THE final day in the Pyrenees should be the least arduous of the three. But with the weather and the fatigue that will be setting in that may not be the case.
There are only two climbs for the riders to tackle before the finish, the 3rd category Puerto de la Foradada and the 2nd category Puerto de Cotefablo.
Neither should cause too many problems although they are both longer than usual for a lower category climbs. The Foradada is 5.9km long with an average gradient of 5.9% while the Cotefablo is 12.5km long with 4% average.
Once over these two, and 146.8km since they left the start town of Graus they will hit the final climb of the day up to ski station of Aramon Formigal.
That last climb is the Salent de Gallego, a first cat ascent which lasts for 15.8km and has an average gradient of 4%.
The reason for the low average is after 3km there is a 3km section which is almost flat before it descends for a further 500m.
It does kick up again, with a maximum gradient of 9.5% but it will take a serious attack to hurt most of the big names.
I get the feeling that this could be a day for the breakaway.
So it's pot luck time to try and see who will feature in the escape.
Euskatel will feature, possibly with Egoi Martinez. Others who no longer have GC ambitions will also try and infiltrate. Team Sky may look to Rigoberto Uran or possibly Vasil Kiryienka.
Michele Scarponi has looked quite frisky in recent days for Lampre but if not him they may look to Diego Ulissi. Caja Rural will have David Arroyo or Amets Txurruka.
NetApp-Endura may also be involved, possibly with Bartosz Huzarski.
For me though I would look to Belkin and Bauke Mollema in particular. He hasn't had the best of tours and currently finds himself almost an hour behind Vincenzo Nibali.
He is more than capable of going up hills quickly and this could be an ideal day for him.
But who knows with breaks!
Showing posts with label Euskatel. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Euskatel. Show all posts
Sunday, 8 September 2013
Saturday, 7 September 2013
Vuelta a Espana 2013 : Stage 15 Preview
STAGE 15 keeps us in the Pyrenees as we head out of Andorra, back into Spain before entering France for the day's finish.
It follows an absolutely brutal day today which saw no less than 16 men abandon the race and Vincenzo Nibali increase his advantage to 50 seconds over Chris Horner.
One of the pre-stage favourites Ivan Basso cited hypothermia as his reason for withdrawing and you would be very hard faced to disbelieve him.
And the bad news for those remaining is the weather doesn't look like getting any better.
Tomorrow's finish should cause outbreaks of deja-vu for most cycling fans, especially British ones.
Stage 17 of the 2012 edition of the Tour de France saw Sir Bradley Wiggins cement his position on top of the standings and almost guaranteed him the title, a fact he was well aware of as he crossed the line with a knowing grin.
It is possible just as famous as being the stage that Chris Froome tried to drag his team leader across to the one man who had escaped the Sky duo. For a lot of the climb it seemed as if Froome could catch the escapee and take the day's honours.
However he played the part of loyal domestique and stayed with his team leader, gifting the win to the lone rider.
The winner of that stage is in this years Tour of Spain and will definitely fancy his chances of a repeat. But we'll get to him in a minute.
First up let's get the numbers and details out of the way. At 224.9km (139.7miles) long this is the longest stage in this year's Vuelta.
It takes the field from Andorra to Peyragudes. Four first category climbs, including the summit finish, stand in the way.
The first is the Puerto del Canto. This is the longest climb of the day at 24.4km but has the lowest average gradient at 4.2% and it's maximum is 'just' 10%, again the lowest of the four climbs.
That said it will still be a tough introduction to the days stage, starting as it does just 7km after the start. It won't affect the overall contenders who will want to keep their powder dry until later but it will probably see a sizeable breakaway disappear over the horizon.
The next climb is the Puerto de la Bonaigua, a 20km long slog with an average gradient of 5.5% and a maximum of 12.5%, appearing around halfway up.
From it's summit there are still 124km to race so don't expect too much action up here from the GC boys.
However once we hit the town of Mauleon Bauresse with 51km to go that could all change.
It is from this point the route mirrors that of the 2012 Tour and it also signifies the start of the Port de Bales.
The Bales climbs for 19.2km and has an average gradient of 6.2%. It actually starts off fairly serenely and the first 8km only average around 3%. From that point though it rarely drops below 8%, with it's maximum of 10.5% coming with around 3km to go to the summit.
The last climb is more or less just the Col de Peyresourde with a small descent followed by the last slog up to Peyragudes.
It is a total of 16.7km in length but only has an average gradient of 4.7%. However this is due entirely to the 2km of descending.
The Col de Peyresourde is 10km long and has an average gradient of around 7.5%. It's maximum gradient is 13.3% and is sure to be a test.
The last ramp up to Peyragudes is only around 3km long but it's average is 6.7% and has a maximum ramp of 11.7%.
The descent in the middle will play into the hands of Nibali. He is excellent when the road points down over and depending on how the stage is going could well use this, or the kilometre before it, as his springboard to get away.
The likes of Nico Roche and Joaquin Rodriguez should be able to keep him in view here so it will be up to the lighter climbers, the Chris Horner's and Domenico Pozzovivo's of this world, to attack on the steeper uphill sections.
