TDF Stage 12: 214.5km Pau-Peyragudes

neris

Bit lumpy for a change and a day to see what those GC contenders who can still contend have got in the legs. 6 big climbs including 2 Cat 1s & an Haute Categorie towards the end of the stage.

The longest stage of the Pyrenean stay will be made of an extremely difficult sequence of climbs. As kilometres are covered, it'll only get harder with the climb up to the Col de Menté, even more selective with the Port de Balès and will become a real agony for the legs in the new final climb to Peyragudes. In the final kilometre, on the runway of the only airport of the Pyrenees, will be a passage at 16% over a distance of 200 metres.

1 FROOME CHRISTOPHER 1 TEAM SKY 47H 01' 55''
2 ARU FABIO 51 ASTANA PRO TEAM 47H 02' 13'' + 00' 18''
3 BARDET ROMAIN 11 AG2R LA MONDIALE 47H 02' 46'' + 00' 51''
4 URAN RIGOBERTO 188 CANNONDALE DRAPAC PROFESSIONAL CYCLING TEAM 47H 02' 50'' + 00' 55''
5 FUGLSANG JAKOB 53 ASTANA PRO TEAM 47H 03' 32'' + 01' 37''
6 MARTIN DANIEL 105 QUICK - STEP FLOORS 47H 03' 39'' + 01' 44''
7 YATES SIMON 89 ORICA - SCOTT 47H 03' 57'' + 02' 02''
8 QUINTANA NAIRO 21 MOVISTAR TEAM 47H 04' 08'' + 02' 13''
9 LANDA MIKEL 6 TEAM SKY 47H 05' 01'' + 03' 06''
10 BENNETT GEORGE 162 TEAM LOTTO NL - JUMBO 47H 05' 48'' + 03' 53''

Stage starts earlier so ITV4 9:45am & Eurosport 9:45am

Itv are meant to be having Phillipa Yorke contributing in some way on this stage

retalivity

If dans still near the front for that last kick up youve got to fancy him

Maybe put the earlier start in the title neris , so people see it more easily. I'd have been caught out but for your post. Thanks.

I wondered why the early start even with the climbs but then I saw the total distance. Going to be a long day for many I think.

happytramp

Hope Dan's not carrying any injuries from the crash on Sunday.. he went great afterwards so hopefully that's a good sign.

BowSideChamp

The stage ends uphill on the steep runway that was the set for the James Bond Movie - Tomorrow Never Dies.

dastardly00

BowSideChamp wrote: »

The stage ends uphill on the steep runway that was the set for the James Bond Movie - Tomorrow Never Dies.

As both a James Bond fan and a cycling fan that's an interesting piece of trivia

robyntmorton

Carlton Kirby will repeat that multiple times tomorrow

(But maybe that's a discussion for another thread)

Burial.

Ah the Peyresourde. Lovely flashbacks to a young Contador and a freakish Rasmussen dueling their way up. Mighty stuff.

Fancy a break or else Aru. Think Froome will attack but won't make too much ground. Think Quintana, Contador et al. will struggle. Contador looks shagged from crashes and mentally is a wreck and too soon for Quintana. Bardet should fare well too.

MPFGLB

This stage finale was in 2012 Tour and 2013 Vuelta

In 2012 Valverde won from a breakaway ( not in GC) ...next was peloton lead by Froome, Wiggins...Dan Martin. Nico Roche and Porte were all up there at the end

IN 2013 Vuelta Roche went off the front on an attack to gain time back on GC leaders

Stage finale and length really suits Dan Martin
So Dan FTW

Brian?

I'm backin Dan for this one.

Kaisr Sose

Big ask for Dan on this. He struggled with the accelerations on Sunday - but paced back on. If it's jumpy like that on the ascent, he may run out of road to catch up again. A good solid performance on the stage, with a high placing, would be a victory in itself. I will still be hoping for the win.

irishrover99

Contador to crash and pull out of the race.

CramCycle

MPFGLB wrote: »

IN 2013 Vuelta Roche went off the front on an attack to gain time back on GC leaders
So Dan FTW

I remember this, it was an epic day. It was like watching a tragedy coming into the final kilmeters. I remember him getting into the drops. I really thought he had it. It was epic.

Kaisr Sose wrote: »

Big ask for Dan on this. He struggled with the accelerations on Sunday - but paced back on. If it's jumpy like that on the ascent, he may run out of road to catch up again. A good solid performance on the stage, with a high placing, would be a victory in itself. I will still be hoping for the win.

Dan has pulled off some amazing solos on climbing days, tomorrow will really show if the crash affected him or not.

neris

irishrover99 wrote: »

Contador to crash and pull out of the race.

If his mechanics can find a kids 1st bike overnight & nick the stabilizers off it he,ll be fine

Macy0161

MPFGLB wrote: »

In 2012 Valverde won from a breakaway ( not in GC) ...next was peloton lead by Froome, Wiggins...Dan Martin. Nico Roche and Porte were all up there at the end

Not too much "respect for the yellow jersey" from Froome that day. Pathetic amateur dramatics - he acted like a dick.

Itziger

If Sky can keep 2 or 3 with Froome to the top of Peyresourde, it's a borefest and Froome puts time on other GC riders. IF they can isolate Froome before that and someone attacks with a few kms to go on Peyresourde then it becomes interesting. Anyone who's struggling could lose 90 seconds easily enough in the last few kms. Long stage too, which might change 'normal' outcome.

