Tour de France 2020 | Stage 8 (Gazeres-sur-Geronne - Loudenvielle

[ThePirate81]

Hopefully Formolo in the break so everybody can dream of a Pog attack on Port de Balès and I can secretly dream the break gets 10 minutes and Formolo wins the stage.

Formolo should target other stages imo. This one could be too hard for him to deal with. I think Roccia could help Pogacar setting an high pace on Peyresourde if Tadej should drop Roglic and the others on Bales.

 

[topcat]

I hope I'm wrong but I expect mind numbing stuff till the top of Peyresourde, then Ala and Bardet to attack and do a well dodgy descent gaining 20-30 secs. All the while, Numbo wear those "It's completely under control" faces.

 

[Rollthedice]

After being dropped in the crosswinds yesterday there's some good news for LRP. Richie is dad again, his wife gave birth to a baby daughter. It puts into perspective what life these guys have, he'll see her for the first time after a few weeks.

 

[Red Rick]

Formolo and Bilbao in the break, Pogacar and Landa to attack at PdB and bridge to the helpers. Cycling 101.

Only to be killed by the Jumbots.

Scenes when Jumbo let them go cause it's "too early to take yellow"

 

[Libertine Seguros]

I hope that it is gonna be fireworks today. But I still think it will be a small group. But not 20-30. More like groups of 5-10 with time gaps. And maybe someone steering clear, who knows?

Also can you stop quoting me about this. I find it annoying now having to repeat myself when I answered most of it. Stage 6 just not a good opportunity and since most thought so, from the teams and riders, nothing happened there. Let it go.

Now hopefully today will be a interesting stage. Have a good day.

5-10 wouldn't be so bad, that would be some genuine attrition. There should be some riders who had a tough day yesterday (who would have had a tougher day had anybody actually tried to ride tempo at more than 70% on stage 6) that are vulnerable, and so hopefully we will finally learn who the genuine contenders are today.

 

[Red Rick]

After being dropped in the crosswinds yesterday there's some good news for LRP. Richie is dad again, his wife gave birth to a baby daughter. It puts into perspective what life these guys have, he'll see her for the first time after a few weeks.

Luckily for the wife, Porte is best in the role of the best helper in the team.

 

[Red Rick]

5-10 wouldn't be so bad, that would be some genuine attrition. There should be some riders who had a tough day yesterday (who would have had a tougher day had anybody actually tried to ride tempo at more than 70% on stage 6) that are vulnerable, and so hopefully we will finally learn who the genuine contenders are today.

I'd hope riders consider today a better option to attack than tomorrow because of the flat after the Marie Blanque.

 

[bambino]

Kuss doesn't think there's any point in trying anything if the stage doesn't finish at the top of the steepest mountain, so I'd love to see some hypocrisy from him.

I don't think Kuss will "try" anything either, but just the pace to reel back eventual attacks will probably drop most pretenders.

 

[Blanco]

I think Jumbo will control the stage, and it depends on Dumoulin condition whether Roglic will attack on Peyresourde or not. Other attacks are doomed, Jumbo is too strong atm.

 

[Libertine Seguros]

I'd hope riders consider today a better option to attack than tomorrow because of the flat after the Marie Blanque.

Oh, today is definitely the better option to attack - the last two climbs chain together much better and there's a descent practically all the way to the line so no real concern of needing any energy left afterward.

The flip side is that Marie-Blanque has steeper ramps than Peyresourde and that every rider knows pretty much every inch of the Peyresourde,

Since yesterday was raced harder than any of the GC guys would have liked (especially those that lost time of course) that could be a good factor for today (more vulnerable people who are less fresh than they would have been) or it could be a stifling factor (unwilling to risk the legs or work the team from too far out in fear of being isolated later). I don't think we'll be able to really determine that until Port de Balès. And I think most of the big gun teams should try to get somebody in the break, except maybe Jumbo and Ineos but even them I think ought to do something to that effect. For Ineos that would be ideal if Sivakov can make it there, as he's obviously been struggling all week, they could make use of him if they catch him on Balès or Peyresourde whereas if he'll be in the péloton and tailed off as he just tries to make it through to the rest day, obviously they can't really factor him into their tactics for the day.

 

[Lequack]

Both Jumbo and Ineos will go as fast as Bernal or Dumoulin, and Roglic will be there thinking what to do, it's rude to attack your team obviously.

