Tour de France 2018, July 26, Stage 18: Trie-sur-Baïse > Pau

Melodeon

Date: Thursday 26th July
Type: Flat
Distance: 171 km
Start/Finish: Trie-sur-Baïse > Pau

Stage Map:



Stage Profile:



Finale:



The General Classification after Stage 17:

neris

Contador trying to dodge a question on eurosport about doping & law suits but nico steps in and translates the question

dastardly00

Hard to know how this one will pan out.

There are hardly any sprinters left in the race. You'd presume Sagan will be recovering from his injuries and take it easy. Demare will get dropped on anything steeper than a bump in the road. Maybe Kristoff, Degenkolb or Colbrelli if it comes down to a bunch sprint.

This is the last chance to win a stage for a lot of teams who don't either have a sprinter or a rider high up in GC, so it could be a fast start with a lot of people trying to get into the breakaway.

No stage wins yet for a lot of teams actually...

JoeyJJ

pity they going flat again today and back to mountains tomorrow, might have been better to go again mountain stage. Froome might be happy for it may have come wrong time for the columbian.

Was there any more said about Demare after Greipel's tweet yesterday?

neris

Bit of a mad start

Melodeon

dastardly00 wrote: »

Demare will get dropped on anything steeper than a bump in the road.

A LOT of effort has gone into keeping him in the race, he damn well better be contesting either this or the final stage finish!

mloc123

Melodeon wrote: »

A LOT of effort has gone into keeping him in the race, he damn well better be contesting either this or the final stage finish!

The plan is to have the team car pull him around the laps of the champs elysees and then lead him out for the finish line

irishrover99

neris wrote: »

Contador trying to dodge a question on eurosport about doping & law suits but nico steps in and translates the question

Didn't Nico ride for Bjarne Riis and Team Sky :rolleyes:

RobFowl

Deleted User wrote: »

Was there any more said about Demare after Greipel's tweet yesterday?

What was that about?

mloc123

RobFowl wrote: »

What was that about?

https://twitter.com/ArnaudDemare/status/1022187287147425792

Tweet from Greipel now deleted. But the general outline was that Demare almost matched Quintanas time up the final climb, did he not know everyones GPS was tracked.

mr spuckler

Griepel has since apologised here

Mint Sauce

Froome being described and interviwed as a Super Domestique on Eurosport, had the feeling my self after he was dropped yesterday, that he was no longer the number 1.

Although I won't be convinced until G crosses the line on Sunday. Could Sky and Froome still do a late bid, especially with a Mountain and an IT to go?

irishrover99

Mint Sauce wrote: »

Froome being described and interviwed as a Super Domestique on Eurosport, had the feeling my self after he was dropped yesterday, that he was no longer the number 1.

Although I won't be convinced until G crosses the line on Sunday. Could Sky and Froome still do a late bid, especially with a Mountain and an IT to go?

Thomas still didn't look too convinced about been team leader last night when asked by Matt Stevens and completely dodged the question.

Macy0161

JoeyJJ wrote: »

pity they going flat again today and back to mountains tomorrow, might have been better to go again mountain stage. Froome might be happy for it may have come wrong time for the columbian.

Should've thrown in the TT in today, and then back to the mountains with seconds between people...

Borderfox

The same Demare that multiple riders accused of getting a tow in Milan san Remo 2016

Inquitus

Borderfox wrote: »

The same Demare that multiple riders accused of getting a tow in Milan san Remo 2016

It's possible he did not cheat yesterday, but he has certainly had a number of tows on other stages in the past week, he was 10 minutes behind some people on some stages where in the end he finished 10 mins ahead of them after the back end climbs.

Borderfox

Inquitus wrote: »

It's possible he did not cheat yesterday, but he has certainly had a number of tows on other stages in the past week, he was 10 minutes behind some people on some stages where in the end he finished 10 mins ahead of them after the back end climbs.

Its possible

wirelessdude01

Inquitus wrote:

It's possible he did not cheat yesterday, but he has certainly had a number of tows on other stages in the past week, he was 10 minutes behind some people on some stages where in the end he finished 10 mins ahead of them after the back end climbs.

