Le Tour '18 stage 12: Bourg-Saint-Maurice > Alpe d'Huez 175k

[bambino]

Re: Re:

froome will win and i expect sub 41 minutes time because A, its an iconic climb and B, he has to drop Thomas somehow and for that he cannot wait for last few kms

Sub 41 is nothing.

Climbing times are fast this year, I really don't see how the fastest time doesn't go sub 40.

It'll start with 38.

 

[TourOfSardinia]

At least when Dawg had LRP as buddy
the deputy was faithful.

 

[wouterkaas]

Knaven buying an extra rider for today's stage!

Apparently Boasson Hagen had a bad mechanical at the bottom of La Rosiere with no material around and Knaven gave him a Sky bike, for which Knaven was fined 200 euro's. Here you see BH paying him back.

(credits go to NOS, Dutch public broadcaster)

 

[Eyeballs Out]

Going to be the hottest day so far today. 30 deg C in the valleys

 

[Billie]

Thomas in the past has always cracked in hypoxia territory

 

[Blanco]

Re:

I fear we are about to witness a PSM or Ax-3-Domaines - like stage today... Froome needs to get a minute and a half gap to Thomas (I fully believe he wants yellow and the stage today). I am afraid to think what kind of gaps that means to the other "Orca-less" riders...

I think Sir Dave is pulling the strings, he'll decide who of the two will win today and at the whole Tour.

 

[markene2]

I always like Alpe D'huez, saw it for the first time in TdF 2003 was a great stage, so im looking forward to todays stage

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1-y38WZAtgc

 

[thrawn]

Hopefully Thomas is allowed to race against Froome. Otherwise the stage will be boring.

 

[sir fly]

Getting in the breakaway will be the first victory of the day.

 

[spalco]

Re:

Getting in the breakaway will be the first victory of the day.

Looks like 80% of the peloton wants to go for the break today.

 

[Red Rick]

Re:

I always like Alpe D'huez, saw it for the first time in TdF 2003 was a great stage, so im looking forward to todays stage

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1-y38WZAtgc

I've always thought Alpe d'Huez was overrated as a climb, but it does deliver almost every time. I think it has a lot to do with it always being at the end of a super hard stage in the 3rd week and being hardest at the bottom.

If there's any time it doesn't do anything, it's now.

 

[sir fly]

Re: Re:

Getting in the breakaway will be the first victory of the day.

Looks like 80% of the peloton wants to go for the break today.

No joy in the bunch, probably.
It's massive stage in every sense, they all are aware of that

 

[Red Rick]

Re: Re:

Getting in the breakaway will be the first victory of the day.

Looks like 80% of the peloton wants to go for the break today.

It's gonna be terrible for the grupetto if the break doesn't get away before the Madeleine.

 

[rlntlssly]

Re:

Thomas in the past has always cracked in hypoxia territory

Examples?

 

[Red Rick]

Any possibility that Dumoulin will just try to mark Froome and hope Thomas implodes later on?

 

[sir fly]

Madeleine starts with steep ramps, if not before - there should some capable climbers break away.

 

[The Hitch]

Re: Le Tour '18 stage 12: Bourg-Saint-Maurice > Alpe d'Huez

21 degrees is damn hot weather if the temperature is being taken that high at altitude.

That plus the imo well designed stage, could make a good race. If only cyclings version of the Golden state warriors wasn't determined to make it boring.

 

[Billie]

Re: Re:

Thomas in the past has always cracked in hypoxia territory

Examples?

Finhout in 2016, Croix de fer in 2015

 

[Bavarianrider]

Re: Re:

I always like Alpe D'huez, saw it for the first time in TdF 2003 was a great stage, so im looking forward to todays stage

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1-y38WZAtgc

I've always thought Alpe d'Huez was overrated as a climb, but it does deliver almost every time. I think it has a lot to do with it always being at the end of a super hard stage in the 3rd week and being hardest at the bottom.

If there's any time it doesn't do anything, it's now.

Long climbs in the 6,5%-8,5% more thanoften produce much better and specacular racing than those modern super steep ones. Alpe is just the mother of those classical mountain finishes. Much better than todays goat path tracks.

 

[Red Rick]

Re: Re:

I always like Alpe D'huez, saw it for the first time in TdF 2003 was a great stage, so im looking forward to todays stage

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1-y38WZAtgc

I've always thought Alpe d'Huez was overrated as a climb, but it does deliver almost every time. I think it has a lot to do with it always being at the end of a super hard stage in the 3rd week and being hardest at the bottom.

If there's any time it doesn't do anything, it's now.

Long climbs in the 6,5%-8,5% more thanoften produce much better and specacular racing than those modern super steep ones. Alpe is just the mother of those classical mountain finishes. Much better than todays goat path tracks.

Circumstances matter more than the climb itself.

 

[The Hitch]

Re: Re:

I always like Alpe D'huez, saw it for the first time in TdF 2003 was a great stage, so im looking forward to todays stage

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1-y38WZAtgc

I've always thought Alpe d'Huez was overrated as a climb, but it does deliver almost every time. I think it has a lot to do with it always being at the end of a super hard stage in the 3rd week and being hardest at the bottom.

If there's any time it doesn't do anything, it's now.

2011 was bad with Frank and Andy deciding to settle for 2nd and 3rd on the gc (or were they dumb enough to think they could challenge Evans in a tt)

 

[rlntlssly]

Re: Re:

Thomas in the past has always cracked in hypoxia territory

Examples?

Finhout in 2016, Croix de fer in 2015

OK, Allos in 2015, Arcalis in 2016. Neither can be called "cracking" IMO, though he lost time.

 

[Dekker_Tifosi]

Re:

Any possibility that Dumoulin will just try to mark Froome and hope Thomas implodes later on?

I have a hard time imagining Dumoulin being able to mark one of those crazy Froome acelerations. And he can't even TT back up.

Probably loses 30s if Froome does accelerate, similar to Finestre / Zoncolan.

 

[markene2]

Re: Re:

I've always thought Alpe d'Huez was overrated as a climb, but it does deliver almost every time. I think it has a lot to do with it always being at the end of a super hard stage in the 3rd week and being hardest at the bottom.

If there's any time it doesn't do anything, it's now.

I think if Sky burns quite a few doms before Huez it will deliver, but if they have 4-8 doms at the start and drives a steady pace it will be boring, unless there are infighting between Froome and Thomas

 

[Eyeballs Out]

Any news on whether ASO be fudging the time limit again today ?