Professional Cycling - Stage 6: Troyes - Nancy

Stage 6: Troyes - Nancy, 199 km

Might as well start it off...

Eric Dekker and/or Rasmussen are going to break away...

CSC, Discovery and T-Mobile are porbably going to stay in the Peleton and conserve energy for stage 10 and upwards...

I would really like to see a breakaway from Voight(CSC) or Hincapie(Discovery)...

Winner... I am not sure but I will stay with Dekker..

Breakaways are going to have it tough with the ripples at the end.

If the finish is straightaway and open:

Boonen
McEwen
Kirsippu

If it's like stage 5 with next to no run in:

McEwen
Boonen
Hushovd

Thor needs a fuggin' leadout, and he's not getting it. A steeper finish wouldn't hurt him either.

I think this is the one where a breakaway works.
Dekker, Voight, or Jullich are my choices for the stage.
Flecha would have been up there in my picks too if he didn't
burn himself out today.

Breakaways are going to have it tough with the ripples at the end.


Breakaways are often more successful if the route is hilly. This could be a day for a break. Particularily if QuickStep throws a rider in it.

Did the sticky become unstuck?

Did the sticky become unstuck?

koffees been having too much caffeine ;)...

going to be a big break this time by a few guys from teams with nothing to lose and lots to gain. no clue who will break but there will be repeated attacks and one will finally get away.

but will the peleton chase them down? probably not because the disco boys will want to give up the yellow and they won't push the pace.

every time I see them referred to as the disco boys... I think of one man

:roflmao:.... Toss in John Travolta for the heckuvit.. I am pretty sure Penguin can make a nice morph..

Flecha

Flecha
Hmmm... He broke away today and his legs might be shot... Just a thought...

you rang?

May I present Team Disco

you rang?

May I present Team Disco

:roflmao: :roflmao: :roflmao: You da man bro...

Hmmm... He broke away today and his legs might be shot... Just a thought...

yeah, i didnt realize that as i missed the tv coverage today.

hmm, then maybe Moncoutié

but if sprinters keep things together, then big Thor Hushovd

or maybe kim Kirchen

I'll still go with Flecha if the breakaway succeeds. Boonen if it doesn't.

Why this thread is not a sticky, like all other stages?

I hope we see a big ass breakaway this year, with like 20 or more guys. Then the 1 or 2 teams that missed it will have to chase like hell to get it back.

I also wish we could get the first couple of hours of each stage when all the attacking and countering is going on before the break is allowed to go up the road.

A few nice little climbs - Boonan will like that, but Flecha has been looking agressive, the teams that have no chance in the mountains will be looking to get riders in the breaks, as this is the last chance for glory for a while, Nice to see someone from Rabobank make a winning move.

With true sprinting stages fewer in number this year, the sprint teams will not allow a break to go here. It will be another bunch sprint.

From CSC TdF live coverage:

16 km The three escapees increase their lead. An interesting fact is Leon van Bon's presence in the break. He's a team mate of Robbie McEwen at Davitamon-Lotto. This could be the first indication, that perhaps we won't have a bunch sprint today.

Slight uphill finsish = Tom Boonen victory.

I hope we see a big ass breakaway this year, with like 20 or more guys. Then the 1 or 2 teams that missed it will have to chase like hell to get it back.


Is it just me, or are those big breakaways more and more rare in the Tour de France now? I too would like to see a big break. They can really spice things up, and end up forming separate groups and strategies.

Maybe on that really hilly (but low altitude) stage after the final mountain (Col d'Aubisque) stage. That would be cool. Maybe even some GC riders will attack... or not :(

Breaks that succeed are less common now. Radios are the main cause of this.

Breaks that succeed are less common now. Radios are the main cause of this.

Regardless of that though, it seems now that less riders attempt to make a successful break. It's usually 3-6 riders instead of 10-25.

Jan Kirsipuu, is a fatty boom-bah!!

What's happened to him?

check out his fat can

he looks like a club rider!!

:p

Boring? Heck, no. The flat stages are very exciting (at least if compared to cricket and croquet). But, on Tuesday, the Peloton will be climbing the slopes of the Courchevel, and we will find out which riders are the real contenders to wear the yellow jersey in Paris. There is a good chance that July 12th will be one of the two or three most exciting stages of this year's Tour.

