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Grand Départ 2020 - Stage 1: Nice - Moyen pays - Nice 156kms *Spoilers*

blazing_saddlesblazing_saddles Posts: 20,518
in Pro race


Stage 1: Nice - Moyen pays - Nice 156kms

The 1st stage of the 2020 Tour de France is a hilly out-and-back race in Nice. The race consists of three loops in the highly picturesque surroundings of the Mediterranean town.
La Grande Boucle sets off from Nice with two identical loops of almost 50 kilometres before concluding with another loop of 70 kilometres. The 1st stage starts and finishes in Nice, but moves through the city twice as well.
The first loop includes more than 600m of elevation.
The last loop (70km) will be similar to the first two loops until Aspremont.



It then continues to Tourrette-Levens with a 8 kilometres climb at approximately 3 to 4%. The the descent the route moves through Saint-Martin-de-Var and the riders return to the route of the first loops just before Carros. The final 25km section, almost completely flat, should enable sprinters who managed to get along with the climbs to give a final explanation on the Promenade des Anglais to win the stage and the first yellow jersey.





Pure sprinters will have a hard time, while attackers are eyeing their chances. Breakaway king Thomas De Gendt already voiced his ambition to take yellow on the first day. He will not be alone in this ambition. The key to having a chance will be to take the sprinters out of the equation.
Three times the route climbs to Aspremont, which is an ascent of 11.4 kilometres and the gradient hovers around 4%. The last time through Aspremont is followed by a short descent before an 8 kilometres climb at 4% leads to Levens.



Following a descent of 11 kilometres the last 30 kilometres are played out on the flat.



Favourites 1st stage 2020 Tour de France

*** Thomas De Gendt, Caleb Ewan, Giacomo Nizzolo,
** Matteo Trentin, Wout Van Aert, Peter Sagan, Sam Bennett,
* Greg Van Avermaet, Philippe Gilbert, Cees Bol, Alexander Kristoff, Sonny Colbrelli and anybody else you fancy.

Nice

36 previous stages.
Population: 340,000

In 2013, for the 100th edition of the Tour de France, Nice had been back on the Tour map, 32 years after hosting the Grand Départ in 1981. Back on the mainland from Corsica, team Orica Greenedge won the team time trial to hand the yellow jersey to Simon Gerrans, already a stage winner in Calvi. The Australian outfit kept the Tour reins for four days, Gerrans handing the overall lead to team-mate Daryl Impey, who became the first South-African to don the yellow jersey.



Negresco Hotel
A jewel of Promenade des Anglais. One of the most famous luxury hotels on the French Riviera and in France.

The socca
It is impossible to trace the history of socca with certainty except that its origins are very old. Neither Provençal nor Italian, Nice cuisine borrows from one and the other to forge its own identity. In this case, socca is probably a form derived from "farinata", a pancake made from chickpea flour that Italians have been baking in the oven since the Middle Ages.














"Science is a tool for cheaters". An anonymous French PE teacher.
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Posts

  • ProssPross Posts: 35,405
    My memory is rubbish but I can't recall seeing circuits used in the Tour since I've been watching (other than the final stage). No doubt people will now list dozens of examples. It's possibly not a good thing when trying to discourage spectators.

    Not sure I'd have Caleb as a 3 star favourite, I'd rank WVA and Sagan as more likely winners.
  • DeadCalmDeadCalm Posts: 4,025
    Pross said:

    Not sure I'd have Caleb as a 3 star favourite, I'd rank WVA and Sagan as more likely winners.

    I got sucked in by de Gendt declaring this stage as a goal but the more I look at it, the more convinced this will be a bunch sprint, in which case Ewan definitely deserves his high ranking.

