Morning all, here we are again, basking in the glow of another Cav victory.
Same again today? Unlikely, but possible...
Quick note re. tomorrows post. It'll be late due to be doing a half marathon race in the morning, it should be up by midday ish so if anyone wants it sooner feel free to take it over for a day.
Anyway...
At almost 250 kilometres, the 7th stage is the longest of this edition. In fact, it's the longest Tour de France stage of the last twenty years. Attackers are likely to have it their way.
The Tour de France never visited Vierzon before. The riders clip into their pedals in the town of 26,000 ‘Vierzonnais’ for a long day in the saddle. The route predominantly traverses undulating terrain in the first half before the second half enters the energy-sapping hills of the Morvan region.
There are lots of non-classified uphill sections that add to the fatigue, while five classified climbs stand out. After almost 160 kilometres in the saddle the riders tackle the Côte de Château-Chinon (3.2 kilometres at 5.3%) and immedately after the descent the route points uphill again. The first 10 kilometres are a prelude to the Côte de Glux-en-Genne, which is a 2.6 kilometres climb at 4.2%. Not steep in itself, but it’s not an isolated test, is it?
The Côte de la Croix de la Libération (4.6 kilometre at 5.3%) ushers in the finale, as the end of the downhill coincides with the start of the most demanding climb of the day. At kilometre 222.4, the riders tackle the unprecedented Signal d’Uchon. It’s a 5.7 kilometres climb at 5.7%, but that’s a biased statistic. The first half goes up at approximately 6% before a flat section – a short descent even – makes way for another face of the Signal d’Uchon. Almost 1 kilometre rises at 9.4% before the last 700 metres climb at 13.1% to the summit. Still 18 kilometres to go at this point.
The Côte de la Gourloye is the last obstacle of the day. The 2.4 kilometres at 5.3% is not as nasty as the Signal d’Uchon though, while it’s crested with 8 kilometres to go to Le Creusot.
The Tour de France finished two times before in Le Creusot. On both occasions the industrial town was the end point of a time trial. Jan Ullrich took the spoils in 1998, Serhiy Honchar in 2006.
The first three riders on the line gain time bonuses of 10, 6 and 4 seconds. Furthermore, 8, 5 and 2 seconds are available at the Signal d’Uchon.
Who's in the mix then?
The Contenders: it’s a big day for a breakaway and especially for riders who don’t fancy their chances in the Alpine ski resorts this weekend. The local pick is Julien Bernard (Trek-Segafredo). He won’t pedal faster because of this but he will probably have this in his diary for a breakaway which has a decent chance of making it as 80% of the field is over five minutes down on GC. Ide Schelling (Bora-Hansgrohe) will want to be in the break too and this could give him an option on the finish even if sprinting up the climbs is bound to blunt his legs and Anthony Perez (Cofidis) sat up yesterday to freewheel in, a giveaway he’s got today’s stage in mind.
Sonny Colbrelli is the reductive pick of the day, he can go in the breakaway and he can win what’s left of a sprint, likewise Michael Matthews (Bike Exchange). Wout van Aert (Jumbo-Visma) and Mathieu van der Poel (Alpecin-Fenix) can also win the sprint but are less likely to get in the breakaway. If they don’t then this means several teams to chase and set up a reduced sprint.
Julian Alaphilippe (Deceuninck-Quickstep) would be the archetypal rider for today but unlikely to get any room to attack unless the GC teams get frisky, instead Kasper Asgreen could be one to watch. Can Ineos try any ambush moves? They are probably waiting for the Alps but watch Richie Carapaz who was attacking on small climbs in the Tour de Suisse, he could try a surprise move on the Signal d’Uchon but staying away is the harder part, it’s hard to see such fireworks.
Magnus Cort Nielsen (EF Education-Nippo) is suited to the stage, in great form and several team mates are worth watching. Team DSM can play several cards too, think Tiesj Benoot or Søren Kragh Andersen. Ag2r Citroën have Benoît Cosnefroy and Dorion Godon.
