Paris Nice Stage 8: Nice → Nice 124 km

[Anonymous]

Weather
Forecast tommorow - 80% chance of rain
Wind NE 30 - 48 km/h
Wet and Windy

GC:
1 Tony Martin (Ger) HTC-Highroad 30:46:17
2 Andreas Klöden (Ger) Team RadioShack 0:00:36
3 Bradley Wiggins (GBr) Sky Procycling 0:00:41
4 Rein Taaramae (Est) Cofidis, Le Credit En Ligne 0:01:10
5 Jean-Christophe Peraud (Fra) AG2R La Mondiale 0:01:21
6 Samuel Sanchez Gonzalez (Spa) Euskaltel-Euskadi 0:01:29
7 Janez Brajkovic (Slo) Team RadioShack 0:01:34
8 Levi Leipheimer (USA) Team RadioShack 0:01:36
9 Xavier Tondo Volpini (Spa) Movistar Team 0:01:53
10 Bauke Mollema (Ned) Rabobank Cycling Team 0:02:04

 

[The Hitch]

Paris Nice Finale: Stage 8: Nice - Nice - 124km

FINALLY...

The stage youve all been waiting for

FINALLY...
the race has arrived in Nice.

FINALLY... SOme big climbs and descents.

A cat 3.
A cat 2.
A cat 2.
A cat 1
and a Cat 1.
Then its just the descent to the line.

With nothing to hold back for, what fireworks will the riders produce.

Hopefully the best climber in the race and best descender in the whole wide world will give us a preview of that form that will catapult him to world stardom in July

 

[Anonymous]

great minds think alike Whos doing the Tirreno one?

 

[The Hitch]

great minds think alike

NO Fair.

I was going to create one 10 minutes ago but there was a good song on my spanish radio station. Then I got called downstairs. Then my cat came.

 

[taiwan]

It's not over yet. I could totally see the GC being shaken up in a major way tomorrow, particularly if the conditions are anything like today. Martin already got caught on the wrong side of a split once today, and I don't see that HTC have a squad that can control the race in the mountains. Samu seems like the most likely beneficiary of a shuffling of the standings, but Kloeden and Tondo might also stand to gain.

Here are the members of the GC contenders' group from last year, though, so maybe they won't get broken up so much.

ROCHE Nicolas
TAARAMÄE Rein
RODRIGUEZ OLIVER Joaquin
VOIGT Jens
HORNER Chris
BRAJKOVIC Janez
CONTADOR VELASCO Alberto
SANCHEZ GIL Luis Leon
PERAUD Jean-Christophe
SANCHEZ GONZALEZ Samuel
KREUZIGER Roman
COPPEL Jérôme
TONDO VOLPINI Xavier

 

[The Hitch]

Do people see Wigo holding

Remember, for Sky this race seems to be the second most important race on the planet ( i havent forgotten what Hendo said)

 

[roundabout]

As long as there no bad luck and Wiggins doesn't do anything stupid then the stage is not hard enough for him to be dropped given his form.

 

[The Hitch]

As long as there no bad luck and Wiggins doesn't do anything stupid then the stage is not hard enough for him to be dropped given his form.

Yeah. Come to think of it he does have a bit of a gap to 4th place.

 

[El Pistolero]

Samu or breakaway.

 

[auscyclefan94]

I'll tip Brad Wigans ftw. That'll make dim happy!

 

[hfer07]

I believe the overall is still up for grasp--and I'm going this time for Samu to do some kamikaze attack in the last climb and going down hill with his grave on his back
I also foresee some sparks from the Shack to either secure Kloden's position or launch Brajkovic to give it a try too

 

[luckyboy]

Can see Samu getting a handful of seconds - just finishing ahead of the GC pack, or with a couple of other guys.

 

[Libertine Seguros]

I will be astounded if Wiggins wins the stage, or even attacks.

There isn't anything here that will drop Martin in the form he's in; though as they may be able to isolate him after losing domestiques or them getting hurt today, we have a chance to see him isolated, and if a few riders can gang up on him he may have to work his socks off; I'm just not sure I can see any of the people I feel I can rely on for an attack gaining all the time they've lost back. Maybe Klöden's the only person who may attack who is close enough to push Der Panzerwagen, but because of the support squad being weaker then quite a few riders may feel they have a chance if they go early enough.

