TdF Stage 3: BEL to LUX to FRA 212.5K...roleurs or GC guys?

Jul 2, 17 19:33

Post #1 of 21 (1597 views)

You have to love Europe. So awesome that a single stage starts in Belgium and goes through Luxembourg to France. Any of you guys remember when a young Fabian Cancellara took the TdF yellow in a Luxembourg prologue?

What do you guys think at this stage? This stage actually looks tailor made for Sagan. A lumpy stage with a final 1 mile finish at 5.8% grade? there is even a 2.3K climb at 9% halfway through the stage where the sprinters could get shedded out of the back. If this course was an IM course, it would be "too hard for WTC to make money"!!!

At 25 seconds back, I don't think Sagan can take the yellow jersey even with the bonus points for a stage win. Taylor Phinney could have been on track for a yellow jersey tomorrow, but his legs have to be cooked after 200K+ breakaway on Sunday

GC at the end of Stage 2:

#Rider Name (Country) TeamResult1Geraint Thomas (GBr) Team Sky4:53:10 2Stefan Küng (Swi) BMC Racing Team0:00:05 3Marcel Kittel (Ger) Quick-Step Floors0:00:06 4Vasil Kiryienka (Blr) Team Sky0:00:07 5Matteo Trentin (Ita) Quick-Step Floors0:00:10 6Christopher Froome (GBr) Team Sky0:00:12 7Jos Van Emden (Ned) Team LottoNl-Jumbo0:00:15 8Michal Kwiatkowski (Pol) Team Sky 9Edvald Boasson Hagen (Nor) Dimension Data0:00:16 10Nikias Arndt (Ger) Team Sunweb 11Taylor Phinney (USA) Cannondale-Drapac0:00:17 12Andriy Grivko (Ukr) Astana Pro Team 13Daryl Impey (RSA) Orica-Scott0:00:19 14Jonathan Castroviejo (Spa) Movistar Team0:00:20 15Michael Matthews (Aus) Team Sunweb 16Pierre Roger Latour (Fra) AG2R La Mondiale0:00:25 17Peter Sagan (Svk) Bora-Hansgrohe 18Alexey Lutsenko (Kaz) Astana Pro Team0:00:29 19Philippe Gilbert (Bel) Quick-Step Floors0:00:30 20Robert Gesink (Ned) Team LottoNl-Jumbo0:00:31

Re: TdF Stage 3: BEL to LUX to FRA 212.5K...roleurs or GC guys? [devashish_paul] [ In reply to ]

Jul 2, 17 21:59

Post #2 of 21 (1531 views)

Sky will make sure any break doesn't get too large of a gap. Leaving the stage to riders who can finish fast on an uphill climb after 200 km.
Gilbert
Sagan
Mathews

"Human existence is based upon two pillars: Compassion and knowledge. Compassion without knowledge is ineffective; Knowledge without compassion is inhuman." Victor Weisskopf.

Re: TdF Stage 3: BEL to LUX to FRA 212.5K...roleurs or GC guys? [devashish_paul] [ In reply to ]

Jul 2, 17 22:12

Post #3 of 21 (1526 views)

We'll be missing Valverde today...

Re: TdF Stage 3: BEL to LUX to FRA 212.5K...roleurs or GC guys? [Alvin Tostig] [ In reply to ]

Jul 2, 17 22:42

Post #4 of 21 (1509 views)

This stage is a lot like a 1 day classics, which means the usual suspects will be prominent.
Sagan, GVA, jilbear, D Martin, Ulissi, Matthews,
I predict sagan

res, non verba

Re: TdF Stage 3: BEL to LUX to FRA 212.5K...roleurs or GC guys? [RoYe] [ In reply to ]

Jul 3, 17 2:51

Post #5 of 21 (1457 views)

Sky might have someone close to the front too. Kwiat or perhaps even G. They can easily hang on those hills and probably on that quick descent about 5km out too.

