• The Cycling News forum is looking to add some volunteer moderators with Red Rick's recent retirement. If you're interested in helping keep our discussions on track, send a direct message to @SHaines here on the forum, or use the Contact Us form to message the Community Team.

    In the meanwhile, please use the Report option if you see a post that doesn't fit within the forum rules.

    Thanks!

Tour de France 2020 | Stage 20 ITT (Lure - La Planche des Belles Filles, 36.2km)

Page 2 - Get up to date with the latest news, scores & standings from the Cycling News Community.
Change to a road bike or ride a hybrid if I was Primoz?
I'd ride the TT and it's gearing to the top of the climb before the Belle Filles. Change bikes there with a downhill to minimize any time loss and allow you to spin into the position that works for big ass climbs. You're also basically hitting a wall at the start with that climb and it'd be better to have gearing and the climbing position that got you this far to bring it home.
If I was Ritchie or MAL I'd go hybrid. They're both smaller guys and can probably get as aero as they need to be and not lose any critical time. Ritchie may be faster on his TT bike than MAL to the point he'd go either way.

WVA? Give him a cyclocross bike and stand back! He'll do well if they let him loose. They may want him to keep the powder dry for the Champs glory that he could get.

Dumo? I'd let him do what he wants and he may be in the mindset to go faster than anyone. He'd do a bike swap IMO.

Tadej should swap and he's nimble enough to handle the change. If he's at his best he can challenge Roglic, WVA...all of them. Not sure if he has that snap and he'll be on his own the whole way.

Not sure who I'd like to win, though. Lot of worthy guys.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Sandisfan
Not sure why they have these large hills in time trials, that's what mountains are for.
Ironically the best profile for creating interesting time gaps is the 30-40km pan flat time trials, maybe with a few tight turns. That also allows the specialists to shine on the day.
Because the top French GC guys are all good climbers but not great for flattish time trials, so this course is laid out to favor them (which is nothing new in cycling)
 
  • Haha
Reactions: Sandisfan
36km is a decent length TT especially since the last 6km is on an 8% climb. I think there will be very large time gaps. If Porte rides well MAL isn't safe. Based upon how he is riding and paces himself Porte can be at least as quick as MAL on the climb. We are not racing at 2,300 metres altitude so there is no Colombian advantage in that respect.

Roglic and Dumoulin will likely fight out the stage win. Probably Rogla who can bathe in the glory of a TdF victory as the winner of the final TT, just as it should be.
 
Not sure why they have these large hills in time trials, that's what mountains are for.
Ironically the best profile for creating interesting time gaps is the 30-40km pan flat time trials, maybe with a few tight turns. That also allows the specialists to shine on the day.
Partly because Sciatic is correct; try to bring a little French flavor into it that also was about the Polka-dot jersey, too. Double win for the locals if it worked. Won't because Carapaz will specialize in the steep parts.
 
fire.gif

Oh, what is your problem?

I think this is a very cool stage, actually, and it doesn't matter jackshit which six kilometre mountain it ends with, even if it has been used before. You can't ride it negatively as it's a TT.
 
  • Like
Reactions: RedheadDane
Okay, this analysis of the pros and cons of a bike change and the discussion of the favs is all well and good, but the question remains who were these daughters-in-law and what did they do to get a summit named after them?
A local legend. Durning the 30 years war in the 17th centuries mercenaries were raping and pillaging in the region. All the young women were hiding on top of said mountain, but they found them. When they saw them approaching they decided to take their lifes and jumped off the edge of the mountain.
 

TRENDING THREADS