Tour de France 2018 stage 9: Arras > Roubaix 156,5 km

[TubularBills]

Much as expected... an own goal by ASO and a less competitive race... but plenty of carnage for those that call that and today a sport? Blood money.

 

[Oliwright]

Re: Re:

Movistar moved 3 places up in the team GC, enough said.

Yep, and if they do what they should do in the mountains, they'll have that title. 3 GC riders who can all finish GC top 10 if not top 5 will give you the team title. Quickstep doesn't have many riders for the mountains.

Valverde is not a top 5 GC climber anymore. But obviously, Landa & Quintana are in good shape!

 

[Eyeballs Out]

It was an excellent stage and a well designed stage with ideal level of difficulty. The perfect weather certainly helped the climbers but that's luck of the draw. I don't see any reason why there should not be a cobbles stage every year. It is a much better way of having a stage which is effectively a team test than a mind-numblingly dull team time trial

 

[TubularBills]

A little retro comical...

https://trainright.com/tdf-stage-9-...e-the-peloton-shaken-and-looking-for-answers/

 

[del1962]

Pleased for Degenkolb after what he has been through

 

[Koronin]

Re: Re:

Movistar moved 3 places up in the team GC, enough said.

Yep, and if they do what they should do in the mountains, they'll have that title. 3 GC riders who can all finish GC top 10 if not top 5 will give you the team title. Quickstep doesn't have many riders for the mountains.

Valverde is not a top 5 GC climber anymore. But obviously, Landa & Quintana are in good shape!

Valverde has never been a true climber. However he's still good enough to be a top 10 if not top 5 GT GC rider. (Now if talk about la Vuelta, he's still good enough to podium if not win it). Also his typical finish at the Tour is a top 10 in GC.

 

[janraaskalt]

Re:

It was an excellent stage and a well designed stage with ideal level of difficulty. The perfect weather certainly helped the climbers but that's luck of the draw. I don't see any reason why there should not be a cobbles stage every year. It is a much better way of having a stage which is effectively a team test than a mind-numblingly dull team time trial

+1

Head wind didn't help either.

 

[Jagartrott]

Re: Re:

I find it very difficult to believe Bardet wasn’t given a big hand by motos in the final there. There was obviously a reason we weren’t shown pictures from that group near the end. I wonder if anyone out on the road near the finish managed to get a photo or video, social media should tell us more in the next few hours.

Rules haven't mattered in cycling for a long time

What's this?
Bardet ended up in Landa's group, and from when that happened, Naesen started pulling full. The first big group wasn't riding in an organised fashion anymore (which is why Sagan et al managed to get away), and there were team cars in between. No hand by moto's was needed. Complete rubbish conclusion you're making.

Much as expected... an own goal by ASO and a less competitive race... but plenty of carnage for those that call that and today a sport? Blood money.

Hysteria.
Two non-finishers today, both in a crash in the first 10 km, well before any cobbles. Cobbles, which are, and always have been, part of cycling.

 

[macbindle]

Last year Cavendish crashed out on a flat day, Porte crashed out on a mountain.

 

[yaco]

With around 12kms to go the Landa/Bardet group were around 35 seconds ahead of the Uran Group - It should be noted that Uran had 2 team-mates who were pulling for that group - Yet 12 kms later the Uran Group were 1 minute and 20 seconds down on the Bardet group - Something is fishy unless the GPS data was wrong.

 

[janraaskalt]

Re:

With around 12kms to go the Landa/Bardet group were around 35 seconds ahead of the Uran Group - It should be noted that Uran had 2 team-mates who were pulling for that group - Yet 12 kms later the Uran Group were 1 minute and 20 seconds down on the Bardet group - Something is fishy unless the GPS data was wrong.

Did you see Bardet's face when Naesen was doing some pulls at the front of that group? That was some serious effort.

 

[MartinGT]

It's hard not to get emotional at seeing the reaction of Degenkolb. Chuffed for him.