And as I mentioned yesterday Euskatel will do something with any of their big hitters to the fore.
Four outsiders look towards the Colombian trio of Carlos Alberto Betancur of AG2R and Sergio Henao or Rigoberto Uran of Team Sky. All haven't been in the best of form recently but may see this as a chance to steal the glory.
However my favourite is the man who escaped the clutches of Wiggins and Froome in 2012.
Alejandro Valverde.
He will be able to match both the climbers and Nibali on both the ascents and descents. That victory in 2012 gave him so much self belief and was the catalyst for an upturn in fortunes and I believe it will act as a spur here again.
Movistar will also be keen to record a victory as they have yet to taste success so far in this Vuelta. And with the likes of Eros Capecchi, Benat Intauxsti and Sylvester Szmyd in their ranks, expect them to try and set something up.
If the weather doesn't beat them all.
It follows an absolutely brutal day today which saw no less than 16 men abandon the race and Vincenzo Nibali increase his advantage to 50 seconds over Chris Horner.
One of the pre-stage favourites Ivan Basso cited hypothermia as his reason for withdrawing and you would be very hard faced to disbelieve him.
And the bad news for those remaining is the weather doesn't look like getting any better.
Tomorrow's finish should cause outbreaks of deja-vu for most cycling fans, especially British ones.
Stage 17 of the 2012 edition of the Tour de France saw Sir Bradley Wiggins cement his position on top of the standings and almost guaranteed him the title, a fact he was well aware of as he crossed the line with a knowing grin.
It is possible just as famous as being the stage that Chris Froome tried to drag his team leader across to the one man who had escaped the Sky duo. For a lot of the climb it seemed as if Froome could catch the escapee and take the day's honours.
However he played the part of loyal domestique and stayed with his team leader, gifting the win to the lone rider.
The winner of that stage is in this years Tour of Spain and will definitely fancy his chances of a repeat. But we'll get to him in a minute.
First up let's get the numbers and details out of the way. At 224.9km (139.7miles) long this is the longest stage in this year's Vuelta.
It takes the field from Andorra to Peyragudes. Four first category climbs, including the summit finish, stand in the way.
The first is the Puerto del Canto. This is the longest climb of the day at 24.4km but has the lowest average gradient at 4.2% and it's maximum is 'just' 10%, again the lowest of the four climbs.
That said it will still be a tough introduction to the days stage, starting as it does just 7km after the start. It won't affect the overall contenders who will want to keep their powder dry until later but it will probably see a sizeable breakaway disappear over the horizon.
The next climb is the Puerto de la Bonaigua, a 20km long slog with an average gradient of 5.5% and a maximum of 12.5%, appearing around halfway up.
From it's summit there are still 124km to race so don't expect too much action up here from the GC boys.
However once we hit the town of Mauleon Bauresse with 51km to go that could all change.
It is from this point the route mirrors that of the 2012 Tour and it also signifies the start of the Port de Bales.
The Bales climbs for 19.2km and has an average gradient of 6.2%. It actually starts off fairly serenely and the first 8km only average around 3%. From that point though it rarely drops below 8%, with it's maximum of 10.5% coming with around 3km to go to the summit.
The last climb is more or less just the Col de Peyresourde with a small descent followed by the last slog up to Peyragudes.
It is a total of 16.7km in length but only has an average gradient of 4.7%. However this is due entirely to the 2km of descending.
The Col de Peyresourde is 10km long and has an average gradient of around 7.5%. It's maximum gradient is 13.3% and is sure to be a test.
The last ramp up to Peyragudes is only around 3km long but it's average is 6.7% and has a maximum ramp of 11.7%.
The descent in the middle will play into the hands of Nibali. He is excellent when the road points down over and depending on how the stage is going could well use this, or the kilometre before it, as his springboard to get away.
The likes of Nico Roche and Joaquin Rodriguez should be able to keep him in view here so it will be up to the lighter climbers, the Chris Horner's and Domenico Pozzovivo's of this world, to attack on the steeper uphill sections.
And as I mentioned yesterday Euskatel will do something with any of their big hitters to the fore.
Four outsiders look towards the Colombian trio of Carlos Alberto Betancur of AG2R and Sergio Henao or Rigoberto Uran of Team Sky. All haven't been in the best of form recently but may see this as a chance to steal the glory.
However my favourite is the man who escaped the clutches of Wiggins and Froome in 2012.
Alejandro Valverde.
He will be able to match both the climbers and Nibali on both the ascents and descents. That victory in 2012 gave him so much self belief and was the catalyst for an upturn in fortunes and I believe it will act as a spur here again.
Movistar will also be keen to record a victory as they have yet to taste success so far in this Vuelta. And with the likes of Eros Capecchi, Benat Intauxsti and Sylvester Szmyd in their ranks, expect them to try and set something up.
If the weather doesn't beat them all.
Friday, 6 September 2013
Vuelta a Espana 2013 : Stage 14 Preview
THOSE people who watched the Tour de France this year will remember stage 8 and the first entry into the Pyrenees.
It saw Chris Froome and Team Sky destroy their opposition and ultimately set up his overall victory in Paris two weeks later.
