2016 TdF, Stage 1: Mont-Saint-Michel → Utah Beach (188km)

[Cookster15]

Re:

5km of straight road to the finish. Train battle will be beautiful.

I just hope there are no crashes to take out any GC favourites.

 

[Red Rick]

Re:

I bet LS loved Tinkoff's presentation

We all know LS hates bad champions jersey's

 

[Valv.Piti]

Re: Re:

I bet LS loved Tinkoff's presentation

We all know LS hates bad champions jersey's

That makes for another reason for her loving it

 

[Miburo]

Let's hope echelons happen so it's a safe sprint. Oh god, i swear, watching flat stages make me more nervous than MTF's

 

[May0maniac]

Re:

Let's hope echelons happen so it's a safe sprint. Oh god, i swear, watching flat stages make me more nervous than MTF's

Stage 3 is also pretty bad, a 90° curve with 200m to go.
I don't think that there will be echelons, but as long as it isn't a crashfest everything is fine.
Germany to reconquer Utah Beach (I know, it's a pretty tasteless joke).

 

[PremierAndrew]

Re: Re:

Kittel is the man to beat, but I really wanted to see Cav in yellow. I know it will take special situation for that to happen, but one can dream about it.

This....I'm dreaming. Thing is it isn't just Kittel who's faster than him now. He seems to "mess up" often getting beat by guys like Blythe.

British national championships really weren't a sprint. Cav and his team (ie himself) had to work a lot. Surpisingly enough, other people weren't particularly keen on towing Cav to the finish

Blythe had to work hard to. That's just the most recent example. He's lost to 2nd rate sprinters multiple times this year.

Not as much as Cav, but the main point is Cav's form and current sprinting ability should not be judged by last week's race. That was more like a classic than a bunch sprint.

If you want to claim that Cav has seriously declined, use his losses to Nizzolo as evidence for that. But the NCs weren't really much of a sprint

 

[carolina]

Cav lost scheldeprijs to kittel by a very small margin, so there's still hope.

 

[Robert5091]

Re: 2016 TdF, Stage 1: Mont-Saint-Michel → Utah Beach (188km

I'm just praying for no more moto accidents. There's been enough already this year.

With everyone wanting to be at the front, I reckon this race will be over before Kirby can say what Fugelsang means in English

 

[May0maniac]

Re: 2016 TdF, Stage 1: Mont-Saint-Michel → Utah Beach (188km

I'm just praying for no more moto accidents. There's been enough already this year.

With everyone wanting to be at the front, I reckon this race will be over before Kirby can say what Fugelsang means in English

Fugelsang always reminds me of T. C. Boyle's novel Budding Prospects.

 

[rick james]

Did Sagan really not know the name of his team mates??

 

[portugal11]

How many stages will kittel win?

 

[infeXio]

Re:

How many stages will kittel win?

17

 

[sir fly]

Re: Re:

How many stages will kittel win?

17

In a row!

 

[The Hitch]

Re: 2016 TdF, Stage 1: Mont-Saint-Michel → Utah Beach (188km

103rd Tour de France, Grand Départ 2016​

Stage 1: Mont-Saint-Michel → Utah Beach Sainte-Marie-du-Mont (188 km, Flat)


▲

Saturday, July 2nd • Stage info • Startlist • Roadbook • Rules • Weather: Start, Halfway, Finish
Starts at 12:50 - Live video from 12:45 - Finish at 17:20 (CEST) • Live ticker • Livestreams


Route:

Profile:

Mountain passes & hills:
Km 20.5 - Côte d'Avranches 1.2 kilometre-long climb at 5.7% - category 4
Km 39.0 - Côte des falaises de Champeaux 1.3 kilometre-long climb at 4.8% - category 4


Final Kilometres:

Preview:

While Jean-Marie Leblanc was still in charge of the Tour de France, the race usually a lot more time trialling than it has done in recent years, and the event always kicked off with a time trial. When Christian Prudhomme took over the responsibility, he not only reduced the number of TT kilometres, he also deviated from the pattern of hosting a race against the clock on the opening day.

In 2008 the race opened with a traditional road stage for the first time in several years, with Alejandro Valverde winning an uphill sprint in Plumelec. In 2011, the time trillists again missed the chance to go for glory on the opening day when another uphill sprint on the Mont des Alouettes saw Philippe Gilbert take the first yellow jersey of the race.

