The Pre-Tour de France thread v2.0
Comments
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Presumably it is because attention will be elsewhere but stillblazing_saddles said:
A shocker isn't it?rick_chasey said:Just looked at the route.
What a snooze week one is.
First weekend is OK but the mid week stages are coma inducing.0 -
Wait for the winds to blow in the first week and it could be carnage.rick_chasey said:
Presumably it is because attention will be elsewhere but stillblazing_saddles said:
A shocker isn't it?rick_chasey said:Just looked at the route.
What a snooze week one is.
First weekend is OK but the mid week stages are coma inducing.
If it's calm though ................0 -
If you decide the race has to at least pretend to make its way across from Brittany to the Alps, there's going to be at least a couple of days of dull countryside.rick_chasey said:
Presumably it is because attention will be elsewhere but stillblazing_saddles said:
A shocker isn't it?rick_chasey said:Just looked at the route.
What a snooze week one is.
First weekend is OK but the mid week stages are coma inducing.
1,2,3 look OK, 5 is interesting as far as TTs go (i.e. not), 4 and 6 are mercifully short. 7 looks like it could finish quite nicely after a boring first 4 hours.
Looks good from then on though.0 -
Stage 3 might be pretty to look at if the Sun shines, but it's pretty gentle countryside around there.kingstongraham said:
If you decide the race has to at least pretend to make its way across from Brittany to the Alps, there's going to be at least a couple of days of dull countryside.rick_chasey said:
Presumably it is because attention will be elsewhere but stillblazing_saddles said:
A shocker isn't it?rick_chasey said:Just looked at the route.
What a snooze week one is.
First weekend is OK but the mid week stages are coma inducing.
1,2,3 look OK, 5 is interesting as far as TTs go (i.e. not), 4 and 6 are mercifully short. 7 looks like it could finish quite nicely after a boring first 4 hours.
Looks good from then on though.
As DB says, we need some first week wind.
"Science is a tool for cheaters". An anonymous French PE teacher.0 -
Pretty to look at then a sprint will do for me.blazing_saddles said:
Stage 3 might be pretty to look at if the Sun shines, but it's pretty gentle countryside around there.kingstongraham said:
If you decide the race has to at least pretend to make its way across from Brittany to the Alps, there's going to be at least a couple of days of dull countryside.rick_chasey said:
Presumably it is because attention will be elsewhere but stillblazing_saddles said:
A shocker isn't it?rick_chasey said:Just looked at the route.
What a snooze week one is.
First weekend is OK but the mid week stages are coma inducing.
1,2,3 look OK, 5 is interesting as far as TTs go (i.e. not), 4 and 6 are mercifully short. 7 looks like it could finish quite nicely after a boring first 4 hours.
Looks good from then on though.
As DB says, we need some first week wind.0 -
De Plus has announced he's taking a break after overtraining hasn't he?rick_chasey said:
Dennis? Though I'll freely admit I've not watched the races he's supposed to have been good in.blazing_saddles said:
OK, so here's the obvious hypothetical: who would you leave out to put Van Baarle in?Pross said:
Thought Van Baarle would be in there. He's did a good job in 2019 and looked OK last year but lost his leader and role early.blazing_saddles said:Sounds about right to me:
CARAPAZ Richard
CASTROVIEJO NICOLAS Jonathan
DENNIS Rohan
GEOGHEGAN HART Tao
KWIATKOWSKI Michal
PORTE Richie
ROWE Luke
THOMAS Geraint
Reserve.
DE PLUS Laurens
I'd have thought it would be 2 out of Dennis, Rowe & Van Baarle for the 'ride on the front' slots.
Would have thought they wouldn't need Castroviejo to ride the Tour off the back of the Giro, given their resources.0 -
In terms of GC days you have a pitifully small TT and then nothing really until the next Saturday.0
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That's a little harsh. As others have commented, it's a first week for Alaphilippe to get in yellow and stay there a while. The two opening stages finish on murs, Friday's stage 7 has a nasty ramp cat 2 less than 20k from the finish, with bonus seconds at the top and a cat 4 to follow before the finish. We should see gc action (even if just grabbing seconds) on 4 days of the 7. Got to give the sprinters something in the first week when you're giving them Ventoux x2 laterrick_chasey said:In terms of GC days you have a pitifully small TT and then nothing really until the next Saturday.
