Tour de France 2015 Stage 9: Vannes-Plumelec 28 km TTT

[bikinggirl]

Re:

Here is the starting order:

1. Orica-GreenEdge - 15:00
2. Bretagne-Séché Environnement - 15:05
3. Lampre-Merida - 15:10
4. FDJ - 15:15
5. Team Europcar - 15:20
6. Bora-Argon 18 - 15:25
7. Lotto-Soudal - 15:30
8. IAM Cycling - 15:35
9. MTN-Qhubeka - 15:40
10. Team LottoNL-Jumbo - 15:45
11. Trek Factory Racing - 15:50
12. Astana - 15:55
13. Team Cannondale-Garmin - 16:00
14. Cofidis - 16:05
15. Team Katusha - 16:10
16. Movistar Team - 16:15
17. Team Giant-Alpecin - 16:20
18. Ag2r La Mondiale - 16:25
19. Etixx-Quick Step - 16:30
20. Tinkoff-Saxo - 16:35
21. BMC Racing Team - 16:40
22. Team Sky - 16:45

This is a Team Time Trial so why are the starting order not the same as the current Team standings which is should be? This is TDF way overrated and they always do the things differently without any common sense.

 

[Bavarianrider]

IN 82 they did a 69km TTT in the morning and had a second stage in the afternoon in Plumelec. In 2015, oh well, what a pussy race this has become

yeah we really want those days were the tour winner had 10 minutes lead to number 2 and 15 to number 3

Well if you think Close gaps are waht makes races exciting you might rather Switch to 100m in track and field

ever wondered why 100 metres running is so popular compared to let's say 1500 metres?

Because the world is populated by idiots with short attention spans.

100% true

 

[zigzag wanderer]

Re: Re:

Sky also hasn't impressed me, with the exception of Froome - and even he did fairly poorly in the opening TT.

Agreed, G apart. Poels looks like he's being saved for the mountains, but I'd say Sky were short of numbers around Froome on stages 2,3,4,6(maybe) and 8. Rowe and Stannard were disappointing on the cobbles in particular.

It'll certainly liven the race up if Sky put in a poor performance today.

What race are you watching ?
G has been there right to the end when other leaders have no one (except last KM of stage 8). And Roche has been there everyday till about 5KM to go and was there before each cobbles stage for positioning.
I agree Stannard does not look in top form & Kennaugh/Rowe's inexpereince shows but Froome has been better sheperded than most even Astana & Movistar.

Its true Porte, Konig & Poels have been kept in reserve for the mountains so should be a benefit today as fresh (and in next weeks)

Well, we're agreed on G, Rowe, Stannard, Kennaugh and Poels. I didn't see much of Roche on Stages 2,3,6 or 8.
As for Porte and Konig, they're coming off the Giro - so whether they're being saved for the mountains or not in form yet or just knackered we'll have to wait and see. Konig looked like he was supposed to be at the front on stage 3 but got dropped on the penultimate climb.

If the plan was that only G would be with Froome for the last 5km of each stage I'd say that's a pretty risky strategy - especially after what happened to Porte at the Giro.

 

[gregrowlerson]

IN 82 they did a 69km TTT in the morning and had a second stage in the afternoon in Plumelec. In 2015, oh well, what a pussy race this has become

yeah we really want those days were the tour winner had 10 minutes lead to number 2 and 15 to number 3 [/quote]

Well if you think Close gaps are waht makes races exciting you might rather Switch to 100m in track and field[/quote]
ever wondered why 100 metres running is so popular compared to let's say 1500 metres? [/quote]
Because the world is populated by idiots with short attention spans.[/quote]

Isn't the 1,500 metres considered to be the second 'blue ribbon' event of track and field?

And how does one analyse popularity? If it's based on American television viewers than of course they are going to prefer seeing Americans (or Jamaicans ) succeeding in the sprints as opposed to watching African distance running domination. Not sure if it has much to do with short attention spans as American interest in the Tour De France was quite high during the Lance years. Many Americans also enjoy 82 game NBA seasons; with forty-eight minute games that get dragged out to over two hours in real time with all the time-outs.

Anyway, to get back to something on topic, I'd prefer a longer team time trial too. Maybe 50-60 kms, but only every few years, like the cobblestones.

Oh, and Bavarianrider; good to see a leopard never changes its spots

Are you at least happy that Tony got to enjoy three days in yellow?

 

[seldon71]

If any Grand Tour ever goes for 8-men teams, the 1st stage could be that old great test of 4-man 100 km time trial (the queen event of Olympic cycling for many decades).

