Tour de France 2016 **SPOILERS**

[Dogtrousers]

I've already started thinking up rules for a special second placed competition. Points for coming second in stages, at sprint points, on hills and so on, for the honour of the beige jersey.

 

[suzeworld]

It's a flair pundit. Just in case they do it I can look like I know what I'm talking about.

I thought it might be related to the echelon potential previously mentioned ... they'd be happy if they could gap Quintana a bit more before Ventoux, though I doubt he'll ever be far from Froome's wheel today .. not going to make that mistake again?

 

[mjr]

Poulidor was a GC rider, not a stage hunter. He finished the Tour as runner-up three times, but also in third place five times. His career was overshadowed first by Anquetil, then by Merckx.

Despite his nickname, Poulidor did win 7 stages of the Tour and a Vuelta overall. Zabel won 12 stages but what matters for this is he came second in 22.

 

[400bhp]

I thought it might be related to the echelon potential previously mentioned ... they'd be happy if they could gap Quintana a bit more before Ventoux, though I doubt he'll ever be far from Froome's wheel today .. not going to make that mistake again?

Yeah it was related to the echelon post and i wouldn't be as surprised as Saturday if they did try something. In my view, Movistar's weakness is the ability to ride hard on the flat (relative to Sky).

Remember Contador and Saxo try it in the 2014 tour?

 

[mjr]

I've already started thinking up rules for a special second placed competition. Points for coming second in stages, at sprint points, on hills and so on, for the honour of the beige jersey.

Sounds like the tendency of the old combined classification. The jersey was far worse than beige.

 

[suzeworld]

Yeah it was related to the echelon post and i wouldn't be as surprised as Saturday if they did try something. In my view, Movistar's weakness is the ability to ride hard on the flat (relative to Sky).

Remember Contador and Saxo try it in the 2014 tour?

Yeah
and their other weakness is not really being much of a support to Quintana in the mountains!
tbh, I adore Quintana, and would love to see him in yellow in Paris ...

 

[Mad Doug Biker]

I've already started thinking up rules for a special second placed competition. Points for coming second in stages, at sprint points, on hills and so on, for the honour of the beige jersey.

I would say that it should be the Brown jersey for number 2s, but a certain French team already have 'those' shorts.

Sounds like the tendency of the old combined classification. The jersey was far worse than beige.

What was it again?

Oh, right, the patchwork jersey:

http://www.topendsports.com/events/tour-de-france/jerseys.htm

 

[Shadow]

Just in case they do it I can look like I know what I'm talking about

And if Sky do not attack, what will that make you look like?!!!

I think we have 2 options here:
1) Standard sprinters fare with Kittel, Cav, Le Coq (as I've just named him!), Mclay (?), maybe the Gorilla and others, with the GC boys happy to trundle along behind them; or
2) If the weather forecast is correct, then we could have some great echelon entertainment as Marmy stated hours ago upthread; most of the teams will want to be at the front for differing reasons, so splits could happen easily, especially those who are not awake e.g. Movistar on saturday, Katusha yesterday. But the road is not wide enough for everyone to ride at the front!

 

[smutchin]

By way of a taster, here's 2011 stage 15 - same finish as today's stage:

View: https://youtu.be/x830Cv6qiPQ


And 2013 stage 6 - again, the same finish as today's stage:

View: https://vimeo.com/69710210

 

[brommers]

Thanks Smutch
Hope it's a proper sprint finish. Yesterday was boring, apart from last 10 minutes, but I understand that we need all types of stages and it was set up for the all-rounders and a breakaway and it delivered.

 

[mjr]

What was it again?

Oh, right, the patchwork jersey

Yes, marginally better than the Vuelta which used to make the combined classification leader wear the Irish national champion's jersey http://www.cyclingnews.com/races/vuelta-a-espana-2005/stage-15/results/

Since 2006, it's been the white jersey, which in 2013 meant you had casual observers wondering why the over-40 Chris Horner was the best young rider http://www.cyclingnews.com/races/vuelta-a-espana-2013/stage-14/results/

 

[brommers]

If you haven't seen it, here are the points allocation for each stage type:

Type 1st 2nd 3rd 4th 5th 6th 7th 8th 9th 10th 11th 12th 13th 14th 15th
"flat" stage finish 50 30 20 18 16 14 12 10 8 7 6 5 4 3 2
"hilly finish/medium mountain" stage finish 30 25 22 19 17 15 13 11 9 7 6 5 4 3 2
"high mountain" stage finish 20 17 15 13 11 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
individual time trial 20 17 15 13 11 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
intermediate sprint 20 17 15 13 11 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

So plenty of points up for grabs today

 

[Dogtrousers]

If you haven't seen it, here are the points allocation for each stage type:

Type 1st 2nd 3rd 4th 5th 6th 7th 8th 9th 10th 11th 12th 13th 14th 15th
"flat" stage finish 50 30 20 18 16 14 12 10 8 7 6 5 4 3 2
"hilly finish/medium mountain" stage finish 30 25 22 19 17 15 13 11 9 7 6 5 4 3 2
"high mountain" stage finish 20 17 15 13 11 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
individual time trial 20 17 15 13 11 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
intermediate sprint 20 17 15 13 11 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

So plenty of points up for grabs today

Don't forget the intermediate sprint 20-17-15-13- 11-10-9-87-6-5-4-3-2-1

 

[mjr]

Don't forget the intermediate sprint 20-17-15-13- 11-10-9-87-6-5-4-3-2-1

You've forgotten the intermediate sprint 20-17-15-13- 11-10-9-87-6-5-4-3-2-1.

 

[brommers]

Don't forget the intermediate sprint 20-17-15-13- 11-10-9-87-6-5-4-3-2-1

No I didn't - look properly