Warning No formatter is installed for the format0 -
Also, Amador was in the Dauphine team which would seem to be the bulk of the Tour squad - admit I didn't get to watch much of it tho so not sure how he went there?yorkshireraw said:
De Plus has announced he's taking a break after overtraining hasn't he?rick_chasey said:
Dennis? Though I'll freely admit I've not watched the races he's supposed to have been good in.blazing_saddles said:
OK, so here's the obvious hypothetical: who would you leave out to put Van Baarle in?Pross said:
Thought Van Baarle would be in there. He's did a good job in 2019 and looked OK last year but lost his leader and role early.blazing_saddles said:Sounds about right to me:
CARAPAZ Richard
CASTROVIEJO NICOLAS Jonathan
DENNIS Rohan
GEOGHEGAN HART Tao
KWIATKOWSKI Michal
PORTE Richie
ROWE Luke
THOMAS Geraint
Reserve.
DE PLUS Laurens
I'd have thought it would be 2 out of Dennis, Rowe & Van Baarle for the 'ride on the front' slots.
Would have thought they wouldn't need Castroviejo to ride the Tour off the back of the Giro, given their resources.0 -
Designed for Alaphillippe, but it's 6 days in yellow for MvdP surely?1
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Aren't there additional bonus points for the finishes on stages 1 and 2 (or 3 can't remember).0
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Hopefully.kingstongraham said:Designed for Alaphillippe, but it's 6 days in yellow for MvdP surely?
That's certainly how I see it.rick_chasey said:It definitely has the vibe of a mid 00s Tour route.
"Science is a tool for cheaters". An anonymous French PE teacher.0 -
There's 8, 5, 2 seconds for the first over the first climb of Mur de Bretagne on stage 2. Otherwise it's 10, 6, 4 seconds at the finish.shirley_basso said:Aren't there additional bonus points for the finishes on stages 1 and 2 (or 3 can't remember).
Also same bonus seconds at:
Stage 7: Signal d’Uchon
Stage 8: Col de la Colombière
Stage 11: Mont Ventoux, second passage
Stage 14: Col de Saint-Louis
Stage 15: Col de Beixalis
For points, stages 1,2,3,4,6,10,12,13,19,21 are all treated as flat stages with 50 points.0 -
It's always a disappointment when they ride the horrible side of the Tourmalet. At least they get the nice descent.0
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Ah - that's what I meant - 50 points on offer, thought it was by exception.kingstongraham said:
There's 8, 5, 2 seconds for the first over the first climb of Mur de Bretagne on stage 2. Otherwise it's 10, 6, 4 seconds at the finish.shirley_basso said:Aren't there additional bonus points for the finishes on stages 1 and 2 (or 3 can't remember).
Also same bonus seconds at:
Stage 7: Signal d’Uchon
Stage 8: Col de la Colombière
Stage 11: Mont Ventoux, second passage
Stage 14: Col de Saint-Louis
Stage 15: Col de Beixalis
For points, stages 1,2,3,4,6,10,12,13,19,21 are all treated as flat stages with 50 points.0 -
Yeah, I think his decision to ride has scuppered le grand plankingstongraham said:Designed for Alaphillippe, but it's 6 days in yellow for MvdP surely?
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De Plus has only raced 19 days all season with his last day being a DNF at the Basque tour on 10th April. Did he crash out and get injured?yorkshireraw said:
De Plus has announced he's taking a break after overtraining hasn't he?rick_chasey said:
Dennis? Though I'll freely admit I've not watched the races he's supposed to have been good in.blazing_saddles said:
OK, so here's the obvious hypothetical: who would you leave out to put Van Baarle in?Pross said:
Thought Van Baarle would be in there. He's did a good job in 2019 and looked OK last year but lost his leader and role early.blazing_saddles said:Sounds about right to me:
CARAPAZ Richard
CASTROVIEJO NICOLAS Jonathan
DENNIS Rohan
GEOGHEGAN HART Tao
KWIATKOWSKI Michal
PORTE Richie
ROWE Luke
THOMAS Geraint
Reserve.
