TdF 2017 stage 7: Troyes > Nuits-Saint-Georges 213,5 km

[Simurgh]

Prudhomme's thoughts:

The globally flat course seems perfectly suited for a revenge between the sprinters, frustrated by the outcome of the previous day. However the final loop of 40 kilometres will see the peloton battle it out in the sidewind and some teams will certainly make the best of it. The Burgundy vineyard homelands are indeed registered on the World Heritage of Humanity sites.

These thoughts are underlined by the profile...:

Weather forecast at tomorrow's finish, Nuit-Saint-Georges:

Beware, risk of thunderstorms and showers at the start in Troyes as well, but taking the weak and therefore probably insignifacant wind tomorrow, the only part of the profile of tomorrow's stage that will be decisive is the last kilometers:

General classification top 10 after stage 6:

1. Christopher FROOME
2. Geraint THOMAS + 12''
3. Fabio ARU + 14''
4. Daniel MARTIN + 25''
5. Richie PORTE + 39''
6. Simon YATES + 43''
7. Romain BARDET + 47''
8. Alberto CONTADOR + 52''
9. Nairo QUINTANA + 54''
10. Rafal MAJKA + 1'01''

Green points jersey classification top 5:

1. Arnaud DEMARE 170
2. Marcel KITTEL 143
3. Michael MATTHEWS 96
4. André GREIPEL 93
5. Alexander KRISTOFF 74

Polka-dot King of the Mountains jersey top 3:

1. Fabio ARU 10
2. Dan MARTIN 8
3. Christopher FROOME 6

 

[Anderis]

Can't wait for this stage! The last proper stage before boring mountains during the weekend.

 

[SKSemtex]

It is a hattrick time.

 

[Zinoviev Letter]

Somebody euthanise me now. I can't take another day like this.

(At least there's the Tour de San Luis style amateurish stream of the Osterreich Rundfahrt, where Superman Lopez has to go nuts on a HC climb 60 km out if he's going to stop Denifl from taking AquaBlue's first ever stage race...)

 

[Tonton]

Voted Demare, but Kittel is the fastest sprinter in this Tour. Bouhanni 5th again...

 

[Jspear]

Bouhanni vs Demare please.

 

[Alexandre B.]

Re:

Somebody euthanise me now. I can't take another day like this.

(At least there's the Tour de San Luis style amateurish stream of the Osterreich Rundfahrt, where Superman Lopez has to go nuts on a HC climb 60 km out if he's going to stop Denifl from taking AquaBlue's first ever stage race...)

Stage 11 between Eymet and Pau. Oh, this one will be fun.

 

[Escarabajo]

There is a solution for these boring stages. Don't watch them. They are almost always boring.

 

[klintE]

I think race designer was hardly intoxicated while making this route. I didn't watch today. Won't tomorrow.
7 stages left.

 

[Tank Engine]

Re:

There is a solution for these boring stages. Don't watch them. They are almost always boring.

Or just watch a replay of the last 5km. I like sprints. I'll repeat again tomorrow. As will the results.

 

[Valv.Piti]

Literally never been so down on this race before. Lets make 10 sprinter stages, where absolutely nothing happens the whole day, where people have no incentive to actually race apart from the last 10 kilometres, and show all these stages from the start to finish. That will be great, guys.

Prudhomme, you are a tool. Could could at least have made the rest of the route worthwhile.

 

[Publicus]

Literally never been so down on this race before. Lets make 10 sprinter stages, where absolutely nothing happens the whole day, where people have no incentive to actually race apart from the last 10 kilometres, and show all these stages from the start to finish. That will be great, guys.

Prudhomme, you are a tool. Could could at least have made the rest of the route worthwhile.

This. I don't know how this helps ASO's goals. They're sacrificing viewership because profit?

 

[Valv.Piti]

I mean, wtf is these guys thinking? That this will actually intrigue people?? Throw a couple of difficulties into the finales at least to make the sprinter-teams wonder if their sprinter can make it over and the stagehunters believe (both from the early break, but also later on) they actually have a chance. That way we will see bigger breaks, a faster pace and more unpredictability. Its literally win-win-win, but Prudhomme (who is a giant tool) wants to sell this idea that the fight for green is more open. Literally the only way I can see anyone design so downright shitty stages throughout a whole Tour, christ, there are 6-7 more to go. And then they throw him out anyways.

Shame on Prudhomme, shame on ASO:

 

[Son of Amsterhammer]

I voted Sagan. Cav might be up for this though too.

 

[LaFlorecita]

Nono's turn again.

 

[silvergrenade]

My gut says there will be carnage because of crosswinds. GC guys losing chunks of time. Not. Yawn...

 

[BigMac]

Taylor Phinney to Cancellara the sprinters.

 

[Eclipse]

I'm really excited that after a long boring flat day that we have another long boring flat day

truly a parcours for the ages

 

[Rollthedice]

Re:

I mean, wtf is these guys thinking? That this will actually intrigue people?? Throw a couple of difficulties into the finales at least to make the sprinter-teams wonder if their sprinter can make it over and the stagehunters believe (both from the early break, but also later on) they actually have a chance. That way we will see bigger breaks, a faster pace and more unpredictability. Its literally win-win-win, but Prudhomme (who is a giant tool) wants to sell this idea that the fight for green is more open. Literally the only way I can see anyone design so downright ****** stages throughout a whole Tour, christ, there are 6-7 more to go. And then they throw him out anyways.

Shame on Prudhomme, shame on ASO:

"The globally flat course seems perfectly suited for a revenge between the sprinters, frustrated by the outcome of the previous day." This is the plan! Keep them frustrated and give them another and another and another chance while frustrating everybody who watches and is not frustrated yet.

 

[klintE]

Hope, live TV audience reach will kick them hard.
And we will have 14 MTF stages on the route next year

Naesen for 50km solo win.

 

[Escarabajo]

Re: Re:

There is a solution for these boring stages. Don't watch them. They are almost always boring.

Or just watch a replay of the last 5km. I like sprints. I'll repeat again tomorrow. As will the results.

Exactly.

I was going to write to watch only the last 5 kms but I didn't want to contradict myself!

 

[deValtos]

Kittel could pull a "Dumoulin" mid-sprint and still win.

 

[rghysens]

Re:

I'm really excited that after a long boring flat day that we have another long boring flat day

truly a parcours for the ages

Next year will be better

 

[Cookster15]

This stage is a waste. It is for the non cycling public who just want to see images of French countryside on their television screens. But money makes the world go around I guess.

 

[carton]

There is chance that Kittel is tired after going all out in the prologue and so many straight days of racing. Or that he gets boxed in.

Still, obvious stage is obvious.