A flat stage that’s not too long (179km), which in theory should be the preserve of the sprinters, because bunch finishes are obviously one part of cycling that shouldn’t be neglected. The landscape will be beautiful: we will be passing through the Baux-de-Provence. That said, it would be dangerous to view this stage simply as one of transition? The heat, which can be extreme, could have a role to play, especially after 219km the day before! And there’s always the chance the wind can get up. On an almost identical course, the wind almost played a very nasty trick on Contador in 2009? However, logic would suggest the candidates for the green jersey will feast on this stage.

Always great to see him do what he does best.

[video]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZnyULnWF8xw[/video]

Photos from Stage 5

Today has Cavendish written all over it. Have you seen Sagan’s moustache? He’s gotta shave, it’s just not aero enough.

A few useful links

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Fantasy League Standings
Loser League Standings

The Hounds of Zaroff by Ceri gets knocked off the top spot by Jimsters` Jinkers in the Fantasy league, with team Wait for me! by headfirst staying in the lead in the loser league (I’m a close second).

http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/sagan-happy-to-be-in-green-but-hungry-for-tour-de-france-stage-victory

http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/vande-veldes-tour-de-france-in-doubt-after-marseille-crash

http://www.cyclingnews.com/features/look-695-aerolight-full-details – still not sure if this is really ugly or not

And if you missed it yesterday…

http://instagram.com/p/bTmzXvsC5P/#

I just hope there’s no more crashing. Five leadout trains can’t fit on the road!
I wonder what the last few kms are like? Cav has to be the favourite, but I reckon Greipel will be bursting for this one.

A sharp left hand bend followed by a right left right zig zag at around 8k to go, and a big left hand bend at around 2k to go. Apart from that it looks quite good.

that Look 695 is a lovely bike spoilt by a gopping paint job

Loving the bunch sprints at the moment, tense stuff in the last 10k or so. Good to see a few trains all going for it.

sagan to finish 3rd or lower. Again.

The Eurosport coverage yesterday made it look a close finish until the airial shot sometime after showed Cav had it by a mile. Impressive stuff.

I just hope there’s no more crashing.

Strong winds forecast for today. if that’s a cross wind in the last 20 / 30km the GC contenders will be trying to get up to the front, to avoid any splits. coupled with the lead out trains battling each other.

Carnage.

What’s the estimated timing for the stage? (As in, do I have time for a siesta before the end? 🙂 )

Cav for the win, of course!

Wait for me! by headfirst staying in the lead in the loser league

I’m so proud of my boys! I’m tearing up here…

I’m going to put my neck on the block today with my prediction and go for….Cav.

I love a bunch sprint… in fact any kind of sprint.

It has me up out of the chair and standing/sitting/jumping up and down two foot in front of the tele

I like feeling like an 8 year old again … 😀

For those in the Road.cc fantasy league, an interesting couple of days ahead … trying to manage the best way to get some climbers into your team for the weekend

as I said yesterday: Cav 2 days in a row

The Eurosport coverage yesterday made it look a close finish until the airial shot sometime after showed Cav had it by a mile. Impressive stuff.

The footage you see live always makes it look like Cav has disappeared with about 1.6km to go and that the sprint’s really close, then the aerial shot shows how controlled and clear it was.

it’s timing. Cav just has it dialled. to my untrained eye, it looks like he just gets the jump and can get to his max mph quicker than the others and just stays there, plus he’s small do doesn’t offer much protection for drafters.
Sagan always seems to leave it just that fraction too late – he always seems to be going fastest at the end.

Look is rad as **** and has a classic Look paintjob, don’t know why people are saying it’s ugly.

then the aerial shot shows how controlled and clear it was

He does have a knack of doing enough to win & I often feel he’s got more in the tank. You don’t see it used often but he does possess that elusive ‘second kick’ where he seemingly is able to accelerate again after his initial one.

One highlight for me yesterday was the eejit running amidst the lead group only to get flattened by another spectator 🙂

[video]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MaXyLbeqE54[/video]

oh no – just heard that Jurgen van den Broeck is out 🙁 more misery for my fantasy team

Wait for me! by headfirst staying in the lead in the loser league (I’m a close second).

Get in he is on the podium in a respectable third…hold on we are all pleased we are good at being crap 😕

Cav for the win

I did not realise we could do transfers in the team that seems a tad unfair tbh as the real teams cannot do this- some of you are taking this too seriously if you have bothered to do this

you can’t do transfers in the Velogames one can you?

