2012 Tour de France: Stage 5: Rouen → Saint-Quentin (196.5km)

[phanatic]

Peter has his Porsche and now must concentrate on Green, giving Cav an opportunity to take his wheel and win by several bike lengths, expecting Sagan to jump that fraction too soon that steals into a top five, but prevents a victory.

 

[theyoungest]

hey - they come from where the blue truck is, turn hard left down the road to the photo horizon. As for the Belgian blue truck - is it gas, or milk?

Is that why you say the corner could be flammable?

 

[Lexman]

top 5 :
Greipel
Goss
Cav
Boeckmans
Petacchi

If weather permits i will go and see the stage live near Vifviller, the feed zone, will try to take some pictures (can't promise anything)

 

[Mellow Velo]

Today's stage will be mighty short of action, with little to talk about.
So, it will be interesting to see if our fearless English speaking commentator's still manage to avoid talking about the huge elephant that walked into the room, earlier today.
Phil and Paul may announce their retirement, with immediate effect.
Hello Harmon, anything to say?

At least if might make today's coverage a little more spicy.

 

[Hugo Koblet]

Why all the sudden love for Boeckmans over Van Hummel?

 

[Mellow Velo]

Why all the sudden love for Boeckmans over Van Hummel?

He cost half as many CQ points to have in your TDF team?
I had him and Veelers at one point.
The latter would seem to be an inspired pick!

 

[Hugo Koblet]

He cost half as many CQ points to have in your TDF team?
I had him and Veelers at one point.
The latter would seem to be an inspired pick!

Oh that's the reason why! Did I just become a victim of my own creation?

 

[Kwibus]

Another day that I have to turn on the tele @ 17:00 CET to watch the last kms.
It was a shock yesterday that they still had to ride 30km @ 17:00 CET. Had to find something else to do for the first 30 minutes

It's ok, because if the organisers put 5 small climbs withing the last 15km nothing happens as well :/

 

[Flamin]

Why all the sudden love for Boeckmans over Van Hummel?

Yesterday pre-race he pretty much said he is the no.1 sprinter at Vacansoleil and he is better on a (slightly) uphill finish like today than on a pancake flat one.

 

[Hugo Koblet]

Yesterday pre-race he pretty much said he is the no.1 sprinter at Vacansoleil and he is better on a (slightly) uphill finish like today than on a pancake flat one.

Do you have a link?

 

[Flamin]

Do you have a link?

http://www.sporza.be/cm/sporza/videozone/MG_Tour/MG_verslagen_nieuws/1.1355278

 

[Hugo Koblet]

http://www.sporza.be/cm/sporza/videozone/MG_Tour/MG_verslagen_nieuws/1.1355278

I think I have to work a bit on my belgian to be able to understand that Thanks anyway, though!

 

[Finn84]

Same finish as 2006 when McEwen won?

Not sure about the final kilometres (wasn't able to find the finish map of that stage), but back then they entered Saint-Quentin with 3 to go, this time it's 5,5 to go.

 

[Nickbocchio]

I really don't see how Juan Jose Haedo can lose this one.

 

[Bavarianrider]

Hmm will that 2,8% have any influence ?

 

[Steady]

Hmm will that 2,8% have any influence ?

Perfect for Goss and Greipel.

Not steep enough for Sagan, I also think Cav is feeling yesterday

 

[BoxCoppi]

Hmm will that 2,8% have any influence ?

I think it will. Last corner will reduce speed so they won't be coming into the last kilometer with 60 km/hr. Also, I've been informed that the 2.8 % is rather close to 4 % over 700m, and then the last 150m is flat.

I don't know this for certain though. Anybody who lives there?

It should favour Goss/Cav/Sagan slightly.

 

[c&cfan]

I think it will. Last corner will reduce speed so they won't be coming into the last kilometer with 60 km/hr. Also, I've been informed that the 2.8 % is rather close to 4 % over 700m, and then the last 150m is flat.

I don't know this for certain though. Anybody who lives there?

It should favour Goss/Cav/Sagan slightly.

so explosiveness and skill? cav vs sagan

 

[Dedelou]

It's the product of UCI rankings, more conservative racing and backloaded routes. Everybody's still got a chance to be up there because the route hasn't weeded out any contenders (hey, it's still halfway through week 1, but when this phase of the race continues to the halfway point like in the 2011 Tour, you're asking for trouble), being up there in an anonymous lower-end-of-top-10 GC position is more important because of the UCI points, and the riders are scared to break out and scared to lose time.

So, as a result, you get a week of every team trying to keep their contenders up in the mix, usually with at least one or two domestiques, and it's just too crowded at the front for everybody to fit in, and it pushes the tempo up as everybody's constantly jostling for positions near the front, especially once you start adding sprinters and their trains to the mix late on.

A couple of days of this isn't too much of a problem, but when you start throwing tight corners and road furniture in the closing stages into the pot for good measure like that mad Giro stage with the hairpin bend at the end, crashes are an inevitable consequence.

i am sure that when the speed picks up, the constant tendency that some riders have to nervously look behind too often, increased the chances of wheels touching each others.

 

[dlwssonic]

This stage seems perfect for goss but hasn't really go it right the pass few days. With Cav just crashing hard yesterday I think I will go for greipel again.

 

[dlwssonic]

I wonder if greipel will start thinking about the green jersey.

 

[DenisMenchov]

I think I have to work a bit on my belgian to be able to understand that Thanks anyway, though!

What is belgian?

 

[Hugo Koblet]

What is belgian?

Oh, brainfart. Sorry to have offended you, Denis.

In other news, Urtasun, Simon, Ghyselinck and Ladagnous is two minutes ahead of the peloton.

 

[Martin]

What is belgian?

the same as swiss...

 

[DominicDecoco]

I really don't see how Juan Jose Haedo can lose this one.

I really can.