Tour de France 2015 - may contain nuts and SPOILERS

[400bhp]

I'll watch them here on Sunday...

Pfft, that looks shat. Would rather watch it on TV

 

[Keith Oates]

I'll watch them here on Sunday...

How long did it take you to cycle up the hill to get that shot?!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[smutchin]

sometimes I think SKY only seem to value the tour....

Yeah, and Brazil only value the World Cup.

 

[rich p]

Yep, I get that - I suppose they had to give Porte a decent team to give him a crack at the Giro, it's just sometimes I think SKY only seem to value the tour....

I think they admitted that was the case but more recently have targeted smaller stage races too in 2015
2nd in the TdU
1st Ruta del Sol
1st T of Algarve
1st Omloop
1st Paris Nice
2nd Pais Vasco
1st Giro del Trentino
3rd T of Romandie
1st T of Yorkshire
Giro - best forgotten!
3rd T of Cal
3rd T of Norway

 

[raindog]

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cn2hJN9CWC0

 

[Bollo]

The prologue TT just got interesting. I was just checking the weather for Utrecht as I'm riding from the overnight ferry at Hook of Holland to Utrecht. Hot, hot hot, and there's a significant risk of thunderstorms in the afternoon from about 2pm. Looking at the course map it's tight and technical. Has anyone got the start order, because I can see getting out early being a real advantage?

 

[Crackle]

Sky are currently 2nd on World Tour Points on 955, 25 behind katusha.

 

[mjr]

Has anyone got the start order, because I can see getting out early being a real advantage?

http://www.cyclingfans.com/tour-de-france/live says the start order is yet to come. When is the entrant list even finalised?

 

[w00hoo_kent]

http://www.cyclingfans.com/tour-de-france/live says the start order is yet to come. When is the entrant list even finalised?

Isn't it the morning they sign on? Although I presume there is a 'too late to add new people' cut off point too. Won't they run the riders in reverse order of ranking or some such? They'll want the most likely to be fastest last just because it makes a better spectacle.

 

[jarlrmai]

Fastest guys last possibly also GC contenders (some of whom are also good TT'ers)

 

[Hont]

Won't they run the riders in reverse order of ranking or some such?

They don't normally do that for a prologue or opening ITT. The team's will be given slots, but it's up to them who rides in which slot*. So you can get the scenario of some of the favourites going out early if the weather is forecast to change. I seem to remember Sky doing this with Wiggins once, only for it to backfire when the weather didn't pan out as they expected. Maybe someone with a better memory than me can say when and where that was.

*Unless ASO or someone has been tinkering with the rules.

 

[jarlrmai]

I seem to remember in the Vuelta Contador, Quintana and Froome were close by each other (the one where Quintana crashed)

But that was a mid race TT iirc.

 

[RobNewcastle]

I guess we'll find out on the cobbles this year but do you think people (journals/previews) are possibly overplaying Froome's limitations on the pave? Sure his poor positioning probably contributed to the crash before reaching the cobbles but his wrist was clearly screwed at the start of the cobbles stage and we never even got a chance to see how he rode them. He might still be a bit naive tactically but I don't remember him crashing endlessly in previous grand tours (in the Dauphine last yr too admittedly) His bike handling might not be at the Contador/Nibali level but I don't think it's that bad. Everyone goes into a cobbles stage with a huge risk factor and I'm not necessarily sure a 100% healthy Froome is that much worse than most others.

 

[w00hoo_kent]

I was listening to the Radio 5 preview program last night at they were pretty sure surviving to the first rest stage was the biggie. At that point, you'll have an idea who the contenders are, up to then it's about staying on and not losing big time. They reckoned that Froome and Quintana were the biggest risk for falling but I agree while Froome has never struck me as having good bike handling, he should have enough of it. Although I've never ridden sustained cobbles, and I've never attempted to ride them at an acceptable race pace. I could believe that with the right riding style riding them at speed is the way to go anyway (unless you get unlucky at which point it was a really bad choice!).

 

[RobNewcastle]

I was listening to the Radio 5 preview program last night at they were pretty sure surviving to the first rest stage was the biggie. At that point, you'll have an idea who the contenders are, up to then it's about staying on and not losing big time. They reckoned that Froome and Quintana were the biggest risk for falling but I agree while Froome has never struck me as having good bike handling, he should have enough of it. Although I've never ridden sustained cobbles, and I've never attempted to ride them at an acceptable race pace. I could believe that with the right riding style riding them at speed is the way to go anyway (unless you get unlucky at which point it was a really bad choice!).

I think Rowe, Stannard and Thomas give him a decent chance as anyone of making it through the cobbles stage. His issue recently seems to be drifting into daft positions in innocuous stages and taking a tumble.