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Not what can be said about stage 1 bar the fact that some people are idiots.
Let's see what day 2 has in store.
he 2nd stage of the Tour de France finishes in Mûr-de-Bretagne. The climb into the village is perfect for punchers. It's 2 kilometres long and the first half is particularly steep. As the race concludes with a local circuit the punchy ascent features twice.
Three years ago La Grande Boucle visited Mûr-de-Bretagne for the last time. Daniel Martin took the spoils, thus succeeding Alexis Vuillermoz (2015) and Cadel Evans (2011).
The climb into Mûr-de-Bretagne is 2 kilometres long and the average gradients sits at 6.9%. The first half is the most tricky part, as it goes up at almost 10%.
The first three summit finishes in Mûr-de-Bretagne were identical. The peloton tackled the climb at high speeds, as if preparing for a bunch sprint. This time the riders enter the finish climb coming round a 90-degrees corner, so the speed will not me as high.
But, obviously, the Mûr-de-Bretagne is not the only climb of the day. In fact, the route includes a total of six classied climbs – all 4th category with the exception of the double dose of the Mûr. In order of apperance, the riders tackle the Côte de Saint-Barbe (900 metres at 6.6%), Côte de Pordic (2.1 kilometres at 3.2%), Côte de Saint Brieuc (1 kilometre at 8%) and Côte du village de Mûr-de-Bretagne (1.6 kilometres at 6.9%), which is actually a prelude to the first haul up the Mûr-de-Bretagne.
The last three climbs of the day are packed together inside the last 20 kilometres. Which should be enough raw material for a compelling finale.
The first three riders on the line gain time bonuses of 10, 6 and 4 seconds. Furthermore, 8, 5 and 2 seconds are available in the first ascent of the Mûr-de-Bretagne.
And who's in the mix?
The Contenders: with half the field over five minutes down already there’s space for the right breakaway but how to pick riders who lost time but aren’t sore with injuries? This should still be a relatively controlled stage, several teams will want to set a sprint finish of sorts. Julian Alaphilippe (Deceuninck-Quickstep) was the best yesterday and can do the same again. Only this time he doesn’t have to attack. He still can, but this time he can mark rivals and cover moves before trying to round them in the finish which will deliver more bonus seconds. Michael Matthews (Bike Exchange) was the best sprinter yesterday and can feature again. Primož Roglič (Jumbo Visma) is already hustling for time bonuses while he has two team mates in Wout van Aert and Jonas Vingegaard who could win, WvA used up a lot of energy in the chase after a crash so can do better than his sprint yesterday suggested. Mathieu van der Poel could still strike but he was well out of the picture yesterday so just placing would be a start.
And as ever, a couple of pics from yesterday. I won't be putting the pic up that caused the crash, that person deserves no publicity whatsoever.
Thanks as always 👍
I think VdP today. Not sure why he was off the pace yesterday, but he'll be there today I think.
World champ in 2nd
I'm wondering if the mix of caliper and disc brakes in the peloton make some of these pile ups worse.
I’m wondering if the mix of caliper and disc brakes in the peloton make some of these pile ups worse.
Yeah, I've said the same in another thread, I think when the majority are on discs, braking harder and later into corners, anyone on rim brakes is at a significant disadvantage.
Tao crashed out of Paris Nice when he outbraked himself in a corner, he'd gone in with the bunch, they all had discs and he had nowhere near the same braking power.
I think VdP today. Not sure why he was off the pace yesterday, but he’ll be there today I think.
Almost all his team went down in the second crash and he was badly positioned into final climb, monstered up to the front just as Alan Phillips went. He might well try to make a selection with 20km to go today so that team mates are less of an issue
I’m wondering if the mix of caliper and disc brakes in the peloton make some of these pile ups worse.
With the two big crashes yesterday, I can’t see how they’d make any difference at all.
frantic start, just what the riding wounded were looking for ;D
I’m not watching yet, anything interesting going on?
I’m not watching yet, anything interesting going on?
It's raining on and off but otherwise, fairly steady. Cav got involved in the intermediate sprint, placed about 3rd in the bunch but that was after the first 6 places had gone to the break.
see g has found his white rimmed shades :/
Cav working on the front....
MvdP goes for yellow 😀
Well done ITV.. Brilliant time to take an ad break🙄
Great to be told how exciting the bonus seconds climb was after you’ve missed it.
