Tour de France 2020 | Stage 6 (Le Teil - Mont Aigoual, 191 km)

[Forever The Best]

Opened the TV and when I realized that there was a massive peloton at the top of Col de la Lusette, closed it again. Cycling is an entertainment sport, so why should I watch something that is not entertaining? Hopefully the ones who were very strong today but did not try to take advantage of it massively pay the price in the latter phase of the race.

 

[Poursuivant]

The first week route hasn’t worked at all.

 

[ppanther92]

comparing this to previous years it actually is much better.

In what way? I at least didn't quite notice that...

 

[Escarabajo]

The first week route hasn’t worked at all.

And that's the reason why we do mostly flat stages and TTT in the first week. Lol.
I won't complain next time they put a TTT in the Tour.

 

[TourOfSardinia]

 

[Leinster]

You are missing the point.

Putting injured captains into the red today, means you have an even better chance Saturday.

Instead you are giving them 2 extra days to recover.

Yup. If Roglic/Bernal are still carrying/feeling any effects of injuries from the Dauphine, then by any other teams NOT attacking them today is giving them an extra rest day.

The question is, who would those other teams be, though? You expect EF or UAE to go for it? Bora?

 

[Salvarani]

You are missing the point.

Putting injured captains into the red today, means you have an even better chance Saturday.

Instead you are giving them 2 extra days to recover.

You are missing point...

Today has surely cost something, even if they didnt attack each other. It sure tired some people out. Both some of the captains and domestics, that might just had enough to stay with the group today. That might drop on Saturday for just a small shift in pace up Port Bales for example. Saturday was always gonna be the real test this week to see who is still in contention going into 2nd week.

To put someone into red today you would probably had to put yourself into red, a maximum effort. For what? 20s. Makes no sense. They are managing their efforts to have the most energy where it will count the most. No one is truly that much better than anyone else that they can just attack and attack. It costs too much. Easier to just have them drop on a stage because they gone into red so many times to just stick with.

 

[Eclipse]

The GF got super interested in cycling this year and I can feel her interest already dying off this first week lol

 

[BlueRoads]

This was a very good day for all spectators with heart problems.

 

[Red Rick]

Mollema: "Bernal told Kwiat to go easy at the end when Alaphilippe was sprinting"

 

[TourOfSardinia]

Same old GC

 

[Big Doopie]

Porte wouldn't try anything if he had a DS committee consisting of Jacky Durand, Vino and the ghost of Frank Vandenbroucke.

Haha!

Yea, because Peyresourde stages with descent finishes have opened huge time gaps in recent years? Fingers crossed it's better than 2016...

when have MTFs opened up huge time gaps...? at least a descent gives a chance for an attacking rider (Ala) to hold a gap and even increase it...

And if you want time gaps... how about an ITT? that would then force climbers to have to attack on more stages...

 

[movingtarget]

Glad the break stayed away. They deserved it. Strong win by Lutsenko.

 

[Rollthedice]

Even for Tour standards, I have to add. The race itself is still exciting, the racing action was really bad.

The only excitement is waiting anxiously to see if there will be any positives from today in two weeks time. As in positive tests. For Covid. Those crowds were too close.

 

[movingtarget]

Porte wouldn't try anything if he had a DS committee consisting of Jacky Durand, Vino and the ghost of Frank Vandenbroucke.

Yea, because Peyresourde stages with descent finishes have opened huge time gaps in recent years? Fingers crossed it's better than 2016...

The stage finish design was fine, Mont Aigoual after Lusette is fine. The issue was taking the tempo round from Le Vigan that cut the start of the steeper col out, and refusing to add any lead-in climbs, in an area where they almost had to work harder to find flat roads than they would have done to create an infinitely better stage where the riders weren't all just hitting Lusette completely fresh.

I suppose Porte could have wasted his energy like Aru did.

 

[bajbar]

Maybe he was on a bad day? JV never even went to the front or even showed themselves. Later we may hear his legs weren't there.

He always does an interview for the national TV after the stage. He said the group ahead was strong so they realised they would simply waste too much energy by catching the break. He added that is also early, only stage 6 and that saving energy is more important than chasing stage wins.

