AFTER three long and tortuous weeks
around France, the Tour is coming to an end in style, with the now infamous
finish on the Champs-Elysees in Paris.
But while the glory of that final stage
win is still up for grabs, for those riders who have chasing the general
classification, the tour is over. And that means that for the second year
running 'God Save the Queen' will be ringing out over the Paris skyline
as tour celebrates another British win.
Chris Froome has proven to be the strongest
rider, despite some serious challenges over the last couple of days. Victory
at Ax-3-Domaines and Mont Ventoux proved he could handle himself in the
mountains and his performances in the Individual Time Trials, where he
finished 2nd and 1st showed his all round ability.
He still has to finish of course but
the final stage is for the majority of the field, and not just for Froome,
a celebratory ride through the streets of the capital. Expect the almost
obligatory victorious team shot as well as glasses of champagne being quaffed!
The race always finishes along the Champs-Elysees,
only the starting point changes. This year for the 100th edition we are
staring at the Palace of Versailles. The only changes for the centennial
race are that the race is going to be run in the evening to accommodate
the planned fireworks display after the finish and instead of turning in
front of the Arc de Triomphe, we are actually going around it for the first
time.
While it is a celebration for most,
there are some for whom this stage means a huge amount. We've not spoken
about them for over a week now but they're back. The sprinters!
And one in particular will be chomping
at the bit.
For the last four years there has only
been one man with his arms in the air at the end of this stage and he will
be keen to extend that marvellous winning streak to five.
Mark Cavendish.
The Manx Missile has been unstoppable
in recent years as he has won with aplomb. In 2010 his winning margin was
so much that his leadout man, Mark Renshaw finished second. Last year it
was the yellow jersey himself, Sir Bradley Wiggins, that led him through
the Place de la Concorde and onto victory.
However this could be the year where it ends.
He's not been as prolific as normal
in this tour. Marcel Kittel, who is arguably the fastest man in the peloton
at the moment, and Andre Greipel have both got the better of him and
in Stage 12 Kittel actually came around him in the last 250m to win, something
that has never happened before in the Tour de France.
Speeds are always high around here,
and I mean incredibly high, which means sprinters teams need to be
strong and fast to get their man to the front of affairs. Argos-Shimano
for Kittel and Lotto-Belisol for Greipel are probably the strongest leadout
trains in the bunch. Cav's team, Omega-Pharma-Quickstep, are good, any
team with Tony Martin will never be shy of a few Watts and kph! But they
have lacked the cohesion at times to mount a strong challenge.
And even when they did get it almost
spot on like into Tours, Cavendish hasn't had the speed.
But one thing that won't be missing
is the desire. He knows what it takes to win around here and will be gunning
for this. Will it be enough to defeat Kittel and Greipel? Time will tell
but favourites for the win will definitely be these three.
It would be wrong to mention the King
of the sprint stages and not mention the Green Jersey. Peter Sagan has
taken this title for the second successive year, quite simply because of
his consistency. He would love to take the win here but I think he will
have to settle for top 5.
For an outsider look towards Alexander
Kristoff. The big Norwegian has been due a big result since finishing
second on the opening stage. He is a powerful sprinter which you need to
be here, it's 400m from the corner on the Place de la Concorde to the line,
so if you can hold your speed over a long period in time, you stand a chance.
It's been a fabulous tour, it deserves
a fabulous finish. And under the twilight of Paris, it will get it!
********************************************************************************
As this is the last preview piece for the Tour I just wanted to take this opportunity to say a big thank you to
everybody who has read this and for all the very nice comments.
I hope
you have enjoyed reading it as much as I have enjoyed writing it. Cycling
is a wonderful sport, from the colour and scenery, to the drama of the racing
and the respect of these supreme athletes. Hopefully these blogs have helped
with your enjoyment.