The Eurosport coverage yesterday made it look a close finish until the airial shot sometime after showed Cav had it by a mile

yeah think they should do the aerial shot for sprint finishes – especially as I was watching on ITV4 highlights so they could check the aerial was decent quality then bunged it in instead of the head on shot.

It was interesting to see the head-on shots of yesterday’s sprint, you can see how Cav is much lower than his competitors, so must have far less air resistance at those speeds.

Nobby – Member
tdf punch

clothes lining runners? pacifist in me shakes his head, but vindictive side chuckles. Some of the dicks on the road are annoying, a portly lady was on the road with her mobile yesterday, one rider (reza?) had to dodge her and that idiot with the dog that ran across the road right infront of the peleton near the end of the first stage (i think) both had me shouting at the telly.

oh no – just heard that Jurgen van den Broeck is out more misery for my fantasy team

+1

I had a cheeky few quid on him for a podium finish too!

clothes lining runners? pacifist in me shakes his head, but vindictive side chuckles. Some of the dicks on the road are annoying, a portly lady was on the road with her mobile yesterday, one rider (reza?) had to dodge her and that idiot with the dog that ran across the road right infront of the peleton near the end of the first stage (i think) both had me shouting at the telly.

Absolutely – there’s always idiots on thestages but this year they seem to have multiplied.

I think it was on the second stage where two riders were out front on a climb & the guy in second wanted to pull off the wheel of the leader & go for the KOM points on offer but couldn’t because the spectators had narrowed the road too much.

“some of you are taking this too seriously if you have bothered to do this “

Transfers are available on almost all other fantasy game out there… Velogames , where you can’t, is actually the exception.

Transfers defo increases the enjoyment/disappointment (when you tranfer out, the night before, the next days winner 😈 ) …

It makes for a much more involving game, that you play for the whole 3 weeks… as opposed to the fire and forget of a “purist” team with no transfers

It makes for a much more involving game, that you play for the whole 3 weeks… as opposed to the fire and forget of a “purist” team.

Horses for courses but it being more like having an actual team seems fair to me

Not sure what fair has got to do with it ?

Everyone plays by the same rules

fair to the pureté de le sport

velogames has the advantage of being easy to play – not too much effort

other games can take up a lot of time (I know I have virtually sailed around the world three times!)

by fair I meant more like being a real team – is pick them at the start and you are stuck with them

Why oh why did I not put Cavendish in my Fantasy team? Numpty. I’m sliding down the fantasy league quicker than a Sagan alpine descent. I give up, what’s the PIN for the loser league, I’m on a roll.
My prediction of an Orica win via Matt Goss yesterday was way off the mark – he even got dropped on the final climb. Shame transfers aren’t allowed.

I’m with rosey, fiddling about with your team is great fun. It’s no different to how fantasy football works, where you pick players from different teams over the course of the season.

I prefer the no transfers aspect myself. Just wish my French riders would do something now, come on Tommy!

So, Cav again for today? Looked pretty impressive yesterday and no where near as many hills today.

It’s no different to how fantasy football works, where you pick players from different teams over the course of the season.

Yes, but football teams in the real world™ can actually transfer players. Cycling teams can’t in the middle of a 3 week bike race 😉

Cheers,
Jamie

imagine if they could though. that would be pretty cool.
maybe you could do it with the domestiques.
not sure it would work with GC riders.

I think that Cav’s “2nd kick” isn’t what it appears, after listening to him on Talksport late last week he explained a lot about the sprinters.

He can “only” produce a peak of around 1200watts – and thats mostly in training – Greipel can do over 1700watts. Cav however can maintain his peak for 15 seconds and the others, Greiple included about 2-3 seconds. So I think that his 2nd kick may just be the others deccelerating, not him accelerating.

He’s also not that small in real world, let alone the cycling world at 5’9″, he just appears that way as he’s quite stocky for a cyclist. Sagan is 6ft and only weighs 7lbs more.

not sure quite what you’re on about?

just watch this http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NbQeKRUAdXE

I think that Cav’s “2nd kick” isn’t what it appears

I think it is TBH, he’s talked about it , and how he uses it in the past.

Looks like the sprinters teams are reeling in the beak for the early sprint…