2014 Tour de Suisse: Stage 9: Martigny→Saas-Fee (156.7 Km)

[roundabout]

Finish

A little retrospective

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tk98tV63Ink

Much easier stage that year, but signs point to a Tony Martin climb of honor

 

[Parrulo]

Only thing that could hurt Martin would be if all the other climbs were raced very hard. But on the form he has been showing and with the lack of form showed by the guys preparing for the Tour he should be fine.

Really disappointed route this year. It looked better on paper but the medium mountain stages turned out to be nothing and the last mountain stage has no hard climbs

 

[Dazed and Confused]

Any details of the other climbs?

 

[Jagartrott]

Who has the team to make the race really hard? After the first climbs, there are sections in the Rhone valley where you need your team mates (winds are often down-valley in the afternoon, so headwinds in this case)

 

[Dekker_Tifosi]

Only thing that could hurt Martin would be if all the other climbs were raced very hard. But on the form he has been showing and with the lack of form showed by the guys preparing for the Tour he should be fine.

Really disappointed route this year. It looked better on paper but the medium mountain stages turned out to be nothing and the last mountain stage has no hard climbs

Riders make the route. On paper some of the dauphine stages didn't look spectacular and they made a lot more out of it.
This field lacks flair. When your hopes of attacking is Matthias Frank..

 

[murali]

any profile of the cat 1 climb available?

which team has the firepower to ride the climb hard?

 

[Dekker_Tifosi]

any profile of the cat 1 climb available?

which team has the firepower to ride the climb hard?

Belkin with Clement, Kruijswijk and Ten Dam should be able to make a hard pace

 

[PunchingRouleur]

Riders make the route. On paper some of the dauphine stages didn't look spectacular and they made a lot more out of it.
This field lacks flair. When your hopes of attacking is Matthias Frank..

Exactly.
If first mountain will be raced hard Tony will be alone for rest of stage.

Kreuziger for a win.

 

[roundabout]

Any details of the other climbs?

Veysonnaz

http://cyclingcols.com/profiles/VeysonnazW.gif

Eischoll

http://www.cyclingcols.com/profiles/MoosalpNW.gif

(to the turn to Visp)

St. Martin is 8.12% average for 4.7km according to the timetable

 

[Anderis]

any profile of the cat 1 climb available?

which team has the firepower to ride the climb hard?

Garmin could ride hard if they feel it's worth of it. They had 5 guys finishing within 3:30 of the winner today. And apart from them, there are also Brown and Vansummeren also looking good here.

The question is, do they believe Acevedo is likely to gain some places in GC if the pace is hard.

 

[Dazed and Confused]

Veysonnaz

http://cyclingcols.com/profiles/VeysonnazW.gif

Eischoll

http://www.cyclingcols.com/profiles/MoosalpNW.gif

(to the turn to Visp)

St. Martin is 8.12% average for 4.7km according to the timetable

Thanks, this can definitely be raced. Particularly considering Martin's team strength.

But who will open the party early? Lots of placement riders here. BMC and Movistar?

 

[MBotero]

I hope Kreuziger will stop do the all the work for other riders,let them work on their own and win this stage.

 

[murali]

I m going to back the break here.

Europcar will definitely be keen abt the mountain jersey.

 

[Parrulo]

Costa said on his site that he had a really bad day today and struggled a lot to even follow Martin . . . I wonder how will do tomorrow. In 2012 he had a very bad day in Arosa getting dropped by a group of 20 riders and the following day he was one of the 4 strongest riders with Frank Schleck, Gesink and Valverde.

I just noticed that Mollema and Kreuziger aren't too far off from the podium places so hopefully they will be ambitious

 

[Cance > TheRest]

I hope Kreuziger will stop do the all the work for other riders,let them work on their own and win this stage.

Apparently The Not So Great Bauke Mollema thinks he was the one doing all the work even though Kreuziger was basically leasing for 2.5 out of the last 3.5k's

 

[Hakkapelit]

Apparently The Not So Great Bauke Mollema thinks he was the one doing all the work even though Kreuziger was basically leasing for 2.5 out of the last 3.5k's

Yeah, rooted a bit for the man last TdF, but if he is this whiny about putting his nose in the wind he can have it.

 

[manafana]

Mollema just didn't have it over the Kreuziger today and is bitter about it, doubt we get a Chavez repeat but Garmin theory is interesting and no reason they won't try something.

 

[Arnout]

Apparently The Not So Great Bauke Mollema thinks he was the one doing all the work even though Kreuziger was basically leasing for 2.5 out of the last 3.5k's

It's cause he never rides in front so if he attacks for 5 seconds he goes all out about in Dutch press every time.

 

[greenedge]

Is Pinot still feeling sick/ that's why his performance was bad?

 

[Escarabajo]

I see a similar attack to Dauphine's last stage. It is not even hard to do and has a lot more possibility to break the leader. Garmin can do it.

 

[Ruby United]

Rui costa being effected by the rainbow jersey curse?
2nd Paris nice
3 vuelta ao Algarve
3 tour of romantic

Break ftw, (maybe someone like jeannesson)

Kreuziguer first of the favourites over the line, Martin will retain lead and costa to overtake domoulin

 

[hiero2]

I see a similar attack to Dauphine's last stage. It is not even hard to do and has a lot more possibility to break the leader. Garmin can do it.

That would be fun!

 

[hiero2]

That would be fun!

But I think OPQS has better strength here than Tinkoff Saxo did in the Dauphine. If they see Slagter going to bridge to a break - don't think it will happen. But I'll bet they will be considering it.

 

[Jagartrott]

Martin doesn't have any teammates here, but he will form an alliance with Giant (who will try to defend their second place) and other teams with interests in the top-10 that don't want to let the wrong riders go too early.

St-Martin climb is pretty tough, especially in the beginning, but followed by long part upwind in the valley, so any GC action in that climb would be near suicide, unless you can do it with 2-3 teammates.

 

[movingtarget]

Don't know who will win but if a Colombian wins I won't be surprised. It's been that sort of year. Colombia should have an amazing team for the Worlds.