TdF 2017: Stage 19 Embrun - Salon-de-Provence, 222.5kms *Spoilers*

above_the_cows

So we leave the Alps a little underwhelmed but with everything to ride for between 2nd and 3rd.

That spotty Barguil won up the Izoard but stage 19 seems to be one for the remaining fast men. Can Cofidis get a win? Does anyone care?

Today's winner:



Tomorrows route:



Profile:



Another downhill finish:

RonB

Saving themselves for this one, going by the finishing places of Nacer and his chums today, just ahead of the Broom Wagon.

above_the_cows

But all is not lost.

Fear not when all seems lost and the stage boring with headwinds and a bunch sprint.

Never fear for the almighty Monsieur Ginormous Bunting will provide. Amen.

Lo! we return to the land that gave us perhaps the greatest Pro Race meme ever.

Blessed be the LOVELY HORSE!

Rejoice and Praise Him for he has returned. Hallelujah!

blazing_saddles

Phew.
No wonder you didn't read my question in today's thread.

At 220 kilometres, stage 19 is the longest stage in the 2017 Tour de France. The route, travelling from Embrun to Salon-de-Provence, seems to be tailor made for fast men. Or are we going to see an attacker who gets lucky?

The first part of the race is hilly, which will no doubt inspire a bunch of escapees to give it a go. In fact, stage 19 might be the last chance in the Tour de France of 2017 to form an early break. However, it will be hard to stay ahead of the peloton as the sprint teams will do everything to bring them back since the arrival in Salon-de-Provence is perfect for a bunch sprint.

The race leaves from Embrun, in the 2013 Tour de France host to a climbing time trial that was won by Chris Froome. In this stage the riders descent from an elevation of 881 metres at the start to 78 metres at the finish in Salon-de-Provence.

The race takes in two KOM climbs in the first 43 kilometres. Col de Lebraut amounts to 4.7 kilometres at 6%, while Côte de Bréziers is a 2.3 kilometres climb at 5.8%. The route continues on rolling roads until Col de Pointu looms at kilometre 171, which is a 5.8 kilometres ascent with an average gradient of 4.1%. The last 45 kilometres run on descending and fat roads to the line in Salon-de-Provence.

The old town of Salon-de-Provence is located on a hill with a castle: Château de l’Emperi. Nostradamus lived in the town before he died in 1566. He is widely known for his predictive powers. Who is going to win today, Nostradamus?

Who indeed?


Embrun

It's thanks to its climate, among the driest and sunniest of the area that the city earned the nickname of “Nice of the Alps”. From the top of its rock, it dominates the artificial lake of Serre-Ponçon, one of the largest in Europe where each summer, the best triathletes battle it out during the Embrunman. But in 2013, a “yellowman” was to be distinguished. By claiming the fastest time on the time-trial course between Embrun and Chorges, Christopher Froome pushed his rivals further back to move closer to the title on the 100th edition.



Sisteron

Sisteron has been inhabited for 4000 years. The Romans used the route through Sisteron as can be shown by a Latin inscription in the rocks near the road to Authon. It escaped the barbarian invasions after the fall of Rome, but was ravaged by the Saracens. In 1483 during the reign of Louis XI, Sisteron re-joined the kingdom of France. Around this time there were seven plagues that killed two thirds of the population. Between 1562 and 1594 the town and its citadelle was fought over by Protestants and Catholics including two sieges. During this time the walls of the town were built. The plague returned in 1630, and typhus in 1744, killing many of the town's population.
During the French Revolution the town remained Royalist. Consequently, when Napoleon arrived on his march north after his escape from Elba in 1815, the town ignored him and let him through.
Sisteron was the starting city of the 11th stage of the Tour de France 2010.



Salon-de-Provence

The Tour has never been to Salon-de-Provence, but the city already honoured the event thanks to the presence of its most spectacular ambassadors. It is indeed on the air camp 701 Salon-de-Provence that the Alpha Jets of the Patrouille de France are based. On firm ground, the peloton of Paris-Nice came for a visit to the city last March and Kazakhstan's Alexey Lutsenko managed to fly away on his own and capture the stage win.

above_the_cows

Blazing Saddles wrote:

From the top of its rock, it dominates the artificial lake of Serre-Ponçon, one of the largest in Europe where each summer, the best triathletes battle it out during the Embrunman.

