Tour de France Stage 5: Carhaix - Cap Fréhel 164.5 km

[killswitch]

Really? That's no good for Andy, then!

http://twitter.com/#!/f_cancellara

Great team job today.Thor you imprest me.i am not 100%healthy.sinus is totally blockt and cant not good breathe.had to take some antibiotic

 

[jobiwan]

http://twitter.com/#!/f_cancellara

Great team job today.Thor you imprest me.i am not 100%healthy.sinus is totally blockt and cant not good breathe.had to take some antibiotic

Seems like a lot what I've got at the moment. Sinus congestion and on some meds.

I imagine Jens and O'Grady will still be looking for their chances to cause havoc tomorrow, should the wind be high enough.

A nervous day in the peloton for sure.

 

[Sibirn]

What about the hill 4 km from the goal? Read somewhere it was 5% over 1 km - Not sure cavendish can get over that?

 

[luckyboy]

Only 4 nailed-on stages for sprinters after this - Chateauroux, Lavaur, Montpellier & Paris. Hoping for my CQ that Cav takes it even though it is slightly uphill.

 

[Alpe d'Huez]

If this is windswept I too can see this splitting some of the field up, and some riders getting away in a break and staying away. The small climbs near the end will also offer chances for some riders to escape, and a fast pace could rip some sprinters off the back who can't climb.

Having said that, if the winds are favorable, the the pace is low, we could see a field sprint of some sort.

 

[jens_attacks]

Météo de mercredi : "les averses vont se prolonger. Vent se renforçant sur l'arrivée avec des rafales de 50 km/h"


i hope they won't be cowards once again.

 

[just some guy]

If this is windswept I too can see this splitting some of the field up, and some riders getting away in a break and staying away. The small climbs near the end will also offer chances for some riders to escape, and a fast pace could rip some sprinters off the back who can't climb.

Having said that, if the winds are favorable, the the pace is low, we could see a field sprint of some sort.

I think you covered all basses there

 

[hfer07]

Dangerous stage for any GC rider caught up in a split-which is likely to happen specially when the race passes by the coast line. A break away might survive if is made of 8 plus riders with a good advantage on the last 20 k-otherwise the sprinters would push hard to battle it out in the last meters...

 

[PedalCastro]

Felliu or Rojas top 3 possible/ likely?

 

[Alpe d'Huez]

I think you covered all basses there

Yeah, I think a little too generic of comment, huh!?

Okay, I'm going to predict Rojas for the win in a group of some 20 at the line. Most GC riders will be together within a minute.

 

[khodder]

Rabobank seem to have hinted at trying to possibly form some echelons. If they can ensure Bobby G is in that front group and put Boom, Ten Dam and Tjallingi on the front for 10KM's of hard riding in some crosswinds splits could be on the menu.

However I cannot get over the cynic in me knowing this will end in a bucnh sprint.

Kiwi Dean to lead Farrar to another stage win...Whiny Cav and his Aussie Leadout to fail again...

 

[khodder]

Yeah, I think a little too generic of comment, huh!?

Okay, I'm going to predict Rojas for the win in a group of some 20 at the line. Most GC riders will be together within a minute.

Together within a minute?

Ifa GC rider loses a minute today they have nobody to blame but themselves and possibly their DS unless there is a mechanical involved (Dropped chain anyone... )

 

[Cimber]

If it will be windy Bertie could get in trouble. But if its also raining the Schlecks could be all over the place. So it will indeed be an interestng stage, also for the GC riders.

Regarding the win, I reckon Cav is mad enough by now, so I reckon he will take it.

 

[therhodeo]

Kiwi Dean to lead Farrar to another stage win...Whiny Cav and his Aussie Leadout to fail again...

And I can't see a team with Thor, Zabriskie, Dean, and Millar getting caught out in the wind.

 

[Havetts]

Cant wait to see the wind create havoc tomorrow .

 

[benpounder]

Dangerous stage for any GC rider caught up in a split-which is likely to happen specially when the race passes by the coast line.

As someone pointed out, the winds are likely to be from the southwest, 14 knots with gusts in the low 20's. If this is accurate, that means the first 80km and the last 50km are going to be tail-winds. I'm not sure how motivated the teams will be to expend a whole lot of energy knowing that they could easily lose that edge on the run in.

That's not to say I don't want to see a split...

[my edit] southwest, not southeast.

 

[Lexman]

Might be a good stage for Quick Step and Omega Pharma to break the peloton in parts... Boonen wins tomorrow!!

 

[Tuarts]

Only 4 nailed-on stages for sprinters after this - Chateauroux, Lavaur, Montpellier & Paris. Hoping for my CQ that Cav takes it even though it is slightly uphill.

Saint-Flour (Etape 9)?

 

[luckyboy]

Saint-Flour (Etape 9)?

If this was at my comment about there being 4 proper sprint stages left after tomorrow, I think that stage 9 has a few cat. 2s and finishes on a cat. 4 climb, so I reckon that'd be a breakaway, or at least too hard for some of the big sprint names.

 

[Lanark]

Saint-Flour (Etape 9)?

Finishes on a 4th category hill, with loads of hills along the way. Maybe a Hushovd in today's shape can do something there, but nobody else.

 

[taiwan]

Boonen FTW via a late attack.

 

[jobiwan]

TOM BOONEN TO WIN.

Might be a good stage for Quick Step and Omega Pharma to break the peloton in parts... Boonen wins tomorrow!!

Boonen FTW via a late attack.

That's 3 so far! Join us!

 

[taiwan]

I'm envisaging something like that TdS stage.

 

[just some guy]

Boonen unless it blows he is no change

 

[Anonymous]

For people who dont understand Knots (Cos i dont)