2013 Tour de France, Stage 14: Saint-Pourçain-sur-Sioule / Lyon 191KM

[Dazed and Confused]

On the ground recon, that's pretty cool

I agree, GC teams waiting for the real party to start.

Who are the GC teams?

 

[Leonardus]

Who are tired? Who wants to wait for the Ventoux climb?

That is the key to this stage and the potential action.

True. But who wants to start? Belkin and OPQS had a pact today. movistar or Saxo to go nuts? Cannondale and Garmin to create chaos.

 

[jens_attacks]

I'm training in this area for over a week now and the wind is killing me. North/ north-east all the time, so when they hit the open fields in the beaujolais it could be war again. Still, i think they will be too tired and try to save something for the Ventoux.

nice to hear
if the crosswinds will be strong enough, tired or no tired, some teams will create the echelons i think.

 

[The Blues]

Lars Bak or Jens Voigt to take this one!

 

[Dazed and Confused]

True. But who wants to start? Belkin and OPQS had a pact today. movistar or Saxo to go nuts? Cannondale and Garmin to create chaos.

Dunno who will start the party, but I only count 7-8 realistic GC teams (for high placements), that leaves a large portion of teams just...... waiting to get beaten on Ventoux. It doesn't compute. Action will be needed.

 

[Devilen]

wouldn't be surprised if Kreuziger and/or Rogers trying to take one for the team trying to whip the vulnerable SKY team into much more pain, with AC at least considering the same stunt again as today

 

[User Guide]

Saxo should definetly send one or two up the road/in the days break.Make it look like they trying same trick as against Jrod in the vuelta(wether they intend too or not).Make sky nervous/set the pace and kill whats left of doms reserves.

 

[The Hitch]

I think it will be stage 9 all over again!

RVV vs Scheldeprijs

 

[The Hitch]

Vote and comment on who you think will win Sunday's epic stage @ http://forum.cyclingnews.com/showthread.php?p=1296415#post1296415

Epic? Are you for real? Its a Unipublic stage.

By far the worst designed of all the mountain stages of this tour, or the last or the one before, or the one before. In fact the last mountain stage this badly designed at a TDF was probably the one that finished at, yup, Mont Ventoux, last time they went up there.

 

[DirtyWorks]

True. But who wants to start? Belkin and OPQS had a pact today. movistar or Saxo to go nuts? Cannondale and Garmin to create chaos.

I like Cannondale/Garmin/OPQS with the rest reluctantly having to find an echelon near the front to hide in. That would be fun to watch. I'm hoping those crosswinds blow tomorrow and Sunday.

But, my concern is the Ventoux makes a break of no-chance-on-Ventoux riders that are so far down GC it'll be kind of a non-event. Then again, I thought today would be boring!

 

[The Hitch]

if i'd be ten dam or mollema i would pray to not have a mechanical in the last 100 kms. i think even without crosswinds, they won't make it back

Valverde said he don't blame Belkiin. Dont count on it.

 

[Ryo Hazuki]

Epic? Are you for real? Its a Unipublic stage.

By far the worst designed of all the mountain stages of this tour, or the last or the one before, or the one before. In fact the last mountain stage this badly designed at a TDF was probably the one that finished at, yup, Mont Ventoux, last time they went up there.

wtf. the mont ventoux stage couldn't be better. it's very long and the run up isn't easy either

 

[Leonardus]

Epic? Are you for real? Its a Unipublic stage.

By far the worst designed of all the mountain stages of this tour, or the last or the one before, or the one before. In fact the last mountain stage this badly designed at a TDF was probably the one that finished at, yup, Mont Ventoux, last time they went up there.

I disagree. Maybe the profile suggests a typical vuelta stage but this is a completely different animal. After 5 hours and 200km it only begins, and this is not a 5 or 10km climb but a brutal 22km. I think this will be a great stage where it's all about the combination of power and endurance and when someone cracks it will cost him quite some time. It's a bit of an experiment but I like the idea behind it.

 

[Pulpstar]

Cavendish and Kittel could survive this.

Cav yes, Kittel No.

 

[Orbit501]

Albasini has put a lot of work in for Greenedge of late, both here and at Tour de Suisse for Meyer. They're stage hunting, so tomorrow could be Albasini's turn to take his reward.

 

[SafeBet]

Cav yes, Kittel No.

Cav might be cooked after today though.

 

[Christian]

wtf. the mont ventoux stage couldn't be better. it's very long and the run up isn't easy either

I agree with Ryo on this one

 

[Netserk]

wtf. the mont ventoux stage couldn't be better. it's very long and the run up isn't easy either

This. I'd like to see anyone design a better stage with same start and finish.

 

[manafana]

should be a good stage

 

[petiagos]

Breakaway .. with some french riders
Kadri, Voeclker, Coppel... and Hoogerland, Simon Clarke and some Euskatel riders

 

[Linkinito]

No breakaway will make it. Sprint finish.
Just because the final climbs are mere false flats and there's 10 flat km after.

 

[greenedge]

Dan Martin might have a chance. Hoping that OGE send Albasini/ Gerrans in the break.

Cannondale to ride to get rid of the other sprinters, even if they cannot catch the break.

 

[fantomas]

This. I'd like to see anyone design a better stage with same start and finish.

If the Sky train hadn't turned out to be in the relatively poor condition it seems to be - the loss of Hagen and Kiryienka adding insult to injury - it would have been a typical Sky train stage. In the light of things, however, it might turn out to be a somewhat great stage design.

Sagan for the win tomorrow.

 

[etymology]

i have NO clue what this stage will bring, how it will be raced or IF it will be raced. what i know without a doubt is what *i* want to happen:

unrelenting high speed, balls-to-the-wall racing from the exact spot the neutral zone ends all the way to the finish line with contador gaining some time on froome.

as there are LOTS of tired legs and minds after today, all out racing from the start would go a long way towards changing le tour from a mere race of attrition to...whoever survives/last cyclist pedaling, just as it was originally intended to be.

now, THAT would be a way to mark the 100th edition, wouldn't it?

 

[Jelantik]

canondale turns tomorrow to make the stage harder for the sprinter. He got beaten by cav today. Movistar and garmin might do some kamikaze attack ala last sunday. Movistar is definitely our for the hurt now to any team who are in the podium. Sky learned their lesson, they won't control, since Sunday is a monstrous stage. Good news is, at least valverde doesn't use Quintana as his rabbit anymore. Now he turns the favor, not as a rabbit, but as quintana's domestique. Purito, time to make a move if he wants to see the top 5.