Tour de France stage 6: Tours to Châteauroux (160.4km)

mr spuckler

Yet another sprint stage today as the Tour starts to head south. The big question of the day will be can Cavendish repeat his fairly amazing victory of Tuesday? Maybe followed by whether AF will give Merlier a run at it, which I can only assume they will.

The big challenge of the day will be listening to Carlton talking about Cavendish.









Odds from Bet365
Mark Cavendish 2/1
Time Merlier 11/4
Arnaud Demare 11/2
Wout Van Aert 6/1
Jasper Philipsen 15/2
Nacer Bouhanni 14/1
Mads Pedersen 16/1

retalivity

Cav won his first TDF stage in 2008 in a stage that finished in Chateauroux.
Prepare to hear loads of that today...

Macy0161

retalivity wrote: »

Cav won his first TDF stage in 2008 in a stage that finished in Chateauroux.
Prepare to hear loads of that today...

Just today? They've been banging on about that since Tuesday!

CrowdedHouse

That's why I love the 'Ambient Sound' option on the app

dastardly00

Macy0161 wrote: »

Just today? They've been banging on about that since Tuesday!

Since Tuesday? You mean last week!

Morris Garren

mr spuckler wrote: »

Yet another sprint stage today as the Tour starts to head south. The big question of the day will be can Cavendish repeat his fairly amazing victory of Tuesday? Maybe followed by whether AF will give Merlier a run at it, which I can only assume they will.

The big challenge of the day will be listening to Carlton talking about Cavendish.









Odds from Bet365
Mark Cavendish 2/1
Time Merlier 11/4
Arnaud Demare 11/2
Wout Van Aert 6/1
Jasper Philipsen 15/2
Nacer Bouhanni 14/1
Mads Pedersen 16/1

That 'cote de saint aiglan' is my kind of climb, less than 3 per cent average... club league type stuff.

In fact, I think Froome should attack today. Seriously, why not? It's the easiest tour stage you will ever get and if he wants to show that he is recovering, then hop up the road at km 1, or at least try. I can't abide this daily dose of 'comeback' and 'process' bullshxt... just go for it, show that you are a true racer, not a marginal gains programmed robot with genteel notions.

marvin80

Bouhanni might be a decent shout for today

Plastik

WVA missed his two main goals, he didn't win the TT and he didn't take yellow. 6/1 looks like a fantastic price for him today.

mr spuckler

Plastik wrote: »

WVA missed his two main goals, he didn't win the TT and he didn't take yellow. 6/1 looks like a fantastic price for him today.

He doesn't look fully right as yet which is no surprise given he had his appendix out a few weeks ago. I wonder will we just see a more 'normal' tour from him in general this year.

Both his team and the Belgian coach say he's riding the tour in function of the Olympics and that he won't be hauling the peloton up the mountains this year.
Might even see him in a break according to JV

Pity we're not having a Paris-Tours style stage today. I've been a big fan of that race in recent years.

retalivity

DQS, Alpecin, Bora all with a man in the break. Plus De Gendt

TheBlaaMan

ABC for me, please

CrowdedHouse

Could we have an aul touch of wheels or something to liven it up....:pac:

Dr. Bre

Echelons can only save us now

eagle eye

Who is ABC?

CrowdedHouse

I'm guessing Anyone But Cavendish

MPFGLB

Greg van Avermaet ...getting more training thanhe bargained for

eagle eye

CrowdedHouse wrote:

I'm guessing Anyone But Cavendish

Lol, I really should have got that.

Dr. Bre

Colbrelli finger pointing

mr spuckler

Cav couldn't hold Morkov's wheel at all in the intermediate. Morkov would have won it easily if he didn't sit up.

Nice bit of spikiness there to that one!

retalivity

Bouhanni all over the shop again

Tim76

mr spuckler wrote: »

Morkov would have won it easily if he didn't sit up.

Nice bit of spikiness there to that one!

Looked like he was too busy marking Sagan.

mr spuckler

Brilliant by DQS/Cav tbf

edit...much bigger gap in the overhead than it appeared face-on.

Bambaata

Looking forward to overhead but Cav seemed to drift a fair bit too?

Really enjoyable drag race!

Just saw replay, he'll probably get away with it

lennymc

yeah, but can he win against world class competition.....

retalivity

Bambaata wrote: »

Looking forward to overhead but Cav seemed to drift a fair bit too?

Really enjoyable drag race!

Just saw replay, he'll probably get away with it

Was a bit of deviation alright...

De Bhál

great sprint, fair bit of lane changing there and not a word from commentators


edit...overhead doesn't look bad

mossym

carlton isn't going to survive the tour at this point

Morris Garren

'Irregular Shsprinting' ðŸ˜႒

mr spuckler

De Bhál wrote: »

great sprint, fair bit of lane changing there and not a word from commentators

Yeah he completely cut off Merlier but not sure he really impeded Philipsen? Hopefully AF give Merlier the chance again.

breezy1985

Bambaata wrote: »

Looking forward to overhead but Cav seemed to drift a fair bit too?

Really enjoyable drag race!

