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Finally, finally, after far to many sprint stages, we get something interesting, cobbles. Lovely. Big love, as ever to INRNG for most of the text and CyclingTips for most of the images, both damn fine websites in their own right and well worth a visit.
A Tour de France stage hasn’t featured as many cobblestones since stage 12 from Compiègne to Roubaix in 1981 that had 27.1km of pavés divided in 27 sectors. Stage 9 includes 15 of them from km 47.5 to 8km to go, for a total of 21.7km non asphalted. The finish is located on the avenue Maxence Van der Meersch near the legendary velodrome and its indoor version “Le Stab”. It’s the most feared stage for the GC contenders. They can lose a lot of time and illusions before reaching the mountains. Some Paris-Roubaix specialists may have to look after their captains rather than hunt for a prestigious stage win: Sep Vanmarcke for Rigoberto Uran, Oliver Naesen for Romain Bardet, Matt Hayman for Adam Yates, Gianni Moscon for Chris Froome and Geraint Thomas who is second on GC and likely to take advantage of this specific stage to definitely position himself as a potential winner of the Tour de France. It’s shorter than a classic and many ingredients are different but it’s a spectacle not to be missed!
All very fluffy from the Tour website, INRNG have a better intro in my opinion.
The Route: 156km and packed with pavé. Normally the Tour borrows a few sections of cobbles, for example 13.3km in total during a long stage in 2015. This time it’s 21.7km, way more than recent editions. It’s also borrowing several of the harder sections and the final sector comes just 6km from the finish. It’s as close to remake of Paris-Roubaix as you can get within reason during the Tour de France but at 156km it’s 100km less and this will make the stage more explosive.
As ever the cobbles are dramatic and strategic but the approach matters too, a sprint among riders to get into position each time. The first sector comes after 47.5km and the race takes the Route Nationale out of Cambrai, a big wide road that’s downhill before a sudden fork to the left onto the cobbled track. This entry is fraught with risk, the peloton will bear down at speed on a wide road and suddenly there’s only room to ride 2-3 abreast on the cobbles. Appropriately enough the sector ends next to a chapel called Our Lady of the Seven Sorrows.
Readers will recognise the names like Pont Thibault, Cysoing and Mons-en-Pévèle but note they’re not always the same as Paris-Roubaix, for example Mons-en-Pévèle is reduced from 3,000 to 900m, still plenty.
The Finish: flat and tarmac. The finish is outside the Roubaix velodromes, not on the track and nor is the approach the same as in April. There’s a left hand bend before the flamme rouge, a right hander just under the kite and then another right-hander with 400m to go.
Relatively flat finish.
The contenders? Will, INRNG is on the fence here, as rightly said, will the classics guys be on domestique duties and allow an unexpected rider to take it?
The Contenders: there are several classics contenders in the bunch who are going to be on team duty today but this need not rule them out. Their job today is to tow their leaders into position and if done well then it means they’ll be in the front group coming into Roubaix. Still those without responsibilities can save themselves rather than close gaps all day. This makes Peter Sagan (Bora-Hansgrohe) the obvious pick, he can go for the stage while others in his team can shepherd Rafał Majka the best they can.
Arnaud Démare (Groupama-FDJ) is a potential Paris-Roubaix winner and this stage suits him but can he stay in contention? Christophe Laporte (Cofidis) is similar and Cofidis are based near the finish so he and others will be active unlike recent stages were the red jerseys have been hard to spot.
Will John Degenkolb (Trek-Segafredo) be able to ride for himself. If he doesn’t have to protect Bauke Mollema then he’s in with a chance in the sprint. A similar story with Daryl Impey at Mitchelton-Scott.
Quick Step will try to get Fernando Gaviria in contention for the finish but the likes of Niki Terpstra and Yves Lampaert can play their own cards if the Colombian struggles but again this isn’t Paris-Roubaix with its 250km, it’ll be much harder for them to escape today as the peloton will be more lively and neither packs much of a sprint, perhaps Philippe Gilbert can play his card and Bob Jungels too.
