2016 TdF, Stage 2: Saint-Lô → Cherbourg-en-Cotentin (183km)

[HelloDolly]

Re:

Wow Valverde can top 5 and Dan Martin can Top 10 here

Porte and Thomas losing huge time

Dan Martin will be in yellow before the week is out
Plus Tinkoff need to get behind Kreuziger now for GC ...he is up to 8th and can climb very well and is looking good

Contador wil bleed time as injured

 

[sir fly]

Re: Re:

It's a tricky finish. Already the first part on wide road is difficult getting steeper towards the roundabout, but some heavier riders could survive it on high entering speed. Then they turn on smaller streets where the ascent becomes puncheur affair, requiring good kick in corners. Then, after the flat section, finishing ramp pretty much like the bottom part of ascent (actually, it is the same wide road - Voie de la Liberte).
Sagan will have a hard time keeping up with Ardennes type of riders..

Interesting. I would have thought the profile and your description paint a picture that suits Sagan ideally ... a short steep part to get rid of the few sprinters who are straight out faster than him, then a less steep ramp to the finish where those who are better climbers than him will have little hope of dropping him. Couple those matters with some technical aspects to the finish (obviously Sagan is technically superb and great at positioning himself) and I would've thought he could scarcely ask for a more suitable finish.

You've misunderstood. The part after roundabout doesn't suit him at all.
The part before roundabout is where he'll get rid of sprinters. The part from roundabout (through corners) to the flat is where puncheurs will try to get rid of him.

I'm not sure I misunderstand so much as disagree. I think the chances of Sagan not being about to keep up with the Ardennes type riders after the roundabout are slim to none. That's not to say he will definitely win, of course, as he can be beaten on uphill sprint finishes like this (van Avermart being an obvious possibility) but I don't see him not being able to keep up.

Suppose I should say I was wrong.
Great positioning on the steepest part, though. Being at the front with Kreuziger was the key.
Classy victory.

Pity for Stuyven. He has a lot of talent.
I won't be surprised if Contador abandons at some point.

 

[Pippo_San]

So now I expect people saying whoever wins this Tour didn't deserve it cause Velasco crashed.
It's time to start with the sour grapessssssssssss...

Oh. Sagain is the most wonderful WC in years. At least since Bettini's times.

 

[Flamin]

Watching the overhead, GVA got boxed in terribly hard there.

 

[TourOfTexas]

Re: 2016 TdF, Stage 2: Saint-Lô → Cherbourg-en-Cotentin (183

Biggest surprise of the day : Pierre Rolland 12th on a punchy finale Watch out!

Cannondale did pretty good in the finale. Looking forward to a Slagter win sometime. Which would be good because he's out of contract.

 

[HelloDolly]

Pierre Rolland was one of my riders for top 6 early on

 

[Captain Serious]

Re: Re:

WTF?! He didn't know all the escapees were caught?! Was his radio busted? What the fark is the radio for if he doesn't get basic info like that?

Peter Sagan doesn't listen to his radio. His radio listens to Peter Sagan.

Ha.

 

[b.broadhurst]

Re:

Wow Valverde can top 5 and Dan Martin can Top 10 here

Porte and Thomas losing huge time

G lost only 20 secs with Nieve just behind.

Landa, Henao and Froome all in front.

 

[Punkan]

Looks like Pinot, Nibali and Frank lost about 10s.

 

[mr. tibbs]

Re:

So now I expect people saying whoever wins this Tour didn't deserve it cause Velasco crashed.
It's time to start with the sour grapessssssssssss...

Oh. Sagain is the most wonderful WC in years. At least since Bettini's times.

You're literally the only one claiming that at the moment. Chapeau!

 

[DFA123]

Re: Re:

Wow Valverde can top 5 and Dan Martin can Top 10 here

Porte and Thomas losing huge time

Dan Martin will be in yellow before the week is out
Plus Tinkoff need to get behind Kreuziger now for GC ...he is up to 8th and can climb very well and is looking good

Contador wil bleed time as injured

Good call, Kreuziger or Majka should become leader ASAP. Even if Contador soldiers on, he's not going to be as motivated as those two would be to battle for third place - and he can still try to grab a stage win somewhere.