 

[del1962]

Re:

With around 12kms to go the Landa/Bardet group were around 35 seconds ahead of the Uran Group - It should be noted that Uran had 2 team-mates who were pulling for that group - Yet 12 kms later the Uran Group were 1 minute and 20 seconds down on the Bardet group - Something is fishy unless the GPS data was wrong.

Urans team had been pulling for a long time as had Movistar, then Naeseen was added to Movistar group so a fresh set of legs of a serious roleur

 

[Frankschleck]

But hands of to movistar. Very good presentation. The team that looked strongest today.

 

[zlev11]

Bardet got into the Landa group when they were already within 30 seconds of the main field. That group had the advantage of a motorbike camera in front of them the entire way, while the Uran group had the motorbike camera behind them.

and yeah, Naesen was a beast.

 

[Bolder]

As for those complaining about the stage, it's almost always the riders who make the race, rather than the other way around. I enjoyed it, certainly a lot more than any flat stage w/out cobbles.

My takeaway is that Sky have come to win, as usual, and the rest faffed about and, while Froome isn't in yellow, you'd have to say he or Thomas continue to be the prohibitive favorites.

 

[Jagartrott]

Re:

With around 12kms to go the Landa/Bardet group were around 35 seconds ahead of the Uran Group - It should be noted that Uran had 2 team-mates who were pulling for that group - Yet 12 kms later the Uran Group were 1 minute and 20 seconds down on the Bardet group - Something is fishy unless the GPS data was wrong.

Drapac was already slower than the Movistar group, because at one point they were only a handful of second behind. Then Naesen starts pulling and team cars provide some unwitting assistance. EF ended with only two riders with Uran: Phinney, and Rolland, who is probably of little help on the flat. Scully ends more than a minute down, Vanmarcke more than 3 minutes down. No magical help for Bardet was required.

 

[Broccolidwarf]

Cort told danish TV tonight, that the team had been giving him the wrong bottles all day, with pure water, so that he hit the wall after 2 hours, completely out of sugar.

 

[nilfen]

Dont know wether I can link pictures here due to copyrights, but some nice shots from today's stage:
https://www.bt.dk/cykling/styrt-styrt-styrt-se-billederne-fra-vanvids-etapen-i-tour-de-france

 

[macbindle]

Re:

Dont know wether I can link pictures here due to copyrights, but some nice shots from today's stage:
https://www.bt.dk/cykling/styrt-styrt-styrt-se-billederne-fra-vanvids-etapen-i-tour-de-france

Great photos, thanks.

I particularly liked the one of Froome calmly doing Pilates exercises whilst all around him are crashing.

That is why he's a champion.

 

[rick james]

Re: Re:

With around 12kms to go the Landa/Bardet group were around 35 seconds ahead of the Uran Group - It should be noted that Uran had 2 team-mates who were pulling for that group - Yet 12 kms later the Uran Group were 1 minute and 20 seconds down on the Bardet group - Something is fishy unless the GPS data was wrong.

Did you see Bardet's face when Naesen was doing some pulls at the front of that group? That was some serious effort.

It would have better if the camera panned out to see who was really doing the pulling

 

[Jagartrott]

Naesen doing a front wheelie just as someone crashes is slightly inappropriate though

 

[macbindle]

Yeah. No respect.

 

[Escarabajo]

Re:

Bardet got into the Landa group when they were already within 30 seconds of the main field. That group had the advantage of a motorbike camera in front of them the entire way, while the Uran group had the motorbike camera behind them.

and yeah, Naesen was a beast.

Basically that was the difference. Uran had 4 teammates initially and finished with 2.

 

[Robert5091]

The tragic-comedy that is LRP post-Sky continues - I thought he might crash yesterday as fate seems to limit him to a weeks racing before stepping in.

Otherwise Uran loses time, but Movistar must be really pleased with the first week - even though they lost a man today.