Tondó would have been much better served sitting in today (all he achieved in the last km was leading everybody out to put a couple of seconds on him and crashing, no way was it steep enough for him, he has no sprint at all), but then without it there would have been no need for Movistar to put the hurt on, and if they hadn't put on the hurt and decimated the field then today's stage would have been much more like the tedium I expected it to be before the start; as it is now, however, the Movistar domestiques could well be pretty toasted after doing a huge amount of work (Txente García excepted, of course, he'll still manage 100km on the front if asked, as per usual), but here is where Tondó needs them most, because he could actually make a difference tomorrow.

 

[michaeld]

Tondó would have been much better served sitting in today (all he achieved in the last km was leading everybody out to put a couple of seconds on him and crashing, no way was it steep enough for him, he has no sprint at all), but then without it there would have been no need for Movistar to put the hurt on, and if they hadn't put on the hurt and decimated the field then today's stage would have been much more like the tedium I expected it to be before the start; as it is now, however, the Movistar domestiques could well be pretty toasted after doing a huge amount of work ...

Serious miscalculation by that team. All that work and Tondo rides across the line on his ar$e!

 

[Raceoftruth]

Hoping for a really exciting stage, some really small gaps in the gc will make it interesting as it will make people chase things down. Think rogers may try a sneaky attack if he can! In evelenth currently will want a top ten!

 

[simo1733]

Hoping for a really exciting stage, some really small gaps in the gc will make it interesting as it will make people chase things down. Think rogers may try a sneaky attack if he can! In evelenth currently will want a top ten!

I think Wigans 3rd place is under threat today.What happend to him in the TT? He started with a visor but finnished without one.
I wouldn't mind one of those Kask "Smurf" helmets coz I drop my head when I TT.

 

[Raceoftruth]

I think Wigans 3rd place is under threat today.What happend to him in the TT? He started with a visor but finnished without one.
I wouldn't mind one of those Kask "Smurf" helmets coz I drop my head when I TT.

Cant see him losing third to be honest! Got about 30 seconds or so, think he has enough, but the sprint just after the climb could make things interesting!

 

[Timmy-loves-Rabo]

I will be astounded if Wiggins wins the stage, or even attacks.

this.

Samu for the win.

 

[Raceoftruth]

If it is an elite group at the finish will be between sammy sanchez and uran!

 

[Mellow Velo]

This makes for interesting reading.

http://france.meteofrance.com/france/meteo?PREVISIONS_PORTLET.path=previsionsville/060880

Heavy rain. 45kph Easterly, gusting to 75kph!

 

[joy118118]

This makes for interesting reading.

http://france.meteofrance.com/france/meteo?PREVISIONS_PORTLET.path=previsionsville/060880

Heavy rain. 45kph Easterly, gusting to 75kph!

Yes, TVG said it is not race to sun but race to shIt

 

[Raceoftruth]

Hopefully make the stage a little more interesting! Nothing against tony martin, he has rode really well and will probably win, but how exciting would it be if he cracked? All out war shack v sky!

 

[Mellow Velo]

Given the conditions, I think a lot of riders will opt to stay in bed, or climb off at the earliest opportunity.
Wouldn't be surprised to see < 50 riders complete the race.

 

[TourOfSardinia]

Vino to go on the break down to the line ?
Inspired by the warm words of his winning teammate yesterday.
At least we can dream.

 

[Kwibus]

The weather can create havoc like it did yesterday. I just hope nobody gets injured like Maaskant though. Last evening I was thinking about yesterdays stage and realised (once again) what an dangerous sport cycling is. It's just crazy sometimes... going max downhill on roads plastered with white stripes that are as slippy as ice.

I don't see Tony cracking unless something crazy happens in the downhill sections. P-N doesn't have the real climbers that should be able to get rid of Tony. Well maybe Sammy can do it, together with his downhill skills he could seriously threaten Martin.
Let's hope for a show.