Le Tour 2018 stage 19:Lourdes - Laruns 200,5km

[SKSemtex]

Re:

Démare to drop in the neutralized zone .... rumour has it that the time limit rule has been altered and is now a floating one: whoever is behind Démare in Lourdes is out of time ....

All teams that think they have a real shot on Partis sprint finish should drop one of their riders to make Demare the company. Sucking his weel. If he can survive this stage he would be the well-deserved winner of Paris sprint, yesterday stage, and even MSR.

 

[Red Rick]

Re: Re:

Démare to drop in the neutralized zone .... rumour has it that the time limit rule has been altered and is now a floating one: whoever is behind Démare in Lourdes is out of time ....

All teams that think they have a real shot on Partis sprint finish should drop one of their riders to make Demare the company. Sucking his weel. If he can survive this stage he would be the well-deserved winner of Paris sprint, yesterday stage, and even MSR.

And the other riders should just set a furious pace at the start of the day to drop Demare even before the Aspin

 

[DFA123]

Re:

I think many are too much obsessed with long-range attacks. nothing to happen at all.

This. This stage just doesn't feel quite right for long range attacks. Sky can ride such a hard pace up Tourmalet if necessary, that any riders sent up the road can be neutralized, and the flatter section after Tourmalet should deter leaders from trying anything solo (bring back Luz Ardiden!). Then Col des Borderes, while a welcome addition compared with the slog up the first part of the Soulor, is just too short to make any real difference.

 

[Rollthedice]

So many unknowns. Will Demare get to Paris? Will Landa be set free? Will Frumi pull a Pantani? Will the ski jumper jump? Will Dumoulin poop? Will Plan G crack? Will stone face attack on Tourmalet? Exciting afternoon ahead.

 

[Valv.Piti]

Re:

So many unknowns. Will Demare get to Paris? Will Landa be set free? Will Frumi pull a Pantani? Will the ski jumper jump? Will Dumoulin poop? Will Plan G crack? Will stone face attack on Tourmalet? Exciting afternoon ahead.

Thats so 2017.

 

[loge1884]

Re: Re:

Démare to drop in the neutralized zone .... rumour has it that the time limit rule has been altered and is now a floating one: whoever is behind Démare in Lourdes is out of time ....

All teams that think they have a real shot on Partis sprint finish should drop one of their riders to make Demare the company. Sucking his weel. If he can survive this stage he would be the well-deserved winner of Paris sprint, yesterday stage, and even MSR.

suspicions aside (as long as there is no proof they are suspicions - and I am the first one to admit being very suspicious), he will be a well-deserved winner in a sprint only once he keeps his line ... his 'style' reminds of a guy I watched in my youth: madman Abdoujaparov .... mildly though, in all fairness, because that one looked like an aurochs on speed riding a bike ... I admit it looked fun, until the *** took down half the peloton in Paris ...

 

[Red Rick]

Re: Re:

I think many are too much obsessed with long-range attacks. nothing to happen at all.

This. This stage just doesn't feel quite right for long range attacks. Sky can ride such a hard pace up Tourmalet if necessary, that any riders sent up the road can be neutralized, and the flatter section after Tourmalet should deter leaders from trying anything solo (bring back Luz Ardiden!). Then Col des Borderes, while a welcome addition compared with the slog up the first part of the Soulor, is just too short to make any real difference.

I can't even.

The Tourmalet is by far the hardest climb of the day.

The Aubisque is, apart from the stretch to the Soulor, a glorified false flat. If you have the legs on the Tourmalet, you're not gonna get wrecked on the Aubisuqe. There's very low reverse implied odds, and if both Roglic and Dumoulin just decide to not try I'll be very disappointed. Not because I expect them to try, but because I had hoped they would try harder to win.

A lot of tactics revolve around self-fulfilling prophecies. There's a lot of situations where one team attacking vs 4 teams defending can't possibly work, but if it's 2v2 a lot is possible, and I don't want to believe that 50% of riders who go for it to the bitter end retired last year and that the other 50% got taken out on Brokeback Mountain.

So, am I obsessed with long range attacks? No. But I just wish this sport would just regain a bit of the heroism and imagination it used to have.

