Stage 10 - Wednesday, July 14 2010, Chambéry - Gap, 179 km

ednwireland

ahhh the french will be trying to win
long breakaway i think too hilly for the sprinters ?

It's good to be in Gap on Bastille Day

Like last year, by making the Pyrenean stages tough but not too tough, Christian Prudhomme’s intention in the Alps is to bring likely contenders to the fore but not give any of them the chance to blow the race apart.

In order to keep the battle for yellow simmering nicely, this stage avoids the big passes for something far less arduous but intriguing nevertheless.

The Laffrey is one of the Tour’s oldest climbs, first featuring in 1905. The road into the finish comes down the Rochette descent where Joseba Beloki crashed and forced Lance Armstrong to divert across a mountain meadow in 2003. It adds up to an ideal day for a breakaway.

petethedrummer

Another dud stage I'd say. Edit: Joke.

DirkVoodoo

petethedrummer wrote: »

Another dud stage I'd say.

Dud? Did you not enjoy today? If only this stage were 34km shorter it might be a very interesting one.

Could the likes of Roche and Wiggins try and use this to claw some time back? I mean, is it possible for both of them to get their teams up there and try to do something on the Noyer or would anything like that be shut down by a (tired) saxo and astana?

corkandproud

I'd say much the same as today. A few breaks but different riders to today or Sunday. Hard to see Wiggins or Roche come back, or Contador/Schleck letting anyone go.

doccy

corkandproud wrote: »

I'd say much the same as today. A few breaks but different riders to today or Sunday. Hard to see Wiggins or Roche come back, or Contador/Schleck letting anyone go.

Yup Wiggins has been very poor this Tour. In fairness to Roche, he is on an upwards curve. I have a feeling Contador and Schleck are pretty confident they can blow all the rest away in the high mountains bar maybe Sanchez. The rest are playing for third, so maybe we could have some action.

IM0

after today Im fresh out of predicting what will happen this year has been like no other I can remember, so using past tours to try to predict what will happen is what? just unpredictable! - and thats a good thing

uberwolf

Lads - can we leave the repeated back and forth on the drugs issue to another thread today please.

doccy

me@ucd wrote: »

after today Im fresh out of predicting what will happen this year has been like no other I can remember, so using past tours to try to predict what will happen is what? just unpredictable! - and thats a good thing

Have to agree. Don't think I've ever seen so many contenders being blown away left, right and center.

Lumen

doccy wrote: »

Wiggins has been very poor this Tour.

I don't think he's been poor, he just hasn't been a contender. I don't think this has surprised many people, media hype is just that. Having a fancy air conditioned bus can't make you climb that much faster.

CheGuedara

uberwolf wrote: »

Lads - can we leave the repeated back and forth on the drugs issue to another thread today please.

+1 - I'll not to rise to the bait today, honest!

Guess with the day that's in it we'll be seeing the traditional French breakaway for Bastille day - of course like me@ucd, I'm not going to try to predict anything (other than my fantasy TdF team prob won't be doing well out of it)

Namabillion

I think Roche has a good chance of winning today. If not Roche then a French rider like Voeckler ( with it being Bastile Day)

CheGuedara

Namabillion wrote: »

I think Roche has a good chance of winning today. If not Roche then a French rider like Voeckler ( with it being Bastile Day)

Blue Square are giving him (Roche) tied sixth favourite with odds at 28:1. #

Might have a bit of that action for a a tenner...

nerraw1111

Regarding the links people posted yesterday for the Eurosport feed.

Do those eurosport feeds run all day and night? i.e. would it be possible to watch the highlights show tonight?

joker77

Seeing it's Bastille day, do the French riders really give it that bit extra to go for a stage win?

joker77

Voeckler is 10/1 and favourite on Paddy Power, yet he's down in 63 in the GC with plenty of French riders above him who seem to me to have better form - can someone explain this to me?

TinyExplosions

joker77 wrote: »

Voeckler is 10/1 and favourite on Paddy Power, yet he's down in 63 in the GC with plenty of French riders above him who seem to me to have better form - can someone explain this to me?

Because he's a bit of a fiend for the breakaway, and his position on GC means it's less likely that anyone would chase him down if he's in a break. Also because it's Bastille day, and French riders traditionally try to win stages on that day

happygoose

They're more likely to let a rider lower down in GC off in a break seeing as he's not as much of a threat. He has the abilty to do it.

froog

come on nicky roche. (and bradley wiggins).

joker77

Ah.... Voeckler is wearing the French National Champ jersey...

Quigs Snr

I rode Col Du Noyer and its actually pretty damn tough, especially on a hot day as it's orientation tends to shelter it from the prevailing winds. I cannot believe it is a Cat2. The day after I rode it I did the Etape and it was honestly as tough as a couple of the HC climbs on that, the only reason I can think of it being a cat2 is its relatively short length at about 5 miles. Still plenty long enough to do damage and it is a very, very, fast and sweeping descent to Gap from there so it would be possible to stay away, much like yesterdays stage.

n-dawg

If Cav really wants the green jersey why does he never bag intermeditate sprints??? Petacchi and Hushovd seem to think that 6 points is worth it but not Cav...

