Tour de France Stage 7 Epernay-Nancy *Spoilers*

pottssteve
pottssteve Posts: 4,069
edited July 2014 in Pro race
Jo Sun!

Eyes down for another sprint stage before we reach the Vosges.
Two little climbs before the finish should not be an issue.
Weather forecast the now usual fare - cloudy with a chance of rain, 15 degrees C and cross/tailwinds. The longest stage on the tour at almost 235km.

TDF14_ETAP-07_PROFIL.jpg

My predictions:

1. Early break containing Bretagne Seche rider.
2. Cheng on the front for at least 80km
3. Several crashes.
4. Kittel for the win
5. Stefano's trousers will be an alarming shade of blue
Head Hands Heart Lungs Legs
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Comments

  • pottssteve
    pottssteve Posts: 4,069
    More predictions...

    6. Carlton Kirby's obsession with roundabouts to continue.
    7. Sean will say, "certaintly" (though he doesn't do it as much as he used to, I think).
    8. Sagan will finish in the top 5.
    9. Someone will make a joke about entering Nancy.
    10. I will continue to post nonsense......
    Head Hands Heart Lungs Legs
  • No_Ta_Doctor
    No_Ta_Doctor Posts: 14,651
    We've had the LBL stage, we've had the PR stage, is this the Milan Sanremo stage? Last climb is a little over a km at nearly 8%, summit 6km from finish. Not enough in the rest of the stage to really sap the sprinters legs, but I expect to see teams try and sort out the opposition a little on the second last climb , and if we don't see at least an attempt to jump on the final climb I'd be very surprised, purely given how close it is to the finish. This is purely from looking at the profile, obviously, I could well be talking shoot.

    My wild prediction: Fuglsang to try and jump. My less wild prediction: Sagan to try and jump. My mad prediction: Contador to try and jump (nibs takes him on the descent)
    Warning No formatter is installed for the format
  • takethehighroad
    takethehighroad Posts: 6,821
    Was it Nancy that Vino won into a couple years ago, it was a Saturday and he managed to foil the sprinters. Or am I misremembering?

    Of course I could Google but that would be far too easy. Don't think Kittel will be there at the end, esp as teams know they can get rid of him if they drill it
  • fleshtuxedo
    fleshtuxedo Posts: 1,858
    +1 Kittel won't make it today
  • tailwindhome
    tailwindhome Posts: 19,434
    TakeTheHighRoad wrote:
    they drill it

    They in this case being Cannondale.


    Sagan for the win.
    “New York has the haircuts, London has the trousers, but Belfast has the reason!
  • jscl
    jscl Posts: 1,015
    FleshTuxedo wrote:
    +1 Kittel won't make it today
    I second this. That last little kick will sap the pure sprinters being so close to the finish. It's going to be a day of surprises me thinks. I'm just going to throw these wildcards out there:

    Voeckler
    Kristoff
    Van Avermaet
    Talansky
    Cancellara

    Feel free to tell me I'm talking nonsense :) But I think the obvious one is definitely Sagan today.
    Follow me on Twitter - http://twitter.com/scalesjason - All posts are strictly my personal view.
  • smithy21
    smithy21 Posts: 2,204
    Agree. The teams know how to get rid of him so the pace will be quick over the last climb.
  • pottssteve
    pottssteve Posts: 4,069
    Ah,

    Didn't realise Kittel had been dropped yesterday - I thought he's had a mechanical. In that case, my prediction is someone else for the win.
    Head Hands Heart Lungs Legs
  • dave milne
    dave milne Posts: 703
    TakeTheHighRoad wrote:
    Was it Nancy that Vino won into a couple years ago, it was a Saturday and he managed to foil the sprinters. Or am I misremembering?

    Of course I could Google but that would be far too easy. Don't think Kittel will be there at the end, esp as teams know they can get rid of him if they drill it
    it was Revel
  • Cumulonimbus
    Cumulonimbus Posts: 1,730
    Not sure whether the break takes it or not. Given the lumps at the end of the stage some of the sprinters teams might not fancy their guys chances at the end and not work much, especially given how long the stage is. This might encourage a better break than on most days so far but then its the sprinters last chance for a while and there are better days for a break coming up. Cannondale are one team who may well fancy chasing for Sagan and Lotto may well be emboldened by yesterday. Maybe the chance for someone reasonably high up on GC but not the best climber to take yellow as Astana may not want to chase all day and they could well get it back tomorrow. Really depends on how many people fancy going in the break, hopefully its a good one today and not just the standard three guys from teams without a big GC/sprinter.
  • blazing_saddles
    blazing_saddles Posts: 22,725
    Can't see Cannondale and OPQS (if Martin or Bakelants are not in the break) not putting the hammer down
    and dumping the sprinters on the run in to Nancy.
    Could end up a relatively small group of puncheurs, GC men and the best of the domis.

    Break could well stick on such a long stage with sprinter trains perhaps not overly interested.
    "Science is a tool for cheaters". An anonymous French PE teacher.
  • joelsim
    joelsim Posts: 7,552
    Blazing Saddles wrote:
    Can't see Cannondale and OPQS (if Martin or Bakelants are not in the break) not putting the hammer down
    and dumping the sprinters on the run in to Nancy.
    Could end up a relatively small group of puncheurs, GC men and the best of the domis.

    Break could well stick on such a long stage with sprinter trains perhaps not overly interested.

    Most of the sprinters can do a bit of climbing. Surely a bit of a risk not to chase down in the last stage for a week that is suitable. Sagan, Kristoff, Demare, Coquard, Van Poppel, Greipel...and a climb that could rule Kittel out.
  • above_the_cows
    above_the_cows Posts: 11,406
    Here is a Moselle cow...

