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Morning all, an early one today as I’m off to help at Junior parkrun later.
So, the day before a rest day, and after a big mountain day. What’s in store? Cyclingstages?
8
Sunday 21 July - At 185 kilometres, the 15th stage of the Tour de France is the second race in the Pyrenees. Following the start in Limoux the route takes in a number of intermediate climbs before a summit finish at the unprecedented Prat d'Albis. The race includes a total of 4,700 vertical metres.Limoux hosted the Tour twice, on both occasions as a departure place. In 2011 the race went to Montpellier, where Mark Cavendish sprinted to victory, while Luis León Sánchez won the Limoux-Foix stage in 2012.
Once again the riders go to Foix, although the route now continues to the foot of the Prat d’Albis climb for the final haul up on a narrow and twisting road. The climb amounts to 11,8 kilometres at 6.9%, although that statistic is biased. The first half of the Prat d’Albis is much tougher than the average suggests. The fourth kilometre goes up at 10.5% and the sixth at 11%.
Before tackling the ultimate climb the riders face the Col de Montségur, Port de Lers and the illustrious Mur de Péguère with its steepest ramps at 18%. The first ascent is the Montségur pass – 6.8 kilometres at 6% -, above which the ruined Cathar castle with the same name is perched.
A flat section leads to Tarascon-sur-Ariège before a false flat takes the riders to the foot of the Port de Lers. The riders tackle the 11.4 kilometres climb at 7% after almost 110 kilometres in the saddle. Following the fast descent into Massat, the route once again starts to climb on the Mur de Péguère, which is a monster of 9.3 kilometres at 7.9%. Or, let’s rephrase that: the first six kilometres are friendly weaving upwards on the Col de Port before the actual Mur de Péguère kicks in. Which is a monster of 3.3 kilometres at almost 13%. The first three riders over the summit pocket time bonuses of 8, 5 and 2 seconds before flying down a 15 kilometres descent into Foix. Shortly the final haul up the Prat d’Albis appears.
Time bonuses of 10, 6 and 4 seconds are awarded to the first three riders on the line. Plus, the Mur de Péguère summit also serves mentioned time bonuses.
And the profile? Ouch.
Last few KM, yeah, more ouch.
Who’s in the mix? INRNG has got us covered.
The Contenders: the breakaway has more of a chance than yesterday but we’re talking a chance rather than a certainty. Still Thomas De Gendt (Lotto-Soudal), Dylan Teuns (Bahrain-Merida) and Simon Yates (Mitchelton-Scott) could aim for a repeat with team mate Jack Haig free to try too. Now that we’ve got the Jacob Fuglsang of old Astana – tenth yesterday, eighth overall – Astana are likely to fire riders forward, think Pello Bilbao. Ag2r La Mondiale need a result and Tony Gallopin is their best bet.
Julian Alaphilippe has a chance here, the climbs are shorter today and he’s got that jump for the final sprint but his problem is coping with three climbs in a row, he just needs to get to the final 4km intact. But in a tour of surprises where big names keep cracking, how long can he hold on?
Thibaut Pinot‘s form is there for all to see. Groupama-FDJ have David Gaudu too but he’s likely to work hard to help his leader.
Team Ineos had a rough day yesterday but on relative terms. Egan Bernal is still climbing well and Geraint Thomas isn’t out of the picture, he could just have had an off day after a sluggish TT and today’s finish isn’t as steep.
Steven Kruijswijk (Jumbo-Visma) climbing well but maybe doesn’t have the punch to win today’s flatter finish, his time should come in the Alps with the long climbs to Tignes and Val Thorens with George Bennett in the match too. Victory today for them would be to race the final two climbs at warp speed in order to destabilise Alaphilippe and derail Ineos.
Warren Barguil (Arkéa-Samsic) had a great ascent of the Tourmalet yesterday, his attacks were premature but if he plays it cooler today a stage win could happen.
Finally Emanuel Buchmann (Bora-Hansgrohe) and Mikel Landa (Movistar) are shaping the race but they have to attack early for the stage win but this means they’ll get chased down and swamped. Alejandro Valverde has got a good chance too.
And finally, yesterday. There’s a stunning album at CyclingTips here, I could have picked loads of images, but here are a few.
Well well.
A coffee stop ride before the rest day.
We’ve seen Trek fall away now so Portes right out of any contention.. maybe they’ll let Felline go get the coffee in.. I do hope so because all those rank holders who were posted to look after Porte can finally be let free.
So to my main predictions: A break, and could be anyone of the following. Since now we are at a stage in the Tour where the “GC favourites” are being left behind, it’s time for the domi’s to un-cloak.
Gallopin, Gougeard, Naesen, Vuillermoz... all splendid AG2R riders who will be given the “Bardet no longer needs you” card
Schär, Wisniowski from CCC who are both hard nuts and used to this type of terrain.
