2014 Tour de France, Stage 5: Ypres – Arenberg Porte du Hainaut: 156km

[Akuryo]

Don't know why everyone seems to think OPQS has a really good cobbles team here. They have only one real specialist, Terpstra, and Kwiatkowski who may do well. They left most of their classics team at home though. I expect more from Belkin.

Forgot about Trentin? And Martin can pound in the crosswinds before the cobbles.

 

[veji11]

Cross winds would help a very strong experienced team here.
Imagine 3 -4 groups fighting before we hit the first sector.
It would setup the stage in a fantastic way.

Anyway, must keep my expectations lower.....

Indeed we need to keep or expectations in check. But re echelons, for teams like OPQS/Belkin not only do they make sense as an opportunity to hurt GC rivals, but they also make sense because they mean reaching the cobbled section in a group of 25, not 120, so a lot less dangerous.

We might see a very very very very fast start with echelons forming from the start with an upper echelon made of specialist teams + a few leaders + a few hard hitting riders like Chavanel.

as you said : must... keep.... expectations... in... check...

 

[Jagartrott]

Forgot about Trentin? And Martin can pound in the crosswinds before the cobbles.

Trentin is not a cobbles specialist, neither is Martin. I see only one specialist in OPQS here at le Tour: Terpstra. Kwiatkowski has never ridden P-R I think, though he did well in the other northern classics in 2013.

 

[TourOfSardinia]

Plenty of opportunities to form alliances between teams here
I hope

 

[Akuryo]

Trentin is not a cobbles specialist, neither is Martin. I see only one specialist in OPQS here at le Tour: Terpstra. Kwiatkowski has never ridden P-R I think, though he did well in the other northern classics in 2013.

Trentin was in their cobbles-squad for the last 2 years and they have lots of guys to pick from. Believe me, Trentin IS a cobbles-guy!

 

[SKSemtex]

Don't know why everyone seems to think OPQS has a really good cobbles team here. They have only one real specialist, Terpstra, and Kwiatkowski who may do well. They left most of their classics team at home though. I expect more from Belkin.

yes, having VDB and Boonen here in these weather conditions could be very helpful.

 

[veji11]

Trentin is not a cobbles specialist, neither is Martin. I see only one specialist in OPQS here at le Tour: Terpstra. Kwiatkowski has never ridden P-R I think, though he did well in the other northern classics in 2013.

Half the work is getting the right position before the very first cobbles. Martin/Trentin and others can also help set up a hell of an echelon in the first 50ks with the wind. If OPQS want to go on the attack, you use up a guy like Martin in the firts 80ks and then he can take it easy once you hit the cobbles.

Which brings to another horrible characteristics of cobbles : it is hell to overtake. When you are chasing hard to get back to a front group and you find straddlers on your way, they slow you down tremendously because it is hard to overtake, changing line on wet cobbles is risky, etc..

You could be 50 seconds behinda group and then in the cobble section you pick up a few straddlers from that group and just overtaking them makes you lose a few seconds more, and you now have more time to make up. hard.

 

[Dazed and Confused]

Trentin was in their cobbles-squad for the last 2 years and they have lots of guys to pick from. Believe me, Trentin IS a cobbles-guy!

Agree, Trentin is solid on cobbles. Very strong.
Still I can't help think Steppers will regret not having somebody like Stybar, Boonen or big man Stijn here.

 

[Jagartrott]

Trentin was in their cobbles-squad for the last 2 years and they have lots of guys to pick from. Believe me, Trentin IS a cobbles-guy!

This year, not the year prior. I'm not saying he's bad at cobbles, but he doesn't really compare to what they left at home: Stybar, VDBerg, Boonen, Steegmans.

 

[The Hegelian]

The team has said GVA has been given free reign and the remaining team members will support TJVG

Ah, sweet. Would love to see him win and take yellow as compensation for all his recent (and not so recent) near misses.

Somehow you just know he'll have a real crack and finish a beautiful 4th.....

 

[ILovecycling]

Worth watching the GCN preview of the stage. They rode the cobbled sections in the rain. Might readjust my prediction. Will be carnage.

http://velonews.competitor.com/2014-tour-de-france-stage-5

Just bumping this.Worth watching vid from GCN
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TrCT_-6SGNc#t=560

And God help'em if it rains

 

[Fight.The.Power]

Spoke too soon - it started pounding really hard just now

Crikey OK.

I think you will probably be the most accurate weather forecast today !

 

[Vino's Mum]

This morning, Vino just chillin with some tunes...

Astana Pro Team @AstanaTeam 2h

- wake up
- watch video
- ride cobbles

#tdf

http://youtu.be/AXx6_fs7j4s

 

[Zoetemelk-fan]

I don't expect the cobbles-weak feather weight GT-guys to loose enormous time.

Remember, It's a very short stage. So with domestique calmness, they should be able to control serious damage, I think.

 

[Carstenbf]

Cross winds would help a very strong experienced team here.
Imagine 3 -4 groups fighting before we hit the first sector.
It would setup the stage in a fantastic way.

Anyway, must keep my expectations lower.....

No need to lower expectations. The wind will cause havoc. If not in the run-in to the first sector, then surely between the sectors where everyone will be drawn out and scrambling to get back to the front.

 

[coimbrawu]

Rain in the end

Rain from the start:

and crosswind...and mud...

 

[Justico]

poor guys that will have a year of work ruined today ...

 

[msjett]

Ahhh...Stage 5, the stage of broken hearts, broken bones and shattered tour dreams.

 

[veji11]

I don't expect the cobbles-weak feather weight GT-guys to loose enormous time.

Remember, It's a very short stage. So with domestique calmness, they should be able to control serious damage, I think.

If the peloton reaches the cobblestones in a bunch, time lost should -- on average -- be limited. Some contenders will suffer from mechanicals/falls and lose much more time, but overall it should be a matter of a few minutes between contenders, at most.

BUT if the battle starts earlier with echelons, than it can balloon horribly : If some leaders are stuck in a second or third echelon and have to tire out their teammates to reach the first cobble sectors with a couple of minutes lost, then cobbles and exhaustion will take their toll and everything can fall apart quickly.

This is why I look forward to seeing if echelons are started in the first 50ks or if we see a more classical early stage, with a breakaway pulling away and a peloton hitting the cobbles together.

 

[LaFlorecita]

poor guys that will have a year of work ruined today ...

+1 I second that thought

 

[Jagartrott]

Another nice picture:
https://twitter.com/tom_dumoulin/status/486792647835930624/photo/1

 

[indianfanboy]

Spatacus would have been so happy when he woke up this morning

This is gonna be a battle of attrition

 

[glassmoon]

sh*t gonna get neutralized imho... at least partly

 

[Liquigas]

It's the same for everyone, so they have to get on it.

And it's not that much of a lottery as many claimed, it's about bike handling.

If someone fears about safety, then don't start the stage, simple as that.

 

[Ryo Hazuki]

in any case froome is f'd. his helpers today are thomas and stannard who both can't position for ****