Tour de France 2019 stage 14: Tarbes - Tourmalet 117 km

[Mayomaniac]

Yeah, today will be all about the final climb.
Tomorrow on the other hand is the day when the climbers who are a few minutes behind will attack on the penultimate climb.

 

[Pantani Attacks]

Re:

Who are we kidding? Ineos has this under complete control. Alaphilippe will lose yellow today. Thomas will win the Tour by simply following the wheels of his teammates for the next nine days. The others will only ride for the places of honor.

Sad but most likely true.


I for one am quietly looking forward to Wout Poels in full coke can drinking leisurely 450w ride up the hill mode.

 

[gregrowlerson]

Re:

It's a short stage which finishes on the Tourmalet and will likely feature a mountain train riding tempo. Which combines three of my personal bêtes noires. So it'll probably be a great stage to spite me.

Am I right in guessing that it being on a weekend makes it even worse also?

At least Sunday's stage promises to be a little more appetising for you, I would imagine.

 

[kungzlatan]

Re: Re:

Does anyone have a decent list of the climbing records on the Tourmalet? Ullrich's 47:36 in 2003 is the fastest time I can find. Schleck and Contador did 50:05 in 2010.

http://www.climbing-records.com/search?q=tourmalet

The 2018 times are posted here, but not much else though: http://www.climbing-records.com/2018/07/thomas-survives-last-assault.html

Ullrich record from 2003 was from the la mongie side of the climb (he also did have pucnture during the climb)

The side the climb today the record is from 2010 by baby Schleck and Contador

Even if the climb the same side today as 2010 the way up is different

See more info in the picture

 

[Leinster]

Indurain would have won 10 tours in a row with these short mountain stages, gives absolutely zero chance for riders like Quintana to do anything.

Bjarne Riis took his first yellow jersey by wining a 46km weather-shortened stage to Sestriere, and ended Indurain's reign as Tour champ.

The following year, Jan Ullrich won a 252km stage to Arcalis to take yellow, over a minute ahead of Pantani and Virenque.

Oh, and Quintana won the 65km stage to the Col de Portet last year.

 

[silvergrenade]

Ineos will ride hard, really really hard today.
I don't expect JA to crack though. Fresh as a daisy after smashing every guy on Tour on a rolling TT and sprinting up the last K.
Nice days ahead!!

 

[Broccolidwarf]

Re: Re:

Tomorrow we will see who has the courage the reach out for the win - and who is happy to plod along for a marginal chance at the podium behind Thomas.

The aggressive ones send 2-3 doms out in the early break, and then attack already on the cat. 1, to catch the teammates at the top, and use them for the flat bit leading to Tourmalet and halfway up it.

Porte, Fuglsang, Martin, Yates, Quintana, Uran, Pinot and Buchmann are all out of contention for the win, unless they try something dramatic....... "the tour is long" won't cut it anymore, nor will gaining 20 seconds here and there, or leaving it for the last stage in the Alps, with all kinds of excuses.

- Who is ready to win hearts and who lacks heart?

Personally, I'd rather see a rider finish 13th after having tried and left it all on the road, than someone finishing 5th after riding defensively on the Ineos coattails...... and then talking about their "bad luck" not giving them a podium finish.

I expect Martin and Pinot to try...... of the rest, I hope for the best and fear the worst.

What you are suggesting is all heart and zero brain....

No it isn't

I hope you are right, but I do not see anything meaningful happening on the penultimate climb today (unless JA being dropped this early happens, which is possible).

I hope I am right too - But I also know most of the captains will ride as you say

I just think people shouldn't readily give this up to Ineos just yet.
Bernal was less than impressive yesterday and Thomas may yet crack.

We all assume he is the same as last year, because he looks that way, but he is yet to be seriously attacked in the big mountains.
I would agree his TT suggests he is in top condition, but I still cling to the hope, that his less than stellar season so far means something, and that he may run out of gas.

But that only happens if he is put under pressure, every day, instead of more of the collective off-days for the favorites - and I think Pinot is the key to open the race.

If Thomas cracks, and Alaphilippe does not defy what is humanly possible, we will end up with a GC in the Alps, with 4-6 guys inside 2 minutes of yellow.

Hope springs eternal

 

[Lequack]

Some before the stage pics:

 

[Broccolidwarf]

Re:

Some before the stage pics:

"COWFIE"

- all the kids are doing it

 

[Broccolidwarf]

Fuglsang saying in pre-stage interview, that Astana will send guys out in the early break, and he will attack on Tourmalet if he has the legs for it.

