Tour de France - Stage 5, Wed Jul 3, Cagnes- Marseille, **Unmasked Spoilers**

dastardly00

Stage 5, Cagnes-sur-mer - Marseille, 228.5km

This is quite a lumpy long stage, with four categorised climbs and a few that are uncategorised, so the puncheurs and rouleurs will fancy their chances in a breakaway or a late attack. However, the climbs shouldn't be tough enough to trouble the majority of the sprinters too much.

The last categorised climb of the day is 5.7km long, with an average of 3.1% gradient. However there is another climb to go afterwards. It's uncategorised, but 7km in length. So if a sprinter is struggling before this climb, they'll be out the back before they reach the summit. The finish into Marseille is downhill, so it'll be super quick. Also there is a left-hand corner with 500m to go, so this could make the sprint a bit messy.

All the big sprinters' teams will be looking to win this stage. Peter Sagan has had two 2nd places, so he will be desperately trying to win. But the bumpy profile should be no problem to him. Cav and Andre Greipel are two other sprinters who haven't won yet. However both OPQS (Cav) and Lotto (Greipel) put in impressive performances in the TTT, so it's difficult to know how much they will have recovered. Cav is also still recovering from bronchitis, so I would fancy Greipel to make it to the finish in the peloton and battle with Sagan for the win.

Argos-Shimano put in very little effort into the TTT, so expect to see them at the front of the peloton during the stage making sure the breakaway doesn't get too much of a lead. However, their main sprinter Marcel Kittel has struggled badly when the road even remotely goes uphill. So if when he gets dropped, they'll hope Degenkolb can challenge in the sprint. And finally, don't forget the yellow jersey wearer Simon Gerrans. His confidence is sky high, so he will fancy his chances as well.





Final kilometre:


Stage betting: M Cavendish 3/1, A Greipel 3/1, P Sagan 4/1.

Here's a link to the Irish riders' diaries thread.

Live TV coverage on Eurosport1 from 12.45pm, and ITV4 from 2pm.
Highlights on Eurosport1 at 11.50pm, Eurosport2 at 6pm and 9pm, ITV4 at 7pm, and TG4 at 9.55pm.

Live text-ticker will be here.

IM0

dastardly00 wrote: »

Stage 5, Cagnes-sur-mer - Marseille, 228.5km

This is quite a lumpy long stage, with four categorised climbs and a few that are uncategorised, so the puncheurs and rouleurs will fancy their chances in a breakaway or a late attack. However, the climbs shouldn't be tough enough to trouble the majority of the sprinters too much.

The last categorised climb of the day is 5.7km long, with an average of 3.1% gradient. However there is another climb to go afterwards. It's uncategorised, but 7km in length. So if a sprinter is struggling before this climb, they'll be out the back before they reach the summit. The finish into Marseille is downhill, so it'll be super quick. Also there is a left-hand corner with 500m to go, so this could make the sprint a bit messy.

All the big sprinters' teams will be looking to win this stage. Peter Sagan has had two 2nd places, so he will be desperately trying to win. But the bumpy profile should be no problem to him. Cav and Andre Greipel are two other sprinters who haven't won yet. However both OPQS (Cav) and Lotto (Greipel) put in impressive performances in the TTT, so it's difficult to know how much they will have recovered. Cav is also still recovering from bronchitis, so I would fancy Greipel to make it to the finish in the peloton and battle with Sagan for the win.

Argos-Shimano put in very little effort into the TTT, so expect to see them at the front of the peloton during the stage making sure the breakaway doesn't get too much of a lead. However, their main sprinter Marcel Kittel has struggled badly when the road even remotely goes uphill. So if when he gets dropped, they'll hope Degenkolb can challenge in the sprint. And finally, don't forget the yellow jersey wearer Simon Gerrans. His confidence is sky high, so he will fancy his chances as well.

to win the stage? ehhhh no...

manafana

Don't see why Gerrans couldn't get involved i he wanted to, but he targeted the last stage this ones for Goss or Impey.

this is really open and with so many interests everything that breaks away will be chased down any how. Two interesting left handers to finish the stage.

Could be an outsiders pick for today bets here ;

dastardly00

IM0 wrote: »

to win the stage? ehhhh no...

Gerrans beat Sagan in a sprint to win Stage 3.
Either himself, Impey or Matt Goss will be there or there abouts for Orica-GreenEdge in the bunch sprint.

Columbia

Orica Green Edge will have to control the stage, so Gerrans won't get a lead-out.

Anyway he has a good chance of wearing yellow for a few days, he probably won't want to risk getting cleaned out in a sprint, especially since he's already got his stage win(s).

Morrisseeee

Greipel FTW
/not sure what his odds are

manafana

If anyone is interested in the odds click here

grepiel i got put off he is bit soft sometimes when it comes to these diffcult run in's

dastardly00

The peloton seem to be asleep at the moment. A six-man breakaway have a lead of 11 minutes with ~80km gone.

Wishbone Ash

Sagan has a loose cleat - tightened up now.