And as ever, yesterday.
An area i love, we spend most summers having our family holidays about 10km away from the finish.
Very envious !
One for the breakaway I think.
Bunch to sit there and twiddle through it all leaving a breakaway of maybe 15-20 riders out front to fight it out. That's my prediction.
I've called the winners of Stage 1, 4 and 6 correctly so I'm prepared to be completely utterly wrong on this one!
Exceptions - if there's crosswinds on the initial flat bit and GC contenders see a chance to distance rivals or if someone fancies their chances on the little ramps at the end of it all.
That said, it's fairly reminiscent of something like Milan-San-Remo - very long with some punchy climbs at the end.
Thanks Lunge.
I've just watched a nice Chris Boardman interview about the 'Manx Missile' Cav, on BBC breakfast news (around 8.53) this morning.
CB more or less saying that DQ will help get Cav over those mountains and into Green if possible.
Serendipity is one of my favourite words and it really has been that case for Cav.
Definitely a day for the breakaway. I'm going with one of the vans for the win.
Quick note re. tomorrows post. It’ll be late due to be doing a half marathon race in the morning, it should be up by midday ish
Perhaps you could just run a bit faster? 😀 (And of course: big thanks for posting these daily!)
Got to be a breakaway - with two more mountainous stages before the rest day i can't imagine there would be much appetite to chase one down today?
I wonder what odds I'd get on Cav equalling Merckxs record on the Champs Ellyeses (sp?) this year?
I agree it's probably a day for a break, if we get a strong group of all rounders off the front. I fancy Carapaz if he can get in a good group, but might be a course for the likes of WvA too.
Remarkably, Cav is only 5/4 for the green jersey now.
https://sports.bwin.com/en/sports/events/tour-de-france-2021-points-classification-11738147
But i'm struggling to find up to date odds for final stage.
11/4 for 'anyone else' seems like a damn fine bet... Much as i want Cav to make it to Paris and get the green, it's a long way from certain.
Would love to see Alaphillipe get to have a good, but as said above you can't imagine the peloton would let him go
If it comes back together, they might not get the choice whether he goes or not @grahamt1980
I think it just shows what a mental game it is, Cav is happy in a good team, feeling good and the results come. He was ill and unhappy, depressed and he fell flat.
@savoyad would be great to see him have a full blown attack and get the stage.
Just a shame tony martin seems to have lost a lot of what made him special as a banzai attack from him from early on would be great to see too
think Movistar will fancy a stage like this.
If the break can get away……
If the break can get away…
That'll depend on who's in it I'd assume.
On the proviso that none of the big GC contenders go up the road I can't imagine the peloton fancying a chase on a stage this long and hilly, with some big mountain days coming up.
blimey WvA trying to get in the break !!! with MvdP and the WC chasing him down 😀
LOL absolutely no chance they will let that lot go up the road!
some are struggling to hang on to the back of the peloton
****ing 'ell yellow gone up the road with Cav on the back of the break 🙂 with hint of crosswinds
24 in the break 34's with some serious fire power!
blimey WvA trying to get in the break !!! with MvdP and the WC chasing him down 😀LOL absolutely no chance they will let that lot go up the road!
some are struggling to hang on to the back of the peloton
I think deep down, everyone knows it's going to be a day for the break, it's just finding the combination they're willing to let go.
Yellow really pulling on the front of a group of 29, if this carries on this is going to be a brutal day in the saddle!
Gilbert in the break - I was thinking this looked like his kind of day. 🙂
51 km in the first hour!
think Unrecoverable Application Error might want to call the other GC teams bluff.
Just had a look at the feed, that is a big break to let go
can see the peloton splitting again at this rate
Just had a look at the feed, that is a big break to let go
it was a funny one really, it was more of a split in peloton.... that just sort of fell into a break.
OK, Cav is almost a dead cert for the intermediate sprint - MvdP is the next closest rider unless he fancies also taking away some points from Cav to allow his team-mate Jasper Philipsen to stay in contention...