 

[Escarabajo]

Sagan had everything under control. He let others go at it while he just followed wheels until he accelerated towards the end. He toyed with Allaphillipe. So I am not sure why he was hitting his bike since it was clear that Sagan beat him.

 

[BigMac]

Re:

Watching the overhead, GVA got boxed in terribly hard there.

Lot's of people did. Including Mollema. Road didn't help.

 

[Lance Armstrong]

Re: 2016 TdF, Stage 2: Saint-Lô → Cherbourg-en-Cotentin (183

Biggest surprise of the day : Pierre Rolland 12th on a punchy finale Watch out!

Kreuziger finishing 8th after 1 km long pull is even more surprising. He looks super strong.

 

[MacBAir]

So, this was the best possible stage for Roman and Peter. Peter wins the stage (bosses it), shows everybody that not even the Ardennes are safe. The other Bosses the hill, does a terrific job and sees the leader falter due to injury.

Peter should now be the undisputed leader, and Roman should be their GC guy/Workhorse for finishes like these/breaks.

 

[Geraint Too Fast]

Re: Re:

Sagan _O_

If only Stuyven had one other decent rider with him...

The time split at the top of the screen killed me! Showed one minute split...I was like, Stuyven got this..then the peloton is 5 seconds back in the video!

These frogs need to get their cloacas together. Or something.

The split is for the Yellow Jersey Cavendish

I admit I was initially confused by the sudden time split change. But then--like you--I noticed the little yellow jersey icon and realized that it was to a dropped Cav. No idea why all of these posters are getting up in arms over their own misunderstanding.

The misunderstandings not really the point. The point is why did the graphics show such utterlly useless information? We'd all seen Cav get dropped and knew he was going to lose loads of time from that point.

The race was between Stuyven and the peloton. Rididculous not to show that gap.

The gap was tiny. They didn't need to show it.

 

[Cance > TheRest]

Re: Re:

Wow Valverde can top 5 and Dan Martin can Top 10 here

Porte and Thomas losing huge time

Dan Martin will be in yellow before the week is out
Plus Tinkoff need to get behind Kreuziger now for GC ...he is up to 8th and can climb very well and is looking good

Contador wil bleed time as injured

Don't know about Roman. It's been a long time since he showed anything on a longer climb. His 5th place on the queen stage in Ruta del Sol this year is the only good showing on a regular climb, iirc

 

[TourOfTexas]

Re:

So now I expect people saying whoever wins this Tour didn't deserve it cause Velasco crashed.
It's time to start with the sour grapessssssssssss...

Oh. Sagain is the most wonderful WC in years. At least since Bettini's times.

Sagan is an awesome WC. Even curses do not touch the dude. And Musseuw was trash talking his hair last year, totally unfounded.

 

[Irondan]

Re:

Sagan had everything under control. He let others go at it while he just followed wheels until he accelerated towards the end. He toyed with Allaphillipe. So I am not sure why he was hitting his bike since it was clear that Sagan beat him.

He hits his handlebars anytime he gets beat to second place, which has happened at least two other times.

 

[El Pistolero]

Nibali lost 11 seconds.

 

[ILovecycling]

Re: 2016 TdF, Stage 2: Saint-Lô → Cherbourg-en-Cotentin (183

Kruezinger blasting up the climb while Contador was getting dropped. New Saxo leader?

He was just leading Peter... Contador would have lost time regardless.

Not that much but probably yep

 

[Escarabajo]

Contador can still ride to the end. Him and Sagan can still co-exist without interfering with each other. So don't DNF Contador too soon.

Unless he keeps crashing!!!

 

[Hayabusa]

Hats off to Bennett who just finished

 

[sir fly]

I can't believe Flecha and House still can't figure out that the timing was absolutely spot on. The Yellow jersey wasn't in the closing group.

 

[trevim]

Re: 2016 TdF, Stage 2: Saint-Lô → Cherbourg-en-Cotentin (183

Biggest surprise of the day : Pierre Rolland 12th on a punchy finale Watch out!

Kreuziger finishing 8th after 1 km long pull is even more surprising. He looks super strong.

Kreuziger is bit underrated in this sort of lumpy terrain; it doesn't mean he'll climb better than usual in the mountains.