Paris-Nice 2016 **SPOILERS**

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Comments

  • Mad_Malx
    Mad_Malx Posts: 5,182
    Top five placings in stage 4

    1. Nacer Bouhanni (France, Cofidis)

    2. Edward Theunes (Belgium, Trek-Segafredo)

    3. Andre Greipel (Germany, Lotto Soudal)

    4. Alexander Kristoff (Norway, Katusha)

    5. Michael Matthews (Australia, Orica)
  • ddraver
    ddraver Posts: 26,695
    i'm also in BBs timewarp, not much interest in watching Bouhanni win...
    We're in danger of confusing passion with incompetence
    - @ddraver
  • TheBigBean
    TheBigBean Posts: 21,907
    I'm either in a time warp or it is a British Eurosport thing backed up by this

    http://tv.eurosport.co.uk/tvschedule.shtml

    The answer to my question was that I should have stayed away as now I know who wins
  • Mad_Malx
    Mad_Malx Posts: 5,182
    A lot of riders contending the sprints this year.
  • carbonclem
    carbonclem Posts: 1,784
    TheBigBean wrote:
    I'm either in a time warp or it is a British Eurosport thing backed up by this

    http://tv.eurosport.co.uk/tvschedule.shtml

    The answer to my question was that I should have stayed away as now I know who wins

    Yeah, the ES 2 thing wasnt it, but it was on silent on the ES Player app.
    2020/2021/2022 Metric Century Challenge Winner
  • inseine
    inseine Posts: 5,788
    Lot's of people dismiss Bouhanni but he looks in good shape.
  • dish_dash
    dish_dash Posts: 5,647
    dish_dash wrote:
    Demare abandons
    You sure?

    yes
  • RichN95.
    RichN95. Posts: 27,253
    In the same way that Sagan accumulates second places, Ben Swift accumulates sixth places.
    Twitter: @RichN95
  • dish_dash wrote:
    dish_dash wrote:
    Demare abandons
    You sure?

    yes
    :D Aye i thought i was watching Paris-Nice live, saw him on the screen then just checked Facebook and they have given me who has won the stage...Mind bending stuff
  • looked a bad crash
  • TheBigBean
    TheBigBean Posts: 21,907
    11km to go in the time warp. Break being caught. Looks like a day for Bouhanni
  • blazing_saddles
    blazing_saddles Posts: 22,725
    Bouhanni: "My team did such a great job"
    Yes Nacer, of sitting on the back and enjoying a tow.

    It is something I have regularly noticed with French teams: failure to take any responsibility for the chase, but having a sense of entitlement, come the sprint.

    No wonder he enjoys a less than stellar rep with his fellow professionals.
    "Science is a tool for cheaters". An anonymous French PE teacher.
  • rick_chasey
    rick_chasey Posts: 75,661
    Meh, if Anglo teams are so keen to do the work why bother?
  • The_Boy
    The_Boy Posts: 3,099
    Exactly. It used to amuse me no end last season when Etixx would do their old-school HTC thing of pulling from 20k out before Giant popped up at 1.5 to go and rinsed it.
    Team My Man 2018: David gaudu, Pierre Latour, Romain Bardet, Thibaut pinot, Alexandre Geniez, Florian Senechal, Warren Barguil, Benoit Cosnefroy
  • blazing_saddles
    blazing_saddles Posts: 22,725
    Meh, if Anglo teams are so keen to do the work why bother?

    Russia thanks you for the image makeover.
    Still, as a generic comment, yeah as a rule.
    Like lazy French teams, I guess.
    "Science is a tool for cheaters". An anonymous French PE teacher.
  • milton50
    milton50 Posts: 3,856
    So what's up with Kittel then? Seemed like he was back to his 2014 form at the start of the year.
  • RichN95.
    RichN95. Posts: 27,253
    failure to take any responsibility..... but having a sense of entitlement
    That's basically French cycling in a nutshell.
    Twitter: @RichN95
  • RonB
    RonB Posts: 3,984
    looked a bad crash

    From Team DD - #ParisNice unfortunately @NathanPeterHaas has had to abandon after a crash. Thankfully we can confirm that our Australian rider is okay.

    It did look a bit like a Jonny Hoogerland moment at one stage there.
  • milton50
    milton50 Posts: 3,856
    There's a nice little story about Eric Caritoux's Vuelta win in the inrng preview today. Still the smallest winning margin in Grand Tour history.

    http://inrng.com/2016/03/paris-nice-sta ... -provence/
  • thegibdog
    thegibdog Posts: 2,106
    Not sure why Cofidis are getting criticized - it was them who brought it back in the last couple of km. They did what they needed to do.

