2012 Tour de France: Stage 13: Saint-Paul-Trois-Châteaux → Le Cap d'Agde (217 km)

[auscyclefan94]

I believe so.
But phil was badly positioned for the sprint and he wouldn't have been close to sagan or greipel.

I meant on the climb as he pulled for a fair bit and Phil was on Cadel's wheel and then he couldn't take the pace.

 

[Bala Verde]

Hindsight's always 20/20 isn't it?

It seems that at least some people here was excited by Vino and Albasini.
And Lulu's attack looked like it might stick until Sky chose to ride for EBH.

When you know lotto has its whole train intact, there is little hindsight required to predict with a high degree of accuracy that they are going to fail. But hey, that's just me.

That people can get excited about doomed to fail attacks is great. I had the same feeling when cadel went. That doesn't make the stage good, or racing.

 

[Montanus]

Sanchez was not happy. Sky Will get enemies from that. The yellow jersey team doesnt dó that

Please. Sky didn't have any guys left, Froome and Rogers were already done, so Wiggo decided to lead out EBH. I mean what's the f**king problem?

 

[fluffkitten]

From the point BMC tried to split things with the wind I enjoyed to stage. Just enough people having a go to make it fun.

 

[Bernie's eyesore]

I feel sorry for anyone who didn't enjoy that stage.

 

[Bala Verde]

Did you even watch the last 30 kilometres? Very entertaining imo. Probably the third best stage this year so far.

Anyway, no, it's Greipel's third, not fourth, stage win this year. The record is eight stage wins in one Tour, by the way. A record shared by three riders: Pelissier, Merckx (twice) and Maertens.

Yes I did. I even watched it in replay to see if I missed something. I just don't agree with you assessment, but that's ok.

Thanks for the count on greipel. If the counter is only on three it might get difficult to beat cavendish's 6 wins int the tour. Since they are of the same generation, it's a fun competition between the two.

 

[Netserk]

Today was one big BMC-FAIL!

 

[Dutchsmurf]

What exactly made this stage exciting? The stage would have been better without that pointless hill. That way you would have gotten a bigger group and actually a chance of the wind having some effect. For the rest it was as exciting as any sprinter stage. Sanchez almost made it interesting, but when Sky started pulling it was clear it was going to be a sprint. Are we that used to boring racing that this count as excitement already?

 

[Montanus]

Today was one big BMC-FAIL!

Gilbert 8th! Improvement...

 

[dlwssonic]

I meant on the climb as he pulled for a fair bit and Phil was on Cadel's wheel and then he couldn't take the pace.

Could be. But I think phil would have a much better chance waiting for the sprint than attacking 23km out

 

[auscyclefan94]

Today was one big BMC-FAIL!

That shows how little you know about Cycling. I sincerly hope that you come back to the forum before July next year and learn some more about cycling.

 

[Warhawk]

So, if everyone finds this boring, why not change it so that the TdF is just one week of all high mountain stages, plus a time trial? Every single semi-flat stage has been described as incredibly boring to a lot of people around here.

Anyway, I enjoyed it, at least...

 

[stazzy]

So, if everyone finds this boring, why not change it so that the TdF is just one week of all high mountain stages, plus a time trial? Every single semi-flat stage has been described as incredibly boring to a lot of people around here.

Anyway, I enjoyed it, at least...

it was a good stage, people just being melodramatic

 

[Armchair Cyclist]

Only the CN forums would lambast the yellow jersey for trying to lead out one of his teammates in a sprint. Or maybe it's just the typical mob turning on a strong team.

CN forums and LLS

 

[Dutchsmurf]

So, if everyone finds this boring, why not change it so that the TdF is just one week of all high mountain stages, plus a time trial? Every single semi-flat stage has been described as incredibly boring to a lot of people around here.

Anyway, I enjoyed it, at least...

It could have been a good stage, on a Wednesday in the first week or something. For a sprinter stage it was quite good. But on a Saturday halfway the Tour I expect more.

 

[Bala Verde]

So, if everyone finds this boring, why not change it so that the TdF is just one week of all high mountain stages, plus a time trial? Every single semi-flat stage has been described as incredibly boring to a lot of people around here.

Anyway, I enjoyed it, at least...

