Tour de Romandie 2014 "spoiler"

knedlicky
knedlicky Posts: 3,097
edited May 2014 in Pro race
Tour de Romandie starts tomorrow, 29 April.

Map:
carte_generale_2014.jpg

Prlg :
deniv.jpg

St 1:
deniv.jpg

St 2:
deniv.jpg

St 3:
deniv.jpg

St 4:
deniv.jpg

St 5:
deniv.jpg


Video Presentation: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a3meEOHViWQ#t=23


Start List: http://www.tourderomandie.ch/fr/35-coureurs
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Comments

  • knedlicky
    knedlicky Posts: 3,097
    Current conditions on Simplon Pass (planned to cross on stage 2, 30 April) :

    BmS-tNLIQAEpIy2.jpg:large

    How's Froome's bronchitis?
  • andyp
    andyp Posts: 10,069
    I had lunch in the hotel once, sat outside in the sunshine.

    /csb
  • Richmond Racer
    Richmond Racer Posts: 8,561
    knedlicky wrote:
    Current conditions on Simplon Pass (planned to cross on stage 2, 30 April) :

    BmS-tNLIQAEpIy2.jpg:large

    How's Froome's bronchitis?


    *cough, splutter*
  • above_the_cows
    above_the_cows Posts: 11,406
    So we have three TTs out of six stages in this?

    Blimey.
    Correlation is not causation.
  • Richmond Racer
    Richmond Racer Posts: 8,561
    So we have three TTs out of six stages in this?

    Blimey.


    Nah - that st 4 profile is misleading. The stage is a 174km road stage, not 30km
  • frenchfighter
    frenchfighter Posts: 30,642
    GT GC talent very weak here. Good job Kwaitek and Uran are racing. Maybe Nibali will turn up - that will make things a more interesting even if he has had a lay off in form.
    So we have three TTs out of six stages in this?

    Blimey.


    Nah - that st 4 profile is misleading. The stage is a 174km road stage, not 30km

    It is a circuit race, each loop using the same profile.
    Contador is the Greatest
  • above_the_cows
    above_the_cows Posts: 11,406
    GT GC talent very weak here. Good job Kwaitek and Uran are racing. Maybe Nibali will turn up - that will make things a more interesting even if he has had a lay off in form.
    So we have three TTs out of six stages in this?

    Blimey.


    Nah - that st 4 profile is misleading. The stage is a 174km road stage, not 30km

    It is a circuit race, each loop using the same profile.

    A ha. I see. That makes sense. I was a bit :shock: I must say.
    Correlation is not causation.
  • Crankbrother
    Crankbrother Posts: 1,695
    Why are we being subjected to Turkey rather than this ... It's not like ES get a holiday in the sun out of it ...
  • frenchfighter
    frenchfighter Posts: 30,642
    So although Nibali is not on the official startlist he has actually decided to race this after finishing LBL within a minute and after being party to several attacks.

    I reckon M Frank could do well actually. May be a dark horse. He also raced LBL and finished only 23secs off the top spot 4secs behind pt neo pro, lightweight climber and fiery attacker Arredondo.
    Contador is the Greatest
  • after some glorious weather for the past five or so weeks, here's the forecast

    http://www.meteosuisse.admin.ch/web/fr/ ... etail.html

    and it's not looking good.

    Shame, as this race can be a great showcase for some wonderful riding country and beautiful scenery

    Perhaps it'll turn out OK
  • andyp
    andyp Posts: 10,069
    It's always a bit hit and miss in terms of weather at this race, due to it's date on the calendar.

    In 1998 I moved to Zurich a week or so before the race, and it was glorious with temperatures in the low 30s and wall to wall sunshine. The following year I took the week off work to go and see some of the race and it was cold and wet all week.
  • calvjones
    calvjones Posts: 3,850
    Why are we being subjected to Turkey rather than this ... It's not like ES get a holiday in the sun out of it ...

    Sky have the UK rights I think.
    ___________________

    Strava is not Zen.
  • blazing_saddles
    blazing_saddles Posts: 21,741
    Eurosport have Turkey, while Sky have this turkey.
    24kms of against the clock versus a couple of climbs topping out 15-10kms from stage finishes.
    About as balanced as Frank Schleck's cornering downhill.
    "Science is a tool for cheaters". An anonymous French PE teacher.
  • Richmond Racer
    Richmond Racer Posts: 8,561
    Eurosport have Turkey, while Sky have this turkey.
    24kms of against the clock versus a couple of climbs topping out 15-10kms from stage finishes.
    About as balanced as Frank Schleck's cornering downhill.


    Its a rubbish parcours this year
  • Turfle
    Turfle Posts: 3,762
    I have hopes. I'm fond of stages that end 10 or 20k after a climb.
  • TheBigBean
    TheBigBean Posts: 20,511
    The Pro Tour Pundits and the bookies have Martin as favourite for the prologue. I don't understand that. It must be ages since he won a short prologue*. Also, Jack Bobridge is a tempting 50/1 with some bookies.

    Very hard to pick a winner overall as well.

