TDF 2017: Stage 11 - July12th. Eymet - Pau - 203.5kms *Spoilers*

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Comments

  • slowbike
    slowbike Posts: 8,498
    3 riders a couple of minutes up the road ... I think I'll save the phone battery ...
  • imatfaal
    imatfaal Posts: 2,716
    Idea to Animate this sort of stage - What about same number of Green Jersey points at intermediate as at finish line? And that all Green Jersey points at intermediate "expire" one minute after first rider passes through. Maybe even limit number of places which give points at finish line to 1st 2nd 3rd
  • kingstongraham
    kingstongraham Posts: 27,760
    How about level crossings that guarantee to hold up some of the field for a random interval.
  • dinyull
    dinyull Posts: 2,979
    imatfaal wrote:
    Idea to Animate this sort of stage - What about same number of Green Jersey points at intermediate as at finish line? And that all Green Jersey points at intermediate "expire" one minute after first rider passes through. Maybe even limit number of places which give points at finish line to 1st 2nd 3rd

    Would kill any break on the flat stages, no one would even try to get away.
  • specialgueststar
    specialgueststar Posts: 3,418
    imatfaal wrote:
    Idea to Animate this sort of stage - What about same number of Green Jersey points at intermediate as at finish line? And that all Green Jersey points at intermediate "expire" one minute after first rider passes through. Maybe even limit number of places which give points at finish line to 1st 2nd 3rd


    Offredo reckoned some UCI points on offer - which is a good idea
  • dinyull
    dinyull Posts: 2,979
    Breakaway points, last rider caught or points accrued on how far away from finish caught. So points vary.

    Some teams have done sweet fa so far, and don't look able to do anything either.
  • richa
    richa Posts: 1,632
    Which team has disappointed the most so far?

    This does feel like the tour with the least Man-Break-Km's for quite some time.
    Rich
  • knedlicky
    knedlicky Posts: 3,097
    Salsiccia1 wrote:
    dish_dash wrote:
    Above The Cows wrote:
    dish_dash wrote:
    So I'm stuck bruised and battered at home and all I get are bloody sprint stages... still not giving me much enthusiasm for this tour...
    What happened?
    I am really not feeling this Tour if I'm being honest. Oh well, it's a good thing because I have lots of work to do over the next 10 days.
    A bit of a ramble about it here to get it off my chest. viewtopic.php?f=40007&t=13081975#p20175404
    :shock:
    Nice write up though, hope the road rash is healing.
    Agree with ATC.
    Nicer jersey this year than other years, so I hope it survived your falls!

    I was told last year it was hot and dry, well at least until the top of Fauniera where it was misty - so necessitating a careful descent although dry.
    And ah the Lombarda, been on my to-do list for years. When I was in the area, and on my way to it, I suddenly changed my mind and did the Maddalena instead, and not been back since.
  • No_Ta_Doctor
    No_Ta_Doctor Posts: 14,535
    Smaller teams is the only way to make sprint stages more interesting. Less manpower to chase the break, and can't burn out riders or you've got no train.

    Of course, if the race organisers want the spectacle of a full power sprint train then this isn't going to happen.
    Warning No formatter is installed for the format
  • squired
    squired Posts: 1,153
    Leading into this Tour I was the least interested I've ever been and was telling people not to bother because the route was extremely disappointing. People can say the riders make the race, but a load of virtually pan-flat stages and a tiny number of mountain finishes does not exactly provide opportunities for something different. whatever happened to a couple of third or fourth cat climbs in the last 10-15km to give some different opportunities? There must be loads of riders sitting in the peloton thinking that this is just a waste of 21 race days in terms of opportunities for a result. I think the massive size of breakaway groups we've seen on the hillier stages so far have demonstrated that lack of opporunities.

    As with yesterday I'll just be checking for news of any major crashes every couple of hours, then the result at around 5pm. No point in even watching the highlights to be honest. I'm just glad that noone I know is watching the Tour on TV for the first time because they'd be wanting me to justify why I watch something so boring.
  • bobmcstuff
    bobmcstuff Posts: 11,398
    SpecialGuestStar wrote:
    imatfaal wrote:
    Idea to Animate this sort of stage - What about same number of Green Jersey points at intermediate as at finish line? And that all Green Jersey points at intermediate "expire" one minute after first rider passes through. Maybe even limit number of places which give points at finish line to 1st 2nd 3rd


    Offredo reckoned some UCI points on offer - which is a good idea

    Yes or even just having a prize for most kms/hrs in the breakaway would at least see more people bother to try and get in the things.
  • kleinstroker
    kleinstroker Posts: 2,133
    Why isnt Mathews getting in the break to sweep up intermediate points. Isnt this what Sagan did?
  • RichN95.
    RichN95. Posts: 27,241
    kleinstroker wrote:
    Why isnt Mathews getting in the break to sweep up intermediate points. Isn't this what Sagan did?
    Because it's easy for Quick Step to chase him down. Sagan got in breaks with significant climbs before the sprint - like Matthews did on Sunday.
    Twitter: @RichN95
  • salsiccia1
    salsiccia1 Posts: 3,725
    I think ASO have got the route wrong in their attempts to nullify Sky and Froome's dominance. By having a GC important stage as early as stage 5 they've made control of the race important too early, meaning the race pattern has been set too early.

