2012 Tour de France: Stage 10: Mácon → Bellegarde-sur-Valserine (195 km)

[whittashau]

Basically, the same stage as recently raced in the Dauphine, with a different finishing run in, tagged on.
Just about all the main protagonists therefore know all the key points.

We saw Evans and Nibali get away and form a small group, off the Colombier descent, only to get reeled in by EBH's one man train.
The Col de Richmond isn't tough, but again, the descent became animated, this time with Wiggins mixing it up, as well.

The big different between then and Le Tour is that this time, there is virtually no flat between the descent and the finish.

I can't help but feel a few cunning plans were hatched, that day.

When did Evans and Nibali get caught in the dauphine? Before Col De Richmond or after?

 

[will10]

When did Evans and Nibali get caught in the dauphine? Before Col De Richmond or after?

I think Bradley bridged across on the Richmond

 

[Mellow Velo]

When did Evans and Nibali get caught in the dauphine? Before Col De Richmond or after?

Fairly early on the Col d R.
The descent off Colombier was partially damp.
Allegedly, Sky took it easy and caught the break quite easily.
The GPS may well have played up a bit, that day.

I think Bradley bridged across on the Richmond

He did indeed. With ease. Gave Porte a hand.

 

[Marco Pantani]

Well I don't think Porte or Rogers will be there at the top of the climb to help bringing back the attackers. It'll be up to Froome and Wiggins to deal with them.
VdB should attack tomorrow, RSNT for sure, Evans and Nibali as well.

Everything is set for an exciting race.

 

[zigzag wanderer]

At 7km to the top of the Col de Grand Colombier the gradient is about 12%.

Let's say Nibali and Evans attack and Wiggins is struggling but Froome isn't.

What do Sky do?

 

[Cimber]

• Km 90.0 - Côte de Corlier - 6.4 km climb to 5.5 % - Category 2
• Km 174.0 - Col de Richemond - 7.2 km climb to 5 % - Category 3

A tad weird that both arent cat. 2. Richemond should be more than cat.3

 

[cineteq]

At 7km to the top of the Col de Grand Colombier the gradient is about 12%.

Let's say Nibali and Evans attack and Wiggins is struggling but Froome isn't.

What do Sky do?

Cocu avant moi!!! I just posted a similar question here:
http://forum.cyclingnews.com/showpost.php?p=935043&postcount=74

 

[Hammerhed]

So, how about Moncoutie? Is it too early for him to have a go? And I thought maybe Albasini might try here. He has shown himself to be a real "hoss" as far as I am concerned. Of course, RSNT has about five guys who could go up the road, but since Gallopin (the boy's name is a kind of a pun, huh, ya know gallopin'?) has been so strong lately, why not him?

 

[Falken]

Not a surprise. Tony Martin has left the tour.

http://www.velonation.com/News/ID/1...-injury-and-to-prepare-for-Olympic-Games.aspx

 

[Maaaaaaaarten]

When they rode this stage in the Dauphine the finish was much further from the final descent than today, so I think Nibali and Evans were just testing a bit in that stage and didn't go all out, because they had no hope whatsoever because of the large ammount of flat after the descent from Richemond. Today there is more at stake and it's closer to the finish. My guess is that Evans and Nibali will try the same thing, only now go all out, because they are desperate to see whether they can win time on Wiggo in these sort of stages.

It will be intresting to see what JvdB and Menchov will do, JvdB certainly should be able to go with Evans and Nibs attacking on the Colombiere, but he sucks at descending. We'll also see where Menchov is at, with the longer climbs.

Also, Wiggo seems in such terribly good shape that it might be hard to drop him in the first place on the uphill.

I don't have much faith in Porte and Rogers though, to survive serious attacking by Evans and Nibali on the uphill. Froome's bike handling skills seemed pretty crapy in the TT, so I do give Evans and Nibali a fair chance to take some good time in descents on UK postal, but they'll have to ride hard and take all the risks to have any significant time win at the end of the stage.

 

[maltiv]

If Sagan is a the top of Grand Colombier with Nibali then there is hope, and if Sky wants to up the pace on that col to decimate the field, they might be risking losing a lot of soldiers quick in exchange. Btw, I think Sagan is climbing better than EBH and Knees and he should be fresher too.

Why do you think that? On stage 8 EBH was riding on the front for 130 km's. He was dropped on the beginning of the last climb. Sagan had liquigas riding for him on the front. He was also dropped on the beginning of the last climb...

On stage 7, Sagan was dropped while EBH was doing his leadout into the mountain. So I hardly see how Sagan is climbing better than EBH, unless you mean he's climbing steep 1 km climbs better, in which case it's completely irrelevant.

 

[cineteq]

Why do you think that? On stage 8 EBH was riding on the front for 130 km's. He was dropped on the beginning of the last climb. Sagan had liquigas riding for him on the front. He was also dropped on the beginning of the last climb...