The Tour de France isn't the only race
however so I'll be back in August with a daily preview of the last Grand
Tour of the year, the Vuelta a'Espana. For those who have never seen it
it's another 3 week race but with a lot more mountains! Always exciting
and full of surprises.
Hope to see you then!
Cheers
Showing posts with label Marcel Kittel. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Marcel Kittel. Show all posts
Saturday, 20 July 2013
Thursday, 11 July 2013
Tour de France 2013 : Stage 13 Preview
IT'S another so called transitional stage for the peloton as they face 173km from Tours to Saint-Amand-Montrond.
It should mean another bunch sprint, in fact scratch that. It WILL mean another bunch sprint.
Yes a breakaway will go but the sprinters teams will not want an opportunity to slip by so they will be given a short gap and then reeled in before the finish.
There is only categorised climb, the Cat 4 Cote de Crotz, which comes 96km from the end and will not cause any concern to the main favourites.
What will be of concern is the finish, which again has some serious obstacles inside the last km.
First there's a 90 degree left hand turn with around 900km to go. The road then swings right through another 90 degree turn before the third and final sweeping left hand curve with around 450m to go.
The crash in stage 12 will do nothing to calm the nerves in the peloton as GC guys and sprinters alike try to stay at the front of the group.
Whoever manages to do this will then hope to be around that final corner in the first half dozen spots in order to go for the stage win.
Mark Cavendish had a perfect lead out today but quite surprisingly Marcel Kittel proved to be the fastest man.
It is not the first time this tour that the German has got the better of the British Champion and there is bound to be frustration for the Manxman.
I have picked Cav for a few stages simply because he is (was?) the fastest man on two wheels. I do believe he will come good but at the minute Kittel is on top form. It's hard to go against the German again.
It won't be a two horse race though. Andre Greipel was caught up behind the crash and although he got through unscathed, he was out of the final fight. He is the German champion and will not be happy at the spotlight of his home country moving to the young pretender. Expect him to go fast and hard for the win.
The others will all be there again. Peter Sagan was third today with Alexander Kristoff fourth.
Daryl Impey got involved in the sprint for Orica GreenEdge and others who are proving to be good bets for a top 10 are Roberto Ferrari, Jose Joaquin Rojas and Juan Jose Lobato.
The GC guys will hope for a easy and calm finish. Ian Stannard managed to guide Chris Froome through the mayhem and will hope to do so again. Saturday and definitely Sunday will be firmly in their minds and they won't want any problems going into it.
But going back to the stage win, I would say it'll end up being a Germany - England confrontation. And as with our footballing sides, the favourite is probably a German!
And that's without penalties!
It should mean another bunch sprint, in fact scratch that. It WILL mean another bunch sprint.
Yes a breakaway will go but the sprinters teams will not want an opportunity to slip by so they will be given a short gap and then reeled in before the finish.
There is only categorised climb, the Cat 4 Cote de Crotz, which comes 96km from the end and will not cause any concern to the main favourites.
What will be of concern is the finish, which again has some serious obstacles inside the last km.
First there's a 90 degree left hand turn with around 900km to go. The road then swings right through another 90 degree turn before the third and final sweeping left hand curve with around 450m to go.
The crash in stage 12 will do nothing to calm the nerves in the peloton as GC guys and sprinters alike try to stay at the front of the group.
Whoever manages to do this will then hope to be around that final corner in the first half dozen spots in order to go for the stage win.
Mark Cavendish had a perfect lead out today but quite surprisingly Marcel Kittel proved to be the fastest man.
It is not the first time this tour that the German has got the better of the British Champion and there is bound to be frustration for the Manxman.
I have picked Cav for a few stages simply because he is (was?) the fastest man on two wheels. I do believe he will come good but at the minute Kittel is on top form. It's hard to go against the German again.
It won't be a two horse race though. Andre Greipel was caught up behind the crash and although he got through unscathed, he was out of the final fight. He is the German champion and will not be happy at the spotlight of his home country moving to the young pretender. Expect him to go fast and hard for the win.
