TDF 2017:16th July - Stage 15 - Laissac-Sévérac l'Église - Le Puy-en-Velay 189.5kms *Spoilers*

inseine

Unexpectedly great stage. Mollema, Martin, Froome, Bardet all lighting it up.

kingstonian

underlayunderlay wrote:

Took a while to properly kick off, but that was good fun. Don't really understand the hate for this year's tour - it's had some brilliant stages so far.

Agreed

yourpaceormine

underlayunderlay wrote:

Took a while to properly kick off, but that was good fun. Don't really understand the hate for this year's tour - it's had some brilliant stages so far.

There have been quite a few snoozefests though. Suppose that is the trade off

above_the_cows

That Virgin Mary and Jesus statue is U.G.L.Y.

Lanterne_Rogue

And amongst all the excitement, Luke Rowe moves to the back of the peloton. McLay still likely to take LR, but only if he survives to the rest day - now 30 minutes down the road to Mollema...

No_Ta_Doctor

Nice touch from Geshke to make sure Martin didn't lose the wheel up to the line. We've talked a lot about the peleton punishing poor sportsmanship, that was the other side, the good karma

Lanterne_Rogue

yourpaceormine wrote:

underlayunderlay wrote:

Took a while to properly kick off, but that was good fun. Don't really understand the hate for this year's tour - it's had some brilliant stages so far.

There have been quite a few snoozefests though. Suppose that is the trade off

Only one was truly tragic, and the rest have put some miles (and hours) into minds and legs.

EnacheV

What a piece of trash this "i din't took a bottle" Bardet. But karma always comes back.

above_the_cows

underlayunderlay wrote:

And amongst all the excitement, Luke Rowe moves to the back of the peloton. McLay still likely to take LR, but only if he survives to the rest day - now 30 minutes down the road to Mollema...

I was just about to ask as to the LR situation.

inseine

Unexpectedly great stage. Mollema, Martin, Froome, Bardet all lighting it up.

imatfaal

I will put it on the record: I am willing to put up with the dire flat days this race has suffered with in order to have a handful of days like that

above_the_cows

EnacheV wrote:

What a piece of trash this "i din't took a bottle" Bardet. But karma always comes back.

Pross

Above The Cows wrote:

EnacheV wrote:

What a piece of trash this "i din't took a bottle" Bardet. But karma always comes back.

These are the situations the block function were designed for.

above_the_cows

Pross wrote:

Above The Cows wrote:

EnacheV wrote:

What a piece of trash this "i din't took a bottle" Bardet. But karma always comes back.

These are the situations the block function were designed for.

Indeed.

DeVlaeminck

For me another stage where Froome was in trouble but the other favourites didn't have the bottle to go for it and see if they could finish him off. Three times in the last week they've not really rolled the dice.

yourpaceormine

Blimey has the fugly statue of Mary got one of those gopher domes (like they have at Chester Zoo) atop her halo or is it a navigational light for aircraft?

inseine

DeVlaeminck wrote:

For me another stage where Froome was in trouble but the other favourites didn't have the bottle to go for it and see if they could finish him off. Three times in the last week they've not really rolled the dice.

Harsh on Bardet.

yourpaceormine

The statue might be ugly but it's head moves from left to right. Now that I approve of. More statues should move. Scare the bejeesus out of unsuspecting tourists. And it is a gopher viewing dome according to the French Wikipedia entry.

Lanterne_Rogue

inseine wrote:

DeVlaeminck wrote:

For me another stage where Froome was in trouble but the other favourites didn't have the bottle to go for it and see if they could finish him off. Three times in the last week they've not really rolled the dice.

Harsh on Bardet.

Agree - Bardet goes hard, gets clear without his teammates with 20km or whatever into the wind on his own and then does what precisely? Other than giving it a bit of a dig to see if Froome might go backwards, the situation didn't play into Bardet's hands. That said, he's unlucky that tomorrow is a rest day, as it gives Froome and Landa chance to recover.

FocusZing

Looks like a sit on the floor shower for Froome after all the media waffle.

Pross

DeVlaeminck wrote:

For me another stage where Froome was in trouble but the other favourites didn't have the bottle to go for it and see if they could finish him off. Three times in the last week they've not really rolled the dice.

Bardet and AG2R really went for it, they got a bit lucky with Froome's puncture but I doubt they knew about that when they launched the attack. Froome did an incredible ride to get back as quickly as he did and Bardet with Uran had another dig before running out of climb. Froome and Landa were just too strong but you can't argue no-one tried. Yates and Martin also had digs with Dan pulling back a few seconds.

norvernrob

inseine wrote:

DeVlaeminck wrote:

For me another stage where Froome was in trouble but the other favourites didn't have the bottle to go for it and see if they could finish him off. Three times in the last week they've not really rolled the dice.

Harsh on Bardet.

Dan Martin has just said in the interview that they were going really fast when Froome had his puncture and he doubts anyone else would have gotten back on.

Bardet/AG2R really had the hammer down, and for Froome/Nieve, a spent Kiry and an out of form Henao to gain 40s or so on them is pretty phenomenal. Not only that but Froome looked immediately comfortable after the massive effort of getting back on.

Richmond Racer 2

underlayunderlay wrote:

And amongst all the excitement, Luke Rowe moves to the back of the peloton. McLay still likely to take LR, but only if he survives to the rest day - now 30 minutes down the road to Mollema...

Best news of the day

RichN95.

Dan McLay made it. Twelve minutes behind the autobus.

iainf72

Good stage. I'm not sure AG2R know they're French anymore.

Unrelated to cycling but important link

http://boingboing.net/2017/07/15/meet-t ... t-hor.html

ugo.santalucia

Ag2r wasted it?

Got the feeling they could have used all the firepower sooner... you want to demoralise the opponent, not allow him to come back. When Froome came back they had barely used half of the domestiques

Poor strategy there

No_Ta_Doctor

Got to give it to Fenton, he doesn't give up a chase easily.

AG2R have been by far the most aggressive team so far this tour, but really haven't achieved that much from it. Aside from the crashes, they've only really managed to shake an ageing Contador and an out of form Quintana out of the GC standings. Bardet is a good climber and a sublime descender, but seems to lack the killer punch that can win a tour. Froome and Aru can both usually find that when they need it.

It's probably just the lack of mtfs that are keeping things so close. We're seeing some decent racing and tactics, but barring bad luck or really bad form they're only worth a handful of seconds. Pretty much any decent GC rider with reasonable form, a few decent domestiques, no bad luck and able to keep concentration at key points is still able to be up there.

And barring bad luck /inattention, the tour will be decided on the two key stages of Izoard and the TT. If nobody takes time out of Froome on Izoard then it's all over before the TT.

So yeah, I've been enjoying some of these stages, but it feels like a boxing match where we're only seeing jabs - lots of them - but nobody has swung a proper right hook yet.

No_Ta_Doctor

iainf72 wrote:

Good stage. I'm not sure AG2R know they're French anymore.

Unrelated to cycling but important link

http://boingboing.net/2017/07/15/meet-t ... t-hor.html

Marvellous. Featuring Warren Barguil as a horse!

inseine

but it feels like a boxing match where we're only seeing jabs - lots of them - but nobody has swung a proper right hook yet.

You're right, but that's partly why it's fascinating. Often it's all over by now, but it's all still to play for. Feels anarchic

fleshtuxedo

I dont get why Bardet left his attack until after Froome and Landa got back on. They had what 1-2 minutes to catch their breath? An attack just that much earlier surely made more sense.