Cummings, van Rensburg, have both been very very quiet and my outside bet for today.
Küng, Yo! Go Stefan... 👍
Haller, Wurtz another couple of riders who are used to this type of terrain..
Kluge, there’s still power left in those legs Roger.
Finally, if yesterday’s efforts didn’t deplete his mind.. then a total outside bet Barguil, or Bouet
Record the stage, it should be a right old jolly cake run.
Horrible feeling that Thomas is feeling under the weather and will lose more time today.....................
(Loving JA's eyebrows when he was with Macron 🙂
We now cross to live footage of the QuickStep team breakfast being prepared.
😂 It appears that a number of French riders are stepping up to the plate this year.
Horrible feeling that Thomas is feeling under the weather
I thought he didn't look great in a short interview he gave before yesterdays stage, gaunter than usual and oddly dark around the eyes.
Good for the French riders. Its about time they had some success. Its a shame for Thomas, I wanted him to win but its so great to see brilliant rides from the French teams. For me it's been one of the best tours in years.
Horrible feeling that Thomas is feeling under the weather
Day after a full-on time trial effort where he went really deep? Arguably as / more worrying would be the way the likes of Kwiato and Moscon disappeared early on. Not usual.
The answer? #freeegan 🙂
It's just good to watch lots of attacks from different riders. Much better viewing than recent tours
Best tour in years, even if Alaphellipe is juiced, savage day today and we have done a proper climb yet.
It's still early on in the stage I guess, but I find it staggering that they've let Quintana get 5 minutes up the road with two teamates.... he's up to second on virtual GC!
On yesterday's form, he's going to lose what, 2:30-3:00 minutes on the final climb if the likes of Pinot and Kruijswijck ride it hard. Very interesting race situation.
Lols at the chemistry set.
Glad to see Mr Bardet is attempting to restore a little pride.
Movistar teeing themselves up to drop themselves on the final climb again.
It's hard to judge whether Quintana is less popular with Movistar or the rest of the peloton.
Wow, G could lose a couple of minutes easy here.
Alan Philip still in good climbing form going with this vicious attacks from Pinot. 🙄
Best race in years! Even if my preferred rider looks a bit spent...
Something wrong with Movistar an Quintana. Landa rides straight past without a word then pulls a group to drop him. I guess Quintana’s out of favour.
Movistar’s normal “teamwork” then
Valverde rode straight past him as well without a sideways glance
Alan Philip still in good climbing form going with this vicious attacks from Pinot. 🙄
Ooops, he's human after all then. That was only about 1200m. Looks like Bernal's got the green light to ride for himself, should get interesting in the Alps 🙂
That's the first time I've seen Alaphillipe look in trouble,will he recover in time for the Alps?
With the exception of Alaphillipe,it's all to play for in the GC.
Doe's anyone know what Movistar's tactics are?
Like normal, “bring too many leaders: use the team too early. Then... Every man for himself”.
I have no idea what they’re actually doing.
As for the race, bring on the alps!
crazy race
Isn’t Quintana off to Trek or D-E?
Neat stage, Pinot looking very good...
Last few mountains stages back to back looks soooo hard! Genuinely got no idea whom is the favourite.....my instinct says Pinot, Kruijswijck, Thomas, Alaphillipe, Bernal in that order. Potentially Landa too.
Going to be crazy attacks for podium places in the Alps which will either help Elan Pollop or destroy him if he tries to chase too many down. Hard to call as if he even shows the slightest bit of weakness there's a crowd behind him champing at the bit.
Alaphilippe really suffered there - spit and snot hanging off his face as he dropped back to G`s chasing group.
G seems to have found his natural level too. With all the top contenders closing in on him, I am not sure they will risk allowing him joint leadership with only 3 mountain stages left.
I still hoping .. praying .. that Alaphilippe can recover and limit his losses in the high mountains to get the win.
Alaphilippe's biggest problem is the sheer number of rider's close to the top at this Tour. Its great viewing for us not having to watch X v Y duke it out, but there's now 5 or six riders and the teams that support them playing tactics in the mountains.
Hopefully, this is going to just getter better...
Alaphilippe knows if he lets any of the other GC guys distance him on the hills he could lose serious time but his team aren't really strong enough to react to every attack. I can see this getting very close in the Alps.
Forecast to be stupidly hot next week.....Pinot has form for absolutely falling to pieces in the heat.
What a stage today, Quintana rumoured to be going to Samsic.
Loved Simon Geschke offering Allaphilipe his wheel for a bit of pacing!
Pinot for the overall possibly.
What a race. So many unknowns. Best in years.
Lots of questions now, will alaphillipe crack again? can pinot keep going out will he blow up? Is g going to be back to where he should be in the alps?
awesome race this year
Brilliant viewing, I really wouldn't mind any of the contenders winning this year. I'd like G to win it but it's all making for a great race 😎
Totally agreed with the previous comments, great racing and entertainment. Ineos do not appear to being very proactive, just marking those leaders they can stay with. Do you think this is a pre-planned race strategy?
