TDF 2017: Stage 4- Mondorf-les-Bains - Vittel 207.5kms *Spoilers*

blazing_saddles

Back to the flat. The calm before tomorrow's storm. (hopefully)

Sprinters to be warn: Bouhanni plays at home...

Stage 4 will honor Luxemburger champions of the Tour de France from François Faber to Andy Schleck, the latter having the privilege to attend the start only 200 metres away from his home in Mondorf-les-Bains. It's a flattish race in the east of France with a finish in Vittel. The thermal station is famous for producing the official water of the Tour de France. It also made history for hosting the Grand Départ of the 55th edition in 1968 under the tagline “Le Tour de la santé” (the Tour of the health) one year after the tragic death of Tom Simpson on the Mont Ventoux. This time around, it looks like a stage dedicated to sprinters but the last visit to Vittel saw the solo victory of Nicki Sorensen in 2009. But it was stage 12 and the sprinters were already tired. Now on stage 4 they are still fresh. Marcel Kittel who wears the green jersey is hungry for more, so is French champion Arnaud Démare who was the runner up in Liège and finished sixth atop the climb of the Religieuses in Longwy yesterday. The enfant du pays is a sprinter as well! Nacer Bouhanni hails from Epinal in the Vosges province that Vittel is also part of. He's yet to win his first ever stage at the Tour de France.

Map:-


Profile:-


KoM:-
Km 170.5 - Col des Trois Fontaines1.9 kilometre-long climb at 7.4% - category 4

Last Kms:-

Mondorf-les-Bains

The peloton will witness a day dedicated to water. It will indeed take off from the only thermal resort of Luxemburg. We will be on the territory of the Schleck family. Andy and his brother Fränk indeed grew up there and still live today in Mondorf-les-Bains. The city has never hosted the Tour but the visits in the Grand Duchy were frequent since the first stage finish of the Tour after the Second World War in 1947. Other than the winner of the 2010 Tour, three other riders from Luxemburg have claimed the Grande Boucle: François Faber (1909), Nicolas Frantz (1927 and 1928) and Charly Gaul (1958).

Vittel

While the spring water of the Vosges thermal resort quenches the thirst of the riders and followers of the Tour since 2008, its history with the Tour goes way back. Forty years earlier, the peloton was gathered there for the Grand Départ of the 55th edition, the last one to be contested by national teams. Charly Grosskost had proven to be the fastest during the prologue before managing a double by winning the first stage finishing in Esch-sur-Alzette.

What else but?.....

RideOnTime

Mosel - yak

above_the_cows

The race also passes through the famous town of Schengen that is located at the confluence of Luxembourg, France and Germany and was thus the place for the signing of the famous Schengen Agreement on 14 June 1985 which set about removing internal border checks between those EU member states that signed up to the Schengen Agreement. There is now a museum in Schengen dedicated to the EU and the Schengen Agreement.



For a fascinating glimpse of what Schengen means see these abandoned border posts in the wonderful work of an acquaintance of mine Iganacio Evangelista http://www.ignacioevangelista.com/index.php?/seleccion-natural/work-in-progres-after-schengen/

Some cows from the Moselle...



And some lovely horses from Meurthe-et-Moselle...

No_Ta_Doctor

Stage preview from Inrng
http://inrng.com/2017/07/tour-de-france ... ew-vittel/

Finish is "flatter than the profile suggests", 1.5-2% on the closing straight, and all on big boulevards.
At a guess, the sprint trains will try and keep the sprint as short as possible, while maybe Sagan might get something out of going long.

kingstongraham

Looks like two tight turns with 1500m to go, and slightly uphill finish.

One for the scenery until the last 10 minutes.

DeVlaeminck

No tA Doctor wrote:

Stage preview from Inrng
http://inrng.com/2017/07/tour-de-france ... ew-vittel/

Finish is "flatter than the profile suggests", 1.5-2% on the closing straight, and all on big boulevards.
At a guess, the sprint trains will try and keep the sprint as short as possible, while maybe Sagan might get something out of going long.

Interesting. I've got Sagan and Kittel in my velogames team so it'd suit me if Sagan sits in Kittel's wheel for a 1-2 but I'd have thought Sagan was fast enough to have a chance with traditional sprinters tactics. Kittel seems to be the fastest but he's not going to get it right every time and I reckon Sagan has enough to be in mix against Greipel, Cav et al as they stand at this minute.

ocdupalais

You've got to admire the subtle yet devilish humour of ASO. Going through Ars and Toul (and near to Nancy) on a route that passes close to the homes of both Andy Shleck and Bouhanni.

