Paris - Nice: STAGE 3 - Saint-Junien --> Aurillac: 208 km

[Big GMaC]

Route:

Profile:

MOUNTAIN PASSES & HILLS
Saint-Junien -> Aurillac - 208 km
Km 31.5 - Côte des Cars - 2.4 km climb to 5.9 % - Category 3
Km 50.5 - Côte de la Croix de Teulet - 3.5 km climb to 3.9 % - Category 3
Km 70.0 - Côte de la Grande Renaudie - 1.7 km climb to 4.6 % - Category 3
Km 128.0 - Côte de Sainte Fortunade - 5.3 km climb to 4.5 % - Category 2
Km 165.0 - Côte de Sexcles - 4.8 km climb to 6.4 % - Category 2
Km 205.0 - Côte de la Martinie - 1.1 km climb to 7.2 % - Category 2
Last KMs

Go!

 

[Anonymous]

If the wind's in the same direction it should be a cross/tail wind, so a good chance it could split up nicely over the lumps and stay apart.

 

[Anonymous]

hmm.. complicated tv day tommorow.

tirenno adriatico - 2pm - 3.30pm
paris nice 2.15pm - 4.15pm

should just about catch the the end of paris nice if tirreno finishes in time

 

[Jamsque]

It'll be interesting to see if any team is willing to push hard enough on the first two Cat 2's to force any kind of real selection, if a big group arrives at the base of the Martinie it will be attacks from all corners.

 

[Big GMaC]

hmm.. complicated tv day tommorow.

tirenno adriatico - 2pm - 3.30pm
paris nice 2.15pm - 4.15pm

should just about catch the the end of paris nice if tirreno finishes in time

Well at the rate Paris-Nice motored along today it finished way before 15:30GMT!

 

[Anonymous]

Well at the rate Paris-Nice motored along today it finished way before 15:30GMT!

Yeh.. :/ telly in eurosport 1, laptop on eurosport 2 i think and see what happens with wind in paris-nice making them finish quicker, and snow in tirreno making it slower they will finish at the same time, eurosport will leave tirreno to show ballroom dancing, cut paris-nice at 5km to show the closing 1km of tirreno and succesfully miss both finishes and we will all be none the wiser.

 

[Mellow Velo]

hmm.. complicated tv day tommorow.
tirenno adriatico - 2pm - 3.30pm
paris nice 2.15pm - 4.15pm

should just about catch the the end of paris nice if tirreno finishes in time

No need Dim.
If you check the schedules, straight after Paris-Nice finishes, Brit Eurosport are repeating Tirreno.

Mucho cold tomorrow, with an outside chance of snow. That 8% climb, 3kms from the finish, will tempt some big gun to fire, I think.

 

[Anonymous]

If you check the schedules, straight after Paris-Nice finishes, Brit Eurosport are repeating Tirreno..

you dont think im niave enough to beleive eurosport schedules do you?

 

[Mellow Velo]

you dont think im niave enough to beleive eurosport schedules do you?

Well...now you come to mention it. Eurosport 2's schedule doesn't match
Rai Sport's coverage.

 

[The Sheep]

I hope there will be snow.

 

[Dexter]

you dont think im niave enough to beleive eurosport schedules do you?

Their schedules, and the lack of them sticking to them, are ridiculous. What was that 10 minute montage of photos we had to watch before they got the race up on Eurosport?

I think we are lucky to get the amount of different races that we currently do on Eurosport but it bugs me like nothing else!!!

 

[Big GMaC]

Their schedules, and the lack of them sticking to them, are ridiculous. What was that 10 minute montage of photos we had to watch before they got the race up on Eurosport?

I think we are lucky to get the amount of different races that we currently do on Eurosport but it bugs me like nothing else!!!

Ha! I had a french stream and they just said it was a little technical problem... then the pictures from the motos were terrible!

 

[Frosty]

Looks like being largely dry tomorrow but quite cloudy. Temperature struggling to get above zero at the finish (max was 1.2 at Aurillac today). Not that much wind really but there will be a bit of a breeze from cross and tail.

