"
11. DANIELSON Tom 52 TEAM GARMIN - CERVELO 3h 14' 40" + 01' 15"

Was 2011's top 10(ish)

Same time as Evans and the brother Schlecks is not shabby at all.

suspectdevice

We were on the Ventoux in 2009 when the tour came up there. It was a windy day and a bit shorter than this years stage but was pretty much neutralised by most of the GC peeps. That was the penultimate day though so assume that this year will be a bit different as it's mid stage.

We will be on Semnoz this year but i have a feeling it will be deja-vu re 2009 only the climb isn't as hard.

We were on the Alpe in 2011 when Contador attacked at the bottom (Corner 2), it was a pretty sustained attack but IIRC he had a pretty hard Giro that year.

I think the Le Grand Bornand stage looks quite interesting, may have to be on that stage as well.

knedlicky

greasedscotsman wrote:

What I think might make a difference is that it's 48km from the top of the Galibier to the bottom of Alpe d'Huez whereas it's 26.5km from the top of the Sarenne to the bottom of the Alpe. Alot less time to recover. Mind you, I don't know what the descent of the Sarenne is like, supposed to be quite technical (?), whereas the Galibier/Lautaret isn't.

Tomorrow, 13 May, roadworks costing half-a-million Euros are supposed to start to improve the route over/down the Col de Sarenne, which forms part of the TdF stage with the double ascencion of Alpe d’Huez. I imagine most of the proposed work is road widening and resurfacing, and making the bends/hairpins less sharp/less technical (I'd guess there are half-a-dozen tight ones).

And over 10,000 people are petitioning against the roadworks, partly for environmental reasons (apparently the road passes through a protected biotope) but largely because a wide modern road will change the character of the area.

I doubt that the Tour organisers will back off and alter the route, or the local community who see tourism advantages, but it might mean a compromise heavily-slanted in favour of the Tour is reached, whereby the extent of the proposed work is slightly reduced, like happened at Planche de Belles Filles last year.

I'd like to see flattish stretches like this left alone in their width

but accept re-surfacing would be here and there good

so I hope a compromise is reached.

RichN95.

This is what that descent currently looks like (Photo from Pinot). I think it needs work.

Macaloon

Sure this ^ will form part of the intelligence dossier Froom passes to Wiggins.

above_the_cows

RichN95 wrote:

This is what that descent currently looks like (Photo from Pinot). I think it needs work.

I'd be worried about the impending ambush.

knedlicky

RichN95 wrote:

This is what that descent currently looks like (Photo from Pinot). I think it needs work.

It might well currently look like that; that's what happens in Winter in the Alps.
Probably nobody from the local community has been out to clean up the mess, because the community has no obligation to do anything until the pass is officially opened, maybe late-June.

Maybe there would be more reaction in the UK about the Serenne roadworks if it were announced that, for the one-time passing of a cycle race, the Wrynose Pass road were to be widened to twice its present width, the corners less tightened and so on.

Pross

Half a million euros isn't going to suddenly turn the mountain pass into a motorway. On a road of that length it will probably only cover what is essential for safety. For contrast, a new average size roundabout in the UK will cost around £300,000.