First mountain stage was awesome, lets hope this will be too.
Following his exploit in the first mountain stage, Greg Van Avermaet is still in the yellow jersey he took throughout the team time trial in Cholet on stage 3. But his lead is at risk again as stage 11 features gruelling climb. It even requires warm-up on rollers before the start from the Olympic city of Albertville (winter Games 1992) straight into the Montée de Bisanne that has similar gradients as L’Alpe d’Huez. It’s followed by the col du Pré (12.6km at 7.7%), unprecedented at the Tour de France but known by the participants of the Tour de l’Avenir, like Egan Bernal who won the race last year before tackling his first Tour de France. The exact same stage has been contested at the Critérium du Dauphiné this year, with Pello Bilbao surviving a breakaway from the early part of the race. The view from the Cormet de Roselend is probably the most spectacular in the French Alps. Its descent to Bourg-Saint-Maurice is a tricky one with a long list of victims in the Tour: Iñaki Gastón in 1992, Johan Bruyneel in 1996, Michael Rogers and Stuart O’Grady in 2007… The final ascent to La Rosière – a ski resort linked to La Thuile in the Italian Valle d’Aosta – is also unprecedented at the Tour de France. Throughout the village of Montvalezan, it’s one more demanding climb. The whole race is short and brutal.
The profile looks brutal.
Final climb of the day? looks tough.
Who's in the mix?
The Contenders: one reason the GC contenders took it steady yesterday was today’s stage. It’s going to be a lot more lively. The first climb should see a move go clear and if someone hopes to win they need to be a decent climber. Think Omar Fraile (Astana), Dani Navarro (Cofidis) and… actually given the reduced peloton and the number of teams with set GC objectives there are not so many breakaway climbers to pick from. Still with Urán’s plans going up in smoke is Daniel Martinez (EF-Drapac) released for the day? Fraile is strong pick but could be on duty for Fuglsang, the other are wild guesses.
But big attacks from the big names? Maybe on the final climb. Dan Martin (UAE Emirates) won a stage of the Dauphiné and it’s the same scenario, he’s down on GC but in good form so he has room to jump away, riders won’t shut him down right away. To a lesser extent Nairo Quintana is down on GC but he doesn’t have such an explosive jump and nor will others let him go so easily… while Mikel Landa may have the jump but if he moves the entirety of Team Sky will have to close him down, this isn’t a steep enough finish for the Basque.
Geraint Thomas (Team Sky) was second here in the Dauphiné and we’ll see if he’s as fresh today, he used the lesser gradients towards the top to ditch his GC rivals and could do once again. Chris Froome could also try to exploit the steep slopes and go away. Among the others Vincenzo Nibali (Bahrain-Merida) won’t have it easy but yesterday Primož Roglič (Lotto-Jumbo) looked to be floating.
And so to yesterday, bit of gravel anyone?
Stunning.
Hell of a ride from this guy.
But for me, the ride of the day was GVA.
Cool stage Bro’.
So the only flat bit is between the hotel room and the team bus then 😜
I’m punting left field today, no one has seen anyone from Astana other than LLS bouncing down the road the other day, so Valgren. Away on the last but one climb with 1:50 and that being clawed back by the GC guys with 500mtrs to go but not enough to deny Valgrens win.
I’m not thinking too hard about this stage becuse I will feel the anguish from the likes of Kristoff and Cav chugging away 15mins behind the leader.
Can’t really see Froomidge winning this one, not sure why but think he will claw back 4 buckets of time. G will fall backwards, Bernal might get a “go for it day pass” but highly unlikely.
GvA will come home in the Pack, a well deserved Yellow Jumper wearer if there ever was one.
Wonderful watching both races yesterday, agree GVA outstanding but top rider of the day van vleuten.
Depending on who you believe, the last grupetto (there were three on the road) scraped in with 33 or 11 seconds to spare or where a couple of seconds over the time limit but allowed to stay in the race. Given the short but brutal nature of the stage, I fear for Cav in particular today.
I think people often forget about the other battle at the back end of the race once the cameras start to pack up and the interviews are done. Can't be easy for the bigger lads.
Agree with the above, the big lads hate a break as that either speed everyone up chasing it or it adds means a quicker finish time. Cav and Kittel will really struggle today I fear.
I'm bloody watching it in the flesh!
Awesome ride by GVA yesterday,and my prediction of a breakaway succeeding was proved correct, Today will be a GC neutral day. They'll all be in the front group, but it is not the selection day. Dan Martin on a break on the final climb, With G allowed to take yellow if he can hold on.