    Saying that, they've been a little unfortunate in a few ways:
    - Sky taking yellow from day 1 and defending from the off
    - There being one completely dominant sprinter, so you have Quick-Step busting a gut to keep things together as they know Kittel will hoover it up at the end, and the other sprinters' teams are desperate to stop decent breaks getting away as the chances for their sprinters are running out.
    It's only a bit of sport, Mun. Relax and enjoy the racing.
  • above_the_cows
    above_the_cows Posts: 11,406
    Why am I watching this hoping beyond hope that a stiff westerly wind picks up? It isn't is it?

    With this route and my favourites all out, I am going to be forced to do some work.
    Correlation is not causation.
  • above_the_cows
    above_the_cows Posts: 11,406
    They're so bored on Dutch Eurosport they've dug up the squishy, smelly corpse of Jan Bakelants' attempts at humour over the podium women.
    Correlation is not causation.
  • above_the_cows
    above_the_cows Posts: 11,406
    edited July 2017
    Duplicate post - even this forum's tech is going to sleep.
    Correlation is not causation.
  • blazing_saddles
    blazing_saddles Posts: 22,704
    This stage doesn't even have the redeeming quality of scenery that we saw in Dordogneshire.
    There has been some interesting debate on both channels.
    Somebody sent in the question: Does Sky have control over the peloton?
    So, apparently in the minds of some, they are responsible for these sprint borefests as well as mountain inertia.
    "Science is a tool for cheaters". An anonymous French PE teacher.
  • above_the_cows
    above_the_cows Posts: 11,406
    Look at this super exciting road!

    Screen%20Shot%202017-07-12%20at%2014.31.46_zpsv3zuwufx.png
    Correlation is not causation.
  • blazing_saddles
    blazing_saddles Posts: 22,704
    Above The Cows wrote:
    Look at this super exciting road!

    Screen%20Shot%202017-07-12%20at%2014.31.46_zpsv3zuwufx.png

    :lol:

    I was about to post this...

    1.jpg?i10c=img.resize(height:160)

    Great or simple?.........................minds, that is.
    "Science is a tool for cheaters". An anonymous French PE teacher.
  • above_the_cows
    above_the_cows Posts: 11,406
    Do you think they're playing a game of Eye Spy Haimar Zubeldia in the peloton to stay awake?
    Correlation is not causation.
  • bobmcstuff
    bobmcstuff Posts: 11,398
    You know when you look at a word for so long it ceases to have any meaning?

    I just entered the PTP picks for Stage 11...
  • squired
    squired Posts: 1,153
    If Bardet somehow manages to win the race I'm sure the ASO (and French) will conclude that it was a brilliant route.

    Are there any flat stages between now and Paris that give distinct possibilities of crosswinds?
  • mfin
    mfin Posts: 6,729
    I don't understand why people would watch a stage if they know it's boring to them, or moan about it.

    Why not just give it a miss, don't bother looking, wait for the result and decide to watch the highlights if you've heard something interesting happened?
  • kingstongraham
    kingstongraham Posts: 27,760
    RichA wrote:
    Which team has disappointed the most so far?

    Movistar, Katusha, Merida, Cofidis must all be pretty disappointed so far.
  • Lanterne_Rogue
    Lanterne_Rogue Posts: 4,325
    The tour always has some boring stages, and the whinging about them is also traditional. At least nobody was expecting this one to be interesting.

    Besides, you find your pleasures where you can - has anyone escaped off the back yet?
    Twitter: @canocola @thedreadships
  • kingstongraham
    kingstongraham Posts: 27,760
    mfin wrote:
    I don't understand why people would watch a stage if they know it's boring to them, or moan about it.

    Why not just give it a miss, don't bother looking, wait for the result and decide to watch the highlights if you've heard something interesting happened?

    Great post.
  • kleinstroker
    kleinstroker Posts: 2,133
    RichN95 wrote:
    kleinstroker wrote:
    Why isnt Mathews getting in the break to sweep up intermediate points. Isn't this what Sagan did?
    Because it's easy for Quick Step to chase him down. Sagan got in breaks with significant climbs before the sprint - like Matthews did on Sunday.

    So make them work. Mathews has virtually no chance to win at finish so why not try for each & every point?
  • kingstongraham
    kingstongraham Posts: 27,760
    I think Moto 3 might have broken down.
  • Pross
    Pross Posts: 43,158
    Watching briefly with no sound and it looked a few minutes ago that the bunch were riding hard. That and the current formation made me hopeful of the 'e' word happening but judging by the tone of this thread there's no suggestion of that :(

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