Tour de France Tour de France 2024, Stage 1: Florence (Firenze) - Rimini, 206.0k

[Froome]

But Pidock has never finished higher than 13th in a grand tour? I don't think Arensman is riding the Tour? This is the team according to CN:

Egan Arley Bernal Gomez
Carlos Rodríguez Cano
Michał Kwiatkowski
Geraint Thomas
Tom Pidcock
Jonathan Castroviejo Nicolas
Ben Turner
Laurens De Plus

I was talking about all the current squad, but nevertheless, Laurent de Plus will also be better than him since he doesn‘t have the Giro in the legs, and was 5th in the Dauphiné.

Pidcock never finished higher than 13th, but i am talking about the level they are showing this season.

 

[Izzyeviel]

I predict stage 1 will be the dampest of squibs so some lame ass sprinter will win or Dylan Groenewegen

 

[Froome]

I predict stage 1 will be the dampest of squibs so some lame ass sprinter will win or Dylan Groenewegen

Yeah, and stage 2 will be unfortunately a rogstomp. Very predictable.

 

[Didinho]

Pidcock is not going for GV this year. With the Olympics in mind. But he’ll try as long as he can stay close. He did a MTB race last weekend, not the best preparation.

His form is good. Expect something in these first stages.

 

[RobertCrawley]

I predict stage 1 will be the dampest of squibs so some lame ass sprinter will win or Dylan Groenewegen

Feels very Remco-ish to me.

 

[Froome]

Feels very Remco-ish to me.

They will not let him go alone.

 

[Zoetemelk-fan]

W to E, i.e. tailing, besides not that much of gusts what I can find.
Most influential (besides the riders' initiative) will probably be the heat and then several of the descents in "the small Apennines" which they ride directly up from Florence.
A profile pic doesn't reveal much.
Especially the first one after 50k, the descent from Vacilo Tre Faggi invites for attacks with technical and convoluted slopes.
A thing for Pidders maybe?

Edit:
Besides, the roads through the Apennines are not exactly big wide highways - an endless path of twists and curls.
I would say from the 50K mark and up to 16K from the finish line (190K mark) it's a rather technical route that must be a treat for those with aim of breakaway victory.
IMO a perfect stage design with the last 16K for a pursuit from a decimated group of sprinters.
I.e. unless the race escalates into completely different stories before this point....

Hmm...!
Couldn't resist digging further into those hairy slopes.
I assume the DSs and their pathfinders have read the lesson thoroughly here.
The more I delve into it, the more technical I realize this stage is.
Almost a punishing technicality, serpentine turns, small towns with toxic edgy turns, smaller sections of steeper descents, small up/downs, etc.
This spread over a continous 140k stretch, right from the riders reach the first summit.
Just one example is the descent to the village of Novafeltria, a few hill climbs before reaching the bottom of the San Marino climb. Seems like a rollercoaster with a whopping drop at the beginning.
But there is way more of this.

Neither is anything visible on a forgiving stage profile, but there are enough notes to fill in the DS's road books...

Quite a stressing start for the riders with maybe not so many race kilometres in their legs...

 

[QueenStagiaire]

I predict stage 1 will be the dampest of squibs so some lame ass sprinter will win or Dylan Groenewegen

And I predict that a massive cleft will open up which will swallow the Peloton whole.

 

[Zoetemelk-fan]

I predict stage 1 will be the dampest of squibs so some lame ass sprinter will win or Dylan Groenewegen

Yeah, and stage 2 will be unfortunately a rogstomp. Very predictable.

And I predict that a massive cleft will open up which will swallow the Peloton whole.

Nothingburgers or earthquakes - I wish you some watchable stages

 

[Jumbo Visma Fan :)]

And I predict that a massive cleft will open up which will swallow the Peloton whole.

Out of that cleft will arise Pantani from the dead to somehow win mark my words.

 

[Zoetemelk-fan]

Out of that cleft will arise Pantani from the dead to somehow win mark my words.

Of what we witnessed by the presentation yesterday, this seems plausible!

 

[Gratemans]

And I predict that a massive cleft will open up which will swallow the Peloton whole.

Your scenario definitely looks more likely to me.

 

[houtdffan]

No stomp sunday. They dont finish on top.

Thats a peds/wva stage

 

[Froome]

No stomp sunday. They dont finish on top.

Thats a peds/wva stage

Really? I thought the finish was on Cote san luca.

 

[Lequack]

Pog's limited edition Colnago, with golden spokes

https://twitter.com/x/status/1806817814801424656

View: https://twitter.com/Noticiclismo1/status/1806817814801424656

 

[CyclistAbi]

Legs likely too fresh and quality of the field to high, to get meaningful GC gaps on this stage. Being a GC contender, staying on the bike will likely count as success.

 

[houtdffan]

Really? I thought the finish was on Cote san luca.

nope, they finish 10-12km after the summit in the valley

Thus, not really a GC stage unlike tomorrow, which is a full on mountain stage

 

[gregrowlerson]

nope, they finish 10-12km after the summit in the valley

Thus, not really a GC stage unlike tomorrow, which is a full on mountain stage

You are both talking about the same stage...

 

[scribers]

The eve is upon us!!

 

[gregrowlerson]

The eve is upon us!!

Everyday is Christmas Eve for Pogacar fans.

 

[Rob5091]

Hmm...!
Couldn't resist digging further into those hairy slopes.
I assume the DSs and their pathfinders have read the lesson thoroughly here.
The more I delve into it, the more technical I realize this stage is.
Almost a punishing technicality, serpentine turns, small towns with toxic edgy turns, smaller sections of steeper descents, small up/downs, etc.
This spread over a continous 140k stretch, right from the riders reach the first summit.
Just one example is the descent to the village of Novafeltria, a few hill climbs before reaching the bottom of the San Marino climb. Seems like a rollercoaster with a whopping drop at the beginning.
But there is way more of this.

Neither is anything visible on a forgiving stage profile, but there are enough notes to fill in the DS's road books...

Quite a stressing start for the riders with maybe not so many race kilometres in their legs...

Add on 35C weather too and I guess the guys who crashed at Itzuila will be getting some nasty flashbacks. If guys stop thinking that they must be at the front, then maybe they'll make it to the finish. Hope everyone makes it to the line (although this being the first day of the travelling circus on the road, I fear some guys will be going home early)

 

[spicelab]

I seem to be in the minority here but I expect the race will, if not explode, do the thing before an explosion.

It's not pre-2020. Grand Tour racing is pretty much full-on every stage. If any of the main GC teams start smashing it from the Cote de Barbotto onwards there's no chance for dropped riders to rejoin. The valleys are way too short.

 

[Pantani_lives]

UAE will probably set a high pace on the climbs and reduce the bunch to 20-50 riders. The GC favorites will most likely stay together, but I wouldn't be shocked if someone like Gaudu got dropped. Most likely this will be a group sprint or a late attack by an outsider.

Non-GC riders with a chance: Van Aert, Pidcock, Williams, Van Gils, Healy, Bettiol.

 

[Berniece]

We don’t need to make an analysis of each stage and the outcome, Evenepoel did this for us already in the spring.

Difficulty: 3.5 ⭐️
Riders will try to get away on the San Marino but are likely to get caught. Finish of around 30 riders.

 

[red_flanders]

I predict stage 1 will be the dampest of squibs so some lame ass sprinter will win or Dylan Groenewegen

Not sure if you’re kidding but…absolutely no chance. There are 12,000 feet of climbing and it’s gonna be ON for the last 70k at least. This is the Tour. People want to win, badly.

GC day. Group of 15 -20 at the most.