Posted on 06/24/2012 9:40:23 PM PDT by Ready4Freddy
The Tour starts next Saturday, June 30th!
Now I need to find my ping list & html templates!
I always put him in the same class as Levi - Oh, so close, but just not enough.
But then he won last year and I was like “Well, OK then.”
There is far too much young talent coming up these days for the older guard to have much of a shot for yellow in Paris in the coming years.
I’m hiding from the results until tonight.
I had never much cared for Cadel, prior to his win last year.
I always put him in the same class as Levi - Oh, so close, but just not enough.
But then he won last year and I was like Well, OK then.
Same for me. Now I view him as the elder statesman, and would like to see him repeat
So would I but that chance looks pretty slim after today.
BMC can tie the young lads to Evans and hope for a miracle or let slip the leash and let them go for a little stage win glory.
We've been thinking of Col de la Colombière as opposed to:
Col du Grand Colombier in Stage 10 this year.
So, you're not crazy after all. ;)
I agree, tho, mighty odd that Col du Grand Colombier hasn't been done in the Tour until this year. It has been featured in the Critérium du Dauphiné (for the first time this year as well, apparently).
Great find R4F!!! I’m not losing it after all (whew! huge relief!)
I had been impressed with Riss' showing against Indurain in his last win. I knew Riis lobbied with the new Telekom team to work for him since they had no leader, but I don't think I ever learned the details of how he gained superiority over Ulrich.
Stage 12 - Saint-Jean-de-Maurienne > > > Annonay Davézieux (226km)
Friday, July 13, 2012
Widely differing opinions as to what this Stage will do to the GC.
Tour de France 2012
Stage 12 - Saint-Jean-de-Maurienne > > > Annonay - Davézieux (226km)
Friday, July 13, 2012
"Yet another strategic stage, one which could tip the balance in the points classification on its own. Why? Because we have adorned the first part of this long stage (226 km) with the Col de Grand Cucheron and the Col du Granier. The latter will be climbed on its most difficult side. A high pace will knock out the sprinters, favouring riders who are fast and capable of hanging onto the bunch on climbs. We will insist that time limits be applied strictly, so I bet many riders will get fidgety, and some of them will not forget the finish in Annonay any time soon..."
Complicated for the sprinters
The sprinters will have been quiet for a few days now and some of them may well have fallen by the wayside but this one could go their way depending on how the first 80km goes. Some riders are sure to view the Grand Cucheron and Granier as the ideal opportunity to break clear and perhaps build a stage-winning advantage. Its the kind of day Thomas Voeckler will appreciate if hes not in overall contention. After the climbs, though, the sprinters have got plenty of terrain on which to set their rouleurs to work. The final cat 3 climb might foil the sprinters, especially after 200km and two weeks of racing.
Janez Brajkovic:"This is somewhere that a break can stay away all day and take the stage victory. If the days break hasnt gone by the first climb it will be pretty hard to go after that. I dont think there will be major changes to the GC here."
July 12 update: Stage 12 will exit the Alps via two cat 1 climbs as we head west from Saint-Jean-de-Maurienne to Annonay for the longest stage of this year's Tour at 226 km. Annonay is often featured in the Criterium du Dauphine but this is the first time it will be featured in the Tour de France. Actually, to be precise, the finish is in Davezieux just northeast of Annonay and both towns are considered joint hosts for this stage.
A break should gain significant advantage in the mountainous first half of the stage before we settle into a long, rolling/lumpy ride to the finish where two hills near the finish could whittle the break down before the flat final km.
This finish is well suited for Peter Sagan, but he isn't likely to make it over the first two cat 1 climbs if he's part of the break and if he's not part of the break will Liquigas-Cannondale chase it down? They'll need help from other teams like Orica-GreenEdge (for Matt Goss), but the peloton will be tired after two mountain stages so it's quite likely another break will succeed. Luis Leon Sanchez (Rabobank) missed out on a stage win on Wednesday's Stage 10 as part of the break, but he'll have another chance on this day and the finish is better suited to him. Steve
Very different set-up today. I’m thinking Sagan might make a move, or possibly Cavendish or another sprinter — too early to tell right now.
