# Tour Stage 14: 191k



## weltyed (Feb 6, 2004)

_saturday i will be on an organized overnight bike/camping trip with The Boy, therefore i am posting sundays prediction thread in advance. two months ago when it was 75f the ride seemed like a great idea. now that it is 90+ degrees and heavy humidity? not so much. add to that the potential for the first real thunderstorms in a month and it gets a bit sketchy. at least there is icecream and beer along the trail. 
yes, those that hang out in the lounge ride bikes every once in a while. shocking, i know._

Remember when we were bemoaning the profile of Friday's Stage 12? I know a few of us thought it would be more interesting if it were run the other way around. Well, we get that with Stage 14. After a mere 22k we get a short Cat2 climb. About 70k of false flat later the riders hit the intermediate sprint, have lunch, then ride another 15k of false flat before an 11.5k Cat1 climb. Sixteen klicks of downhill respite before a 9.3k Cat1. After that its downhill for about 25k befor it levels out for a final 18k dragstrip.

Those two Cat1 climbs should put the sprinters out of it. While there is a long descent, I don't think the true sprinters will make it over in time to catch on. We could have some GC attacks here, but it is so desperate I don't know if it will come to fruition. In past Giros I expected Nibali to attack, get distance, then tear up the descent. I keep waiting for that this Tour, too. same could be said about Evans. But we saw what happened to Evans when Teejay was outpacing up the climbs. I could see a former GC hopeful getting away here. Not a 2012 hopeful, but one from years past. Unless Voeckler goes on a post-Bastille Day rampage...


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## allison (Apr 19, 2006)

Definitely going to be a few French racers going on flyers near the end. Chavanel, Voekler... I think if it comes to a "bunch" sprint - Sagan.


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## il sogno (Jul 15, 2002)

I think Sagan is the only sprinter with a ghost of a chance for this stage. It's possible that Cadel or Nibbles might attack... or that a breakaway will survive. 

I'll go with Nibali for the win.


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## knightev (Sep 22, 2011)

weltyed said:


> _ Unless Voeckler goes on a post-Bastille Day rampage...
> 
> _


_


i would love that. what the french riders have done has been the most exciting stuff so far._


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## shoegazer (Nov 2, 2007)

boss hog


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## Marc (Jan 23, 2005)

Who in the peloton thought it was a good idea giving Sagan and the break almost 15' advantage?


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## loskaos (Apr 26, 2009)

heh radioshack with "yelllow" helmets, not as fugly


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## Len J (Jan 28, 2004)

Descent of first cat 1 is sketchy.......light misting rain.

Len


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## Marc (Jan 23, 2005)

Rotten time to drop a chain and wrap it for Gautier


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## OldEndicottHiway (Jul 16, 2007)

This second climb's road is so narrow.

I'm waiting for Paul to say it's almost a singletrack, and thus the Mt bikers will have an advantage.


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## Salsa_Lover (Jul 6, 2008)

Go Peter !

V tejto etape je pre vás !


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## erj549 (Jul 26, 2008)

Marc said:


> Who in the peloton thought it was a good idea giving Sagan and the break almost 15' advantage?


Damn wheelsucker sucking his way up the mountain...


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## roddjbrown (Jan 19, 2012)

Cadel flat. Disaster! Will they wait?


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## Cinelli 82220 (Dec 2, 2010)

Evans has a puncture at the summit and loses a lot of time waiting for a wheel...it might be over for him.


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## Marc (Jan 23, 2005)

What the hell? Is the BMC kit cursed with flats like the Lounge Kit?


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## Cinelli 82220 (Dec 2, 2010)

It looked like there was a concensus to wait for Evans but Rolland took off. Now Wiggo and Nibali are talking and gesturing...Rolland is not going ot be popular.

Now everyone waited for Wiggins. This is an interesting display of sportsmanship.


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## Marc (Jan 23, 2005)

And Wiggins with a puncture...how many spare wheels needed on this road?


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## rideorglide (Dec 3, 2005)

roddjbrown said:


> Cadel flat. Disaster! Will they wait?


