Paris - Tours, October, 11th 231 km

[Lexman]

This sunday the classics season end with Paris - Tours, once bein part of WT now being part of the Europe Tour.

Curious to see who will participate here : Bouhanni for sure will want to win this and take lead in Europe Tour (all the more Theuns has given up hope of keeping the 1st position), GVA what's his motivation after a long year... Demare maybe? Debusschere?

Will it be a bunch sprint or some attackers who will stay away?

Anyway here's the info :

 

[Valv.Piti]

Doesnt mind it has been relegated, never a race I liked. A much more dull affair that MSR.

 

[Bye Bye Bicycle]

I love this race, although it always makes me sad by signalling the end of the season. The final 30 km are always packed with fun. And only 5 of the last 15 editions ended in a mass sprint.

 

[Brullnux]

Break to win it. Marcato to break his dry run on the last day of his season.

 

[WheelofGear]

Re:

Break to win it. Marcato to break his dry run on the last day of his season.

Yes please! He deserves a victory.

 

[fauniera]

Re:

Doesnt mind it has been relegated, never a race I liked. A much more dull affair that MSR.

Have you even seen an edition of Paris-Tours lately? It's a much better race than San Remo.

 

[King Boonen]

Need team lists to even start making predictions...

 

[Oliver]

GVA would be a nice winner but will he be fresh enough? Don't think so. If it's not a bunch sprint, I'm expecting Gallopin.

 

[shalgo]

Re:

I love this race, although it always makes me sad by signalling the end of the season. The final 30 km are always packed with fun. And only 5 of the last 15 editions ended in a mass sprint.

I agree. Despite the course, it is usually a fun race to watch.

 

[Dazed and Confused]

Re: Re:

Doesnt mind it has been relegated, never a race I liked. A much more dull affair that MSR.

Have you even seen an edition of Paris-Tours lately? It's a much better race than San Remo.

Agree.
The final here is 10 times as fun as MSR these days.

Go Alexis!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[Hugo Koblet]

In recent years, this has been a surprisingly fun race to watch considering the parcours. Always a sad race in a way though. Could it be time for a big one day race win for Debusschere? He has been in stellar form recently and was 3rd last year. Perhaps Vanmarcke's attacking nature finally pays off? Or maybe Gougeard solos to yet another impressive victory?

 

[Arredondo]

The race too much.

 

[Velolover2]

One of the races where you would like the teams to be smaller. Like 6 or 7 riders. I don't want that cocky Bouhanni and his sprint train to win a race like this.

 

[Afrank]

Re:

Need team lists to even start making predictions...

http://www.procyclingstats.com/race.php?id=150825&c=3

 

[Jonhard]

Isn't it on the 11th?

 

[SafeBet]

Marco Marcato.

 

[TMP402]

Re:

Isn't it on the 11th?

Yes.

 

[TMP402]

Danny van Poppel.

 

[Jagartrott]

C'mon Tiesj!

 

[mspgrandi]

Re: Re:

Doesnt mind it has been relegated, never a race I liked. A much more dull affair that MSR.

Have you even seen an edition of Paris-Tours lately? It's a much better race than San Remo.

And probably it featured the greatest ride of the last 15 years... with Virenque taking victory after 230km on the attack

 

[mspgrandi]

Richard Virenque 2001.

Probably the most unbelievable and greatest ride we ever seen.

last 10km Alone, against the best in the world , after 230km on the attack.

Please point me to any greater ride

 

[Billie]

Dekker 2004 was better. He was in the break all day, a part of that alone. Inside the final 10 kms to go he got caught by a favourites group including Flecha, Astarloa and Kessler. He hung on to that group over the hills before attacking them with 5 kms to go. Kessler caught back up to him but could not relay. Dekker continued, won the sprint 1 second ahead of the sprinting peloton.


_0_

 

[search]

Re: Re:

I love this race, although it always makes me sad by signalling the end of the season. The final 30 km are always packed with fun. And only 5 of the last 15 editions ended in a mass sprint.

I agree. Despite the course, it is usually a fun race to watch.

especially since they changed the parcours in 2011 (?). We have had wins from late breaks, early breaks, bunch sprints...and the editions in recent years surely were everything but dull.

 

[Zinoviev Letter]

I'm going to go with Sam Bennett. This is partly a stupid nationalist pick of the sort I don't usually like, but:

1) The big three aren't there.
2) He clearly has some sprint legs as he just won Paris-Bourges.
3) Archbold apparently pulled off an insane km long leadout in that race.
4) At the very end of the season some of the other second tier sprinters won't have form.

So if it ends in a bunch sprint and he's still there and isn't exhausted, he has a real chance.

As against that:

1) He has yet to show he can win a race of this length or even get to the end with the legs to sprint.
2) He hasn't got a team that can pull back strong late attacks on its own.
3) In the absence of the big three, it's not clear if any strong team will be committed to pulling those attacks back.

 

[Jagartrott]

Little chance that this will end in a mass sprint, if you ask me.
Many teams will send strong riders up the road in the finale. Wind should be in the riders favour also.