You don't need to be an 'investor' to invest in Singletrack: 6 days left: 95% of target - Find out more
The idea of a penultimate stage ITT up The Plank of the Pretty Girls sounds brilliant.
Route announcement on Tuesday.
The idea of a penultimate stage ITT up The Plank of the Pretty Girls sounds brilliant.
They did similar up Alpe d'Huez in the Armstrong years if I remember rightly. It were Radio Rental
They've been doing very south-based TdFs for a couple of years now. I called the first one a Brexit Tour - keeping it as far as possible from the UK.
Maybe they're just continuing that theme...
I like the idea of the ITT being uphill and think that they should always have one if they are having an ITT on the flat and get rid of the TTT.
Seems to me that it limits the riders who might win Grand Tours when the good lightweight climbers have to battle through ITT's alone while the great time trialists get team support up the hills.
Torn about the TTT because it's part of the tradition but the fact that it won't skew the individual is good. they could just have the TTT as a team cash prize and leave the GC alone, this would be better.
2017 was designed for Bardet, this is for Pinot and Julien 🙂
And now having looked at the route, if anyone wants a campsite recommendation in Chatelaillon Plages (sp) I can recommend a cracker.
Can we have a long flat ITT and a git of a climb ITT in the same year please?
And as many echelon inducing stages as we can too.
Seems to me that it limits the riders who might win Grand Tours when the good lightweight climbers have to battle through ITT’s alone while the great time trialists get team support up the hills.
The counter is that the general classification is for the best all round rider and not the best climber. I think a well placed TT really helps shape things up where as pure climbing means GC is often defensive.
I seem to recall mountain TTs were quite a popular inclusion some years back.
I like the route, at least the riders won't encounter dreadful Yorkshire weather 🤠 🤡
That could be arranged with some freak inclement weather, Bikebouy. The weather station on the summit of Mont Aiguoal is officially the wettest place in the whole of France, fact fans!
Just not in July (usually)
I’m really torn on this - we’ve already booked a hotel in Nice for the Grand Depart, but there’s two stages in places I love - the Vercors and Grenoble, but I can’t really manage to fit them all into one holiday. And the Villard de Lans finish is Bastille Day. We’ve got some soul searching to do. I think that last week looks great.
Will probably ride to Mt Aigoual to see finish and start the next day in hometown.
All good.
For info, on a 3 year cycle, the TDF must be within 100km of the whole French population.
I don’t disagree lunge, the time trialists would still have help on all the other climbing stages it just seems if you are going to test people individually during the race it would find the better all rounder if those tests covered a wider range of terrain. Of course I’m biased, I weigh 55kg and have to kill myself to keep up with others on the flat then hang around at the tops of hills while they take their time 😊
it just seems if you are going to test people individually during the race it would find the better all rounder if those tests covered a wider range of terrain. Of course I’m biased, I weigh 55kg and have to kill myself to keep up with others on the flat then hang around at the tops of hills while they take their time
I quite agree, so to make it well rounded then for every summit finish there is a TT, and for every mountain stage that isn't summit finish there is a TTT.
Said by lunge, 83kg, "massive engine" but too heavy to challenge in the hills. Plus, TT days always brings the best kit out and I'm a kit geek!
Optimism or realism?
https://www.cyclingnews.com/news/2020-tour-de-france-rescheduled-for-august-29-september-20/
Nice to think so but I'm not convinced.
No chance, very optimistic IMO.
France plans to lift some lock-down rules in a few weeks, with most, if not all rules lifted Early July so all being well they should be fine. Whether international travel bans are lifted to allow athletes to travel to compete is another matter.
Source:
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/apr/13/macron-france-remain-strict-lockdown-for-another-month
Whether international travel bans are lifted to allow athletes to travel to compete is another matter.
Not just the athletes, it's thousands of support crew, media from across the world, the hotels and shops/restaurants to support them, the flights to get them there...
Don't get me wrong, I really hope it does go ahead and as a means of helping economic recovery, it's actually very good indeed, all that cash coming in. But it's reliant on a multitude of external factors like airlines being back up and functional, hotels re-opening and having the staff to cope and if course, Covid 19 suddenly just disappearing (or at least, fading to become background noise like the flu).
