Le Tour '19 Stage 20: Albertville > Val Thorens 59km

[TomLPC]

MS might make it hard, every reason to believe Yates can win the stage

 

[Red Rick]

Re: Re:

Here is a similar stage from the 1996 TdF:

https://www.procyclingstats.com/race/tour-de-france/1996/stage-9

Differences can be made, if the riders have courage and go from the bottom.

If not, it will be a snooze fest

I don't there is even a slight chance that it will be a snooze fest. We have riders and teams trying to get a stage win and I think that some of the GC riders (like Kruijswijk) want to move up on the GC as well so it's going to be all-out racing from start to finish.

That's what I am saying....... but only if 1 of the top 5 attack from the bottom.

Otherwise Ineos will control it all the way to the top.

The first 7 k are the hardest.

It's a 33km climb. Attacking from the bottom is suicide.

Almost guaranteed the top 5 will keep their powder dry until the final 8km.

That said, this stage will probably be pretty funny with the breakaway climbers and stage hunters hitting the bottom the hardest, so that can potentially cause a lot of chaos.

 

[Broccolidwarf]

Re: Re:

Here is a similar stage from the 1996 TdF:

https://www.procyclingstats.com/race/tour-de-france/1996/stage-9

Differences can be made, if the riders have courage and go from the bottom.

If not, it will be a snooze fest

I don't there is even a slight chance that it will be a snooze fest. We have riders and teams trying to get a stage win and I think that some of the GC riders (like Kruijswijk) want to move up on the GC as well so it's going to be all-out racing from start to finish.

That's what I am saying....... but only if 1 of the top 5 attack from the bottom.

Otherwise Ineos will control it all the way to the top.

The first 7 k are the hardest.

It's a 33km climb. Attacking from the bottom is suicide.

Almost guaranteed the top 5 will keep their powder dry until the final 8km.

That said, this stage will probably be pretty funny with the breakaway climbers and stage hunters hitting the bottom the hardest, so that can potentially cause a lot of chaos.

As said, Bjarne Riis proved it can be done...... and nobody will make up enough time if they wait for the last 8 k........ waiting till then, is a sure way to give the win to Bernal, because he will have his team intact.

If Alaphilippe, Kruijswijk and Buchmann are happy with just hitting the podium, you will get it your way - but I hope you are wrong.

 

[Rollthedice]

French TV saying it could be shortened with 11km. To be decided at the base of the climb. Meanwhile they are preparing a yellow jersey with a huge asterisk painted on the front and back.

 

[DanielSong39]

Positions 6-10 will attack before the climb, they will have to if they want to win the stage. Unless there is a peloton protest (which is also likely).

 

[RedheadDane]

Seems like the sun is back on Val Thorens!

 

[Red Rick]

Re: Re:

Here is a similar stage from the 1996 TdF:

https://www.procyclingstats.com/race/tour-de-france/1996/stage-9

Differences can be made, if the riders have courage and go from the bottom.

If not, it will be a snooze fest

I don't there is even a slight chance that it will be a snooze fest. We have riders and teams trying to get a stage win and I think that some of the GC riders (like Kruijswijk) want to move up on the GC as well so it's going to be all-out racing from start to finish.

That's what I am saying....... but only if 1 of the top 5 attack from the bottom.

Otherwise Ineos will control it all the way to the top.

The first 7 k are the hardest.

It's a 33km climb. Attacking from the bottom is suicide.

Almost guaranteed the top 5 will keep their powder dry until the final 8km.

That said, this stage will probably be pretty funny with the breakaway climbers and stage hunters hitting the bottom the hardest, so that can potentially cause a lot of chaos.

As said, Bjarne Riis proved it can be done...... and nobody will make up enough time if they wait for the last 8 k........ waiting till then, is a sure way to give the win to Bernal, because he will have his team intact.

If Alaphilippe, Kruijswijk and Buchmann are happy with just hitting the podium, you will get it your way - but I hope you are wrong.

I don't believe Bjarne Riis is the perfect example of cycling in 2019.

There is one climb. Bernal is the strongest climber by a healthy margin. Bernal has the strongest team.

The time to start risking things for the win was like 2 days ago

 

[staubsauger]

Re:

Here is a similar stage from the 1996 TdF:

https://www.procyclingstats.com/race/tour-de-france/1996/stage-9

Differences can be made, if the riders have courage and go from the bottom.

If not, it will be a snooze fest

Wasn't that the stage Riis killed Berzin?

 

[rick james]

Re:

French TV saying it could be shortened with 11km. To be decided at the base of the climb. Meanwhile they are preparing a yellow jersey with a huge asterisk painted on the front and back.

but not if a French rider had the jersey

 

[Singularitarian]

Big respect to Tibopino and Madiot to allow cameras to their hotel and capture these emotional moments (yesterday morning and evening and even the day before... they knew it was bad but at least tried). Don't know whether it spreads beyond frenchie TV.

 

[rghysens]

Re: Re:

Here is a similar stage from the 1996 TdF:

https://www.procyclingstats.com/race/tour-de-france/1996/stage-9

Differences can be made, if the riders have courage and go from the bottom.

If not, it will be a snooze fest

Wasn't that the stage Riis killed Berzin?

Yes, and that stage had about half the climbing we have today.

 

[Pricey_sky]

Re: Re:

French TV saying it could be shortened with 11km. To be decided at the base of the climb. Meanwhile they are preparing a yellow jersey with a huge asterisk painted on the front and back.

but not if a French rider had the jersey

The strongest rider is now in yellow, despite all the changes. Perhaps he will want to prove it today?

 

[TomLPC]

Hope they've been hard on the rollers before this otherwise there could be a few nasty surprises

 

[rick james]

P!ssing down buckets in central Scotland today, stuck indoors with my 14 month old baby boy, was hoping this stage would keep us going all day today, gutted its been cut short

 

[Singer01]

Why all the let's have split stage talk? I thought they had been banned for ages.

 

[DanielSong39]

Re:

Why all the let's have split stage talk? I thought they had been banned for ages.

So split prologues are banned too then?

I think it would be interesting to start the first day with a 10km TTT and ITT, both on the same course, but if it's banned it's all academic.

 

[Armchair Cyclist]

No intermediate sprint? Given Sagan's lead, that is probably insignificant, but the competition for second (reserve in case anything befalls Sagan) is close. And those standings are dubious, because although Viviani (and about 70 others) were spared the hors delai elimination yesterday, the points penalty that is meant to accompany such a reprieve does not seem to have been applied.

 

[Pricey_sky]

Unsurprisingly, there’s a battle royale to get in the break

 

[DanielSong39]

Movistar should go all in, hey, why not?

 

[Finn84]

After all days it feels strange to see Alaphilippe in normal DQS jersey.

 

[Savant12]

Eurosport front-loading all their ad breaks before the climb starts?

 

[Danskebjerge]

Yet another weird Astana moment: An Astana rider leading the front group, with an Astana rider leading the chasing group.

 

[Valv.Piti]

What an anticlimactic end to this good race. Izoard, Galibier, Iseran, Val Thorens.... great 3rd week with some classical monsters ruined by the weather. Fortunately they climb all these, but...

 

[RedheadDane]

CUMMINGS IS ALIVE!

 

[Libertine Seguros]

Re:

Here is a similar stage from the 1996 TdF:

https://www.procyclingstats.com/race/tour-de-france/1996/stage-9

Differences can be made, if the riders have courage and go from the bottom.

If not, it will be a snooze fest

There's also this one:

Or they could have gone all out and gone for a Fuji-San hillclimb stage.