Also, I’m wondering how much of an influence Froome has had on this years’ race by his absence?
WTAF were Movistar doing!? I saw quintana up the road in a break (good plan) which was losing time and thought that he'd sit on and chill till landa caught up and then do what he could. Instead he carried on working in the group, then got dropped then did **** all.
The atmosphere at the team dinner table must have been amazing.
I think the difference this year is that there are other strong teams, and thats in big part to a relatively (by their standards) weak Ineos team this year.
So far it hasnt looked like Ineos can control it.
I think there is gonna be some real fireworks in the big 3 mountain stages. Alaphilippe showed weakness; G has shown he is back to his pre-2018 self, and Bernal hasnt shown as much as he had promised beforehand.
Really gotta feel sorry for Froome. If he was anywhere near his best this year you would have expected him to have had this wrapped up by now.
I do wonder if the other teams apart from INEOS have got a bit excited by the first two weeks and may possibly pay the price - this last week is pretty tough, though it does feel like somethings not quite right with INEOS (as mentioned above, wonder of they've got a bug going round) or maybe just going a bit easy to save something, or they're playing an absolute bluffing game and on the last climbing day it'll be a full on eight man train up the slopes.
Good race though.
Love to be a fly on the wall at the Movistar camp - its either Quintana versus the rest of them, or they have been having a hell of a shouting match between theur 8 race leader of a night.
Really gotta feel sorry for Froome. If he was anywhere near his best this year you would have expected him to have had this wrapped up by now.
Possibly but then you'd be ending up with all sorts of dynamics within Ineos (Bernal - white jersey for example) and that could make Movistar look organised!
Actually (much as I hate to see CF injured and wish him the best for his recovery) having a Tour without a firm favourite is superb viewing.
Still trying to work out Movistar "tactics". Do they all just hate Quintana?
The Alps is going to be amazing. I'm really not sure JA has the ability to hang in there for a 3-week tour - he was close to the edge today and the main reason GT didn't put any more time in was becasue he couldn't attack too soon while EB was up the road and risk dragging everyone back to him. 25 seconds regained though in the blink of an eye.
Rest day tomorrow, Tuesday is not much more than a sprinters stage unless it's massively windy. Wednesday - one of those days where the breakaway is likely to stay out there, the sort of Steve Cummings style day.
So that leaves three realistic days and if all GT can do is gain 30" a day, it's going to be very close indeed, especially if JA has recovered fully by that point.
Still trying to work out Movistar “tactics”. Do they all just hate Quintana?
Rumour is that he's agreed a three year deal with Arkea-Samsic (spl?), the place Barguil and Griepel signed for to scoop up some retirement cash. Maybe that's affecting the tactics, because it certainly needs some explaining!
Glad to see Pinot doing his thang, though. A proper climber, climbing well.
Movistar held it together well at the Giro not sure what the plan is here though. Quintana is off to Arkea Samsic - if the ink is actually dry!
A few of the teams including Ineos and Thomas have been having health issues apparently. Hopefully clearing now.
Looks like a cracking time in the Alps is coming up.
Bring on stage 18, can't wait to see the battle on the Galibier
I still hoping .. praying .. that Alaphilippe can recover and limit his losses in the high mountains to get the win.
I don't like that weird leg-shaking thing he does - I worry that his kneecaps are going to spin off and roll back down the road. If he'd stop doing that, I'd maybe root for him, but it's very off-putting. A bit like rugby players who slap themselves in the face before the game starts, I mean, slaps? Really.
Still trying to work out Movistar “tactics”. Do they all just hate Quintana?
Pretty much. Yesterday they dropped him. Today they gave him a head start so Landani could run his nose in it. There'a great post-race comment from Landa where he says: '"It was a pity Quintana couldn't do anything else. A couple of kilometres of relief wouldn't have done me any harm." Very compassionate I thought.
Bernal for the win, erm, maybe 🙂
the main reason GT didn’t put any more time in was becasue he couldn’t attack too soon while EB was up the road and risk dragging everyone back to him. 25 seconds regained though in the blink of an eye.
Yes - I heard that excuse off G too.
But lets be honest; it was only an excuse. The main reason that G didnt put more time into Alaphilippe was because he couldnt stay with Pinot`s original attack. Alaphilippe and Bernal could ... G got dropped, and had to be paced back up to Alaphilippe who was going backwards.
Thomas may have made 25 seconds on Alapilippe, but he dropped a lot more to those closing in on him in the GC which looks a lot more significant now.
life on the blue bus...
more tissue for Whitey 😀
life on the blue bus…
I follow Mitchelton-Scott on You Tube,they put up some good video's.Even better when they get the result.Whitey's motivational speech on the team bus before the start was good insight.