He wasn't dropped per se, he decided to take it easy. Obviously all you read or see is Sky cycling.

 

[Yingge]

The weather forecast for Geneva (20km or so from the finish) on Wednesday is for showers, so I hope that Bradley wears his standard Sky shorts rather than yellow ones, else there might be some nasty stains showing if Nibali, Evans and co launch an attack on the (possibly wet) descents.

 

[stazzy]

Why do you think that? On stage 8 EBH was riding on the front for 130 km's. He was dropped on the beginning of the last climb. Sagan had liquigas riding for him on the front. He was also dropped on the beginning of the last climb...

On stage 7, Sagan was dropped while EBH was doing his leadout into the mountain. So I hardly see how Sagan is climbing better than EBH, unless you mean he's climbing steep 1 km climbs better, in which case it's completely irrelevant.

EBH said later that he could have followed up longer on that climb but didnt because there was no point(he would have been dropped eventually anyway). He was even talking and smiling to someone from the peloton when that happened.

 

[stazzy]

He wasn't dropped per se, he decided to take it easy. Obviously all you read or see is Sky cycling.

Pretty much the same as with EBH then.

 

[dlwssonic]

Well at least I hope cadel and nibali and maybe VDB too will be aggressive after losing time to sky. Hope to see some exciting race.
There is not much evans can lose anyway.
He is nearing his last years. might as well just go for it.

 

[theyoungest]

Well at least I hope cadel and nibali and maybe VDB too will be aggressive after losing time to sky. Hope to see some exciting race.
There is not much evans can lose anyway.
He is nearing his last years. might as well just go for it.

What? Are you saying Evans is in decline? I can't believe my eyes.

 

[dlwssonic]

What? Are you saying Evans is in decline? I can't believe my eyes.

No I wasn't. I meant he is going to retire soon and he might as well just give it his all.
This could be the last tour he is going to race competitively for GC.
I think I read in a recent interview that he was going to retire by the end of 2013.

 

[Sasquatch]

At 7km to the top of the Col de Grand Colombier the gradient is about 12%.

Let's say Nibali and Evans attack and Wiggins is struggling but Froome isn't.

What do Sky do?

If Rogers or Porte are still there, they will pace Wiggins back whilst Froome goes with the attack.

If Rogers and Porte are not there, Froome will pace Wiggins back whilst the others get away.

Sky are one dimensional. Showed it at the Vuelta last year.

 

[Andre.J]

My prediction is that most of the top riders will climb nonchalantly, like the case has been in the last few years. We may see a no-name rider win, and the group with the favorites come in at the finish line more or less together; except for whoever has a crash or a mechanical, maybe the main group will contain 30 or so riders sprinting the last kilometer...of course this is just a feeling and also a worse case scenario...I hope something dramatic happens for once.....something to save this horrible Tour.

Andre

 

[johnnycash]

If Rogers or Porte are still there, they will pace Wiggins back whilst Froome goes with the attack.

If Rogers and Porte are not there, Froome will pace Wiggins back whilst the others get away.

Sky are one dimensional. Showed it at the Vuelta last year.

Perhaps, but the one dimension they have they seem to excecute pretty well. No other GC teams seem to be doing a great deal to trouble them yet.

 

[Magnus]

If Rogers or Porte are still there, they will pace Wiggins back whilst Froome goes with the attack.

If Rogers and Porte are not there, Froome will pace Wiggins back whilst the others get away.

Sky are one dimensional. Showed it at the Vuelta last year.

If Sky are one dimensional then what are any other team present at this tour? Zero dimensional?

They've won a tt a mtf and a mass sprint stage. They lead the GC and have been in the lead of the team and mountain competitions.

 

[maltiv]

He wasn't dropped per se, he decided to take it easy. Obviously all you read or see is Sky cycling.

Nibali: "We sent some guys to the front to see if Sagan could win the stage"

Meanwhile, Sagan was taking it easy? That makes sense. But you still don't answer my question. And I'm not sure how you conclude that I'm a fan of Sky, as I already on this thread have expressed that I'm cheering for Nibali...

 

[Lance Armstrong]

Nibali: "We sent some guys to the front to see if Sagan could win the stage"

Meanwhile, Sagan was taking it easy? That makes sense. But you still don't answer my question. And I'm not sure how you conclude that I'm a fan of Sky, as I already on this thread have expressed that I'm cheering for Nibali...

He took it easy in Stage 7. Nibali was talking about Stage 8. Obviously, Sagan wasn't able to follow when Lotto guys pushed the tempo.

 

[Falken]

Sure, Sagan might be a better climber than EBH. Thing is that he hasn't showed it yet, therefore there is no good reason for claiming that he is a better climber than EBH.