Another test of team ambitions is with BMC Racing. Greg Van Avermaet is a likely stage winner and with the yellow jersey he’s got an extra right to defend his race lead for one more day. But Richie Porte needs all the help he can get to defend his chances.
Among the GC contenders it’s hard to see them winning the stage but they finish the day in a winning position. Geraint Thomas (Team Sky) has the comparative advantage, this is the terrain he can exploit better than the rest, especially since Chris Froome has a saddle sore and that’s not going to heal today and Sky will look to deploy all their riders to shake things up. Vincenzo Nibali (Bahrain-Merida) seems in his element too thanks to two flamboyant rides over the Tour’s pavé and the likes of Jacob Fuglsang (Astana) should fare well too but there’s an element of risk, a lottery. So the secondary competition today isn’t the stage win but to get ahead, stay out of trouble and, whisper it, hope that their rivals exactly the nightmare day they’ve been dreading. A puncture, a crash or just a gap opening up on one cobbled sector and suddenly someone aiming for the GC is losing time before they’ve even reached the first mountain stage.
Finally because the pavé have a random element sometimes three left-field lucky dips: Jens Keukeleire (Lotto-Soudal), Damien Gaudin (Direct Energie) and Reinardt Janse Van Rensburg (Dimension Data)
My ever inaccurate picks are either Sagan (knows his way around a cobble, little or no GC riders in his team to worry about as Majka doesn't count!) or Nibali of the GC guys lead the show. However, keep your on Terpstra, he has a wonderful ability to just roll of the front that may work today.
What about yesterday? Well, it was a typical day in France.
Fantastic writeup as always Lunge.
Fingers crossed Geraint Thomas gets the nod from sky to go on his own if the opportunity presents itself...
It would be interesting to see sky and geraint have a go today.
But as said, who knows what is going to happen, it's going to be great
Didn't realise that Froome has a saddle sore.
Very excited for today's stage.
https://twitter.com/miketomalaris/status/1018423094669606913
No running down the edge today
Didn’t realise that Froome has a saddle sore.
Looks like the organisers did 😉
wonder if Sagan will run the mechanical gears again and will G attack to gap Froome
G will be a marked man by the other teams especially if they think Froome isn't 100% If Froome pops then I'm sure like the last time G will get the go ahead for a solo effort or with 1 teammate. I doubt there will be much sympathy for mechanicals today
A day when the peloton rides bikes that are far more suited to us mortals for a change!
Who will be making the best of the technicals over the cobbles with the good tempo? With apologies to @kvanvlaminck
wonder if Sagan will run the mechanical gears again and will G attack to gap Froome
If he's still on the Venge, no chance as it's only made for electronic gears. If he's swapped to a Roubaix, he may just ride the same bike he won on last time (caliper brakes, mech gears).
If he's been given a new Roubaix, chances are it'll be disc / electronic.
My predictions: G will be well up there (top 10) or he'll crash and lose 3 minutes. Froome will survive relatively unscathed. GVA will blow most of it to pieces - he's got the form and experience to know this very well and go for a win in yellow. Sagan will be on his wheel all the way and as usual will be in the top 5.
I still want Gilbert to win it - if he can do a long range on the final set of cobbles he might be in with a chance.
Got the makings of an incredible stage.
Currently in the sofa waiting for it to start 1115 on Eurosport
Poor Dan Martin - that was such a good stage win he had the other day so to go out like that with a fractured vertebra is really unlucky. 🙁
Awesome, just come back from a 15k trail run in time for the stage.
Degenkolb or Terpstra.
John because he’s had a shit year training, and Nikki because he’s awesome.
QS will dominate, don’t think Gerant has the hard man in him to do this one.. if it was raining and windy then maybe. Sagan, can’t rule him out can you.. super man that he is and plays, it’d be a sad day if he didn’t try.
Outside bet? Daniel Oss, the most talented in the peloton yet held back to keep the stars shining. Stefan Kung or Stephane Dillier for real outsiders.
Dry, fast, brutally hot.
God I Love It.
What the hairy shirt that Adams wearing??
