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The Official 104th Tour de France thread



Stat Brother

Well-known member
NSC Patron
Jul 11, 2003
73,888
West west west Sussex
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Pantani

Il Pirata
Dec 3, 2008
5,445
Newcastle
Stage 3 Review

Sorry everyone a bit late today.

Result:

1 Peter Sagan (Svk) Bora-Hansgrohe 5:07:19
2 Michael Matthews (Aus) Team Sunweb
3 Daniel Martin (Irl) Quick-Step Floors
4 Greg Van Avermaet (Bel) BMC Racing Team
5 Alberto Bettiol (Ita) Cannondale-Drapac 0:00:02
6 Arnaud Demare (Fra) FDJ
7 Jakob Fuglsang (Den) Astana Pro Team
8 Geraint Thomas (GBr) Team Sky
9 Christopher Froome (GBr) Team Sky
10 Rafal Majka (Pol) Bora-Hansgrohe


General Classification:

1 Geraint Thomas (GBr) Team Sky 10:00:31
2 Christopher Froome (GBr) Team Sky 0:00:12
3 Michael Matthews (Aus) Team Sunweb
4 Peter Sagan (Svk) Bora-Hansgrohe 0:00:13
5 Edvald Boasson Hagen (Nor) Dimension Data 0:00:16
6 Pierre Latour (Fra) AG2R La Mondiale 0:00:25
7 Philippe Gilbert (Bel) Quick-Step Floors 0:00:30
8 Michal Kwiatkowski (Pol) Team Sky 0:00:32
9 Tim Wellens (Bel) Lotto Soudal
10 Nikias Arndt (Ger) Team Sunweb 0:00:34


Pantani's GC contenders classification (I am being extremely generous with the definition of general classification contender for this to begin with)

1 Geraint Thomas (GBr) Team Sky 10:00:31
2 Christopher Froome (GBr) Team Sky 0:00:12
3 Pierre Latour (Fra) AG2R La Mondiale 0:00:25
4 Daniel Martin (Irl) Quick-Step Floors 0:00:43 Gained 6 seconds, up 5 places
5 Simon Yates (GBr) Orica-Scott 0:00:45 Lost 8 seconds, down 1 place
6 Richie Porte (Aus) BMC Racing Team 0:00:47 down 1 place
7 Nairo Quintana (Col) Movistar Team 0:00:48 down 1 place
8 Rafal Majka (Pol) Bora-Hansgrohe 0:00:49 down 1 place
9 Romain Bardet (Fra) AG2R La Mondiale 0:00:51 Up 2 places
10 Fabio Aru (Ita) Astana Pro Team 0:00:52 Up 2 places
11 Alberto Contador (Spa) Trek-Segafredo 0:00:54 Up 2 places
12 Jakob Fuglsang (Den) Astana Pro Team 0:00:54 Up 2 places
13 Rigoberto Uran (Col) Cannondale-Drapac 0:01:03 Up 3 places
14 Warren Barguil (Fra) Team Sunweb 0:01:12 Up 1 placeLost 13 seconds
15 Louis Meintjes (RSA) UAE Team Emirates 0:01:12 Up 1 place
16 Andrew Talansky (USA) Cannondale-Drapac 0:01:12 Down 8 places, lost 25 seconds
17 Esteban Chaves (Col) Orica-Scott 0:01:13 Up 1 place
18 Thibaut Pinot (Fra) FDJ 0:03:55 Down 8 places lost 3:05

Pinot will drop off this classification tomorrow, should I add in Buchmann? Or someone else?

A bit of a fight to get the break going yesterday. Several attacks before ta six man break went away (Adam Hansen (Lotto-Soudal), Nate Brown (Cannondale-Drapac), Nils Politt (Katusha-Alpecin), Romain Hardy (Fortuneo-Oscaro), Frederik Backaert (Wanty-Groupe Gobert) and Romain Sicard (Direct Energie)). Nathan Brown won a couple of climbs to take the Polka Dot jersey from team mate Phinney. Then a counter attack from three riders bridged across then left the earlier break behind (Lilian Calmejane (Direct Energie), Thomas De Gendt (Lotto Soudal), and Pierre-Luc Perichon (Fortuneo-Oscaro)). The peloton brought these guys back easily enough. On the final climb Richie Porte launched a stupid attack and Contador looked like he might do similar but couldn't. Then Peter Sagan won on one leg (after pulling his foot out of his pedal) whilst cruising, he was still breathing through his nose with 500m to go :nono:


Good Day:
Cannondale, Keeping the Polka Dots for another day is a result for them. Though their ambition to hold this jersey at this point is indicative of the difference between the haves and have nots in the World Tour.
Dan Martin, gained six seconds on his GC rivals with 3rd place and a small gap in the bunch.
Lilian Calmejane, looked so powerful in the second break of the day, riding De Gendt off his wheel like he was a weekend club rider. Will be sure to have impressed some of the bigger teams.