Since the bonus seconds were skipped in 2008, the sprinters have had no chance to overcome their early deficits to ride into yellow, and until 2013 the last bunch kick expert to wear the coveted leader's jersey was Tom Boonen in 2006 (if you omit Thor Hushovd's stint in yellow in 2011 which was not due to his ability as a sprinter). In 2013, Prudhomme not only kicked off the race with a road stage. As it was completely flat, he gave the sprinters what at the time seemed to be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to take yellow on the opening day of the race. Marcel Kittel made the most of it when he won a very confusing opening sprint that saw riders like Mark Cavendish, André Greipel and Peter Sagan being held up by crashes.

The sprinters got another opportunity to take yellow much earlier than expected as the 2014 edition of the race again kicked off with a mostly flat stage and again it was Kittel coming out on top on a dramatic day that saw Cavendish hit the deck in Harrogate.

Like Greipel, the Brit has missed out on his first two chances but both are likely to get a third chance already in 2016. After last year’s time trial, a flat road stage will again kick things off in 2016 and so Greipel and Cavendish will get an opportunity to take revenge and Kittel has a chance to take a third maillot jaune in just four years.

After the unusual two consecutive foreign starts, the Grand Depart will be back on French soil for the first time since the Corsican premiere in 2013. This year the race will kick off from the spectacular Mont-Saint-Michel which was the beautiful backdrop for the flat 2013 time trial where Tony Martin narrowly beat Chris Froome. The 188km will bring the riders to Utah Beach at Sainte-Marie-du-Mont and will be a mainly flat affair. The first 105 will follow the lumpy coastal road that includes two small category 4 climb, Cote d’Avranches (1.2km, 5.7%) and Cote des falaises de Champeaux (1.3km, 4.8%) at the 20.5km and 39km marks respectively. There are still some smaller climbs further up the road but none of them will count for the KOM competition.

In the city of Creances, the riders will leave the coast as they will head inland to get the opposite coast. The terrain is almost completely flat and the highlight is the intermediate sprint which comes at the 118.5km mark. Coming at the end of a long, straight, flat road, it is an uncomplicated affair that suits the fastest guys.

With 34km to go, the peloton will again hit the coast which they will follow for around 7km before they again turn inland. 12km later they will turn around and head back along flat roads to the finish at Utah Beach. There are no major technical challenges in the finale as the final turn comes with 5.5km to go. From there a long, straight road leads to the finish on a 6m wide road. There is a small descent with 3km to go but otherwise it is a flat finale, with the final kilometre being very slightly uphill at 0.2%.

All the sprinters have been looking forward to this stage since it was announced that they will get another chance to wear yellow. Hence, there is no chance that this won’t be a day for a bunch kick and as it has been the case in the previous opening road stages, the break will probably escape from the gun, with the only real incentive to attack being the prospective of a short stint in polka-dots. However, the peloton will spend most of the stage along the coast and if the conditions are bad, this can wreak havoc on the peloton. In any case, it should make the race very nervous and crashes are very likely, especially in the finale. On the other hand, the first stages have been surprisingly calm in recent years as the peloton seems to have struck an agreement not to make things unnecessarily dangerous. If the riders again take care of each other and it’s not too windy, it should be a pretty controlled and calm stage until the riders get to what will be a very hectic and nervous finale where the fast guys will battle it out in a sprint that suits the real power sprinters.

Utah Beach has not hosted the finish of a major bike race before.

Let's get this thing started!

Damn you. Thought the first pic was a profile of this stage and got excited for an ardennesy stage 1

I like opening TDF stages to be prologues though.

 

[jmdirt]

Re: Re:

Kittel is the man to beat, but I really wanted to see Cav in yellow. I know it will take special situation for that to happen, but one can dream about it.

This....I'm dreaming. Thing is it isn't just Kittel who's faster than him now. He seems to "mess up" often getting beat by guys like Blythe.

So if Nat Champs is your measuring stick, Kittel was third this year in Germany behind Greipel, and Walscheid.

 

[Breh]

Re: Re:

How many stages will kittel win?

17

In a row!

It will be interesting to see whether he decides to take the first 17stages or the last 17. The stage 2 finish doesn't really suit him so my guess would be the last 17. Taking yellow too soon might not be the best idea either.

And Sagan wins green regardless.