Okay, let's return to "the Tom Boonen Show".

thread stuck, not sure why it wasn't.

Karsten Kroon! yah!

marty

The flat stages are very exciting (at least if compared to cricket and croquet).

Dont you belittle cricket :mad:... baseball is the lame :p...

the cricket's on right now!!

A "one day" game between Aus and England.

be sure and tune in :)

the cricket's on right now!!

A "one day" game between Aus and England.

be sure and tune in :)

A "one day" game? What's the big rush?

Looks like a few forgot where the brake levers were.

Lorenzo Bernucci of Fasso Bortolo wins the sprint.

Edit: Ok, not really a sprint, but he wins the stage.

Surprise, Surprise. Today's winner is: Bernucci...who??

During the last two kilometers, Vinokourov and Bernucci took off after the leader Mengin on rain slicked roads. Mengin (and others) crashed on a sharp turn. Vino was willing to risk a crash to pick up twenty-eight seconds on Lance. Vino may be paid to be a "worker bee" for Ullrich, but he is riding like a fella who is aiming to win.

Who else, among the top contenders to win the Tour, would launch a risky attack on a slippery, wet road other than Vinokourov? Folks can debate whether Vino's eagerness to take risks is "brave" or "foolish", but he can not be accused of "playing it safe" or being "boring".

A "one day" game? What's the big rush?

still goes for 7 hours :D

Incredible finish :)

unbelievable finish!
I might as well be there on holiday this week...I'm getting no work done watching every morning!

I would say that it was a bad idea for Vino to waste that energy... but even though he didn't win the stage he still got the time bonus.

Seems like a cheat to take that time gap away from him... just because riders that he was already clearly ahead of crashed behind him. Like they get awarded for crashing.

Take away the crash, and today's stage is exactly what I love about the flat stages: a long pursuit that comes down to the last Kilometer. That was exciting.

I strongly contend that THIS type of race is what will hook the casual specatator into the sport. Not the mountaintop finishes.

Well, crashes hook casual spectators too.

I would say that it was a bad idea for Vino to waste that energy... but even though he didn't win the stage he still got the time bonus.
Word right now is that he'll get 12 bonus seconds which take him to second overall.
Erling.

What a nasty crash!

The guy I really feel for, is poor Christophe Mengin. Imagine to manage a successful breakaway 20 km into the 199 km stage, only to crash from the lead a few hundred meters before the finish. Even if he wouldn't have managed to fend off Vino, it was a sad way to lose the lead.
Lucky Thor (finally)! He had to get off the bike in the crash, but managed to get back on to take fifth place. With Boonen and McEwen out of the points, he gained 22 points on Boonen and is now just 7 points behind. Things turn fast.
Erling.

Vino no matter what anyone is saying (officially) is working for himself.
He is the real threat on T-Mobile.
If he can hang on the mountain top finishes, and the big climbs
he will be a GC threat.

Marty

I agree wholeheartedly about Vino. He's a real threat and with some serious brass balls too! That was an amazing finish today.

Vino no matter what anyone is saying (officially) is working for himself.
He is the real threat on T-Mobile.
If he can hang on the mountain top finishes, and the big climbs
he will be a GC threat.

Marty

That's what I said before too, Vino is the real threat to Lance (he knows it). Basso will be just a pest up on the mountains. As for Jan, what can I say, he will implode.

The real showdown, the Mountains (what's all about, naturally!) are yet to come.

Corsaire :)

Vino must be on great form if he felt up to attacking and beating the field after such a hard day. This guy is going to make the mountains exciting, as he did so well in 2003. (and he says his tactical sense is better than 2003, so ;) )

I think this is the one where a breakaway works.
Dekker, Voight, or Jullich are my choices for the stage.
Flecha would have been up there in my picks too if he didn't
burn himself out today.
I'd like to see Voight get on a nice break away, he was so fun too watch earlier this season during the classics, he puts it all on the line. I am hoping to see him get at least a stage win this year.

Davitimon and Quickstep are starting to look a little haggard

Vino is the man. Today's stage was amazing. Best day of the race so far.