Tigerandahalf

Froome was saying that the last section is some form of near vertical airplane takeoff runway with a 20% gradient and if the legs go on it some guys could lose huge time.

Sky have looked much weaker this year.
Was it Poels last year who led out much of the climbs for Sky?

Froome still seems to be a class apart on the hills. It will be interesting to see if many go early or just try to hang on for dear life.

Thud

Will be interesting to see how much Froome misses Thomas today.

Dan's back is a worry, likely to niggle him today, hope I'm wrong

Wow the view at the summit there is incredible, at or slightly above the clouds.

dastardly00

The neutralised zone at the start is 8.2km... as if the stage wasn't long and tough enough :P

dastardly00

Could be a day for Nico to go in the breakaway?

Fuglsang started , left arm heavily strapped.

MPFGLB

Break isn't great ...would have thought it would ahve more climbers and be a bigger break

DominoDub

Nice Finish spot

robyntmorton

^ Wow! It took me a second to reconcile that they are so high up that there are no reflections on that lake, it's not a lake, and that they have to go through that cloud at some point.

Itziger

robyntmorton wrote: »

^ Wow! It took me a second to reconcile that they are so high up that there are no reflections on that lake, it's not a lake, and that they have to go through that cloud at some point.

Should have burnt off by then though.

Glad they are going up that and not down it , you'd nearly want to pack a parachute in case you got it wrong at the bottom and took the ramp

CramCycle

I actually felt a bit nauseous as I stared at it.

dastardly00

Unbelievable photo/landscape. Very surreal.

dragratchet

I was riding in the haute pyrenees a couple weeks ago and the clouds hang very low in the valleys.. not long before you're climbing beyond them tbh.

Tigerandahalf

Weather has been quite poor in France this summer.

robyntmorton

Just seen the Alpecin team bus ad for the first time. What the actual f*ck was that?!

neris

robyntmorton wrote: »

Just seen the Alpecin team bus ad for the first time. What the actual f*ck was that?!

It's desperate isn't it

dragratchet

Tigerandahalf wrote: »

Weather has been quite poor in France this summer.

yeah it pissed rain everyday we were riding over there.. sometimes torrentially. got half the riding we hoped to do done.

robyntmorton

Fight for your hair!

And I thought "German Engineering for Your Hair" was bad :pac:

neris

The front of the peloton is looking all to familiar and controlled

MPFGLB

robyntmorton wrote: »

Just seen the Alpecin team bus ad for the first time. What the actual f*ck was that?!

Worse over acting I have ever seen ...

wanderer 22

DominoDub wrote: »

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Nice Finish spot

That is just stunning, you win today

dub_skav

robyntmorton wrote: »

Fight for your hair!

And I thought "German Engineering for Your Hair" was bad :pac:

Unfortunately I lost the fight some years ago and no amount of caffeine is going to bring it back

CramCycle

dub_skav wrote: »

Unfortunately I lost the fight some years ago and no amount of caffeine is going to bring it back

I drink buckets of coffee and it is still getting worse

Itziger

So, c'mon, call this then.

I'll start: Froomey beats 'em all. 30 seconds to second Quintana and Aru and Bardet. Dan loses 90 seconds to 2 mins.

MPFGLB

CramCycle wrote: »

I drink buckets of coffee and it is still getting worse

Saw a picture of Valverde at home after his crash...seemed to have acquired alot of hair (from previous pictures) while in hospital

dastardly00

1. Froome
2. Aru @20"
3. Dan @ 45"

DNF. Contador (rolls back down the runway at the finish and crashes)

Itziger

dastardly00 wrote: »

1. Froome
2. Aru @20"
3. Dan @ 45"

DNF. Contador (rolls back down the runway at the finish and crashes)

Kinda funny, but I also think it's sad when nobodies like you and me and probably everybody else on here ridicule one of the best riders in the history of the sport, if not since it began, then at least in last 40 years say.

Multiple winner of Grand Tours. (Doping issues? Mais oui!)

Itziger

Wow! Quick Step with 4 near the front. Is there an Int Sprint coming up??

CramCycle

The TOF lads are going uphill faster than I can go down hill

MPFGLB

That finish suits Dan Martin ....surely this is the stage he wins

dastardly00

Itziger wrote: »

Kinda funny, but I also think it's sad when nobodies like you and me and probably everybody else on here ridicule one of the best riders in the history of the sport, if not since it began, then at least in last 40 years say.

Multiple winner of Grand Tours. (Doping issues? Mais oui!)

Yeah I know, and agree.

I do actually like Contador though because of his aggressive racing style. Although I would like to think of myself as being more anti-doping than the average cycling fan, so that does in effect paint me as a hypocrite.

I'm really just making fun of Contador crashing all the time!

dragratchet

this thing looks like a flippin sportif atm... losing faith in the tour to have any excitement bar crashes and debates over unwritten rules...

neris

Itziger wrote: »

Kinda funny, but I also think it's sad when nobodies like you and me and probably everybody else on here ridicule one of the best riders in the history of the sport

fat blokes with beer bellys and 2 left feet have been doing the equivalent in football stadiums and on bar stools for decades

neris

dragratchet wrote: »

debates over unwritten rules...

dont start :mad: