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Brussels sprouts a new winner? Tour de France 2019

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    #51
    Originally posted by delicatemoth View Post
    You think? Mitchelton Scott and Lotto Jumbo are at least as likely, I would say. Wouldn't count out Deceuninck or Sunweb either.
    Well called DM. But yes, I really did think INEOS were nailed on for that one. Great win for Jumbo and Teunissen keeps the MJ.

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      #52
      Originally posted by ursus arctos View Post
      Depends on the team, as that needs to be balanced against the possible loss of time.
      Originally posted by Sporting View Post
      In time trials are the team leaders usually permėtted to spend less time at the front of their respective teams in order to waste less energy for future stages?
      This is why I like TTT - there are a lot of conflicting elements to balance.

      Your team leader is likely one of your best time trialists. You need their contribution unless you have a very strong TT team.
      So you want him to work. But too hard to undermine him for the rest of the race.
      But he still had to put his shift in, as if he streams along too much then the three others he asks to carry with him will get too tired and one of them might get dropped. Which is a disaster. For once the leader must work to preserve his domestiques somewhat.
      But equally they can't go to fast for him. If he starts struggling, then a very tricky choice emerges of slow everyone down or changing team leader for the entire race mid time-trial*.

      * - an argument for holding the TTT much later in the Tour, this one. If there is no time to recover, someone placed 15th might suddenly become a better bet than a nominal leader in 8th who is going backwards suddenly.


      Does the usual 108% of the winners time cut-off applies for the TTT? That would be quite hard to hit for dropped riders, I would have thought. Trains go much quicker than a lone rider can maintain.

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        #53
        There is a cut off time, though it's quite a hefty one. Jens Debusschere lost six and a half minutes today and is still in the race. Riders have been eliminated in previous runnings - Stephen Roche in 1991 the most famous example when a muddle meant he missed the team start time, started solo well behind them and finished so far back he was out.

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          #54
          Today is going to be 150k very much for the purist then a 60k finale with several punchy climbs. Three third cat climbs will be enough to detach all the sprinters, whether someone like Sagan can get over them to contest the finish is debatable. Teunissen can get over hills - he's a Colbrelli / EBH type rider - but whether he can manage it in the front group will depend on the nature of the racing and how much the team falls in behind van Aert. Looks like an Alaphilippe day really. Shouldn't have too much impact on GC, although some contender will lose time because of a crash or mechanical somewhere. An ideal first week stage, in other words.

          Apparently Cofidis are looking to sign Viviani, with Sam Bennett going to Deceuninck to replace him.

          Enjoyed The Secret Pro's line on yesterday's TTT:

          The biggest win of the day was that Gianni Moscon didn't get into yellow. I think I speak for most of the peloton when I say that.

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            #55
            The last 600m or so is at around 8%, with a left turn about 300m from the line - https://i.imgur.com/ijcuajs.png

            I wonder if someone like Trentin, Boassen Hagen or Bettiol mightn't go for a late late break.

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              #56
              It's quite uncommon, a stage like this at the start of the tour, isn't it? They normally set the first few up as out and out sprints?

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                #57
                There's usually a punchy stage like this in the opening week, something that will produce a change to the race lead but won't generate much by way of gaps among the overall contenders. There's not much by way of full bunch sprints this week, tomorrow will be although there's a climb about 15k from the end and Friday definitely will be - that'll be an absolute belter, 231k on the flat. Sunday might be a sprint though more likely a break.

                Today's break has gone after Lotto forced a hard start - Wellens, Rossetto again, Offredo (who always seems to get into a break in the opening days), Delaplace, Ourselin. That's a good composition considering that Wellens is the only World Tour rider, David Millar has said on ITV that he thinks there's a chance that could go all the way.

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                  #58
                  ASO have also got wise to the inevitable big crash when they have front-loaded sprints, especially if the town isn't really well-suited to 168 riders hurtling through at 50+ km/h. They've lost a fair number of favourites that way. By having more stages like this, they reduce the risk of that happening as fewer teams will bring the full sprint train.

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                    #59
                    They also seem to have finally taken the widespread criticism of seven days of sprints being dull by livening things up considerably, particularly with the introduction of real climbs and a summit finish on La Planche des Belles Filles on Stage 6

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                      #60
                      Which will also make the sprints safer as the race will have settled into a hierarchy after the Planche des Belles Filles - they're going to that climb the hard way so some GC contenders will lose some serious time that day and therefore won't be trying to stay at the front in bunch finishes.

                      Thanks to a tailwind they're absolutely rattling along today, they're about quarter of an hour ahead of the fastest schedule.

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                        #61
                        Originally posted by longeared View Post
                        Wait what, our favourite pre-owned watch specialists no longer sponsor the ITV coverage?
                        Irritating Parsnip Man seems to have disappeared also. Perhaps the funeral expenses he took out the plan for have been paid.

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                          #62
                          I'm afraid Eurosport still has Jerusalem/Tel Aviv

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                            #63
                            Originally posted by Capybara View Post

                            Irritating Parsnip Man seems to have disappeared also. Perhaps the funeral expenses he took out the plan for have been paid.
                            I'd noticed his absence too. Hopefully he used that cremation company that have just advertised "making funerals less of an undertaking"

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                              #64
                              Wellens 90 seconds up with 29 km to go.

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                                #65
                                Teunissen towards the rear of a shrunken peloton after that initial third cat climb.

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                                  #66
                                  Wellens summits the next climb in the lead and gets the spotty jersey for his day out.

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                                    #67
                                    Originally posted by ursus arctos View Post
                                    I'm afraid Eurosport still has Jerusalem/Tel Aviv
                                    When I went to Jerusalem it snowed, but I'm sadly sure this isn't enough grounds to sue the Israeli Tourist Board.

                                    Wellens' lead rapidly shrinking, assuming the timer is to be trusted.

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                                      #68
                                      Alaphilippe attacks over the top of the climb, catches and passes Wellens, and ITV goes to an ad break. Grrr!

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                                        #69
                                        Appears that Wellens had a mechanical for the entire climb, but that the car couldn't get to him

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                                          #70
                                          He was signalling for assistance at the foot of the climb a couple of times.

                                          Anyway, switched to the BBC audio commentary while ITV advertised the Donkey Sanctuary, and got to hear Rob Hayles call Sagan's team "Bora Bora".

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                                            #71
                                            Great Voeckler-esque gurning from Alaphilippe there.

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                                              #72
                                              Teunissen dropped a few km back, Kruijswijk could be set for yellow if Alaphilippe can be pulled back a bit. Whether he will get pulled back is another matter, he's going quite quick.

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                                                #73
                                                The last three km pretty much trace a parallelogram in Epernay. Those corners will favour Alaphilippe.

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                                                  #74
                                                  Alaphilippe descending at speed between the houses like an X-Fighter going down the Death Star's perimeter channel

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                                                    #75
                                                    The man is a natural actor

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