TDF stage 17 | 183km La Mure / Serre-Chevalier

neris

This could be a fun day especially for sunweb with the Galibier & telegraphe on the route and a sprint at 47km. Dans prospects look over after yesterdays "illness" in the Quickstep squad and a mountain day wont suit Kittel. Skybots to control the peleton and GC to stay as is. Boring.

Christian Prudhomme's comment

Climbers battling it out for the Yellow Jersey will have two more days to express themselves, to change the outcome or comfort a decent lead and gain precious time. Heading towards Serre-Chevalier, we will give them the most prestigious of what the Alps has to offer: the Col de la Croix de Fer and then the Galibier back after a 6-year absence, going up the Télégraphe. It's now up to them.

Welcome back, Galibier!
The col du Galibier (alt. 2642m) is one of the giants in the legend of the Tour. It's the third highest in the history after La Bonnette (2802m), the Iseran (2764m) and Agnel (2744m). It's the highest stage finish in the history since Andy Schleck won up there in 2011. Interestingly, the climb that hosts the memorial of race founder Henri Desgrange hasn't been on the Tour route since 2011. Actually, it was in 2015 but it was substituted by the col de la Croix de Fer due to a pile of rubble. Six years between two passages at the Galibier is a record. The peloton has changed a lot since 2011. From the current top 10 on GC, only Rigoberto Uran was racing the Tour six years ago

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fLzT8pY1USg

1 FROOME CHRISTOPHER 1 TEAM SKY 68H 18' 36''
2 ARU FABIO 51 ASTANA PRO TEAM 68H 18' 54'' + 00' 18''
3 BARDET ROMAIN 11 AG2R LA MONDIALE 68H 18' 59'' + 00' 23''
4 URAN RIGOBERTO 188 CANNONDALE DRAPAC PROFESSIONAL CYCLING TEAM 68H 19' 05'' + 00' 29''
5 LANDA MIKEL 6 TEAM SKY 68H 19' 53'' + 01' 17''
6 YATES SIMON 89 ORICA - SCOTT 68H 20' 38'' + 02' 02''
7 MARTIN DANIEL 105 QUICK - STEP FLOORS 68H 20' 39'' + 02' 03''
8 MEINTJES LOUIS 61 UAE TEAM EMIRATES 68H 24' 36'' + 06' 00''
9 CARUSO DAMIANO 42 BMC RACING TEAM 68H 24' 41'' + 06' 05''
10 QUINTANA NAIRO 21 MOVISTAR TEAM 68H 24' 52'' + 06' 16''

TV Times - ITV 4 11am, Eurosport 11am

JoeyJJ

Hopefully Dan has the legs today, would love to see him at front around the 120km mark making top 5 work for their places.

Kav0777

Has to be Kittel - he'll breakaway for the sprint points in Allemont and stay away for the win.... or something

retalivity

Oh baby, this could be great....

But actually, froome to attack on the last ascent/descent and take the win

MPFGLB

Breakaway today ...SKY just need to control before the TT

el tel

For any of the GC contenders to stand a chance of beating Froome to the 2017 title, they better get their finger out today.  Bardet will have to do something big, so I expect Ag2R to rip it up. Leaving any big moves until tomorrow will be risking failure. Gone are the days of Pantani-esque rocket-assisted climbs so the average viewer will probably consider the top guys staying together as boring.

Djoucer

Can't see the point in bringing the tour up the Galibier only to finish 28km later downhill.

neris

Kittles down off the bike big crash

Big crash

JoeyJJ

Wow Kittel doesn't look happy here.

neris

blood all down kittles right leg and his jerseys in bits on the shoulder. getting a change of shoes now and the sunweb boys are pushing on the front

Cummings took some tumble, lucky it was into a field. Looked OK bar his arse being out

robyntmorton

I've seen bike changes, and wheel changes, but that's the first time I've seen a shoe change.

MPFGLB

Djoucer wrote: »

Can't see the point in bringing the tour up the Galibier only to finish 28km later downhill.

GC guys will fight each other for time but not necessarily the breakaway

Kittel is back on , just off the back with the doctor.

mathie

robyntmorton wrote: »

I've seen bike changes, and wheel changes, but that's the first time I've seen a shoe change.

You've been shoe-rt changed so.

:pac::pac::pac:

retalivity

Roche in the front group of 30

JK.BMC

You gotta hand it to Matthews and his team - they are superb this year in terms of tactics and race reading; Matthews on his own is an excellent all-rounder and really has the head for racing - the basics of attacking/chasing/following the right wheels. In contrast, Kittel is like a spoilt baby, great sprinter and all as he is. Give me 100 Matthews type proper road men over a robot like Kittel any day.

neris

matthews has hid tantrums in the past when he was at orica

marvin80

Weepsie wrote: »

Why one unwritten rule for the Yellow Jersey, but green jersey contenders can hammer it when the leader is crashed or having a mechanical.