Any of those things fail to happen means a lot of egg on face as the Tour gets cancelled or postponed again.
I'd say it's almost certain to go ahead. The Tour is such an important part of the French identity and keeping it running this year would be a massive boost to morale and hopefully mark the start of the country returning to something resembling normality. I doubt they would have rescheduled without some form of assurances from the govt on their exit strategy from the lockdown.
I’d say it’s almost certain to go ahead. The Tour is such an important part of the French identity and keeping it running this year would be a massive boost to morale and hopefully mark the start of the country returning to something resembling normality. I doubt they would have rescheduled without some form of assurances from the govt on their exit strategy from the lockdown.
Agreed.
I know it's easy to think this is the end of days, and maybe it is for the US but Europe has turned a corner.
Dare I say it, the Corona thread on STW is probably the bleakest, most pessimistic discussion place on the Web I've found about CV. Mainland Europe is starting to come out of this, China is already down that road.
I think it will be very hard for anyone from the US to be involved, I fear they're in for the most pain of any nation, but I'm confident life will be a lot more normal in 3/4 weeks and by July we'll cautiously able to travel.
Dare I say it, the Corona thread on STW is probably the bleakest, most pessimistic discussion place on the Web I’ve found about CV. Mainland Europe is starting to come out of this, China is already down that road.
Have you seen the Daily Mail and Express websites? The Daily Mail had a belter today - they placed some mental article from a headbanger saying smoking would help CV next to one saying smoking weed makes it worse all below the worst recession in 300 years banner. Got to scare, enrage and befuddle gammons all on one page.
If the tour goes ahead I'll go and buy a TV just to watch it. Will be such a welcome relief. My work normally does a TDF team challenge as well so that could be a bit of fun (make up teams, team has to do the stage distance every day).
Dare I say it, the Corona thread on STW is probably the bleakest, most pessimistic discussion place on the Web I’ve found about CV.
Maybe, but there does seem to be a decent amount of expertise on there. Perhaps we are seeing the first peak in some European countries, but the strategy involves turning restrictions on and off as case numbers ebb and flow over the months to come. I still can't see a situation in which the French are sufficiently relaxed about the situation by July to allow a caravan of support staff and riders numbering in the hundreds, plus a massive influx of fans from across the world to join the estimated 12 million on the roadside. I suppose you could ban travelling fans, and go back to just residents of villages and towns allowed to watch in that location.
Would be great to have a race, but the organisers will need some degree of certainty pretty soon, as the logistics of reorganising it for later in the year, perhaps September, would need to start early, so it won't be a question of waiting until the end of May to see how things are looking then.
Would be great to have a race, but the organisers will need some degree of certainty pretty soon, as the logistics of reorganising it for later in the year, perhaps September, would need to start early, so it won’t be a question of waiting until the end of May to see how things are looking then.
I think you've missed the news, it has been rearranged to start on Aug 29th iirc.
Yep, TdF 29th August-20th Sept followed by the Giro then La Vuelta in October. It'll be interesting to see how the teams select for this fixture congestion. I'd think Ineos will go with Thomas, Bernal then Froome as leaders if they're all race fit. Movistar will stay with their too many chiefs and not enough indians strategy that has served them so well in the recent past.
Nice to think so but I’m not convinced.
Egan Bernal is crap. It took him ages to catch me on Zwift yesterday and his numbers were rubbish too. I think Rohan Dennis will win it, no problem, he'll just treat it as a three-week time trial 🙂
Dare I say it, the Corona thread on STW is probably the bleakest, most pessimistic discussion place on the Web I’ve found about CV.
I take it as being a mix of scared people trying hard to find an illusion of control by jabbering about models, without considering that what really matters is how people act on them. And scared people letting off steam by tearing into each other.
I find the one where people keep yelling JUST STAY AT HOME! at anyone who dares to ride a bike slightly more depressing. There's some very skewed risk analysis going on. Coughs and dogs and trees.
Anyway, fingers crossed for the Tour happening 🙂
I think you’ve missed the news, it has been rearranged to start on Aug 29th iirc.
