Tour de France 2019 stage 16: Nîmes > Nîmes

[tobydawq]

Re: Re:

Right, I'm gonna make a bold prediction: The winner will have an 'a' in his name!








Knowing my luck, Cees Bol is probably going to win it...

Or another Dutchman who actually did win a sprint this Tour.

That's another possibility.

There are only 33 riders in the race with no a in their name... A very bold prediction...

I'm rooting for Colbrelli.

 

[JosephK]

I like that they have this stage after the rest day. Less chance of un jour sans for the main GC guys--gives them a day to re-acclimate to the rigors of the final week before re-entering hell.

 

[Lequack]

The chickens are ready.

 

[krakenKE]

There's a roundabout about 300m from the finish. Position will be crucial. I expect Sagan to be on the podium.

 

[Nirvana]

I like that they have this stage after the rest day. Less chance of un jour sans for the main GC guys--gives them a day to re-acclimate to the rigors of the final week before re-entering hell.

The stages (especially medium mountain with a climb near the start) that can catch some random GC riders in trouble after the rest day usually lead to great racing already far from finish, putting this borefest instead is a suicide if you want to design an interesting race.

 

[Leinster]

I like that they have this stage after the rest day. Less chance of un jour sans for the main GC guys--gives them a day to re-acclimate to the rigors of the final week before re-entering hell.

The stages (especially medium mountain with a climb near the start) that can catch some random GC riders in trouble after the rest day usually lead to great racing already far from finish, putting this borefest instead is a suicide if you want to design an interesting race.

Because right now everybody thinks this Tour needs something to liven it up or make things more interesting.

 

[search]

Re:

There's a roundabout about 300m from the finish. Position will be crucial. I expect Sagan to be on the podium.

Sagan couldn't even bother to get on the bike yesterday to have a look at it. And he said, that he doesn't like the heat at all. But yeah... that's probably exactly the preparation he needs

 

[hammerthaim]

Sagan has gone well in TDU heat. Caleb shouldn't mind either. I'd say one of those two ftw.

 

[tomorrow]

Re: Re:

There's a roundabout about 300m from the finish. Position will be crucial. I expect Sagan to be on the podium.

Sagan couldn't even bother to get on the bike yesterday to have a look at it. And he said, that he doesn't like the heat at all. But yeah... that's probably exactly the preparation he needs

in slovak tv he said, that there will be enough time to get back to racing mode during the stage.

 

[MrTea1976]

I don't know why but I really want GVA to win the stage with a late attack.

 

[movingtarget]

Re:

I don't know why but I really want GVA to win the stage with a late attack.

He's been a bit anonymous in the race so far. Unlike him.

 

[Frihed89]

Re:

Its Nimes-Nimes.

What does that mean? There WILL be crosswind at some point, question is how hard the mistral blows. Another interesting thing about the stage would be the heat.

13:00 - 16:00: 36 Deg C.
1700: 35
1800: 34
Wind: 3-5 M/sec = 10.8 - 18.5 km/hr from the South.

 

[Broccolidwarf]

Lars Bak in the last TV break, of his 20th and last Grand Tour.

I like it

 

[Laplaz]

5 men breakaway, more than expected tbh.
Gougeard, Bak, Rossetto, Ourselin, Wisniowski

 

[Broccolidwarf]

DQ seem to have made the smart choice of not taking responsibility in the peloton today.

They need to save their strength for thursday, friday and saturday.

 

[RedheadDane]

Bak practically doubling the average age* in the break.

*I haven't done the math…

 

[Ricco']

Sunweb backing again Bol over Matthews in today's stage.

 

[Midnightfright]

Re:

DQ seem to have made the smart choice of not taking responsibility in the peloton today.

They need to save their strength for thursday, friday and saturday.

And so they shouldnt, either should Lotto Jumbo and possibly even Bora. Only Lotto Soudal will be fully motivated to real it back in. I reckon the break has a chance.

 

[Broccolidwarf]

Re:

Sunweb backing again Bol over Matthews in today's stage.

Tomorrow is a Matthews stage, along with a heap of other classics specialists

 

[Broccolidwarf]

Re: Re:

DQ seem to have made the smart choice of not taking responsibility in the peloton today.

They need to save their strength for thursday, friday and saturday.

And so they shouldnt, either should Lotto Jumbo and possibly even Bora. Only Lotto Soudal will be fully motivated to real it back in. I reckon the break has a chance.

No they don't.

A stage win is far too important, to all the teams with sprinters, for them to not drop the hammer on the break in the last 30k..... and for a team like UAE, with no contender in the overall, today is also an obvious chance. - Kristoff has a tendency to recover better than most sprinters in GTs, and thus be better towards the end.

 

[spalco]

Reading the wiki page, that bridge, and the aqueduct is an absolute miracle of engineering, would be a major effort building something like that today, would probably cost billions or something.

 

[RedheadDane]

Did anyone catch why Koen de Kort's name suddenly appeared on screen?
Nevermind, premature graphics for a segment on Danish tv

 

[Tricycle Rider]

Re:

Reading the wiki page, that bridge, and the aqueduct is an absolute miracle of engineering, would be a major effort building something like that today, would probably cost billions or something.

Agreed!

I had to google the Pont du Gard aqueduct as well, it's an absolutely marvelous and ingenious work of art and engineering.

 

[Simurgh]

Thomas crashed - GO GO GO!

 

[sir fly]

Re: Re:

Reading the wiki page, that bridge, and the aqueduct is an absolute miracle of engineering, would be a major effort building something like that today, would probably cost billions or something.

Agreed!

I had to google the Pont du Gard aqueduct as well, it's an absolutely marvelous and ingenious work of art and engineering.

Makes you wonder what would be an equivalent nowadays, considering every aspect of such a project.
Then again, they weren't losing time watching Tour de France back then...