Yes the weird speedo wearers nearly stopped me climbing the Izoard last year on the only day I could do it because they'd closed the road. Boo.

andytee87

Always enjoy when the peloton goes through Sisteron- looking forward to updating my desktop to one without a sun flare!

blazing_saddles

Looks like the longest stage will also be the longest day, as it trundles in a south-westerly direction.

lettingthedaysgoby

Many thanks for all these threads over the last 3 weeks

tailwindhome

Hoping for a Greipel win

hypster

Uran to be in the breakaway today and sprints solo in the last 10km but takes the wrong road because he's got no wheel to follow, loses 10 minutes and drops out of the top 10.

yorkshireraw

Barguil to go on the breakaway rampage again to scoop the Mountains points, just because.

Although suspect he may be a tad tired today.

Pross

Possibility of crosswinds after Loumorin then?

lettingthedaysgoby

TailWindHome wrote:

Hoping for a Greipel win

Likewise. Would be great for him to continue his remarkable GT run.

Bo Duke

222kms is tooooo far... it's distance for the sake of it. And darn boring telly stuff.

blazing_saddles

Pross wrote:

Possibility of crosswinds after Loumorin then?

Confidence after the last prediction?
Dunno.
More of a cross/head chance I'd say, unless that late swing to the SSE comes a bit early.
Then it could be game on.
Whichever, it's still a headwind into the finish, when the route turns Sarf.

dinyull

If I was a betting man, a tenner on Uran to win at 20/1 wouldn't be a bad bet.

Crash or mechanical in the TT and game on...

N0bodyOfTheGoat

"Derny" De Ghent at the front of the breakaway, shock of the day! :shock:

kleinstroker

Will we get these today?

blazing_saddles

Looks like Sky are in for a hard day.
All the sprinter teams have got a rider into the break and Ag2r have a man up the road in Bakelants.

No_Ta_Doctor

kleinstroker wrote:

Will we get these today?

That's up to ATC. She's got the klaxon.

RichN95.

Blazing Saddles wrote:

Looks like Sky are in for a hard day.
All the sprinter teams have got a rider into the break and Ag2r have a man up the road in Bakelants.

It's the last stage of proper work for the domestiques though. As long as Bakelants doesn't get enough time to threaten the team competition (if they care about that - and they should), they won't be bothered.

The sprinters teams also have to ask - is our man in the break going to have a better chance of winning than our sprinter. Mostly that's a no.

No_Ta_Doctor

Blazing Saddles wrote:

Looks like Sky are in for a hard day.
All the sprinter teams have got a rider into the break and Ag2r have a man up the road in Bakelants.

Not really a problem though - they can just let it go. They aren't contractually obliged to chase the break :-D

andyp

What are BMC up to today? De Marchi put in a huge turn to close down the initial break, then, when the next group went up the road, they failed to get anyone in it and just let it go. It's like the left hand doesn't know what the right hand is doing.

yourpaceormine

Super shots of the peleton strung out in one long line

above_the_cows

I have the Klaxon at the ready, however, someone else might have to take over at some point as our architect is coming over at 16 CET.

RonB

Nice pics of Sisteron

Pross

Good camera position to give a flavour of the speed. It's a bit harsh on Kwiato that he's having to spend a fair amount of the front again today!

Just thinking ahead, how small a gap among the leaders would be needed to make the final stage a race rather than a procession?

above_the_cows

RonB wrote:

Nice pics of Sisteron

Damn I missed the one highlight of the day because I was washing windows.

No_Ta_Doctor

Above The Cows wrote:

I have the Klaxon at the ready, however, someone else might have to take over at some point as our architect is coming over at 16 CET.

New tower for the klaxon?

RichN95.

Pross wrote:

Good camera position to give a flavour of the speed. It's a bit harsh on Kwiato that he's having to spend a fair amount of the front again today!

Just thinking ahead, how small a gap among the leaders would be needed to make the final stage a race rather than a procession?

Less than ten seconds, I'd say. But I really can't see it being done

rick_chasey

Not a chance it will be contested on the Champs. Ever.