Basically, reading between the lines - they don't want yellow yet - and gaining anything today would mean just that. I think they will try to make a selection on stage 8.

 

[Red Rick]

Porte wouldn't try anything if he had a DS committee consisting of Jacky Durand, Vino and the ghost of Frank Vandenbroucke.

Yea, because Peyresourde stages with descent finishes have opened huge time gaps in recent years? Fingers crossed it's better than 2016...

The stage finish design was fine, Mont Aigoual after Lusette is fine. The issue was taking the tempo round from Le Vigan that cut the start of the steeper col out, and refusing to add any lead-in climbs, in an area where they almost had to work harder to find flat roads than they would have done to create an infinitely better stage where the riders weren't all just hitting Lusette completely fresh.

Looking at the riders, slightly changing the lead in wouldn't have changed anything.

 

[Faserr]

Mollema: "Bernal told Kwiat to go easy at the end when Alaphilippe was sprinting"

Ineos went surely relatively easy all the time.
The problem is that JV and perhaps Ineos have a really strong team for the late part, so noone dared to attack. I can somehow understand that, but it is really boring for us. Normally nothing happens on Saturday and Sunday, too. They will just ride a normal tempo. Nevertheless they shouldn't let Ineos slow everything down, but it will get boring again

 

[gunara]

The GF got super interested in cycling this year and I can feel her interest already dying off this first week lol

I think it happenned to someone almost every year in July. Le Tour and its hype, potential new fans, and the difficulties to explain why the 1st week is so boring to them.

 

[Libertine Seguros]

I don't think the design was the problem. IMHO. I know some forum members in here think that almost every stage is a bad design. But is just not the stages only but the riders. Put the same finish at the Vuelta to see what happens.

Ironically, many of those posters really like the Col de la Lusette - Mont Aigoual doublette.

 

[Leinster]

You are missing point...

Today has surely cost something, even if they didnt attack each other. It sure tired some people out. Both some of the captains and domestics, that might just had enough to stay with the group today. That might drop on Saturday for just a small shift in pace up Port Bales for example. Saturday was always gonna be the real test this week to see who is still in contention going into 2nd week.

To put someone into red today you would probably had to put yourself into red, a maximum effort. For what? 20s. Makes no sense. They are managing their efforts to have the most energy where it will count the most. No one is truly that much better than anyone else that they can just attack and attack. It costs too much. Easier to just have them drop on a stage because they gone into red so many times to just stick with.

Broccolidwarf has a point though.

If Bernal or Roglic is hurting now from their Dauphine injuries, or Pinot from his crash on stage 1, then to respond to attacks now will be an effort that will cost them on Saturday and Sunday, when riders on other teams will have to attack them.

If Bernal and Roglic don't have to respond to attacks now, they will be better rested to deal with those Saturday and Sunday attacks.

By not attacking today, whichever GC riders were planning on attacking on Saturday made their attacks less effective. particularly, say, Trek or EF, who have 2 or more riders still within a minute of yellow, who can afford to burn one.

 

[Carols]

He always does an interview for the national TV after the stage. He said the group ahead was strong so they realised they would simply waste too much energy by catching the break. He added that is also early, only stage 6 and that saving energy is more important than chasing stage wins.

Basically, reading between the lines - they don't want yellow yet - and gaining anything today would mean just that. I think they will try to make a selection on stage 8.

Thanks. Kuss was interviewed on my USA station and he said basically the same thing. Strong break, save energy it'll take to much out out us to gain a few seconds, there is plenty of hard stages to come.

 

[Breezy1985]

The GF got super interested in cycling this year and I can feel her interest already dying off this first week lol

just show her pictures of Pinot until the racing gets good

 

[wheresmybrakes]

Froome and G sat at home thinking " We got dropped from the Tour team for this $hit!"

 

[Red Rick]

Ironically, many of those posters really like the Col de la Lusette - Mont Aigoual doublette.

I reckon today's racing was more due to the placement before the Pyrenees and the lack of ITTs than the stage itself. But then the Pyrenees don't even have MTFs so perhaps they'll find the excuses to just let a break take 12 minutes there.