2013 Tour de France, Stage 6: Aix-en-Provence→Montpellier (176.5 Km)

[greenedge]

If the race splits i expect Cav to win. If it regroups Greipel.

 

[Fight.The.Power]

Surely all the GC teams know the risks of the headwinds. Looking at Purito for example, he never uses his team on the climbs. This is exactly where they should be deployed to full use.
Losing time because of the echelons is all part of the game and teams will have no one other than themselves to blame. It is just going to be so difficult to cram so many teams onto one piece of road.
My vote is for no crashes today please.

Sorry sidewinds - duh

 

[del1962]

Surely all the GC teams know the risks of the headwinds. Looking at Purito for example, he never uses his team on the climbs. This is exactly where they should be deployed to full use.
Losing time because of the echelons is all part of the game and teams will have no one other than themselves to blame. It is just going to be so difficult to cram so many teams onto one piece of road.
My vote is for no crashes today please.

Sorry sidewinds - duh

Agreed, it is no different from ppl losing time on descents, as long as no crashes in either.

 

[Lanark]

In this case, Katusha would need to come up with a plan to get J-Rod back in the game, i.e. wheel sucking goes out the window.

Personally I have no problem with the prospect as long as the dropped time isn't a result of injuries.

I wanna see racing with drama, preferable every day.

Besides, losing 5 minutes is almost impossible, unless the teams in the back aren't even trying anymore. At most you would lose something like 2 to 3 minutes in a stage like this.

 

[Pulpstar]

The thing is the 2nd bunch (IF there is a split) may not even push so hard. If a team has no GC contender and is after stages, well it will be an ideal chance for them to lose even more time so the GC teams don't chase them.

Does Rolland actually want to do something in GC or is his focus 100% polka-dots ?

 

[Winterfold]

Its depressing how biased towards mountain stages so many of the posters on here are. Riding in wind and not getting dropped in echelon racing is as much part of bike racing as climbing mountains. When OPQS put on the hurt if GC favourites get dropped then it is because they are incomplete bike racers and do not deserve the overall in a 3 week stage race raced across a wide variety or terrain.

Get over it.

 

[Cramps]

Pretty kinky section about 6k out, after the bridge.

 

[TommyPlus]

How poor was Greipel at this finish yesterday!
Is Kittel unwell or is he just so bulked up that he gets dropped every time the race goes up a curb?
If it is the latter then surely today is for him.

 

[Carstenbf]

With all this talk of crosswinds, everyone is gonna be on their toes. Could end up in a crash fest. Let's hope not.

 

[del1962]

How poor was Greipel at this finish yesterday!
Is Kittel unwell or is he just so bulked up that he gets dropped every time the race goes up a curb?
If it is the latter then surely today is for him.

Was he not caught in the earlier crash yesterday?

 

[Cimber]

Besides, losing 5 minutes is almost impossible, unless the teams in the back aren't even trying anymore. At most you would lose something like 2 to 3 minutes in a stage like this.

3 mins is almost game over anyways

Crosswind is definately a part of racing, and it is exciting to watch. Personally I just hope that tonight all of the big GC contenders will still be close in the GC.

If you have an unlucky puncture or crash during the crosswind sections its gonna be game over most likely.

 

[Lanark]

3 mins is almost game over anyways

That's 1 or 2 places in the final GC. Outside of Froome or Contador losing 3 minutes (which is highly unlikely), I don't think it'll have a huge effect on the rest of the race. People tend to overanalyze everything in the first week of a GT anyway.

 

[Sylvester]

Kittel crashed yesterday.

OPQS will try to create echelons, I guess, they're very strong on the flats.

If there were to be echelons, I expect Anton and Nieve to lose 5+ minutes today - but they're focusing on stage wins and polka dots anyway. After the TTT, Gonzalez de Galdeano stated "No hemos venido a pelear la general" - "we didn't come to fight for GC".

 

[Lanark]

Abandon Van Den Broeck by the way.

 

[auscyclefan94]

Vandenbroeck out of the tour

 

[Dazed and Confused]

Abandon Van Den Broeck by the way.

well, thats what we didn't need.

 

[TommyPlus]

Kittel crashed yesterday.

OPQS will try to create echelons, I guess, they're very strong on the flats.

If there were to be echelons, I expect Anton and Nieve to lose 5+ minutes today - but they're focusing on stage wins and polka dots anyway. After the TTT, Gonzalez de Galdeano stated "No hemos venido a pelear la general" - "we didn't come to fight for GC".

Oh I see, my bad

 

[Cimber]

That's 1 or 2 places in the final GC. Outside of Froome or Contador losing 3 minutes (which is highly unlikely), I don't think it'll have a huge effect on the rest of the race. People tend to overanalyze everything in the first week of a GT anyway.

Its a huge misunderstanding when people argue that only those 2 can win. But even those two are at risk. All it takes is bad luck and a puncture during the crosswind sections and we have lost the alot of the excitement for the remainding race. Also the peloton will be VERY nevours and the fight to be in front will be greater than ever meaning that the risk of crashes will be immense.

The first week of the Tour is always like playing russian roulette for the favorittes, but on a stage like today its just as if they adddd an extra bullet og two in the gun

 

[Pulpstar]

Abandon Van Den Broeck by the way.

Bah. He was looking alright, though it was too early to tell for sure. I assume due to yesterday's crash.

Leaves Lotto without a GC man, 100% focus on Greipel now I guess.

 

[Bavarianrider]

Guys, don't fool yourself. There's only a theoretical chance something might happen.
In reality it will be a borefest again. We have been disppointed by todays riders so many times. Why should today be different?

 

[Pulpstar]

Guys, don't fool yourself. There's only a theoretical chance something might happen.
In reality it will be a borefest again. We have been disppointed by todays riders so many times. Why should today be different?

We are eternally optimistic. To be honest the wind will probably blow, blow some more then it will be dead as a dodo when it matters (Past Beaucaire) so far as I can tell. The bunch will happily ride along with some Sojasun, Vac-En SOleil and Europcar riders in the break, reeling them in with 5 ks to go for a Cavendish win. No splits, no action, very dull.

But we live in hope

 

[Pulpstar]

Big question is will the wind live up to the hype

 

[Dazed and Confused]

Its a huge misunderstanding when people argue that only those 2 can win. But even those two are at risk. All it takes is bad luck and a puncture during the crosswind sections and we have lost the alot of the excitement for the remainding race. Also the peloton will be VERY nevours and the fight to be in front will be greater than ever meaning that the risk of crashes will be immense.

The first week of the Tour is always like playing russian roulette for the favorittes, but on a stage like today its just as if they adddd an extra bullet og two in the gun

I don't agree. I think racing will be better moving forward if one or even both favorites drops some time today.

And I don't agree crosswind racing provide excessive randomness in the result. Everybody knows whats coming, prepare for it or drop time.

 

[Bavarianrider]

Big question is will the wind live up to the hype

Is 30-50km/h really enough to cause damage?
Seems to low to me.

 

[One Man Grupetto]

Gène from Europcar for the breakaway today. Pretty sure that he is in the only rider in their team who I haven't seen off the front of the peleton although I could have missed something in an early part of a stage.