Tour de France 2018 - General Thread

MadYaker

Some setup in Carcassonne for it. It’s like a travelling festival. They have a whole fan zone set up near the start line, all the sponsors have stalls with loads of free stuff being given out, loads of music and food etc, nice way to spend a morning. I was talking to local fella in a bar a few minutes ago and he was saying there was some sort of farmers protest that interrupted the race near Limoux just outside Carcassonne, bales of hay being thrown into the road and some of the riders were pepper sprayed! Anyone hear anything about that?

mr spuckler

yep you can read about it here

TGD

Is Eurosport showing the uphill start tomorrow?

neris

TGD wrote: »

Is Eurosport showing the uphill start tomorrow?

Would reckon so with such a short interesting stage

mloc123

neris wrote: »

Would reckon so with such a short interesting stage

Have we any details on how the 20 person waves work, time gaps between etc..?

mr spuckler

doesn't seem like there will be any time gaps judging by this. flag drops and everyone goes from my read of it.

TGD

It could be very interesting: "The grid style start will see the general classification contenders isolated from their domestiques in the opening kilometres, meaning that if anyone attacks from the gun then it will be up to their direct rivals, rather than their rivals’ team-mates, to chase them down.""
That's why I'm anxious to see the start.

Macy0161

TGD wrote:

Is Eurosport showing the uphill start tomorrow?

Are they not showing the full stage, every stage? I thought them and itv4 were?

CrowdedHouse

It's on TG4 anyway, stage doesn't start 'til 2:15 pm our time

Thud

You'd have to think they give them some sort of head start otherwise it'd be business as usual after a few kms.
Wonder how much of a head start it will be

fat bloke

Thud wrote: »

You'd have to think they give them some sort of head start otherwise it'd be business as usual after a few kms.
Wonder how much of a head start it will be

Yeah it's weird. Like a staggered 400m track lane-start, except for a marathon. Domestiques will elbow their way to the front almost immediately and resume normal service. - unless, as you say, there's an appreciable gap

Eamonnator

Normally, in events that are gridded, its advantageous to be at the front, eg Formula 1 and Moto Grand Prix. Likewise in cyclocross and XC MTBing, its an advantage to be at the front. In some Touring Car races the grid is reversed ie fastest at the back, slowest at the front, in effect a handicap race. But, in a Tour stage, there's no advantage for a GC contender to be at the front at the start of a race, in fact, Froome,Thomas etc. will want their domestiques in position in front of them, as soon as possible. I reckon, there'll be a bit of jostling at the start, then normal service will be resumed after a kilometre or so.

retalivity

It would be hilarious if 1&2 sit up immediately waiting for the domestiques while 3-20 hare past them, will make a complete mockery of it

tuxy

If nothing interesting happens for the GC contenders tomorrow then it's all down to the time trial, right?

Chips Lovell

Well there's also the small matter of another Pyreneean stage on Thursday.

tuxy

Baron de Charlus wrote: »

Well there's also the small matter of another Pyreneean stage on Thursday.

Fridays I think. And I can see it being the same as today. Which team has domestiques that are strong enough to pull away from the sky train?

equivariant

We've all wondered what it would be like for a pro to ride in an A4 race, right? I guess tomorrow is as close as we'll ever get to finding out. Presumably eyeballs out from the gun. It might not be so easy for Sky to get everyone at the front at least for the first climb.

Lusk_Doyle

We all seem to be forgetting that Mr Thomas and Mr Froome ate quite capable themselves of riding everyone else off their wheels by themselves and setting it alight. No help needed on such a stage.

brocbrocach

Hah! Imagine it, Froome and Thomas doing a two-man TT and everyone else lined up behind Dumoulin 5 minutes down!

equivariant

Lusk_Doyle wrote: »

We all seem to be forgetting that Mr Thomas and Mr Froome ate quite capable themselves of riding everyone else off their wheels by themselves and setting it alight. No help needed on such a stage.

Risky strategy for Thomas that. Maybe Froome can play super domestique for Thomas for the first hill and try to break Dumoulin?

Shedite27

Wonder what the average speed will be tomorrow. Would be wonderful if someone attacks from the gun and gets away before the team sky domestiques can get up to the group. That's the only chance of it being something different.

Bernal is in the second group so should be able tog et up to them no bother, Kwito from the 2nd group too. After that it'll be tougher but 4 of them for 60k should be fine

irishrover99

Lusk_Doyle wrote: »

We all seem to be forgetting that Mr Thomas and Mr Froome ate quite capable themselves of riding everyone else off their wheels by themselves and setting it alight. No help needed on such a stage.

Froome done an 80km break away in the giro on harder climbs so this should be a doddle for him.

But seriously if Movistar don't try something I'm going to turn it off

harringtonp

The gridding is a stunt, its a 60km+ stage not 6km and makes as much sense as trying to grid an A4 race here.

Whoever wants/needs to be at the front will be after a few km

Shedite27

irishrover99 wrote: »

Froome done an 80km break away in the giro on harder climbs so this should be a doddle for him.

There was a big queen stage a few years back too where Team Sky were blown away early. Froome was on his own for about 100k - he was fine on his own there too

Macy0161

There was also Formigal, where Froome and Sky were caught rapid.

Dan could just go for it, and maybe Bardet. There seems to be less out there just willing to hold top 10, or maybe that's wishful thinking. Like is top 5 really worth anything to Bardet now - it's not like he went all in for the tour having shown himself in the spring. Going all in and ultimately faltering would probably help his popularity. Big Tom probably does want to show he can podium at the Tour though.

equivariant

Has the grid start thing ever been done in a world tour race before? Just wondering if there is any precedent as to how things might go at the start?

CrowdedHouse

I think it's just a gimmick, they'll be together after a few hundred meters. Then as usual there will be a Sky paced club run, maybe a half arsed attack on the final climb.

equivariant

CrowdedHouse wrote: »

I think it's just a gimmick, they'll be together after a few hundred meters. Then as usual there will be a Sky paced club run, maybe a half arsed attack on the final climb.

I dunno - surely the first climb is a chance for Dumoulin or Roglic to try to soften up Team Sky? I'd say the warmups for this stage will be intense. If the others can get 2 or 3 of the Sky domestiques out the back by the start of the last climb there might be some action then. Of course Thomas/Froome might have the best legs by then anyway ...

DEFTLEFTHAND

Some restraint shown by Team Sky riders so far in fairness.

If some French asshole spat at me I think I'd have to dismount and engage in a confrontation.

Chips Lovell

Except for Moscon who, once again, has been a bit fighty.

With other riders mind you, not spectators.