Tour de France - Stage 9, 168.5km - Saint-Girons / Bagnères-de-Bigorre, July 7th

[roundabout]

Tour de France - Stage 9, 168.5km - Saint-Girons / Bagnères-de-Bigorre, July 7th

Climbs

Km 28.5 - Col de Portet d'Aspet (1 069 m)5.4 kilometre-long climb at 6.9% - category 2
Km 44.0 - Col de Menté (1 349 m)7 kilometre-long climb at 7.7% - category 1
Km 90.0 - Col de Peyresourde (1 569 m)13.2 kilometre-long climb at 7% - category 1
Km 110.5 - Col de Val Louron-Azet (1 580 m)7.4 kilometre-long climb at 8.3% - category 1
Km 138.0 - La Hourquette d'Ancizan (1 564 m)9.9 kilometre-long climb at 7.5% - category 1

Climb profiles et cetera

http://www.letour.fr/le-tour/2013/us/stage-9.html

Stage covered in full so tune in at 11.30 CET for a desperate fight to get in the break.

Ahem.

Questions:

Will Valverde have his Fuente De cap on and not let his team help Sky?

Will anyone who finished within 3 minutes of Froome today attack before Hourquette d'Ancizan?

How many minutes will the break get before Kennaugh hits the front?

Will Froome and Porte simply do a 2-man TT from Ancizan to the finish?

 

[Gugashwill]

No matter how bad Contador feels, he shouldn't lose time here.
Valverde should handle it better and he might become the first Spanish hope.
Breakaway to take it from Peyresourde.

Has Contador commented today's events?

 

[Eshnar]

Km 28.5 - Col de Portet d'Aspet (1 069 m)5.4 kilometre-long climb at 6.9% - category 2

In the Giro it would be a cat.4

 

[Pulpstar]

Doubt Movistar will help Sky - thats one thing I can say for sure.

 

[ElChingon]

Based on today's Stage if its a repeat its pretty much game over for GC.

Thing if it continues Peter Sagan's Green might be in jeopardy as well

 

[Bavarianrider]

Very important stage for the Polka Dot.
Gc wise hardly anything should happen.

 

[Netserk]

Sagan should be able to contest the intermediate sprint without Greipel and Cav.

 

[Kris13]

Km 28.5 - Col de Portet d'Aspet (1 069 m)5.4 kilometre-long climb at 6.9% - category 2

In the Giro it would be a cat.4

Why?

It looks to be very tough climb (last 2km looks like brutal). Can´t see how it could be worse than 2nd category.

 

[Dutchsmurf]

With green and yellow competition wrapped up, today we will know who is going to win the mountain competition. Break with the ones going for that jersey to attack at the first mountain and stay away until the end. Won't be a really exciting stage probably.

 

[Wigwan]

Sagan should be able to contest the intermediate sprint without Greipel and Cav.

Cannondale to go balistic on the first two climbs and then Sagan go in the break on Peyresourde?

 

[Bavarianrider]

Could be a tough battle for the limit for guys like Kittel.

 

[Warhawk]

Voeckler takes it in the breakaway just like Stage 16 last year.

 

[CraZyCaLL]

sorry, wrong topic

 

[cineteq]

Very important stage for the Polka Dot.
Gc wise hardly anything should happen.

Agree, nothing would happen like in Fuente De last year.

 

[b.broadhurst]

Voeckler takes it in the breakaway just like Stage 16 last year.

Voeckler doesn't have the form

 

[Eshnar]

Why?

It looks to be very tough climb (last 2km looks like brutal). Can´t see how it could be worse than 2nd category.

because the Giro is the Giro
This year they had this climb in stage 17

Crosara, (km 197,9): 402 m – 5,3 km – 6,8 % - CAT.4

 

[Geraint Too Fast]

Hopefully this turns out something like stage 8 from last year. That was a great stage.

 

[the sceptic]

Froome to go solo from the first climb to secure the polka dot jersey as well

 

[SlimChance]

Will Pierre Rolland be left in the break?

 

[Forunculo]

One of the few stages to hurt SKY with a team strategy.

 

[manafana]

Why?

It looks to be very tough climb (last 2km looks like brutal). Can´t see how it could be worse than 2nd category.

Yeah from that side its pretty shallow but some steep parts awful climb to hit from off i think quiet narrow too for what will be a full peloton. the downhill is pretty steep not much under 10%

 

[jens_attacks]

i think this will be a huge battle, alberto will attack and so will plenty of others.
froomey to lose tomorrow

 

[Dazed and Confused]

Europcar needs to commit Voeckler, Rolland and Gautier already on Mente. 10-15 other high quality riders will follow and form a serious break.

There could be some more GC cleanup.

Could be another great stage.

 

[BigMac]

Meh. GC will stay the same, no team feels like this is a stage to assault the lead so it'll be for the break.

The helmet movistar will be riding tomorrow is yellow, prolly due to Team Class.
(This means SKY won't use theirs right?)

 

[WillemS]

because the Giro is the Giro
This year they had this climb in stage 17

Crosara, (km 197,9): 402 m – 5,3 km – 6,8 % - CAT.4

Those climbs cannot be compared. Crosara is just that, a pretty regular climb. The Portet might average off the same, but has steep sections of over 10% gradients. It would not be a cat. 4 in the Giro.

I'm look forward to tomorrow as I'm only back one week from a cycling trip to the Pyrenees. We did the Peyresourde, Azet, Ancizan climbs, and they are beautiful, especially the descent of the Ancizan is magnificent.

Wish they would take a left at Sainte-Marie de Campan, although that would indeed be insane.