The last part of the climb wasn’t steep enough for proper fireworks.
I do think this comes into it. People moan about the opening week normally being fairly benign and largely for the sprinters. But I think it also means when the mountains hit, cumulative fatigue has already built and a good day for one rider can really create some gaps. So the GC guys see the value in making moves.
At this early stage of the race, they’re all too fresh and also too nervous about digging themselves a big hole early on in a grand tour. Simon Yates was probably the last person to cause a big shakeup in the first week of a Grand Tour, and then what happened in week 3…!
Yeah, I was thinking that - he spent the firs two weeks nicking odd seconds here and there, building up a small lead, and then in the last week it took one stage for him to blow completely and drop right out of contention.
I think the big guns will have specific stages where they are intending to try to make big gaps and otherwise they’ll just look at each other.
Easy solution for ASO. don’t release the route until the morning of the race!
Do we think tomorrow is another breakaway day? I’m deliberating De Gendt or Trentin.
Nope.
The last stage for the sprinters for days now.
The peloton will reel them in.
It’ll be another dullAF day zzz
Yup. Today will be dull.
I think dull. And hoping Im wrong.
Perhaps one of the GC contenders in a break would shake things up, but which team would see value in that? DST? Surely not Ineos or JV.
Why are people confidently talking up their picks in the no-spoilers thread when they’re already dropped?
That was before today’s stage started streaming.
And based on bookies odds!
Don’t you talk up your game?
There’s three hours left yet… it sure they can stay on the front all day at this pace.
But I can’t see them getting back on if this continues for an hour or more.
I want a Lance/Contador type wind attack.
…bloody winds weren’t forecast!!!
At least it might be fun today?
30 mins into the coverage, this may be wrong for today
Like Jim just said!
I had to reboot my laptop and missed the move
What a move for the green jersey though
Will they relax now?
Or just keep totally motoring on?
That’s got to depress the team, couldn’t even win the intermediate…
Did he try?
He’s so laid back he’s horizontal.
Virtually in green now
Cant get the stream running - as this is the spoiler thread, what happened?
Yes, Sagan went pretty much full gas to try and overhaul Trentin.
Interesting comment by Boardman. He estimated the time cut could be 20mins, so with the Ewan group already nearly 6mins down, there’s the potential for them to get some big sprint rivals cut from the race
Bora-Hansgrohe started off at 50kmh, crushing everyone and catching everyone out.
The first climb…and I mean, it was 3km at 6%, so your normal Sunday club run kind of thing…they crushed and people popped off everywhere.
Sagan is virtually in Green.
My twatty rider Ewan is once again MILES AWAY
and Bora are still motoring along at the front like a bunch of maniacs.
The group six minutes back has:
Roche
Hirschi
Pedersen
Viviana
Kristoff
Nizzolo
Bol
Ewan
Greipel
Poels
Sivakov
Absolute mayhem if they can gap these to 20 minutes
Oh bollocks then
But would be a great move if they pull it off