Is it a Rest Day (2) when it's 40 degrees Outside?

blazing_saddles

With two days based in and around Nimes and temperatures set to reach 40 degrees, but feeling 5 degrees warmer still, the hotel lottery may be even more crucial that normal.

So, what have we got, in GC order.
1) Julian Alaphilippe. (BAHRAIN MERIDA, DECEUNINCK - QUICK - STEP, MITCHELTON - SCOTT, TREK - SEGAFREDO)
Not too bad, but none too pretty.



2) Geraint Thomas. (ASTANA PRO TEAM, COFIDIS, SOLUTIONS CRÉDITS, TEAM INEOS, TEAM KATUSHA ALPECIN)
Fortunately a lot better than the weird name suggests.




:P

3) Steven Kruijswijk
All on their own. Looks much nicer than your average 3 star stopover, but that's it's rating.




4) Tibault Pinot
Grand Hotel de Nimes? Mmm, looks more like a porn set to me.




5)Ineos

6) Emmanuel Buchmann
Unlucky, I hope the plastic doesn't melt in the heat.



7, 8,9 see above

10) Rigoberto Uran
Low rise, nicely styled interior. Grand Hotel take note.





The rest.

Lotto bag this 4 star sweetie.




Wanty?



Sunweb and UAE. Better than the last rest day.



Team Arkea get rural.



Team DD and Ag2r. They certainly tried to give poor Romain a leg up the GC with this one.




Finally CCC. Well, what did they expect? No wonder Simon Geschke tried to get away on his own, today.

slim_boy_fat

Quality thread!

Alejandrosdog

Are DD still in the race?

ShutupJens

Alejandrosdog wrote:

Are DD still in the worldtour?

Fixed

ShutupJens

I'm concerned that it will be too hot for watching on TV this week. 29/30 degrees up my ends on Tuesday allegedly

blazing_saddles

Sticking with the hotel theme.
Potentially a very interesting evening at the Best Western in Gap, on Wednesday, when Ineos and DQS finally get to share a hotel.

No air con either.

Hard to believe this is a 3-star hotel. Unbearably hot and stuffy, no air conditioning, no screen on windows and no way to open them without fully opening the drapes, windows give out onto a noisy parking lot and high traffic street anyway. No air circulation at all, felt like we were sleeping in a sauna.

:shock: :?

gsk82

Blazing Saddles wrote:

Sticking with the hotel theme.
Potentially a very interesting evening at the Best Western in Gap, on Wednesday evening, when Ineos and DQS finally get to share a hotel.

No air con either.

Hard to believe this is a 3-star hotel. Unbearably hot and stuffy, no air conditioning, no screen on windows and no way to open them without fully opening the drapes, windows give out onto a noisy parking lot and high traffic street anyway. No air circulation at all, felt like we were sleeping in a sauna.

:shock: :?

I don't believe the story that last year Sky only had 1 air con unit and gave it to Froome, even though Thomas was leading. Maybe it was mis translated and should have read "sky had 10 air con units and Froome wanted all of them"

above_the_cows

bm5

The interior decor of the Pinot hotel is not exactly restful!

FocusZing

Fish!

darkhairedlord

Do many just sleep on the bus, knowing how flaky hotel aircon can be on a hot day?

blazing_saddles

Some interesting stuff on Avondetappe, last night: no fluff, just analysis of the race.

Broadcast from outside of Jumbo hotel HQ.



They had video of Alaphilippe groaning during his solo chase and some lovely shots of a photographer's motorbike sitting right in front of him. Obviously, they thought it would be an excellent time to take some snaps.
Luckily, he was by then being policed by Poels, who managed to send them on their way, fairly quickly.

Oh and Stef Clement reckons Bernal is going to win.

kingstongraham

This is a quality thread, full of amazing research.

ridgerider

Blazing Saddles wrote:

Oh and Stef Clement reckons Bernal is going to win.

But isn't it the case that Bernal will only follow Pinot/Alan Philips...he does not yet have free reign to smash the race?

larkim

Ineos would take the bird in the hand approach surely - if Bernal does just follow Pinot / AP, and then they crack, I presume he would be given free rein to hammer on to the finish line, irrespective of what Thomas is doing. He wouldn't just slide back with them, would he?

josame

Movistar?

RichN95.

josame wrote:

Movistar?

One rider in each of the hotels above

Alejandrosdog

RichN95 wrote:

josame wrote:

Movistar?

One rider in each of the hotels above

mididoctors

This is a good thread . Overlooked aspect of the whole thing .top research.

bm5

Deleted

rick_chasey

Blazing Saddles wrote:

Some interesting stuff on Avondetappe, last night: no fluff, just analysis of the race.

Broadcast from outside of Jumbo hotel HQ.



They had video of Alaphilippe groaning during his solo chase and some lovely shots of a photographer's motorbike sitting right in front of him. Obviously, they thought it would be an excellent time to take some snaps.
Luckily, he was by then being policed by Poels, who managed to send them on their way, fairly quickly.

Oh and Stef Clement reckons Bernal is going to win.

Other additions: the hotel is a former railway station.

RichN95.

Blazing Saddles wrote:

3) Steven Kruijswijk

They brought their own inflatables

rick_chasey

Niice

There an expectation that Kruijswijk does well in the Alps, at altitude and in the heat, says his DS....

rick_chasey

Some chat yday on tactics to get motos to help when you’re swinging.

Drop a little earlier, pull lots of faces - the moto will drop back (and in so doing give you a tow) to film you. Sure they’re filming you from the side (like they did at Alpaphilippe the other day) but when we’re not watching they’re often having to hover in front.

If you’re a big rider you’ll get some photo motos too.

Take your sunnies off to draw another photographer off to take a photo right in front of you

Etc etc.

blazing_saddles

Rick Chasey wrote:

Niice

There an expectation that Kruijswijk does well in the Alps, at altitude and in the heat, says his DS....

Pinot won't touch the whole train at altitude thing, yet he holds a couple of records on 2000+ metre climbs.
I'm wondering how he'll be, virtually living up there for 3 days, though.

Pat Lefevre on Vive le Velo this evening.........

stu-bim

Alejandrosdog wrote:

RichN95 wrote:

josame wrote:

Movistar?

One rider in each of the hotels above

And playing musical beds alternating nights

RichN95.

Rick Chasey wrote:

Some chat yday on tactics to get motos to help when you’re swinging.

Drop a little earlier, pull lots of faces - the moto will drop back (and in so doing give you a tow) to film you. Sure they’re filming you from the side (like they did at Alpaphilippe the other day) but when we’re not watching they’re often having to hover in front.

If you’re a big rider you’ll get some photo motos too.

Take your sunnies off to draw another photographer off to take a photo right in front of you

Etc etc.

I saw someone suggest that Poels sat on Alaphilippe’s wheel rather than drop completely to wave them away.