Tomorrow sees the Vuelta a Espana enter the big mountain chain. And all expectations are it could be equally as explosive.
Stage 14 takes the riders from Baga and into Andorra, finishing 155.7km later on top of the Collada de la Gallina.
Along the route there are three climbs to overcome before the final dash up the category 1 Gallina.
First up is the familiar Port de Envalira. The hors categorie (HC) climb has figured many times in both Le Tour and the Vuelta. It was last used in 2009 at the beginning of a stage and fittingly it was Sandy Casar who crested it first, the Frenchman having just announced his retirement from the sport yesterday.
The last time it was used in the Vuelta was in 2003 as a stage finish and it was Alejandro Valverde had his hands raised in triumph that time, as he headed towards an overall third position.
The climb is a whopping 26.7km long with an average gradient of 5.2%. Now that might not seem a lot but if hits ramps of 9-10% in the opening 3km and maxes out at 15% towards the top.
It's summit here is 68.4km from the finish and so won't decide the stage outcome but it will begin the big thinning out of the peloton.
The descent off the Envalira takes us to within 47km off the line but there are still two category 2 climbs to come.
The first is the Coll de Ordino which is 8.8km and has an average gradient of 4.9%. The second is the Alto de la Comella, shorter at 4km but slightly more difficult at 5%.
Neither will split the field asunder but if the pace is kept high it will not only discourage attacks but also shell a few more out the back.
Once off the Comella there is only a short run through the valley before starting the final ascent.
The Gallina is 7.2km long but has an average gradient of 8%. It has a section in the middle which hits 15% while the final two kilometres hit 9% rising to 10%.
It will mean a tough run to the line and throws up many alternative winners.
Chris Horner has looked very strong on the climbs so far and I'm sure he will want to win the jersey back. Expect an attack at some point.
Vincenzo Nibali currently has that jersey and will want to defend it. He left his run a little too late to close down Horner on stage 10 and won't want to make that mistake again.
The two other big Spaniards may fancy their chances also. Valverde will like this finish although he may also have an eye on Sunday's stage.
Joaquin Rodriguez has the comfort of a 2.33 deficit to Nibali and this mean the top four riders may not respond as quickly if he attacked. If can get a gap he could be gone for the win. However he hasn't looked in the best of form recently but on his day, he would be the favourite.
Nico Roche has been exceptional so far and is definitely having his best ever grand tour. He should be able to hold the others to a fairly reasonable gap but I can't see him challenging for the stage win.
Of the others, well look no further than Euskatel. This is their territory but following the takeover by F1 world champion Fernando Alonso they will be losing their Basque persona.
I'm sure the Basque fans will continue to support them as vociferously as before but I'm also sure the team will want to put on a show. Expect at least one in the break and if one of (if not all) of Igor Anton, Mikel Nieve and Sammy Sanchez don't appear at the head of affairs I will be most surprised!
Before the tour started I would have said David Arroyo would have been on the offensive in the mountains but he hasn't looked at his best so far. Don't count him out though.
Domenico Pozzovivo was amazing in the time trial and is more than suited to these type of steep climbs. Has a chance.
Ivan Basso has looked really good as well in recent mountainous days. Can this be the day he makes an attack stick? He certainly will attack so why not.
Finally Carlos Alberto Betancur would have been a favourite for the Tour and this stage. But illness and a lack of competition put paid to that before it started. He will be getting better so expect at least one showing in the last week. The question is when. And why not today?
Lots of opportunities for a lot of riders. Whatever happens it will be exciting. You want me to pick one? I was afraid of that!
Joaquin Rodriguez then.
That's the mockers put on him!
It saw Chris Froome and Team Sky destroy their opposition and ultimately set up his overall victory in Paris two weeks later.
Tomorrow sees the Vuelta a Espana enter the big mountain chain. And all expectations are it could be equally as explosive.
Stage 14 takes the riders from Baga and into Andorra, finishing 155.7km later on top of the Collada de la Gallina.
Along the route there are three climbs to overcome before the final dash up the category 1 Gallina.
First up is the familiar Port de Envalira. The hors categorie (HC) climb has figured many times in both Le Tour and the Vuelta. It was last used in 2009 at the beginning of a stage and fittingly it was Sandy Casar who crested it first, the Frenchman having just announced his retirement from the sport yesterday.
The last time it was used in the Vuelta was in 2003 as a stage finish and it was Alejandro Valverde had his hands raised in triumph that time, as he headed towards an overall third position.
The climb is a whopping 26.7km long with an average gradient of 5.2%. Now that might not seem a lot but if hits ramps of 9-10% in the opening 3km and maxes out at 15% towards the top.
It's summit here is 68.4km from the finish and so won't decide the stage outcome but it will begin the big thinning out of the peloton.
The descent off the Envalira takes us to within 47km off the line but there are still two category 2 climbs to come.
The first is the Coll de Ordino which is 8.8km and has an average gradient of 4.9%. The second is the Alto de la Comella, shorter at 4km but slightly more difficult at 5%.
Neither will split the field asunder but if the pace is kept high it will not only discourage attacks but also shell a few more out the back.
