TdF 2017 stage 8: Dole > Station des Rousses 187,5 km

MPFGLB

And we go to the mountains ...kinda






General classification top 10 after stage 7:

1. Christopher FROOME
2. Geraint THOMAS + 12''
3. Fabio ARU + 14''
4. Daniel MARTIN + 25''
5. Richie PORTE + 39''
6. Simon YATES + 43''
7. Romain BARDET + 47''
8. Alberto CONTADOR + 52''
9. Nairo QUINTANA + 54''
10. Rafal MAJKA + 1'01''

MPFGLB

Dan Martin for the win ....

Looking forward to this, hopefully a stage that not only has some excitement but a surprise or two but a nice surprise not a Giro motorbike one !!!

Love to Majka gain some time and get up there or Rolland maybe make a break stick or something. A Dan win would be top of the wish list though.

At this stage I'd actually love Quintana to do serious damage and take the yellow and make a bike race of it but we'll not see it.

MPFGLB

https://twitter.com/ciaranlennon/status/883446930063462400

I've had razor blades not shave me as close as that finish

pelevin

Is it a bit odd the bookies - PP anyway - are seeing this as not at all for the real mountain climbers with people like Bardet & Porte 66/1, more for people with a punch, thus Dan in amongst people like Michael Matthews as favourites?

Inquitus

pelevin wrote: »

Is it a bit odd the bookies - PP anyway - are seeing this as not at all for the real mountain climbers with people like Bardet & Porte 66/1, more for people with a punch, thus Dan in amongst people like Michael Matthews as favourites?

Too hard for Matthews, it will either be from the break or from the GC men imho.

Lumen

Why do they make me do maths by printing km-from-start on the stage profile and km-from-end on the TV?

Inquitus

Fierce pace set so far, if it keeps up lads will be in danger of getting cut, Rowe and Demare went backwards a while back!

Plenty of action so far today

Djoucer

Lumen wrote: »

Why do they make me do maths by printing km-from-start on the stage profile and km-from-end on the TV?

Making the calculation.

MPFGLB

This really hard racign plays intot Dan Martin hands as he is a man for very hard days

pelevin

Inquitus wrote: »

Too hard for Matthews, it will either be from the break or from the GC men imho.

That's what the profile would have suggested to me also.

ford2600

MPFGLB wrote: »

This really hard racign plays intot Dan Martin hands as he is a man for very hard days

He is but it can takes it's toll over 3 weeks.

As Hinault said the strongest always wins. Keeping healthy while hammering your body for 3 weeks, along with all the tension and other stresses make these things such amazing feats

As an aside came across a good podcast on sigma nutrition on powering elite level sport. On one day classics the top riders burn between 1200-1500 cals/hr, every hour. Very rarely happens on a 3 week GT.

Very hard to find another professional sport so bloody hard

MPFGLB

ford2600 wrote: »

He is but it can takes it's toll over 3 weeks.

As Hinault said the strongest always wins. Keeping healthy while hammering your body for 3 weeks, along with all the tension and other stresses make these things such amazing feats

As an aside came across a good podcast on sigma nutrition on powering elite level sport. On one day classics the top riders burn between 1200-1500 cals/hr, every hour. Very rarely happens on a 3 week GT.

Very hard to find another professional sport so bloody hard

One day at a time...and its hard for everyone ..even SKY

Inquitus

Roche in the front group according to Eurosport, that could potentially work out very well!

Dangermen up the road.

LATOUR P.
17ALM+00:01:07
BUCHMANN E.
113BOH+00:01:29
LANDA M.
6SKY+00:01:47
TALANSKY A.
187CDT+00:01:57
PAUWELS S.
96DDD+00:02:00
ROCHE N.
46BMC+00:02:14
HENAO S.
2SKY+00:02:32
CARUSO D.
42BMC+00:02:35
FRANK M.
14ALM+00:02:36
CHAVANEL S.
174DEN+00:03:03
MOLARD R.
77FDJ+00:03:47
EDET N.
153COF+00:04:09

mhiggy09

Ye just seen Roche on the tail end of the front group. It'll be a fight to get to the front with the pace they are going

MPFGLB

mhiggy09 wrote: »

Ye just seen Roche on the tail end of the front group. It'll be a fight to get to the front with the pace they are going

He there patrolling....

spock.

