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

[Eclipse]

Couldn't the exact same thing be said for Van Avermaet/TVG?

I guess so! I just like Sep so was thinking about him first and foremost =p

I mean in general it's going to be interesting to see which teams let their cobbles contenders off the leash for the stage win and which worry about carrying a GC candidate through to a good position.

 

[indianfanboy]

Because I don't want someone to lose the race in the lottery that is tomorrow's stage.

Some GC contenders are going to crash.... I feel it and I am really worried

Dont worry its not gonna be Contador

 

[Fight.The.Power]

Would love to see a top 20 GC candidate win with a 10 minute gap and have the top GC contenders chase for the next two weeks!!

 

[glassmoon]

Pssh, you are too nice, asking for a day off? I'll just call in sick!

+1
--------

 

[King Boonen]

Because I don't want someone to lose the race in the lottery that is tomorrow's stage.

Some GC contenders are going to crash.... I feel it and I am really worried

No one wants a crash, that's why I highlighted the other part. If one or more GC riders aren't strong enough to keep up with the others then that's the point of the stage.

Every year people moan that the Tour is getting more boring. Add excitement and they moan it's now a lottery!

 

[BeagRigh]

Who else managed to score a day off work tomorrow?

Nope, after sitting in my office the last 2 days watching dull flat stages, tomorrow I will be in the car all afternoon!

 

[No_Balls]

Dont worry its not gonna be Contador

If there is one whom should not be worried tomorrow it aint him. Not Nibali either (bar a crash of course).

 

[LaFlorecita]

No one wants a crash, that's why I highlighted the other part. If one or more GC riders aren't strong enough to keep up with the others then that's the point of the stage.

Every year people moan that the Tour is getting more boring. Add excitement and they moan it's now a lottery!

There are other ways a rider can lose time. Mechanicals, getting caught behind a crash.

 

[LaFlorecita]

Dont worry its not gonna be Contador

Yeah, sure, we'll see

 

[go crazy]

I guess so! I just like Sep so was thinking about him first and foremost =p

I mean in general it's going to be interesting to see which teams let their cobbles contenders off the leash for the stage win and which worry about carrying a GC candidate through to a good position.

I would hope they are all let go for the sake of the race. Follow the lead of Cancellara, though Trek's "leaders" are laughable.

What could make this stage so great is the fact that there will be two entirely different races going. The guys battling for the stage, which really could be two races as well (sprinter gang vs. Belgian hardman-types), and the GC guys just trying to survive. If the GC guys decide to make it a battle amongst themselves as well, it could very well be the greatest TdF stage we've seen in years. All in the rain!!! If I see Alberto Contador or Froome come in with mud caked all over their faces, I may actually shed a tear of joy haha!

 

[EvansIsTheBest]

I had a good laugh when I saw the contenders. How on earth is Cancellara supposed to win tomorrow ? He couldn't drop Sagan and Degenkolb during PR so how will he managed to do it on a fraction of the distance and with three times less cobbles. Cancellara is fast at the end of a tough classic since he is usually the fresher rider but tomorrow, he won't have that edge. His sprint afeter 150kms is nothing special especially against the likes of Degenkolb, Sagan, Kristoff... Don't get me wrong, Cancellara winning on cobbles is never an upset but he isn't the n°1 favorite tomorrow for sure. He may well be more concerned by chaperoning Schleck than winning the stage too. Same goes for Vanmarcke and Mollema. Also what is Gautier doing in the contenders list ?

One of Sagan, Degenkolb, Kristoff and Démare will win tomorrow. It's not hard enough to shed them and they will be the fastest riders (by a considerable margin) to survive in the leading group. My pick is Degenkolb as he has shown a better ability to win sprints after cobbled races this year (win in GW and first of the chasers in PR) than anyone else.

 

[indianfanboy]

I would hope they are all let go for the sake of the race. Follow the lead of Cancellara, though Trek's "leaders" are laughable.

What could make this stage so great is the fact that there will be two entirely different races going. The guys battling for the stage, which really could be two races as well (sprinter gang vs. Belgian hardman-types), and the GC guys just trying to survive. If the GC guys decide to make it a battle amongst themselves as well, it could very well be the greatest TdF stage we've seen in years.

Froome vs Conatdor on the final kilometers

 

[indianfanboy]

I had a good laugh when I saw the contenders. How on earth is Cancellara supposed to win tomorrow ? He couldn't drop Sagan and Degenkolb during PR so how will he managed to do it on a fraction of the distance and with three times less cobbles. Cancellara is fast at the end of a tough classic since he is usually the fresher rider but tomorrow, he won't have that edge. His sprint afeter 150kms is nothing special especially against the likes of Degenkolb, Sagan, Kristoff... Don't get me wrong, Cancellara winning on cobbles is never an upset but he isn't the n°1 favorite tomorrow for sure. He may well be more concerned by chaperoning Schleck than winning the stage too. Same goes for Vanmarcke and Mollema. Also what is Gautier doing in the contenders list ?

One of Sagan, Degenkolb, Kristoff and Démare will win tomorrow. It's not hard enough to shed them and they will be the fastest riders (by a considerable margin) to survive in the leading group. My pick is Degenkolb as he has shown a better ability to win sprints after cobbled races this year (win in GW and first of the chasers in PR) than anyone else.