Once off the Comella there is only a short run through the valley before starting the final ascent.
The Gallina is 7.2km long but has an average gradient of 8%. It has a section in the middle which hits 15% while the final two kilometres hit 9% rising to 10%.
It will mean a tough run to the line and throws up many alternative winners.
Chris Horner has looked very strong on the climbs so far and I'm sure he will want to win the jersey back. Expect an attack at some point.
Vincenzo Nibali currently has that jersey and will want to defend it. He left his run a little too late to close down Horner on stage 10 and won't want to make that mistake again.
The two other big Spaniards may fancy their chances also. Valverde will like this finish although he may also have an eye on Sunday's stage.
Joaquin Rodriguez has the comfort of a 2.33 deficit to Nibali and this mean the top four riders may not respond as quickly if he attacked. If can get a gap he could be gone for the win. However he hasn't looked in the best of form recently but on his day, he would be the favourite.
Nico Roche has been exceptional so far and is definitely having his best ever grand tour. He should be able to hold the others to a fairly reasonable gap but I can't see him challenging for the stage win.
Of the others, well look no further than Euskatel. This is their territory but following the takeover by F1 world champion Fernando Alonso they will be losing their Basque persona.
I'm sure the Basque fans will continue to support them as vociferously as before but I'm also sure the team will want to put on a show. Expect at least one in the break and if one of (if not all) of Igor Anton, Mikel Nieve and Sammy Sanchez don't appear at the head of affairs I will be most surprised!
Before the tour started I would have said David Arroyo would have been on the offensive in the mountains but he hasn't looked at his best so far. Don't count him out though.
Domenico Pozzovivo was amazing in the time trial and is more than suited to these type of steep climbs. Has a chance.
Ivan Basso has looked really good as well in recent mountainous days. Can this be the day he makes an attack stick? He certainly will attack so why not.
Finally Carlos Alberto Betancur would have been a favourite for the Tour and this stage. But illness and a lack of competition put paid to that before it started. He will be getting better so expect at least one showing in the last week. The question is when. And why not today?
Lots of opportunities for a lot of riders. Whatever happens it will be exciting. You want me to pick one? I was afraid of that!
Joaquin Rodriguez then.
That's the mockers put on him!
Saturday, 13 July 2013
Tour de France 2013 : Stage 15 Preview
WHEN the route of the this year's Tour was announced last October there was high expectations that Stage 15 would be a cracker, this being the 100th running of 'La Grande Boucle'.
And the organisers have not disappointed!
Sunday 14th July is Bastille Day, the biggest of the national holidays in France. Think Independence Day in America and you're pretty much there.
The public will be out in force for one huge party and Le Tour will be one of the main ingredients. And the biggest party will be on the slopes of the 'Giant of Provence', Mont Ventoux.
The mountain stands 1912 metres above sea level and climbs just under 1600m over a distance of 20.8km (12.9 miles) to an almost lunar landscape.
The average gradient is 7.5% but there are 8km where the gradient is above 9%, the maximum being 10.6%.
It is a beast of a climb, and even claimed the life of British cyclist Tommy Simpson in 1967.
On it's own it would make for a tough stage but the race director has gone one step forward, putting this at the end of the longest stage on the Tour.
The stage runs from Givors and is a total of 242.5km long (150.6 miles).
Then you have the heat, temperatures are forecast to be in the 80's and with a wind in the riders faces, the peloton will be very glad of Monday's rest day.
The stage has two possible scenarios, both of which are as likely as the other.
Firstly a breakaway will go away and depending who is in it, it may stay away until the end.
One thing is guaranteed, it will contain many Frenchman! I would expect Sylvain Chavanel, Thomas Voeckler and current French champion Arthur Vichot to be very active and trying their upmost to be involved.
The other French teams, Cofidis (Chrisophe Le Mevel? Jerome Coppel?), Saur Sojasun (Jerome Simon?) and AG2R La Mondiale (John Gadret?) will also be under orders to infiltrate the day's break.
Team Sky will have enough problems to try and control the big favourites and defend Chris Froome's lead. So if those in the breakaway have big enough time gaps, Sky will be more than happy to just control the peloton and allow the break to fight for the stage.
However the second possibility is, in my eyes, more probable.
Teams like Belkin, Saxo Tinkoff and Movistar will fancy putting Sky and Froome under pressure. The pace will be incredibly high coming to the bottom slopes of the Ventoux and Sky seem to be imploding at the minute.
If they crank the pace up they will pull back the break on the last climb. It will then be a shootout among the 'big boys' for the win and for the GC.
Favourites? Well the heat and severity of the final climb seems to play into the hands of Nairo Quintana and Alberto Contador. Froome is originally from Kenya and does spend a lot of time in Africa but a lot will depend on how much he has in his legs and how much he will need to go into his reserves to stay with the front guys.
I have been impressed with Roman Kreuziger so far but he will be on domestique duty for Contador. Bauke Mollema came into this tour on form and it will be interesting to see how he goes today. Same goes for his team mate Laurens Ten Dam and Astana's Jakob Fuglsang.
