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

[Nick2413]

PCS feed reminds us Roglic and Remco have 5 and 4 stage race DNFs in the last 5 years while Pogacar has none. Still never DNFed a stage race in his career.

 

[Barkintheeye]

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...

I was there two weeks ago. It’s absolutely more technical than might be expected and some rough patches with poor tarmac so punctures might happen. It sure looks like a promising opener.

 

[Berniece]

PCS feed reminds us Roglic and Remco have 5 and 4 stage race DNFs in the last 5 years while Pogacar has none. Still never DNFed a stage race in his career.

Is that PCS’s way to telling us Pogacar is lucky?

 

[Zoetemelk-fan]

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

Just a hard tempo on the semi-flat sections I think will be able to create havoc.

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.

I presume you're looking at the stage profile.
After downloading official ASO stage gps-data, loading into Google Earth and 3D panning/zooming last night here, to me it's not about climbs or (the miss of) flat valleys, but a "mid stage" 140k all-encompassing rollercoaster, nomatter whether up or down.

A pre-crash career Ala present here would scorch it.

 

[Colombiano Cadence]

Not sure how MVDP wins this stage - solo is the only way or a small group where he is fastest. But if there is a group of about 20-30 riders and MVDP is there then surely WVA and Mads will be there too - and both have sussed MVDP out in a sprint - go long. Not to mention a good chance someone like Bling will be there too

 

[Zoetemelk-fan]

I was there two weeks ago. It’s absolutely more technical than might be expected and some rough patches with poor tarmac so punctures might happen. It sure looks like a promising opener.

You're sure of no plans of road repairments just in time? My thought of the imperfect tarmacs, sands, concrete and minor section potholes of which I watched on street view hours ago would be sorted out and repaired before ASO main event, like I've discovered past 25 years also visiting some weeks before, and then watching the show on distance: perfect new asphalt.
So if this is not the case here, it's already a thrilling, endless rollercoaster, AND adding spicy tarmac and liteally almost no rest - not thinking stage profile, just hairy slopes - for about a coherent section consisting of 75% of the stage length.

Seems like Vingegaard's cryptonite. Visma will be on a duty.

 

[Savant12]

Not sure how MVDP wins this stage - solo is the only way or a small group where he is fastest. But if there is a group of about 20-30 riders and MVDP is there then surely WVA and Mads will be there too - and both have sussed MVDP out in a sprint - go long. Not to mention a good chance someone like Bling will be there too

So, we know who will finish second.

 

[topcat]

I want everyone to stay in the race and I want everyone to stay on the forum, so I'm recommending a 3 week ban on the use of the word goat.

 

[QueenStagiaire]

I want everyone to stay in the race and I want everyone to stay on the forum, so I'm recommending a 3 week ban on the use of the word goat.

Thibaut Pinot couldn‘t survive this forum for a day.

 

[awavey]

Im presuming its a midday CET start for the stage ?

 

[dazaau]

So, we know who will finish second.

So imagine Bling and WVA are together heading to the line. What happens then?

 

[AmRacer]

So imagine Bling and WVA are together heading to the line. What happens then?

They will play games, Mathieu catching them and wins the stage.

 

[RobertCrawley]

Here we go!

It's Christmas day!

 

[dazaau]

They will play games, Mathieu catching them and wins the stage.

I thought maybe they cross together and the jury can't decide a winner, so they share second place.

 

[RobertCrawley]

Looks like Bobke shaved off his Santa Claus hair and beard.

 

[Savant12]

I thought maybe they cross together and the jury can't decide a winner, so they share second place.

WVA will win based on the angle of the finish line.

 

[Rob5091]

So who's been complaining about it being too hot? Shorten the stage, it's dangerous!

 

[Froome]

Let's face it, probably some crash will happen and ruin the race, or covid.

 

[awavey]

Let's face it, probably some crash will happen and ruin the race, or covid.

I was trying to explain to someone asking me what I thought what happen in the race this year and would it be boring or not, and I was like every year something completely random happens that complete turns the race on its head, be that a crash, covid is probably a risk again for some riders, rider whose form just evaporates or wasnt there. the only predictable thing about this race is its unpredictability.

 

[snipeheem]

Letss gooooo

 

[AnotherArmChair]

Remco : "There is no reason to stress...I am quite relaxed now "

Someone must have been digging that into his brain

 

[tobydawq]

Let's face it, probably some crash will happen and ruin the race, or covid.

okay

 

[Peyroteo94]

I was trying to explain to someone asking me what I thought what happen in the race this year and would it be boring or not, and I was like every year something completely random happens that complete turns the race on its head, be that a crash, covid is probably a risk again for some riders, rider whose form just evaporates or wasnt there. the only predictable thing about this race is its unpredictability.

At least Pog is immune to Covid now. Only a crash can take him out

 

[fbjim]

i predict there will be a stupid crash that happens because some third-tier GC team decides that they need to be on the front like 120k out and that twitter podcasters will claim that the stage is too dangerous and that they saw it coming miles away

 

[KOM]

Just hoping Remco und Roglic make it out of this stage fully intact (the others too of course, but lets face it if something bad happens those two will be involved)