IT really is a case of no rest for the wicked!
Following yesterday's epic stage up to Alpe d'Huez the tour continues it's punishing route through the Alps with another brutal stage.
Stage 19 takes the field 204.5km from Bourg-D'Oisans to Le Grand-Bornard and takes in five categorised climbs. And the big two come straight away.
Almost as soon as the the flag drops to mark the official start we will be climbing the 'hors categorie' Col du Glandon. It has an average gradient of just 5.1% but is a whopping 21.6km long. For those of you who have completed the Great North Run or any half marathon, that's 13.4 miles. And it's all uphill!
We descend to the foot of the next climb which is the mighty Col de la Madeleine, another HC climb which tops out at 2000m or 6561 feet. Slightly shorther than the Glandon at 19.2km, (just the modest 11.9 miles this time) but the gradient averages out at 7.9%.
These shouldn't decide the stage winner but they will be a magnet for those with designs on the polka dot King of the Mountain jersey. With 50 points on offer to the winner of both climbs, expect the morning breakaway to contain all the challengers for this prize, Mikel Nieve, Pierre Rolland, as well as the usual mix of chancers and teams after exposure for the sponsorship.
Don't be surprised if Movistar and Saxo Tinkoff also try to place a rider in the break, as they did today, as part of their long term strategy. They may even try to isolate Chris Froome early, although it would be a very bold and brave move, if a little foolhardy so early on.
Once off the Madeleine the peloton get a small respite as they pass through Albertville before they tackle the 2nd category Col de Tamie and then the 1st category Col de l'Epine. Both are tricky climbs. the Tamie is 8.6km long and averages 6.2%, though it does get up towards 8.4% towards the top. The l'Epine is shorther at 6.1km but has an average gradient of 7.3% with two kilometres, one at the top and the other towards the foot of the climb, topping 9%.
I can see some of the teams of the GC boys planning something on l'Epine. It's summit is just under 40km from the finish and they could see this as a perfect springboard for an offensive. They may ask the main contenders like Alberto Contador, Nairo Quintana or Joaquin Rodriguez to go for it or more likely they may send one of their lieutenants up the road to prepare for the final climb.
That final climb comes with just 20km to go. The Col de la Croix Fry is a Cat 1 ascent with an average gradient of 7% over it's 11.3km length. It is a fairly steady climb with only section in the middle where it gets up to 9.2%.
Expect attacks from everybody here. Everyone has their own agenda, whether it is faint hopes of taking yellow, staying on or making the podium, or keeping/gaining a top 10 place. They will all try to distance their rivals here or put them under pressure at the very least.
Once over the top we have a very fast descent which isn't too technical, although their are one or two switchbacks, all the way into Le Grand-Bornard. It does kick up in the last 500m of the stage but not by anything too severe.
Stage win? I think today has Alejandro Valverde or Rodriguez written all over it. Froome has said he will not be challenging for stage wins but will instead be focused on defending his jersey. He seem to suffer a little more than the others yesterday so will be hoping that the battle for the podium becomes the priority.
So all he has to do is stay in touch with the likes of Contador, Quintana and Rodriguez and can even afford to give them a little bit of freedom. All three plus Valverde can climb and descend and will see the last 20km as a big opportunity.
For an outsider look to the likes of Garmin's Andrew Talansky. He is riding into a little bit of form and has been pretty active recently. He will be able to stay with the big guns and even though he is 12th overall, he is 16.24 down on Froome. He is just under two minutes off 10th place but that is a fairly big gap to pull back at this stage of the Tour so he may able to escape the clutches of the peloton.
Also don't be overly surprised to see Richie Porte in action on the last climb and descent. He has been helping Froome for the majority of the race and I think Sky may allow him to go for his own moment of glory. And he's more than capable in a stage like this.
Just two stages remain after this one and only one of them will have any effect on the overall standings. Time is running out to make your mark. Today will be just as exciting as any of the previous few stages!
Showing posts with label Nieve. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Nieve. Show all posts
Thursday, 18 July 2013
Wednesday, 17 July 2013
Tour de France 2013 : Stage 18 Preview
I MAY have already said this earlier in the race but if I did, and apologies if I did, I lied! Because THIS is the one stage not to miss!