    *I fully expect / hope someone will come along a correct me.
  • Richmond Racer
    Richmond Racer Posts: 8,561
    TheBigBean wrote:
    The Pro Tour Pundits and the bookies have Martin as favourite for the prologue. I don't understand that. It must be ages since he won a short prologue*. Also, Jack Bobridge is a tempting 50/1 with some bookies.

    Very hard to pick a winner overall as well.

    *I fully expect / hope someone will come along a correct me.


    Agree re the prologue betting. Its a shortie - and it takes Martin a little while to fire up that engine

    The lack of summit finishes is doing for the easy-winner-picking. Too much opportunity for the non-climbers to pull back gaps after the climb and in the run to the finish
  • RideOnTime
    RideOnTime Posts: 4,712
    Well look at the peaks on that.

    Referring to altitude plans.
  • frenchfighter
    frenchfighter Posts: 30,642
    TheBigBean wrote:
    The Pro Tour Pundits and the bookies have Martin as favourite for the prologue. I don't understand that. It must be ages since he won a short prologue*. Also, Jack Bobridge is a tempting 50/1 with some bookies.

    Very hard to pick a winner overall as well.

    *I fully expect / hope someone will come along a correct me.


    Agree re the prologue betting. Its a shortie - and it takes Martin a little while to fire up that engine

    The lack of summit finishes is doing for the easy-winner-picking. Too much opportunity for the non-climbers to pull back gaps after the climb and in the run to the finish

    I dont think he has ever won a prologue other than 11km one in Beijing and one in Ster E (6km).
    Contador is the Greatest
  • rick_chasey
    rick_chasey Posts: 72,244
    Weak competition mainly.

    Rohan Dennis, kiwakowski and maybe Michiel Hepburn as an outsider bet.
  • TheBigBean
    TheBigBean Posts: 20,511
    It's on Sky Sports from 3pm.
  • milton50
    milton50 Posts: 3,856
    I think Hepburn is a decent bet and Gaudin might surprise a few. I don't really know why I went for Talansky in the end but I think Martin will be beat.

    It's really hard to pick the GC winner given that there are no summit finishes. In the end it will likely come down to the final time trial. If he has some kind of form then you would expect Froome to beat Kwiatowski in that final TT. But given his season so far Froome is a bit of an unknown quantity.

    It's very difficult to predict how this race is going to go.
  • thomthom
    thomthom Posts: 3,574
    Fuglsang will overshine Nibali and win the overall.
  • Richmond Racer
    Richmond Racer Posts: 8,561
    Milton50 wrote:
    I think Hepburn is a decent bet and Gaudin might surprise a few. I don't really know why I went for Talansky in the end but I think Martin will be beat.

    It's really hard to pick the GC winner given that there are no summit finishes. In the end it will likely come down to the final time trial. If he has some kind of form then you would expect Froome to beat Kwiatowski in that final TT. But given his season so far Froome is a bit of an unknown quantity.

    It's very difficult to predict how this race is going to go.


    It also remains to be seen whether this is a race too far for Kwiatkowski - he's had a long old run of races, and he's been competitive in most of them - hardly been saving his energy at the back of the bunch
  • Turfle
    Turfle Posts: 3,762
    The TJVG is favourite for me. Stef Clement my outside bet. No idea what to expect from Porte or Froome.
  • frenchfighter
    frenchfighter Posts: 30,642
    It also remains to be seen whether this is a race too far for Kwiatkowski - he's had a long old run of races, and he's been competitive in most of them - hardly been saving his energy at the back of the bunch

    Proper racer innit.

    Lefevre was saying how they wanted to rest him but he was flying so didnt make sense to stop him when he was winning.
    Contador is the Greatest
  • andyp
    andyp Posts: 10,069
    It also remains to be seen whether this is a race too far for Kwiatkowski - he's had a long old run of races, and he's been competitive in most of them - hardly been saving his energy at the back of the bunch

    Proper racer innit.

    Lefevre was saying how they wanted to rest him but he was flying so didnt make sense to stop him when he was winning.

    That and the fact that OPQS are short of numbers.

    I think it might be a race too far for Kwiatowski, who probably needs a mental break more than he needs a physical one.
  • frenchfighter
    frenchfighter Posts: 30,642
    andyp wrote:
    It also remains to be seen whether this is a race too far for Kwiatkowski - he's had a long old run of races, and he's been competitive in most of them - hardly been saving his energy at the back of the bunch

    Proper racer innit.

    Lefevre was saying how they wanted to rest him but he was flying so didnt make sense to stop him when he was winning.

    That and the fact that OPQS are short of numbers.

    I think it might be a race too far for Kwiatowski, who probably needs a mental break more than he needs a physical one.

    I agree, at this point would make more sense having him rest and then start flying in the Dauphine. Not going to gain much from this race, poor parcours, poor competition and potential awful weather.
    Contador is the Greatest
  • milton50
    milton50 Posts: 3,856
    I think it's getting pretty close to the point where he needs a break but he's got age on his side. They will have to give him a rest after Romandie though if he is still doing the Tour.
  • frenchfighter
    frenchfighter Posts: 30,642
    He has done 4100 km of the bigger races. Luke Rowe has done 4600km - only 23 and racking up the miles unlike his colleagues.
    Contador is the Greatest