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

[Pricey_sky]

That Bora video with with Buchmann and Sagan talking about the time limit :lol:

 

[Panda Claws]

Wellens and De Gendt bridging the gap like bosses :O

 

[Lequack]

Wow this weather is pretty extreme, glad they shortened the stage.

 

[Panda Claws]

Evenepoel would crush this stage. It is not long so he is used to the distance.

 

[JosephK]

The grand tour carriage turned back into a pumpkin yesterday. Back to a yawner.

 

[RedheadDane]

Re:

Wow this weather is pretty extreme, glad they shortened the stage.

The problem is not the weather, but the fact that the road (on Cormet Roselend) is kinda… gone…

 

[Singularitarian]

Concerning the time taken on Iseran... yeeterday we had a GC battle going on, but imagine a massive break far upfront with some guys not that far in GC (expected to be caught if the stage has e.g. two more big mountains ahead). If you take time this way in such a situation you can easily "artificially" produce a "perreiristic" winner. Would they cancel the whole stage then?

 

[KZD]

Come on Jumbo, let's put Kruijswijk in the podium.

 

[Rollthedice]

Sputnik and Squalo already in the attack while back in the peloton Jumbo are in front.

 

[adamski101]

Re:

Wow this weather is pretty extreme, glad they shortened the stage.

The weather today is not why stage is shortened. Check out images that are doing the rounds of the Roselend, the road is/was unpassable.

The weather earlier today at the finish was really bad. It can change so quickly in Alps, as we witnessed yesterday.

All of these snarky, sarcastic comments are becoming very tiresome.

 

[rick james]

The Russian Froome has went

 

[Panda Claws]

Thomas De Gendt solo! Hammering away the gap.

 

[Pantani Attacks]

Has Kwiato forgotten how to pedal or something?

 

[Libertine Seguros]

The grand tour carriage turned back into a pumpkin yesterday. Back to a yawner.

Not really fair, though. In previous stages they've been weakened by pulling on other mountains or being put under pressure over the climbs by other teams (most notably Movistar and Jumbo), them having the full train in operation before they start climbing in a 59km stage is not really evidence that the train is back to its most controlling. In fact, even if they had 5 left with 5km left, it wouldn't be that representative of them being back in control because it's a super-short Unipuerto stage because of the weather, and they also haven't had to expend their energy controlling the race for several days first. That was the thing about the team in previous years - they would control the pace all day, day in day out, and still be easily the strongest with twice as many men left as other teams at the end. They haven't had to control the race this year, and have picked and chosen their battles, so them running the tempo on stage 20 when they finally find their way into the maillot jaune isn't the clear reverting to type, even if there's something demoralising about seeing a péloton about to start the final climb of a mountain stage with five or six Ineos riders on the front.

 

[Panda Claws]

De Gendt a shoe-in for super combatitivité after today's effort.

 

[Rollthedice]

With all the high tempo from Jumbo the time gap to the front is still the same.

 

[rick james]

Re:

Has Kwiato forgotten how to pedal or something?

to me his face looks very puffed up, maybe allergies

 

[Climbing]

Re:

With all the high tempo from Jumbo the time gap to the front is still the same.

Quality riders in front though.
Edit: btw ok for the junior race, but when does the elite one start?

 

[Pantani Attacks]

Jumbo should have been doing this days and days ago. Twice in a tour isn't good enough

 

[Lequack]

Re:

With all the high tempo from Jumbo the time gap to the front is still the same.

The peloton is still massive.

 

[JosephK]

The grand tour carriage turned back into a pumpkin yesterday. Back to a yawner.

Not really fair, though. In previous stages they've been weakened by pulling on other mountains or being put under pressure over the climbs by other teams (most notably Movistar and Jumbo), them having the full train in operation before they start climbing in a 59km stage is not really evidence that the train is back to its most controlling. In fact, even if they had 5 left with 5km left, it wouldn't be that representative of them being back in control because it's a super-short Unipuerto stage because of the weather, and they also haven't had to expend their energy controlling the race for several days first. That was the thing about the team in previous years - they would control the pace all day, day in day out, and still be easily the strongest with twice as many men left as other teams at the end. They haven't had to control the race this year, and have picked and chosen their battles, so them running the tempo on stage 20 when they finally find their way into the maillot jaune isn't the clear reverting to type, even if there's something demoralising about seeing a péloton about to start the final climb of a mountain stage with five or six Ineos riders on the front.

Good points, all. For me, it was more a comment on the inevitability of the GC outcome. Any drama there died when Pinot died (figuratively).

 

[Lequack]

Ineos are saving Poels and Kwiatkovski for the Vuelta, since they have things wrapped up here. Commentators thinking they are off form.

 

[Red Rick]

Dutch commies complaining Jumbo isnt going fast enough yet

 

[Pricey_sky]

Re:

Ineos are saving Poels and Kwiatkovski for the Vuelta, since they have things wrapped up here. Commentators thinking they are off form.

So that would still make them off form if being saved for the Vuelta wouldn’t it? Kwiatkowski has been very disappointing bar the crosswind stage.

 

[Scarponi]

This is the worst thing to happen to the tour, turning this trash off