Ahhh...they just posted the article explaining it today...

https://www.cyclingweekly.com/...ce-grid-start-387824

If it is exactly how the video shows, with each pen 5 across and 4 deep then it could be a factor. Alaphilippe and Barguil are both in the first pen behind the top 20 and may want to go hard off the gun for polka dot points and maybe another stage win. That could cause a chain reaction as some guys in 4th-7th may want to follow that type of move right off the line and the Sky domestiques not named Bernal may never make it to the front.


Or it might be possible that stage hunters and polka dot chasers feel it is in their best interest to not attack off the gun, let the Sky train form and then go on the attack a little later. Doing so would mean that a more defined break can form of non GC guys and the gap can be allowed to grow without having to go head to head with the top of the GC the entire stage. The stage is short, so any leash given wont' be long...but I'm not sure creating a inferno pace off the bat that requires the GC to follow will yield a stage hunter more odds of success.


Lots of ways this could play out...super excited.

Damn it, I’m going to get about 53 minutes of sleep at a time before rolling over and checking clock to see if race is on.

DAMN IT.

Thanks for that link, I was under the impression that there would be time gaps between the 20 rider groups, looks like it is just positioning. Not sure how much this is going to really matter, like the article said, all the leaders have to do is let any crazy fliers go and then chase a few miles later once they have all regrouped.

The only exciting thing I can see developing is if anyone in the top 5 takes a flier from the gun. Of course if it isn't 1st or 2nd, then they have the advantage of actually having a team chase on the spot if they want..

I would like to see maybe a minute or two between the groups and then do the race on time, now that would be interesting..

Was thinking about this yesterday, and it occurred to me that there might well be UCI rules and regs, or just issues of fairness, that limit how much they can do. Bike races are normally either mass start, or they're TT events where individuals/teams start separately but also have to race separately and aren't allowed to draft. Setting groups off at different times, or spacing them out too much, really blurs the lines.

E.g. let's assume the 1st and 2nd rider in the white jersey standings were in 20th and 21st positions. Put a 1 minute gap (or a big space) between those groups, and it has a huge and arguably unfair bearing on that competition. For white jersey you could try to correct the timings by giving the groups different start times (though that gets pretty messy as you don't know how the tactics on the day will play out) but the KOM jersey, and to a lesser extent green jersey, could also be impacted. E.g. leader of KOM is in first group, 2nd place is in second group, first group stays clear and thus he hoovers up a load of extra KOM points.

Gonna need more than adrenaline after that... 60km with a broken knee cap

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Terrible Tuesday’s Triathlon

Ok, shit's about to go down. Here's a thought:

Sky, their climbers in particular, will most likely look to aggregate as quickly as possible, right? If I'm Froome, I'm thinking, that works against 'me' winning the Tour. So, assuming this is the Sky strategy, does Froome say fu*k it, and go from the gun? In which case, really bad form, attacking a teammate in yellow. Or does he let Sky control, and 'hope' that he can win on the last climb?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1pCQS6_hJ28

Wow, that is some serious swelling, I know the adrenaline and endorphins kick in but even so that's some serious hard man riding.

Love the WC rainbow tattoo, that's a big step up from an M-Dot tat!

Left is pretty much the same color as the tattoo.

PG is an animal. I can't imagine riding with injuries like that.

Yeah cyclists are truly a hardcore bunch! Seeing what these guys endure on a daily basis makes watching the soccer wc awful.

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Terrible Tuesday’s Triathlon

Kind of like a normal stage so far other than full gas from start.

Going to be a tough day for sprinters that are left in race.

Movistar racing hard now. Demare is cooked unless he grabs a car. :)

Alaphilippe is so easy on the eyes descending. He just floats downhill effortlessly like Nibali.

Closing out yesterday with a crazy high cadence, looking around, railing corners, he looked to be in another zone. Like a lightweight Sagan with some Phil Gil thrown in.

Speaking of Sagan, dude, chill out on the descents! Hope he’s not too banged up.

Would love to see Valverde work effectively for Quintana, who sucks btw.

Wout Poels makes it back into Sky train ? Hmm

for those who wonder about Sky's team dynamics, what is up here?

That's the first Quintana attack at the Tour since about 2015 isn't it?

Everyone left looks at their limit and in darkest corner of pain cave. Hope Quintana bags this stage

F*ck, come on guys, hit it again.

Froome in trouble, this is all about Thomas for Sky now

Great ride by Danny boy. Guess now Sky has one more super dom. Good on GT. LEGIT.

Looks like Froome simply didn’t have it...his nose never saw the front of the GC pack today and I’m not surprised at all as he had shown no signs of having it this tour. Kudos to Thomas though as he is clearly the strongest and just needs to stay clean. Bernal should be able to help him chase down any Dumoulin attacks, but even Dumoulin doesn’t seem to have much left.

LOL, spoken like a true fan. "man, that guy is giving us all he has. now I want more!!!"

that was awesome. the start was hokey, but you can't argue with how a finish like this distills the race. there is only essence left.