Outsiders could well come from Euskatel. Mikel Nieve has been the strongest in that team and the Basque rider will enjoy the challenge.
Look for someone like Katusha's Daniel Moreno too. His leader Joaquin Rodriguez is currently 10th but almost six minutes down. Moreno may be given free rein to attack which would mean Rodriguez could follow the rest and let them do the work.
Final outsider? Romain Bardet from AG2R, if he isn't in the break, has showed some good form in the mountains. A young man with a big future according to the French press, he was 14th into Ax-3 Domaines and 24th into Bagneres-de-Biggore.
An ideal French win on the ideal French stage? Don't bet against it!
And the organisers have not disappointed!
Sunday 14th July is Bastille Day, the biggest of the national holidays in France. Think Independence Day in America and you're pretty much there.
The public will be out in force for one huge party and Le Tour will be one of the main ingredients. And the biggest party will be on the slopes of the 'Giant of Provence', Mont Ventoux.
The mountain stands 1912 metres above sea level and climbs just under 1600m over a distance of 20.8km (12.9 miles) to an almost lunar landscape.
The average gradient is 7.5% but there are 8km where the gradient is above 9%, the maximum being 10.6%.
It is a beast of a climb, and even claimed the life of British cyclist Tommy Simpson in 1967.
On it's own it would make for a tough stage but the race director has gone one step forward, putting this at the end of the longest stage on the Tour.
The stage runs from Givors and is a total of 242.5km long (150.6 miles).
Then you have the heat, temperatures are forecast to be in the 80's and with a wind in the riders faces, the peloton will be very glad of Monday's rest day.
The stage has two possible scenarios, both of which are as likely as the other.
Firstly a breakaway will go away and depending who is in it, it may stay away until the end.
One thing is guaranteed, it will contain many Frenchman! I would expect Sylvain Chavanel, Thomas Voeckler and current French champion Arthur Vichot to be very active and trying their upmost to be involved.
The other French teams, Cofidis (Chrisophe Le Mevel? Jerome Coppel?), Saur Sojasun (Jerome Simon?) and AG2R La Mondiale (John Gadret?) will also be under orders to infiltrate the day's break.
Team Sky will have enough problems to try and control the big favourites and defend Chris Froome's lead. So if those in the breakaway have big enough time gaps, Sky will be more than happy to just control the peloton and allow the break to fight for the stage.
However the second possibility is, in my eyes, more probable.
Teams like Belkin, Saxo Tinkoff and Movistar will fancy putting Sky and Froome under pressure. The pace will be incredibly high coming to the bottom slopes of the Ventoux and Sky seem to be imploding at the minute.
If they crank the pace up they will pull back the break on the last climb. It will then be a shootout among the 'big boys' for the win and for the GC.
Favourites? Well the heat and severity of the final climb seems to play into the hands of Nairo Quintana and Alberto Contador. Froome is originally from Kenya and does spend a lot of time in Africa but a lot will depend on how much he has in his legs and how much he will need to go into his reserves to stay with the front guys.
I have been impressed with Roman Kreuziger so far but he will be on domestique duty for Contador. Bauke Mollema came into this tour on form and it will be interesting to see how he goes today. Same goes for his team mate Laurens Ten Dam and Astana's Jakob Fuglsang.
Outsiders could well come from Euskatel. Mikel Nieve has been the strongest in that team and the Basque rider will enjoy the challenge.
Look for someone like Katusha's Daniel Moreno too. His leader Joaquin Rodriguez is currently 10th but almost six minutes down. Moreno may be given free rein to attack which would mean Rodriguez could follow the rest and let them do the work.
Final outsider? Romain Bardet from AG2R, if he isn't in the break, has showed some good form in the mountains. A young man with a big future according to the French press, he was 14th into Ax-3 Domaines and 24th into Bagneres-de-Biggore.
An ideal French win on the ideal French stage? Don't bet against it!
Monday, 8 July 2013
Tour de France 2013 : Stage 10 Preview
AFTER the trials and tribulations of
the mountains, it's time to turn our attentions back to the sprinters.
Stage 10 sees the peloton at the opposite end of the country to the Pyrenees with a 197km route through Brittany from Saint-Gildas-des-Bois to Saint-Malo.
The profile shows just one Cat 4 climb coming 55km from the finish although there are a couple of uncategorized lumps early in the stage which may prove a springboard for a breakaway.
The last part of the course hugs the coastline and can be described as rolling but shouldn't be testing unless there is a wind coming off the Channel. The final 5 km are pretty straight with just a slight dogleg right with 350m to go to test the sprinters.
A break will be allowed to go early on and while the responsibilities will be on Team Sky to keep it in check, it should be a fairly easy day for them. Once over the Cote de Dinan expect some of the sprinters teams to come and give them a hand in reeling the escapees back.
Favourites for the stage are the usual suspects. Mark Cavendish, Andre Greipel, Peter Sagan, Alexander Kristoff will all be in the mix again. Greipel looks the strongest at the minute but you can never count out Cav. Or Sagan for that matter.
If you want outsiders for the sprint then look to the former race leader Daryl Impey to be involved. He is in great form and I think Orica Green Edge will hand him the opportunity to go for the win ahead of Matt Goss. Euskatel's Juan Jose Lobato del Valle has also been impressive through this race and should gain another top 10 finish here.
