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Morning all,
Quick links to some of the sites I use for these posts:
Cycling Stage
INRNG
CyclingTips
Do go and visit, all have loads more info than I put on here.
Anyway, back on the roads after a rest day yesterday, lets see what will great the peleton today.
Tuesday 8 September - The 10th stage presents a first on the Tour de France. Two islands linked with a start and finish, it has never been seen before on La Grande Boucle. At 170 kilometres, the race crosses the marshlands near the Atlantic coast, swept by wind and surrounded by impressive fortifications. The riders head from Île d'Oléron to Île de Ré.
Oléron is an island off the Atlantic coast of France – in fact it is the second largest island of France after Corsica. Fort Boyard is an eye-catcher, located in the strait between Île-d’Aix and Île d’Oléron. It featured in serval films and tv-shows.
The riders click into their pedals in Le Château d’Oléron and cross over to the mainland on a bridge with a length of 2,862 metres, which was constructed in 1966. The race heads south to move through Royan before heading back north towards Rochefort and La Rochelle. The connecting theme of these three cities is Vauban, a military architect who constructed numerous fortifications throughout France during the reign of King Louis XIV.
No rider will be bothered though. They don’t fight fortifications, their main concern is likely to be the strong winds in this Atlantic jaunt. After crossing the 2.9 kilometres Île de Ré bridge, completed in 1988, the finale leads to the village of Saint-Martin-de-Ré. Again, the fortifications of Vauban are to form the picturesque backdrop to a likely sprint finish.
The first three riders on the line gain time bonuses of 10, 6 and 4 seconds.
Stage 10 of Le Tour starts at 13.30 and the race is expected to finish around 17.30 – both are local times (CEST).
I think we can all guess the contenders by now for this kind of stage:
The Contenders: is it Sam Bennett‘s day (Deceuninck-Quickstep) day today? Maybe tomorrow for reason’s better explained in the next preview. Caleb Ewan (Lotto-Soudal) is still the safer pick.
Cees Bol is the first of the second picks, he’s a powerhouse sprinter and suited to a flat stage like this, plus he’s got a decent leadout and Sunweb’s morale is up.
Bryan Coquard (B&B Hotels-Vital Concept) is not quite a local but he could visit today’s stage on a training ride, only there’s not much advantage to knowing the roads, less to weighing less than 60kg today, tomorrow is much better. Similarly Total Direct Energie are the near local team so expect a rider in the break today but house sprinter Niccoló Bonifazio won’t sprint any faster today and if he did it’s no guarantee of a win.
Trek-Segafredo are contesting the sprint but rotating their riders, none are obvious contenders for the outright win but Mads Pedersen seems the most suited for today.
Wout van Aert (Jumbo-Visma) gets the obligatory mention, normally on team duty but even on the days when he’s doing this he’s won
And of course a final look back to stage 9:
Ewan for me.... but i think i'll only tune in for the last 20km
Crosswindy!
Jonathan Vaughters was tweeting this morning about how dangerous the course was - lots of narrow roads, street furniture plus a nervy peloton all desperate to be at the front to avoid missing any splits.
Definitely an ideal stage for a decent siesta on the sofa before paying attention for the last 20km or so... or at least it would be in a normal year.
Looking forward to seeing Chatelaillon Plage and Les Bouchelours, where we was on our holibobs last year 🙂 Oh, and yeah, the bike race.
I've got a feeling today won't be quite as dull as the profile suggests. There's talk of cross winds, which even if they don't happen, will mean a lot of teams pushing on. There's also the extra energy from a rest day.
I think it'll be lively...
Ooo, nice! Holiday'd on both Oleron and Re a few years back, spent possibly the best summer of my life in St Palais way back when. 🙂 Pretty flat round them parts, they'll know about if it's blowy - and that'll surely be a headwind over the bridge onto Re?
I'm hoping for crosswind craziness today, those stages are almost and sometimes better to watch than a couple of GC contenders marking each other out on the high mountains.
It's gotta be Ewan or Bennett today surely?
Caleb v Bennet sprint finish.
If there’s chaos in the peloton as Johnathan V fears might there be a tiny chance of a Thomas DGent (sp?) break?
Will Bora work for the green jersey?
Think with the tight roads and possible wind it will be an exciting day with a full gas finish. Or not.
All negative.
Off we go again!
Edit: Apart from the race director....thats going to be interesting.
Second rest day, 200 watts NP, lots of chatting. I'll still be last in the STW fantasy league.
This stage is French tourist agency advert. Will they let the team cars onto ile de Re? 😉
One of three options:
Regular day - break goes up the road, bunch sit there, chase it down, bunch sprint
"rest" day" - if the weather stays good, they all just sit there, chill out then have a sprint at the intermediate and the finish
"big" day - all hell breaks loose, crosswinds shred it, the riders are full gas all day.
Coverage just starting now on ITV4, good round up of the week so far.
Nice bridge!
Well, they're not really hanging around are they? There's definitely a degree of nervousness within the peloton, that break is being kept on a very tight leash.
Still about 80km to go until the intermediate sprint.
Here we go! Let the explosions begin...
Anyone watch The Last Wave, the french drama recently shown on BBC Four? FIlmed round that way
https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episodes/m000l9rj/the-last-wave
Anyone else think Sagan made a balls of that by going too late?
Anyone else think Sagan made a balls of that by going too late?
Not really, I think he was best placed of everyone into that headwind but he just doesn't seem to have the same form he used to have.
Good stage, a lot going on. Hope everyone in those crashes is OK.
Stage winner's post-race interview nearly had me welling up.
Stage winner’s post-race interview nearly had me welling up
Just watched the highlights, me too! Well chuffed for him, I actually shouted at the telly 😆
Friendship ended with Marc Hirschi.
Now Sam Bennett is my best friend.
Whats the story with Trentin and Sagan? Looks like Trentinbreally doesnt like him
I was like that when I won my first (and only) road race too. My man Pinot enjoyed his second test day. Team TiRed still propping up the league.
Team TiRed still propping up the league.
and I thought you were mystic meg, should have used a model to pick your team. Saying that I chose Viviani in my team!!
My OH’s parents and sister were staying in their holiday home in Saint-Palais-du-mer this week.
They sent me a few photos and a video of a ‘biking event’ going on there.... They even managed to film the front group coming through like a freight train.
‘Biking event’. LOLZ
DrP
As long as Pinot can technically win I’m keeping a flame alive for him