Looks like my great aunts table cloth 🤦♀️
Not sure I like this for a GT - even an "ordinary" flat stage can be a lottery
I'm expecting chaos. That's what makes P-R great but I don't want to see the GC disappear from somebody just because of a big crash or a mechanical. I also think that the race for the win will be a bit weird with some potential (and actual) P-R winners just shepherding the GC man around
Time trial would be fun 😉
Dans still in the Tour, he hasn’t pulled out.
Crazylegs, it's TONY Martin with the fractures (career-ending, I wonder)
Hoping that Dan MIGHT make it through the day
and, man - that's a bold shirt !
Dans still in the Tour, he hasn’t pulled out.
Bloody hell, he's going to suffer today!
Crazylegs, it’s TONY Martin with the fractures (career-ending, I wonder)
Ah, thanks for the clarification. Didn't see any of it yesterday, was out of TV / social media contact all day so everything I've heard has been third hand.
Right, I'm off out to ride some bumpy roads on my 32s in homage - pray for me !
This is a fast start! Everyone wants to be in the break and "safe" for a little bit.
Oh that's awful, poor Richie. That's heartbreaking to see. 🙁
Not looking good for Porte...
Riches out... just confirmed busted CB.
Benoot out too 😰
Rojas too...
This will completely change BMCs tactic - suddenly leaves GVA free to go for the stage win rather than look after Porte
Breaks gone, calmajenes in it 👍👍👍💪
Wonder If this will stick 🤫
bugger
What happened to Porte. Just switched it on.
Crash in first 10k suspected broken collarbone
What happened to Porte. Just switched it on.
Brutally fast early on, loads of riders trying to get into the break, trying to pull it back, trying to bridge and somewhere in the back 1/4 or so of the bunch was a touch of wheels as the bunch yo-yo'd with the changes in speed and negotiating road furniture. Wasn't on TV, all the cameras were up the front.
Porte's crash really stabilised the peloton, they all sat up and suddenly the break went from 20" up to a minute almost instantly, there was a second group of 4 chasers in between who pressed on.
That's a strong breakaway.
itv4 or eurosport?
Bugger for Porte, sounds like it was going to take one cock up before they calmed it down a bit, probably not the end of the drama
Oh for God's sake, it's his Di2 battery / controller! He's not fiddling with a bar end plug!
/facepalm.
Something went wrong in that wheel change, my guess is he's pulled a cable out or the wheel has gone in wrong and bent the mech, his gears aren't working and he's trying to adjust it.
Oops, someone snapped a Bianchi in half!
Groenwegen's forks snapped?!!
There's a Astana rider with not more holes than material in his kit...
Groenwegen’s forks snapped?!!
Steerer tube or headtube, couldn't quite see.
/mental note never to buy a Bianchi...
Finally, finally an interesting stage, this will be great fun to watch.
Groanwaggens a monster on a bike, it’s one reason I knicknamed him groanwaggon, because you can hear the bike groaning underneath him 🤪
Damn... OSS at the side of the pavé 🤦♀️🥊
Brutally hot and fast innit..
Finally, finally an interesting stage, this will be great fun to watch.
A great race, a crap stage for the race though, kind of agree with O'Grady there these guys are not the right guys to be racing here. Too many crashes.
Busted wheel 👍🤩
This is some brutal racing. Properly hardcore.
Everyone is going to welcome the rest day tomorrow!
Well GVA just got the call all GC options done for BMC so time to blow it apart from the front.
I can’t work out whether this is too much of a risk for a 3 week grand tour, or an excellent idea which is going to produce some excellent racing in the following as people try to get back into GC contention...
Well GVA just got the call all GC options done for BMC so time to blow it apart from the front.
As I said on page 1! 🙂 He's testing the water, he's not quite gone full gas just yet. Just beginning to force things.
Well froome just ate some dirt, it's going to be an exciting finish
Romain Bardet is having the worst possible day in terms of mechanicals. Dropped, chasing back on, punctures again...
Sagan is looking ominous - he's been right there in the front 10 all day. Sky back in control at least temporarily, they've been strong and had fairly minimal bad luck so far.
Oh - as I say that Froome slides off. Tit.