For the win though, assuming that break stays clear to the line. Hmm?
gap approaching 5 mins.... LOL Director didn't realize what Campernearts was doing!
LOL no gifts in the pro-peloton
Wonder if that group of 5 are going to try and get back into the break or just drift back into the bunch. Cav has done his job, got the intermediate sprint.
Cav has done his job
Still bossing it on the front 😀
though he may not be the best climber in the world the peloton are giving WvA an awfully long leash here.
At over 6 mins
I know the climbing is to come in this stage but the peloton have left themselves a lot to do here.
Will cav make it to the end in this group i wonder
Still bossing it on the front 😀
Yep, saw that 4 of them had got back in. 🙂
I know the climbing is to come in this stage but the peloton have left themselves a lot to do here.
I don't think they'll bring it back. I'm not sure bringing the break back was ever on the agenda. Maybe if yellow jersey was in the peloton they'd have kept it under a tighter leash. Reminiscent of the days when Voeckler did a massive long range break and ended up in yellow for ages, his advantage being chipped down gradually in the mountains over a whole week.
Cav hanging in on the first climb 🙂
and the second!
Froome getting dropped on a CAT 4
And yet Froome is getting dropped from the peloton by the looks of it...
thought Mark might have done a turn on the front on the descent for Asgreen.
Cav now dropped.
Looks like Cav has now sat up . Breakaway disintegrating from both ends now.
good effort bodes well for Paris
Definitely.
That yellow jersey group is really disorganised now. I think that very front group is about to become 4.
Come on Campenoerts. Such a favourite.
Oh and Yates. :0)
Of the current front group, I'd go with Stuyvens for the win. Former MSR winner.
Yes, good to see Yates in the break, he should move my fantasy team up a little bit now. 🙂
looking like a
fight for the win
fight for Yellow
and a fight for gc
how long till yates goes ? next climb ?
how long till yates goes ? next climb ?
Not really worth him going is it? He's probably not going to make up 90", may as well save himself for the mountains which is more his terrain.
It's still got 7 minutes at 23k
Anyone else find Sean Kelly's accent gets progressively more grating the further into a stage you get?
that was cruel 😀
ITV4 - Millar and Boulting
Roglic in trouble
Boring transition stage 😂
Roglic in trouble
G been shown the back door as well.
jeez
absolutely brilliant
G's still in Pogacar's group - unless I missed something ?
What a total smash fest of a marvellous stage that was
Oh dear, all that effort for nought!
Solo move at that distance was always going to be tricky.. G safely home in the group; lives to fight another day at least...
Vingegaard didn't help Roglic.... perhaps he waved the white flag and told him to ride for himself.
love that in pro cycling stats it's Richie Gate 😀
Cav rolled in 21.13 down
average for the winner 45,521 km/h
sounds like there was a bit of a set to between Ineos and Movistar after the stage finish.
lots of swearing and a bit of hand bags at dawn by all accounts.
https://road.cc/content/news/cycling-live-blog-2-july-2021-284565
Hope that is in the highlights for the amusement value.
Going to be some tired people tomorrow
weren't movistar allowed to chase down Carapaz ? quite the Vendetta if Movistar are prepared to pull for Pog to make sure Carapaz doesn't win. It seemed to me that in Romandie & the Dauphine they also took pleasure in riding hard to deliberately spit Froome out the back, they seem to hold a grudge.
Gosh. MVdP looked totally spent after the stage finish.
It's a shame that carapaz didn't make some time, I like his style on the bike. Would be even more of a shame if movistar chased him out of spite.
Stages like this are why I'm prepared to sit in front of the telly for 6 hours.
I was thinking about this on my evening ride, Sky rode for Dumoulin @ the giro against Movistar and Quintana on the penultimate day.... so what goes around comes around.
G’s still in Pogacar’s group – unless I missed something ?
seem he was dropped for a bit but managed to get back on