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Tour de France 2014: stage-by-stage analysis

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The Hitch said:
Why wouldn't the favourites fight on La Mauselaine?

10% finish for 2k, no downhill or flat afterwards, very likely at least someone will have a go, nothing to lose. Can't see them holding hands on such a finish.

Me neither, but I wanted to say that I think they probably won't sprint for the stage victory.
 
Jun 18, 2009
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The Hitch said:
Why wouldn't the favourites fight on La Mauselaine?

10% finish for 2k, no downhill or flat afterwards, very likely at least someone will have a go, nothing to lose. Can't see them holding hands on such a finish.

I think they will. I'm sure it will be a great stage to watch.
 
Wonderful work! I am looking forward to the other stage previews! :)

It's so strange to finally have some decent medium mountain stages again. What's going on? I like it though! And I am really looking forward to how Froome and Contador are going to cope with the cobbles. It's a shame Wiggins isn't in the competition, he could have lighten up this stage. Based on feeling purely I think Nibali might do it too. I guess Degenkolb or Sagan are going to win the cobbled stage.
 
This is a great thread; really interesting.

Thanks very much. People like you and Eshnar make this forum such a wonderful place to visit. I wish I had the time and knowledge to contribute more fully, but it is always a pleasure to log in and read.

For what it is worth, I think this Tour would be tip top if either stage 17 or 18 were lengthened significantly. Say by at least 50km, with some more difficulty at the start of the stage to soften the legs up.

A short stage is fine, but two in a row is too much.
 
rghysens said:
Stage 5: Ieper (Ypres) – Arenberg/Porte du Hainaut: 155.5km, cobbles
Overview :
Welcome to what is without any doubt the most anticipated stage of the whole Tour. In my opinion, this stage lacks something to make a real impact, namely 50 extra km, at least 10 of which should be cobbled. Now we have a stage that’s not even an espoir-race length, sprinkled with some easy-ish or truncated difficult “secteurs paves”.

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Predictions:
Some crashes during the first cobblestone sectors, and if the last two sectors will make an impact on the course of the race (barring crashes, of course) I’ll be happy. If no crashes happen on the last two sectors, I expect a medium-sized group (a couple of dozens of riders) to contest the stage, with Cavendish emerging victorious. Last year’s Giro and British national championships have convinced me that he is more than just a pure sprinter that has the peloton to let go after the first difficulty.

Pave will be bit of a novelty - short distances between the sectors mean minimal chance to recover or regain ground from any punctures or issues.

I'm very keen to see how Froome performs on the cobbles. I seriously think his 'stem staring' will cause him problems. You need to be heads up, looking for the crap that's approaching.
 
barmaher said:
This is a great thread; really interesting.

Thanks very much. People like you and Eshnar make this forum such a wonderful place to visit. I wish I had the time and knowledge to contribute more fully, but it is always a pleasure to log in and read.

For what it is worth, I think this Tour would be tip top if either stage 17 or 18 were lengthened significantly. Say by at least 50km, with some more difficulty at the start of the stage to soften the legs up.

A short stage is fine, but two in a row is too much.

This . 10 CH
 
The cobblestone stage will be massive. It may be 100K shorter than Paris-Roubaix, but this is the real deal, in the opposite direction. There will definitely be GC contenders who lose minutes here. Of course there will be crashes and a lot of discussion whether it was a good idea from the organizers. But it's there, and the riders will have to deal with it.

Other than that it's a good course for the climbers, although the time trial at the end may still be decisive.
 
Aug 16, 2013
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Red Rick said:
This reminds me again how bad the mountain stages are. I think it says enough that the hardest stage is in the Vosges:rolleyes:

I really like the stage to La Planche des Belles Filles. I think it's the best designed stage by far this Tour (together with the stage to Leeds). I also like the stage to Pla d'Adet. It's really short (which is good), and a lot of tough shorter climbs. The stage to Risoul is more then decent. Hautacam and Chamrousse are so-so, but it could been much worse.

I have seen worser designs.
 
Jun 11, 2012
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barmaher said:
This is a great thread; really interesting.

Thanks very much. People like you and Eshnar make this forum such a wonderful place to visit. I wish I had the time and knowledge to contribute more fully, but it is always a pleasure to log in and read.

For what it is worth, I think this Tour would be tip top if either stage 17 or 18 were lengthened significantly. Say by at least 50km, with some more difficulty at the start of the stage to soften the legs up.

A short stage is fine, but two in a row is too much.

Agree, appreciate the efforts of writing such informative previews. Keep up the good work.:)
 
What are people thinking for Stage 1? It's a pretty interesting finish, if it wasn't a straight road there would definitely be a few sprinters missing out. As it stands I wouldn't be surprised if almost all of them compete but then again it could be Sagan v Gerrans, it kinda reminds me of Toledo 2010.
 
Feb 28, 2010
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Stage 2 a Local Sporting Event According to Waitrose

A sign in a Cambridge branch of Waitrose reads:

"Due to a local sporting event a number of roads will be disrupted around our branch causing difficulty shopping on Monday 7 July."
 

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