TdF Stage 17 – Loads Of Points Up For Grabs [Spoilers]

Short (143.5 km) but tough! We designed a Pyrenean counterpart to the Alpine stage between Albertville and La Toussuire. But now that we are a mere three days from the finish, if the general classification has not been decided yet this will be the last chance for climbers to build a buffer. There will also be loads of points up for grabs for the mountains classification… The course offers no respite. The first climb is the Col de Menté, famous since 1971, which will be followed by the Col des Ares and the Port de Balès. This will be the first time that the finish is decided on the Plateau de Peyragudes, a ski resort in the Hautes-Pyrénées

Well Voeckler has got to drag himself into the break today and get some more KOM points. If I was Nibali or Evans I’d be attacking on the Port de Bales, it’s steeper, and if you can crack Wiggins there, you can gain the time you need on the final climb.

Fantastic pictures, but you can never have enough of Voeckler’s gurn..

http://www.steephill.tv/2012/tour-de-france/photos/stage-16/

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http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m7dginNbZB1qacyk6o2_500.jpg

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http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m7dginNbZB1qacyk6o4_r1_500.jpg

Peaked too early I feel, Evans let me down and I think I’ll be lucky to stay in the top 15. Rorschach still dominates, but that could still change.

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

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stuck in office currently. considering a wfh escape this afto.

hmm, not sure there’s much point in either nibbles or cuddles attacking – they need about 4mins and 9mins respectively (all on this stage to keep the lead through the TT). it’s just too late unfortunately. Especially given the attack nibali did on the peyresourde yesterday – froome with the early chase and then when he went again and froome was knackered wiggins was fresh to chase him down again. (it was interesting to see Froome tired – maybe if he was on a different team he wouldn’t be able to keep up with nibali?)

then they have nothing to lose. (aside from 3rd/7th place)

time to man up and smash it out i say!

Wiggins is human, and is capable of cracking. If Nibali can get him to crack, he could still win.

Can Nibbles beat Froome though?

He might not have to.

molgrips – Member

Can Nibbles beat Froome though?

nibbles vs froome mano a mano?

or nibbles + basso vs the entire sky train, and after that nibbles vs froome for the final 500m.

im of the opinion nibali would shmash the shit out of froome were the teams to be equal. but maybe im wrong.

or nibbles + basso vs the entire sky train, and after that nibbles vs froome for the final 500m.

the problem is the last 500m isn’t enough for him to even get 2nd off froome let alone build up enough of a lead for the tt. can’t see him getting away on port des bales and making it stick.

Chris B seems to be in a spikey mood, 2 put downs on Gary I in the first ten minutes

After GI talked about wiggins winning in Paris “glad to see wiggins is taking it day by day and youve just counted all his chickens for him”

After GI suggested Sagan wanted/needed to go out and stamp his authority on green “its not like he already has a whole tours worth of points more than the next guy”.

Be a shame when they cut to Waldorf and Statler. Wonder if they will get the names of the cols right today…

Do you think Nibali will be happy with 3rd?

He could just ride the day, try a few moves and come in with Wiggins and Froome maybe gain a few seconds. Alternatively he could just go for it in an all or nothing approach and make a few minutes or blow up and lose a few more…

Attacks are goign to come on the Port de Bales as the middle section is relatively flat.

I’ve completely Cadeled.

Was in the top 10 the whole way through now down to 17th 😥

report here on Sky’s “service course” or “big bike shed” – I would love to just go there and have a look around/ steal something.

Jensie Blog[/url] for anyone who is interested. Really good reading.

Jonba.. it’s only 20s from Nibali to Froome, but he has a decent cushion on 4th. I’d be attacking if I were him. Will wiggo help Froome keep 2nd?

he did yesterday

Good to see the British weather is shifting south 🙂

But if Nibali attacks then Sky will see it as an attack on Wiggins (probably) so will chase. I can’t see Sky letting him ride off so he is going to have to get the better of them both or neither. The only way I can see him getting to second is if goes all out on the last 5km of climb. Sky might decide to let him go and just limit the damage enabling him to get the better of Froome but not Wiggins.

Wiggins is human, and is capable of cracking. If Nibali can get him to crack, he could still win.

he would need to serioulsy craaxck though like cadel did to help Nibbles and even then Froome is a bteer TT than Nibbles.

I cannot see anyway he can win this TBH as he needs both Sky riders to crack and then ride the TT of his life…i cannot see one of those happening let alone both

May get second but again Froome is the better TT

Great little kick by TV to get that summit.

descent could be interesting in the mist

The only way I can see him getting to second is if goes all out on the last 5km of climb. Sky might decide to let him go and just limit the damage enabling him to get the better of Froome but not Wiggins.

That’s what I’m thinking.. if Sky will work to prevent a gain of 30s by Nibali – enough to get to 2nd but not to threaten Wiggo.

I think it’ll be like yesterday. He’ll try, but get terminatored.

There should be a descenders jersey as well, it could be the colour of gravel rash.

There should be a descenders jersey as well, it could be the colour of gravel rash.

😆

And little tears?

nibbles is away!

30 sec lead but there is a long way to go

It just got even less boring.

so anyone up for a sweepy on cadel retiring after this …. he only won last year as he was the best of a bad bunch 😉

nibali just made a deal to sit up and not drag sky to the climbers.

nibbles knows who’s bossing this.

How much was that worth?

I think he realised he was isolating himself.

just turned on in time to catch that. fair enough i guess. unless he can monster it away all day then they’ll just slowly drag him back in.

gonna need to be a big old effort on the last climb if he wants anything more from this tour i reckon.

brad just got a yellow gilet out the car. this got me thinking…

do they print up a yellow set of kit for every team? or is there a mad rush to print out on yellow jersey awarding?

muct be massive stacks of never used kit if its the former…

Well he also had a special yellow TT skinsuit? And his bike is yellow!

I think they do just whip them up really quickly in some cases – there some info for Tommy V after his stint last year where no one was ready for him in yellow.

indeed! so full matching arm warmers, shorts, shirts etc. etc. all overnight?

must have been made in advance…

so do all teams do this? surely euskatel etc. wouldnt bother 😉

is there a mad rush to print out on yellow jersey

this,
i think they showed the guy printing one on ITV once (or maybe it was in Ned Boulting’s book)

WackoAK – Member
Jensie Blog for anyone who is interested. Really good reading.

Thanks for this – brilliant find. Is it wrong to have a man-crush on Jens?

tommy v. hero

is there a mad rush to print out on yellow jersey

The jerseys are supplied/sponsored by LCS, I think they’re blank arround the waist for the teams to iron/print their own logo’s on. The rest of the kit is their own? They’re not allowed to wear their own sponsors ‘yellow jearsy’ it has to be the LCS one, although I guess they probably make their own too and just stick LCS and the other yellow jersey sponsors rather than adidas on it.

As for the TT skinsuit, I’m sure I remember reading that Wiggins reckoned the BC/Sky skinsuit was worth something like 17 seconds over the LCS yellow skinsuit, so if it was closer than 17s going into the TT and he was going to try and be 2nd in the GC by a small margin to get that advantage in the TT.

Personaly I’m with ‘the rules’ on this one, black shorts only, the yellow everything looks rubish, it should be just the jersey over the normal team kit.