2012 Tour de France: Stage 17, Bagnères-de-Luchon - Peyragudes 143.5KM

[manafana]

I still have an interest today should be decent the middle climb will kill people off, alot at stake in top 10 of GC, and still battle for polka dot.

Sky as a team are just too strong wiggins hasnt once been isolated wiggins has had to ride at most for 3-4km himself at any time

 

[iZnoGouD]

Froome says "Nibali's attacks weren't going anywhere"

 

[bucko007]

Summary of stage 17 profile......http://www.facebook.com/ajax/messag...review=1&ext=1342686732&hash=AQA4iPZYm5R4AIjT

 

[Sophistic]

ahh the first proper mtf stage, and the last.

 

[Mellow Velo]

I'm afraid it's a combination of an rather dull TdF regarding GC and the quality of posters on this board.
A lot of quality posters have left this forum and they get replaced by the trolls that made them run away.

This is the sad truth.

Too much rubbish about Sky killing the race, when it's the parcour.
Fact is UK Postal are nothing like USPS.
No way in Lance's day would a rider in the break win the last 3 mountain stages.

Fact is, the opposition and their squads are too poor to challenge.
Result? Yesterday, all bar Nibali out the back and that threesome still finish a country mile behind Voeckler.

I too am still looking forward to today.
Expect Rolland and Kern to try to repeat stage 11 and with luck, something from the rest towards the top of the Bales. (but I wouldn't hold ones breath)

 

[airstream]

Sprinting to the finish line, Froome is going to get off the ground. Another win by Sky.

 

[Arnout]

It's not the parcours, the parcours is fine, it's just the lack of contenders. Just look at the top-10.

 

[ParfaitAmour]

It's up to the teams/riders to pull their finger out.

Obviously the idea is not to entertain the viewers per se, but where is the fire in the belly of the challengers ??

 

[kjetilraknerud]

ahh the first proper mtf stage, and the last.

"Proper".

10char

 

[Mellow Velo]

It's not the parcours, the parcours is fine, it's just the lack of contenders. Just look at the top-10.

It's both.
Its' true that with early crashes, Cadel mis-firing, Nibali has been the lone rider to show ambition.
However, the parcours, for the most part, just don't lend themselves to early attacks.
Starting from Pau, it is impossible to "stack" the climbs in the right order. They arrive more or less backwards.
Stage 11 had the climbs in quick succession and we had attacks from the gun to the finish.
Today is more promising.

 

[Fidolix]

I think it could turn out to be an interesting stage. (I´m not naiv, just hoping the best )
Only 17 km to the start of Col de Mente, ideal for a breakaway and to send some helpers out in front, the peloton will break up in pieces, no doubt.

On this stage there will be no rest, it´s up and down all day, no flat anywhere, it´s short and it´s one of the hardest stages to control, even for SKY.
Depending on what the SKY train have in mind for the stage, and depending of who´s in the break, I think SKY will keep the break in a short leash and battle it out on Port de Bales.

Nibs been doing what he said he would, attacking, but he just don´t have the stamina to stay away and the SKY tandem showed no weekness, but once again, the heat could be a factor again today, especially so late in the tour, forget a bottle or a gell and you are done.

I hope Nibby found his legs and so with JVB and we can have the last battle.
Evans needs to gamble everything or hopefully he will work for TVG and we could see a BMC train up the Col de Mente to try and drop the SKY dominance already there.
And we still have a competition about the KOM, will be interesting to see who SKY will let go.
It could also turn out to be the most boring stage in history

 

[Aguirre]

cobo or valverde for the win.

Nibali to put into problems wiggo,

 

[Machu Picchu]

cobo or valverde for the win.

Nibali to put into problems wiggo,

I think that Nibali has done all he can to try and resuscitate this tour, today he will be mindful of GC and watching for attacks from VDB and then perhaps towards the end if he smells some tainted blood or sky thrashing in the waters the shark will attack.

 

[The Cobra]

Hopefully Evans will be feeling better today and will try something on the Port de Bales. With him being so far down now Sky might give him a little bit more freedom to attack. Otherwise I can't see it being much different from yesterday.

 

[Zam_Olyas]

Tour de France 2012 -- Insight into stage 7

 

[step23]

Come on Kessiakoff! Make TommyV wear a "sad" face today!

 

[Devilen]

Voekler seemed dead on his legs after the stage yesterday so i don't think we'll see more from him in the mountains, and he usually drop completely out of the spotlight when he've had one good day

the open question is if Kessiakoff (which didn't look to well yesterday but that could be him keeping head low planing on today) or CAS (answering cheekily that his leg might hurt a wee bit after yesterday) have enough in them to go on another hunt for the jersey ... anyone believe they're able to?

 

[doperhopper]

I think wiggo will help chase back nibbles to give froome a rest to let him take the stage win. I think sky will chase back the breakaway. Froome will attack in the last 500 meters and win the stage by 4 seconds. Other possibility is that a break goes and my prediction would be cobo because he is looking strong and movistar needs a stage win.

Nibbles may try a psychowar tactics and show disrespect to these two morons by riding 10m behind them all the way up the climbs... they even don't talk at the table!

"From the outside it seems to me like a bit of a "cold" team where maybe they communicate via email instead of by phone," said Nibali of Sky. "Even when we came across them on Mount Teide, their tables were a lot more silent than ours."

 

[Amused]

Hope CAS goes (is allowed to go). Only 3 mins behind the top 10. Will at least force teams (other than sky) to keep some sort of pace.

 

[Devilen]

is CAS get in the BOTD again today i can certainly see him getting to top 10 (maybe even top8 but after that its stretching it) and the polka dots ... question is if he have the power ... i'd say yes ... helps that he drives his own race up the mountains and aren't letting speed changes kick him out of his game

 

[rainman]

Voekler seemed dead on his legs after the stage yesterday so i don't think we'll see more from him in the mountains, and he usually drop completely out of the spotlight when he've had one good day

the open question is if Kessiakoff (which didn't look to well yesterday but that could be him keeping head low planing on today) or CAS (answering cheekily that his leg might hurt a wee bit after yesterday) have enough in them to go on another hunt for the jersey ... anyone believe they're able to?

Tommy V always wins the oscar award of the day. The others make it look much easier than it really is, with TV its the opposite. And he's had two good days. Thing is where are the great climbers, the Spanish or Colombian angels - we could do with some.

 

[Stilletto]

Considering all is boring in this year TDF (except polka......)
Who is favourite for stage glory today ? ?

Here are my tips for escepados
Scarponi
Weening
Horner
Rolland
Kashechkin

thoughts?

 

[burning]

Voeckler eating stuff at neutralized zone, will he go for early points?

 

[Mellow Velo]

The usual chaotic start.

 

[maltiv]

EBH says that a few of the Sky riders are sick, including himself.

If Wiggins or Froome have caught something as well, things could get interesting...