Selection is coming, but I think it will be the shortest stage still to come.
I’d like another French guy to win today. Barguil or Bardet plees.
Barguil.
No, I'm kidding.
I'm not sure if G will be allowed to go for it today; Froome will need all the support he can get tomorrow and G is too important for that. I can't see Sky pushing too hard today given tomorrow's iconic climbs.
Barguil isn’t a bad choice ...
He said “I’m sandbagging so no one follows me when I break for it”
I reckon a bit of minor GC action but they will save the fireworks for tomorrow
I’m not sure if G will be allowed to go for it today;
He doesn't need to. Just needs to finish at the front with the GC riders, GvA admitted that he's handing back the maillot jaune today.
Reckon the second half of the descent of the Roselend could be interesting... chance for someone - Bardet? - to get a gap on the bunch onto the final climb
I reckon a bit of minor GC action but they will save the fireworks for tomorrow
This for me but there will be some canny eyes watching. If people start to look weak/in trouble via analysis I can see Froome pulling a Giro-esque manourve then sitting in the support tomorrow have put himself into contention. The call will come from Dave if so I bet you'll see Froome on the radio a lot.
I think when you hear people saying "Thomas and Froome are joint leaders" or could be, you only have to look how much time Froome spends on the radio compared to Geraint to see who is in charge there..
Like Dan Martin, i'd just like to see Geraint do well and have a run of good luck.
Sky reckon the leadership is still an open question so if G is in yellow after Alpe d'Huez it's tricky decision time for dave... I reckon Geraint will be ok today, every other year he's been part of the team that chases down breaks at the start of the stage so this year he'll be fresher
I can see Bardet and Barguil being the ones to really go for it today, Romain needs the time and Barguil needs points and a stage win
Movistar could be playing out today. They have been playing it pretty cool so far especially Quintana, its a surprise to me that they have been so disaplined thus far. At some point there'll send riders up the road for the big hitters to ride up to.
Where are you watching Wallop?
Breaks gone, Navarro and Baguil in it along with Sags (to hoover up the sprint points early on)
As expected.
Whatever Julian Alaphilippe had for breakfast, I want some.
Big breaks for breakfast..
Muy muy happy..
Valgrens made it in..
Julian Alaphilippe (Quick-Step Floors), Warren Barguil and Amaël Moinard (Fortuneo-Samsic), Romain Sicard and Rein Taaramäe (Direct Energie), Damiano Caruso and Tejay van Garderen (BMC Racing Team), Anthony Perez and, Daniel Navarro Garcia (Cofidis, Solutions Credits), Mikel Nieve Ituralde (Mitchelton-Scott), Mathias Frank (AG2R La Mondiale), Gorka Izagirre Insausti (Bahrain-Merida), Marc Soler (Movistar Team), Toms Skujins (Trek-Segafredo), Michael Valgren Andersen and Tanel Kangert (Astana Pro Team), Thomas De Gendt and Tomasz Marczynski (Lotto Soudal), Pawel Poljanski (Bora-Hansgrohe), Serge Pauwels (Dimension Data), Darwin Atapuma (UAE Team Emirates)
Well, this is dull. Again. With the exception of the Robaix stage this has been one of least interesting TDF's for years. Nice scenery though.
Well, this is dull. Again. With the exception of the Robaix stage this has been one of least interesting TDF’s for years. Nice scenery though.
The descents look good!
At least Movistar are trying!
Hopefully another team will put pressure on sky.
Those people slacklining tho...
💥 It's not dull now...
🤣
Holy shit this is good!
Feel bad for Nieve!
Brilliant!
AWESOME Finale!!!!!!!!!!!
That's shaken things up a bit...
Great ride by big Tom, hopefully sunweb can invest in some more help for him for next year.
Crikey!
Wow - that was one of the most exciting finishes for a while.
I guess it helps that I've been rooting for Geraint ever since he joined the pro peloton!
Why do I gain so much pleasure from watching Quintana getting left behind?
FFS I missed the end because the ITV player showed so many ads before playing. I had time to go out make a drink, have a pee, and do 5 minutes of work before the ads finished! Looking forward to the highlights now
tense around the sky dinner table tonight 🙂
Was not expecting that! Brilliant to see Dan Martin slowly making up time.
V good Thomas, really pleased for him. re Quintana comment above, has he ever really done it on the big stage? He's always talked up by the commentators but then blown away by riders who physiologically are less suited to climbing than him, eg Tom D and GT.
Blimey! Froome probably owes Dan Martin a pint, or is it Dan owes him a pint! Bring on tomorrow.
