2015 Tour de France: Stage 2: Utrecht › Neeltje Jans (166k)

[Velolover2]

Tomorrow, the answer is blowing wind in the massively hyped cross-wind stage. Are we going to see some serious action?

Stage:

Final k's:

Larger overview:

You can't win the Tour on a stage like this but you can lose it.

 

[PremierAndrew]

I just hope we have over 190 riders starting stage 3

 

[Walkman]

Re: 2015 Tour de France: Stage 2: Utrecht › Neeltje Jans (16

No ro be rude, but if you are going to open a stage thread, we want pictures in the post, not links. Also, many people take time to write really awesome original posts with analyzes of the stage and of the riders who are likely to contend and stuff like that, so if you aren't gonna do those things, please don't open any more race threads.

Again, not trying to be rude, I just want to maximize what is, the Tour experience on the forum.

 

[Velolover2]

Re: 2015 Tour de France: Stage 2: Utrecht › Neeltje Jans (16

No ro be rude, but if you are going to open a stage thread, we want pictures in the post, not links. Also, many people take time to write really awesome original posts with analyzes of the stage and of the riders who are likely to contend and stuff like that, so if you aren't gonna do those things, please don't open any more race threads.

Again, not trying to be rude, I just want to maximize what is, the Tour experience on the forum.

Fixed that.

 

[MatParker117]

Cav

 

[Velolover2]

Riders who didn't do well today because of their limited TT capabilities can lose the Tour tomorrow. Bardet and Purito especially have to hang on.

 

[franic]

Something like what happened between Armstrong and Contador in 2009??

 

[cellardoor]

Re: 2015 Tour de France: Stage 2: Utrecht › Neeltje Jans (16

No ro be rude, but if you are going to open a stage thread, we want pictures in the post, not links. Also, many people take time to write really awesome original posts with analyzes of the stage and of the riders who are likely to contend and stuff like that, so if you aren't gonna do those things, please don't open any more race threads.

Again, not trying to be rude, I just want to maximize what is, the Tour experience on the forum.

To be fair, I recall that every single stage thread from the Giro was a quote of an earlier post by Eshner(?).

 

[DenisMenchov]

I really miss the old way the threads were opened during GTs, you could just feel the enthusiasm of the author while you read about a climb, a descent, a rider, a stage, a race itself. I don't expect epic threads about a sprint stage, just think out loud.

 

[cellardoor]

I think that unfortunately the much anticipated echelons won't happen and even if they do happen a bit, everyone is going to be hyper alert to it after it's been talked up so much. Cav to win and no time gaps for the GC guys.

 

[Libertine Seguros]

Re:

Something like what happened between Armstrong and Contador in 2009??

Zülle '99...

 

[concorde]

Re:

I really miss the old way the threads were opened during GTs, you could just feel the enthusiasm of the author while you read about a climb, a descent, a rider, a stage, a race itself. I don't expect epic threads about a sprint stage, just think out loud.

Im here to make it interesting. Trust me.

LottoNL-Jumbo is planning to blow the field on this stage when they turn into the windy stretch. If really windy this will be bad news for smaller teams with no power horses..

I havent placed my bets yet, will do as close to start as possible tomorrow after reading weather forecast

 

[Gigs_98]

Re: 2015 Tour de France: Stage 2: Utrecht › Neeltje Jans (16

Last year I would have written that I expect a big disappointment in such a stage, because I think last year most races weren't really exciting. However this year was pretty great until now, so I really really hope we will get an awsome race.

 

[concorde]

Re: 2015 Tour de France: Stage 2: Utrecht › Neeltje Jans (16

Last year I would have written that I expect a big disappointment in such a stage, because I think last year most races weren't really exciting. However this year was pretty great until now, so I really really hope we will get an awsome race.

166 km on dutch windy roads with idiot managers in the team cars, what more u want?

Im hoping it rains here at my home and hurricane from start at Utrecht, and an Oleg Tinkov with an airgun shooting at his own team..