Titz the other day was less subtle.

specialgueststar

If Bouhanni gets this I will be having a my man dream Tour so far - apart from Thomas and Sagan who I can take or leave

Latour Offredo Calmejane Bouhanni would have been the the pick for the four stages

FocusZing

No_Ta_Doctor

Hilarious! Wanty-Goubert rider Van Keirslbuck (sp?) goes from km0, peloton pretty much sits up. He grabs a minute easily and is seen looking back over his shoulder "where the f*** is everyone?" He's currently looking at a 200km TT :-D

kingstongraham

This is going to feel like forever.

imatfaal

Guillaume Van Keirsbulck (WantyGG) has a minute or so over the peleton. Long hot day alone just to be caught, chewed-up, and spat out the back with a kilometre to go? What a lovely prospect - but good publicity

kingstongraham

What size lead will they let him get? 10 minutes?

No_Ta_Doctor

Got 2'30" now.

He was talking into his radio early on.. "Boss, there's nobody with me...." :-D

yourpaceormine

Lordy be! That house was yellow. I'd want a discount on my council tax living close to that.

blazing_saddles

Ah, the classic problem with having loads of long flat stages, early on.
Guillaume Van Keirsbulck on a lonely breakaway, means slow, slow stage.
With all these sprinters and their teams, tv exposure is the only incentive.

kingstongraham

MOTO 3 showing the back of the peloton - they're occasionally pedalling.

lettingthedaysgoby

I have a soft spot for Wanty-Goubert. Partly because I ride a Cube bike, but mainly coz they always seem to go for breakaways and liven things up a bit.

But yeah, this is going to be a looooong day for him

specialgueststar

yeah but just think if he pulled it off

lettingthedaysgoby

SpecialGuestStar wrote:

yeah but just think if he pulled it off

Would be utterly epic

yourpaceormine

The Fédération Française de Cyclisme (FFC) clearly in cahoots with ASO in engineering a French overall victory... routing today's stage through Schengen in vain hope of upsetting Brexit Brits (who will get so upset they lobby the PM to withdraw all British/vaguely British riders from the Tour). FFC hope that this action will negate GC threat of Froome, Thomas, Porte, Dan Martin in one fell swoop. Next week FFC will eliminate all Spanish speakers by similar nefarious means.

kingstongraham

He is now virtual yellow jersey on the road by over a minute.

imatfaal

Isn't that Zubeldia chatting to Bertie?

No_Ta_Doctor

SpecialGuestStar wrote:

yeah but just think if he pulled it off

They'll give him at least 10 minutes, possibly 15 and he'll start to dream. But by the end of the day he'll be making a concerted attack on the Lanterne Rouge.

Campervan27

Stage 4 - Kittel please?

imatfaal

No tA Doctor wrote:

SpecialGuestStar wrote:

yeah but just think if he pulled it off

They'll give him at least 10 minutes, possibly 15 and he'll start to dream. But by the end of the day he'll be making a concerted attack on the Lanterne Rouge.

The peleton should all pull over to side of the road, have a spot of lunch, a natural, stretch their legs - when he has 15mins, set off again; then it would make an interesting chase.

imatfaal

Campervan27 wrote:

Stage 4 - Kittel please?

wrong thread perhaps. :-) Although i think you are right

specialgueststar

No tA Doctor wrote:

SpecialGuestStar wrote:

yeah but just think if he pulled it off

They'll give him at least 10 minutes, possibly 15 and he'll start to dream. But by the end of the day he'll be making a concerted attack on the Lanterne Rouge.

He'll be finishing like I did once in a race - when they are packing away the finish line

ben@31

lettingthedaysgoby wrote:

I have a soft spot for Wanty-Goubert. Partly because I ride a Cube bike, but mainly coz they always seem to go for breakaways and liven things up a bit.

But yeah, this is going to be a looooong day for him

Is it really breakaway though, or have the peloton allowed him to have a few minutes out in front before swallowing him up again.

lettingthedaysgoby

ben@31 wrote:

lettingthedaysgoby wrote:

I have a soft spot for Wanty-Goubert. Partly because I ride a Cube bike, but mainly coz they always seem to go for breakaways and liven things up a bit.

But yeah, this is going to be a looooong day for him

Is it really breakaway though, or have the peloton allowed him to have a few minutes out in front before swallowing him up again.

Whatever you call it, Cube riders = OK in my book

No_Ta_Doctor

ben@31 wrote:

lettingthedaysgoby wrote:

I have a soft spot for Wanty-Goubert. Partly because I ride a Cube bike, but mainly coz they always seem to go for breakaways and liven things up a bit.

But yeah, this is going to be a looooong day for him

Is it really breakaway though, or have the peloton allowed him to have a few minutes out in front before swallowing him up again.

Well given he's now out to 9'30" I think we'll have to call it a break. Even if they wanted to swallow him up again they'd have to ride to do it, and it looks like they want to soft peddle today.