 

[bambino]

Both Jumbo and Ineos will go as fast as Bernal or Dumoulin, and Roglic will be there thinking what to do, it's rude to attack your team obviously.

Yeah, but I truly hope guys like Landa and Pogacar will not accept false tempo today.

 

[Simurgh]

Think that no one besides Landa and Pogacar have an incentive to attack. And even then I think that (at best) it will be 3-4 km's before the top of the Peyresourde. Both of them will think its too early. Any other contenders/pretenders are either too injured or too afraid to burn some of their matches at this point of the race, where no one has been exposed on the climbs and so no one dares to risk losing ground. Fireworks depend on whether Bernal and INEOS will drill it (unlikely, since Bernal bets on the 3rd week) or that Jumbo-Visma wants to rid themselves of worrying about potentially unruly pretenders still close to Roglic (Bardet, Uran).

 

[Salvarani]

It really all depends on how strong the supporting riders are. And if anyone will try to isolate the leaders on some of the bigger teams. Otherwhise, I’m keeping my expectations low, but hoping for a great stage.

 

[Blanco]

And I think most of the big gun teams should try to get somebody in the break, except maybe Jumbo and Ineos

Yes, but that will be really hard, at least till Mente. Road is flat for some 50km, and I guess Jumbo will not let climbers from dangerous teams into it. My only hope for a strong break is that Astana or UAE rip it already on Mente to send some strong men up the road...

 

[Bardamu]

Did Martinez lose time yesterday so he could attack this weekend?

 

[Netserk]

I really don’t have any hopes for GC action today. Best bet would be Astana drilling Bales, otherwise it will be done at Lusette speed.

 

[Salvarani]

Did Martinez lose time yesterday so he could attack this weekend?

He crashed this week. Might have set him back or he was just out of position.

 

[Salvarani]

I really don’t have any hopes for GC action today. Best bet would be Astana drilling Bales, otherwise it will be done at Lusette speed.

I think it is one of the scenarios, but not something Im hoping for. Hope someone tries to drill it.

 

[Bardamu]

He crashed this week. Might have set him back or he was just out of position.

He looked better tuesday and thursday.

 

[ThePirate81]

This is the hardest stage before the first rest day. Pogacar has to attack today. Landa too. It would make no sense waiting for tomorrow.

 

[TourOfSardinia]

Bernal to wake up and shown Rogla who's boss ?

 

[Salvarani]

This is the hardest stage before the first rest day. Pogacar has to attack today. Landa too. It would make no sense waiting for tomorrow.

If someone is feeling good, it is a good day to make up for lost time and try to do something. There could very well be a scenario where the big teams put a high enough tempo, that it sort of neutralizes any attempts though. If they can set a high enough tempo depends on how strong the supporting cast is today. If they can control it.

It is is a big day and Im expecting that it could "just" be a small favorites group making it to the finish together, with a few losing time. Because they were dropped by the high tempo anyway or by accelerations. I dont think someone will crush today, but maybe get rid of some pretenders that have just been fortunate so far. That it will be a hard day. We will see. Im hopeful some of them will try with an attack, but Im keeping my expectations low on someone going all in to destroy.

 

[Blanco]

This is the hardest stage before the first rest day. Pogacar has to attack today. Landa too. It would make no sense waiting for tomorrow.

Pogacar yes, he's got the form it seems, but Landa, I have a feeling he's riding into form and doesn't have good legs right now.

 

[Libertine Seguros]

Yes, but that will be really hard, at least till Mente. Road is flat for some 50km, and I guess Jumbo will not let climbers from dangerous teams into it. My only hope for a strong break is that Astana or UAE rip it already on Mente to send some strong men up the road...

Sure, apart from Sivakov who's injured (and even then only maybe) nobody will be letting the big gun climbers up the road like Rasmussen to Tignes, but there's nothing wrong in trying to get some middling climber types in there to burn up on lower slopes when you catch them, to preserve some of your big gun climbing helpers, or to stagehunt or snipe some GPMs for a secondary goal later in the race if the team doesn't need them behind. Pello Bilbao, Dario Cataldo, Omar Fraile, Davide Formolo, Diego Rosa, Jan Polanc, Gorka Izagirre, Nicolas Edet types. You'd expect Cosnefroy to be there anyway. It's far too soon for Movistar to get away with sending Soler, or Bahrain to get away with sending Poels, even if they lose time.