Le Tour de France 2011 STAGE 8 - Aigurande-Super-Besse Sancy 189 km

[Descender]

Isn't the climb similar to the climb at the end of 3. stage in vuelta 10, maybe not as steep? Gilbert smoked everybody then. Perhaps he is running low.

If not Gilbert, definitely Uran

The final climb is similar, but there are 3,5kms at 5% right before. I think Gilbert will not have the legs.

 

[Waterloo Sunrise]

if gilbert is serious about green he needs big points in the next 2 stages.
so yes I think lotto will chase.

I like Evans again. We'll see.

Hoping that Gesink can handle this.

If Gilbert was serious about green he would have told Greipel to shove it yesterday. He's got a statistically insignificant chance.

 

[KassyC]

I expect Ricco to jump in from the side of the road on the penultimate climb and ride away to take the stage.

I see him jumping out a bit earlier, more TV time and more time to annoy the riders

 

[Sophistic]

Looking at the map, the penultimate climb is more like 2.5@7%

 

[metya77]

Lance Armstrong after Stage 8 said 'My tour's finished'.
What will happen today?

 

[auscyclefan94]

yeah as much as I like to see him avoid yellow this stage i think cadel should with a bit of luck be in yellow. Im hoping BMC has a plan to give it up as soon as Cadel gets it

Don't get it all. LIke Publicus said, BMC and possibly Leopard are the teams likely to chase if any teams do.

Guys that I have listed below could find themselves in a break and if BMC and Leopard don't chase then they could find themselves in yellow which would be advantageous to BMC.

21 Thomas Voeckler (Fra) Team Europcar 1:15
22 Jérôme Pineau (Fra) Quickstep Cycling Team 0:01:21
23 Vladimir Karpets (Rus) Katusha Team 0:01:29
28 Rein Taaramae (Est) Cofidis, Le Credit En Ligne 0:02:13


There are some others but it is likely that at least one of these guys will have a go. BMC should refuse to chase but if they see that the break is coming back then put some men on the front to work.

If they do get it then the stage to Saint Flour is perfect for the break.

 

[LaFleur]

There are only a few teams who could handle the yellow and I think they are Leopard and maybe BMC and SaxoBank, others have too many guys injured. You can't imagine the yellow being in Sky, RadioShack or QuickStep, can you?

 

[Midnightfright]

I fancy Vino for the win win win today.

 

[Trofinios]

Cungeo could do something today. Sure, he didn't impresse on Mûr-de-Bretagne, but the setup for the final climb on this stage differs from Mur-de-Bretagne, now we have a 2.5 km climb just before the final climb, and I think it will benefit Cunego.

It will also be interesting to see what EBH can do on this stage. He did climb rather well in the Dauphiné recently, where he came in sixth place on stage 1, which had a final 6-7 km quite similiar to todays.

 

[Waterloo Sunrise]

There are only a few teams who could handle the yellow and I think they are Leopard and maybe BMC and SaxoBank, others have too many guys injured. You can't imagine the yellow being in Sky, RadioShack or QuickStep, can you?

It's a jersey, not radioactive waste. Sky & Quickstep would be delighted to get yellow, regardless of how long they could defend it.

BMC are a rank poor team in any case, they've got more than 1 dodgy soigneur if Cadel isn't isolated when he's riding behind the top guys in the mountains.

 

[Trofinios]

The final climb is similar, but there are 3,5kms at 5% right before. I think Gilbert will not have the legs.

I you look closely the climb is about 2.5 km @ 7%. I don't know why they put out 3.5km @ 5 %, when you clearly can see that the climb is not 3.5 km. Just stupid and misleading.

 

[zapata]

I pick Cunego today. Hopefully Uran can go well also

 

[bjaelkesex]

I put a tenner on Klöden for the stage win.

I doubt Saxo will take the responsibility of chasing tomorrow. That responsibility should fall on the likes of BMC and Leopard-Trek. And I don't see Evans winning this stage.

Riis said this morning that they will ride passively and let the other riders attack. Contador "just" has to sit at the front of the race.

 

[tobsie]

The final climb is similar, but there are 3,5kms at 5% right before. I think Gilbert will not have the legs.

The vuelta stage had a cate. 1 30 km before finish, but then again, this is the 9. day of the tour.

 

[Anonymous]

Gesink will not like todays stage. I want to go for Thomas De Gendt for the win.

 

[spalco]

Guys that I have listed below could find themselves in a break and if BMC and Leopard don't chase then they could find themselves in yellow which would be advantageous to BMC.

21 Thomas Voeckler (Fra) Team Europcar 1:15
22 Jérôme Pineau (Fra) Quickstep Cycling Team 0:01:21
23 Vladimir Karpets (Rus) Katusha Team 0:01:29
28 Rein Taaramae (Est) Cofidis, Le Credit En Ligne 0:02:13


There are some others but it is likely that at least one of these guys will have a go.

Really? Voeckler would be awesome, but I don't see it. There are so many people from so many different teams a minute ahead of him that would kill for the yellow jersey too that I don't see it happening - Klöden, Gesink, Martin, Gilbert/Van den Brouck; plus all the "favourites".

Maybe Vino has a shot at yellow, he's only 32 seconds behind Hushovd and he will be extremely eager.

 

[cycladianpirate]

I put a tenner on Klöden for the stage win.

May I ask what odds you got?

 

[sulgpallur]

And they are rolling

 

[taiwan]

Horner DNS, then.

 

[bjaelkesex]

I put a tenner on Klöden for the stage win.

May I ask what odds you got?

65 (decimal)

 

[just some guy]

BMC hunting down the break -Told ya BMC would do the work

 

[sultanofhyd]

Kolobnev and TJ in the break.

 

[sultanofhyd]

They have half a minute, that's it, the break is not coming back.

 

[LaFleur]

Vacansoleil are doing the work right now in the bunch. Why? The only reason I could see is the stage win and if that, they could just have somebody to go over to the break -.-

 

[sultanofhyd]

Vacansoleil are doing the work right now in the bunch. Why? The only reason I could see is the stage win and if that, they could just have somebody to go over to the break -.-

They tried, and failed.