The big one: Tour of Poland, Aug 1st -7th

[Lithuanian Contador]

Only 2 riders in front of the bunch: #17 SAPA Marcin (LAM) , #228 MATYSIAK Bartłomiej (POL)

 

[Jamsque]

Sean Kelly talking MAD YANG about the Tour of Poland's wiggly barriers.

 

[taiwan]

Sean Kelly talking MAD YANG about the Tour of Poland's wiggly barriers.

Brian 'Sean Kelly' Smith?

 

[Beech Mtn]

No Eurosport, the Kazakh champion is not Andrey Zeits. It used to be Fofonov and is now Gourov.

 

[Anonymous]

Sean Kelly talking MAD YANG about the Tour of Poland's wiggly barriers.

you make it sound kind of sexy.

 

[rxgqgxnyfz]

No Eurosport, the Kazakh champion is not Andrey Zeits. It used to be Fofonov and is now Gurov.

Who is visible todays, just as yesterday.

That huge guy in teal uniform? Yeah, that's him. Gourov.
________
CHRYSLER LA ENGINE SPECIFICATIONS

 

[Beech Mtn]

Gourov really is huge for a cyclist. Very tall, and not a beanpole either.

 

[Beech Mtn]

Hendy moving up

 

[Beech Mtn]

WTH? Car on the course!

 

[rxgqgxnyfz]

Greipel.

And Davis shjould be #1 in general.

Good for him.
________
Weed Vaporizer

 

[Jamsque]

BigHead strikes again, clearly the fastest man there and profiting from Sky's usual way-too-early leadout.

 

[tgsgirl]

1. André Greipel (THR)
2. Allan Davis (AST)
3. Wouter Weylandt (QST)
4. Sutton (SKY)

They're prioritizing Sutton over Hendo?

 

[Mellow Velo]

Sky still too early, or else they need 10 men in their team.
All those trees and long, straight roads.
I was back on the Tour stage to Bordeaux.
Fell asleep that day, too.

 

[Beech Mtn]

Allan Davis takes sprinter jersey. Also overall jersey?

 

[Reverend_T_Preedy]

1. André Greipel (THR)
2. Allan Davis (AST)
3. Wouter Weylandt (QST)
4. Sutton (SKY)

They're prioritizing Sutton over Hendo?

Don't think Henderson's been feeling too well recently so must be off form.

One day, hopefully in my lifetime, Sky will learn how to do a proper lead out. Always seem one man too short and drop their sprinter off into the wind way to early. They are turning into the new Garmin, providing perfect lead outs for other sprinters.

Great sprint by Greipel though, that guy is quick.

 

[Ryaguas]

BUAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHH... Davis ALMOST!!!!! This are really good news... He is in form but he needs more speed to beat Greipel...

Congratz Davis!!!!!!!!!!

 

[Dekker_Tifosi]

Not so good news for Dutch and French world championship aspirations... Greipel scoring a few extra points

 

[tgsgirl]

Not so good news for Dutch and French world championship aspirations... Greipel scoring a few extra points

Only six though...

Which makes it - I think -

10 GERMANY GER 349
11 NETHERLANDS NED 317
12 FRANCE FRA 311

 

[Papparrazzi]

Mega!!Thanks for that

 

[The Hitch]

relax guys.

these first few stages are pancake flat sprinters ones to get revenue from the cities, and to visit other ares of the country.

Tomorow they will go into Katowice, which is situated right on the entrance into the tatar mountains. From then on the road will start to go up a lot more.

Make no mistake, this is a climbers stage race.

 

[theyoungest]

relax guys.

these first few stages are pancake flat sprinters ones to get revenue from the cities, and to visit other ares of the country.

Tomorow they will go into Katowice, which is situated right on the entrance into the tatar mountains. From then on the road will start to go up a lot more.

Make no mistake, this is a climbers stage race.

As an (apparent) Poland expert, can you tell us how hard stage 5 actually is? You know, ignoring the profile that makes it look like a Giro stage?

 

[The Hitch]

As an (apparent) Poland expert, can you tell us how hard stage 5 actually is? You know, ignoring the profile that makes it look like a Giro stage?

I do believe that the profiles are exagerated. In stage 1 the profile had a hill in it. That hill was i think about 500 m at about 4% (so basicaly a speed bump) though both figures might be exagerated themselves. I rode up it as the peloton were coming and i thought it was really easy and not as hard as the profile made it look.

tbh i dont really know the stage 4,5,6 area that well as warsaw and the northern coast is where i spend time when i am in poland. Ive been to Bulkowina tatrzanska where one of the stages finishes and the end of that stage should be difficult (if they take the roads i took )

I know that some areas in the polish mountains can be very hard to ride up, but i dont know if they are being used.

Yes the profiles are exagerated but those mountains will, i expect, still be very difficult to ride up, and superior to the climbs you get in most of the week long stage races.
unfortuantely, nothing of the like of monte zoncolan will be featured (though if they want to they should be able to find an epic mountain in that region for future tours)

 

[Dekker_Tifosi]

Actually, a few years back the hilly stages didn't look that hard (somebody calculated the avg %) and then it turned out to be a total massacre.

You never know in Poland.
They used to do the Karpacz climb a few years back and that one was always hard. But it's not in this year

 

[maltiv]

Actually, a few years back the hilly stages didn't look that hard (somebody calculated the avg %) and then it turned out to be a total massacre.

You never know in Poland.
They used to do the Karpacz climb a few years back and that one was always hard. But it's not in this year

Well last year the 6. stage looked like a giro mountain stage (think it was something crazy like 13 "1. category" climbs), yet it ended up in a 15 man group sprint which EBH won

 

[hrotha]

Well, the altitude is right there on every profile, so you're only being fooled if you're easily moved to excitement!