I certainly had. There's a fair chance that will go ahead. I thought we were still talking about a July start.
Maybe they will have to restrict it to riders currently in France. That's one way to get a French winner 🙂
Part of me wishes that they keep it in the mountains for the whole tour to limit the areas they take it to… just because TV viewers love those stages.
Big question is what state the riders are going to be in, their form will be all over the place even with a date to train to. I can see it being a mess especially if the contagion levels increase or don't slow as fast as they suspect. I love watching bike races but can't help but think this is presumptuous
Froome gotta be happy about the race being knocked back a couple of months - more time to get fit again, and very little race sharpening for the rest of the competitors beforehand.
Belgians banging out 320km days at the moment whereas no Spanish based rider will turn a wheel outdoors for another month at least... The effect of that will be interesting
Belgians banging out 320km days at the moment whereas no Spanish based rider will turn a wheel outdoors for another month at least… The effect of that will be interesting
That's the bit I don't like about it - it won't be a fair competition, there's a massive difference in the amount of training athletes from different countries will have been able to get in before the race.
@mogrim I know what you mean but I'm looking forward to that aspect of it. It'll be like one of those rides where you meet up with old mates for a big ride. One guy will be as fit as ever, another has become a Zwift fiend and rips everyone's legs off and the other doesn't ride any more and his hit the ale.
It'll be all over the place but could be funny watching half the peloton struggling up the first hill like an early season Jan Ulrich.
the other doesn’t ride any more and has hit the ale.
Sounds like he should be on STW.
What about the fact that there has been little to no testing?
Do you reckon we'll have an Astana rider win by 18 minutes having set a KOM on every climb?
What about the fact that there has been little to no testing?
Not much point thinking about things we have no control over.
It is all just what it is.
Was listening to Trek rider Toms Skujins on King of the Ride, and he was really enthusiastic about the whole prospect of hosting 3 grand tours so close together, entirely on the grounds that nobody knows what racing it will produce and it's likely never going to happen again, so we should embrace it. And I agree with that sentiment entirely.
Froome leaving Ineos at the end of the season. Wonder how/if that will affect their Tour plans...
Well, it's nearly time!
Roglic? Looks imperious, but will his Dauphine crash have any impact? See also his key lieutenant, Kruiswijk.
Ineos? No idea. Bluffing? Blown out? Who knows. Sivakov (spl?) was amazing yesterday.
Pinot looks strong, gave it everything. However, does look like he's carrying a bit of weight. Deliberate tactic?
Of course, there's also the looming threat of C19. Will it make Paris? Maybe a closed road finishing in a velodrome instead? Who knows...!
As I put in the Dauphone thread:
Is Roglic injured? Does that mean Dumoulin or Kruijswijk will be the leader at the tour? Or will they have 2, or even 3 leaders?
Are Ineos off pace? Is Froome bluffing? Is Bernal as good as last year? Should G have done the Classics this year?
Pinot, what can he do?
Bardet, same question.
And also, the bog question is if they'll make the 3 weeks. I certainly wouldn't be betting on that...
It’ll be a very interesting 3 weeks in France.
Apart from Jumbo, every other team has looked weak... Sure there's an odd rider or two, but team wise, it's Jumbo or nothing it seems.
INEOS are looking OK but not amazing. Movistar are asleep, Astana, not doing as much as i'd thought. Mitchelton Scott, what's happened, they're asleep...
Assuming he recovers quickly, i can't see past Roglic.
they all look race rusty to me.
They'll end up doing the last week on Zwift.
(Tongue in cheek mode)
Jumbo Visma were very strong in the Dolphiny (and the few races before). Imagine that had been Ineos or Astana, aligned with the "little or no testing" comments above. What were they previously called... Rabosomething?
(/Tongue in cheek mode)
I've no idea for this year's TDF. I'd have picked Roglic before his crash. Dumoulin maybe? Pinot?
Maybe a semi-surprise winner, in the style of Geraint Thomas. Gets the jersey, hangs on, hangs on and just gets stronger over the two weeks (plus the Zwift week).
Is Roglic injured? Does that mean Dumoulin or Kruijswijk will be the leader at the tour? Or will they have 2, or even 3 leaders?
