Morning all.
After the hills yesterday, we return to the flats.
he Tour de France moves through the stunning Gorges de l’Ardèche during stage 12. At 159.4 kilometres, the race is an undulating test between Saint-Paul-Trois-Châteaux and Nîmes.
Saint-Paul-Trois-Châteaux hosts the fourth start of a Tour de France stage in the last decade, but the village of 8,000 has never seen a finish.
The race to Nîmes is predominantly played out on flat to rolling roads. The route follows the broad valley of the lower Rhône, which obviously suits the fast men. However, strong winds could be a factor on the wide and open roads leading to Nîmes.
KOM contenders have only one opportunity to add points to their collection. The Côte du belvédère de Tharaux – 4.4 kilometres at 4.6% – peaks out just after the midway marker.
The last decade saw two Tour de France stage finishes in Nîmes. In 2014, breakaway rider Jack Bauer was caught in the dying metres of the race before Alexander Kristoff sprinted to victory. Two editions ago the sprint was much more straightforward. Caleb Ewan outperformed Elia Viviani and Dylan Groenewegen.
The finale of this edition is similar to the one of 2019.
The first three riders on the line gain time bonuses of 10, 6 and 4 seconds.
Sprint stage then?
The Contenders: Wout van Aert (Jumbo-Visma) was supposed to be today’s pick. A close second in Valence, he’d be fresh for today and suited to the hillier stage. Only he’s bound to feel yesterday’s stage in his legs. Nacer Bouhanni (Arkéa-Samsic) can climb well on good days but he had a rough day yesterday so he’s a harder pick too.
Which brings us to Jasper Philipsen (Alpecin-Fenix), Sonny Colbrelli (Bahrain) and Michael Matthews (Bike Exchange), all picks for today but they’ve been beaten in dragstrip finishes, they need to deploy their teams to make the race tougher today to boost their chances. Even then the flat finish makes Mark Cavendish (Deceuninck-Quickstep) an obvious pick too.
And as ever, yesterday.
Hmm. I want to say Cav - he and the team have looked pretty much perfect so far. However I also suspect that the remnants of sprinters that are left plus a few chancers who can sprint might be looking to disrupt that pattern and will have worked out how to do it by now.
Sagan maybe? Can't rule out WvA either in spite of the effort he put in yesterday.
Thing is now there's not many pure sprinters left and even fewer who have a full lead out. Starts to open the door to chancers, have a go heroes and mid-range solo attacks. The sort of thing that in his day, Philippe Gilbert used to be able to pick off.
I'm not sure you can 'work out' a train like DQS, it's no shock, no surprise, but that doesn't mean there's an option and a way to stop it... esepcially with depleted teams. If DQS and someone else can control the breaks then Cav has to be in with an exceptional chance again.
Suppose it depends how Cav's feeling today. If he's not feeling it they might just let the breakaway go and have a 'rest' day if the other teams don't pull it back.
Maybe his plan has always been to go for 35 on the Champs....
I'm going to The Globe this afternoon as fulfilment of a birthday present for Ms Sandwich. Where in that London can I catch highlights after 4pm before we catch the train home in the evening? (Look Mum No Hands shuts at 4).
Would be pretty cool if Wout van Aert won.
Last time I was there, there was a cafe pop up under Waterloo Bridge showing it. But that was a few years back.
Sagan maybe? He's been awfully quiet this tour. (It could be a Samson-esque response to his lack of hair)
Where in that London can I catch highlights after 4pm before we catch the train home in the evening? (Look Mum No Hands shuts at 4).
Rapha over in Soho will have it on but that's not exactly local to Globe Theatre...
cross tail wind from the sprint point to Nimes it's going to be a mental run in!
Really hard to look past Cav at the moment, especially after the efforts of both WvA and Colbrelli yesterday.
You never know though, Wout was only a wheel length off the win in Stage 10, then way off the front again yesterday so maybe he's got some more in the tank!
Thanks for the places to go. We have time to get to Soho and Rapha will have reassuringly expensive coffee and cake too! Plus there's Milroy's close by for some Whisk(e)y oggling too!
Weather report is suggesting crosswinds in places. Echelon-y 🙂
Race start delayed by 10 minutes due to strong winds
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After the hills yesterday, we return to the flats.
How flat is the Ardeche? My money's on a breakaway unless Mark really wants this one. I know Thomas de Gendt hasn't been showing his usual form but he didn't do a lot yesterday. Wishful thinking from me there being a huge Thomas fanboy. Maybe he could arrange another Belgian attack.
YES!!! I think crosswinds are probably the most exciting to view as a spectator. Must be a complete 'mare for the riders though.
DQS pretty good with echelons IIRC?