If the wind does get up, and the forecast has it coming from the north east which will be behind the field for the last 10km or so, then we could see someone try and jump away from the group along the coast. Juan Antonio Flecha has been very active this year as has his team Vaconsoleil as they attempt to attract new sponsors. A lone attack suits Flecha's style down to the ground and he certainly has the power to back it up. If the peloton hesitate and allow someone like him to go they may miss out altogether.
***********************************************************************************************
The Points Classification (Green Jersey)
There is more than one race within the Tour de France. Not everyone can win the yellow jersey so in 1953 the organisers introduced the Malliot Vert for the best daily finisher. The colour green was chosen because the sponsor at the time was a lawn mower producer.
Usually this is a competition for the sprinters. Points are available to the first 15 finishers on each stage and there are more on offer on the flat than in the mountains or time trials.
There is also one intermediate sprint each day which also gains points towards the classification.
So for a stage like today 45 points are awarded to the first man across the line with the rest getting 35, 30, 26, 22, 20, 18, 16, 14, 12, 10, 8, 6, 4 and 2 respectively.
For medium mountain stages the winner gets 30 points with 20 points going to the winner of a high mountain stage or time trial.
Intermediate sprints also awarded 20 points to the first across the line.
Last years winner Peter Sagan looks on course to retain his title. He currently holds a fairly substantial lead in this competition, a full 93 points clear of Andre Greipel in second and 106 points ahead of Mark Cavendish in third.
Sagan owes this lead predominantly to his ability to get over mountains and hills better than his rivals and in particular to stage seven. Here he was able to hoover up a full 65 points while his main competitors struggled to get over the climbs and picked up nothing.
It is worth noting that you don't have to win the most stages to get this jersey. Cav won six stages in the 2009 tour and five in 2010 yet finished second in this classification.
And I would expect Greipel and Cavendish to both rack up more wins than Sagan this time around. But nothing, other than a crash and abandonment, will stop the Slovakian from taking the title again.
Stage 10 sees the peloton at the opposite end of the country to the Pyrenees with a 197km route through Brittany from Saint-Gildas-des-Bois to Saint-Malo.
The profile shows just one Cat 4 climb coming 55km from the finish although there are a couple of uncategorized lumps early in the stage which may prove a springboard for a breakaway.
The last part of the course hugs the coastline and can be described as rolling but shouldn't be testing unless there is a wind coming off the Channel. The final 5 km are pretty straight with just a slight dogleg right with 350m to go to test the sprinters.
A break will be allowed to go early on and while the responsibilities will be on Team Sky to keep it in check, it should be a fairly easy day for them. Once over the Cote de Dinan expect some of the sprinters teams to come and give them a hand in reeling the escapees back.
Favourites for the stage are the usual suspects. Mark Cavendish, Andre Greipel, Peter Sagan, Alexander Kristoff will all be in the mix again. Greipel looks the strongest at the minute but you can never count out Cav. Or Sagan for that matter.
If you want outsiders for the sprint then look to the former race leader Daryl Impey to be involved. He is in great form and I think Orica Green Edge will hand him the opportunity to go for the win ahead of Matt Goss. Euskatel's Juan Jose Lobato del Valle has also been impressive through this race and should gain another top 10 finish here.
If the wind does get up, and the forecast has it coming from the north east which will be behind the field for the last 10km or so, then we could see someone try and jump away from the group along the coast. Juan Antonio Flecha has been very active this year as has his team Vaconsoleil as they attempt to attract new sponsors. A lone attack suits Flecha's style down to the ground and he certainly has the power to back it up. If the peloton hesitate and allow someone like him to go they may miss out altogether.
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The Points Classification (Green Jersey)
There is more than one race within the Tour de France. Not everyone can win the yellow jersey so in 1953 the organisers introduced the Malliot Vert for the best daily finisher. The colour green was chosen because the sponsor at the time was a lawn mower producer.
Usually this is a competition for the sprinters. Points are available to the first 15 finishers on each stage and there are more on offer on the flat than in the mountains or time trials.
There is also one intermediate sprint each day which also gains points towards the classification.
So for a stage like today 45 points are awarded to the first man across the line with the rest getting 35, 30, 26, 22, 20, 18, 16, 14, 12, 10, 8, 6, 4 and 2 respectively.
For medium mountain stages the winner gets 30 points with 20 points going to the winner of a high mountain stage or time trial.
Intermediate sprints also awarded 20 points to the first across the line.
Last years winner Peter Sagan looks on course to retain his title. He currently holds a fairly substantial lead in this competition, a full 93 points clear of Andre Greipel in second and 106 points ahead of Mark Cavendish in third.
Sagan owes this lead predominantly to his ability to get over mountains and hills better than his rivals and in particular to stage seven. Here he was able to hoover up a full 65 points while his main competitors struggled to get over the climbs and picked up nothing.
It is worth noting that you don't have to win the most stages to get this jersey. Cav won six stages in the 2009 tour and five in 2010 yet finished second in this classification.
