Tour de France 2015 Stage 15 Mende - Valence *contains unmasked spoilers*

pajor

In its first fourteen stages, the Tour de France has made some people happy in the peloton but the majority remains disappointed or frustrated. Sprinters top that list. They've had very few opportunities to play on their favorite terrain so far because of some uphill finishes, so only two of them have found the way to glory: André Greipel (twice) and Mark Cavendish. Peter Sagan is yet to win a stage but he has almost secured the green jersey after winning the intermediate sprint of stage 14 and finishing fifth in Mende. Giant-Alpecin is probably the hungriest team. During the off season, they had target stage wins in the first week with four different riders: Tom Dumoulin in the inaugural time trial [he came third], Marcel Kittel in Zealand [he didn't make the Tour team after being sidelined by a virus], John Degenkolb on the cobblestones or in one of the uphill finishes and Warren Barguil in one of the two Murs (Huy or Bretagne). The reality is that they are still at zero. Alexander Kristoff is the other sprinter with no result so far but his Katusha team has already won two stages with Joaquim Rodriguez. Orica-GreenEdge has been the unluckiest team in terms of injuries but Michael Matthews seems to get better. After Rui Costa's abandon, Lampre-Merida's chance to do something is with their sprinter Davide Cimolai who already won in the Rhône valley [in Rasteau] at Paris-Nice. So it makes a big number of sprinters teams in addition to the already successful Belgians Lotto-Soudal and Etixx-Quick Step. Stage 15 to Valence is definitely dedicated to sprinters who will have only one opportunity after this one. In Paris.

Somebody's gotta make the thread. :P And I'm too lazy/ignorant to write my own description.

Though I reckon if the faster men can get over the Col de l'Escrinet in one piece, then the stage will be taken by the one of the usual suspects.

retalivity

Had a punt on navadauskas ew at 50/1.
Surely itll come down to the sprinters who can get over the cat 2...

Subpopulus

Maybe I'm mental but I think Sagan might win today.

pajor

Cavendish

Looks like Cavenish could be scrapped off that poll list already..

Arrow in the Knee

Cavendish

Pinot has been fairly active the last few stages.

Boscoirl

Subpopulus wrote: »

Maybe I'm mental but I think Sagan might win today.

He has second wrapped up

Icepick

Cavendish

Boscoirl wrote: »

He has second wrapped up

We should have a poll for the 2nd place.

JK.BMC

Just a little aside (as we view yet another chateaux) it is interesting to already see such a large groupetto containing some good riders- Kennaugh among them. Nothing against the chap, but those commenting beforehand that he was way superior to Roche will have plenty food for thought from here to Paris

Doc07

Cavendish

Trentin in the break. It's between Sagan and him if they can make contact after the last climb. Unless Pinot attacks the climb and chills out on the descent.

MPFG

Is Sam Bennett there ?

pajor

Cavendish

MPFG wrote: »

Is Sam Bennett there ?

All 3 Irish in the main peleton.

Pudsy33

Some on twitter saying he's not there but the trackers seem to suggest he is

spock.

Go on Stybar!

pajor

Cavendish

Yup.. the usual suspects.

Win goes to Greipel.

retalivity

Greipel was 12/1 before the race.. didn't think he'd get over that cat 2...

MPFG

Bennett in same group as Mark Cavendish

Arrow in the Knee

Cavendish

MPFG wrote: »

Bennett in same group as Mark Cavendish

I wonder does his team want him to get The Lanterne Rouge?

De Bhál

Great sprint

Froome looks very tired on the podium.

pajor

Cavendish

MPFG wrote: »

Bennett in same group as Mark Cavendish

Dang. Not what Le Tour tracker said.

Eamonnator

De Bhál wrote: »

Great sprint

Froome looks very tired on the podium.

I thought the same.

MPFG

Contador looked wrecked yesterday in a picture

One more stage to rest day

Eamonnator

Arrow in the Knee wrote: »

I wonder does his team want him to get The Lanterne Rouge?

It looks like he "gained" about 5 minutes in that competition, today.

MPFG

JK.BMC wrote: »

Just a little aside (as we view yet another chateaux) it is interesting to already see such a large groupetto containing some good riders- Kennaugh among them. Nothing against the chap, but those commenting beforehand that he was way superior to Roche will have plenty food for thought from here to Paris

Roche is riding so strongly that I think if he was with another team riding for GC he's be top 10

Talib Fiasco

Anything interesting happen today lads besides the sprint at the end?

Arrow in the Knee

Cavendish

Talib Fiasco wrote: »

Anything interesting happen today lads besides the sprint at the end?

No

quozl

I thought Sagan, the cheeky git, going off in another break was interesting :-) he's adapted well to the changes meant to stop him dominating the green jersey!

ThisRegard

A water bottle thrown at a camera bike by one of Sagan's crew during a bike change was as exciting as it got.

happytramp

ThisRegard wrote: »

A water bottle thrown at a camera bike by one of Sagan's crew during a bike change was as exciting as it got.

Bam!! Suck it Cameraman!

MPFG

I liked ITV ambushing Jalabert in the car park and interviewing him...He backed down quickly and made a quick exit when they brought up his epo past

And later when French TV interviewed Froome he didn't ask any questions and stayed at the side even though he usually is part of the two man interviewing team

pajor

Cavendish

ThisRegard wrote: »

A water bottle thrown at a camera bike by one of Sagan's crew during a bike change was as exciting as it got.

That why Sagan got the Combativité award today? :pac:

frogloch

I see in the ITV4 highlights chris froome had a seven policeman bodyguard team this morning. Is it going to be like this for the rest of the tour?

Eamonnator

frogloch wrote: »

I see in the ITV4 highlights chris froome had a seven policeman bodyguard team this morning. Is it going to be like this for the rest of the tour?

Were they on bikes?

frogloch

Eamonnator wrote: »

Were they on bikes?

Yea they'd need motorbikes otherwise not a hope :pac: :P

letape

Froome

MPFG wrote: »

I liked ITV ambushing Jalabert in the car park and interviewing him...He backed down quickly and made a quick exit when they brought up his epo past

And later when French TV interviewed Froome he didn't ask any questions and stayed at the side even though he usually is part of the two man interviewing team

No time for JaJa - another hero of the French public like Virenque; and both still very involved in the sport.