The stage would have been much better if it was in the first week of the tdf, because it was a challenging sprint stage:

1) trains need to sort themselves out
2) more GC contenders that can't lose time in cross winds
3)more GC contenders who could try to use the cross winds to catch so done by surprise
4) fresher legs for attackers, who could benefit from disorganization of train(s)/lack of hierarchy/ responsibility for chasing down a break.
5) more sprinters, some of whom would have gotten dropped on the mont Clair and some who would have made it. Now it was a Sagan greipel one on one. I think the sprint could have benefitted for another strong sprinter (EBH for example, but he had been working for wiggins all week long, so he was weakened)

 

[Netserk]

That shows how little you know about Cycling. I sincerly hope that you come back to the forum before July next year and learn some more about cycling.

You are so easy to wind up

Let me see BMC started hitting the front with 40 or so to go, and while they were pulling the peloton Wiggins, Froome and Nibali all was in top 10-15 position. Noone importent was at any time near being caught behind = huge waste of energy.

Then on the hill, when Cadel hit the front Wiggins was never more than one or two wheel behind. Impressive. In fact BMC wasn't close at any point in the stage to make any gaps that would have mattered, unless it is importent for BMC to drop Cav...

And about the July thing, all I can say is that August, Semtember, October, November, December, January, February, March, April, May and June must all be July to you

 

[Magnus]

When you know lotto has its whole train intact, there is little hindsight required to predict with a high degree of accuracy that they are going to fail. But hey, that's just me.

Yeah well. If you by the top of Mont StClair knew that Greipel would catch up with the front group and that Wiggins would work in the end to ensure a sprint after Lotto had used up their train I can see how it wasn't very interesting for you.

 

[Don't be late Pedro]

Yeah well. If you by the top of Mont StClair knew that Greipel would catch up with the front group and that Wiggins would work in the end to ensure a sprint after Lotto had used up their train I can see how it wasn't very interesting for you.

Haha. I thought it was a really good stage. That still does not make up for the lack of MTFs on this tour but on its own merits I enjoyed it.

 

[the asian]

I didn't watch this stage thinking it would be a yawn fest. It seems I have missed an interesting stage. From how far was the breakaway caught?

 

[Don't be late Pedro]

I didn't watch this stage thinking it would be a yawn fest. It seems I have missed an interesting stage. From how far was the breakaway caught?

On the start of the climb (I think) they caught the main break group. They caught Mørkøv near the top. Given circumstances it would have been nice for him to get the win but he really had no chance on this stage from so far out.

 

[roundabout]

What exactly made this stage exciting? The stage would have been better without that pointless hill. That way you would have gotten a bigger group and actually a chance of the wind having some effect. For the rest it was as exciting as any sprinter stage. Sanchez almost made it interesting, but when Sky started pulling it was clear it was going to be a sprint. Are we that used to boring racing that this count as excitement already?

Sanchez looked very tired when he attacked. Sprick (I think it was him) got across easily. Doubt that they would have stayed away.

Vinokourov and Albasini attacked at the right time , but Lotto had 1 or 2 riders too many. Not sure if Sky would have chased then.

For me the most exciting bit of the stage was when the chasing group momentarily split with about 4km to go.

 

[Bala Verde]

Yeah well. If you by the top of Mont StClair knew that Greipel would catch up with the front group and that Wiggins would work in the end to ensure a sprint after Lotto had used up their train I can see how it wasn't very interesting for you.

If there was one sprinter I expected to be there it was greipel. He already showed he can survive tough hills in seraing. With only some of the GC contenders leading over the mont Clair, you knew it was going to ease down, because they had no motivation to tear it up. In the descent many would thus get back, because they eased up. Greipel was one I expected to be there.

 

[stampedingviking]

The 2nd question Ned Boulting asks Andre Greipel is about ****ing Wiggins. What a jingoistic *** he is.

It's British TV, get over yourself!

 

[PhiberAwptik]

The stage would have been much better if it was in the first week of the tdf, because it was a challenging sprint stage:

1) trains need to sort themselves out
2) more GC contenders that can't lose time in cross winds
3)more GC contenders who could try to use the cross winds to catch so done by surprise
4) fresher legs for attackers, who could benefit from disorganization of train(s)/lack of hierarchy/ responsibility for chasing down a break.
5) more sprinters, some of whom would have gotten dropped on the mont Clair and some who would have made it. Now it was a Sagan greipel one on one. I think the sprint could have benefitted for another strong sprinter (EBH for example, but he had been working for wiggins all week long, so he was weakened)

I guess you missed the part in the first week where they rode through a wind farm. I'm guessing they were hoping for wind.