    Bouhanni is looking strong too, he was pulling away from Greipel and Kristoff in the sprint. I don't think he has any right to complain about his DQ the other day though.
  • imatfaal
    imatfaal Posts: 2,716
    No Change at the top

    1. AUS MATTHEWS Michael 61 ORICA GREENEDGE 14h 24' 15''
    2. NED DUMOULIN Tom 121 TEAM GIANT-ALPECIN 14h 24' 29'' + 00' 14''
    3. NZL BEVIN Patrick 142 CANNONDALE 14h 24' 34'' + 00' 19''
    4. ESP IZAGUIRRE Ion 101 MOVISTAR TEAM 14h 24' 34'' + 00' 19''
    5. GBR THOMAS Geraint 31 TEAM SKY 14h 24' 34'' + 00' 19''

    That horrid crash into the ditch lead to one withdrawal as did stage winner Demare's illness

    174 HAAS Nathan DDD withdrawal
    94 DEMARE Arnaud FDJ withdrawal

    --

    Vendredi 11 mars - 198 km
    Saint-Paul-Trois-Châteaux > Salon-de-Provence

    In the competition between PN and TA both routes have played blinders on the scenery front today - with TA winning by a short head

    lesplan-saint-paul-trois-chateaux_big.jpg

    25393639070_f1cabdff26_b.jpg

    But on the actual route for today I think PN has TA blown away - it is proper lumpy with Ventoux as high point; just a shame that such an iconic mountain is at the beginning

    25601786611_22ed6be0e2_z.jpg

    Not sure the stage is gonna do what the organisers wanted it to - there is such a long run from the HC mountain. The 2 cat 2s nearer the end will ensure it isn't all back together but bets are for all GC contenders to be together at the line.

    25575780932_71d6b7aa8f_z.jpg
  • rick_chasey
    rick_chasey Posts: 75,661
    If Matthews can get back on after the giant...
  • imatfaal
    imatfaal Posts: 2,716
    If Matthews can get back on after the giant...

    If it was a completely flat run in to the line perhaps - but there is no such thing in that part of the world. OGE DS already said that Matthews cannot win - was that just a bit of reverse psychology cos they think maybe - just maybe - he can? Nah...

    By GC contenders I meant the pre-race favourites Contador, Thomas, Porte etc. and fair numbers of their team mates; I think the bulk of non-climbers will shoulder arms on Ventoux and coast in with the bus
  • dish_dash
    dish_dash Posts: 5,647
    So... a breakaway winner then?
  • imatfaal
    imatfaal Posts: 2,716
    Although from looking at the bookies and the PTP choices today - looks as if Rich might be right; Matthews is the bookies choice and the PTP choice
  • RichN95.
    RichN95. Posts: 27,253
    imatfaal wrote:
    Although from looking at the bookies and the PTP choices today - looks as if Rich might be right; Matthews is the bookies choice and the PTP choice
    It's basically a case 'if he doesn't make it then who'. If it came to a group of 30 at the finish we would have trouble picking the winner even knowing their names. There's no Valverde or Kwiatkowski here.
    Twitter: @RichN95
  • ocdupalais
    ocdupalais Posts: 4,317
    RichN95 wrote:
    imatfaal wrote:
    Although from looking at the bookies and the PTP choices today - looks as if Rich might be right; Matthews is the bookies choice and the PTP choice
    It's basically a case 'if he doesn't make it then who'. If it came to a group of 30 at the finish we would have trouble picking the winner even knowing their names. There's no Valverde or Kwiatkowski here.

    Ordinarily on a stage like this Albasini might be a good bet - but with Matthews in yellow, it's hard to know how OGE will play it: fire riders up the road in the break or keep everyone close to the leader?
    Anyone but Bouhanni - that's my new motto.
  • RichN95.
    RichN95. Posts: 27,253
    You never know with Albasini, but he's been invisible almost every time I've had him for PTP so he's no longer considered by me. Watch him win now.
    Twitter: @RichN95
  • inseine
    inseine Posts: 5,788
    Stijn Vandenbergh (Etixx-Quick Step), Arnaud Courteille (FDJ), Jesus Herrada (Movistar), Lars Boom (Astana), Antoine Duchesne (Direct Energie), Wouter Wippert (Cannondale), Edward Theuns (Trek-Segafredo), and Matthias Brandle (IAM Cycling) with 10mins on the peloton as they climb Ventoux.
  • inseine
    inseine Posts: 5,788
    While Greipel Farrar and Alexis Gougeard are going in the other direction.