TdF Stage 17 start format

2

Comments

  • larkim
    larkim Posts: 2,485
    Or will we just see the main protagnists just fanny around for a while until their teams are assembled around them?
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  • shirley_basso
    shirley_basso Posts: 6,195
    Fire up the dope / power meters / electic motors / lawyers / chemtrails / tin foil hats / orcas.
  • kingstongraham
    kingstongraham Posts: 28,228
    larkim wrote:
    Or will we just see the main protagnists just fanny around for a while until their teams are assembled around them?

    Only if all of them do.
  • ShutupJens
    ShutupJens Posts: 1,373
    larkim wrote:
    Or will we just see the main protagnists just fanny around for a while until their teams are assembled around them?

    Going into this stage would you consider this to be a sensible tactic?
  • larkim
    larkim Posts: 2,485
    Probably not, depends on the GC status at the time and how many of your teammates are in that top 20 bunch. And the weather.

    Just thinking the idea needs to be run in practice to see how the crowd mentality of the peloton combined with individual ambition plays it.
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  • timoid.
    timoid. Posts: 3,133
    RichN95 wrote:
    It should be like the old Le Mans starts. Make them run 50m to get to their bikes.

    Dammit! I wanted to make that joke!
    It's a little like wrestling a gorilla. You don't quit when you're tired. You quit when the gorilla is tired.
  • timoid.
    timoid. Posts: 3,133
    ShutupJens wrote:
    So with Movistar bringing Quintana, Valv and Landa (and Soler?), would you drive it from the start and try and isolate the other contenders, or just start firing people up the road?

    You'd think so. But The Tour doesn't get aggresive often.
    It's a little like wrestling a gorilla. You don't quit when you're tired. You quit when the gorilla is tired.
  • phreak
    phreak Posts: 2,953
    Surely with it being 65km, Froome will just solo it from the gun?
  • amrushton
    amrushton Posts: 1,313
    Mike Cotty has this stage over on Col Collective. It's a bit harder (for me) than it looks - but prob just a Finestre gallop for Froome
  • Pross
    Pross Posts: 43,597
    RichN95 wrote:
    cougie wrote:
    RichN95 wrote:
    It should be like the old Le Mans starts. Make them run 50m to get to their bikes.

    You should watch the Brompton races on the Mall at Ride London they do exactly this.
    I’d forgotten they do that. They have to unfold the bike too don’t they.

    And race in suits if it's the same as the old World Champs that Heras used to keep winning.
  • ddraver
    ddraver Posts: 26,719
    edited June 2018
    ......
    We're in danger of confusing passion with incompetence
    - @ddraver
  • ddraver
    ddraver Posts: 26,719
    The jerseys tend to start the stage on the front row anyway don't they?

    I cant really see this making a massive difference.

    XCO have been trialling something similar by having a 20min short circuit (now named XCC) race on the friday to determine the front 30 grid places. Its had very little effect on the main events thus far. Im not sure Nino Schurter has finished an XCC race yet but has still won the main races, usually he's at the front by the end of the start loop. The cream still rises to the top...

    (admittedly MvdP stuck himself into a tree last week which didnt help...)
    We're in danger of confusing passion with incompetence
    - @ddraver
  • takethehighroad
    takethehighroad Posts: 6,823
    The only scenario I can see playing out is Movistar having all 3 Galacticos in the first group who go from the gun and Sky have no one else inside the top 20.

    Now a better idea I had was for this stage to be a chase. Yellow starts and the rest follow at the time difference they are behind, right down to the Lanterne Rouge starting 3 hours later. Time difference at the finish is the new GC, if 2 riders finish together they're equal on time, winner of the stage takes Yellow. I know it's pie in the sky but was just a thought
  • RichN95.
    RichN95. Posts: 27,262
    TakeTheHighRoad wrote:
    The only scenario I can see playing out is Movistar having all 3 Galacticos in the first group who go from the gun and Sky have no one else inside the top 20.

    Now a better idea I had was for this stage to be a chase. Yellow starts and the rest follow at the time difference they are behind, right down to the Lanterne Rouge starting 3 hours later. Time difference at the finish is the new GC, if 2 riders finish together they're equal on time, winner of the stage takes Yellow. I know it's pie in the sky but was just a thought
    Didn't they try this in the Women's La Course last year and it was crap?
    Twitter: @RichN95
  • takethehighroad
    takethehighroad Posts: 6,823
    I put that down to women's racing, and the course, being crap
  • phreak
    phreak Posts: 2,953
    TakeTheHighRoad wrote:
    The only scenario I can see playing out is Movistar having all 3 Galacticos in the first group who go from the gun and Sky have no one else inside the top 20.