    Team My Man 2022:

    Antwan Tolhoek, Sam Oomen, Tom Dumoulin, Thymen Arensman, Remco Evenepoel, Benoît Cosnefroy, Tom Pidcock, Mark Cavendish, Romain Bardet
  • bobmcstuffbobmcstuff Posts: 10,565
    I'll be bike touring on Islay and Jura for this, unfortunately. But I suppose I should start looking at the bookies for PTP shouldn't I...
  • specialgueststarspecialgueststar Posts: 3,417
    That's got me all excited. It's a dry tour for me this year and easy on the cheese. Can we have a healthy option please. Nicoise olives are my favourite so a salad nicoise is on the cards


  • tailwindhometailwindhome Posts: 18,234
    Alexander Kristoff - for a rider who doesn't win a lot he's featured in a lot of preview star ratings....
    “New York has the haircuts, London has the trousers, but Belfast has the reason!
  • tailwindhometailwindhome Posts: 18,234
    C'mon
    Which is it?



    “New York has the haircuts, London has the trousers, but Belfast has the reason!
  • ProssPross Posts: 35,405
    tailwindhome said:

    Alexander Kristoff - for a rider who doesn't win a lot he's featured in a lot of preview star ratings....

    It's amazing over the years how many riders have had 2 or 3 outstanding years followed by very little but then continue to be considered favourites. EBH, Degenkolb (understandable), MvdP ;)
  • blazing_saddlesblazing_saddles Posts: 20,518
    tailwindhome said:

    Alexander Kristoff - for a rider who doesn't win a lot he's featured in a lot of preview star ratings....

    It's more a reflection of the lack of sprinters in the race than anything else.
    Going to be a bumper year for the breakaway for sure.
    Also the fact that we are more uncertain about form than ever before.
    All makes the race more intriguing imo.

    Now, there is a distinct lack of wildlife around here.




    "Science is a tool for cheaters". An anonymous French PE teacher.
  • dish_dashdish_dash Posts: 5,429
    Pross said:

    tailwindhome said:

    Alexander Kristoff - for a rider who doesn't win a lot he's featured in a lot of preview star ratings....

    It's amazing over the years how many riders have had 2 or 3 outstanding years followed by very little but then continue to be considered favourites. EBH, Degenkolb (understandable), MvdP ;)
    Easy on My Man Kristoff... admittedly his two monuments were in 2014/15.

    He last won a tour stage in 2018. Plus he won GW last year and KBK before Covid, so he's certainly got winning potential particularly on a lumpy course.

    Though also as Blazing notes, there is a lack of sprinters this year...
  • red.riderred.rider Posts: 862
    specialgueststar said:

    That's got me all excited. It's a dry tour for me this year and easy on the cheese. Can we have a healthy option please. Nicoise olives are my favourite so a salad nicoise is on the cards


    We must stop the spread of misinformation: Beans have no place in a salad niçoise!
    https://huffingtonpost.fr/entry/cyril-lignac-recette-salade-nicoise-tous-en-cuisine_fr_5f410fddc5b697824f99165f
  • RichN95.RichN95. Posts: 26,527
    edited August 2020
    red.rider said:



    We must stop the spread of misinformation: Beans have no place in a salad niçoise!
    https://huffingtonpost.fr/entry/cyril-lignac-recette-salade-nicoise-tous-en-cuisine_fr_5f410fddc5b697824f99165f


    And no potatoes either

    More like this (I overdid it with the anchovies admittedly)


    Twitter: @RichN95
  • Matti66Matti66 Posts: 190
    No such thing.
  • specialgueststarspecialgueststar Posts: 3,417
    There's no tuna on there - the star ingredient. Very rough chopping on the cucumber ( that shouldn't be there ) did you do it with a pedal spanner? I would call that a garden salad with an attack of anchovies 😏
  • andypandyp Posts: 9,242
    dish_dash said:


    Easy on My Man Kristoff... admittedly his two monuments were in 2014/15.

    He last won a tour stage in 2018. Plus he won GW last year and KBK before Covid, so he's certainly got winning potential particularly on a lumpy course.