 

[LaFlorecita]

Sagan.

 

[the sceptic]

Froome to lose time.

 

[concorde]

Re:

Sagan.

Lol, Sagan never wins bunch sprints unless in a lesser field..

Kristoff wins this ahead of Cav and Greipel. For sure these 3 are top 3. Degenkolb has the best train, but he will blow it i think, though has the best odds of potential winners

Odds for stage 2 (betsson)

Mark Cavendish 2.10
Alexander Kristoff 4.00
Andre Greipel 6.00
Peter Sagan 13.00
Nacer Bouhanni 13.00
John Degenkolb 15.00
Arnaud Demare 16.00
Bryan Coquard 23.00
Sam Bennett 30.00
Edvald Boasson Hagen 50.00


As i see it i would place 200$ on Degenkolb and 100$ on Kristoff . always bet more on the better odds

I wont place any until right before start though.

 

[BlackWhiteEagle]

Cav ftw

 

[cellardoor]

Re: Re:

Sagan.

Lol, Sagan never wins bunch sprints unless in a lesser field..

Kristoff wins this ahead of Cav and Greipel. For sure these 3 are top 3. Degenkolb has the best train, but will blow it

Kristoff needs 200km+

 

[concorde]

Re: Re:

Sagan.

Lol, Sagan never wins bunch sprints unless in a lesser field..

Kristoff wins this ahead of Cav and Greipel. For sure these 3 are top 3. Degenkolb has the best train, but will blow it

Kristoff needs 200km+

Nah, just for 100% wins . All Kristoff needs is Luca Paolini and a clear view of the 200 meters post..

 

[cellardoor]

Re: Re:

Sagan.

Lol, Sagan never wins bunch sprints unless in a lesser field..

Kristoff wins this ahead of Cav and Greipel. For sure these 3 are top 3. Degenkolb has the best train, but will blow it

Kristoff needs 200km+

Nah, just for 100% wins . All Kristoff needs is Luca Paolini and a clear view of the 200 meters post..

Good point, but it remains to be seen if Luca has opted for the marginal gains approach of shaving his beard to save weight. If he has, Kristoff has no chance.

 

[MikeTichondrius]

Color me amazed if this actually produces unexpected results. Hoping for wind-induced gaps is more like a placebo for getting through stages as flat as this IMO. Still, here's hoping for some healthy madness.

 

[concorde]

Re: Re:

Sagan.

Lol, Sagan never wins bunch sprints unless in a lesser field..

Kristoff wins this ahead of Cav and Greipel. For sure these 3 are top 3. Degenkolb has the best train, but will blow it

Kristoff needs 200km+

Nah, just for 100% wins . All Kristoff needs is Luca Paolini and a clear view of the 200 meters post..

Good point, but it remains to be seen if Luca has opted for the marginal gains approach of shaving his beard to save weight. If he has, Kristoff has no chance.

Kristoff only has 3 in his train, rest if for Purito in the climbs .. Katusha will not pull a single meter until 2km mark. But im pretty sure he will be in the front when its 200 meters to go, with Cav on his wheel .. Greipel is first to try get around Kristoff , but kristoff can hold his watts to the line.. Maybe cav can get around ,but in the wind they all die around Kristoff

I havent seen a sprinter like Kristoff since Abdoujaparov ..

 

[Devilen]

Any chance of a team doing the same thing that Saxo did (in 13 i think it was) getting away when there is sidewind, running a pseudo team time trial?

 

[cellardoor]

Re: Re:

Kristoff only has 3 in his train, rest if for Purito in the climbs .. Katusha will not pull a single meter until 2km mark. But im pretty sure he will be in the front when its 200 meters to go, with Cav on his wheel .. Greipel is first to try get around Kristoff , but kristoff can hold his watts to the line.. Maybe cav can get around ,but in the wind they all die around Kristoff

I havent seen a sprinter like Kristoff since Abdoujaparov ..

I dunno, I hear Kristoff likes baked beans on toast, but I didn't know it was that bad.