And I would expect Greipel and Cavendish to both rack up more wins than Sagan this time around. But nothing, other than a crash and abandonment, will stop the Slovakian from taking the title again.
Friday, 5 July 2013
Tour de France 2013 : Stage 8 Preview
STAGE eight will really throw the cat amongst the pigeons as the race moves into the Pyrenees and the high mountains.
For a week now I have been talking of the likes of Mark Cavendish, Peter Sagan and Andre Greipel. However don't expect to hear or read anything about them for a good few days.
Instead It will be the big favourites who the focus will switch to, the riders who have designs of standing on top of the podium in Paris. This is their first chance to really show what they are about.
The stage is 195km long and goes from Castres to 3-Ax Domaines. A small cat 4 climb 26km into the stage is a mere footnote of what is to come.
First up is the Col de Paiheres which is an HC mountain, i.e. beyond categorisation, and tops out at 2001m above sea level. It is 15.3km long (that's 9.5 miles) and has an average gradient of 8%. It's maximum gradient is 10.5% which it reaches for 2km of it's total length. It's summit is just 29km from the finish.
This will be where the first shots fired in anger will take place. Those that want the stage win and those targeting the King of the Mountains jersey will definitely attack here. The main GC contenders may wait until the final climb.
That climb of 3-Ax Domaines is a Cat 1 and climbs 607m to finish 1350m above sea level. It is shorter in length than the Paiheres at 7.8km although it has a steeper average gradient of 8.2%.
The last time we were here in 2010 the winner was Christophe Riblon of AG2R, which came from a breakaway. It is unlikely that this will be the outcome again.
The one definite we have is that there will be a new yellow jersey come teatime on Saturday. The question is will it be the final change of this years Tour?
If all the favourites were to come in together Team Sky's Chris Froome would take over the lead, level on time with his team mate Richie Porte. Third would be Alberto Contador who would find himself just 6 seconds behind.
Froome is the better time trialer so others, like Contador and Joaquin Rodriguez, must try and put some time into him in the mountains. Sky will know this and will be quite happy to set a fast pace on the final climb in much the same way as they did on La Planche des Belle Filles last year, a stage that saw Froome take the stage and Sir Bradley Wiggins take the race leadership.
That day they blew virtually the full race apart and I would expect them to try something similar here. This mountain is longer than La Planche but not as steep and while some of the personnel has changed, Sky certainly still has the firepower to make it difficult.
They would be completely happy taking over the race lead as well and to defend it all the way to Paris. If the opportunity comes to take the stage as well they will take it so Froome or Porte are definitely in the mix for this one.
The others may be content to let them get on with it and not attack, knowing that tomorrow sees an even harder stage. But if they want to have any chance of winning the tour they can't really wait and need to take every opportunity.
Contador is the type of rider to give it a go, on a number of occasions if necessary. He didn't look on the best of form during the Criterium de Dauphine and admitted that he was only about 80-90%. However he also said that was where he wanted to be and by the tour he would be 100%. He has stayed out of trouble so far and I think he will be able to stay with the Sky train. It would be a big a big surprise if he gets distanced.
BMC have the twin threats of Cadel Evans and Tejay Van Garderen. Evans has come here as the team leader with the young American acting as his main support. Evans managed to stay with Sky last year and while I don't think he'll attack, he should be able to finish with the leaders. Any slip from him though and Van Garderen will be ready to take over his mantle, should the team decree it.
Rodriguez has no choice, he has to attack and gain time in the mountains. He is not good against the clock and after the TTT he finds himself 25 seconds behind Froome. Whether he finishes in front of, with or behind Froome on this stage will depend on the number and severity of his attacks. Shouldn't lose too much time though, if any.
It will be interesting to see how the others go. Movistar have an all star climbing team with Alejandro Valverde, Rui Costa, Amedy Amador and Nairo Quintana, although the Colombian wonderkid seems to have spent more time on the floor recently than the bike. Garmin likewise bring some big climbing talent in Ryder Hesjedal, Dan Martin and Andrew Talansky. Both teams will want to test the waters at some point in the Pyrenees. They should have strength in depth but can they challenge the Sky dominance?
Elsewhere Bauke Mollema had a wonderful Tour de Suisse, winning stage two and finishing second overall, and he has enjoyed a fairly trouble free tour so far. He could give the low countries something to cheer about after their big favourite Jurgen Van de Broeck withdrew on stage 6.
Astana have had an awful tour so far losing Andrey Kashechkin, Janez Brajkovic and Robert Kiserlovski. It will be up to Jakob Fuglsang to try and rescue the situation, although without his best three lieutenants in the mountains it will be difficult. Don't rule him out as an outsider though.
But if you want an outsider for the stage then think Orange!
The Pyrenees are the domain of the Basque's. Their red and green flags will be very visible throughout our stay in the mountains as will their team, Euskatel-Euskadi. Euskatel do not have anyone who can really challenge for the overall win but they do have some very good climbers in their ranks and in Igor Anton and Mikel Nieve they have two men who could well be targeting a top 10 finish in Paris.
Expect them to be on the attack for the full day and look to Nieve as an outsider for the stage.
