TdF Stage 11 – A Tough One [Spoilers]

One of the shortest stages in the 99thedition. But riders beware, it is a tough one! The course is simple: after the first thirteen kilometres from Albertville, the peloton will be hard pressed to find a single inch of flat terrain! The cyclists will tackle La Madeleine, La Croix de Fer and Le Mollard one after the other before the final climb up La Toussuire. Let me tell you, the final podium will start to take shape on the finish line here! Those who falter in this stage will get no second chances. The winner will not be known yet, but the losers certainly will.

I’m not sure about this one, really didn’t see Voeckler for that one yesterday, came as a bit of a surprise. Chavanel? Rolland? Evans? Froome?

Oh, how we’ve missed that tongue.

http://www.steephill.tv/2012/tour-de-france/photos/stage-10/

Got knocked out the top 10 (it’s just temporary though).

http://singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/stw-tour-de-france

A few useful links

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Withdrawals

I have a sneaky suspicion that sky will unleash some pain today

I have a sneaky suspicion that sky will unleash some pain today

so do I

Yep. Pain will be delivered today. On the Croix de Fer, I reckon.

They’re only half way through so I doubt Sky will be digging too hard, no need to drop everyone when they have 2 mins in hand. After all, the Pyrenees can be pretty damn tough…

psychological reason IMHO
wiggo has only ever struggled on the later parts of 2000 m climbs it will be to show he cannot be dropped and to crush the will of his opponents.
this is the most mountains one – ell ITV just said it was

i want to see Nibali grovel like a bitch today as he tries to hang onto wiggins’s wheel

Cancellara gone back home I just heard. Interesting, that means Rorschach has lost two riders..

Cancellara not at the start. He’s at the maternity ward holding his wife’s hand.

Cancellara not at the start. He’s at the maternity ward holding his wife’s hand.

Good for him! Some things are more important! 🙂

Sky don’t really have to do anything really. Just sit up front. They’ve got 2 minutes on everyone. Its up to anyone else who’s any intention of competing to attack. Then they can react.

Todays stage looks truly evil though!!! My legs hurt just looking at the profile of those climbs

The Glandon has some nasty ramps, I remember just after the river crossing which was horrible and many gradient changes too. Just looking up at the photo of me going up it that’s on my home office wall.

Sky will have to keep a close watch on Evans/Nibali since if they make time on the descents since today there are no valley floors to catch up on.

Personally I’d like to see Sky dish out the pain to Nibali today. His “I’ve been disrespected by Wiggins” comments are laughable.

Cav got all this ‘not showing enough respect’ crap from the uppity continentals, when he started looking potentially unbeatable?

Hope Brad answers it in the same style, which he probably will

😆

Personally I’d like to see Sky dish out the pain to Nibali today. His “I’ve been disrespected by Wiggins” comments are laughable.

^This^

The only more pathetic sporting comments this week have been from Mitchell “That song” Johnson of the embarrassingly poor Aussie cricket team.

Quite. “I didn’t like the way he looked at me on the stage”

MTFU Nibali!

“i want to see Nibali grovel like a bitch today as he tries to hang onto wiggins’s wheel “

+1

Sole breakawy by a lowly placed climber.

Main cotenders will just be chased down.

A couple of the fellas here in work did this stage on Sunday as the Etape Act 1.

They said it was carnage. Only just over half the field finished, with the dustcart being put back by 2 hours.

One of the guys saw a chap swept up in the last Km …. Now that’s harsh

One of the guys saw a chap swept up in the last Km …. Now that’s harsh

I think you’ll find that was because he was under the required Assos/Rapha/Strava/Carbon threshold for the event.

One of the guys saw a chap swept up in the last Km …. Now that’s harsh

I think you’ll find that was because he was under the required Assos/Rapha/Strava/Carbon threshold for the event.

Nibbles to fire off down the far side of col de la croix de fer to catch up with a breakaway?

One of the guys saw a chap swept up in the last Km …. Now that’s harsh

A friend of a friend got swept up in the first 3km after he’d been training all year for it and was potentially going to get a very good time. But he got a puncture.

From today’s Guardian

Team Europcar rider Thomas Voeckler is, apparently, one of the morst unpopular riders in the peloton. I have no idea why and he’s always struck me as an honest, nails-hard cyclist who seems affable enough, if a bit of a drama queen.

Anybody able to shed any light on this? Following pro cycling only loosely, I’ve always quite liked him…

Where’s this quote from nibali anyone got alink?

Nibali interview

nibali said at the start that he feared evans but not Brad and it seems the trolling has worked

nibali said at the start that he feared evans but not Brad and it seems the trolling has worked

😀

Markie – I think it’s because he doesn’t play ball with the “lets have an easy day”, “respect the peloton” etc… and likes to do his own thing too much.

TD – http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/nibali-wiggins-needs-to-respect-his-rivals

Only just over half the field finished, with the dustcart being put back by 2 hours.

A friend of a friend got swept up in the first 3km after he’d been training all year for it and was potentially going to get a very good time. But he got a puncture.

It took him 2 hours to fix a puncture?!

“I think you’ll find that was because he was under the required Assos/Rapha/Strava/Carbon threshold for the event. “

Ha… I’d never thought of it like that before …. spot on.

nibali said at the start that he feared evans but not Brad

So is Nibali

You looking at me?

Or

Who you giving evils?

I love nibbles balls out descending but what a whining prima don. Get him on the crease with Glen McGrath! I hope sky take them to bits.

It took him 2 hours to fix a puncture?!

Sorry, this was a couple of years ago.

Pot and kettle – Evans suggested Nibali was unsportsmanlike yesterday because he attacked while someone had a mechanical.

Thought so 😉

this was a couple of years ago.

has he learnt to fix punctures yet?

Thomas Voeckler is, apparently, one of the morst unpopular riders in the peloton.

Is he unpopular because their wives talk about his tongue?

Ooooh – what an exciting start!