2016 Tour de France, Stage 5: Limoges → Le Lioran (216km)

[Poursuivant]

Re:

Jarlinson Pantani has this stage marked for a while. Expect him to do well.

He actually has it marked or you believe he has it marked?

 

[ziksac]

Where do you have that pantano will go for the stage from? what about Dimension Data? Will they send cummings or tekle in breakaway you think?
I saw pantano did well in suisse, but aint he better at more harder mountain stages?

 

[Poursuivant]

Re: Re:

Breakaway to take it. Nobody is going to chase, Tinkoff won't go full gas because of Contador, Etixx doesn't have the power, same as Orica. Movistar will not chase (cause they never do), and Sky doesn't have a contender for the stage, so no real reason to chase. Only if Sky test Contador on the hardest climb and if Alberto is in difficulty then we'll have a real race

Poels?

Henao?

Well, they could do well, but I really doubt either of them can win this stage in these circuimstances, when they're riding for Froome. We all know Sky rarely gave chances for doms.

Can't see either of them beating likes of Valverde or Alaphillipe here.

 

[Tank Engine]

Normally, I'd say that such a stage would go to a breakaway. Chavanel seems a natural candidate for such a break, maybe Cummings (Voeckler would be, if he hadn't worked at the front today). However, I think Astana will probe to see if Contador shows any weakness after his crashes (and possibly Sky too). If he does, the vultures will swoop in for the kill and in that case, I think Sagan will keep his powder dry for another day. Lutsenko came a long way down today and tomorrow is ideal terrain for him to make the pace. Erviti and Oliveira also finished a long way down, so maybe Movistar are planning something too. I'll go for Alaphilippe to win the stage and the yellow jersey.

 

[Poursuivant]

Sky aren't going to put the hammer down according to Brailsford:

He’s struggling and you don’t kick a man while he’s down,” Team Sky boss Sir Dave Brailsford said. “We won’t try to capitalise on someone’s crash or injury, you want to do it with the legs. We won’t ever think about doing that.

“In the main, most of the GC guys will be glad to get out of the melee of the finals and see the road go uphill, but equally, it’s the first test where everyone will be looking at each other. It’s like the first round of a boxing match where you come out and see where you opponents are at.”

 

[Red Rick]

Re:

Sky aren't going to put the hammer down according to Brailsford:

He’s struggling and you don’t kick a man while he’s down,” Team Sky boss Sir Dave Brailsford said. “We won’t try to capitalise on someone’s crash or injury, you want to do it with the legs. We won’t ever think about doing that.

“In the main, most of the GC guys will be glad to get out of the melee of the finals and see the road go uphill, but equally, it’s the first test where everyone will be looking at each other. It’s like the first round of a boxing match where you come out and see where you opponents are at.”

Not attacking when he's coming back to the peloton is one thing, but I think it's totally normal to go for it tomorrow. I fully expect them to wreck the peloton tomorrow

 

[sir fly]

Top of Pas de Peyrol could be a good place to attack.
It's a fast starting descent followed by a hairpin and long curve around a rock best to be tackled solo, then fast again till the next couple of hairpins, and another fast stretch followed by another couple of hairpins. And it's long enough.
Really good descent to gain some ground.

 

[Poursuivant]

Regarding Alberto Contador (Tinkoff), Unzue recognised that for the injured Spanish Tour contender, “It’ll be a real test, we’ll find out a lot more about what his underlying condition is like. Given he hasn’t lost time today [stage 4] on such a complicated, fast final, that confirms to me that he is on the way back up again and his recovery process has begun. Tomorrow, I’m sure he’ll be either with or very close to the other favourites at the finish.”

Asked if Movistar’s big guns would wheel into action on stag 5, Unzue responded that he was not definitively planning to race aggressively tomorrow, rather, as he put it somewhat ambiguously, “That’s not necessarily our aim. For the moment we’ll settle with holding on to what we’ve got until the Pyrenees, where, compared to the previous days, we’ll see a very different race begin.”

 

[LaFlorecita]

Re:

Regarding Alberto Contador (Tinkoff), Unzue recognised that for the injured Spanish Tour contender, “It’ll be a real test, we’ll find out a lot more about what his underlying condition is like. Given he hasn’t lost time today [stage 4] on such a complicated, fast final, that confirms to me that he is on the way back up again and his recovery process has begun. Tomorrow, I’m sure he’ll be either with or very close to the other favourites at the finish.”

Taxus4a = Unzue confirmed
"He should be recovered so if he loses time it's due to his underlying shape not the crash" hmm sure

 

[LaFlorecita]

Re:

Sky aren't going to put the hammer down according to Brailsford:

He’s struggling and you don’t kick a man while he’s down,” Team Sky boss Sir Dave Brailsford said. “We won’t try to capitalise on someone’s crash or injury, you want to do it with the legs. We won’t ever think about doing that.

“In the main, most of the GC guys will be glad to get out of the melee of the finals and see the road go uphill, but equally, it’s the first test where everyone will be looking at each other. It’s like the first round of a boxing match where you come out and see where you opponents are at.”