 

[saganftw]

Kruiswijk,Landa and Froome attack on Tourmalet,Dumoulin forced to chase,Thomas and Roglic follow his wheel

i would have some hope for Quintana but he is beaten up and Bardet looks like he is out of form

in the end,the GC will not change

 

[Gigs_98]

The ones who make fun of people hoping for long range attacks on this stage are the same who made fun of people hoping for long range attacks on the finestre stage in the giro. Ofc there is a chance Rowe will lead the peloton over the tourmalet but what people like me are hoping isn't ridiculous, it's simply hopeful.

 

[TourOfSardinia]

Dawg is in the nadir of a massive multistage yoyo.

 

[SafeBet]

I'm expecting Roglic to suffer a bit today, Froome could save his podium spot unless he cracks dramatically.
Hopefully Kruijswijk goes for it on Tourmalet.

 

[Bavarianrider]

As almost always, there's a solid headwind downwards the Tourmalet. Nothing will happen there. It's simply not possible to Keep a lead there. Even if you have 2 minutes you'll eb pulled back by the bottom of the next climb.

 

[Red Rick]

As almost always, there's a solid headwind downwards the Tourmalet. Nothing will happen there. It's simply not possible to Keep a lead there. Even if you have 2 minutes you'll eb pulled back by the bottom of the next climb.

Does that happen from both sides?

 

[loge1884]

I can't imagine anyone meaningful (in terms of GC) would be attacking on Tourmalet (i.e. pacing himself some 100k to the finish) and if there are a group of riders, Sky will react immediately ... so Tourmalet is there to weaken or even eliminate some ...
best place for a long range attack (almost 60k) would be the final slopes of Col des Bordères ... and I guess Froome will be hoping for someone like Bardet, Martin, Krujiswick or Landa (less probable - Quintana being supposedly cooked after his crash yesterday) doing it, so he may follow (if he has regained his Monte Jafferau legs that is) ... in case of such scenario, would be interesting what happens: would Froome just wheelsuck (which would be the usual tactic in protecting the jellow jersey), would he collaborate or even attack himself on the Col de Soulor? And what about Sky? would they continue pacing or sit back and let Dumoulin / Roglic do the work, risking to swap jellow within the team (which would certainly create some tension)?
Col de Soulor is perhaps the last place where an attack could make much difference in the GC ...

Personally I believe the Sky team is quite happy with Thomas being in the lead, as he is a bit less controversial than Froome - so the latter will not be allowed to do his own thing (even if he had the legs to), but rather be part of a defensive protection strategy ... and I doubt anyone wants to carry Froome as a backpack over Bordères, Soulor and Aubisque .... so from the GC side, I do not expect any 'fireworks'

 

[Oliwright]

I don't think Froome has the legs atm. I think he'll pull for G if need be and will only attack if Roglic is distanced.
Ultimately if you'd have offered Chris in January that he'd be found innocent and he's also win the Giro, I think that's a good year.

 

[movingtarget]

Re:

Sky's nightmare will be if Froome drops off early in the last climb which will then give Dumoulin/Roglic/Kruijswijk the chance to attack - Will add that Thomas struggled a touch in the last stage of Dauphine.

If anything that makes it easier for Sky. No one will wait for Froome. Thomas has showed no sign of struggling so far. I don't think Dumoulin who must also be feeling the Giro and looked really tired two days ago post stage, or Roglic will be able to drop Thomas. Bernal will be very important on this stage. incredible ride by him so far.

 

[Red Rick]

Contador said Dumoulin should attack on the Soulor

....

....


....

I TRUSTED YOU!!!!!

 

[Poursuivant]

Thomas will crack today

 

[bajbar]

Re:

Thomas will crack them all today

Fixed that for you :lol:

 

[Rollthedice]

Re:

Thomas will crack today

Will have a crack at it, last 500 m for another stage win while Frumi is still in a valey behind.

 

[Sestriere]

Re:

Contador said Dumoulin should attack on the Soulor

....

....


....

I TRUSTED YOU!!!!!

By the way Rick, how is your date planning with Scarlett Johansson going?

 

[Laplaz]

Sagan looks bad

 

[Brullnux]

This stage should be after the tt

 

[gregrowlerson]

Re:

Sagan looks bad

Compared to Scarlett Johansson?

 

[gregrowlerson]

Jungels in the break apparently. If they get a few minutes over the top of the Tourmalet he can win the stage.