Re: TdF Stage 3: BEL to LUX to FRA 212.5K...roleurs or GC guys? [SrSalitre] [ In reply to ]

Jul 3, 17 5:31

Post #6 of 21 (1386 views)

SrSalitre wrote:

We'll be missing Valverde today...

After I posted this thread last night, I was thinking that it had Valverde written all over it. The final 5.6% uphill seems to exclude a lot of guys. GC guys should all finish bunched together. I would like to see Taylor Phinney do well today after yesterday's stage hunting, but his legs have to be cooked. I was a fan of his dad back in the day.

Re: TdF Stage 3: BEL to LUX to FRA 212.5K...roleurs or GC guys? [SrSalitre] [ In reply to ]

Jul 3, 17 7:09

Post #7 of 21 (1347 views)

SrSalitre wrote:

We'll be missing Valverde today...

naw, not really......

going with Gilbert today

Re: TdF Stage 3: BEL to LUX to FRA 212.5K...roleurs or GC guys? [McNulty] [ In reply to ]

Jul 3, 17 7:24

Post #8 of 21 (1330 views)

9 riders in the breakaway with ~ 1 min lead with 55K to go. That's a large enough group that they could make it stick?

Re: TdF Stage 3: BEL to LUX to FRA 212.5K...roleurs or GC guys? [devashish_paul] [ In reply to ]

Jul 3, 17 7:43

Post #9 of 21 (1301 views)

What a disaster....race radio says Roman Bardet crashed. 39K to go, and break is 1:40 up. At the time peloton was going over 50 kph according to the coverage.

Re: TdF Stage 3: BEL to LUX to FRA 212.5K...roleurs or GC guys? [devashish_paul] [ In reply to ]

Jul 3, 17 8:41

Post #10 of 21 (1256 views)

Dropping a pedal and still pulling out the stage win. Chapeau Sagan!

Last edited by: Stephensjer: Jul 3, 17 8:45

Re: TdF Stage 3: BEL to LUX to FRA 212.5K...roleurs or GC guys? [Stephensjer] [ In reply to ]

Jul 3, 17 8:46

Post #11 of 21 (1239 views)

Stephensjer wrote:

Dropping a pedal and still pulling out the stage win. Chapeau Sagan!

Did he pull his foot out of the pedal? I wondered what was happening.

"Human existence is based upon two pillars: Compassion and knowledge. Compassion without knowledge is ineffective; Knowledge without compassion is inhuman." Victor Weisskopf.

Re: TdF Stage 3: BEL to LUX to FRA 212.5K...roleurs or GC guys? [Alvin Tostig] [ In reply to ]

Jul 3, 17 8:50

Post #12 of 21 (1229 views)

Alvin Tostig wrote:

Stephensjer wrote:

Dropping a pedal and still pulling out the stage win. Chapeau Sagan!

Did he pull his foot out of the pedal? I wondered what was happening.

He did. Pretty impressive frame of mind to be able to take the second to clip back in and not panic. Announcers were saying he's done that once before.

Re: TdF Stage 3: BEL to LUX to FRA 212.5K...roleurs or GC guys? [Alvin Tostig] [ In reply to ]

Jul 3, 17 8:50

Post #13 of 21 (1228 views)

that was really incredible. It usually takes me 10 seconds to reclip a pedal in after a routine stop. He did it in 0.25 seconds while sprinting uphill in the tour

Re: TdF Stage 3: BEL to LUX to FRA 212.5K...roleurs or GC guys? [holograham] [ In reply to ]

Jul 3, 17 10:25

Post #14 of 21 (1136 views)

holograham wrote:

that was really incredible. It usually takes me 10 seconds to reclip a pedal in after a routine stop. He did it in 0.25 seconds while sprinting uphill in the tour

Sagan is no ordinary superstar, he seems to do something fantastic on a regular basis.
Matthews was only half a wheel behind, it the finish line were another 5 metres farther, it would have been his.
D. MArtin was right there to, he gets bonus seconds.