 

[Tonton]

Re: 2016 TdF, Stage 1: Mont-Saint-Michel → Utah Beach (188km

Crosswinds, Froome, Bertie, and Nairo get caught and lose three minutes. Il Squalo wins the stage. Back to the future.

 

[BigMac]

Bryan Coquard will win.

 

[Tonton]

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Bryan Coquard will win.

Smart bet IMO. He's completely underrated, he'll be there, he's fast, there will be confusion, it's not necessarily a stage for the Germans. And for history's sake, I hope that a German doesn't win. Or if one does, bring the flowers to the cemetery, make a statement.

I feel sorry for the Germans that they have to be sorry again and again. For some maybe WW2 is old news but the wounds are still fresh. Years ago, I had a project, a TdF design and Farrar could win on a day like this...I hope that an American rider wins it.

 

[phanatic]

Re: Re:

Bryan Coquard will win.

Smart bet IMO. He's completely underrated, he'll be there, he's fast, there will be confusion, it's not necessarily a stage for the Germans. And for history's sake, I hope that a German doesn't win. Or if one does, bring the flowers to the cemetery, make a statement.

I feel sorry for the Germans that they have to be sorry again and again. For some maybe WW2 is old news but the wounds are still fresh. Years ago, I had a project, a TdF design and Farrar could win on a day like this...I hope that an American rider wins it.

I think, following Brexit, even a Cav win has ominous overtones. If an American, then it's America First? It might as well be a German or French (non-resistance) victory. We can't go for a Spaniard or Italian either, and some may be favorable to Polish riders, but they are a mixed bag (and I don't mean diverse). I won't venture as far as the Antipodes, as I know how this board feels about most Australian riders. Can Switzerland help? Not normally, but one figure embodies the tragic and heroic sacrifice, one figure stands firm against a force as immovable as the past, one can hold back the blitzkrieg of time, and bring peace to the peloton.

When he dons the maillot jaune, all losses are restored and sorrows end.

 

[Praying Mantis]

Re: 2016 TdF, Stage 1: Mont-Saint-Michel → Utah Beach (188km

Damn you. Thought the first pic was a profile of this stage and got excited for an ardennesy stage 1.

Hehe, sorry about that. Just trying something new here, showing the stage in its context, but yeah I agree it can confuse at first sight... But, people will get used to it, got another 20 of these to go

Liking the bet on Coquard, if the run in gets messy, he could well surprise... If he can hold off the victory celebrations until he's actually won.

 

[Miburo]

Yea sure tonton. Blame te germans for ww2. If the french were a bit more human after ww1 with treaty of versailles it wouldnt have happened. You re a nice guy tonton but being unfair a bit

Honger for crosswinds

 

[Kwibus]

Re: Re:

Bryan Coquard will win.

Smart bet IMO. He's completely underrated, he'll be there, he's fast, there will be confusion, it's not necessarily a stage for the Germans. And for history's sake, I hope that a German doesn't win. Or if one does, bring the flowers to the cemetery, make a statement.

I feel sorry for the Germans that they have to be sorry again and again. For some maybe WW2 is old news but the wounds are still fresh. Years ago, I had a project, a TdF design and Farrar could win on a day like this...I hope that an American rider wins it.

I don't think the german riders have to do anything for something they didn't do. These guys are just cyclists that come from Germany.
We all have to remember what happened though and learn our lessons from it. That's for sure.

History will repeat it self though, like always. It's allready happening with populism and nationalism on the rise everywhere in Europe, but also in the US.

Back to the Tour! I also hope a german won't win. Go Groenewegen! (Guy is allready sick before the race started)

 

[Kwibus]

Re:

Yea sure tonton. Blame te germans for ww2. If the french were a bit more human after ww1 with treaty of versailles it wouldnt have happened. You re a nice guy tonton but being unfair a bit

Honger for crosswinds

Oh boy... The fact that Germany got treated like crap after they instigated WW1 certainly helped starting the 2nd one, but it certainly doesn't justify it.
They did afterall invade others during WW1. It's quite special Germany got treated that 'well' after WW2 if you ask me. It certainly worked better, but maybe if you place yourself in the minds of the people after WW1 I'm pretty sure you wouldn't be that forgiving.....

 

[Miburo]

I never said anything about justification bro. But Versailles gave Hitler the necessary fuel to instigate a fire (quite literally actually).

Only France was that harsh after WW1. Luckily everyone learned their lesson after WW2, that's very true. Sadly enough Europe fought each other and we became irrelevant on a world scale.