Are Ineos off pace? Is Froome bluffing? Is Bernal as good as last year? Should G have done the Classics this year?
Pinot, what can he do?
Bardet, same question.
Roglic - bit banged up, I reckom he'll be fine, same for Kruijswijk.
Dumoulin - probably not at 100% yet, won't be far off unless he crashes.
Ineos - I think part bluff part a massive WTF on their behalf as Jumbo did to them what they've done for years, lacking depth in the proper super domestiques now.
Pinot - near podium, if he stays on the bike and his knees hold out.
Bardet - Death or glory big mountain attack and win a stage or two.
Its those pesky Columbians you need to watch.
I'm so out of touch with what the racing calendar looks like now. Watched a couple of bits of the Dauphine but actually only found out who won this morning when I googled it (based on seeing this thread resurrected).
As a result I barely know who is riding for who never mind what their form is like. In some respects it's actually going to make the Tour a bit more interesting, I might feel like a complete newbie getting into it rather than thinking I already know the top three contenders!
Dare I ask, do we want the daily thread on Le Tour?
Working from home makes it very easy to do if there's a suitable demand!
As ever, I'd be supportive of that! Keep this one for general chat, with a no spoilers policy perhaps, and have daily spoiler loaded ones too!
Dare I ask, do we want the daily thread on Le Tour?
Working from home makes it very easy to do if there’s a suitable demand!
We certainly do want the daily thread - a summer classic!
Daily threads it is then.
Spoilers encouraged, they're for discussion of the days stage, and that will include live updates as a Direct Energie/Arkea-Samsic/Vital Concept rider goes off on yet another hopeless breakaway and Richie Porte falls off/get dropped on the first big mountain stage.
Pinot is giving the French national championships a miss. Resting for a bit, full focus on the Tour.
Stevious, I've asked teh modz to amend the title.
Edit - And lo, it was changed..!
Another vote for the @lunge daily TdF thread!
I'm genuinely wondering if they'll make it to Paris. Spain has just re-introduced more severe lockdown measures - if France does that mid-way through the race could it just result in stopping all racing and declaring the winner to be whoever was in yellow at the time? Would France do that as soon as a Frenchman was in yellow?! (post your conspiracy theory here...) 😉
Wonder how it might affect race tactics if the riders knew that the race had the potential to be cut short at any time and they couldn't do tactical "we'll wait until the first big mountain stage" or "we'll wait until the TT" stuff. Possibility that a brave move might net a rider yellow and then the whole race be called off the next day due to Covid and suddenly have some nobody domestique named as TdF winner...?
Wonder how it might affect race tactics if the riders knew that the race had the potential to be cut short at any time and they couldn’t do tactical “we’ll wait until the first big mountain stage” or “we’ll wait until the TT” stuff. Possibility that a brave move might net a rider yellow and then the whole race be called off the next day due to Covid and suddenly have some nobody domestique named as TdF winner…?
I was thinking the same. This year over any other, I'd want yellow as early as possible.
I guess that does lead to the question as to how many stages it needs to get through to be considered complete? 1st rest day? 2nd rest day?
I've put an each way bet on Pinot at 7/1.
Remember last year, it was only team tactics that lost him the lead, they should be a bit more clued up this year.
And, he said after the race yesterday, something like "my legs couldnt give any more today, but I'll get better"
Thanks for the NO SPOILER in the title CFH!
But now I'm going to make a prediction so hot it might as well be a spoiler:
Guilluame Martin (Cofidis) will win this year's TdF.
But now I’m going to make a prediction so hot it might as well be a spoiler:
Guilliam Martin (Cofidis) will win this year’s TdF.
Scorching hot 🔥
Tom Doumalin or Porte for the win. Richies wife was on Twitter the other day decrying the state of race safety. She’s right an’ all. If the organisers of races and the UCI don’t improve rider safety there won’t be anyone left to ride this years Tour.
If the organisers of races and the UCI don’t improve rider safety there won’t be anyone left to ride this years Tour.
I think it's a mix. Sure, the UCI will always get at least part of the blame for incidents - cars on course or that sprint finish - but I reckon the riders are completely rusty.