With this being the first foray into the mountains you can't be certain of anything yet. We will know more by the end of the day however and if you've never watched cycling before, this is the stage for you!
The Tour begins in earnest now!
For a week now I have been talking of the likes of Mark Cavendish, Peter Sagan and Andre Greipel. However don't expect to hear or read anything about them for a good few days.
Instead It will be the big favourites who the focus will switch to, the riders who have designs of standing on top of the podium in Paris. This is their first chance to really show what they are about.
The stage is 195km long and goes from Castres to 3-Ax Domaines. A small cat 4 climb 26km into the stage is a mere footnote of what is to come.
First up is the Col de Paiheres which is an HC mountain, i.e. beyond categorisation, and tops out at 2001m above sea level. It is 15.3km long (that's 9.5 miles) and has an average gradient of 8%. It's maximum gradient is 10.5% which it reaches for 2km of it's total length. It's summit is just 29km from the finish.
This will be where the first shots fired in anger will take place. Those that want the stage win and those targeting the King of the Mountains jersey will definitely attack here. The main GC contenders may wait until the final climb.
That climb of 3-Ax Domaines is a Cat 1 and climbs 607m to finish 1350m above sea level. It is shorter in length than the Paiheres at 7.8km although it has a steeper average gradient of 8.2%.
The last time we were here in 2010 the winner was Christophe Riblon of AG2R, which came from a breakaway. It is unlikely that this will be the outcome again.
The one definite we have is that there will be a new yellow jersey come teatime on Saturday. The question is will it be the final change of this years Tour?
If all the favourites were to come in together Team Sky's Chris Froome would take over the lead, level on time with his team mate Richie Porte. Third would be Alberto Contador who would find himself just 6 seconds behind.
Froome is the better time trialer so others, like Contador and Joaquin Rodriguez, must try and put some time into him in the mountains. Sky will know this and will be quite happy to set a fast pace on the final climb in much the same way as they did on La Planche des Belle Filles last year, a stage that saw Froome take the stage and Sir Bradley Wiggins take the race leadership.
That day they blew virtually the full race apart and I would expect them to try something similar here. This mountain is longer than La Planche but not as steep and while some of the personnel has changed, Sky certainly still has the firepower to make it difficult.
They would be completely happy taking over the race lead as well and to defend it all the way to Paris. If the opportunity comes to take the stage as well they will take it so Froome or Porte are definitely in the mix for this one.
The others may be content to let them get on with it and not attack, knowing that tomorrow sees an even harder stage. But if they want to have any chance of winning the tour they can't really wait and need to take every opportunity.
Contador is the type of rider to give it a go, on a number of occasions if necessary. He didn't look on the best of form during the Criterium de Dauphine and admitted that he was only about 80-90%. However he also said that was where he wanted to be and by the tour he would be 100%. He has stayed out of trouble so far and I think he will be able to stay with the Sky train. It would be a big a big surprise if he gets distanced.
BMC have the twin threats of Cadel Evans and Tejay Van Garderen. Evans has come here as the team leader with the young American acting as his main support. Evans managed to stay with Sky last year and while I don't think he'll attack, he should be able to finish with the leaders. Any slip from him though and Van Garderen will be ready to take over his mantle, should the team decree it.
Rodriguez has no choice, he has to attack and gain time in the mountains. He is not good against the clock and after the TTT he finds himself 25 seconds behind Froome. Whether he finishes in front of, with or behind Froome on this stage will depend on the number and severity of his attacks. Shouldn't lose too much time though, if any.
It will be interesting to see how the others go. Movistar have an all star climbing team with Alejandro Valverde, Rui Costa, Amedy Amador and Nairo Quintana, although the Colombian wonderkid seems to have spent more time on the floor recently than the bike. Garmin likewise bring some big climbing talent in Ryder Hesjedal, Dan Martin and Andrew Talansky. Both teams will want to test the waters at some point in the Pyrenees. They should have strength in depth but can they challenge the Sky dominance?
Elsewhere Bauke Mollema had a wonderful Tour de Suisse, winning stage two and finishing second overall, and he has enjoyed a fairly trouble free tour so far. He could give the low countries something to cheer about after their big favourite Jurgen Van de Broeck withdrew on stage 6.
Astana have had an awful tour so far losing Andrey Kashechkin, Janez Brajkovic and Robert Kiserlovski. It will be up to Jakob Fuglsang to try and rescue the situation, although without his best three lieutenants in the mountains it will be difficult. Don't rule him out as an outsider though.
But if you want an outsider for the stage then think Orange!
The Pyrenees are the domain of the Basque's. Their red and green flags will be very visible throughout our stay in the mountains as will their team, Euskatel-Euskadi. Euskatel do not have anyone who can really challenge for the overall win but they do have some very good climbers in their ranks and in Igor Anton and Mikel Nieve they have two men who could well be targeting a top 10 finish in Paris.
Expect them to be on the attack for the full day and look to Nieve as an outsider for the stage.
With this being the first foray into the mountains you can't be certain of anything yet. We will know more by the end of the day however and if you've never watched cycling before, this is the stage for you!
The Tour begins in earnest now!
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