The others will all be there again. Peter Sagan was third today with Alexander Kristoff fourth.
Daryl Impey got involved in the sprint for Orica GreenEdge and others who are proving to be good bets for a top 10 are Roberto Ferrari, Jose Joaquin Rojas and Juan Jose Lobato.
The GC guys will hope for a easy and calm finish. Ian Stannard managed to guide Chris Froome through the mayhem and will hope to do so again. Saturday and definitely Sunday will be firmly in their minds and they won't want any problems going into it.
But going back to the stage win, I would say it'll end up being a Germany - England confrontation. And as with our footballing sides, the favourite is probably a German!
And that's without penalties!
Wednesday, 10 July 2013
Tour de France 2013 : Stage 12 Preview
IT'S a day one man has been dreading
above all others.
Even Mark Cavendish looking at the double ascent of L'Alpe d'Huez is not quaking in fear as much.
The man? Eurosport's commentator Carlton Kirby!
Stage 12 travels 218km (or 135.5 miles) from Fougeres to Tours and bar the obligatory intermediate sprint, there is nothing on the profile. No climbs, no descents, nothing.
It means a long day behind the microphone as a break goes up the road and the sprinters teams take their time bringing them back. Expect as much waffle and time filling as it is possible to muster. And expect many scenic shots as the helicopter goes looking for Chateau's and vineyards!
Once the break has been caught the finish at least should bring some excitement. With about 2.5km to go the road swings through two 90 degree bends, first left and then right, as we cross the river.
Then with 700m we turn right through another 90 degrees and again with 400m to go.
It will mean any leadout train will have their rhythm severely disrupted and position for the last two corners will be paramount. Anyone with designs on the stage win will need to be in the one of the first five positions out of that last corner.
It will really raise the likelihood of a crash in the peloton as nerves will be high and sprint teams race to get their man into the best position possible for those final two corners.
The nullification somewhat of the sprint teams at the end means we could see other riders getting close to the now established names of potential sprint winners.
Roberto Ferrari has figured in the top 20 in a few of the sprint stages so far but without the success of the Giro d'Italia in 2011. Samuel Dumoulin is another who can't be totally ruled out. While he could never be classed as a top sprinter, the diminutive Frenchman has a habit of appearing through carnage and other peoples difficulties to grab good results. Could be an outsider for a top 3 place here.
And you just can't seem to keep Orica Green-Edge away from the spotlight. Matt Goss was 11th into Saint-Malo the other day. He should be able to go higher than that.
The likelihood is though that the winner will be from that elite sprint group. Kittel looks fast at the minute and both of his wins so far in this Tour have come without the aid of a sprint train. I have him down to pip the likes of Greipel, Cavendish, Sagan and Kristoff.
It will be a chaotic finish to what will be a fairly quiet day. Quiet that is except for the Eurosport commentary box!
******************************************************
Best Young Rider Classification (White Jersey)
Eddy Merckx famously won every jersey going in the 1969 Tour de France, his first appearance at the race.
He would have won this one too had it been in existence!
First awarded in 1975 the title has been given to the best rider on GC under the age of 25 since 1987. The jersey itself came fully into existence in 2000.
It has been won by some of the great in the sport, as well as some of the now disgraced, and has seen some of it's winners go on to swap white for yellow. The likes of Andy Schleck, Alberto Contador and Marco Pantani all won this competition prior to the big one.
And Schleck, Contador, Jan Ullrich and Laurent Fignon are the only four men to have won both in the same year.
It is basically a competition within a competition. It uses the same rules as defines the overall standings. Tejay Van Garderen won the white jersey last year while finishing 8th overall.
This year as I've mentioned previously, barring a crash or other such misfortune, the jersey will be a two horse race between Nairo Quintana and Michael Kwiatkowski.