Seriously if he stays true to his word I will gain a little bit of respect for him.
But I bet it will be impossible to tell if Sky were planning to keep their word because Movistar and maybe Astana will put the hammer down.

 

[SeriousSam]

Seems pretty clearly self-serving PR from Sir Dave.

 

[Miburo]

I wouldn't hesitate a second if i were sky.

Of course fleur is super biased, if it was Froome and Contador wouldn't twist the knife she would hate contador forever for not doing it.

You twist the knife, that's cycling. Don't like it, then watch a different sport

 

[Pricey_sky]

Had a dream a few days ago that Adam Yates was in yellow during the Tour, tomorrow could be the day. He should be strong enough to stay with the GC guys if it all kicks off. Plus he may get a little freedom due to not being seen as a massive GC threat at this stage of his career.

 

[manafana]

One thign is for sure I don't see the break staying away, too many interested parties in winning this stage and maybe taking yellow as well.

 

[Oliwright]

Re: 2016 Tour de France, Stage 5: Limoges → Le Lioran (216km

I genuinely think Sky intend and think Froome will be best in the 3rd week and they will treat Ventoux as the 1st mountain stage. Froome historically has done fantastically when there is a long flat stage and then 1 big climb, so Stage 12 suits him as well. The Pyrenean stages don't suit Froome and Stage 9 is after 2 hard stages so the time gaps will be small, if it follows the trend we've seen recently.

I expect them to defend, but don't expect them to take the race up. I think Movistar and Astana will however. It's perfect for Valverde and Astana will think why not?

 

[52520Andrew]

A stage like this depends on how they ride the Peyrol. If they hit that climb hard, it should be fun, otherwise I would not expect much.

 

[Kwibus]

Re: Re:

Sky aren't going to put the hammer down according to Brailsford:

He’s struggling and you don’t kick a man while he’s down,” Team Sky boss Sir Dave Brailsford said. “We won’t try to capitalise on someone’s crash or injury, you want to do it with the legs. We won’t ever think about doing that.

“In the main, most of the GC guys will be glad to get out of the melee of the finals and see the road go uphill, but equally, it’s the first test where everyone will be looking at each other. It’s like the first round of a boxing match where you come out and see where you opponents are at.”

Seriously if he stays true to his word I will gain a little bit of respect for him.
But I bet it will be impossible to tell if Sky were planning to keep their word because Movistar and maybe Astana will put the hammer down.

I will lose respect if he doesn't stick to his word, but in all honesty he doesnt have to hold back. So he doesn't need to play it nice imo. It's cycling.

 

[sir fly]

Brailsford will have excuse since there's going to be enough parties interested in exploiting the situation.

 

[HelloDolly]

Bloody hell neither SKY or Movistar are going to drill it tomorrow ? Its a race and if the shoe was on the other foot most would be going for it
Plus after yesterday we want some racing ...not rolling along

There are 27 riders within a few seconds of each other at the top ...some need to be tested
Maybe BMC and EQS will go for it

 

[Kwibus]

I'm sure there will be action. They can say whatever they want, but I seriously doubt it!

 

[PremierAndrew]

If Sagan finishes top 3 tomorrow, I really want to see him at the start list of next year's LBL

(Well I want to see him do LBL and AGR regardless )

 

[HelloDolly]

Re:

If Sagan finishes top 3 tomorrow, I really want to see him at the start list of next year's LBL

(Well I want to see him do LBL and AGR regardless )

After a long spring campaign of cobbles and then the Tour he cannot ride every race

The man needs downtime

 

[PremierAndrew]

Re: Re:

If Sagan finishes top 3 tomorrow, I really want to see him at the start list of next year's LBL

(Well I want to see him do LBL and AGR regardless )

After a long spring campaign of cobbles and then the Tour he cannot ride every race

The man needs downtime

What does the tour have to do with spring season?

And two weeks is definitely enough to recover from PR, so AGR might be a push but LBL is definitely possible, and he wouldn't be in bad form just 2-3 weeks after a peak for RVV/PR

 

[MikeTichondrius]

Re: Re:

If Sagan finishes top 3 tomorrow, I really want to see him at the start list of next year's LBL

(Well I want to see him do LBL and AGR regardless )

After a long spring campaign of cobbles and then the Tour he cannot ride every race

The man needs downtime

This is Sagan we're talking. Dude's starting to look like a punch sprint version of Vino. I'd put him down with a chance to win any of the monuments really. Pretty much the only rider ATM I can see doing it somehow and he never seems to be on the backfoot in any race he takes part in. Wonder if he'd do Lombardia later in the season...

 

[Tonton]

Re: 2016 Tour de France, Stage 5: Limoges → Le Lioran (216km

Nibali to try something. If I were Bardet, I would attack too. Same for Pinot, but short climbs are not his thing. Wii Sky react to an attack if it's not Quintana? Maybe not. It could be 45 seconds on the line gained by a second tier GC guy. If the favorites come together, yes, Ala or Bala should win this...

There will be action.