Just saw replay, he'll probably get away with it

Hell get away with it there was plenty of weaving going on all over the place.
FDJ fighting mad for wheels with 4km to go only to be nowhere with 1km to go

Edit: Demare was actually 4th I didnt notice him sneak back up

mossym

like cav or not he's fairly good in the interviews, gives credit to his guys, calls out the issues he sees with the other teams. at leat it's not just sound bytes

edit: although with the way the team are delivering him in he better be giving them credit

breezy1985

mossym wrote: »

like cav or not he's fairly good in the interviews, gives credit to his guys, calls out the issues he sees with the other teams. at leat it's not just sound bytes

edit: although with the way the team are delivering him in he better be giving them credit

He is a p***k the way he was moaning about teams. Its called tactics and boo hoo Mark you are on the second biggest team in cycling so shut up and do the work

Mefistofelino

breezy1985 wrote: »

Hell get away with it there was plenty of weaving going on all over the place.
FDJ fighting mad for wheels with 4km to go only to be nowhere with 1km to go

Edit: Demare was actually 4th I didnt notice him sneak back up

Demare's lead out man (Guarnieri) hit the deck at 3km to go.

MPFGLB

Cavendish looks like he will get his stages barring mishap

Not looking good for Bennett and the Vuelta and other races at DQS


Lefevere wont take him imo
He certainly doesn't want to pay him

ratracer

breezy1985 wrote: »

He is a p***k the way he was moaning about teams. Its called tactics and boo hoo Mark you are on the second biggest team in cycling so shut up and do the work

I’d agree with this. I thought his interview was cringeworthy! Such a shame Ewan is out of the race, there isn’t really any competition for Cab in the sprints

lennymc

ratracer wrote: »

I’d agree with this. I thought his interview was cringeworthy! Such a shame Ewan is out of the race, there isn’t really any competition for Cab in the sprints

yeah - it really is a shame he is not here.

Dcully

Ewan and Sam the two fastest men on the planet both out, it really couldn't have worked out better for him.

breezy1985

Mefistofelino wrote: »

Demare's lead out man (Guarnieri) hit the deck at 3km to go.

Im probably just a bit harsh on himself and Coquard. Its bugging how they cant get close to a win in a poor field.


Looking at the sprint again Cavendishs swerve is pretty bad if you look at the road markings

MPFGLB

Sagan who ???


No Bennett, Ewan, (fit) Dylan Groenewegen, etc

BTW I prefer Cav having a go ...I absolutely cant stand those interviews where is is all about how wonderful he and his team mates are and where he does the long pauses and tries to be deep and meaningful......I find them contrived

Mefistofelino

Dcully wrote: »

Ewan and Sam the two fastest men on the planet both out, it really couldn't have worked out better for him.

Not just that - its helping that the other teams are just falling over each other

lennymc

Dcully wrote: »

Ewan and Sam the two fastest men on the planet both out, it really couldn't have worked out better for him.

If Marcel Kittle hadn't retired, he would have beaten them all.

Dcully

lennymc wrote: »

If Marcel Kittle hadn't retired, he would have beaten them all.

Yeah mad how quick it all ended for him, was it his mental game that put an end to him?

Dcully

Dcully wrote: »

Yeah mad how quick it all ended for him, was it his mental game that put an end to him?

It was a big part of it, listening to him talk in commentary at the tour a few years ago not long after he retired it sounded like a massive weight had been lifted off of him. He wasn't getting the results a lot like Cav but wasn't injured or sick that I know of.

He seems a happy man now, 2 kids and he's in France commentating the Tour I think.

He had this on his instagram recently. Click to see his comment on it. Seems to very much have a love of cycling still.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CPqiCrJnsJg

equivariant

Won't be a popular opinion around here but I don't think that Sam wins either of those stages that Cavendish just did. Cav's instincts for when to go and what wheels to follow are the best. No-one close to him in that respect.

mossym

breezy1985 wrote: »

He is a p***k the way he was moaning about teams. Its called tactics and boo hoo Mark you are on the second biggest team in cycling so shut up and do the work

think that's harsh. i don't particularly like Cavendish, but everyone else gets to complain about the teams with no sprint ambitions driving hard to the end and making things dangerous. at least he called them out.

if sagan said it it would be gospel.

breezy1985

mossym wrote: »

think that's harsh. i don't particularly like Cavendish, but everyone else gets to complain about the teams with no sprint ambitions driving hard to the end and making things dangerous. at least he called them out.

if sagan said it it would be gospel.

It might just be his voice but he seems a real whingebag and I dont remember any other sprinters talk like that just after a win. He is a terrible sore loser too

happytramp

equivariant wrote: »

Won't be a popular opinion around here but I don't think that Sam wins either of those stages that Cavendish just did. Cav's instincts for when to go and what wheels to follow are the best. No-one close to him in that respect.

Sam's top end speed is so much greater than any of the guys still here... I'm not sure he could have lost if he tried.

Mefistofelino

happytramp wrote: »

Sam's top end speed is so much greater than any of the guys still here... I'm not sure he could have lost if he tried.

But Sam's kick is a little slower than Cav ( or Ewen). Cab looks to go into the finish a little bit slower, let's the other sprinters bunch up, surfs the wheels and kicks. Sam has his train driving at top speed from a couple of km out and sprints off that. No way would Alaphillipe be able to be at the front of affairs about 1200m out when it's being lined up for Bennett.

If Sam was there today, he would have been quickest, but off a different dynamic. Sam sprinting against Cav, in a "Cav" sprint, wouldn't be as clear cut.

mr spuckler

breezy1985 wrote: »

It might just be his voice but he seems a real whingebag and I dont remember any other sprinters talk like that just after a win. He is a terrible sore loser too

Sam had a go at the other teams straight after a stage win last year, I don't remember if it was the Tour, may have been Vuelta.