The organisers have wanted to include as many iconic and infamous monuments to the tour as possible, and no tour is complete without the inclusion of Alpe d'Huez.
The Alpe is 13.8km with an average of 8.4%. It starts however at a gradient of 10.4% and just after the village of Huez it maxes out at 11.5%.
It is so iconic and so linked to the tour that each of it's famous 21 hairpin bends are named after previous winners here.
But it is not just the numbers or the hairpin bends that make it so memorable. For this, to the average cycling fan, is Mecca, Glastonbury and Las Vegas all rolled into one.
They come in their thousands. For years it used to be known as Dutch mountain as the Netherlanders turned the mountain orange. Now each corner seems to be adopted by a country, turn 10 for example is I believe Irish corner.
The road up to the Alpe was closed on Sunday, making the only way up it either by bike or on foot. People will have started camping there from last weekend, and possibly even earlier.
By the Tour arrives the atmosphere will be at fever pitch and it has been known for the crowd to get a little bit out of hand.
Taking all of this together makes the Alpe one of sport's greatest spectacles. But the organisers have taken it a step further this year.
Because we don't just climb it once, we're going up it twice!
For the first time in Tour history we are going to peel right and head over the the second category Col de Sarenne before heading back down to Le Bourg-d'Oisans and doing it all over again.
The stage itself runs a total of 172.5km from Gap to Alpe-d'Huez and takes in a total of six climbs, the Col de Manse (cat 2), Rampe du Motty (cat 3), Col d'Ornon (cat 2) as well as the two ascents of the Alpe (cat HC) and the Sarenne (cat 2).
It will be a stage that will see plenty of attacking from the GC men but the timing could be critical. Do you go on the first climb of the Alpe? The final run up? Do you try your luck on the tricky and technical descent of the Sarenne?
Then there is the question of who are you attacking. Following the time trial Chris Froome has opened up a massive lead over his nearest rival. Alberto Contador is second but he is 4 min 34 seconds adrift. Bauke Mollema is now 4th but has slipped to 6.23.
People will still want to put Froome under pressure on the off chance he will crack big style but the likelihood, barring any mechanical or other mishap, is that the Brit will ride into Paris on Sunday as the victor.
So if Froome is now practically out of reach, focus for the rest of the top men will be on the remaing two steps on the podium and in making/retaining a top 10 position. And there are plenty of opportunities here.
If the top contenders keep looking at each other then someone may get away and gain a bit of time. We saw this on Mont Ventoux as the likes of Sylvain Chavanel and Mikel Nieve had a go and for a while they managed to get away.
However that advantage didn't last for too long when the Sky hammer went down.
And I can't expect the same again up the Alpe. I really can't see anybody outside of the top GC men winning the stage. Froome will be desperate to win here in the yellow jersey, regardless of the fact he doesn't really need to chase down every move. It would rubber stamp his victory and would be prove he is the best rider by far in this race (even if it may not silence the doubters).
Movistar are clearly planning something too, evident by time trial specialist Jonathan Castroviejo and Andrey Amador taking it easy in the TT. They will look to use Alejandro Valverde and Rui Costa on the climbs, either as super-domestiques or by getting them to attack constantly, to set Nairo Quintana up for the win, and hopefully a podium spot.
Contador will still fancy his chances of catching Froome and Saxo Tinkoff will also want Roman Kreuziger, who has moved up to 3rd, to retain that podium spot. They used these two to attack Froome on Tuesday and expect both to be active again.
The Belkin pair of Laurens Ten Dam and Bauke Mollema will be under serious threat. Ten Dam lost a minute into Gap and I think will drop away from the top spots. Mollema has done well so far though, despite a tough time trial, and may be able to stay with Froome and co.
The only outsider I can come up with is Joaquin Rodriguez. He has had a poor tour by his standards but does seem to be showing signs of coming into form. He is afr enough down on GC to maybe be given a little leeway and that might be enough to snatch the stage win.
Depending on Movistar's tactics Valverde may sneak away but it is likely when Quintana attacks, and it is a case of when not if, he will be caught by Froome's group.
But two ascents of Alpe d'Huez will punish even the best riders, including Froome.
Once again this legendary mountain will play host to another spectacular stage where anything could happen.
And one you really need to watch!