DE PLUS Laurens
I'd have thought it would be 2 out of Dennis, Rowe & Van Baarle for the 'ride on the front' slots.
Would have thought they wouldn't need Castroviejo to ride the Tour off the back of the Giro, given their resources.0 -
So a 3 horse race...RichN95. said:For team news, speculation, discussion as to what might happen and anything else (apart from Cavendish, there's a thread for that)
The Bookies odds (PaddyPower)
5/4 Pogacar
7/4 Roglic
5/1 Thomas
8/1 Carapaz
16/1 Porte
22/1 Alaphillippe (are you OK Paddy?)
25/1 Padun (seriously Paddy, do you need to talk to someone?)
33/1 Uran
40/1 G-Hart, Ant-Man Lopez
50/1 Mas, Kelderman, Landa, Dumoulin (Paddy, I'm staging an intervention)
Realistically, only the top three have a chance to win. I would feel quite comfortable to offer Uran at 300 to 1... in fact I am happy to do so, if any of you guys want to waste some money ...left the forum March 20230 -
You think Thomas has a better chance than Carapaz? Is that because he'll lose a couple of minutes across the TTs?0
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there is that... difficult to put minutes into opponents on the Tour mountainskingstongraham said:You think Thomas has a better chance than Carapaz? Is that because he'll lose a couple of minutes across the TTs?
left the forum March 20230 -
I think Carapaz may well be put in the difficult position of having to choose whether to hold back and support Thomas, or go rogue.ugo.santalucia said:
there is that... difficult to put minutes into opponents on the Tour mountainskingstongraham said:You think Thomas has a better chance than Carapaz? Is that because he'll lose a couple of minutes across the TTs?
Bear in mind Thomas could well lose a couple of minutes by falling over.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.0 -
Carapaz was top 10 in the Vuelta TT and the Tour de Suisse TT. He's not a complete no hoper against the clock.kingstongraham said:You think Thomas has a better chance than Carapaz? Is that because he'll lose a couple of minutes across the TTs?
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I can't see Ineos asking Carapaz to support Thomas. I don't see a way for Thomas to win, but Carapaz may find a way for himself.pblakeney said:
I think Carapaz may well be put in the difficult position of having to choose whether to hold back and support Thomas, or go rogue.ugo.santalucia said:
there is that... difficult to put minutes into opponents on the Tour mountainskingstongraham said:You think Thomas has a better chance than Carapaz? Is that because he'll lose a couple of minutes across the TTs?
Bear in mind Thomas could well lose a couple of minutes by falling over."Unfortunately these days a lot of people don’t understand the real quality of a bike" Ernesto Colnago0 -
If we assume there is a 50% chance of Thomas crashing out in the first week the odds for Carapaz might not be too bad.0
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That's true, but those were both TTs with a big climb in them, and he still lost 49 seconds to Roglic in the vuelta over 33km. phreak said:
Carapaz was top 10 in the Vuelta TT and the Tour de Suisse TT. He's not a complete no hoper against the clock.kingstongraham said:You think Thomas has a better chance than Carapaz? Is that because he'll lose a couple of minutes across the TTs?
In 2019, he lost 3:28 to Roglic in the 3 Giro TTs over 59km. (Bearing in mind he was definitely trying in those!)
You can be among the top 10 and still lose a lot of time. I don't think him losing 2 minutes over 58km of TT is controversial.0 -
Wasn't Carapaz brought into the debate as it was stated to be a 3 horse race, which didn't include him? I'm thinking it is a 4 horse race until Ineos decide who is #1.
I think has has to beat Thomas, then Roglic, then Pogacar.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.0
