Stage Profiles Tour de France 2013

[42x16ss]

Too short, too early in the race. Will finish with a smallish group of contenders navel gazing while someone with top 5-10 ambitions is allowed to get the stage.

 

[karlboss]

Too short, too early in the race. Will finish with a smallish group of contenders navel gazing while someone with top 5-10 ambitions is allowed to get the stage.

Rodriguez tiny gap 5-10 guys together. Same reasons, but there's no way Rodriguez won't sprint for it, and no way anyone can stop him.

 

[airstream]

Rodriguez tiny gap 5-10 guys together. Same reasons, but there's no way Rodriguez won't sprint for it, and no way anyone can stop him.

10 guys never were after Pailheres-Bonascre and never will be. Plus there's 1 km of false flat after the climb. It reduces Purito's chances.

 

[rghysens]

10 guys never were after Pailheres-Bonascre and never will be. Plus there's 1 km of false flat after the climb. It reduces Purito's chances.

It's the 3rd time or so that the Pailhères-Bonascre combo is used in the tour, and it's the first time it's used as first mountain stage. So, you can't compare with wath happened in the past, let alone draw any conclusions from it.

 

[airstream]

It's the 3rd time or so that the Pailhères-Bonascre combo is used in the tour, and it's the first time it's used as first mountain stage. So, you can't compare with wath happened in the past, let alone draw any conclusions from it.

I see, there is always some degree of hardness of MTF which almost guarantees a proper action. I disagree with the fact that the 1st MTF brings less action. It's very situative and it hadn't many confirmations. I find initial situation in the race dangerously explosive. Both Contador and Froome will want to check each other seriously.

 

[Dazed and Confused]

The stage to Bagnère de Bigore is taylor made for Voeckler.

All stages are tailormade for the Europcar man.

 

[burning]

Riders celebrating stages they didn't win is pretty much the main argument against banning radios.



you are joking right? Its a route designed for people who know nothing about cycling and only intend to watch the half an hour post race highlights. THey have gone out of their way to make sure there is no action until the final few k on any stage apart from when the break wins by 10 minutes.

A half hour highlight is very optimistic for this course Make it 3 minute highlight for most of the stages

snip
4. Sky
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Team Tony could have a chance against Sky, or maybe I am way too confident for him

 

[Waterloo Sunrise]

Team Tony could have a chance against Sky, or maybe I am way too confident for him

What are we expecting to be OPQS's Tour line up then? I'll be very interested to see the balance of climbers vs sprint train (although for QS both Velita and Kwia are very useful elements in a train if needed), and how many of the Giro team come across (presumably only Steegmans and maybe Keisse would be in the frame).

Will be quite an adjustment for Chavanel; hope he's ok being a key part of the train in half the stages, because there are a couple of stages where he has a 'chance' but the overall probabilities mean the team should be riding for a sprint. As we saw in MSR, not his style.

 

[Ferminal]

Team Chavanel might do the 5-3km in the train or something (if he's there), that's about all you can expect.

 

[Waterloo Sunrise]

Team Chavanel might do the 5-3km in the train or something (if he's there), that's about all you can expect.

Shame, he'd be ideal for 1.2km to 450m.

Presume they will need to select Bert + 1 for pulling duties, and i'd guess Velits & Kwia***** are also confirmed.

So...

Cav
Tony
Kwia
Velits
Bert
+1
Chav
Steegmans?
Terpstra?

 

[icefire]

I see, there is always some degree of hardness of MTF which almost guarantees a proper action. I disagree with the fact that the 1st MTF brings less action. It's very situative and it hadn't many confirmations. I find initial situation in the race dangerously explosive. Both Contador and Froome will want to check each other seriously.

Tourmalet-Luz Ardiden 2011 comes to my mind. 40 men together in the leaders group over the Tourmalet summit. They were all checking each other so seriously that Gilbert jumped to the front for a while just before hitting the first ramps of the final climb. The last ride through Pailheres-Bonascre also showed the two main contenders checking each other seriously.

 

[The Hitch]

A half hour highlight is very optimistic for this course Make it 3 minute highlight for most of the stages

half an hour includes ad breaks, podium, and commentators selling alpe d huez 60k out as some.sort of revolution in cycling

 

[McLovin]

I wonder why Valmorel it's never used in a Tour after Madeleine. It would be some nice 50k at the end of a stage.

 

[Ferminal]

Need Sauget between them! Though in that case we'd be better off hoping for Val Thorens.