2011 Tour de France Stage 11: Blaye-les-Mines Lavaur 167.5 km

[FignonLeGrand]

It's not easy, but Cav just doesn't have competition. Than why make the rules even easier for him?

Let's add 3 time trials in the Tour than and see how you like that But Prudhomme is obviously a hypocrite and wants Cav to win green and certain person from Luxembourg yellow.

Haha Id love to see a good TT back in all GTs! these little 30/40kms are rubbish I remember when thy were 60/70km. Then they changed all that to stop Indurain and alike. Maybe they should just not change race formula based on the best riders at the time.

Do you remember SuperConfex? They were train kings its nothing new.

 

[Kopuliak]

I think Phil can climb better, but Sagan could have made every final in this Tour so far and he's way faster on the flat. Definitely hope he'll beat Cav for the green jersey, but I fear next year will be 9+ flat stages again with easy finishes.

I hope, we'll see Sagan, Cav and Gilbert on Vuelta '11...

 

[El Pistolero]

I hope, we'll see Sagan, Cav and Gilbert on Vuelta '11...

Gilbert won't be going.

 

[phanatic]

The Tour is not the TOC.

Or P-N or Sardegna or TDS, but the Vuelta should be a real test. On another note, I think the Giro's Azzurri d'Italia ranking is pretty cool, though I don't know if that would work for le tour.

 

[Benotti69]

the TdF is suffering from too much control on riders by DS.

Canc is working for the Schlecks so not going to do a puncheur.

millar tried it but went too early and probably has not got the real puncheur in his legs...

not too worry the TdF will continue to evolve

 

[The Hitch]

After 3 years of "Its just sprints" turns out Cav does care about the Green jersey afterall lol.


Stilll, i like the coverage, small as it may be, that it brings to cycling here.

Now if he could just bring home that rainbow jersey

 

[Jamsque]

Some quick maths using the old points system (I am bored at work, can you tell?):

Cav has 5th, 1st, 1st, 2nd, 1st all in flat stages = 22 + 35 + 35 + 30 + 35 = 157
Gilbert has 1st, 20th, 5th (medium mountain), 2nd, 7th, 14th, 2nd (medium mountain), 4th (medium mountain), 14th = 35 + 6 + 16 + 30 + 19 + 12 + 22 + 18 +12 = 170
Rojas has 4th, 3rd, 12th (medium mountain), 3rd, 5th, 9th, 3rd, 7th = 24 + 26 + 9 + 26 + 22 + 17 + 26 + 19 = 169

That would give us standings at this point like this:
Gilbert 170
Rojas 169
Cavendish 157

Still very close, obviously all hypothetical. But let's get MORE hypothetical...

Assuming for the sake of argument that Cav goes on to win the two remaining flat stages, his final total under the old system would be 227 points. That means Gilbert would need to get 58 points over the remaining stages to win. Now, four of those are MTFs, and one is an ITT, so really Gilbert would need 58 points from five stages. Let's say he wins the last remaining 'medium mountain' stage, that gets him 25 old-money points and leaves him needing 33 from two flat stages and two stages with very, very tough climbs in them.

Obviously the new system favours Cav more than the old, but either way the Maillot Vert is a very close battle that probably goes down to the wire. We'll see in two weeks whether things would have been different under the old system or not. I suspect that breakaways are going to take a lot of potential points away from Gilbert.

 

[therhodeo]

What are the chances of Cav not making a time cut?

 

[Jan the Man]

What are the chances of Cav not making a time cut?

pretty low.

 

[goggalor]

Huschovd winning green because he can break away on little climbs

Little climbs? Are you kidding?

And he didn't just win because of his breakaways (not that that would be a bad thing), but also because he was a more consistent finisher than Cav.

 

[Midnightfright]

What are the chances of Cav not making a time cut?

I find it unlikely. He is a bad climber but there is plenty riders who are just as bad as him so if he's in a large enough group they will keep him. I truly believe that they will give Cav every chance to finish.

 

[The Hitch]

I find it unlikely. He is a bad climber but there is plenty riders who are just as bad as him so if he's in a large enough group they will keep him. I truly believe that they will give Cav every chance to finish.

If they want to do it, they got to try tomorow, then 18, and try to have him worn out by 19 which is short hence time cut will be smaller and its nothing but climbing and they will steam up Alpe.

Cav to make it by holding on to a car

 

[FignonLeGrand]

Little climbs? Are you kidding?