Namabillion

n-dawg wrote: »

If Cav really wants the green jersey why does he never bag intermeditate sprints??? Petacchi and Hushovd seem to think that 6 points is worth it but not Cav...

If there is even a small hill between Cav and an intermediate sprint he wouldn'tt go for it

NickDrake

Tough to see who will take todays stage. Maybe Roche will give it a try.

I will go for Cunego

TinyExplosions

I don't want to jinx him, so won't say the V word... I'll plump for Bouet

joker77

Eurosport reckon the winner will come from the breakaway group today - they're 9 mins out in front, with the highest GC rider being Aerts at 32mins or something

Aerts
Paulinho
Devenyns
Kiryienka
Rolland
Bouet

Thoughts on a winner?

IM0

Quigs Snr wrote: »

I rode Col Du Noyer and its actually pretty damn tough, especially on a hot day as it's orientation tends to shelter it from the prevailing winds. I cannot believe it is a Cat2. .

I would say the same about the climb they are on to Laffrey now, it is a savage climb, straight no hairpins. BUT WHAT A DESCENT!! you can hit 90km/hr on it if you want, I got to 75+, but it was my first or second time on it and its a pretty busy commuter road down to Vizille down the bottom...it is a cracking descent though...and also they were resurfacing it, as in they scrapped 1-2" off the road the 2nd timeI went back so I could not hit 90 on it

nah actually theres way too much rtaffic on it for that, but look how steep it is, voight was putting out 400w and going 14k - its 15% in places, and straight its a beast!

c0rk3r

Lol just heard my name on tg4. Must of won that competition. No idea what they said

Caroline_ie

Did you hear my name on eurosport????? They read my question and answer

ThisRegard

Caroline_ie wrote: »

They read my question and answer

So what would Jens would do then ?

SomeFool

Anyone else watching on itv4? The ad's are nearly driving me back to tg4

IM0

Caroline_ie wrote: »

Did you hear my name on eurosport????? They read my question and answer

No but jokin aside what did you ask

Caroline_ie

me@ucd wrote: »

No but jokin aside what did you ask

Who was the youngest rider to ever win the TDF? I had included the answers from Wikipedia ( which they read as well) - I was also asking who was the youngest winner in more recent years.

AstraMonti

11mins is a lot of time. Are they going to catch the group? Only 45k left.

IM0

Caroline_ie wrote:

I was also asking who was the youngest winner in more recent years.

I missed that what did they say for that one..

ednwireland

SomeFool wrote: »

Anyone else watching on itv4? The ad's are nearly driving me back to tg4

my remotes getting worn out when i watch the live coverage at weekends (switching between the 2)
mind you someone has to pay for it ! (i guess tg4 payed lot less to broadcast with irish language commentary )

IM0

AstraMonti wrote: »

11mins is a lot of time. Are they going to catch the group? Only 45k left.

No this stage was always going to a breakaway once it went up to 8 min

Cape Clear

Ca bhfuil Nicolas De Roiste?

Raedwald

Cape Clear wrote: »

Ca bhfuil Nicolas De Roiste?

Assume he is in the main peloton 11 mins behind the breakaway, one of those quiet days where very little has happened and the teams are trying to conserve energy before the pyrnnees later on. Still only half way in the Tour.

IM0

Cape Clear wrote: »

Ca bhfuil Nicolas De Roiste?

sitting in the bunch somewhere, he is going for a GC position, the only way he is going to get in a break and be let go is that if he loses alot of time and falls out of the \GC race.

Dodge

ednwireland wrote: »

my remotes getting worn out when i watch the live coverage at weekends (switching between the 2)
mind you someone has to pay for it ! (i guess tg4 payed lot less to broadcast with irish language commentary )

More like they paid a lot les because none of the other Irish channels wanted it. On UPC the ITV4 coverage is "not available to viewers in the Republic of Ireland". But coverages tends to over run so you can get the end of it

I'm a big fan of Harmon and Kelly on eurosport so try sticking with them

Cape Clear

me@ucd wrote: »

sitting in the bunch somewhere, he is going for a GC position, the only way he is going to get in a break and be let go is that if he loses alot of time and falls out of the \GC race.

Go raibh maith agaibh!

buffalo

Most boringest stage ever.

Raedwald

buffalo wrote: »

Most boringest stage ever.

Aye and the next three days will be the same. Flat stages= nothing happens for 200km and everything happens in the last 5km.

SomeFool

Nico making a bit of a move

joker77

Go Nico!!!

Raedwald

And Roche has got his ass in gear and is having a little dig in the last 5km. Bout ten secs out from the peloton.

Sergio for the stage as well.

SomeFool

Well done Nico

joker77

Roche done well to stay away, will have made back a minute maybe, fair play to him

Raedwald

Roche just rolled in 12 57 behind paulino, very good work from him in the last few km, will move up in the GC now poss top 10 depending on the time of the rest of them.

Trojan

How much time did he pull back?

Raedwald

About 1 min 20 or so.

Looks like he has moved up to 13th overall from 17th and 6 20 or so behind Schlek.