If the big riders come to the finish Gallopin has a great chance to win. He's got a good sprint and can descend well (to presumably catch up to the climbers). I really hope that Froome is dropped too.
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He picked the wrong stage completely.Jspear said:Matthews has been targeting this stage since before the Tour started. Of course with his injuries it's hard to say if he will be up there with the best. It would be nice to see Orica get a stage win.
That looooong drag up to the Col de Cabre will take it's toll. This will be won by an attacking lower GC rider or a break unless it's raced very conservatively.Museeuw said:I don't know. Sagan said he had good legs today and he was right there with pure sprinters after being one and half stage on the break. Ok, on stage 14 he didnt work but what about on stage 15. I didn't see it. Maybe he is not as tired as we think.Z3lvet said:Sagan must be really tired and Matthews rides with broken ribs, that´s why.Museeuw said:johnymax said:lol at the odds for this stage. The favourites are Valverde and Nibali with odds of 14/1 at bet365.
And your favourites are?
Ok, I'm little bit surprised Sagan/Matthews/etc are not bigger favourites. This is not so hard stage. Or am I totally wrong?
Manse is just 5,6%. What makes it "not an easy climb"? It has to be raced really hard if they want to drop likes Sagan and Bling ( if on form). That's what I think.
Escarabajo said:He picked the wrong stage completely.Jspear said:Matthews has been targeting this stage since before the Tour started. Of course with his injuries it's hard to say if he will be up there with the best. It would be nice to see Orica get a stage win.
LOL. If you didn't write this, I would probably not watch today's stage because I would be actually thinking today is a rest day.FoxxyBrown1111 said:Or coz 2/3s of members thought tomorrow is a rest day?
SuperBesse said:Nibali and Contador/Valverde to attack on the descent.
Do you think the descent is technical enough?
Museeuw said:johnymax said:lol at the odds for this stage. The favourites are Valverde and Nibali with odds of 14/1 at bet365.
And your favourites are?
Ok, I'm little bit surprised Sagan/Matthews/etc are not bigger favourites. This is not so hard stage. Or am I totally wrong?
Yep, that is really stupid by Matthews. This isn't a stage for a sprinter, nor a stayer like himself. I'd actually expect one of the Yates brothers to have a go today.Escarabajo said:He picked the wrong stage completely.Jspear said:Matthews has been targeting this stage since before the Tour started. Of course with his injuries it's hard to say if he will be up there with the best. It would be nice to see Orica get a stage win.
Ruby United said:What I like about this stage is the uncertainty of it.
2013 was won by a top class breakaway specialist and climber
2011 by (two) sprinter(s) {yes, I know Hushovd and EBH aren't pure sprinters)
and yet people are talking about the GC contenders.
Personally, I feel it will be someone like Rui Costa, or TDG, from a break
IF he is in front he may try something on the final descent. Sprinters excluded, Nibali is one of the top descenders n the Toursaganftw said:astana has to pull on the front for nibali,they are not winning anything if not today...bardet could be a dark horse
hoping for rain
They didn't do Manse nor that descent that year. They came from the south through Sentinelle, just like in 2006.Zoetemelk-fan said:As we all saw in '96, even a decent breakaway with top spring classic riders can get caught by a sprint bunch shortly after the passage of Col du Manse.
Though I dunno if they ride Manse the same way this year. But having climbed it myself both ways on more occations, even the steepest way is not that hard, the decent is technical yes.
It all depends on how much a given breakaway has before the last climb.
Such a shame for Sagan that Mrs. van Avermaet didn't go into labor earlier.Eagle said:Greg Van Avermaet has withdrawn