The organisers have wanted to include as many iconic and infamous monuments to the tour as possible, and no tour is complete without the inclusion of Alpe d'Huez.
The Alpe is 13.8km with an average of 8.4%. It starts however at a gradient of 10.4% and just after the village of Huez it maxes out at 11.5%.
It is so iconic and so linked to the tour that each of it's famous 21 hairpin bends are named after previous winners here.
But it is not just the numbers or the hairpin bends that make it so memorable. For this, to the average cycling fan, is Mecca, Glastonbury and Las Vegas all rolled into one.
They come in their thousands. For years it used to be known as Dutch mountain as the Netherlanders turned the mountain orange. Now each corner seems to be adopted by a country, turn 10 for example is I believe Irish corner.
The road up to the Alpe was closed on Sunday, making the only way up it either by bike or on foot. People will have started camping there from last weekend, and possibly even earlier.
By the Tour arrives the atmosphere will be at fever pitch and it has been known for the crowd to get a little bit out of hand.
Taking all of this together makes the Alpe one of sport's greatest spectacles. But the organisers have taken it a step further this year.
Because we don't just climb it once, we're going up it twice!
For the first time in Tour history we are going to peel right and head over the the second category Col de Sarenne before heading back down to Le Bourg-d'Oisans and doing it all over again.
The stage itself runs a total of 172.5km from Gap to Alpe-d'Huez and takes in a total of six climbs, the Col de Manse (cat 2), Rampe du Motty (cat 3), Col d'Ornon (cat 2) as well as the two ascents of the Alpe (cat HC) and the Sarenne (cat 2).
It will be a stage that will see plenty of attacking from the GC men but the timing could be critical. Do you go on the first climb of the Alpe? The final run up? Do you try your luck on the tricky and technical descent of the Sarenne?
Then there is the question of who are you attacking. Following the time trial Chris Froome has opened up a massive lead over his nearest rival. Alberto Contador is second but he is 4 min 34 seconds adrift. Bauke Mollema is now 4th but has slipped to 6.23.
People will still want to put Froome under pressure on the off chance he will crack big style but the likelihood, barring any mechanical or other mishap, is that the Brit will ride into Paris on Sunday as the victor.
So if Froome is now practically out of reach, focus for the rest of the top men will be on the remaing two steps on the podium and in making/retaining a top 10 position. And there are plenty of opportunities here.
If the top contenders keep looking at each other then someone may get away and gain a bit of time. We saw this on Mont Ventoux as the likes of Sylvain Chavanel and Mikel Nieve had a go and for a while they managed to get away.
However that advantage didn't last for too long when the Sky hammer went down.
And I can't expect the same again up the Alpe. I really can't see anybody outside of the top GC men winning the stage. Froome will be desperate to win here in the yellow jersey, regardless of the fact he doesn't really need to chase down every move. It would rubber stamp his victory and would be prove he is the best rider by far in this race (even if it may not silence the doubters).
Movistar are clearly planning something too, evident by time trial specialist Jonathan Castroviejo and Andrey Amador taking it easy in the TT. They will look to use Alejandro Valverde and Rui Costa on the climbs, either as super-domestiques or by getting them to attack constantly, to set Nairo Quintana up for the win, and hopefully a podium spot.
Contador will still fancy his chances of catching Froome and Saxo Tinkoff will also want Roman Kreuziger, who has moved up to 3rd, to retain that podium spot. They used these two to attack Froome on Tuesday and expect both to be active again.
The Belkin pair of Laurens Ten Dam and Bauke Mollema will be under serious threat. Ten Dam lost a minute into Gap and I think will drop away from the top spots. Mollema has done well so far though, despite a tough time trial, and may be able to stay with Froome and co.
The only outsider I can come up with is Joaquin Rodriguez. He has had a poor tour by his standards but does seem to be showing signs of coming into form. He is afr enough down on GC to maybe be given a little leeway and that might be enough to snatch the stage win.
Depending on Movistar's tactics Valverde may sneak away but it is likely when Quintana attacks, and it is a case of when not if, he will be caught by Froome's group.
But two ascents of Alpe d'Huez will punish even the best riders, including Froome.
Once again this legendary mountain will play host to another spectacular stage where anything could happen.
And one you really need to watch!
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!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)