- Jun 14, 2010
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As you all know by now, stage 15 of the Tour, perhaps its the most crucial stage will reward vital King of the Mountains points, which could swing the competition.
And none of the 4 points up for grabs on this Pyraneen high mountain "stage for the ages," will be as important as the ones rewarded for crossing the feared cat 3 beast Côte de Simacourbe, the second climb of the day, which offers no fewer than half the stages' points, first.
It is testimony to the decline of the website that there has not been a poll on this vital question yet, considering we are now less than 3 short weeks from the Côte de Simacourbe crossing and Tour fever is nearing record highs.
Many experts are predicting that the person who crosses the preceding Cote de Laffite-Toupiere, which is being called the Crostis to Simacourbe's Zoncolan, will hang on to the lead in the same way that Floyd Landis in 2006 was first over the Col de la Colombière and later the Col de Joux Plane.
Others are saying that cycling has changed these days, and in the Andy Schleck era with wheelsuckers like Wiggins and Evans as the overall favourites it would be foolish to expect anything than for the riders to wait for the climb itself.
The short valley between the 2 climbs may prove key, and it would be wise to remember the fashion in which Thomas De Gendt, faced with the similar situation of a very hard climb followed by an even harder one, attacked on the Mortirolo and made much of his time in the valley before holding the chasers off on the Passo dello Stelvio, in the Giro earlier this year.
The bookies favourite at the moment is Johhny Hoogerland on the basis that the dutch option usually does win these polls.
And none of the 4 points up for grabs on this Pyraneen high mountain "stage for the ages," will be as important as the ones rewarded for crossing the feared cat 3 beast Côte de Simacourbe, the second climb of the day, which offers no fewer than half the stages' points, first.
It is testimony to the decline of the website that there has not been a poll on this vital question yet, considering we are now less than 3 short weeks from the Côte de Simacourbe crossing and Tour fever is nearing record highs.
Many experts are predicting that the person who crosses the preceding Cote de Laffite-Toupiere, which is being called the Crostis to Simacourbe's Zoncolan, will hang on to the lead in the same way that Floyd Landis in 2006 was first over the Col de la Colombière and later the Col de Joux Plane.
Others are saying that cycling has changed these days, and in the Andy Schleck era with wheelsuckers like Wiggins and Evans as the overall favourites it would be foolish to expect anything than for the riders to wait for the climb itself.
The short valley between the 2 climbs may prove key, and it would be wise to remember the fashion in which Thomas De Gendt, faced with the similar situation of a very hard climb followed by an even harder one, attacked on the Mortirolo and made much of his time in the valley before holding the chasers off on the Passo dello Stelvio, in the Giro earlier this year.
The bookies favourite at the moment is Johhny Hoogerland on the basis that the dutch option usually does win these polls.
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