res, non verba

Last edited by: RoYe: Jul 3, 17 10:31

Re: TdF Stage 3: BEL to LUX to FRA 212.5K...roleurs or GC guys? [RoYe] [ In reply to ]

Jul 3, 17 10:56

Post #15 of 21 (1097 views)

RoYe wrote:

holograham wrote:

that was really incredible. It usually takes me 10 seconds to reclip a pedal in after a routine stop. He did it in 0.25 seconds while sprinting uphill in the tour

Sagan is no ordinary superstar, he seems to do something fantastic on a regular basis.
Matthews was only half a wheel behind, it the finish line were another 5 metres farther, it would have been his.
D. MArtin was right there to, he gets bonus seconds.

Matthews is the king of would have, should have, could have. On a sidetrack, Sagan needs to get different pedals. He did this twice at ToC this year, once in the classics this year, and obviously the world champs two yeas ago. Back to relevant matters; GVA was very impressive, he pulls for Porte then gets back on and sprints to 4th, absolute monster effort.

Re: TdF Stage 3: BEL to LUX to FRA 212.5K...roleurs or GC guys? [Stephensjer] [ In reply to ]

Jul 3, 17 10:57

Post #16 of 21 (1094 views)

Stephensjer wrote:

Dropping a pedal and still pulling out the stage win. Chapeau Sagan!

I could not understand what happened when I first watched the finish. Incredible effort.

Re: TdF Stage 3: BEL to LUX to FRA 212.5K...roleurs or GC guys? [RoYe] [ In reply to ]

Jul 3, 17 11:14

Post #17 of 21 (1071 views)

RoYe wrote:

holograham wrote:

that was really incredible. It usually takes me 10 seconds to reclip a pedal in after a routine stop. He did it in 0.25 seconds while sprinting uphill in the tour

Sagan is no ordinary superstar, he seems to do something fantastic on a regular basis.
Matthews was only half a wheel behind, it the finish line were another 5 metres farther, it would have been his.
D. MArtin was right there to, he gets bonus seconds.

Except it would have not even been that close if Sagan had not unclipped. It is so amazing that this guy can do 2K long climbs on 9% wtih the likes of Porte, Froome and Contador (and out TT a bunch of these guys in the prologue) and also be able to sprint with Kittel and Cav

Re: TdF Stage 3: BEL to LUX to FRA 212.5K...roleurs or GC guys? [Stephensjer] [ In reply to ]

Jul 3, 17 13:50

Post #18 of 21 (999 views)

Stephensjer wrote:

Dropping a pedal and still pulling out the stage win. Chapeau Sagan!

I told you guys

RandMart wrote:

Peter Sagan will do something unexpected and entertaining

"What's your claim?" - Ben Gravy
"Your best work is the work you're excited about" - Rick Rubin

Re: TdF Stage 3: BEL to LUX to FRA 212.5K...roleurs or GC guys? [RandMart] [ In reply to ]

Jul 3, 17 13:55

Post #19 of 21 (995 views)

RandMart wrote:

Stephensjer wrote:

Dropping a pedal and still pulling out the stage win. Chapeau Sagan!

I told you guys

RandMart wrote:

Peter Sagan will do something unexpected and entertaining

Maybe that video should be required reading for all triathletes at the mount line at T1!!!

Last edited by: devashish_paul: Jul 3, 17 13:56

Re: TdF Stage 3: BEL to LUX to FRA 212.5K...roleurs or GC guys? [badgertri] [ In reply to ]

Jul 3, 17 14:15

Post #20 of 21 (981 views)

He must have lost a ton of speed on that uphill even though he clipped back in so quickly. Beyond impressive that he could get clipped in and back up to speed without getting passed by all the other world class cyclists!

Re: TdF Stage 3: BEL to LUX to FRA 212.5K...roleurs or GC guys? [cobra_kai] [ In reply to ]

Jul 3, 17 14:24

Post #21 of 21 (970 views)

It all looked strange, like everyone was moving in slo mo. I guess that's the uphill finish for you. Surely he wouldn't have been able to win if that had been flat.

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