Whodafunkit ?
So when does gt have his bad day planned?
So when does gt have his bad day planned?
When Froome is second in GC and has buffer to third I'd suggest, half way through week 3 then?
Looks like Cavendish might not have made the cut 🙁
Well, this is dull
WHAT???
All G has to do now is follow Froome's wheel. He doesn't have to do any domestique duties does he? Easiest thing for Sir Dave to say now is "Well Chris, if you want to win, it's up to you".
Cue 65km breakaway on Stage 17.
Yeah, just read that.
Seems the commisairs are binning those out of the time cut..
Be one of the only times I’ve seen it done in a GT...
But the question has to be asked, are there any French Men in the time cut too ?
No being cynical, nope, just askin for a friend...
Looks like Cavendish might not have made the cut
He was looking like that fairly early on. Was it because he stopped for red lights?
Froome is far too calculating to start a bun fight with Thomas. He just needs to maintain his position and let Thomas blow himself up.
re Quintana comment above, has he ever really done it on the big stage? He’s always talked up by the commentators but then blown away by riders who physiologically are less suited to climbing than him, eg Tom D and GT.
I think it all comes down to a couple of stages really. Mainly that year when he won the white jersey, riding away from the competition completely expressionless as if it were an effortless task. And everyone thought Holy shit, this guy's Yoda!
One of those guys, the legend became bigger than him.
Kittel, Renshaw and Cav all out. None were exactly having vintage tours so I suspect they won't be too upset in truth.
What a great afternoon! I saw the finish on a big screen and then started walking down the mountain - it was only then that I saw Cav and he still had about 17/18km to go 😢
Cue 65km breakaway on Stage 17.
My money is on Froome pulling the trigger on stage 19, for symmetry with the Giro.
Over the Aubisque then descend into Laruns
All G has to do now is follow Froome’s wheel.
Easy!
I love Mr Thomas!
Really sorry for Cav, shame really, was hopefully that a complete tour in his legs would see him coming for his final four stages next year!
What about Egan Bernal,? didn't quite live up to the hype. But he's young (still a neopro) and this must be one hell of a baptism by fire.
You wouldn't want to be Dave would you? A choice of G winning his first or Froome his 5th .
I suspect he goes with natural selection until the last possible minute of needing to bark out an order.
what's the protocol here? say 3/4 up the alpe Froome & G are last sky riders and one punctures and Toms chasing them down (cars stuck further down) Would yellow have priority ?
I'd expect a radio dead spot
Froome was a class act today. He looked like he had the real beating of all the others today and just sat on and closed attacks without going after Thomas and dragging others up. Love Dan Martin too, he's just a crazy attacking nutter...for some reason I've never warmed to Thomas. I hope Froome beats them all senseless tomorrow!
I also thought Froome looked classy today. Had Martin for the last minute break, but delighted for G. And Martin too I’ve never warmed to Dumoulin, not sure why as he always gives honest interviews
And who wouldn’t want to take the most prestigious summit win tomorrow? Froome was saving himself for that and doing all he needed for G to take the stage.
GC will be unchanged tomorrow, but Froome for the win.
Without descending into the whys and wherefores, I've got to say I find Sky's complete supremacy is really starting to take the interest out of the racing for me, when two of them can just so effortlessly reel inn other riders and toy with them the way Froome seemed to be doing, it just removes any sense of sporting spectacle for me.
Why are the other teams so far behind? It always seems to be solitary team leaders with scant support just clinging on while 8 members of team Sky drag everybody up the mountain...
Feeling distinctly 'French' right now...
Well Movistar blew themselves with AV up the road for what reason? Trying to pressure Team Sky? Who have the strongest supporting line up. Kwiatkowski was absolutely magnificent today. When you have a rider like that effectively playing midfield, it lifts the rest of the team. Bernal is human, and so young, but their strength is their depth. And single minded GC focus.
@13thfloormonk, part of the reason is that their budget means they get the very best riders to ride as domestiques. Castroviejo and Kwiatkowski could easily ride GC for some lesser teams, Bernal is the next great GC hope, G has been building up to this for years, Froome is just Froome. Last year they had Landa who looks like the best rider at Movistar and Neive who almost won the stage.
But even as a Sky fan, I do hear what you’re saying.
Well Movistar blew themselves with AV up the road for what reason?
Trying to work out which tine of the trident is the leader. Their tactics seems blurred, as they just don't know who they're backing.
GC will be unchanged tomorrow, but Froome for the win.
I would have thought it possible to lose buckets of time quite easily tomorrow, but hopefully not.