Each team would field a and b team...

 

[HelloDolly]

Re:

If any Grand Tour ever goes for 8-men teams, the 1st stage could be that old great test of 4-man 100 km time trial (the queen event of Olympic cycling for many decades).

Each team would field a and b team...

And then they could ride 3 weeks on moutains? Its hard enough already

 

[TomekA]

The chance of rain is bigger now, 36% in Vannes, 72% in Plumelec (3PM)

 

[Guybrush]

Re:

The chance of rain is bigger and bigger now, 36% in Vannes, 72% in Plumelec (3PM)

that could be awesome

 

[TomekA]

I think the rain will be a disadvantage for Sky, but we will see.

 

[seldon71]

Re: Re:

If any Grand Tour ever goes for 8-men teams, the 1st stage could be that old great test of 4-man 100 km time trial (the queen event of Olympic cycling for many decades).

Each team would field a and b team...

And then they could ride 3 weeks on mountains? Its hard enough already

No, IMO there is too much mountains in GTs. I wouldn't make them easier, but different. Would add f ex some extra-long rolling stages (think L-B-L). There was great stage of this kind in Giro 2012 (stage 6).

All in all, I'd like the GTs to be constructed so that you could not really nominate the favourites pre-GT. There would be mountains, but not that many of them. Non-climber (someone amongst the top20 climbers when pushing himself to absolute limits) would have an outside shot for winning overall by gaining enough elsewhere...

That means more cobbles, dirt roads of Tro-Bro Leon characted and so on...

A tour/giro/vuelta where top climbers would truly have to attack on those mountains so that they do not lose the great prize to Tony Martins of this world...

 

[ILovecycling]

Re:

The chance of rain is bigger now, 36% in Vannes, 72% in Plumelec (3PM)

well that changes things quite a lot

 

[Publicus]

Looking at the map, the course doesn't look overly technical so I'm not sure how much rain will effect the teams.

 

[blackmamba]

If anything more for a team like Lotto who would take more risks

 

[TomekA]

Interesting things from Dowsett yesterday, he said that there is a big difference between Sky TTT and Movistar TTT organization. When he did first time TTT with Movistar he thought that it was big chaos and he doesn't understand how they finished high that time (don't remember what race that was). In summary: he said that Sky is well organized and Movistar rely more on cyclist preferences during TTT, for example if one person thinks that he feels good then he is more on the front that it was previously planned.

 

[Punkan]

BMC will tool the competition. TJVG in yellow.

 

[Punkan]

Stannard to drop on the first climb?`

 

[LaFlorecita]

Re:

Stannard to drop on the first climb?`

There is only 1 climb unless you consider 3-4% drags a climb

 

[Punkan]

Re: Re:

Stannard to drop on the first climb?`

There is only 1 climb unless you consider 3-4% drags a climb

To Stannard it is a climb!

 

[sir fly]

Are these 3D printed rests/handlebars commercially available?

 

[l.Harm]

According to De Jongh they're gonna sacrifice some riders in the beginning, and save one for the end.


Haha Oleg was passing by. De Jongh: 'Oleg likes attention.'

 

[staubsauger]

I expect BMC and Movistar to fight it out and LottoNL to suprise.

 

[Knutsen]

Re: Re:

If any Grand Tour ever goes for 8-men teams, the 1st stage could be that old great test of 4-man 100 km time trial (the queen event of Olympic cycling for many decades).

Each team would field a and b team...

And then they could ride 3 weeks on mountains? Its hard enough already

No, IMO there is too much mountains in GTs. I wouldn't make them easier, but different. Would add f ex some extra-long rolling stages (think L-B-L). There was great stage of this kind in Giro 2012 (stage 6).

All in all, I'd like the GTs to be constructed so that you could not really nominate the favourites pre-GT. There would be mountains, but not that many of them. Non-climber (someone amongst the top20 climbers when pushing himself to absolute limits) would have an outside shot for winning overall by gaining enough elsewhere...

That means more cobbles, dirt roads of Tro-Bro Leon characted and so on...

A tour/giro/vuelta where top climbers would truly have to attack on those mountains so that they do not lose the great prize to Tony Martins of this world...

..and also make it 7-man teams, and we would be in for some great entertainment.

 

[sir fly]

Orica very content.
They'll give away significant chunk of time today. Yates' will be free to target stages.

 

[ILovecycling]

Orica taking it easy.

 

[Punkan]

FDJ on the course. Pinot to lose some more minutes.