This is compulsive viewing... preventing me from actually gong on my bike!
Is Kwiatkowski back on - he's key to Sky later on in the mountains.
Landa down.
he’s key to Sky later on in the mountains.
Got to get the big guys to the mountains first
Carnage this.
*watches through fingers*
Dear teams,
When riding cobbles, try using 32c tubeless tyres at about 60psi. Then you might be able to go round corners. Also, it'll be a lot less uncomfortable.
You're welcome.
Dear teams,
When riding cobbles, try using 32c tubeless tyres at about 60psi. Then you might be able to go round corners. Also, it’ll be a lot less uncomfortable.
You’re welcome.
I'm sure no one has told them that!!!
You'd think they'd learn after all those times preparing team for Paris Roubaix;).
Having been a victim of dust/cobble/tyre traction failure myself recently, I reckon it must be worse than when its wet. Not sure what tyre or pressure for that.
and the folks on my club run moaned at my route choice as we went up a bit of a dodgy surrey road surface earlier........
we did have one slide out though - on the gravel at the entrance to the Milk Churn cafe at Rudgwick. No damage other than being last in the queue for the cheese on toast..... no mercy shown or waiting at critical points like that.
You’d think they’d learn after all those times preparing team for Paris Roubaix;).
Or as pointed out very few of the GC guys would actually line up for that race
and where the hell did Dan Martin come from there??
True but that's what their mechanics and team mates are for. I was only referring to the tyre comment not their ability to ride the stuff. 3-4 GC riders did venture to the spring classics this year though.
With regards to whether a stage like this has a place in a grand tour, im conflicted.
Sure it can end the hopes of some of the favourites, but is that any different than a time trial ending the chances for bardet or numerous mountain stages that discount half the peleton?
Not crashing is a pretty relevant skill to have after all. I dont see sagan falling off, so is it purely down to luck?
True but that’s what their mechanics and team mates are for
The mechanics are part of the problem. They really hate new technology, they're incredibly conservative. Many are former riders so there's a huge mentality of "well back in my day..." and a lot of them are also very used to routine, they're excellent at quickly cleaning and servicing top end road bikes but when it comes to actually embracing new ideas like disc brakes, tubeless, 1x etc the manufacturers are up against a real brick wall in trying to train them in using it.
Many of the early comments from riders about disc brakes were simply due to them being badly set up, not bled properly and from general bad-mouthing from mechanics about how slow wheel changes would be, how dreadful they would be - the usual traditionalist arguments.
Some of it is driven by sponsors too. Continental are big tyre sponsors and they don't make a tubeless tyre so they'll have been pretty instrumental in holding it all back.
Not crashing is a pretty relevant skill to have after all. I dont see sagan falling off, so is it purely down to luck?
Even up the front some riders are sliding out of corners, if one takes your wheels out your race could be over, you do rely on everybody around you to be staying upright too. Crash on a TT and the car is with you, get a puncture there will be a new bike in seconds.
Yep its a fair point, hence why im conflicted. Same could be said for normal day in the peloton but I agree this has much more potential for carnage.
Tour needs shaking up however, every years its the same. The mountain stages and the tts are pretty much the only stages that count...unless there is a break in the peloton due to wind, flat stages are usually irrelevant.
Great ride from GVA to get out there and hold the Yellow in a really bad day for BMC
BOOM! I called it. Couldn’t be happier for a bloke that’s had a sorry early season 👍💪👍💪👍💪🥊🥊🥊🥊🥊🥊🥊☄️
what a stage!
Good to see Degenkolb get back to winning ways!
I think Richie Porte's turned into the Danny Pedrosa of stage cycling.At the start David Millar compared it to the Grand National,at least no one got shot but I spotted at least one dead Bianchi.
Bardet,talk about doing things the hard way,he's still in it but I imagine that's going to be a tense team debrief...
Not seen the Porte crash yet but he does seem to be in the wrong place at times but how the hell did GT get through without crashing!! Is he saving that for week 3?
To be honest I was expecting Froome to hit the deck,I just didn't expect his team mate to take him out!
