Tour de France Stage 5 - Lille to Wallers-Arenberg (157km)

mewso

One of the key stages we have all been looking forward to. The min-Paris-Roubaix one. The hardest sections are a couple of 4* pave in the last 30km but a nervy peleton may deliver the drama before we even get to them. The favorites are as expected:-

MvdP - 23/10

WVA - 9/2

Mads - 8/1

Senechal - 10/1

Mohoric - 11/1

Lampaert, Sagan - 13/1

Philipsen - 17/1

Some good classics riders will be on protection duty and can probably be ignored. WVA got his win yesterday so I expect he will happily help Roglic today. Van Baarle would be a pick but he might be looking after Thomas. Will Pidcock be allowed have a go? Ineos have a few options on the cobbles so maybe one of them will be allowed go for it. Would love to see Kung get a win here but again David Gaudu might have a say in that.

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dastardly00

Pavé! Woo hoo!

Love to see big John do it again.

breezy1985

Pave are numbered the wrong way. Tut tut route map maker.

dastardly00

Some of the riders trying to find somewhere to go for a pee while they are still in the neutral zone 😂

eagle eye

Hard to call this one. Van der Poel obviously a strong favourite. I think Van Aert will be held back to protect Roglic and Vingegaard today. I just get this feeling that Pog will go on the attack today. He's shown before that he can handle the cobbles. If he goes I'm wondering if Wout might be let chase him. I'd fancy those are the three best on the cobbles and I'd give Mohoric an outside shot at it.

I'll pick Pog for the win.

retalivity

Fancy QS to be near the front once it hits the cobbles, they have nobody on GC, nobody to protect really, and will probably have given Lampaert, Asgreen, Senechal free reign for today

Eamonnator

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119297845#Comment_119297845

Disaster hon.

dahat

Outside chance today for DVP maybe, been going well all year and doesn't seem like a rider who would mind the cobbles.

neris

WVA on the ground

De Bhál

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119298404#Comment_119298404

luckily Brad was there to talk us through what we saw three times just before hand on the screen.

retalivity

Jesus Christ WVA nearly cleaned out by the car as well!

neris

and now hes just cycled into the back corner of a team car and bounced off it

mewso

Michael Woods also trying to get back there. Didn't warrant a mention.

dastardly00

I wonder when VWA is going to move up to the front of the peloton

Daroxtar

Mitch Docker called it on The Cycling Podcast, said it could possibly be tougher technically than Roubaix. Dry smooth cobbles covered in fine dust, heaps of riders unfamiliar with the cobbles unlike regular Roubaix where they're mostly specialists, teams trying to protect the GC riders. Could be carnage

mewso

I still think it'll be the nerves of an imagined difficulty that could do more damage than the reality but yeah non-classics riders will cause problems too.

retalivity

Lets go!!!

Pog has no team with him in the last few shots.

Morris Garren

Seriously looking good for the break with about 60km to go-- riders trying to survive behind and there may not be the same chase dynamic. Would love if Taco did the business here

Ha Niv ended up running after the bike went from under him in that crash

retalivity

WVA can't (or won't?) get out from the back of the peloton

Morris Garren

Haha! That's the legendary power house Nairo Quintana- yet again- putting in a superb ride on the cobbles! All 8 stone of pure Columbian beef, on the hoof...

dastardly00

Sagan, Kristoff, Senechal all having issues. MvdP and WvA at the back of the peloton.

Ewan and Nairo-man up at the front... the world has turned upside down.

retalivity

O'Connor pulling the group with 2 teammates behind him is crazy. Still has AG2R guys ahead of him as well

dastardly00

Pog is looking in super form

Morris Garren

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119298968#Comment_119298968

A touch of the John Gadret going on there? Nico Roche threatened to burst him through the bus window one year

dastardly00

MvdP is not going to win today anyway

retalivity

Disaster for JOnas!

dastardly00

Disaster for Vingegaard

Couldn't even sit on the saddle. Think it was Van Hooydonck's bike. 18cm height difference.

harmless

I really miss the days when a wheel could be changed in 5 seconds.

All these bike changes are too messy.

retalivity

fcukin hell

Disaster for JV

dastardly00

Rog on his own at the back of the lead bunch. Surely Laporte has to drop back. Everyone else is already behind Rog helping Vingegaard

retalivity

Bettiol subbing in for the entire UAE team for the day

mewso

Blimey is the Tour being handed to Pogacar on this stage? This should make for a good episode of Cycle to Survive.

dastardly00

Did I see Thomas #21 in the group with Vingegaard???

retalivity

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119299085#Comment_119299085

Yup, and Roglic behind all of them.

I would not be surpirsed to see Pog win this stage, looks so strong

Dr. Bre

Disaster for jumbo

Brian?

I knew Roglic would be destroyed today, I even posted it in the main TDF thread! It's nice to be right occasionally. Great stage

Is it wrong that I'm praying for Pog to puncture?

dastardly00

I think Yates is in the Vingegaard and Thomas group also

mewso

Fair play to Gaudu and Vlasov. Both still up there (excluding Pog of course).

Sigma101

Great stage but pity to see GC decided in stage 5

Morris Garren

Quintana to take it in a sprint.... feck, anything could happen at this stage!

mewso

Yeah none of this bodes well for the Tour as a whole. Makes for a great day but not a great remaining 2 and half weeks.

Brian?

Tour is done as a contest today, mental.

Dr. Bre

Pog has no weaknesses

retalivity

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119299173#Comment_119299173

His rapping is pretty ****? That's all i got.

mewso

Mind you Jumbo have no choice but to try and 1, 2 Pog to death in the mountains so might provide some fun all the same.