Tour de France 2018 Rumours

[May0maniac]

Re: Re:

BMC's master tactician Piva is already crying about the fact that the first week and the cobbles are too hard for the climbers. Of course they'll still put all their eggs in the Tour basket but he's still complaining about the delayed Giro presentation.,
Source: http://www.tuttobiciweb.it/2017/10/...il-non-convince-bmc-giro-d-talia-tuttobiciweb

Porte has no business being at the Giro, either, so I can certainly understand BMC's choice from a commercial perspective.

From a sports perspective it would be better if he'd focus on the Vuelta instead, but I'm sure prefers another TDF top 5 over a possible Vuelta win...

I agree with Porte, but he also mentions that he wants both Caruso and TJVG also at the Tour and then still complains about the delayed Giro presentation.
In the end it's not like those 2 guys would be the game changer at the Giro, top 10 on the gc would already be a great result for both of them, so BMC sending a stagehunter team to the Giro isn't bad.
My post was more about Piva crying and complaining about the route and the cobbles.

 

[Valv.Piti]

well many ds are now protesting for the demanding fisrt 9 stages , wind cobbles so also Piva for LTR , that is too much pave , and the poor lightweight will suffer , Frumi to destory people also here GOAT

Demanding 9 first stages, wtf, are these guys for fckn real :lol:

 

[Netserk]

Re: Re:

Best stage desgin would be to ditch Alpe d'Huez. Climb is unsuited to prior action

Not if climbed by Sarenne and from Galibier. As suited to prior action as a finish at Les-2-Alpes.

Had some fun with cyclingcols and paint.

 

[Red Rick]

Nice job mirroring the Galibier south side

 

[HelloDolly]

Is Tom Dumoulin riding the Tour?...he should...with TTT , cobbles and cross winds I think he has a great chance ....remember Froome & Quintana may not last till the mountians

The short mountian stage suits Dumoulin too

If he does not ride it he may rue that decision

 

[jmdirt]

65K is a long solo TT effort, not only does their physical form need to be spot on, but their mental focus will be critical!

 

[LaFlorecita]

Re:

65K is a long solo TT effort, not only does their physical form need to be spot on, but their mental focus will be critical!

No Berto no party, it'll be a procession

 

[HelloDolly]

Re: Re:

65K is a long solo TT effort, not only does their physical form need to be spot on, but their mental focus will be critical!

No Berto no party, it'll be a procession

Not if Dumoulin is there with a top Sunweb team

 

[Finn84]

Is the stage 2 uphill finish? The landscape around the finishing town suggest it's possible. Not meaning a big one, something like 2008/2011 openers.

 

[Valv.Piti]

I blame Contador. This fuss really started and escalated with him

 

[Netserk]

Re:

Is the stage 2 uphill finish? The landscape around the finishing town suggest it's possible. Not meaning a big one, something like 2008/2011 openers.

Dead flat.

 

[Max Rockatansky]

Re:

Best stage desgin would be to ditch Alpe d'Huez. Climb is unsuited to prior action

Prior action is a myth. If you want prior action you should watch U23 or the juniors. In the 80ies riders like the Colombians and Agostinho lost 20-25 minutes on the classic stages of the first week. That's what made them attack every day in the mountains.

 

[hrotha]

Re: Re:

Best stage desgin would be to ditch Alpe d'Huez. Climb is unsuited to prior action

Prior action is a myth. If you want prior action you should watch U23 or the juniors. In the 80ies riders like the Colombians and Agostinho lost 20-25 minutes on the classic stages of the first week. That's what made them attack every day in the mountains.

Or, you know, you could watch most races that aren't the Tour.

 

[Maaaaaaaarten]

Prior action is a myth. If you want prior action you should watch U23 or the juniors. In the 80ies riders like the Colombians and Agostinho lost 20-25 minutes on the classic stages of the first week. That's what made them attack every day in the mountains.

While, as hrotha says, outside of the bore de france prior actions is more common, if what you say is correct (and I believe it partially is), the solution isn't to say, oh well, prior action is of the past. The solution is to design routes which see the pure climbers of today lose a ton of time before the mountains come, just as in the past. Let's get those 70km timetrials, cobbles, dirt roads, hilly stages, echelons, whatever is necessary in again so the climbers are actually forced to go on epic mountain raids again, instead of pathetic 2km glorified uphill sprints at the end of an MTF stage.

 

[Breh]

Yes, like this years Giro. Or Vuelta. Or last years Vuelta. Or last years Giro.

Well last year we had Formigal and Lombarde but thats it. Next year there will be no more Contador and you can't just expect the race leader to hit the deck everytime.

 

[Red Rick]

Re:

Yes, like this years Giro. Or Vuelta. Or last years Vuelta. Or last years Giro.

Well last year we had Formigal and Lombarde but thats it. Next year there will be no more Contador and you can't just expect the race leader to hit the deck everytime.

Last year you had

Corvara
Andalo
Risoul
Isola 2000

All with action or casualties on the penultimate climb. That's one GT

 

[Chrispol]

Re: Re:

Yes, like this years Giro. Or Vuelta. Or last years Vuelta. Or last years Giro.

Well last year we had Formigal and Lombarde but thats it. Next year there will be no more Contador and you can't just expect the race leader to hit the deck everytime.

