Tour de France 2020 | Stage 12 (Chauvigny - Sarran, 218 km)

[Breezy1985]

I thought so but they have proven me wrong. They have been trying all the time

Turns out they are easily in the top half of teams who actually did something or at least gave it a good go. Quite a few WT teams have no reason to be here

 

[Valv.Piti]

If the break gets 30 minutes then @Gigs_98 at last has met his match

Ohno, Giggs, stay away.

Its one of the best stages of the Massif Central I have ever seen in Le Tour,, anyone better than this recently?

 

[Breezy1985]

Congrats to Hirschi!!! Well deserved, another amazing solo ride Great talent.

Would love to see this guy sign for Ineos and become a train bot. Maybe Remco too

 

[Red Rick]

Ohno, Giggs, stay away.

Its one of the best stages of the Massif Central I have ever seen in Le Tour,, anyone better than this recently?

I just don't see what GC rider is gonna race this hard honestly. I'm getting Mende 2018 vibes.

 

[SKSemtex]

Would love to see this guy sign for Ineos and become a train bot. Maybe Remco too

and they should definitely try to get WVA too.

 

[Sciatic]

Ohno, Giggs, stay away.

Its one of the best stages of the Massif Central I have ever seen in Le Tour,, anyone better than this recently?

I am looking forward to the racing AND the helicopter views tomorrow—I spent some vacation time several yeas ago at several spots along tomorrow’s route and loved that part of the Auvergne.

 

[carton]

Great win by Hirschi, well deseved.

 

[huangho]

Would love to see this guy sign for Ineos and become a train bot. Maybe Remco too

You missed Poga...

 

[jmdirt]

I love it when a break (aggressive racing) works!

 

[SKSemtex]

After the fight everybody is general. Bora should haven taken it easy today and go full gas from kilometer zero tomorrow.

 

[Leinster]

I just don't see what GC rider is gonna race this hard honestly. I'm getting Mende 2018 vibes.

Just with the profile of the last 30km, I don't see how they'll have any chance. But yeah, the break will be long ago up the road by that stage.

 

[DenisMenchov]

I don't think we have seen yet the last epic performance from Hirschi in this tour, there are a couple of stages ahead that can call him back to action!!

I think he's the favorite for the polka -dot jersey now too. He needs 2 more breaks (stages 15 and 18) and can take it easily.

 

[ciranda]

Matthews' fans must be super mad that they didn't get to see everybody in the Sunweb team work all day to get to a theoretical mass sprint finish. It seemed obvious already before the race that they have made a conscious decision to favor going in breaks and attacks for this race.

 

[Leinster]

After the fight everybody is general. Bora should haven taken it easy today and go full gas from kilometer zero tomorrow.

I think Sunweb raced the last 2 climbs harder than Bora expected anyone to. Their tactics weren't completely out there, it was just unlucky for them that such a big group got up the road in the last 20km.

 

[Leinster]

Matthews' fans must be super mad that they didn't get to see everybody in the Sunweb team work all day to get to a theoretical mass sprint finish. It seemed obvious already before the race that they have made a conscious decision to favor going in breaks and attacks for this race.

Except the whole, y'know, 7-man leadout train for Bol to finish 8th.

 

[SKSemtex]

I think Sunweb raced the last 2 climbs harder than Bora expected anyone to. Their tactics weren't completely out there, it was just unlucky for them that such a big group got up the road in the last 20km.

If not Sunweb it was pretty sure Alaph will go for it at the end and a few others will join the party. In that terrain and with JV taking the rest day peloton had very little chance to bring the strongest back.

 

[Devil's Elbow]

Except the whole, y'know, 7-man leadout train for Bol to finish 8th.

I mean, Bol would probably have won Stage 5 had Van Aert not chosen that day to start sprinting, and may yet pull off a win in Paris. Plus that I doubt whether Matthews would have done better on those stages, Stage 7 is the only day so far where they would have been better off with him than Bol.

 

[Leinster]

If not Sunweb it was pretty sure Alaph will go for it at the end and a few others will join the party. In that terrain and with JV taking the rest day peloton had very little chance to bring the strongest back.

Right. As I said earlier in the thread, Bora's bet today was that the numbers in the break would be kept to a minimum. Unfortunately for them, there were 12 up the road, and they didn't have numbers in the bunch to chase and Schachmann being in the break, (close enough to think he might have a chance for the stage win, but not really) ended up hurting them; one less rider to chase, one more body taking up points ahead of Sagan.

 

[roundabout]

Bora at least had Schachmann, CCC had nobody which is more disappointing

 

[Leinster]

Bora at least had Schachmann, CCC had nobody which is more disappointing

CCC's only chance today was to catch the break and have Trentin or GvA win the sprint, which was why they dropped deMarchi (who was never going to win in that company) from the break. Zacharin abandoning probably didn't help their cause.

 

[richwallone]

Would love to see this guy sign for Ineos and become a train bot. Maybe Remco too

With Cancellara watching his back I don't think that will ever happen. He really might be a great fit for a hillier Monuments and Classics, even Flanders... Btw, I know you meant it sarcastically

 

[Leinster]

I mean, Bol would probably have won Stage 5 had Van Aert not chosen that day to start sprinting, and may yet pull off a win in Paris. Plus that I doubt whether Matthews would have done better on those stages, Stage 7 is the only day so far where they would have been better off with him than Bol.

They could have absolutely brought both of them. Matthews could win into Lyon or Champagnole; Bol won't be anywhere for the rest of this Tour until the Champs Elysees.

Now, I must confess, that I don't know which rider Sunweb should have left out to bring Matthews, nor if he would have been willing to do the domestique duties on certain stages that it would have required, so that may be why he wasn't brought.

 

[kingjr]

Matthews' fans must be super mad that they didn't get to see everybody in the Sunweb team work all day to get to a theoretical mass sprint finish. It seemed obvious already before the race that they have made a conscious decision to favor going in breaks and attacks for this race.

In fairness, Matthews was in a breakaway today in T-A. Not a Matthews fan btw.

 

[Breezy1985]

I think he's the favorite for the polka -dot jersey now too. He needs 2 more breaks (stages 15 and 18) and can take it easily.

Im assuming that the dots competition will be blown wide open tomorrow

 

[tomorrow]

If not Sunweb it was pretty sure Alaph will go for it at the end and a few others will join the party. In that terrain and with JV taking the rest day peloton had very little chance to bring the strongest back.

if alaphilipe had the luxury of saving the attack to the last cat 2 climb, I can't think of 5 riders that could, and if, then would want to keep up with him . Definitely Hirschi, maybe van Aert and maybe one or two guys a can't think of now but are there, and that would be it. There's 15 points for 6th place. Quite enough and actually it could mean, that sagan is back in green by the end of stage 14. And in the end, the competition for green me be decided by less then ten points.