Both have been touted as future winners of the Tour and for good reason. Both can time trial and both can climb although the Colombian excels more in the lumpier stuff while the Pole takes the plaudits against the clock.
With the Alps fast approaching it will be fascinating to see how they react. Both are in their first tour and the final week of any three week tour brings with it a whole new range of issues, as the riders cope with fatigue and a savage profile.
They have shown enough already to cement their reputation and potential. Don't be surprised if this jersey is just the start of many for them both.
Even Mark Cavendish looking at the double ascent of L'Alpe d'Huez is not quaking in fear as much.
The man? Eurosport's commentator Carlton Kirby!
Stage 12 travels 218km (or 135.5 miles) from Fougeres to Tours and bar the obligatory intermediate sprint, there is nothing on the profile. No climbs, no descents, nothing.
It means a long day behind the microphone as a break goes up the road and the sprinters teams take their time bringing them back. Expect as much waffle and time filling as it is possible to muster. And expect many scenic shots as the helicopter goes looking for Chateau's and vineyards!
Once the break has been caught the finish at least should bring some excitement. With about 2.5km to go the road swings through two 90 degree bends, first left and then right, as we cross the river.
Then with 700m we turn right through another 90 degrees and again with 400m to go.
It will mean any leadout train will have their rhythm severely disrupted and position for the last two corners will be paramount. Anyone with designs on the stage win will need to be in the one of the first five positions out of that last corner.
It will really raise the likelihood of a crash in the peloton as nerves will be high and sprint teams race to get their man into the best position possible for those final two corners.
The nullification somewhat of the sprint teams at the end means we could see other riders getting close to the now established names of potential sprint winners.
Roberto Ferrari has figured in the top 20 in a few of the sprint stages so far but without the success of the Giro d'Italia in 2011. Samuel Dumoulin is another who can't be totally ruled out. While he could never be classed as a top sprinter, the diminutive Frenchman has a habit of appearing through carnage and other peoples difficulties to grab good results. Could be an outsider for a top 3 place here.
And you just can't seem to keep Orica Green-Edge away from the spotlight. Matt Goss was 11th into Saint-Malo the other day. He should be able to go higher than that.
The likelihood is though that the winner will be from that elite sprint group. Kittel looks fast at the minute and both of his wins so far in this Tour have come without the aid of a sprint train. I have him down to pip the likes of Greipel, Cavendish, Sagan and Kristoff.
It will be a chaotic finish to what will be a fairly quiet day. Quiet that is except for the Eurosport commentary box!
******************************************************
Best Young Rider Classification (White Jersey)
Eddy Merckx famously won every jersey going in the 1969 Tour de France, his first appearance at the race.
He would have won this one too had it been in existence!
First awarded in 1975 the title has been given to the best rider on GC under the age of 25 since 1987. The jersey itself came fully into existence in 2000.
It has been won by some of the great in the sport, as well as some of the now disgraced, and has seen some of it's winners go on to swap white for yellow. The likes of Andy Schleck, Alberto Contador and Marco Pantani all won this competition prior to the big one.
And Schleck, Contador, Jan Ullrich and Laurent Fignon are the only four men to have won both in the same year.
It is basically a competition within a competition. It uses the same rules as defines the overall standings. Tejay Van Garderen won the white jersey last year while finishing 8th overall.
This year as I've mentioned previously, barring a crash or other such misfortune, the jersey will be a two horse race between Nairo Quintana and Michael Kwiatkowski.
Both have been touted as future winners of the Tour and for good reason. Both can time trial and both can climb although the Colombian excels more in the lumpier stuff while the Pole takes the plaudits against the clock.
With the Alps fast approaching it will be fascinating to see how they react. Both are in their first tour and the final week of any three week tour brings with it a whole new range of issues, as the riders cope with fatigue and a savage profile.
They have shown enough already to cement their reputation and potential. Don't be surprised if this jersey is just the start of many for them both.
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