TdF Stage 16 – Testing Terrain [Spoilers]

Never will a rest day have been as well deserved! After the Ventoux, the riders will be able to breathe a little easier for 24 hours in the Vaucluse. It is a short respite, as another series of difficulties await them. This stage, for example: it’s only 168km, but this is testing terrain where the Tour has almost been lost in the past. You just have to look at the list of winners in Gap: Vinokourov, Fédrigo, Paulinho, Hushovd? I can also remember an attack made by Contador that messed up the strategy of the Schleck brothers? In short, this is a stage that will favour attacking riders. Some of them may get the opportunity to push themselves back into contention before the time trial…

I’m guessing everyone’s watched it already, but here are the highlights anyway. Words don’t really cut it – the question isn’t if he’s going to win this year, but if he’s going to win next year, and the year after, and the year after that….

Oh, I’ve been caught? No worries, I’m just too steezy to care.

Not the only one though

Photos from Stage 15[/url]

There’s also this. Is that a duck?

Hope everyone enjoyed the rest day, I ended up with massive tour withdrawal symptoms, had to go for a ride. And obviously I found a hundred things to share with you all.

Todays stage looks interesting – I think we might have a similar finish that we had during stage 9, i.e. a small break getting away on the final climb and holding it down the otherside to the finish. Or we could have another stage 14, with a big group getting away. I’d love to see Sagan getting involved. I have a feeling someone from the GC is going to have a go. They better save something though, the TT tomorrow isn’t easy…

Obviously we can’t have a stage that finishes with the descent into gap without someone pulling this footage out, so I figured it might as well be me. Drugs or no drugs, it’s sweet.

A few useful links

Live Cycling News Text Updates[/url]
Steephill[/url]
Official Tour Live Feed App[/url]
Classifications
Withdrawals
Fantasy League Standings
Loser League Standings

Ro5ey’s Roulers by andy rose back into the top spot in the fantasy league, could this be the winning team? As for the loser league, do I even have to say?

http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/tour-de-france-video-froome-on-doping-winning-on-mont-ventoux

http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/there-is-no-reason-to-doubt-froomes-performances-says-contador

http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/wiggins-to-ride-tour-of-britain-instead-of-vuelta-a-espana

http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/quintana-believes-hell-win-the-tour-de-france-within-two-years – think he might win the giro first though

http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/brailsford-how-can-we-convince-you-we-arent-doping

http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/tour-de-france-shorts-rojas-ten-dam-gifts – what’s strava?

http://www.velominati.com/tradition/riding-ugly-the-spider/ – velominati get involved

http://www.cyclingweekly.co.uk/news/latest/539450/chris-froome-s-pinarello-dogma-65-1.html – interesting emblem on the top tube…

http://www.cyclingnews.com/blogs/richie-porte/flick-or-be-flicked – insights from Richie Porte. well worth a read

Falling madly in love with OGE

This doesn’t work for me, but it might for you

This is quite good

And it’s fairly irrelevent, but this site is pretty cool[/url]

What’s the view on how the Sky team will hold up ? They seem to have come back a bit after a shaky few days.

Contador implied he’s gonna try something from far out on one of the remaining stages, like he did in last year’s Vuelta, and ain’t afraid to risk losing a podium spot.. for me it’s either today or stage 19.

“It’s true that there is a stage where I want to see what happens, it could be a day to try and look for an opportunity, there is a very important stage and in a week’s time, you’ll know which one it is.”

“It is true that for me it’s the same to finish second or 10th.”

http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/there-is-no-reason-to-doubt-froomes-performances-says-contador

Edit: Actually it’s probably either stage 19 or 20, less flat sections in between the climbs.. high pace on the first climb to thin out the peloton, attack on the second and then try and stay away til the finish..

Ha! It’s not over for Froome yet. If the rivals stop looking at who will be in 2nd and 3rd and decide to give him a really tough time, it could be a good day today. I hope he wins overall but I also hope they really take it to him. It’s been good this year.

Did they do anything nice on their day off? Took in a museum or a chateux with nice formal gardens, game of boules?

Did they do anything nice on their day off?

they rode their bikes

I’m going for Gilbert. Always great to see the rainbow win a stage

More like training rides, stretches, massages, ice baths, pasta buildup, interviews…

Not really a day off but nothing stopping them partaking in an Ice Cream whilst out on a ride 😉

Usually I think they get a bit longer in bed then it’s back on the bike just taking it a little easier

Every time I see that crash of Beloki’s on the descent to Gap it makes my blood run cold. My biggest fear when descending fast on a bicycle.

Pfft. Bus mans holiday.

I’d have had a bbq and a few beers. They need to sort their priorities out.

hoping for some more fireworks today.

thank you for your excellent threads Realman, cracking stuff.

The middle section looks interesting, lots of lumps and bumps for sneaky attacks

Might prove too much for the sky train setting up a contador vs colombian lad (mind block on his name) as they’ve got the teams to put them at the bottom of the last climb fresh?

