2019 Tour de France – Stage 6 – Mulhouse–LPDBF - 157 km

[Tonton]

Entertaining final, for sure. Deserving winner. My Tibo didn't win, but didn't disappoint. Thomas did better than I expected, Bardet needs to lose more time and polka-dot and stages...same for Nibali.

 

[jaylew]

Kelderman still behind on form, losing 18 minutes.

 

[Red Rick]

Re:

Ineos not strong today - It was noticeable that Valverde was riding faster than Kwiatkowski on the final climb - Will be interesting to see how strong the Ineos train will be in this TDF.

I think I've heard this one before.

 

[ice&fire]

Re: Re:

What are the chances that someone like Alaphilippe or Valverde will be near the front before that steep finale? From what I’ve read about this stage I gather that’s not very likely, but I wonder.

Why do people keep wondering about the chances of someone who dropped like a stone in Roche aux Faucons?

Not even from the break. GVA did better in that situation.

 

[Põhja Konn]

Re:

After reading the comments I understand this climb apparently didn't suit any of the best climbers in this year's Tour de France.
Amazing.

Well, Purito is retired, Valverde on dom duty, Froome and Dumoulin out injured, as such Thomas and Pinot were actually the two for whom it suited the best out of current favourites. Rough surface was as significant as the gradients themselves on the new added part of the climb. I did expect a bit more from Bernal though.

 

[del1962]

Re: Re:

After reading the comments I understand this climb apparently didn't suit any of the best climbers in this year's Tour de France.
Amazing.

Well, Purito is retired, Valverde on dom duty, Froome and Dumoulin out injured, as such Thomas and Pinot were actually the two for whom it suited the best out of current favourites. Rough surface was as significant as the gradients themselves on the new added part of the climb. I did expect a bit more from Bernal though.

May have suited a non Giro Nibali

 

[Forever The Best]

One of the worst mountain stages I've ever watched. No attacks until the final km except Landa.

Today's stage was a quick reminder about why I shouldn't watch the Tour. Awful GC action, same status quo as before, absolutely predictable results with one team having the 2 strongest riders who were #2 and #3 plan for the team (they would have done a 1-2-3 if Froome had raced!)

 

[RedheadDane]

What was up with those weird armbands?
And did someone from Astana just pop in at the local sports equipment store and get jackets? They didn't look very Astanaesque.

 

[Logic-is-your-friend]

Re:

Kelderman still behind on form, losing 18 minutes.

Only 4 minutes behind Van Aert

 

[Bushman]

Re: Re:

G's performance was a bit of a surprise, but I'm not sure why some seem to be conceding the race already. The alps are a full two weeks away. Thomas gained very little time on most of his rivals, and the race will be won at the really high altitudes. A good result for Quintana, and Pinot obviously. Nice for Fulgsang, given his stage 1 crash. Good for Porte, given his low key season. And Ineos will hardly be forcing Bernal to race as a domestique yet; he lost what....ten seconds?

Thomas has basically morphed into Froome 2.0. Used to be a poor climber on high mountains; now the best in the world. Used to struggle on steep climbs; now the best in the world.

We'll probably see him attack on a descent at some point, or ride off the front in a break, or win a flat TT. Not because he needs to, but just because he can.

Yeah, it would be so weird if he started winning in a discipline he has been world class in through most of his career.

 

[Nirvana]

Re: Re:

Ala climbing like the Killer di Spoltore, rather unexpected...

Now watch ASO have no high mountain stages next year.

It's a couple of years that I call for that
And now that the anorexic Bardet looks done we could even hope for a return of a decent length TT.

Anyway Alaphilippe climbing form looks really impressive, especially considering that since 2017 has constantly regressed and this year he showed the worst climbing form of his career and at the Dauphine he didn't even try to go for the GC before fading/cracking as he usually does in every weeklong stage race, probably he's at least back at 2016 when he was able to smash the MTF in California and finish in the top 10 at Dauphine, maybe even better but it's hard to say after a stage with climbs more suited to him than high mountains.

 

[Cervelo77]

Re:

One of the worst mountain stages I've ever watched. No attacks until the final km except Landa.

Today's stage was a quick reminder about why I shouldn't watch the Tour. Awful GC action, same status quo as before, absolutely predictable results with one team having the 2 strongest riders who were #2 and #3 plan for the team (they would have done a 1-2-3 if Froome had raced!)

Well, it is the Tour de France, not the Tour de Stage 6. I didn't expect much today. I think the GC teams are focused on not losing at this point. Still a long way to Paris.

 

[Forever The Best]

Oh, and also I didn't know the ideal preparation for the Tour was retiring from Tour de Suisse with injury.

 

[Pricey_sky]

Re:

Oh, and also I didn't know the ideal preparation for the Tour was retiring from Tour de Suisse with injury.

On his ITV interview before the Tour started he said he wasn’t injured, but the team pulled him because he took a big bump on the head. He was back on the bike training 2 days later.

 

[The Chicken]

Re:

I've a feeling G may get found out today

:lol:

I thought the same thing though.

 

[Valv.Piti]

Shitty stage again. Almost watched the entirety of these Vosges stage cause they used to be great fun, but that this was just super disappointing.

Hopefully the Massifs will be better. It only can be. If it isn't, I probably won't watch much of the rest of the Tour.

 

[Laplaz]

Great showing by Manny B. And the climb didn't suited him at all.

 

[Breh]

I really really like Alaphilippe

 

[Cance > TheRest]

Re:

****** stage again. Almost watched the entirety of these Vosges stage cause they used to be great fun, but that this was just super disappointing.

Hopefully the Massifs will be better. It only can be. If it isn't, I probably won't watch much of the rest of the Tour.

It sounds like you just had unrealistic expectations. Why did you hope something major was gonna unfold, when every GC contender is still fresh and when you know how the last 3 ascents of PdBF have gone??

 

[Wvv]

Very nice win for Teuns. Belgium already had a nice Tour, now it's a really good one. And maybe more to come.

Thomas looking perfect for a back to back gc win.

 

[Lequack]

 

[This Charming Man]

Would have been interesting to see, I wonder if Cav could have made the time cut?

 

[This Charming Man]

I wonder id TJ will finsh, LeTour?

 

[LaFlorecita]

Little clip of Ciccone:

https://twitter.com/TrekSegafredo/status/1149377049854791680?s=19

 

[JosephK]

Re:

Game over man!

Yep. It's done and dusted again this year for GC. No surprise. If not G, it would be another Ineos guy.