Makes a mockery of it all

Just get rid of the unwritten rules

johny33

Weepsie wrote: »

Why one unwritten rule for the Yellow Jersey, but green jersey contenders can hammer it when the leader is crashed or having a mechanical.

Makes a mockery of it all

according to guardian, they attacked before the crash...

JK.BMC

neris wrote: »

matthews has hid tantrums in the past when he was at orica

That's true - but he is tactically very astute is my main point. And very versatile in his talents, similar to Sagan in many ways.

MPFGLB

JK.BMC wrote: »

That's true - but he is tactically very astute is my main point. And very versatile in his talents, similar to Sagan in many ways.

Don't like Matthews at all... I mean bling for one thing...but mostly becasue he wouldn't ride for Gerrans at OBE even when Gerrans had ridden for him..and he threw tantrums...they let him go

JK.BMC

MPFGLB wrote: »

Don't like Matthews at all... I mean bling for one thing...but mostly becasue he wouldn't ride for Gerrans at OBE even when Gerrans had ridden for him..and he threw tantrums...they let him go

Well I'm glad that i don't have to live with him so!

el tel

Sprinters are prima donnas.
Dan Martin and his fellow GC mountain goats can do 98% of what sprinters do, but sprinters can do only about 60% of what these climbers can do. (% figures made up on the spot )

Doc07

What time approx should they reach Galibier? Need to plan my skiiving off work

Mr. Grieves

Quick Step are the only team without a rider in the break. Seems like a mistake...

oflahero

Ah, the familiar dispiriting sight of pro riders floating up a famous climb you once ground up at a third of the speed.

wirelessdude01

Mr. Grieves wrote: »

Quick Step are the only team without a rider in the break. Seems like a mistake...

One has to assume that they are still carrying sickness in the team.

donfers

Hopefully Dan is given more leeway to attack on the Galibier as he is 2 minutes down, if Aru, Froomer, Bardet and Uran are all marking each other then if Dan is feeling good hopefully he'll go for it.

Best case scenario after that is a fall on the descent for the 4 leaders as they attack each other on the descent stretching out the 30 seconds Dan gained on the Galibier to 1 - 2 minutes. However it may not be enough for yellow in Paris with the time trial to come - we'll see anyway.

Quintana looking to go , theres a surprise.

neris

el tel wrote: »

Sprinters are prima donnas.

Exhibit A

Oh boy , Bertie and Quintana going or trying to, this could be good.

ThisRegard

Sky on the radios asking what they should do. Answer is probably along the lines of give us a minute, we're running the numbers through the computer and we'll get back to you.

ThisRegard

Contador can't/won't go without Quintana, I think the break is doomed already.

Gallant_JJ

Quintana seems to be struggling to stick Berties pace.

WMP

You have to love Contador. And Quintana attacks early for once. Would be amazing to see them pull it off and claim back several minutes.

irishrover99

Cycling is gonna miss Contador when he's gone. There is not many up and coming riders like him.

irishrover99

Mollema and Pantano have to drop back and help Contador

JoeyJJ

Go Nico

ThisRegard

ThisRegard wrote: »

Contador can't/won't go without Quintana, I think the break is doomed already.

I was thinking the same but looks like we got that spectacularly wrong

Djoucer

The support for Contador on here is baffling given his doping past.

irishrover99

Djoucer wrote: »

The support for Contador on here is baffling given his doping past.

Head in the sand a bit there

retalivity

Fdj down to 3 riders, pinots climbed off the bike

Daroxtar

Djoucer wrote: »

The support for Contador on here is baffling given his doping past.

Bring back capital punishment. Rehabilitation obviously counts for nothing

Djoucer

Daroxtar wrote: »

Djoucer wrote: »

The support for Contador on here is baffling given his doping past.

Bring back capital punishment. Rehabilitation obviously counts for nothing

Meh. Lifetime bans for doping.

donfers

Nico to go on a long solo one hopefully, maybe drag Contador with him and drop him towards the top of the Galibier.

JoeyJJ

Why has the official site no longer have the cycle groups with times easily visible like they usually do

CrowdedHouse

https://racecenter.letour.fr/#/stageprofile?theme=

MPFGLB

I guess racing the Giro and then the Tour has finally been put to bed for a few years

velo.2010

Contador will need a minute at least going over the Galibier and if he wants the win.