Cancellare has been given the freedom to ride for glory by his team

 

[Fight.The.Power]

Sep Vanmarke FTW

 

[therhodeo]

I had a good laugh when I saw the contenders. How on earth is Cancellara supposed to win tomorrow ? He couldn't drop Sagan and Degenkolb during PR so how will he managed to do it on a fraction of the distance and with three times less cobbles. Cancellara is fast at the end of a tough classic since he is usually the fresher rider but tomorrow, he won't have that edge. His sprint afeter 150kms is nothing special especially against the likes of Degenkolb, Sagan, Kristoff... Don't get me wrong, Cancellara winning on cobbles is never an upset but he isn't the n°1 favorite tomorrow for sure. He may well be more concerned by chaperoning Schleck than winning the stage too. Same goes for Vanmarcke and Mollema. Also what is Gautier doing in the contenders list ?

One of Sagan, Degenkolb, Kristoff and Démare will win tomorrow. It's not hard enough to shed them and they will be the fastest riders (by a considerable margin) to survive in the leading group. My pick is Degenkolb as he has shown a better ability to win sprints after cobbled races this year (win in GW and first of the chasers in PR) than anyone else.

You assume that it will be a sprint.

 

[Carols]

I'm going with Fabu for the win and yellow

 

[go crazy]

I had a good laugh when I saw the contenders. How on earth is Cancellara supposed to win tomorrow ? He couldn't drop Sagan and Degenkolb during PR so how will he managed to do it on a fraction of the distance and with three times less cobbles. Cancellara is fast at the end of a tough classic since he is usually the fresher rider but tomorrow, he won't have that edge. His sprint afeter 150kms is nothing special especially against the likes of Degenkolb, Sagan, Kristoff... Don't get me wrong, Cancellara winning on cobbles is never an upset but he isn't the n°1 favorite tomorrow for sure. He may well be more concerned by chaperoning Schleck than winning the stage too. Same goes for Vanmarcke and Mollema. Also what is Gautier doing in the contenders list ?

One of Sagan, Degenkolb, Kristoff and Démare will win tomorrow. It's not hard enough to shed them and they will be the fastest riders (by a considerable margin) to survive in the leading group. My pick is Degenkolb as he has shown a better ability to win sprints after cobbled races this year (win in GW and first of the chasers in PR) than anyone else.

Underestimating Cancellara...lol ok! You say his sprint is nothing special, but you are failing to realize that this is after many sectors of pave in the rain. This isn't like putting them on a track with zero K's in their legs. If we're gonna make asinine statements, how about "Sagan couldn't even chase down Vincenzo Nibali in a sprint finish"! This statement is still not as ridiculous as your "analysis" of the stage. Also, it's a shorter stage with less cobbles, but then again, it's also not full of PR-type riders. PR is a race full of hardmen who are constantly trying to break up the favorites. This is just one stage of the Tour de France, not a dedicated one day race over the cobbles. Where's Boonen again? Oh that's right.

 

[therhodeo]

Plenty of guys like Degenkolb or Kristoff end up in minor placings in classics for the same reason Hushovd always did. They win the bunch sprint but have no ability to attack or chase an attack.

 

[go crazy]

You assume that it will be a sprint.

Exactly. That's not even Cancellara's style in these races. 60K's to go, activate seat tube motor!

 

[Miburo]

I'm really looking forward but god man i hope no one crashes, even froome not. You don't wanna win that way, so please no one crash tomorrow.

But yea we all know they'll crash tomorrow

 

[Lanark]

Plenty of guys like Degenkolb or Kristoff end up in minor placings in classics for the same reason Hushovd always did. They win the bunch sprint but have no ability to attack or chase an attack.

But who won the last cobbled stage in the Tour?

 

[masking_agent]

Kudos to the tour organizers who planned this 2014 parcours, as we already seen the big hitters come out to play in Stage 02, so maybe different big hitters (the classic specialists) will come out to play ?

I would love to see Sep VanMarcke ride Cancellara and Sagan off his wheel and go for a solo win as he's probably the most motivated rider for stage 5

No "spinny spinny" mr. Froome tomorrow.. heh heh We may see him keep his head down the entire time over the cobbles ? ;-)

 

[Pricey_sky]

Kudos to the tour organizers who planned this 2014 parcours, as we already seen the big hitters come out to play in Stage 02, so maybe different big hitters (the classic specialists) will come out to play ?

I would love to see Sep VanMarcke ride Cancellara and Sagan off his wheel and go for a solo win as he's probably the most motivated rider for stage 5

No "spinny spinny" mr. Froome tomorrow.. heh heh We may see him keep his head down the entire time over the cobbles ? ;-)

To be honest I think his best chance tomorrow on the cobbles is just head down and pedal his a** off in his usual attacking cadence. It doesn't look good for him though that he's had to go for an x-ray on the wrist, it must be hurting him which is pretty much the worst area to be hurting on those cobbles.

 

[ILovecycling]

GC and car position updated.

Call me an OCD freak but this new trend of putting "flat" or "cobbled" at the end of the stage thread tittles is really rustling my jymmies

yeah its weird,but I just wanted to keep this trend cuz nobody can ever (ok once for 4 years) write there Cobbled in GT stage,it was a pleasure

 

[therhodeo]

But who won the last cobbled stage in the Tour?

And who was babysitting the Schlecklet?