Tour De France 2014 Stage 17: Saint Gaurdens - Saint Lary Pla d'Adet

[monty1104]

Thanks mcgarnacle, your post today was so good, I'll use it as the wrap up of last night's stage

We've had folks in the past whining about stages which waste HC climbs 20-30 km from finishes in the valley, but last night showed one of the best things the TDF does with its course design than the other two GTs. Variety. It provded a stage which really brought out the descending skills of riders. The climb still had a massive impact by withering away 21 breakaway riders to 4, and it also changed the white jesey comp too. However after the selection up the Port de Bales, it was the descent that sorted out the win.

Stage 17: Saint Lary - Pla d'Adet
Current Jersey Leaders
Yellow: Vincenzo Nibail (AST)
White: Thibaut Pinot (FDJ)
Green: Peter Sagan (CAN)
Polkadot: Rafal Majka (SAX)
Lantern Rouge: Ji Cheng (GSH)
Team: AG2R La Mondiale

• Km 57.5 - Col du Portillon (1 292 m)8.3 kilometre-long climb at 7.1% - category 1

• Km 82.0 - Col de Peyresourde (1 569 m)13.2 kilometre-long climb at 7% - category 1

• Km 102.5 - Col de Val Louron-Azet (1 580 m)7.4 kilometre-long climb at 8.3% - category 1

• Km 124.5 - Montée de Saint-Lary Pla d'Adet (1 680 m)10.2 kilometre-long climb at 8.3% - category HC

General Classification after Stage 16
ITA 1 NIBALI, Vincenzo (ASTANA) 73:05:19
ESP 2 VALVERDE BELMONTE, Alejandro (MOVISTAR) + 4:37
FRA 3 PINOT, Thibaut (FDJ.fr) + 5:06
FRA 4 PERAUD, Jean-Christophe (AG2R LA MONDIALE) + 6:08
FRA 5 BARDET, Romain (AG2R LA MONDIALE) + 6:40
USA 6 VAN GARDEREN, Tejay (BMC RACING) + 9:25
CZE 7 KONIG, Leopold (NETAPP - ENDURA) + 9:32
NED 8 TEN DAM, Laurens (BELKIN) + 11:12
POL 9 KWIATKOWSKI, Michal (OMEGA PHARMA - QUICK-STEP) + 11:28
NED 10 MOLLEMA, Bauke (BELKIN) + 11:33

I would imagine that his would be the stage Christian Prudhomme imagined we would see the yellow jersey really be fought out, with Contador, Nibali, Froome and maybe even Talansky duking it out. As we all know, we only have one of those guys left. Barring any disaster, Nibali will now win the Tour. However who stands on the podium with him is up for grabs. There are four riders that sit 2nd to 5th, separated by only 2'03". Valverde, plus the French Legion; Bardet, Pinot and Peraud. To be honest, I think it is great seeing some Frenchmen really in the running to get on the podium. In my time viewing, the best French hope has been Voeckler, and even that was only by circumstance, he wasn't a pre-race favourite. Tonight we will see these four riders really going for it, with Valverde expected to be the real aggressor. Within that battle, Bardet and Pinot are also fighting for the white jersey. We also have the KOM battle, between Rodriguez and Majka. Yes Nibali is there, but he may win it by circumstance, not because he is really trying to win it.

I imagine there will be a breakaway win again tonight, so I'll say the winner will be Rein Taaramae. Why? I've said for years that this guy will do something special one day. He will eventually prove me right.

Watch for: I reckon our mate Gabriel Gate will do paella, or something similarly Spanish since the race makes a brief incursion into Spain.

Conversation regarding past cases of PED use or innuendo surrounding current riders will not be tolerated. This thread is specifically about Stage 17 of the 2014 Tour de France, so let's keep it that way.

 

[Santoz]

Koenig in a breakaway win.

 

[Santoz]

Plenty of pain and suffering on offer tonight ...

 

[Melvin]

Love your work with these write-ups

 

[Ichabod Noodle]

Love your work with these write-ups

Seconded. Lot of work and I know the threads aren't as active as in past years, but it really is appreciated by us who do turn up.

 

[Skippos]

Loving how the stage has gone so far

 

[The Falcon Strike]

Plenty of pain and suffering on offer tonight ...

Will Jens be dishing it out?

 

[The Falcon Strike]

Love your work with these write-ups

Agreed - for a nuffy like me they make for good reading

 

[Skippos]

I've heard Phil Liggett call Rafal Majka 'Marjka', 'Maika' and now 'Marjcek'

Incredible.

 

[The Falcon Strike]

Renouf, renoff, runoff

 

[dart]

I had to abandon last night's stage, I lost my super-domestique on the col du portillon, then I cracked on the col du peyresourde, abandoned on the decent and woke up after it finished.

Was it a good watch?

 

[grouse mate]

Worth watching the last climb just for Nibali's effort.

 

[mcgarnacle]

I had to abandon last night's stage, I lost my super-domestique on the col du portillon, then I cracked on the col du peyresourde, abandoned on the decent and woke up after it finished.

Was it a good watch?

It's more than freaky how I'd fall asleep with about 30km to go and miraculously wake up a couple of minutes after the winner crosses the finish line. It happens too regularly than I'd like. It happens with many races not just the TDF. There must be an altered frequency or perhaps a tone change in the commentators voices which jolts me from my slumber.

last night, I had an evening out on the turps. got home for the telecast but was snoring on the couch by the time the peleton was at the base of the Col de Val Louron Azet. Woke up just as Valverde was coming over the line. Farkin'

 

[Andrew Mc]

It's more than freaky how I'd fall asleep with about 30km to go and miraculously wake up a couple of minutes after the winner crosses the finish line. It happens too regularly than I'd like. It happens with many races not just the TDF. There must be an altered frequency or perhaps a tone change in the commentators voices which jolts me from my slumber.

last night, I had an evening out on the turps. got home for the telecast but was snoring on the couch by the time the peleton was at the base of the Col de Val Louron Azet. Woke up just as Valverde was coming over the line. Farkin'

Haha, I thought it was just me that did that. Usually wake up when Mike Tomalaris is wrapping up the stage.