Tour de France 2020 | Stage 9 (Pau - Laruns, 153 km)

[Bardamu]

So are we in for an OPEN TOUR with many possible contenders??

Besides, did anybody else notice how the Yates are having their best GTs, when only one of them is in the race? I don't want to raise suspicions, but...

No spit it out!

 

[Hugo Koblet]

There are a lot of good breakaway condidates today, but I'd be shocked if Alaphilippe and Lutsenko isn't in the break. I'm actually looking forward to a good battle between the escapees.

 

[Laplaz]

You guys really don't think that Pogacar will attack today?

There is a rest day tomorrow and the climb suits him a lot. A disorganized chase could put him in yellow.

Not sure the climb suits him a lot. In last years Vuelta he suffered the short and very steep climbs, was way better on the long and steady ones, expect for Los Machuchos.

 

[Lequack]

Alaphillipe sure to get int the breakaway.

 

[Eddy Evenepoel]

Alaphilippe in break, regaining yellow

 

[DFA123]

Not sure the climb suits him a lot. In last years Vuelta he suffered the short and very steep climbs, was way better on the long and steady ones, expect for Los Machuchos.

There's a big difference though between Marie-Blanque 4km - at a very steady 11.5%; and Vuelta steep - regularly going over 15%. Marie-Blanque is still just a threshold effort for these guys; so the strongest guy right now should have the advantage.

 

[bob.a.feet]

Pinot will win from the break.

 

[RedheadDane]

Pinot will win from the break.

I'm afraid he might need a few days to get over his back problems. But I wouldn't be surprised to see some of the other FDJ guys in the break.

 

[Laplaz]

There's a big difference though between Marie-Blanque 4km - at a very steady 11.5%; and Vuelta steep - regularly going over 15%. Marie-Blanque is still just a threshold effort for these guys; so the strongest guy right now should have the advantage.

I hope you are right

 

[TomLPC]

Shades of the infamous and pivotal stage 6 here, absolutely stirring stuff.

 

[Libertine Seguros]

So are we in for an OPEN TOUR with many possible contenders??

Besides, did anybody else notice how the Yates are having their best GTs, when only one of them is in the race? I don't want to raise suspicions, but...

Both Yates brothers rode in the 2018 Vuelta.

 

[gregrowlerson]

I think Miss Roads is hinting that it isn't only one Yates twin brother actually in the race...

 

[Lequack]

Climbs today

And the last climb (minus the descent)

 

[tobydawq]

There is a new chief of TV production on the race this year. I think he did a horror job yesterday, showing Pinot way too much and taking time to show Peters AND Zakarin just riding up the Peyresourde just when the attacks began in the favourites' group.

He also insisted on showing Peters the final two kilometres and then apparently felt the need to show all the rest of the top seven get home before we could finally get back to see the favourites and see that Roglic and Quintana had been captured again.

One of the worst TV productions I can remember from the Tour. Hopefully, he lives and learns.

 

[Eclipse]

Pog will try again, he might as well keep going if the legs are good. If he gets chased then fine he can sit in.

We'll definitely get something from the GC group because the French boys are close enough to dream of stealing yellow so if the pace isn't high enough to drop them they'll be trying to sneak off the front.

Hourcere is a beast and if a team wanted to gamble they could make for a really reduced day. Given it's after a brutal day on Friday and a tough one yesterday there's going to be a lot of tired legs in general though.

 

[Savant12]

Pinot will win from the break.

The one break he'll see this Tour is in his back.

 

[ice&fire]

There is a new chief of TV production on the race this year. I think he did a horror job yesterday, showing Pinot way too much and taking time to show Peters AND Zakarin just riding up the Peyresourde just when the attacks began in the favourites' group.

He also insisted on showing Peters the final two kilometres and then apparently felt the need to show all the rest of the top seven get home before we could finally get back to see the favourites and see that Roglic and Quintana had been captured again.

One of the worst TV productions I can remember from the Tour. Hopefully, he lives and learns.

I watched recently the Galibier and Iseran stages from last year. Following the riders in the break to the detriment of those contesting GC is a long tradition, and the arrival to Valloire shows that. But yes, this year is reaching new levels of incompetence. Perhaps he was learning his job last year.

 

[Red Rick]

There is a new chief of TV production on the race this year. I think he did a horror job yesterday, showing Pinot way too much and taking time to show Peters AND Zakarin just riding up the Peyresourde just when the attacks began in the favourites' group.

He also insisted on showing Peters the final two kilometres and then apparently felt the need to show all the rest of the top seven get home before we could finally get back to see the favourites and see that Roglic and Quintana had been captured again.

One of the worst TV productions I can remember from the Tour. Hopefully, he lives and learns.

I doubt so I just hope he gets fired soon

Anyway it's probably the main reason many hate breakaway stages, and why it's actually much preferred a break gets 25 minutes rather than 10.

 

[Frankschleck]

Tejay. A man is a loud to hope.

 

[Libertine Seguros]

I think Miss Roads is hinting that it isn't only one Yates twin brother actually in the race...

I know, à la professional wrestling.

But the fact that the one Grand Tour a Yates brother actually won was with both of them in the race kind of counters that.

Also, while they have very similar skillsets and obviously are twins, they also have very different racing mindsets. Adam is much more defensive and risk-averse than Simon, typically.

 

[RedheadDane]

There is a new chief of TV production on the race this year. I think he did a horror job yesterday, showing Pinot way too much and taking time to show Peters AND Zakarin just riding up the Peyresourde just when the attacks began in the favourites' group.

He also insisted on showing Peters the final two kilometres and then apparently felt the need to show all the rest of the top seven get home before we could finally get back to see the favourites and see that Roglic and Quintana had been captured again.

One of the worst TV productions I can remember from the Tour. Hopefully, he lives and learns.

I'm pretty sure he'll live. Killing someone for being a bad producer is a bit over the top...

 

[tobydawq]

I'm pretty sure he'll live. Killing someone for being a bad producer is a bit over the top...

Think how many people it affects being bad at that job

 

[Red Rick]

I know, à la professional wrestling.

But the fact that the one Grand Tour a Yates brother actually won was with both of them in the race kind of counters that.

Also, while they have very similar skillsets and obviously are twins, they also have very different racing mindsets. Adam is much more defensive and risk-averse than Simon, typically.

They're also really different in the backstage pass. Simon says the same 3 platitudes all the time. Adam I can't even understand with the way he talks

 

[LaFlorecita]

Madouas from the breakaway. He was climbing well earlier this Tour, had an easy day yesterday and has a handy sprint.

 

[bob.a.feet]

There is a new chief of TV production on the race this year. I think he did a horror job yesterday, showing Pinot way too much and taking time to show Peters AND Zakarin just riding up the Peyresourde just when the attacks began in the favourites' group.

He also insisted on showing Peters the final two kilometres and then apparently felt the need to show all the rest of the top seven get home before we could finally get back to see the favourites and see that Roglic and Quintana had been captured again.

One of the worst TV productions I can remember from the Tour. Hopefully, he lives and learns.

That explains a lot. Stage 1 was made all the more hectic by the fact that the cameras were all over the place. We'd see big favourites making it back on to the peloton, unaware that they had a crash or mechanical.