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  • Tour de France stage 21 – Montgeron / Paris Champs-Élysées – Sprinters World Cup
  • lunge
    Full Member

    Morning all. So, what the hell am I going to do on Monday morning instead of putting these together? Either way, lets see what fun and games the final day will bring.

    There’s one last stage remaining. It’s probably the most prestigious with the Arc de Triomphe as a backdrop and the Champs-Elysées to welcome the 167 finishers of the Tour de France, eight less than last year. This year’s Parisian finale with Chris Froome in the yellow jersey for the fourth time after 2013, 2015 and 2016 includes the promotion of the French bid for the 2014 Olympic Games. Therefore, the peloton will ride through the Grand Palais, the venue set to host fencing and taekwondo. The grand finale is a parade but also the sprinters’ queen stage. Exceptions to a bunch gallop go as far back as in 1994 when Eddy Seigneur rode away from a 5-man breakaway to precede Frankie Andreu by three seconds. In 2005, Alexandre Vinokourov overtook Bradley McGee who had escaped the peloton before the flamme rouge. André Greipel is the defending champion of that stage since he won it back to back in the past two years. Just like one year ago, he hasn’t won any stage in the Tour de France yet. The pressure is on the German. Since he started riding Grand Tours in 2008, he has claimed at least one success in each of them. The Champs-Elysées is a reward for the sprinters who have overcome all the difficulties of the 3-week long race. Marcel Kittel, Arnaud Démare, Mark Cavendish and Peter Sagan are no longer in contention but the list of candidates is long. Besides Greipel, Alexander Kristoff is another very hungry former stage winner [last time in 2014]. Sonny Colbrelli, John Degenkolb, Nacer Bouhanni and Dylan Groenewegen are on the hunt for their first ever stage victory at the Tour de France. But the winner might as well be someone who is used to go on stage this July. Michael Matthews is eager to crown the beautiful Tour of his Sunweb team and stage 19 winner Edvald Boasson Hagen can sprint to victory as much as he rode solo to find success in Salon-de-Provence.

    The Route: a morning flight from Marseille to Paris and Orly airport, then the stage starts in nearby Montgeron just where the inaugural Tour de France started in 1903. There’s a 48km procession around the dormitory towns outside Paris and time for the ritual photo opportunities before they ride into Paris and 58km around the now usual Champs Elysées-Tuileries circuit. As ever there’s a slight rise to the Champs Elysées and it’s cobbled, the urban variety of pavé but enough to make it that bit harder. After weeks touring rural France here is the capital’s seal of approval, a finish fit for a visiting head of state.

    With a lot of the big sprinters gone, it feels a bit more open than years gone by, lets have a look at the ever wonderful Inrng to see who’s in the mix.

    The Contenders: a lot of sprinters and none of them have won a sprint so far. André Greipel won last year and could pop up again but is without his trusted leadout rider Marcel Sieberg now. Michael Matthews (Team Subweb) can win and his leadout Nikias Arndt is in roaring form. Edvald Boasson Hagen (Dimension Data) must be extra confident now.

    Next there’s a second wave of contenders, a list of riders capable of winning but but they have had problems in this Tour. Nacer Bouhanni (Cofidis) has been ill and on antibiotics but over that and getting faster, on his day he can beat the best in the World Tour. Alexander Kristoff (Katusha) is sore from a crash and hasn’t shown us what he’s capable of this Tour. Dylan Groenewegen (Lotto-Jumbo) is 24 years old and on the up but yet to win a sprint in the World Tour. John Degenkolb (Trek-Segafredo) is the wildcard pick, often out of the sprint but equally capable of the win.

    FAQ: Can Mikel Landa pip Romain Bardet? Yes, for all the antics this is still a race and there are time bonuses. In 2005 Alexander Vinokourov attacked, won the stage and moved up to fifth overall, an example that it can be done. But Landa has his work cut out to win a time bonus, he and his team can hope Bardet is caught on the wrong side of a split but even that is hard to do and unlikely.

    So, yesterday, a quick look back. Thanks to Cycling Tips for providing a lot of these pics.

    Le Stade Velodrome

    Bondar, early into the hot seat and stayed there.

    Martin, TTing is a painful game

    Uran, out of the darkness.

    Froome, smashing it up.

    But agony for Bardet, the weight of a nation hung upon him.

    CaptainFlashheart
    Free Member

    Mods – Can someone please send Lunge a goody bag of t-shirts or something? These threads deserve recognition.

    mattsccm
    Free Member

    And now for the most boring stage of the Tour. Last 10 seconds will be good.

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    scaredypants
    Full Member

    Yeah, well played Lunge – great stuff from a long tradition of STWers putting in the effort

    So, vuelta then ? 😀

    mrblobby
    Free Member

    Thanks lunge, efforts much appreciated 🙂

    Can’t wait for the Vuelta now. Hear Dumoulin is out, focus on the worlds. Is Nibbles going? Contador?

    lunge
    Full Member

    So, vuelta then ?

    We did actually try it a few years ago but the volume of posts made it kind of pointless. Everyone likes the Tour, a handful of hardened fans like the Vuelta.

    scaredypants
    Full Member

    awww, I LOVE the vuelta – it’s like the kids at school being allowed to bring their board games & DVDs at the end of term, except it’s PEDs in this case 😉

    I’m hoping Movistar will dump Quintana and let their younger lads go for it (or at least get a joint leadership going on)

    mrblobby
    Free Member

    Quintana won’t be going. I’ll be those who’ve done the Giro or the Tour but not both.

    Great photo of Bardet up there. Shows what he gave and the weight of expectation he’s under.

    Junkyard
    Free Member

    if only we had wealthy poster capable of gifting the OP 😉

    legend
    Free Member

    a handful of hardened fans like the Vuelta.

    Damn right, best of the Grand Tours!

    bikebouy
    Free Member

    Yeah, thanks a huge amount Lunge. Really appreciated your time and efforts posting these threads up.

    Back to today ?

    DisBlerk…

    jakd95
    Free Member

    Really appreciate these threads lunge, thanks!

    Superficial
    Free Member

    Martin, TTing is a painful game

    He appears to have the German flag on his arse. Either that’s rubbed off his custom seat, or it’s a black saddle + blood + ewww.

    maxlite
    Free Member

    Yup….thanks so much for the info Lunge and all the time and effort you put into it 🙂

    Plus a big up for CyclingTips, a brilliant collection of photos, the best road cycling site.

    Can’t wait for the Vuelta, especially if its in Northern Spain.

    crazy-legs
    Full Member

    Another vote of thanks for Lunge in posting these threads every day.
    Last few hundred metres!!

    mrblobby
    Free Member

    Wouldn’t have predicted he’d hold on to that! Did well.

    wallop
    Full Member

    Tres bien.

    crazy-legs
    Full Member

    Probably the most open sprint in years without Kittel, Sagan and Cav and their respective lead out trains.

    bikebouy
    Free Member

    ‘Twas an interesting end to the Tour. Not usually a fan of sprinting so mostly watched out for my fave riders to come over the line.

    Lovely place Paris.

    jobro
    Free Member

    It is a bit worrying that Martin photo.
    Given that he fixed a large piece of very coarse sandpaper on his saddle is it possible he’s ground the skin off his ar*e!!

    mt
    Free Member

    its Monday and no Tour, another year over.

    Thanks Lunge!

Viewing 21 posts - 1 through 21 (of 21 total)

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