 

[silvergrenade]

Re:

Fuglsang saying in pre-stage interview, that Astana will send guys out in the early break, and he will attack on Tourmalet if he has the legs for it.

Nice to know that. CARNAGE!
The only problem is that this side of Tourmalet isnt that hard..Its a shame

 

[Broccolidwarf]

Re: Re:

Fuglsang saying in pre-stage interview, that Astana will send guys out in the early break, and he will attack on Tourmalet if he has the legs for it.

Nice to know that. CARNAGE!
The only problem is that this side of Tourmalet isnt that hard..Its a shame

That's good for Fuglsang, he's a diesel climber

 

[silvergrenade]

Re: Re:

Fuglsang saying in pre-stage interview, that Astana will send guys out in the early break, and he will attack on Tourmalet if he has the legs for it.

Nice to know that. CARNAGE!
The only problem is that this side of Tourmalet isnt that hard..Its a shame

That's good for Fuglsang, he's a diesel climber

Crosswinds I hear at the finish.
We dont want another Etna

 

[Jacques (7 ch)]

Ineos to go hard all day long but more to soften the oppo up ahead of a longer day tomorrow. If they crack DQS today that would be a bonus.

Plus it’s the only tactic they know ...

 

[Lequack]

Re:

Ineos to go hard all day long but more to soften the oppo up ahead of a longer day tomorrow. If they crack DQS today that would be a bonus.

Plus it’s the only tactic they know ...

Imagine Ineos sending Bernal in the break. I know, we can dream.

 

[Big Doopie]

Re: Re:

Fuglsang saying in pre-stage interview, that Astana will send guys out in the early break, and he will attack on Tourmalet if he has the legs for it.

Nice to know that. CARNAGE!
The only problem is that this side of Tourmalet isnt that hard..Its a shame

Both sides of Tourmalet are hard. One side is less hard.

I rode up the “harder” side two weeks ago.

 

[Broccolidwarf]

Re: Re:

Ineos to go hard all day long but more to soften the oppo up ahead of a longer day tomorrow. If they crack DQS today that would be a bonus.

Plus it’s the only tactic they know ...

Imagine Ineos sending Bernal in the break. I know, we can dream.

Nobody in the top 20 gets to hit the early break, that is a given I think

 

[Hayabusa]

Re: Re:

Ineos to go hard all day long but more to soften the oppo up ahead of a longer day tomorrow. If they crack DQS today that would be a bonus.

Plus it’s the only tactic they know ...

Imagine Ineos sending Bernal in the break. I know, we can dream.

I genuinely can't remember the last time at the Tour that Ineos/Sky had a rider in the break. I assume it would be 2014 after Froome's crash.

 

[DanielSong39]

Break makes it, peloton crawls until the final climb, Ineos sets the tempo up the slope but most of the GC contenders are able to follow, Alaphilippe dances away in the last 2km to gain 15 seconds. Forum erupts.

OK, let's see how far off I am.

 

[DanielSong39]

Re: Re:

Ineos to go hard all day long but more to soften the oppo up ahead of a longer day tomorrow. If they crack DQS today that would be a bonus.

Plus it’s the only tactic they know ...

Imagine Ineos sending Bernal in the break. I know, we can dream.

I genuinely can't remember the last time at the Tour that Ineos/Sky had a rider in the break. I assume it would be 2014 after Froome's crash.

I think Sky sent Landa up the road a couple of times.

 

[Broccolidwarf]

All of Katusha in the front 4 rows, they definitely plan to hit the break.

 

[sir fly]

Look at Wiggo's outfit!

 

[Broccolidwarf]

"It's me, Bradley on a bike", wearing a union jack parka.

I love it

 

[Pricey_sky]

Re: Re:

Ineos to go hard all day long but more to soften the oppo up ahead of a longer day tomorrow. If they crack DQS today that would be a bonus.

Plus it’s the only tactic they know ...

Imagine Ineos sending Bernal in the break. I know, we can dream.

I genuinely can't remember the last time at the Tour that Ineos/Sky had a rider in the break. I assume it would be 2014 after Froome's crash.

I think Sky sent Landa up the road a couple of times.

Yeah Landa in 2017 when Aru was in yellow. I think Porte and another got sent up the road in 2015 as well.

 

[Simurgh]

Who will be in the break today? I guess that the GC teams want to win the stage today (Thomas,Kruijswijk, Pinot and others), so perhaps just some riders from wildcard teams + a rider from Katusha/DD/CCC?