Like the infamous county rider who crashed during a Ras stage in either 15 or 16, had to wait 10mins for a bike change yet finished ahead of some who hadn't crashed. Funnily enough that ride never got uploaded to Strava ðŸ˜

RobFowl

wirelessdude01 wrote: »

Like the infamous county rider who crashed during a Ras stage in either 15 or 16, had to wait 10mins for a bike change yet finished ahead of some who hadn't crashed. Funnily enough that ride never got uploaded to Strava ðŸ˜

Happened more than once !!

Lusk_Doyle

mloc123 wrote: »

https://twitter.com/ArnaudDemare/status/1022187287147425792

Tweet from Greipel now deleted. But the general outline was that Demare almost matched Quintanas time up the final climb, did he not know everyones GPS was tracked.

It was that he was only 9 mins slower up the climb than Quintana.

De Bhál

all together - sprint finish 6km away

mr spuckler

on the replay it didn't look like it made that much of a difference?

Borderfox

The only good thing I can say about the finish was that his team car definitely didn't give him a tow today and a change of line enough for me to have rocked his bells

neris

looks like it

neris

**** me the ads on eurosport really are desperate muck

Mint Sauce

neris wrote: »

**** me the ads on eurosport really are desperate muck

Yeah, but the Bora Extractor Fan looks the fcuking business!

neris

the bora ads are probably the best made ones they have

eagle eye

Sagan must have been feeling it(yesterday's crash) at the end. Looked in position to go for the win but inside the last 1km he didnt seem to be able to get himself in position to challenge for stage honours.

Borderfox

eagle eye wrote: »

Sagan must have been feeling it(yesterday's crash) at the end. Looked in position to go for the win but inside the last 1km he didnt seem to be able to get himself in position to challenge for stage honours.

Got squeezed quite a bit and needed his shoulder to push through, for the best anyway. Get through tomorrow and have a go in Paris

neris

Who's 2nd in the green jersey??

dastardly00

neris wrote: »

Who's 2nd in the green jersey??

Kristoff. He's about a million points behind Sagan

neris

https://twitter.com/ukcyclingexpert/status/1022473966789844992

Vin knockeroff

nc6000

mloc123 wrote:

Tweet from Greipel now deleted. But the general outline was that Demare almost matched Quintanas time up the final climb, did he not know everyones GPS was tracked.

Is the GPS the thing sticking out from underneath the saddles?

marvin80

nc6000 wrote: »

Is the GPS the thing sticking out from underneath the saddles?

As far as I know it is - you can follow the data live here during stages:

https://velon.cc/

They have another device on the none drive side chain stay too I think, not sure what that is.

Melodeon

[Deleted User] wrote: »

They have another device on the none drive side chain stay too I think, not sure what that is.

I think that's the timing transponder, read by the timing equipment on the finish line.

mloc123

Speaking of Rasmussen.. I quite enjoy following him on twitter, no bull****

neris

https://twitter.com/procycletrumps/status/1022581805491347460

letape

mloc123 wrote: »

https://twitter.com/ArnaudDemare/status/1022187287147425792

Tweet from Greipel now deleted. But the general outline was that Demare almost matched Quintanas time up the final climb, did he not know everyones GPS was tracked.

Was also alleged that he got a tow from his team car on the Cipressa while chasing back from a crash in the 2016 Milan San Remo that he went on to win...

Lusk_Doyle

letape wrote: »

Was also alleged that he got a tow from his team car on the Cipressa while chasing back from a crash in the 2016 Milan San Remo that he went on to win...

Alleged? It was bloody obvious!

Lumen

mloc123 wrote: »

https://twitter.com/ArnaudDemare/status/1022187287147425792

Tweet from Greipel now deleted.

Yeah, the internet doesn't really work like that.

https://twitter.com/anthiery/status/1022281924700778496

Macy0161

In fairness Greipel backed off and apologised after Demare sent him his actual data. And apparently the Bora car followed Demare up the last climb as well! So whatever about previous times, even in this tour, I don't think it happened this time. The picking on Demare seems purely based on San Remo, imo, as no questions asked of Kristoff, Colbrelli, Laporte, Dege et al who have all made the time cuts. I mean Kristoff looks like he should be asking questions in the fat burning thread*!

Also Demare would be considered one of the better climbers out of the sprinters too. Was it this year or last year he won an mini mur de bretagne style sprint in Paris Nice?

*I do like him as a rider, but...