Around 50 riders in the break :eek:

mhiggy09

Another breakaway off the breakaway

elchupanebrey

I missed the start today. Any reason Demare is so far back from the rest or are his legs just gone? No crash or anything?

MPFGLB

Demare reportedly ill

retalivity

Hes sick, apparently

longshanks

Ok the grass is cut, the washing is hanging, where are the Irish boys?

Darkglasses

Is Demare on his own? Disaster for him

BowSideChamp

Darkglasses wrote: »

Is Demare on his own? Disaster for him

No he is there with a few teammates. They are all gonna get time cut!!

Feel for the FDJ lads, a stage like today is one of the worse ones for someone like Demare to be ill on.

BowSideChamp

BowSideChamp wrote: »

No he is there with a few teammates. They are all gonna get time cut!!

..

REBELSAFC

BowSideChamp wrote: »

No he is there with a few teammates. They are all gonna get time cut!!

FFS. I've Delage on my Velogames. Wouldn't be so bad but I lost Luke Durbridge on the first stage and Sagan also. I'll be struggling to reach Paris with any riders at this rate!!

Darkglasses

Not pleased with the TV ads this year. That Apple one is doing my nut in.

ThisRegard

Darkglasses wrote: »

Not pleased with the TV ads this year. That Apple one is doing my nut in.

I like the Serbian tourist one, although I think they've got their work cut out as the war there and the Serbs involvement in war crimes is still fresh in many people's minds.

longshanks

Darkglasses wrote: »

Not pleased with the TV ads this year. That Apple one is doing my nut in.

Hate it. Multi hate it.

martyc5674

Just tuned in...where's Dan?

spock.

Roche in the lead group of about 8 riders

dastardly00

Froome doing a bit cyclocross on the descent. Didn't fall off or anything.

Lusk_Doyle

spock. wrote: »

Roche in the lead group of about 8 riders

Roche is in the peloton. It's GVA up the road.

dastardly00

Lusk_Doyle wrote: »

Roche is in the peloton. It's GVA up the road.

Nico is there with GVA

Lusk_Doyle

Lusk_Doyle wrote: »

spock. wrote: »

Roche in the lead group of about 8 riders

Roche is in the peloton. It's GVA up the road.

Edit: I see him there now. I thought he had dropped back.

dastardly00

Darkglasses wrote: »

Not pleased with the TV ads this year. That Apple one is doing my nut in.

The Tel-Aviv & Jerusalem marathons are looking pretty peachy

MPFGLB

dastardly00 wrote: »

Nico is there with GVA

Hope he is allowed to ride for the stage ...BMC might get him to stay with GVA on the climb

He did this climb so well in 2010 and has from here

Itziger

Steep enough today for GC action?? Or will they wait till tomorrow?

Lusk_Doyle

Looks to me as though Roche will be going for it. GVA has done a mountain load of work.

Lumen

longshanks wrote: »

Hate it. Multi hate it.

Wha-ever!

I actually love that ad.

longshanks

Where is Dan?

Anyone

This is unwatchable on ITV4, there are ads every 5-6 mins.

mhiggy09

Roche looks good leading the break and putting in attacks

Darkglasses

Good attack from Nico, seems to have opened a gap from Gesink and Barguil

Boscoirl

Anyone wrote: »

This is unwatchable on ITV4, there are ads every 5-6 mins.

2 sets of ads in less then 5k

pelevin

Anyone wrote: »

This is unwatchable on ITV4, there are ads every 5-6 mins.

I've ES & won't even gonna give ITV any look after previous viewings where I'd sum up their coverage as "We show some cycling between the ads."

brianhalpin

pelevin wrote: »

I've ES & won't even gonna give ITV any look after previous viewings where I'd sum up their coverage as "We show some cycling between the ads."

It's beyond a joke. And their ads are twice as long as TG4. Plus Millar wrecks my head - describing things as if the entire audience has tuned in to their first ever cycling race.

odyssey06

Nico losing touch with the leaders

In no man's land now.