July 1, Stage 1: Liège - Seraing 198km warning, contains unmasked spoiler information

ednwireland

http://www.cyclingnews.com/tour-de-france/stage-1

Liège – Seraing- 198km

Highest point: 606m
Category: rolling

funnights74

Apparently the finish, last 3 Km, is quite nasty, not many predicting a sprint finish.

flying11

seems like a finish where both Roche and Martin could do well, hopefully they will both be up there.

Not a day for the pure sprinters so i think either Gilbert or Bossen Haggen could take it.

Morrisseeee

2.5km @ 5%, but it's VERY steep at the beginning, 200m at 15% (& 400m @10%)
but then it eases off considerably for the next 800m, then rises gradually for a few hundred meters and then you have 400m @ 8% and then the last few hundred meters are a drag.
/I was going to insert the large profile pic but it's too wide, doh !

It would be great to see a shootout between Gilbert/Sagan/Evans and a few others that feel good on the day.

dastardly00

elduggo

Gilbert for me. He'll be bulling to take this in his home nation.

dougal01

i dont think i will be puting my money on cav for tomorrow

Lusk Doyle

dougal01 wrote: »

i dont think i will be puting my money on cav for tomorrow

I like Frank Schleck.

drogdub

Lusk Doyle wrote: »

I like Frank Schleck.

This good be a great finsih. The poodle haired one (Valverde) for me

Lumen

The length, average gradient and profile of the finish of this stage is very similar to Box Hill, although that isn't the finish in the Olympic event.

Cav has reportedly lost 4kg to prepare for the Olympics and now claims not to be a pure sprinter.

Just saying...

Lusk Doyle

drogdub wrote: »

Lusk Doyle wrote: »

I like Frank Schleck.

This good be a great finsih. The poodle haired one (Valverde) for me

Oh, I wasn't talking about for the win. I was just saying. He seems like a stand up chap is all!

furiousox

Rovi

Gilbert in 'Child with no helmet on bike' controversy!!!

AG2R

6 riders in a break atm
Front of the race
MORKOV Michael 175STB+00:00:24
BOUET Maxime 72ALM+00:00:31
URTASUN PEREZ Pablo 38EUS+00:00:35
DELAPLACE Anthony 92SAU+00:00:40
GENE Yohann 25EUC+00:00:44
EDET Nicolas 84COF+00:00:47

They have 3'43 over the peleton still 99km to go basically letting them dangle

ednwireland

the calm before the storm

AIR-AUSSIE

So do yous think Cancellera will retain the yellow jersey for tomorrow?

dastardly00

Eurosport having an on-air interview with Stephen Roche atm.

AG2R

Stephen Roche saying he think Nico can take a stage win and a top 10 he just needs to go for it and not be so hesitant

BQQ

AIR-AUSSIE wrote: »

So do yous think Cancellera will retain the yellow jersey for tomorrow?

Almost definitely.

TheBlaaMan

dastardly00 wrote: »

Eurosport having an on-air interview with Stephen Roche atm.

And at that moment Kelly stepped out to get the coffee........not keen on sharing the limelight/airwaves with each other, I suspect.

AG2R

and there is a wee pile up

AG2R

Sanchez was in it

Darkglasses

Two pile ups! Someone over eager taking pictures. L. Sanchez looks hurt. Not sure what other front runners affected

ednwireland

micheal rogers down as well, and rojas

Darkglasses

Peloton well stretched out now. 30 seconds behind the breakaway.

ednwireland

how did burghardt stay up hitting that bottle

AG2R

aye haven't a clue how he managed to stay up!


Peruad having to be paced back onto the peleton

Darkglasses

Breakaway gone. Cav on Sagan's wheel towards the front, Wiggins up there too. Serious pace

Darkglasses

Evans has just been delivered to the front, in excellent position by Hincapie. Sagan straggling.

AG2R

inside the last 2 now!

AG2R

Cav hasnt the legs


Roche near the front

AG2R

Martin is there too



Fabian tries to go off the front with Sagan in the wheel with Eddie Bos chasing

Darkglasses

Horrible climb! Roche not too far. Chav, Fabian, Albassini, Sagan has come up to the top. Anybody's stage

AG2R

Peter Sagan continuing his form and takes the stage win with Cancellera and EBH

Darkglasses

Sagan, Cancellara, Boasson Hagan. Looked like Evans in fourth

Darkglasses

Dan Martin in eighth

AG2R

Gilbert 4th

BQQ

Froome dropped 1m 25secs

Wiggins might need to look elsewhere for help in the mountains

Seweryn

Is there any way of watching the tour live online?

K_1

Seweryn wrote: »

Is there any way of watching the tour live online?

TG4 have it on line, commentary as Gaeilge.

Inquitus

BQQ wrote: »

Froome dropped 1m 25secs

Wiggins might need to look elsewhere for help in the mountains

Froome punctured at the bottom of the final climb apparently. Seems unsure as to whether the 3km rule applies though.

Sarz91

Seweryn wrote: »

Is there any way of watching the tour live online?

Eurosport player is only €4 ish for the month.

Inquitus

Not quite so fortunate was team-mate Chris Froome who suffered a puncture in the last 10km and, despite battling hard and with the assistance of team-mate Richie Porte, crossed the line in 95th, 1:25 down.

Puncture was 5km out, so time is lost, at least it explains Porte and Froomes results.

Lumen

Lumen wrote: »

Cav has reportedly lost 4kg to prepare for the Olympics and now claims not to be a pure sprinter.

Eh, I think that question is now answered. What are the odds on Cav winning nothing at all this summer?

Chips Lovell

Once again Cancellara proved that while he may have incredible strength, he is tactically quite naive and really needs to be coming to the line on his own to get a win. Sagan just sat on his wheel and Cancellara towed him all the way to the line.

Lumen

Vladimir Kurtains wrote: »

Once again Cancellara proved that while he may have incredible strength, he is tactically quite naive and really needs to be coming to the line on his own to get a win. Sagan just sat on his wheel and Cancellara towed him all the way to the line.

Is it really naivety? He doesn't have the power profile to win the sprint, so as soon as Sagan latched on his race was over. The best he could hope for was holding off the bunch to keep yellow, which is exactly what he did.

Chips Lovell

If he wasn't going the win the stage, he shouldn't have bothered towing Sagan then and called his bluff.

ednwireland

he only had to finish in the bunch to hold yellow,should have sat up imo

TheBlaaMan

ednwireland wrote: »

he only had to finish in the bunch to hold yellow,should have sat up imo

Yeah, MSR all over again really. I dont think its in Cancellara's DNA to sit up though. Feckin Slovak wheelsucker !

http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/sagan-leaves-early-mark-on-tour-de-france
Sagan said. “I’m sorry for Fabian that I didn’t take a pull but he was very strong.”:rolleyes:

dougal01

that was great ride by cancarlla i would think he will keep the jersey for a few days then lose it bosson hagen is looking strong but great win for sagan what is tomorrows stage like???

Zzippy

He got 10 UCI points that he probably wouldn't have got sitting in the bunch... maybe that's a consideration?