Tour de France 2020 | Stage 14 (Clermont-Ferrand - Lyon, 194 km)

[Libertine Seguros]

Duchère is important for the stage win. Croix-Rousse is nothing. The Dauphiné had a finish there a few years ago, won by lauded puncheur John Degenkolb.

 

[hayneplane]

I would expect Bora to police the early stages and try to either keep it together at a high pace until the intermediate sprint or get Sagan up the road. Either way make the pace too hot for Bennett to score any points then see how the race develops on the Col du Beal.

 

[Salvarani]

Bora can surely drop the sprinters early. Im not sure they can control and bring it together without any help though. I dont know who will help them? Some Bora riders also rode really hard yesterday, and the days before for Sagan. Maybe Sagan will try and go in the actual break? Because I can see the break take this and the peloton taking the day off. Yesterday was really tough, and there may be many very tired riders. That dont want to control a break and bring it together.

 

[DenisMenchov]

Mads Pedersen maybe?

 

[Red Rick]

Duchère is important for the stage win. Croix-Rousse is nothing. The Dauphiné had a finish there a few years ago, won by lauded puncheur John Degenkolb.

It would've mattered if the entire profile was such that the flat sprinters wouldn't have been dropped already.

Before this Tour I thought this would be a reduced sprint but I guess it's just gonna be a breakaway with a nice finale.

 

[Keram]

Sagan has last chance to be back in contention for green. He needs most possible points and Bora needs the stage win and Sagan could deliver here. Most important stage for Bora and Sagan this Tour.

 

[Hugo Koblet]

Mads Pedersen maybe?

I think it's way too hard for him. He really doesn't climb very well.

 

[Anderis]

I think it's way too hard for him. He really doesn't climb very well.

Not that I think that Pedersen has a good chance but there's nothing more difficult than 1.3km - 5.4% in the last 90 km - this stage is really not that hard. If it was in a smaller race without dozens of very good riders thinking it's their best chance to win the stage in the entire Tour, this would've ended up as a slightly reduced bunch sprint most of the time IMO.

 

[Kangaridoo]

Not that I think that Pedersen has a good chance but there's nothing more difficult than 1.3km - 5.4% in the last 90 km - this stage is really not that hard. If it was in a smaller race without dozens of very good riders thinking it's their best chance to win the stage in the entire Tour, this would've ended up as a slightly reduced bunch sprint most of the time IMO.

Most of the sprinters will get dropped on the long climb by Bora and CCC. They won't even be there in the final.

 

[Anderis]

Most of the sprinters will get dropped on the long climb by Bora and CCC. They won't even be there in the final.

That's assuming Bora and CCC will want to commit everything to dropping other sprinters. Yeah, it's possible but stage 2 had more difficult climbs far away from the finish and they didn't really drop that many riders there so it's all question of motivation rather than a hard stage, as I said earlier.

 

[Red Rick]

That's assuming Bora and CCC will want to commit everything to dropping other sprinters. Yeah, it's possible but stage 2 had more difficult climbs far away from the finish and they didn't really drop that many riders there so it's all question of motivation rather than a hard stage, as I said earlier.

Stage 2 is completely incomparable cause no sprinter was gonna win there so Bora and CCC had no reason to ride whatsoever.

 

[Breezy1985]

I really dont see Sagan doing anything past the intermediate sprint.

Cosnefroy, Peters and Hirshci will go up the road with maybe Jungels, Roche, De Gendt, GVA and Boss Hagen

 

[Broccolidwarf]

I want a 3 man break:

De Gendt, Kung, Asgreen....... unless this is the stage Jumbo lets Der Panzerwagen go, then I want a 4 man break.

 

[Broccolidwarf]

Mads Pedersen just did an interview, and he is not doing anything today.

He is on Porte guarding duty, due to the slight chance of wind (and because Porte prefers to ride on Pedersen's wheel).

 

[Broccolidwarf]

Moerkoev just revealed the DQ tactic:

Jungels and Asgreen are going for the break.

If the break is not too far down the road after 68 k (top of the cat. 2) and Bennett is feeling good, they might reel in the break and go for a bunch sprint.

 

[Broccolidwarf]

Kragh just said Sunweb expect a big break, and most of them are going for it.

 

[gregrowlerson]

Roman Kreuziger FTW.

 

[Zinoviev Letter]

it’s quite unusual to have to take into account the possibility of a battle for a points jersey impacting the way so many stages play out. In other races the points jersey just isn’t a big enough deal. In the Tour there’s rarely a real contest.

 

[Broccolidwarf]

it’s quite unusual to have to take into account the possibility of a battle for a points jersey impacting the way so many stages play out. In other races the points jersey just isn’t a big enough deal. In the Tour there’s rarely a real contest.

It shows me, that the Tour should make the secondary jerseys even more of a big deal.

Imagine what a race we would get, if the Tour started with 4-5 teams having the green jersey as a stated goal, and 4-5 teams with polka dots as the stated goal, because those two jerseys were almost as important as yellow.

 

[TomLPC]

I didn't know that's where the depart was.

"Half a million spectators lined the road leading to the top of the Puy. None had seen anything like it. The showdown continued like this – two men locked in mortal combat – for an astonishing 10km, on gradients that hit 13 per cent. The suffering was intense, the courage awesome. "I never felt that bad on a bike," Poulidor said. More than 20 years later, dying from cancer, Anquetil told Poulidor the pain he was in was "like racing up the Puy de Dôme, all day, every day". "

It's not ridden nowadays according to the website, the hard part is cut off to visitors.

 

[spalco]

I think the best option for Sagan is to be in the break with a couple of teammates like Oss and Grossschartner.
They lost Muhlberger and Kamna/Schachmann are probably spent after yesterday. I don't think they have the firepower to control a strong break on such terrain.

DQS would shut this down again, because why not?

 

[Broccolidwarf]

I want a 3 man break:

De Gendt, Kung, Asgreen....... unless this is the stage Jumbo lets Der Panzerwagen go, then I want a 4 man break.

All 4 right in the first line

 

[Broccolidwarf]

Kluge and Higuita - what a pair

 

[Savant12]

Bernal at the back? Mechanical?

 

[TomLPC]

Nobody is falling for that Bol attack surely