    Your Man Kristoff has never won KBK.
  • orraloonorraloon Posts: 11,396
    specialgueststar said:

    There's no tuna on there - the star ingredient. Very rough chopping on the cucumber ( that shouldn't be there ) did you do it with a pedal spanner? I would call that a garden salad with an attack of anchovies 😏

    Reckon we need Greg Wallace to pronounce.
  • RichN95.RichN95. Posts: 26,527
    specialgueststar said:

    There's no tuna on there - the star ingredient. Very rough chopping on the cucumber ( that shouldn't be there ) did you do it with a pedal spanner? I would call that a garden salad with an attack of anchovies 😏


    I prefer anchovies to tuna. You can have either, but not both.
    Twitter: @RichN95
  • twotoebennytwotoebenny Posts: 1,273
    Spent six months in Nice back in Uni days, never once had a salade Niçoise. Looking forward to the race, would have loved to have been there.
  • ProssPross Posts: 35,405
    twotoebenny said:

    Spent six months in Nice back in Uni days, never once had a salade Niçoise. Looking forward to the race, would have loved to have been there.

    Don't blame you. It looks shite!
  • blazing_saddlesblazing_saddles Posts: 20,518
    Oh enough of the crappy salads.
    What about some proper food?





    "Science is a tool for cheaters". An anonymous French PE teacher.
  • pblakeneypblakeney Posts: 22,353
    Last time I was in Nice the desert was Tiramisu drizzled with.........
    ....olive oil. Kid you not! And it was delicious.
    The above may be fact, or fiction, I may be serious, I may be jesting.
    I am not sure. You have no chance.
    Veronese68 wrote:
    PB is the most sensible person on here.
  • blazing_saddlesblazing_saddles Posts: 20,518
    edited August 2020
    Anyhow, La Course just got underway under rather overcast skies. Could be a spot of rain about over Le Weekend.
    Re the crowds: Well there are a good few watching, but nothing like we would normally expect.

    Pretty much as some of us predicted back when all the talk was about things never happening.
    "Science is a tool for cheaters". An anonymous French PE teacher.
  • mididoctorsmididoctors Posts: 13,106
    That's a pretty testy course .
    "If I was a 38 year old man, I definitely wouldn't be riding a bright yellow bike with Hello Kitty disc wheels, put it that way. What we're witnessing here is the world's most high profile mid-life crisis" Afx237vi Mon Jul 20, 2009 2:43 pm
  • blazing_saddlesblazing_saddles Posts: 20,518
    edited August 2020
    Nice trackie throw from Lizzie D to take La Course from Vos.

    That's a win - crash - win, week.
    "Science is a tool for cheaters". An anonymous French PE teacher.
  • mididoctorsmididoctors Posts: 13,106
    Didn't think she was coming over vos there
    "If I was a 38 year old man, I definitely wouldn't be riding a bright yellow bike with Hello Kitty disc wheels, put it that way. What we're witnessing here is the world's most high profile mid-life crisis" Afx237vi Mon Jul 20, 2009 2:43 pm
  • inseineinseine Posts: 5,786
    She paused in the last few metres then did a nice throw. Thought Vos had it but went a tad too early
    http://cyclinganddesign.blogspot.fr/
  • ddraverddraver Posts: 25,322
    That was good wasn't it?

    Think Trek Segafredo need to swap DSs between the boys and girls a bit more...
    We're in danger of confusing passion with incompetence
    - @ddraver
  • ddraverddraver Posts: 25,322
    🤨

    We're in danger of confusing passion with incompetence
    - @ddraver
  • DeadCalmDeadCalm Posts: 4,025
    Excellent teamwork from Longo Borghini. That last 'attack' drew Vos to the front much earlier than she'd have wanted.
    Team My Man 2022:

    Antwan Tolhoek, Sam Oomen, Tom Dumoulin, Thymen Arensman, Remco Evenepoel, Benoît Cosnefroy, Tom Pidcock, Mark Cavendish, Romain Bardet
  • rick_chaseyrick_chasey Posts: 66,198 Lives Here
    Sporza on, Wuyts and de Cauwer on the call (...from Belgium), honestly thought this day wouldn’t come this year.

    Woop.

    I’ll ignore their opening comment that it’s 50-50 it’ll get to Paris....
    _
  • ddraverddraver Posts: 25,322
    Whoop

    We're off!

    Breaking my own rule about not watching flat stages from the start...
    We're in danger of confusing passion with incompetence
    - @ddraver
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