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Morning all.
I have to say, I'm still astonished the tour has lasted this many days. My money was definitely on a first week early finish!
Interesting day yesterday, cross winds are are arguably more fun to watch than mountains, and the emotion from Sam Bennett was something else too. The GC however, remains unchanged. Will that change today? Well, no, probably not...
So what's on the agenda?
nother flat race is served in the 11th stage of the Tour de France. After leaving the coast, La Grande Boucle enters the heart of France through the marshlands of Poitou. At 167 kilometres, the stage runs from Châtelaillon-Plage to Poitiers.
Wide sandy beaches, promenades, ancient villas – Châtelaillon-Plage has it all if you are looking for a day at the beach. The riders – and especially the sprinters – are looking for something else though, namely eternal glory. Winning a race in the Tour de France is something to cherish for the rest of your life.
As said, fast finishers are likely to come to the fore in the race from Châtelaillon-Plage to Poitiers. The course is predominantly flat, so the scenario is obvious: breakaway opens up a gap of several minutes before being brought back in the last kilometres. The sprint trains take central stage and… who will win Poitiers?
The victor will succeed Sean Kelly, who came out on top when the Tour visited the city on Clain River for the last time in 1978. Six years ago Arnaud Démare sprinted to the French National Championships title on the 1.5 kilometres long home straight.
The first three riders on the line gain time bonuses of 10, 6 and 4 seconds.
Stage 11 of Le Tour starts at 13.25 and the race is expected to finish around 17.30 – both are local times (CEST).
And who can we expect to see with their hands in the air?
The Contenders: the climb between the 3km to go and 2km banners tilts the balance a touch today. There’s time to regroup and relaunch but anyone in oxygen debt here will struggle to repay.
Sam Bennett (Deceuninck-Quickstep) or Caleb Ewan (Lotto-Soudal)? If this blog was cleverer it would have a random generator so that half the readers saw the Irishman tipped for today’s stage win and the other half get the Australian served up as today’s prime pick. Alas there’s no trickery so find a coin and toss it, both can cope with the climb before the sprint.
Cees Bol keeps looking good until the finishing straight when he and his Sunweb leadout get swamped like a boat on Austin’s Lake Travis. Worse for him today is the uphill finish, it’s not ruinous but just a touch harder for him.
Bryan Coquard‘s chances are better today. Nicknamed Le Coq, the B&B Hotels-Vital Concept leader used to be known as Le Moustique or the Mosquito as he’s so light so he could float up the climb in the final kilometres but the problem is the remaining two kilometres plus he had a hard crash yesterday and will be sore now.
Peter Sagan (Bora-Hansgrohe) is close and could find the uphill finish helps but it’d now be a big surprise if he wins. Elia Viviani (Cofidis) was fourth yesterday after a difficult first week so watch for him today.
Yesterday? France, once again looks sublime.
Cees Bol keeps looking good until the finishing straight when he and his Sunweb leadout get swamped like a boat on Austin’s Lake Travis.
LOL
I have to say, I’m still astonished the tour has lasted this many days
I see Prudhomme has tested positive for Covid-19 so fingers crossed.
France, once again looks sublime.
A dreary village and a vineyard? You wouldn't give either a second glance if it weren't for the multi-coloured circus riding through the middle of them 🙂
I'll freely admit I'm not a huge fan of flat sprint stages, they all seem to be dull until the last 3-5km, and the scenery's generally not that great to look at either. Hopefully those short climbs also mean pretty villages and chateaus (aka châteaux), and not salt flats!
I'm starting to feel for Sunweb - they've been really committed on almost every stage but still don't seem to be able to manage a win.
I think a nice relaxing (for the viewer) blueprint sprint stage today will be just the thing. I like all of the sprinters at the moment as well so any probable result is good. It'll be interesting to see how Bora and DQS go about the race for green as well.
All that said, there'll be a break of 20 riders and pinot will gain back all the time he lost.
OMG ITS ALL KICKING OFF NOW
Just kidding.
Nice chateau.
Ooh, is that a sniff of a cross wind?!?!
Chateau count is pretty decent today, seen some nice ones I'd like to visit.
Intermediate sprint done.
Phew!
Time for a lie down after all that.
Ooh, a regional airport and the helicopter pilot is taking the piss 🙂
that's interesting as a move
Spicy!!
Ramifications for Sagan? I hope not to keep the points contest hot but that didnt look too good!
Looked ok to me. Was moving him over s bit rather than splattering him into the hoarding
Another cracking sprint finish, little nudge from Sagan reminding Van Aert he's still got it, not much in it for me result should stand.
Great finish - isolating the sprinters with a little climb and that late breakaway really helped create a cracking last 400m
Hmm.
https://twitter.com/cyclingreporter/status/1303721241216528390?s=20
Looks to me like the kind of contact that's fairly normal in the run-in to a sprint. Whether it's OK to do during the sprint is maybe another matter.
I wonder what Van Aert's opinion is?
https://twitter.com/OutOfCycling/status/1303726009167085569?s=20
Peter Sagan has been relegated to last place in the group. Probably a fair outcome. Glad he's not out of the race.
Not sure how it impacts his green jersey campaign.
Good finish to an otherwise dull stage - can't see much wrong with Sagan's move, looking at the video above (from 00:00 to 00:01) Van Aert was moving over to the right and forcing Sagan into the barrier.
Peter Sagan has been relegated to last place
And also docked 13 (more) points. Not sure I think that's the right outcome here.
Watching the longer clip it seems like Sagan goes for a gap that’s not really there and tries to make it bigger with a nudge
https://twitter.com/letour/status/1303725447449063425?s=21
Trying to make a space that wasn't there? Right result imo
Had Sagan held his line, he might have had a tiny claim that WVA had veered off his, to the right, smidge. As it was, however, he went for the nuclear option.
He'll go home in a sulk before the end of the race.
I made the same comment myself, cap'n
Great minds, NBT, great minds...
If he had used his elbow or shoulder he would probably have been ok. A full on headbutt was always going to end in DQ.
Shame really as he seemed to be finally taking an interest in the race and now as above I think he will just sulk.
That helicopter shot shows just how far back WVA started his sprint...phenomenal how he almost took it to the line against the best sprinters in the world when you consider he isn't really classed as a sprinter!
at the time I thought WvA just ran out of steam but looking at the overhead there is a case that Sagan blew it for him. WvA rode an honest sprint then Sagan pushed past.
But let's face it, sprinting is the only sport that's still like the 80s.
Did you see it from the front? On the overhead it just looks like a shoulder but from the front you see Sagan using his head. Finally showed he had the legs at least.
On the replays it looks like a pretty hefty barge from Sagan and with his head (/shoulder). I think it was the right outcome. WvA keeps a pretty steady line IMO, almost looks half in frustration from Sagan.. theres a second elbow dig later, although WvA is wobbling towards him then.
AS an aside, I wonder if WvA will bother with any 'cross this year? He's looking so imperious it could be a right ding-dong with MvDP if they both race/