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

[Armchair Cyclist]

Never before will so many UK viewers have decided to have a look at live coverage of cycling on a Saturday afternoon (rain forecast, so fewer alternative attractions); they will be sorely disappointed by a stage like this.

 

[Dutchsmurf]

This could turn interesting. Wind is currently forecast WNW 25 k/hr in Agde, meaning that from immediately after the big hill near Sete to the finish there will be a pancake flat 20 km run in with a crosswind (slightly to the head) travelling 5km across an exposed bay.

o.k., so what could this mean to the race? Echelons, sprinters caught behind not being able to catch up, Sagan wins?

A wind of 25 km/h is hardly worth mentioning tho. We are talking about a mild breeze then. If it gets to 40+ we can talk about wind. But 25 km/h is what I get almost every day and hardly bothers me. I doubt that will cause echelons to professionals.

 

[Zam_Olyas]

 

[Libertine Seguros]

For the second year running, the ASO decides to put a flat stage on the penultimate weekend. It's like they want to bore the audience.

 

[Zam_Olyas]

 

[Gloin22]

For the second year running, the ASO decides to put a flat stage on the penultimate weekend. It's like they want to bore the audience.

Did we have many pure sprints so far this Tour ? I can't remember that many

As well as the last climb gets to 10% in gradients, many pure sprinters will be dropped there.

 

[Ruudz0r]

Morkov in the BOTD as expected

others in the breakaway are Urtasun, Dumoulin, Ladagnous and Curvers, 2 guys behind Engoulvent and Bouet and Pineau a little behind those 2.

 

[Magnus]

Mørkøv declared yesterday that he'd go in a break today to honor his father who died from cancer on this date 5 years ago.

 

[roundabout]

Did we have many pure sprints so far this Tour ? I can't remember that many

As well as the last climb gets to 10% in gradients, many pure sprinters will be dropped there.

4. There are at least 3 (well, 4) more to come including today. Unless someone is really bad, dropped sprinters will get back before the finish.

 

[Peccio89]

Did we have many pure sprints so far this Tour ? I can't remember that many

As well as the last climb gets to 10% in gradients, many pure sprinters will be dropped there.

I think the problem here is not toal number of sprint stages but the fact that one of them is on the week-end.
Sprint stages on weekend kill the ratings

 

[Zam_Olyas]

 

[jens_attacks]

kern will get this for france

vino,chavanel and gilbert will also attack no doubt

 

[Frosty]

Seven leaders with Pineau at 55 seconds - theyve enough up front so unlikely to wait for him?*

Nice to see seven give it a go rather than have three or four - will hopefully make it a bit harder for the teams to pull things back. Who will be at the front - GreenEdge, Lotto? FdJ sometimes like to try and pull it back for Hutarovich but they have a man in front. First sprint stage is below, red = not in race.
Pretty sure Sky wont be properly chasing although they may try to keep the break in reach early on so that the sprint teams chase later - that way it saves them being on the front all day. Liquigas might be reluctant to give Sagan too much at the moment with Nibali still high up, might look to push near the hill though. FdJ and Saxo have a man in the break. Not sure that Tyler Farrar is in a state to sprint at the moment. He'll probably give it a go but Garmin will probably leave the chase to others today. Vacansoleil are down on numbers.... Could be a busy day for GreenEdge and Lotto.

http://www.cyclingnews.com/tour-de-france/stage-2/results

1 Mark Cavendish (GBr) Sky Procycling 4:56:59
2 André Greipel (Ger) Lotto Belisol Team
3 Matthew Harley Goss (Aus) Orica GreenEdge Cycling Team
4 Tom Veelers (Ned) Argos-Shimano
5 Alessandro Petacchi (Ita) Lampre - ISD
6 Peter Sagan (Svk) Liquigas-Cannondale
7 Yauheni Hutarovich (Blr) FDJ-Big Mat
8 Juan José Haedo (Arg) Team Saxo Bank-Tinkoff Bank
9 Mark Renshaw (Aus) Rabobank Cycling Team
10 Tyler Farrar (USA) Garmin - Sharp
11 Jose Joaquin Rojas Gil (Spa) Movistar Team
12 Sébastien Hinault (Fra) AG2R La Mondiale
13 Peter Velits (Svk) Omega Pharma-Quickstep
14 Kenny Robert Van Hummel (Ned) Vacansoleil-DCM Pro Cycling Team
15 Yukiya Arashiro (Jpn) Team Europcar
16 Oscar Freire Gomez (Spa) Katusha Team

*Edit: errr, Pineau's caught the leaders. 8 up front.

 

[MonteZoncolan]

Does anyone know if there have been any withdrawals since yesterdays stage stage? The offiicial tdf page hasn't been updated (Though Moncoutie was one).

Apologies if it's been said before on here -haven't scrolled from the start yet.

 

[Frosty]

Does anyone know if there have been any withdrawals since yesterdays stage stage? The offiicial tdf page hasn't been updated (Though Moncoutie was one).

Apologies if it's been said before on here -haven't scrolled from the start yet.

167 were due to start yesterday but

DNF Tom Veelers (Ned) Argos - Shimano
DNF David Moncoutie (Fra) Cofidis, Le Credit En Ligne
DNS Robert Gesink (Ned) Rabobank Cycling Team

164 have started today so no withdrawals overnight or today (yet)

 

[MonteZoncolan]

167 were due to start yesterday but

DNF Tom Veelers (Ned) Argos - Shimano
DNF David Moncoutie (Fra) Cofidis, Le Credit En Ligne
DNS Robert Gesink (Ned) Rabobank Cycling Team

164 have started today so no withdrawals overnight or today (yet)

Thanks dude. Did not know about Gesink. Rabobank must be down to just 4 riders then as they lost 2 on st11.

164 so that's nearly 4 full teams!

 

[Cimber]

Dumoulin the fastes in a sprint among the 8 in the break, ye?

 

[Zam_Olyas]

 

[Frosty]

Dumoulin the fastes in a sprint among the 8 in the break, ye?

Would have thought so although i think a few of the others are good too. Dumoulin finished 4th on stage 5 (slightly uphill finish), think he was very well positioned for that but still a good result.

http://www.cyclingnews.com/tour-de-france/stage-5/results

 

[Ruudz0r]

Dumoulin the fastes in a sprint among the 8 in the break, ye?

Ladagnous, Engoulvent and Urtasun are pretty fast aswell, but Dumoulin would be the best bet in a normal sprint from those guys.

 

[auscyclefan94]

It is a real shame that the Mont Saint-Clair is at 23km to go and not with 10km to go...oh well. Let's hope it is windy and the field splits to pieces.

 

[Zam_Olyas]

Tony Gallopin abandons.

 

[Zam_Olyas]

It is a real shame that the Mont Saint-Clair is at 23km to go and not with 10km to go...oh well. Let's hope it is windy and the field splits to pieces.

Yes, i agree. On the other hand this is ASO we are talking about.

 

[auscyclefan94]

Mcewen said the finish is quite technical and with the strong cross winds, it should be quite dangerous.

 

[LaFlorecita]

Dumoulin the fastes in a sprint among the 8 in the break, ye?

I think/hope Michael will win, he wants to win because his dad died this day five years ago.