    Now a better idea I had was for this stage to be a chase. Yellow starts and the rest follow at the time difference they are behind, right down to the Lanterne Rouge starting 3 hours later. Time difference at the finish is the new GC, if 2 riders finish together they're equal on time, winner of the stage takes Yellow. I know it's pie in the sky but was just a thought

    Who will be in the Tour squad from Sky do you think? I'd imagine Thomas and Kwia will be there, and Poels will surely come from the Giro squad with Froome. Then it seems a question of whether you go with one of the Giro domestiques (Henao) or one of the young lads (Hart or Bernal), before filling the rest out with the likes of Castrovejo, Moscon, possibly Kiry for the flat and TTT. If that's the rough squad then you'd imagine there would be at least 2-3 Sky riders in the top 20 (Poels and Thomas).
  • rick_chasey
    rick_chasey Posts: 75,660
    TakeTheHighRoad wrote:
    The only scenario I can see playing out is Movistar having all 3 Galacticos in the first group who go from the gun and Sky have no one else inside the top 20.

    I heard something very similar on my commute last night....
    _
  • graeme_s-2
    graeme_s-2 Posts: 3,382
    It's only going to take 1 rider in the top 10 to decide he can make up some time and suddenly we've got a race.

    I'm hopeful it'll throw up something of interest.
  • RichN95.
    RichN95. Posts: 27,262
    phreak wrote:
    Who will be in the Tour squad from Sky do you think?
    The Dauphine team + Froome. With a possible change being Knees (or maybe Kiryienka) in for Van Baarle. And Bernal for TGH if they want to go that way (I think they may not). Poels to lead at the Vuelta.
    Twitter: @RichN95
  • cougie
    cougie Posts: 22,512
    Pross wrote:
    RichN95 wrote:
    cougie wrote:
    RichN95 wrote:
    It should be like the old Le Mans starts. Make them run 50m to get to their bikes.

    You should watch the Brompton races on the Mall at Ride London they do exactly this.
    I’d forgotten they do that. They have to unfold the bike too don’t they.

    And race in suits if it's the same as the old World Champs that Heras used to keep winning.

    Yes. Strict no lycra policy.

    The other rules are good too.

    "You're not allowed to start off with an animal on your bike".

    Then clearly someone found a loophole..

    "You're not allowed to collect any animals on route"

    Some people aren't taking it as serious as the winners.
  • TheBigBean
    TheBigBean Posts: 22,029
    I'm still not impressed with a 65km stage in a GT.
  • Vino'sGhost
    Vino'sGhost Posts: 4,129
    TheBigBean wrote:
    I'm still not impressed with a 65km stage in a GT.

    I guess we'll have to see how it works out, all the other shorter stages from recent GT's have been great! like the time sky took it easy and everyone else nailed it lol . but its at the end so how explosive people are might be questionable.

    but 65K youre right its very short, just three intervals. they could almost do it on zwift (shudder)
  • kingstongraham
    kingstongraham Posts: 28,228
    TheBigBean wrote:
    I'm still not impressed with a 65km stage in a GT.

    How about if they did another stage in the afternoon?
  • TheBigBean
    TheBigBean Posts: 22,029
    KingstonGraham wrote:
    TheBigBean wrote:
    I'm still not impressed with a 65km stage in a GT.

    How about if they did another stage in the afternoon?

    Sure. A short TT too and then it would be ok, but rules are rules and it is not allowed. I think one of the reason's this year's Giro was so good was that it was very hard.
  • TheBigBean
    TheBigBean Posts: 22,029
    It is much like starting P-R at Arenberg on the basis that not much happens before then.
  • rick_chasey
    rick_chasey Posts: 75,660
    TheBigBean wrote:
    KingstonGraham wrote:
    TheBigBean wrote:
    I'm still not impressed with a 65km stage in a GT.

    How about if they did another stage in the afternoon?

    Sure. A short TT too and then it would be ok, but rules are rules and it is not allowed. I think one of the reason's this year's Giro was so good was that it was very hard.

    Agreed.

    RCS understand the value of varying distances at both extremes.
    _
  • ddraver
    ddraver Posts: 26,719
    There's a good long stage beforehand, they re following the Chasey protocol for stage length ;)
    We're in danger of confusing passion with incompetence
    - @ddraver
  • rick_chasey
    rick_chasey Posts: 75,660
    ddraver wrote:
    There's a good long stage beforehand, they re following the Chasey protocol for stage length ;)

    Yeah, 2 mountains 220km?

    Ideally it'd be 230-240km but ah, it'll do > near monument territory.
    _
  • bobmcstuff
    bobmcstuff Posts: 11,444
    Rick Chasey wrote:
    ddraver wrote:
    There's a good long stage beforehand, they re following the Chasey protocol for stage length ;)

    Yeah, 2 mountains 220km?

    Ideally it'd be 230-240km but ah, it'll do > near monument territory.
    I really think this is important. If it was just short stages it'd be w@nk.

    Just do all the long fatigue stages during the week and save the short made for TV stages for Friday/Saturday...
  • TheBigBean
    TheBigBean Posts: 22,029
    In three days they will do 283 km.

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