Nice second run up it though. Super strong. Ineos got a bit swamped although they set up the initial turn into it well.
and get's it 🙂
got a bit swamped
mugged by the Slovenian mafia
Just got very dusty in here!!
Emotional interview for sure!
MvP gets MVP
so Roglic in yellow after wednesdays time trial, or would that be too early ?
MVdP 3rd generation legend.
so Roglic in yellow after wednesdays time trial, or would that be too early ?
It might be too early but he will take time where he can, Kelderman is an outside bet maybe. Roglic already has 25s on Thomas!!
Roglic already has 25s on Thomas!!
What does that actually mean though ?
It's not 2018 any more.
What does that actually mean though ?
It mean Roglic is 25scahead of Thomas and I doubt Thomas can over turn that in a TT so Roglic looks set to take yellow this week.
I don't think this Tour will come down to a handful of seconds between the top 2-5. I think P1-2 may be close but once they're settled we're going to get big gaps in the high stuff, so i think if Thomas is 2s or 20s behind it makes no difference to the overall, he'll either have it in the big mountains and be right up there.... or, he'll not and be WAY out.
This finish was never 100% in his favour, he's a long game kind of guy, so a burst of pace isn't often/always his favourite tactic, that said, i was a bit surprised.
it was all very Movistar...."bossing it" at the bottom nowhere at the top.
Classy when the current World Champion thanks his domestique former World Champion for working so hard, then congratulates the winner at the end and also in the interview. Excellent stage. Looks like it’s going to be a great race. Unless you are Ineos.
Has anyone noticed how huge MvdP's hands are? He's like a Soviet statue.
I know it's strictly stage 1 but police are hunting yellow raincoat cardboard sign woman with a view to charging her with "deliberately violating safety regulations and causing injuries that might prevent someone working for up to three months"
On first read sounds harsh but if it dissuades others from the daft behaviour that seems to be commonplace, I guess it's justified. And in fairness, she could have seriously injured many more than the one abandonment so far.
Our club marshalled a climb on the Tour of Britain a few years ago and it was beyond herding cats, just crazy trying to get people to stay back.
I’m wondering if the mix of caliper and disc brakes in the peloton make some of these pile ups worse.
I think someone has been drinking too much Kool Aide 😁
Losing the front wheel type crashes still happen with disc brakes (who was the guy who lost front wheel, went over front and maybe even snapped forks in Giro?)
Plus there is barely a 'mix' of discs and rim brakes niw, isn't peloton about 96% disc now? Not sure 8 riders on rim brakes can really wreak that much havoc 😂
so Roglic looks set to take yellow this week.
Why not Pog?
Why not Pog?
He could well do it, but on a flattish TT my money is on Roglic
Our club marshalled a climb on the Tour of Britain a few years ago and it was beyond herding cats, just crazy trying to get people to stay back.
I drove one of the advance cars in the Tour de Yorkshire - it was actually carrying local BBC radio reporters doing live "in race" coverage and interviewing roadside fans but oh my God there were fans almost throwing themselves in front of the car. How I missed some of them I'll never know.
I drove one of the advance cars in the Tour de Yorkshire –
You may know one of our club members who drives the lead car at ToB and other big UK events.
He has some cracking stories about the Police sorting out **** drivers ignoring road closures, which I've seen on ToB 😎
I don’t think this Tour will come down to a handful of seconds between the top 2-5. I think P1-2 may be close but once they’re settled we’re going to get big gaps in the high stuff, so i think if Thomas is 2s or 20s behind it makes no difference to the overall, he’ll either have it in the big mountains and be right up there…. or, he’ll not and be WAY out.This finish was never 100% in his favour, he’s a long game kind of guy, so a burst of pace isn’t often/always his favourite tactic, that said, i was a bit surprised.
Difficult to tell at this stage isn't it - there's 2 reasonable chunks of TTing to come, one on the penultimate day and the early one is a fairly lumpy little number.
Plus all the high mountains and, as we saw with Stage 1, anything can happen at any time.
I can see MvdP staying in yellow for a good chunk of this first week though - Pog & Rog are only 6" back but it might be worth just letting the jersey stay with Alpecin for a bit. It'll be the "middle" rankings (sort of 20" to 60" back) where the contenders are going to have to sort themselves out a bit. Meanwhile, everyone who lost a shedload of time in Stage 1 because of the two crashes is suddenly now free to go for breakaways, stage wins or full-on support role riding.