Bold prediction for this stage - this will be the last time you see Cav in this year’s Tour. My guess is that he would have likely already bailed on the rest day, but didn’t want to do it while wearing the Green Jersey. Although he has now lost it, this stage sets up perfectly for the sprinters so why not stick around to see if he can grab a 4th stage?
As there has only been one stage since the rest day, and it was pretty calm for the peloton, everyone will be raring to go today and the sprinters’ teams will almost certainly keep things in check. Cav, Kittel and Griepel will once again be the guys dukling it out, with Sagan and Matthews playing the roles of jokers.
You might be right, and good riddance. Not a Cav fan. I really hope Greipel wins but he just doesn’t like to partakein the argybargy and its costing him wins this Tour. So my safe bet is Kittel.
If Cav wins he’d likely regain the green jersey, “forcing” him to stay in the race, so a good early indicator to prove your theory is to see if Cav goes for the intermediate. If he does, he’s setting himself up for the Green again. If not, Sagan will likely keep it regardless of who wins the stage, and Cav can abandon, whilst all the journalists let out a sigh of relief.
Hmm, maybe Cavendish will pack up and leave after this stage. Makes sense.
I hope to see Cavendish, Greipel, Kittel, and Coquard all together for the sprint. One of them will take it, so (eeny, meeny, miny, moe) I’ll pick Cavendish to win the stage. (Sagan will somehow manage to take 2nd on the stage.)
I can’t see why anyone that has a chance to win Green at the Tour would pull out.
Cav really has no chance. Sagan can pick up points in almost every stage. He’s a point magnet. Even if Cav continues to win 3/4 field sprints, he still won’t get green. It’s a points jersey, not a sprinters jersey.
In my opinion, the biggest news of the day so far is that the organisers are looking at revising tomorrow’s summit finish on Mont Ventoux because of high winds that are forecast. No shit! It’s called Mount Windy for a reason! I’ve been looking forward to this stage since I rode it earlier in the summer, if they cancel it I’m going to be seriously pissed off.
Unless they crash out, I think sprinters should be stripped of their stage wins if they don’t finish in Paris.
I’d love to see crazy conditions on Ventoux. Andy Hampsten would eat that shit up.
Boring stage, smack talk…
Now let’s see which team lays it down first when the crosswinds hit.
I love Cav.
He doesn’t have anywhere near the power of a Kittel or Greipel or others and yet he keeps winning. Timing, toughness, experience, savvy. And Renshaw is so key. I’d love to know how much he’s won with Renshaw and how much without. It’s a remarkable relationship.
Personally I am a big fan of Cav too. One of those guys that was repeatedly told he wouldn’t be able to do it and is very close to being the undisputed best sprinter of all time.
He is always the first to thank his team for getting him in the right positions which I respect the heck out of.
I was just wondering why these other people don’t care for him.
In my opinion, the biggest news of the day so far is that the organisers are looking at revising tomorrow’s summit finish on Mont Ventoux because of high winds that are forecast. No shit! It’s called Mount Windy for a reason! I’ve been looking forward to this stage since I rode it earlier in the summer, if they cancel it I’m going to be seriously pissed off.
Having been on Ventoux on a moderately windy day, I can easily see why they could revise the finish in the case of severe winds.
I just started watching cycling so I apologize for the dumb question. Yesterday when Cavendish took the piss he was riding behind the support vehicle to catch up to the peloton. I guess this is ok to do? I wouldn’t have even asked but with the finger pointing at Demare for getting a tow in Milan-San Remo I started wondering to what degree riders must stay away from vehicles. Clearly drafting and getting a tow aren’t remotely similar but riding behind a support vehicle doesn’t seem to be in the spirit of competition. Like I said I’m new to this.
if you are behind because you have a mechanical, crash or stop for a nature break, it is OK to use the caravan to catch back on…as long as you are making progress forward. IOW, you have to keep moving from vehicle to vehicle. If you are just sitting behind one vehicle (especially your own team car) and not making progress, you are gonna get penalized.
the reality is that there is no way to get back on w/o riding through the caravan.
hello everyone. I’ve been lurking but haven’t had anything meaningful to add :).
It’s one thing to draft up the caravan to the back of the field when you’re not going to be contesting any placings in the day’s stage/race. Quite another to (allegedly) hold on to a car while passing riders uphill and then win a monument ;). Yesterday was a transfer day for Cav. If he gets towed around today after getting caught in the wrong echelon and then sprints for victory, the forums may not be as kind afterwards.
Interesting. So if you were to define “tow” in the context of road racing would go beyond what Demare was accused of doing and include abusive drafting off support vehicles? I’m beginning to get a sense that this is treading into “unwritten rules” territory.
