Paris-Nice 2017 - Stage 8 ***SPOILERS***

Melodeon

Stage Map:


Stage Profile:


Climbs:


Finale:


The General Classification after Stage 7:

MPFGLB

Its going to be fast and furious ....blink and you miss it

QS will try something and of course Contador

And the stage is so short ...expect groups all over the road

TheBlaaMan

Getting bonus seconds at the first sprint at 25KM will be a priority for both Contador and Dan, I'd guess. Maybe Quickstep will load their guys onto the front to mop up the points so Contador can't get any, but Dan has nicked these before too, so there'll be fireworks early, for sure. They'll both need teammates for the last 20km too, as we saw last year. With his win-or-bust attitude, maybe Contador isn't bothered about the 2nd v 3rd place thing.........

robyntmorton

This is going to be one hell of a stage, with so many plots going on.

Will be very interesting to see how each team handles it, but obviously I hope Quick Step and Dan can make it work.

dastardly00

What's the breakdown of bonus seconds at the intermediate sprints and at the finish line?

Melodeon

I think it's 3, 2, 1 at the Intermediates, and 10, 6, 4 at the Finish.
Open to correction though!

robyntmorton

10, 6, 4 on the line. 3, 2, 1 on both intermediates. Spot on.

robyntmorton

Sprint 1:
Result at the sprint of Levens (km 25)
1. Michael Matthews (Sunweb) 3 points, three seconds
2. Thomas de Gendt (Lotto Soudal) 2 points, two seconds
3. David de la Cruz (Quick Step) 1 point, one second

Melodeon

Eight riders quit since the start of the stage: Marcel Kittel (Quick Step), Mickael Delage and Marc Sarreau (FDJ), Zico Waeytens (Sunweb), stage 5 winner Sam Bennett (Bora), Tyler Farrar (Dimension Data), Michael Kolar (Bora) and Julien Morice (Direct Energie).

Not surprising to see some sprinters pulling the plug at this stage, I suppose.

robyntmorton

The sprinters have done everything needed at this stage. No point in running them for no reason really.

TheBlaaMan

Melodeon wrote: »

Eight riders quit since the start of the stage: Marcel Kittel (Quick Step), Mickael Delage and Marc Sarreau (FDJ), Zico Waeytens (Sunweb), stage 5 winner Sam Bennett (Bora), Tyler Farrar (Dimension Data), Michael Kolar (Bora) and Julien Morice (Direct Energie).

Not surprising to see some sprinters pulling the plug at this stage, I suppose.

...saving their legs for Milan-San Remo next weekend.

retalivity

wish this fcuking skijumping on eurosport would piss off

CrowdedHouse

I see Pantano/Contador putting the pressure on. Yellow jersey and Dan still there and OK atm

retalivity

found a french stream....contador turning the screw, linked up with the leaders.

imagine he had retired last year!!

velo.2010

What a fcuking animal Contador is. Attacking from over 50km out and dropping all the GC guys. He needs this breakaway group to work with him if he has any chance.

retalivity

Goodbye Sergio...

EDIT: or maybe not...

Brian?

velo.2010 wrote: »

What a fcuking animal Contador is. Attacking from over 50km out and dropping all the GC guys. He needs this breakaway group to work with him if he has any chance.

He's a beast. No one else in the Peleton is capable of racing like this.

robyntmorton

Everything's coming up Contador at this stage.

Fair play to Contador, taking the risk of attacking from 50km out. Looks like he will win it now. Was hoping Dan Martin would try to bridge the gap on the final climb. Must not have the legs today.

robyntmorton

Okay, scrap what I said about Contador. This could get very close!

buffalo

Why is de la Cruz working now that they've brought back Soler? Surely he can sit in again and not help Contador jump Dan?

robyntmorton

buffalo wrote: »

Why is de la Cruz working now that they've brought back Soler? Surely he can sit in again and not help Contador jump Dan?

Stage win attempt?

robyntmorton

Ouch! Hard luck Alberto!

retalivity

bloody hell

contador comes second by 4 seconds for the 2nd year in a row??

Inquitus

Haha, well done Henao

robyntmorton

retalivity wrote: »

bloody hell

contador comes second by 4 seconds for the 2nd year in a row??

Really was a spectacular finish. The stage win was the 4 seconds...

(Eurosport have it to 2 seconds)

Boscoirl

2 seconds

Brian?

Heart breaking for Contador. What a man.

Thud

Sky need to thank De la Cruz for taking the 10 bonus seconds

pelevin

Only caught latter stages. Beautiful looking effort from Contador there. Delighted for Brailsford and the Murdochs.

Doc07

buffalo wrote: »

Why is de la Cruz working now that they've brought back Soler? Surely he can sit in again and not help Contador jump Dan?

Perhaps when Contador's lead over Dan went over 30s and Henau didn't get dropped, De La Cruz was allowed work and salvage a stage win. Looks like a good back up plan now it's all over.

velo.2010

Izaguirre worked for Henao on the descent and probably made the difference in the end.

neris

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Diarmuid

There was definitely some "promises" made today in the bunch. De La Cruz and Contador being one and I think it was Colbrelli and Heano.

Brian?

Diarmuid wrote: »

There was definitely some "promises" made today in the bunch. De La Cruz and Contador being one and I think it was Colbrelli and Heano.

There was no deal between De La Cruz and Contador. He did sweet FA once the caught Soler. A couple of big digs at the front and Contador would have won Paris Nice.

Diarmuid

Brian? wrote: »

There was no deal between De La Cruz and Contador. He did sweet FA once the caught Soler. A couple of big digs at the front and Contador would have won Paris Nice.

Look at the last 5km again then.
Here are two times with De La Cruz on the front: To win the stage he should have done zero turns.
And that "sprint" :rolleyes:

To be clear I don't have a problem with it. Both did what they had to do to try to achieve their results

Doc07

Good to hear our national broadcaster is so accurate. Just caught the end of RTE 1 radio sport commending Contador on his audacious long range attack and overall win of Paris-Nice.

Thud

Diarmuid wrote: »

Look at the last 5km again then.
Here are two times with De La Cruz on the front: To win the stage he should have done zero turns.
And that "sprint" :rolleyes:

To be clear I don't have a problem with it. Both did what they had to do to try to achieve their results

I thought that when watching it but the gap dropped from about 38 seconds to 29 for the short while de la cruz was in front so it might have been contador hoping he'd take a pull but he didn't, tactics clearly worked out for de la cruz in the end too

Brian?

Diarmuid wrote: »

Look at the last 5km again then.
Here are two times with De La Cruz on the front: To win the stage he should have done zero turns.
And that "sprint" :rolleyes:

To be clear I don't have a problem with it. Both did what they had to do to try to achieve their results

De La Cruz pulled to catched Soler, once he did he glass cranked it for a few hundred meters. The time gap dropped and Contador drove on again. I have no problem with him doing that, it was his prerogative. The lack of sprint was because Contador has never won as sprint in his life and he was wrecked from working. If he was capable of sprinting he would have and won the GC.

I feel sorry for Contador, 2 years in a row he's missed out by narrow margins. He's lost a lot physically, but he's still a superb competitor and by far and away the most aggressive GC rider in any stage race he enters.

retalivity

Is contador doing the giro, or the tour, or both?
Heres hoping he has pantano alongside him, and possibly mollema, to combat the skybots

Brian?

retalivity wrote: »

Is contador doing the giro, or the tour, or both?
Heres hoping he has pantano alongside him, and possibly mollema, to combat the skybots

Skipping the Giro, doing the Tour. I don't really think he'll have the legs for Froome.