Most of them have had near zero racing, training camps, group riding, some have even been banned from riding outdoors for several weeks so they've all been sitting on a turbo trainer for the previous 4 months. As a result they've completely lost the ability to do close-quarter racing and technical riding.
They can't just make all the roads straight though. All the races have bends in, that's not the organisers fault.
I think the post about them being a bit rusty is on the mark too.
Aye nobody’s suggesting they make the roads straight. It’s the downhill finishes with hoardings poorly placed, it’s the masses of potholes and very poor road conditions, it’s the lack of protection at key points, and schlachmans crash was clearly in part due to the race organisers failing to keep traffic off the road. The Dauphine ended with the a rider protest over safety, but yeah it’s the riders being a bit rusty.
“ The richest man in Wallonie: the manufacturer of plastic poles. The poorest man in Wallonie: the guy responsible for road works. What the hell...”
Stijn Steels
I think it'll go to the penultimate day and the TT. Could be absolutely epic!
Did you see the spot where Evanepoel crashed, downhill, 90° bend onto a road that narrows with big brick walls that narrow to catch the rider withva big ****ing drop on the other side. A few straw bales and a net could have saved serious injury, its a lucky he survived.
How about some left of field picks for the Tdf podium.
Fulgsang is riding really well at the moment. Seems to be improving with age.
Tadej Pogacar is impressive but will need to up his game a bit.
George Bennett. Riding the best of his life at the moment. A top ten grand tour finisher in the past. Can he step up if the three big jumbo riders aren’t up to scratch due to injury or form? Long shot as he will be in the role of super domestique more than likely though.
Really hard to see past Roglic now, especially as Ineos are lacking the cohesiveness and strength in their mountain train. If Jumbo have out manoeuvred Ineos then it’s Roglic for the win. Would love to see Pinot take it though. Or Doumolin. Or Porte. With all the other crashes perhaps this will be the year he stays upright.
Roglic's Achilles heel does seem to be descending, whether it's skill thing or a no fear thing/over confidence thing (born out of his ski jumping past) or just like Porte has a habit of crashing I don't know. So other teams will push on the downs just to see.
The question is have Jumbo peaked too soon. Fuglsang has yet to show grand tour form over all 3 weeks, Roglicha won Vuelta butLeTour is a step up.
Agree Anagallis, whilst Roglic I suspect is the favourite, Le Tour is a different game, a game Ineos know very well.
One thing I've not seen mentioned is the absence of Nico Portal and the impact that'll have on Ineos. He's been the tactical genius behind all their wins bar Wiggo's under Sean Yates, and the lack of cohesion and organisation under Gabba and Knaven would be a concern.
Fulgsang is riding really well at the moment.
But he's doing the Giro I think.
Roglic’s Achilles heel does seem to be descending,
He won a stage of the Tour in 2018 by attacking on a descent.
He didn't do himself any favours thumping the barrier in 2019 Giro either
though he was on a team mates bike
Joker in the pack could be if we see the much-rumoured 'French national team' riding with/for each other...
One thing I’ve not seen mentioned is the absence of Nico Portal and the impact that’ll have on Ineos. He’s been the tactical genius behind all their wins bar Wiggo’s under Sean Yates, and the lack of cohesion and organisation under Gabba and Knaven would be a concern.
Depends who they have riding for them. Froome's participation seems to be the source of endless will-he, won't-he articles. But assuming for a minute that they take Thomas, Froome and Bernal that leaves a lot of possible internal rifts. Whether they're actually there or not or all in the minds of journalists desperate to find a "conflict" angle but having three potential "team leaders" has never worked well for any other team in the past. Same with trying to go for Green and Yellow - you end up splitting the team - half with your designated sprinter, half protecting the designated GC'er - and you get neither.
But assuming for a minute that they take Thomas, Froome and Bernal that leaves a lot of possible internal rifts
Which is down to the DS to sort out by banging some heads together. One reason Deceunik are so successful (especially in 1 day races) is that their many potential winners are able to park their egos and work for the best outcome for the team (unlike the Movistar trident). Something which Jumbo Visma now seem to have adopted.