DQS pretty good with echelons IIRC?
They are but it's going to be absolutely frantic!
Ineos are without Luke Rowe (missed the time cut yesterday) who's also renowned as a bit of a crosswind specialist.
Yes DQS are echelon masters, as I'd have thought Jumbo being northern europe rider stacked, Ineos are good in a crosswind however they lost Luke Rowe so I'd guess Kwiato is road captain for them now (or maybe Geraint?)
Sagan pulled out!
fluid on the knee
Yep. I shall not miss him. Great rider but a touch cavalier not to mention arrogant. He must be in some pain though - he's tough..
https://www.cyclingnews.com/news/peter-sagan-abandons-the-tour-de-france/
Ha, another one of my fantasy team out.
Sounds like they've delayed the start due to the tailwinds in the first part of the race.
So, they just don't want them to finish too early?
Peloton rolling out through the neutral zone now.
Ha, another one of my fantasy team out.
I've got Soren Kragh Andersen in mine. He made the time cut by 3" yesterday! Anyway, I'm still so far down the rankings, it's barely worth checking it any more.
I hope Cav has a bigger chainring on today. It's going to be a fast sprint...and considerably safer without Sagan throwing himself around.
smashed from the start
I’ve got Soren Kragh Andersen in mine. He made the time cut by 3″ yesterday! Anyway, I’m still so far down the rankings, it’s barely worth checking it any more
I'm solid last 😀
It does seem to have been quite a tough tour on the riders though.
Sounds like they’ve delayed the start due to the tailwinds in the first part of the race.
So, they just don’t want them to finish too early?
more or less, yes
"The race has been postponed because the peloton would go too fast with the tailwind. The average speed we estimated would be too low," says Thierry Gouvenou.
Going too fast can cause all sorts of issues with the tv broadcast and safety on the course.
G caught out
Echelons!!!!!!
all calm now
all calm now
Yeah, that's a decent breakaway been allowed to go now. Alaphilippe in it again - is he the new Thomas de Gendt - rider with the longest time in breakaways award maybe?
I think that breakaway might be allowed to succeed actually.
Bunch treating it as a bit of a day off. It's a big ask for DQS to control it all, pull it back and deliver Cav to another win, they'll all be wrecked.
Plus Cav has just backed that up by stopping and faffing around with stuff.
<Nasely>Interesting Cav isn't wearing the skin suit today</Nasely>
Pretty significant gap and a very strong group, wouldn't be surprised if the move stuck at this rate!
Yep, a day for looking at the scenery! Which is very nice. 🙂
Loving Alexei Sayle in the commentary box.
apparently ASO want to slow him down 😉
Alaphilippe's doing his turn in the break, clearly DQS are happy to let it go but if someone else wants it back, I guess they'll grudgingly join in at the end.
Stunning part of the world.
this is going to the break, no 34th today 🙁
Be nice to see Greipel win today.
Now the break realise they have it in the bag though don't you think they'll try to ship the true sprinters out of the back to stand a better chance in the finish?
I'm not sure there's the terrain to do that. There will certainly be attacks though, I'd be surprised if that big group came to the finish.
this is going to the break, no 34th today 🙁
Better to give DQS and Cav the day off, build back for tomorrow and for Paris. I think most of the bunch seem to be of the same mind.
Still a fairly quick stage though, partly down to that tailwind which will favour the break.
Bora making friends !
Bora making friends !
Ineos are annoying UAE / Pogacar as well. 😉
terrain is a little more scrubby and exposed. darn it back in the trees 🙁
I didn't know Boasson Hagen was in the race!!
Gutted it's not a sprint, I wanted my Cav fix!!
Nice bridge!
France does good architecture (mostly). 🙂
Never new basking sharks could ride bikes!
(ref. Pollit)
Good race this. Excellent underhand tactics in the break, attacking when fellow escapees are back at the car!
I love stages where I know the roads. That road up through the Gorge de l'Ardeche is a lovely ride, same with the roads around Uzes, a really pretty town with a Haribo factory on the outskirts. Sunflowers and lavender all the way.
Brad Wiggins has a pretty sweet job on this, eh? Back of a motorbike, buzzing around in amongst it. Great fun.
Hope the crowd at the finish have got their sunglasses on
10 miles in 19 minutes apparently for the end of that stage. Mental!
France does good architecture (mostly). 🙂
Pont Du Gard? What did the Romans ever do for us?
Little reminder from Cav that he's still there!
Pollits does a 19 whilst the peloton take the day off. Has to be out and back to really count though. For the record, I am not a “19 man”. But I am the 12-hr equivalent
I know. 19 for a 10 is insane, on a road bike after 90 hard miles already. Even with a tailwind and a bit down hill.