Bad Day:
Puncheurs who are not Sagan, Matthews, GVA, Degenkolb etc etc. You might as well go home lads, Sagan beat you despite unclipping :ohmy:
Andrew Talansky, losing 25 seconds on a climb like that is a bad sign for a GC contender.
 


Pantani

Il Pirata
Dec 3, 2008
5,445
Newcastle
Stage 4 Preview

Mondorf-les-Bains to Vittel 207.5km

Route
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Profile
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Final 5km
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Looks like a classic sprint stage, because that is what it is. Not much to say about this one.

Expect:
The smaller teams to get in a break away, and a real go slow from the peloton.
A sprint finish, just tune in for the last half hour, maybe less than that.

Bets:
Nothing great for this one. The usual suspects are too short, Kittel 9/10! If you want to go for something Demare or Cav look like the best value.
 


Stat Brother

Well-known member
NSC Patron
Jul 11, 2003
73,888
West west west Sussex
Timing and false flat strength are needed today, so it's tough to look beyond Kittel.
Sagan will be nearer to the pointy end than his previous sprint finish of 10th.


To me it's much more fun predicting what position Boo-Hoo will be in as he slaps his bars in frustration, and another 'win' given away.
I don't think he'll even make top 10 this time, so going for 11th (even though I'm desperate for him to finish 8th, as usual)
 
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Stat Brother

Well-known member
NSC Patron
Jul 11, 2003
73,888
West west west Sussex
What would France give for this stat:-

[tweet]882171797592039424[/tweet]
 


BNthree

Plastic JCL
Sep 14, 2016
11,458
WeHo
Solo breakaway! Not got a chance of winning it but would be awesome if he managed to! Anyone fancy Damare to win today?
 




Pantani

Il Pirata
Dec 3, 2008
5,445
Newcastle
LOL very generous to call Talansky a GC contender!

I did say it was extremely generous :wink:

Plus it makes a really boring table if we make it realistic, Froome, Porte, Quintana no one else. Maybe Bardet.
 


Jeep

Active member
Aug 1, 2003
619
I did say it was extremely generous :wink:

Plus it makes a really boring table if we make it realistic, Froome, Porte, Quintana no one else. Maybe Bardet.

Oh go on, be nice and add Mr Thomas to that list. We all know he'll run out of puff in the mountains, but that doesn't stop him beginning to dream.
 


Stat Brother

Well-known member
NSC Patron
Jul 11, 2003
73,888
West west west Sussex
I just had a 'long blink' and missed the intermediate sprint. :lol:
 






Bold Seagull

strong and stable with me, or...
Mar 18, 2010
30,465
Hove
That looks like the end of Cav's tour then...:(

Seemed to pick a gap that just disappeared. Bloodyhell, Sagan elbows him!
 






Gwylan

Well-known member
Jul 5, 2003
31,832
Uffern
I just knew that it was going to go wrong for Cav as soon as David Millar said what a brilliant race he was riding. Talk about goatmouth
 


Bold Seagull

strong and stable with me, or...
Mar 18, 2010
30,465
Hove
Looks like Cav might be able to continue. Greipel actually looks like the rider who causes the drift toward the barrier, his rear wheel slides, they all start going right, space for Cav disappears.

Not as if Cav has never sprinted with his elbows out. :whistle:
 




Pogue Mahone

Well-known member
Apr 30, 2011
10,950
Looks like Cav might be able to continue. Greipel actually looks like the rider who causes the drift toward the barrier, his rear wheel slides, they all start going right, space for Cav disappears.

Not as if Cav has never sprinted with his elbows out. :whistle:

Greipel may have been helped on his way by Bouhani.

Sagan seemed to go further to the right than he needed, too. He jumped onto Demarre's wheel - did he realise Cav was already on it?
 








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