2013 Tour de France, Stage 13: Tours - Saint-Amand-Montrond (173 km)

[*G*K*S*]

Kristoff. He's due.

 

[Dazed and Confused]

Can this man:

get the battered train back in business? War wounds and everything they will likely give all today.

It would be cool to see a three man battle (with Sagan scooping up max points just behind) without incidents.

so a 4 man break within 5kms and a three hour count down?

 

[murali]

As much as i would like to call Cav, i think OPQS are going to end up doing the same mistake of chasing back the break away and using up too many of the riders before the final 500 m.

Now the other sprinter teams can claim that their domestiques are unfit. OPQs is going to do the dirty work. And probably griepel or kittel will use the effort put by OPQS.

Btw, I think that last uncategorised hill is rising close to 80m. is there any chance for a late attack to succeed? perhaps a chance for gilbert or flecha or vinokurov?

 

[SafeBet]

OPQS should just leave all the break chasing duties on Argos shoulders and see if they're up to the task.

Stop bringing their whole train fresh to the last 3 km.

 

[bucko007]

What Argos-Shimano and Marcel Kittel did on Stage 12 was simply outstanding. Without Tom Veelers, Koen de Kort delivered Marcel Kittel perfectly on the wheel of Mark Cavendish. Gert Steegmans did a great leadout for the Manxman and even though he seemed sure to take the win, Marcel Kittel managed to come around Cavendish on the final meters. Much like he on Stage 10, when Greipel seemed sure to win. Kittel is right now the fastest sprinter in the world and if Cavendish can’t beat him with a perfect leadout, it will be difficult to deny the strong German his 4th stage win of this year’s Tour de France Friday afternoon. For the first time this Tour, Marcel Kittel is now the man to beat...

The sprint ended early for Lotto-Belisol and Andre Greipel on Stage 12. So far, they have been great at hitting the front at the right time but now it will be more than difficult. Sieberg and Henderson - two of Greipel’s most important leadout riders - both went down hard in the crash and like Veelers, they probably need a few days to get ready again. Furthermore, Jurgen Roelandts hurts his back again after another rider didn’t manage to break in time.

Omega Pharma Quickstep did everything right on Stage 12 but Cavendish simply didn’t have the legs to finish it off. Naturally he - and the team - will be eager to take revenge but against Super Kittel, it won’t be easy.

Peter Sagan seems satisfied with getting third and fourth and we can expect him to do that again in Saint-Amand-Montrond.

Any thoughts of your own?http://c-cycling.blogspot.cz/2013/07/tour-de-france-stage-13-preview.html

 

[personal]

Cavendish should have enough anger in his belly to win this time.

 

[theyoungest]

Every sprint has been nearly dead flat and super fast. If you're going to have so many sprint stages, why not put some variation in them? Last year's Tour was better, at least in terms of sprints.

 

[Dazed and Confused]

Every sprint has been nearly dead flat and super fast. If you're going to have so many sprint stages, why not put some variation in them? Last year's Tour was better, at least in terms of sprints.

agree, some of the non GC related stages last year actually save the tour a bit, at least for me.

 

[Ruby United]

Must be the first time in years a sprinter has come so close to Cav in a poll on a flat stage

 

[murali]

The problem with the article on preview is that the author assumes that the OPQS leadout was flawless.

Even I could spot that Steegmans delivered Cav a bit early(at least 50m by my reckoning). Somehow, Gert himself realized it when cav was to his right.

If it was renshaw leading him out, i don't think that cav would have lost yest. And Renshaw would have finished between Sagan and Cav.

OPQS is a very strong team, but not yet the ideal team for Cav.

 

[murali]

Must be the first time in years a sprinter has come so close to Cav in a poll on a flat stage

I think this poll also indicates how many ppl are getting frustrated with Cav's misses. I cant remember a single stage race where he has lesser win % after being delivered to a sprint without a crash.


And, though not part of discussion of this thread, i think all betting folks should lay kittel today. He must be dirt cheap right now.

 

[saneguy]

Kittel and Argos look strong. The leadout yesterday was pretty good. Cav just couldnt push hard enough.

 

[murali]

I didn't see the fabled second kick from cav yest. anything wrong with him?

 

[Grupetto1]

I didn't see the fabled second kick from cav yest. anything wrong with him?

I think that doing the giro to the end has cost him to be honest

 

[smajo.fb]

kiera knightley with a padded bra this stage really.

well... there goes my expresso
thx.

btw. Sagan FTW.

 

[del1962]

Kittel FTW

 

[murali]

Yest's stage had crash written all over it.

is there any scope for crash in this stage? Or wind or some extra parameter that can affect the finish?

 

[murali]

letour hasn't yet updated the withdrawals from yest's crash.


Does anyone know how long they usually take to update that page?

 

[tomorrow]

Yest's stage had crash written all over it.

is there any scope for crash in this stage? Or wind or some extra parameter that can affect the finish?

well, if yesterdays stage had fall written all over it, then for today's stage it written there twice. In last 800 meters, theres like 5 turns. 800m 90% to the left, then after 50m slightly to the right, and on 600m mark you have two 70% turns to the right divided with approximately 40m and than on 400m mark there is turn to the right with roundabout. I don't know why the course is like that, when they could go straight only with the roundabout. If they wanted technical or more interesting finish, than maybe the could consider something for the punchers. From this, there only high possibility, that somebode from Kittel, Greipel, Cav, Sagan will be left in or behind a crash, like Greipel yesterday.

 

[murali]

i hate crashes.

so its going to be a repeat?
Kittel with a crash

 

[murali]

Just EBH with DNS.

I think Froome wont go for stage win then!

 

[MartinGT]

Kittel and Argos have been great, but IMO Cav for this one. Come on CAV!

 

[Cramps]

well, if yesterdays stage had fall written all over it, then for today's stage it written there twice.

The final 800 meters are clearly designed to produce fear in normal riders

 

[wirral]

Quite a long neutralised section.

Will that hill have any effect 10 kms out?

 

[murali]

Which side should the sprinter's team ride then? The turns look very nasty in the map