Lacets and the Alpe tomorrow!
Thomas has longed stronger all race so far, but that's just it. So far...
Froome has a habit of peaking towards the end of a Grand Tour.
part of the reason is that their budget
it also seems that because of the strength in depth the reduction to 8 riders helps them more. they are slowly strangling grand tours like they do stages. Theres never a police outrider when you need one.
Either of them could win it based on today. Gs got over a minute so it would be mad to throw that away. Sky have the depth to support two GC riders for the next two weeks. I suspect they'll play it safe and keep both in the running. The others are going to have to chase G now if he attacks. Froome can sit in and counter. If a contender attacks they can work together.
Given their tactic is to ride it to power and neutralise until the last climb then go all in and attack the two might just duke it out from a 2up break at this point when they are clear.
If something goes wrong, G will ride for Froome. Not because he isn't as good a rider but because he's a professional. Same as Froome, rode for Wiggins when it was asked. But if they can get both on the podium I can't see G sitting up for Froome to ride past him.
Would love to see G take it to Paris. Been a fan for a long time. Seems like a nice guy with a good sense of humour. Remember watching the tour videos him and Eddie did back in the early sky days when they were practically kids.
Froomey playing cat and mouse all very entertaining.
I thinking (hoping) that Froome will attack on alpe d huez tomorrow but will G have team orders to assist Froome? If I was G I'd sit on Froomes wheel all day. I think G looks in better form than Froome.
Just to say that I absolutely love the racing today and I think you shouldn't be writing off Dumoulin or Nibali just yet.
when two of them can just so effortlessly reel inn other riders and toy with them the way Froome seemed to be doing, it just removes any sense of sporting spectacle for me.
Not for me. I thought it was marvellous seeing G and Froome taking the piss with the creeps that have been making insinuations and advising Froome not to race for the past 9 months (Dan Martin excepted)
Froome has a habit of peaking towards the end of a Grand Tour.
Its not so much peaking. I think its a case of being able to hold his normal form after everyone else has stopped being able to hold theirs
I think tomorrow could be interesting. The Sky train worked hard today and it is a long testing day tomorrow. There could be some winners and losers but it is still a long way to Paris. The other teams need to believe and attack with some panache and remember Froome is human as he showed when Bardet took time of him last year and he could/should have lost much more.
I think Froome did everything he needed to to set G up for the win and maillot jaune. Neither of them have the attitude of Wiggins. I like them both and the last week could be crushing for the other teams. G gave an honest interview after the race.
I also like to think what other GC riders could do in the Sky machine. I don’t think any of the current crop are more talented than Wiggins, but Sky show that GT racing is a team sport. They are by far and away the strongest team. Just Look at the calibration of riders who have left! At least three current GC contenders have served their time. They may have done better at Sky in other tours, but Froome is there at the moment.
part of the reason is that their budget means they get the very best riders to ride as domestiques
I think Cycling Weekly did an article showing that Sky's budget really wasn't that much bigger than their rivals, BMC I think were relatively close. Suggested that Sky were better at picking young talent (academy style?) and then spending the money they didn't spend on big name riders on 'marginal gains' type stuff.
I don't judge them for it really (although I think the whole green/whitewash thing with the lovely cute Orca on the back of their tops is insulting our collective intelligences a little, it's still Murdoch!) I just can't get very excited by seeing Froome yet again effortlessly dropping the people who are supposed to be his closest rivals.
I'm excited for today's stage but only for the scenery, I predict another flurry of interesting attacks all slowly getting mopped up by an impassive wall of Sky riders...
Edit: Lol, I stand corrected
Froome suggesting a salary cap would be akin to communism...
A fabulous ride by Cav, time to celebrate an awesome rider who has both spirit and respect.
Mark over the line with the broom waggon 20mtrs chasing his tail.
Well done that man.
1999 and now. Great piece by Millar on Cav's finish yesterday https://chpt3.com/blogs/journal/well-done-mark
I think Cycling Weekly did an article showing that Sky’s budget really wasn’t that much bigger than their rivals, BMC I think were relatively close.
and I think BMC have been the only ones with a real clear plan and team working until Porte cracked. the rest don't seem to be able to organise a doping session in a pharmacy.
@bikebuoy
Mark over the line with the broom waggon 20mtrs chasing his tail.
I wonder if the guys in the broom wagon said: "Chapeau. We know who you are, we won't pass you" Maybe Prudhomme, who likes Cav, had a word.
Will Cav ride a GT again? Possibly, there's a saying: don't quit in the evening, sleep on it and see how you feel in the morning.