And he didn't just win because of his breakaways (not that that would be a bad thing), but also because he was a more consistent finisher than Cav.

Well I am not being too serious no. This is a forum for opinion and i was using that as an example. However considering the overall parcours it wasnt the most difficult of climbs. I actually think it was a great move exploiting his strengths just wasn't really in spirit of green jersey

 

[TeoSheva]

Feillu tomorrow DNS

 

[Libertine Seguros]

Well, Christian Prudhomme finally got his wish.

Absolutely sweet FA happens, and Cavendish in green.

Tell you what, the Vuelta won't have to work very hard to be the best GT of the year. Just a shame it put 45km of pan-flat at the end of the final mountain stage.

 

[Jaunty Monty]

That would give us standings at this point like this:
Gilbert 170
Rojas 169
Cavendish 157

Still very close,

By the same token Hushovd would be in the mix with 151 and Greipel would have 128. Of course the very fact that there is a different system changes the way riders behave. Plus those figures are only for points at the finish. We have no idea what would have happened had we had the old three intermediate sprints.

 

[goggalor]

Well I am not being too serious no. This is a forum for opinion and i was using that as an example. However considering the overall parcours it wasnt the most difficult of climbs. I actually think it was a great move exploiting his strengths just wasn't really in spirit of green jersey

I think it's the intermediate sprint points themselves that aren't really in the spirit of the green jersey. It would be a lot simpler if they just gave points at the finish, and didn't distinguish between flat stages and mountain stages (and TTs). Then it would truly be the jersey for the most consistent finisher. Only problem is the intermediate sprints actually bring a bit of excitement to the stages, this year with the mini bunch sprints and in previous years with "sprinters" going on high mountain breakaways.

 

[just some guy]

bits cut

Tell you what, the Vuelta won't have to work very hard to be the best GT of the year. Just a shame it put 45km of pan-flat at the end of the final mountain stage.

Yep it may well turn out that way.............

 

[Mambo95]

By the same token Hushovd would be in the mix with 151 and Greipel would have 128. Of course the very fact that there is a different system changes the way riders behave. Plus those figures are only for points at the finish. We have no idea what would have happened had we had the old three intermediate sprints.

The points whould have been claimed by the break - same as they always were. Very few of the old sprints where ever contested by the GJ contenders.

 

[Florian]

I think it's the intermediate sprint points themselves that aren't really in the spirit of the green jersey.

Rules are rules but I'm wondering what could happen if these mid-race sprints would have their own classification as the Intergiro few years ago?

 

[El Pistolero]

Yep it may well turn out that way.............

This Tour has been fantastic so far...

Although this stage should have been a mountain stage instead.

 

[Libertine Seguros]

I'm bored and want it to be over already. Unless the mountain stages are phenomenal, this race could suck harder than the 2009 version. And then, after making us wait nearly 2 weeks for a stage where more than 15 seconds can be gained without a massive pile-up, they go and put a flat stage on the final weekend?

And people criticised the Giro...

 

[sublimit]

Well, Christian Prudhomme finally got his wish.

Absolutely sweet FA happens, and Cavendish in green.

Tell you what, the Vuelta won't have to work very hard to be the best GT of the year. Just a shame it put 45km of pan-flat at the end of the final mountain stage.

Some downhill finishes can be quite good, it brings some unpredictability to the race.

Otherwise it will be just Andy and Contador with the usual soft pedaling and short bursts of action, Evans going out the back and catching up when the leading two slow up and basically zilch happening.

 

[Libertine Seguros]

Some downhill finishes can be quite good, it brings some unpredictability to the race.

Otherwise it will be just Andy and Contador with the usual soft pedaling and short bursts of action, Evans going out the back and catching up when the leading two slow up and basically zilch happening.

Downhill finishes can be awesome. But the Vuelta's one is absolutely flat after the final climb, not even a descent. If the finish was on an MTF, fine. If it was after a descent, fine. If it had a bit of flat there, fine. But 45 pan flat km (about as much as you could ever find in País Vasco) is a real dampener.

 

[Waterloo Sunrise]

Downhill finishes can be awesome. But the Vuelta's one is absolutely flat after the final climb, not even a descent. If the finish was on an MTF, fine. If it was after a descent, fine. If it had a bit of flat there, fine. But 45 pan flat km (about as much as you could ever find in País Vasco) is a real dampener.

There are some great downhill finishes in this tour, hopefully Sammy makes them memorable.