Last year you had

Corvara
Andalo
Risoul
Isola 2000

All with action or casualties on the penultimate climb. That's one GT

The finish was 10km after the top of Lombarde, at the summit of a 2km murito. Don't think you can qualified that as exceptionnal. Even in the Tour I think we would have had action on the penultimate climb.

Weird thing learn today : http://www.lexpress.fr/actualites/1/sport/tour-de-france-2018-pour-prudhomme-le-portet-est-un-vrai-geant_1953248.html

On the Portet stage, the riders will start in the order of the GC. I suppose he talks about something like VTT with the 10 on the first line then 11-20 on the second, ect...

I don't think it's going to have a incidence though since the first riders are going to take it easy on the first climb.

 

[Bot. Sky_Bot]

William Hill:
6/5 Chris Froome
11/4 Tom Dumoulin
7/1 Richie Porte
9/1 Nairo Quintana
10/1 Mikel Landa
13/1 Miguel Angel Lopez
20/1 Romain Bardet
25/1 Vincenzno Nibali
28/1 Fabio Aru
28/1 Rigoberto Uran
33/1 Ilnur Zakarin
33/1 Thibaut Pinot
40/1 Adam Yates
40/1 Alejandro Valverde

 

[Zinoviev Letter]

God that TTT is a disgrace

 

[pastronef]

Re: Re:

Yes, like this years Giro. Or Vuelta. Or last years Vuelta. Or last years Giro.

Well last year we had Formigal and Lombarde but thats it. Next year there will be no more Contador and you can't just expect the race leader to hit the deck everytime.

Last year you had

Corvara
Andalo
Risoul
Isola 2000

All with action or casualties on the penultimate climb. That's one GT

The finish was 10km after the top of Lombarde, at the summit of a 2km murito. Don't think you can qualified that as exceptionnal. Even in the Tour I think we would have had action on the penultimate climb.

Weird thing learn today : http://www.lexpress.fr/actualites/1/sport/tour-de-france-2018-pour-prudhomme-le-portet-est-un-vrai-geant_1953248.html

On the Portet stage, the riders will start in the order of the GC. I suppose he talks about something like VTT with the 10 on the first line then 11-20 on the second, ect...

I don't think it's going to have a incidence though since the first riders are going to take it easy on the first climb.

maybe it's a gundersen race? like cross country skiing?
no use to start MTB style on the road, it's not like the race finishes on the first corner ahah

 

[HelloDolly]

Re:

William Hill:
6/5 Chris Froome
11/4 Tom Dumoulin
7/1 Richie Porte
9/1 Nairo Quintana
10/1 Mikel Landa
13/1 Miguel Angel Lopez
20/1 Romain Bardet
25/1 Vincenzno Nibali
28/1 Fabio Aru
28/1 Rigoberto Uran
33/1 Ilnur Zakarin
33/1 Thibaut Pinot
40/1 Adam Yates
40/1 Alejandro Valverde

Great odds for Nibali imo ....
While too short for Lopez

Going to be interesting with Landa and Quintana

 

[Breh]

Re: Re:

Yes, like this years Giro. Or Vuelta. Or last years Vuelta. Or last years Giro.

Well last year we had Formigal and Lombarde but thats it. Next year there will be no more Contador and you can't just expect the race leader to hit the deck everytime.

Last year you had

Corvara
Andalo
Risoul
Isola 2000

All with action or casualties on the penultimate climb. That's one GT

You were talking about prior action. Casualties are not prior action. Unless you consider Sky grinding everybody off their wheel as action.

I'll give you Andalo, which was a rather short stage btw.

Thats 3stages over 6GT's. And two out of three were very short :^)

 

[Red Rick]

Re:

William Hill:
6/5 Chris Froome
11/4 Tom Dumoulin
7/1 Richie Porte
9/1 Nairo Quintana
10/1 Mikel Landa
13/1 Miguel Angel Lopez
20/1 Romain Bardet
25/1 Vincenzno Nibali
28/1 Fabio Aru
28/1 Rigoberto Uran
33/1 Ilnur Zakarin
33/1 Thibaut Pinot
40/1 Adam Yates
40/1 Alejandro Valverde

I imagine you can't lay these odds?

Froome and Nibali both free EV.
Rest seems all garbage

 

[Red Rick]

Re: Re:

Yes, like this years Giro. Or Vuelta. Or last years Vuelta. Or last years Giro.

Well last year we had Formigal and Lombarde but thats it. Next year there will be no more Contador and you can't just expect the race leader to hit the deck everytime.

Last year you had

Corvara
Andalo
Risoul
Isola 2000

All with action or casualties on the penultimate climb. That's one GT

You were talking about prior action. Casualties are not prior action. Unless you consider Sky grinding everybody off their wheel as action.

I'll give you Andalo, which was a rather short stage btw.

Thats 3stages over 6GT's. And two out of three were very short :^)

Risoul had Nibali going absolutely nuts on Col d'Angello.

 

[Kyllingen86]

I was just wondering how people rate the downhill-finishes.

Stage 10: Downhill to Le Grand Bornand
Stage 15: Pic de Nore downhill
Stage 16: Downhill to Bagneres-de-Luchon
Stage 19. Downhill to Laruns

How technically demanding are they?