Bardet,talk about doing things the hard way,he’s still in it but I imagine that’s going to be a tense team debrief…
Why? He had many punctures and he's gona have to say sorry Ollie you could have wn this one but you saved my ass several times like last year in the echelons. And gonna say to Dillier glad we took you as Ollie's sidekick excellent job boys.
That was a very tense watch. Really pleased nairo made it through, impressive stuff.
Very emotional ending with degenkolb, fantastic win for him. Glad to see him back.
Why?
I should rephrase that,tense in the sense that he'd had so many punctures that he ran out of team members to help him.
Great stage today, Gutted for Porte, hope everyone was all ok inc spectators, as it looked like medics/people were treating someone on the ground/pavement for a bit in the chaos
A great race, a crap stage for the race though, kind of agree with O’Grady there these guys are not the right guys to be racing here. Too many crashes.
I don’t agree at all. The GC is for the best overall rider, if the course includes cobbles then the GC have to be able to ride it. What GC is not is the best climber or TTer, it is (well, should be) as test of all round skill. This is why Porte will never win a grand tour, he can climb with the best and his TT is good too but he can’t descend and his technical skills are poor too. Particularly when compared to Froome or Nibali who are much better rounded riders.
if the course includes cobbles then the GC have to be able to ride it.
They did, they also got taken out by team mates and other riders, got caught up when other riders went down, it was carnage out there and it would be interesting to see what injuries and knocks riders have picked up in exchange for the "Spectacle"
The Porte crash was a big group spill before the first section, the comments were about the number of riders in the field being out of comfort zones and being very nervous about what was about to happen.
Might be an age thing but I don't enjoy watching good riders hit the deck that often in a stage.
The idea of riders being out of their comfort zone means that they are not good all round riders. We are in the age of specialism sadly. Very few all rounders out there really. Could Much of this could be avoided I wonder? Eg those in the break are not surrounded by teams. I wonder how much natural caution causes problems? Far fewer big names going for a break nowadays. All the GC riders lurk together until one can exploit a talent such as TTing or they drop off. First day worth watching really (remember this is about marketing and exposure) and a much better example of good riding.
Why?
I should rephrase that,tense in the sense that he’d had so many punctures that he ran out of team members to help him.
Naessen brought him back after bringing him back several times he punctured himself. What the two movistart riders hadn't been able to bridge as a gap in what was it 20 km or more. He gave the message when bardet was in trouble again that he just had to join the slow blue train(where he wasn't allowed to cooperate before). And whilst we where in the last km he singelhandledly again rectified things and Dragged the sorry asses from bardet and Landa back to the lead bunch. As he brought back Bardet on mur de bretagne. As last year into Rodez he brought him from group three till the lead on his own.
The idea of riders being out of their comfort zone means that they are not good all round riders.
Given you are making a team for a 3 week race with the majority being long flat or mountains very few will be cobble specialists and many will never have ridden them - it's not the top riders that are always the problems, more the 30-40% of others out there. Anyway just my optionon
So
Many
Skinwalls!
😎
Totally gripping viewing! i really enjoyed that. If Porte had lost it on the cobbles and got injured I'd have been gutted. But they hadn't even got there.
If the ASO can bring in a stage that’s 22k hill sprint up gravel, that can leave the cobbles in IMO.
The best stage in ages, there are a lot of Northern European cobble specialists in all the squads, not just for stages like this..
but because they are hard men who drag primadonnas to the line every single bloody day.
This shows respect to all categories of rider from climbers, sprinters, cobble specialists and TTErs alike.
It also shows variety and splendour.
Riders crash because there is more going on other than their own immediate vicinity, Landa crashed taking a sip out of a bottle and he touched wheels with the guy in front... don’t see many on here bemoaning his crash.. just the Porte one.
What the crash did do was let GvA off the leash to ride like a tour leader should, off the bloody front trying for a stage win. Awesome ride by GvA, that man is hard as nails and massively talented. I was never a fan of his because of his old reputation of GregVanWheelsucker of old, that’s not my nickname for him that was one handed to him by a Belgian rider..
By golly they all did well today.
Whats next 🤩🕺🤯