Question. A lot written about Froome’s ‘style’. What gives a rider style, and what makes a rider look like a chimp wrestling some pipes up a hill? I’m worried that while I’m getting lighter and fitter and consequently faster up hills, if i don’t do it stylishly you’ll all still take the piss.

I really hope that this is a baroudeur day, and an opportunity for a non-contender to steal the limelight and take a bit of pressure off Sky.

Article on SKY training

Interesting read on SKY’s training intervals above, including high cadence efforts.

I loved that attack on steak-boy, he seemed to put 200m into him within a couple of seconds! the riding action seated acceleration was like watching a 10-year old burning round the local park, legs going round in a whirlwind!

What gives a rider style, and what makes a rider look like a chimp wrestling some pipes up a hill?

Think you basically need to look at David Millar and Froome as being two ends of the spectrum. One of things I like about Millar is that he appreciates ‘form’. Froome is an absolute horror show.

Agreed, brakes! A breakaway day, and I rather want it to be a Frenchman.

Tommy V. Go on, do it!

What gives a rider style, and what makes a rider look like a chimp wrestling some pipes up a hill? I’m worried that while I’m getting lighter and fitter and consequently faster up hills, if i don’t do it stylishly you’ll all still take the piss

Dont worry you will be so far in front of us you wont here our mocking barbs

My prediction
Froome sits with them and not much happens GC wise – someone will try an attack but it wont work /be up to much- it may flatter to decieve

Froome now has a big advantage and , as all the podium rivals are pretty close together so, they cannot really let someone launch an attack either. The risk of repeated attacks and leaving it to Froome is that he chooses not to bother- he has 5 minutes – and just looks at them as they get nervous about their podium chances. Game of poker and I reckon they will crack first tbh as he has to biog a lead to be that worried
As RM says [ indeed great threads but for the unrequited love for Sagan 😉 ] it is not a question of will he win this more a question of how many he will win. He is obviously a step above the rest with Mountain wins and TT wins [ well GC level anyway]

I am going for a Ducks head personally though he is more portly than your usual topless man segment

PS I also looked for a topless Froome photo 😳

Sagan for me today.

If he gets into another break today, the Green is all but his… (Cav will concentrate on the final stage win in Paris)… and somehow just the one stage victory doesn’t seem enough from Sagan.

I wanna see a wheelie across the finish line.

The imitation clip (last one) needs Degenkolb. Now he looks silly.

If it rains it could be interesting

Just heading out for the descent into Gap, somewhere after the Col du Manse…quite excited 🙂

thestabiliser – Member
Did they do anything nice on their day off? Took in a museum or a chateux with nice formal gardens, game of boules?

Garmin went skydiving 😉

https://twitter.com/nedboulting/status/356698256467701761

Pinot scared of downhills?

Pretty surprised to read this.. Seems a pretty essential part of cycling at this level

EDIT: Mainly shocked at how frank he is about it – surely would make more sense to go along with the sore throat excuse and keep working on it?

sad that. Hope he picks himself up, sounds a bit down.

I have a phobia of climbing hills

Schleck to the rescue

TBH its the only time I get the fear in the bike

same thing get in the tuck,pedal hard, reach a high speed then I start thinking of pictures of snapped/sheared carbon forks

Never crashed at high speed on a bike but it will end badly if I do

Surely Pinot’s best bet is to concentrate on the Classics, any downhills in these will be matters of seconds rather than minutes – certainly no alpine hairpins involved.

Tweet of the day so far, stuck up on the BBC website

Adian Twomey: When Voeckler and Voigt retire, they should go on cycling holiday together and pretend they are in a break that never gets caught #bbctdf
1:52pm – 16 Jul 13

that train was handy for the breakaway wonnit?

that train was handy for the breakaway wonnit?

Certainly was. A nice free 45 seconds there.

good time for a pee stop for the others

Loving the team trains that have formed.

Looks like they’re trying to reel them in in earnest now

Never crashed at high speed on a bike but it will end badly if I do

My mate did last August. Couldn’t walk unaided until last December.

I was with him when it happened, and my bottle has totally gone on road downhills.

then I start thinking of pictures of snapped/sheared carbon forks

me too!
internal dialogue whilst doing a bumpy 45mph: remember that time you crashed into the back of a taxi? that was last year and you still haven’t replaced those carbon steerered forks yet… aaaaaaarrrhhhhH!

from cyclingnews.com

Preferably they guys are drinking 1 or 2 bottles per hour especially with these kind of weather conditions where it is really warm making it important to drink well. So during a day like this the riders drink between 35-40 litres all together.

that’s why I’m still thirsty now from a 75 miles ride on Sunday in 30 degree heat. I drank 4 bottles of water, a coffee and a carton of apple juice – I should have drank 4 times that… easier said than done without a support crew.

They are not good at maths

2 an hour for 6 hours @ 40 litres = 3.33333 litre bottles

They are not doing anything like that though I assume it will be a helluva of a lot

maybe that’s the 8/9 riders of the team (argos-shimano in this instance)
or maybe they use camelbaks

He he, 40 litres, they’d need team tankers