Could be a good stage tomorrow. Even if none of the favourites really go for it then there may be some attempts to take yellow. Boom is only 5 seconds ahead of Voigt, 10 ahead of LL and 13 ahead of Millar. If it comes down to a bunch sprint then guys like Gilbert could take it. If the pace isnt too hot on the early climbs then Haussler could stay with them.

 

[Tugboat]

I'm going to pick Luis Leon Sanchez for the stage win. He can certainly get over the climbs and sprinted well on stage 2.

Or will it be an opportunist like Thomas Voeckler out to repeat the success for Bbox Bouygues Telecom?

 

[Sasquatch]

Yeah, I tend to agree with Tugboat.

If a break doesn't take this, then I can see Sanchez launching an attack on that climb.

The way you see it on the other big mountain stages after Stage 4, if LLS can get to the end with the main group, he could probably get bonus seconds on Contador there by out-sprinting everyone.

Today he has a good shot at going for a stage win and getting some more bonus seconds on Contador then it's just limit his losses on tomorrow's stage and he may be in yellow.

1.1km at 6% is definately enough for some of the favourites to get clear and hold off the peloton for the final 6km. It will be interesting to see what happens.

 

[Ferminal]

Will Boom be able to stay with the lead group?

 

[Sasquatch]

No

And Voigt won't either so Sanchez should be in yellow tonight!

 

[python]

No

And Voigt won't either so Sanchez should be in yellow tonight!

dont discount jens so quickly. yeah, hes a big chap but he can climb shorter bumps on his power. he even can tt respectfully in 100% mountain time trials.
this old dog has a lot of bite still and whines about his age far less than another famous old dog.

 

[theyoungest]

Will Boom be able to stay with the lead group?

A short, punchy climb is perfect for Boom, so if he has the legs, he will. Yesterday he had a bad day, but with Boom you just never know.

 

[Inner Peace]

Yeah, I tend to agree with Tugboat.

If a break doesn't take this, then I can see Sanchez launching an attack on that climb.

The way you see it on the other big mountain stages after Stage 4, if LLS can get to the end with the main group, he could probably get bonus seconds on Contador there by out-sprinting everyone.

Today he has a good shot at going for a stage win and getting some more bonus seconds on Contador then it's just limit his losses on tomorrow's stage and he may be in yellow.

1.1km at 6% is definately enough for some of the favourites to get clear and hold off the peloton for the final 6km. It will be interesting to see what happens.

3km @ 8%, didn't stop sprinters in the Down Under, but of course, different race different riders, different motivations, so bad comparison by me!..

I'm also gunning for Luis Leon for this one!! This is his stage to win, unless a breakaway uses a tailwind and peleton politics to their advantage

 

[luckyboy]

schleckfrank - No words for this it s snowing in Paris Nice
(-2cel).what's going on???????????

albertocontador - Good Morning all,white day.This is Paris-Niza!!!!
http://tweetphoto.com/13878402

janibrajkovic - Snowing. This is my weather!

 

[Jamsque]

I think the climbs today are in that classic mid-range of difficulty where they will be as hard as the peleton decides to make them. If Caisse lights it up on the long 2nd cat I'm sure they will shell a fair few sprinters out the back.

 

[Anonymous]

schleckfrank - No words for this it s snowing in Paris Nice
(-2cel).what's going on???????????

albertocontador - Good Morning all,white day.This is Paris-Niza!!!!
http://tweetphoto.com/13878402

janibrajkovic - Snowing. This is my weather!

This is getting ridiculous now. I'm starting to think it's like a milder version of The Day After Tomorrow and it's never going to warm up again!

 

[luckyboy]

Brajkovic seems happy about it. Maybe he'll try something over the 2nd cat?

 

[Sasquatch]

-2 degrees and snowing.

Caisse can make this race very punishable for everyone today and if Astana join in, then it's game on.