Despite everyone on Sky making the right noises this morning, I’m thinking things aren’t quite as peachy between Froome & Wiggins as they say. Teejay seems a lot more settled into his “duties” and content to wait his time. Maybe it’s just that I find Wiggins somewhat unattractive and dour, he sure isn’t doing anything to make me root for him.
Nothing wrong with that, just another way to win the Tour. Contador, Andy Schleck; they are in the mold of Armstrong, Ulrich, Indurain (goat+, tho), etc, in their ability in the hills. Froome might be, too, but chances are we won't get to see that this year.
The guys that Bay mentioned when he surmised that this could end up being a classic matchup like those of yore were "all-arounders+", do everything well, plus be able to climb with the mountain goats when need be. I don't see Wiggins having that ability, and it's now clear that Evans doesn't.
Hey, 'splain me this one - what exactly does the underlined part mean?
This finish is well suited for Peter Sagan, but he isn't likely to make it over the first two cat 1 climbs if he's part of the break and if he's not part of the break will Liquigas-Cannondale chase it down?
Hey R4F-
Bay would know better than I, but my guess is that if Sagan had been in a successful break (he tried, but didn’t succeed), he would have had to take his turn pulling up the two mountains, and that would blow him up.
Bay may now correct me...
And I like your analysis of the competition. Fun race so far, but something seems to be missing.
On one hand, I’ve really enjoyed following the race so far this year. The stages have been in some stunningly gorgeous settings, and there seem to be more new(er) faces this year.
But on the other hand, something does seem to be missing, and I can’t quite figure it out. Maybe it is that no one really has the “it” factor, or too many instances of most everyone being content to just sit back in the clump. Or maybe the early chaos took some of the steam out of a lot of sails and everyone is being too careful?
Speaking of missing, I didn’t realize that Fabian Cancellara withdrew from the race. Clearly, I need to pay closer attention, maybe I’d better stop trying to spot the Clean Bottle “Bottle Boy” :)
Cancellara withdrew yesterday b/c his wife is due to deliver a child any day now. He’s not a climber and has left his mark on this Tour so I guess he felt like he could bow out gracefully. I would have liked to see him in the final ITT which is longer. He is a machine on those TT and it’s fun to watch.
Totally agree with this analysis. That is precisely what I was trying to express when I said Wiggins just doesn’t seem to be going for it- in an aggressive way. Call me Old School but I want the winner to look back into the eyes of his closest competitor and then attack. I want him to WIN the Tour, not just end up in first place. Ugh. I really think if Andy Schleck was in it we would be seeing more fireworks. Heck, I can’t stand Contador but I guarantee that if he was in it things would be more lively.
On the comments made about Sagan- I agree with the other post that the writer was saying that if Sagan was part of a breakaway, he likely wouldn’t make it over the climbs in the group so would be spit out the back. At that point, what would LiquiGas do? Go after the breakaway or let them go? Do you agree?
Sagan has three more flat stage opportunities coming up. Tomorrow is a long one, Monday is shorter with a couple of medium climbs early in the day and then next Friday is another long one. He has plenty of punch, as we all know and I think he would have taken at least a 1/2 bike length from Goss today had he not been cut off. Sagan now has a ig green jersey points lead because of Goss's penalty.
Here's the part I LOVE about bike racing and the tour:
The next three flat stages are important for sprinters (and for my prediction of five stages for Sagan) but they are full of intriguing variables.
First of all this is where the tour and especially Team Sky begins looking to Paris. So, a break away of riders way down in the GC may not get run down.
Bastille is an important day to the French and they will predictably have someone in an early break who will not get full attention from his countrymen in the bunch, regardless of team - it's a loyalty thing.
There are some points to be decided for the Polka Dot Jersey and that could play on GC time gaps if a big break happens in the mountains.
Tejay is wearing White. He can climb and he is the only American rider in the top 10.
The last day to Paris is mostly a cruise intil the last circuits once they hit town. This will be the final showdown for Sagan, Cavendish, Goss, Greipel and maybe Tyler Farrah who is dead last in GC after his crash and would like to leave a mark if he can make it through the final mountain stages.
...and the burning question of the day...
But, to be fair to Wiggins, he put in a hell of a performance during the time trial, and during the mountains; and I thought that Cadel Evans himself kind of got left behind by Tejay van Garderen, and nobody was fussing over *that*.
Cheers!
I want to go to there
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