AG2R

Roches 29 today....
It seems once a year they comment on Nicos weight :pac:

MPFG

Is Carlton Kirby going to say

"Rules is rules ....we will see " all day long in a foreboding way

IM0

MPFG wrote: »

Is Carlton Kirby going to say

"Rules is rules ....we will see " all day long in a foreboding way

will someone tweet him and remind him that its not radio and so he doesnt need to keep telling us every 2 mintes how long is left to go. youre supposed to let the kms tick down NOT BE REMINDED OF IT THE WHOLE TIME IN THE BORING PARTS OF STAGE

A WATCHED ****IN KETTLE NEVER BOILS KARLTON!!!

STFU!!!!! :mad: :mad:

Darkglasses

manafana

Darkglasses wrote: »

what he said, you can always flick to the tennis

buffalo

Did Sean Kelly just say sorry for not commenting on something because he was reading the paper?

Darkglasses

Heh I enjoyed that...Nearly took out Reza though.

godtabh

Some lady just snotted her self chasing the front group cheering them on!

AG2R

I love Sean Kelly,I really do

IM0

Darkglasses wrote: »

straw that broke the camel

+ quigley should be there, cant believe they didnt give him the gig, bearing in mind how good he was for the giro ect.

Darkglasses

http://instagram.com/p/bTmzXvsC5P/

Video of the guy getting a clatter.

MPFG

Oh ...Andreas Kloden is in my fantasy teamas is Mark Cavandish....the jinx goes on ....................sigh

IM0

poor geraint

jeez talk about more bad luck...

Reginald P. DuM

Just tuning in now, did I miss anything? Cant really rely on Kirby for anything too useful.. He's a great man to tell you if there's wild boar in the region though.

Darkglasses

Reginald P. DuM wrote: »

Just tuning in now, did I miss anything? Cant really rely on Kirby for anything too useful.. He's a great man to tell you if there's wild boar in the region though.

Nothing at all, the gap went to about 11 minutes at one stage but they've been reeling them in for a good while now. It's a headwind so the break is really going to struggle as the day goes on.

Some chap in a Vacansoleil jersey got bashed in the face, quite funny. Mathieu Hermans got Carlton and Sean some coffee.

manwithaplan

Reginald P. DuM wrote: »

did I miss anything?

Apart from the wild boar?

manafana

buffalo wrote: »

Did Sean Kelly just say sorry for not commenting on something because he was reading the paper?

he did that last year too

Reginald P. DuM

AG2R wrote: »

I love Sean Kelly,I really do

Ya gotta love him, Kelly's just Kelly.... Three weeks of bonificaaations and classificaaations in that dulcid Waterford/Tipperary accent.. I was watching him during the Giro and he was talking about the gradient of a climb, and I'm almost certain he said "fu(king 20%!"

godtabh

Darkglasses wrote: »

Some chap in a Vacansoleil jersey got bashed in the face, quite funny.

I thought it was a woman!

IM0

why would the peleton do that to themselves

why didnt they get on the gas [at obviously lesser pace] sooner than instead have to go much harder the further they let the gap go out

manafana

godtabh wrote: »

I thought it was a woman!

looked like an old ag2r jersey or the like to me

Darkglasses

godtabh wrote: »

I thought it was a woman!

Think it's a guy, but could be an ugly woman. Also before anyone else corrects me, it's actually an ag2r jersey :rolleyes:

Edit: DAMN! Too slow.

MPFG

Ag2R jersey ....obviously a critic of cycling !

manafana

Darkglasses wrote: »

Think it's a guy, but could be an ugly woman. Also before anyone else corrects me, it's actually an ag2r jersey :rolleyes:

Edit: DAMN! Too slow.

to be fair social media and tv seemed be calling it a vacan jersey.

dastardly00

CRASH!

Vande Velde seemed to get the worst of it, but is back up. Pierre Rolland lost a bit of time and is catching back up

Morrisseeee

Looked like a OPQS rider slowed down dramatically and then.......deck of cards!
The breakaway looks doomed!!

Darkglasses

Think I saw Bennati, Rogers and Moreira Paulinho go down for TST.

Reginald P. DuM

Twill be there for the "gorilla" now at the end..

Darkglasses

Brilliant sprint!!! Cav is the boss.

manwithaplan

Cav!

AG2R

wow thats a bad crash,really bad

That turn was far too narrow to have in that position imo

Morrisseeee

Crash aswell!!

Mint Sauce

Seen Cav cross, looked down from screen, looked back up and everyone was on the ground.

Looked nasty.

Reginald P. DuM

Ya wait 200+km for a bit of drama, then it came.. Brilliant finish... Cav still the man, bronchitis or no.. Massive melee then behind, surely there will be pain involved for some!

dastardly00

aarrrgggh show us who crashed rather than random shots of Marseille!

Morrisseeee

Very poor sprint from Greipel
/don't give a toss tho as I have Sagan/Cav on my velogames team

AG2R

I think Rolland hit the deck 3 times today,unlucky

dastardly00

I think Van den Broeck and Nairo Quintana hit the deck at the end.

MPFG

Nico is going up the charts ...at this rate he wil win the tour

godtabh

MPFG wrote: »

Nico is going up the charts ...at this rate he wil win the tour

where is he now?

MPFG

They said on ITV he was 8th ...but have no confirmation

Mint Sauce

On the website. 9th overall, 9 secs of the lead.