    Cow_of_Moselle.jpg

    Of course today's stage does not just enter Nancy it spends most of the day in Lorraine. Lorraine is well known for her delicious quiches and tripe sausages.

    You can also find interesting cheeses such as this funny looking thing called Mossa:

    Mossa_cheese.jpg

    Or this lekker looking kaas called Morbier:

    morbier.jpg

    Lorraine is also the home of such bland staples as Emmental but the less said about that the better.
    Correlation is not causation.
  • pottssteve
    pottssteve Posts: 4,069
    I've had some of that Morbier cheese - it tastes like it looks.......
    Head Hands Heart Lungs Legs
  • thomthom
    thomthom Posts: 3,574
    Cote de Maron 3.2km 5%
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bGRGbNtA4p8

    Cote de Boufflers 1.3km 7,9%
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gYcqzIgK824
  • milton50
    milton50 Posts: 3,856
    If Cannondale can drill it like they did on stage 2 then we'll probably end up with the same kind of situation. A group of puncheurs together with the GC guys and their helpers.

    If that does happen then we could well see exactly the same thing happen in the the final few kms. Someone jumps from the group, Sagan looks around to see who'll help chase, everyone says "after you Peter", and it will be a lone victor again.

    Could be Bakelants.
  • milton50
    milton50 Posts: 3,856
    ThomThom wrote:
    Cote de Boufflers 1.3km 7,9%
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gYcqzIgK824

    That looks absolutely perfect for a good drilling.
  • FJS
    FJS Posts: 4,820
    Joelsim wrote:
    Most of the sprinters can do a bit of climbing. Surely a bit of a risk not to chase down in the last stage for a week that is suitable. Sagan, Kristoff, Demare, Coquard, Van Poppel, Greipel...and a climb that could rule Kittel out.
    Not sure about Van Poppel, and Demare doesn't seem in perfect shape at the moment. Greipel, perhaps, perhaps not. Sagan and Kristoff (in the select group of about 30 riders in the finale on Sunday) certainly. Not many sprinters who can't climb in this Tour
  • FJS
    FJS Posts: 4,820
    Van Avermaet: "If I could design the finale myself, this is what it would look like"
  • above_the_cows
    above_the_cows Posts: 11,406
    Stef Clement abandons.
    Correlation is not causation.
  • NervexProf
    NervexProf Posts: 4,202
    G and Richie on today's stage
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9RpJOHFoCjU
    Common sense in an uncommon degree is what the world calls wisdom
  • FJS
    FJS Posts: 4,820
    Above The Cows wrote:
    Stef Clement abandons.
    BsQiA04IEAA0mnS.png
  • kleinstroker
    kleinstroker Posts: 2,133
    NervexProf wrote:
    G and Richie on today's stage
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9RpJOHFoCjU

    He's such a chatty guy.
  • FJS
    FJS Posts: 4,820
    Degenkolb could have been a contender for today, but he's saying this morning he's still hurting after crashing on Wednesday and it'll be just surviving today
  • FJS
    FJS Posts: 4,820
    They put the press centre in Nancy in the University library. Nice
    BsQgQNPCEAAzzD6.jpg
  • symo
    symo Posts: 1,743
    FJS wrote:
    They put the press centre in Nancy in the University library. Nice
    BsQgQNPCEAAzzD6.jpg
    No Nancy; Nice is further south.
    +++++++++++++++++++++
    we are the proud, the few, Descendents.

    Panama - finally putting a nail in the economic theory of the trickle down effect.
  • pottssteve
    pottssteve Posts: 4,069
    pottssteve wrote:
    Jo Sun!

    Eyes down for another sprint stage before we reach the Vosges.
    Two little climbs before the finish should not be an issue.
    Weather forecast the now usual fare - cloudy with a chance of rain, 15 degrees C and cross/tailwinds. The longest stage on the tour at almost 235km.

    TDF14_ETAP-07_PROFIL.jpg

    My predictions:

    1. Early break containing Bretagne Seche rider.
    2. Cheng on the front for at least 80km
    3. Several crashes.
    4. Kittel for the win
    5. Stefano's trousers will be an alarming shade of blue


    64km gone and prediction number 1 is successful - Bretagne Seche rider Anthony Delaplace is in the break. :)
    Head Hands Heart Lungs Legs
  • ddraver
    ddraver Posts: 26,695
    No ES coverage yet?

    Edit - yep
    We're in danger of confusing passion with incompetence
    - @ddraver
  • pottssteve
    pottssteve Posts: 4,069
    pottssteve wrote:
    pottssteve wrote:
    Jo Sun!

    Eyes down for another sprint stage before we reach the Vosges.
    Two little climbs before the finish should not be an issue.
    Weather forecast the now usual fare - cloudy with a chance of rain, 15 degrees C and cross/tailwinds. The longest stage on the tour at almost 235km.

    TDF14_ETAP-07_PROFIL.jpg

    My predictions:

    1. Early break containing Bretagne Seche rider.
    2. Cheng on the front for at least 80km
    3. Several crashes.
    4. Kittel for the win
    5. Stefano's trousers will be an alarming shade of blue


    64km gone and prediction number 1 is successful - Bretagne Seche rider Anthony Delaplace is in the break. :)

    Prediction number 5 is a partial success - blue, but not alarmingly so. :)
    Head Hands Heart Lungs Legs
  • blazing_saddles
    blazing_saddles Posts: 22,725
    France 3 now live.
    141kms to go. Break down to just 2 and 3 quarter minutes, due to Cannondale
    "Science is a tool for cheaters". An anonymous French PE teacher.

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