Wiggins and the group back the pace off to give CE a chance to catch up ... but is 
Pierre Roland 'effing things up by breaking away now?

So many flats there at the top I gotta think someone threw some sharp **** on the road.


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## Marc (Jan 23, 2005)

Cinelli 82220 said:


> It looked like there was a concensus to wait for Evans but Rolland took off. Now Wiggo and Nibali are talking and gesturing...Rolland is not going ot be popular.


Is it any surprise that Europcar isn't popular?


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## Len J (Jan 28, 2004)

It seems that several flats all at once. 

Crazy. 

Wiggins just flatted also

Len


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## Old Man (Apr 8, 2012)

They looked like they would wait, but Rolland went on. There is now way that all these flats are not a cause of somebody putting something on the road


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## den bakker (Nov 13, 2004)

rideorglide said:


> Wiggins and the group back the pace off to give CE a chance to catch up ... but is
> Pierre Roland 'effing things up by breaking away now?
> 
> So many flats there at the top I gotta think someone threw some sharp **** on the road.


and then europcar wonder why they are not popular in the pack......


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## rideorglide (Dec 3, 2005)

Now Wiggins has a flat / rear wheel issue... WTF?


Nice team car bike change.


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## Back Woods (Jun 27, 2006)

Puncturegate? Tiregate? Rearwheelgate? Sucks either way...


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## rideorglide (Dec 3, 2005)

Nice old school Citroen DS there by the roadside, lol


Best car I ever drove in, period.


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## Marc (Jan 23, 2005)

And now a FRONT flat for Evans. Jeeze.


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## Rick Draper (Jan 17, 2012)

Evans front flat now. Not looking good for him now at all.


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## Old Man (Apr 8, 2012)

Holy crap


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## Len J (Jan 28, 2004)

Evans just had his third tire change wtf?

Love to see them regroup and then catch Rolland. 

Len


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## Marc (Jan 23, 2005)

And yet the breakaway guys haven't had a single flat. strange.


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## Old Man (Apr 8, 2012)

Len J said:


> Evans just had his third tire change wtf?
> 
> Love to see them regroup and then catch Rolland.
> 
> Len


Would love to see them circle back and pummle whoever put the crap on the road!


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## Marc (Jan 23, 2005)

Cofidis rider claims to his car that there are tacks on the road


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## vagabondcyclist (Apr 2, 2011)

Paul and Phil are reporting that French Radio is reporting that tacks were found on the road.


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## Marc (Jan 23, 2005)

I think Sanchez has it..unless he flats.


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## rideorglide (Dec 3, 2005)

Back Woods said:


> Puncturegate? Tiregate? Rearwheelgate? Sucks either way...


You'd think they'd be able to identify the material that punctured the tires/tyres, right?

Should be interesting when the Clouseau and the Gendarmerie deflate this rolling mystery.


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## Len J (Jan 28, 2004)

Class act by sky and liguigas

Nice seeing Evans thanking the team cars. 

Pox on the tack thrower. 

Len


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## Marc (Jan 23, 2005)

Astana rider who crashed on the downhill is out of the Tour.


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## Salsa_Lover (Jul 6, 2008)

some 30 flats on that area, tack sabotage is the more likely explanation


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## rideorglide (Dec 3, 2005)

"It's good to see there's still sportsmanship in the sport." — Hincapie

** damn straight, I'm so glad Wiggins Sky and the peloton did the right thing by getting themselves together and letting BMC/Evans catch up, even if it took a while **


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## Marc (Jan 23, 2005)

Just got a shot of a tack in a motorbike wheel on NBC...


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## rideorglide (Dec 3, 2005)

Len J said:


> Evans just had his third tire change wtf?
> 
> Love to see them regroup and then catch Rolland.
> 
> Len


Wish granted. Cool beans. 

A plague on the family jewels of the tack-jobbers.


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## Ratser (Jan 20, 2012)

rideorglide said:


> "It's good to see there's still sportsmanship in the sport." — Hincapie


yeah, Hincapie is a real classy guy :roll eyes:

riding up to VdB and talking **** to him for riding together with Liquigas
not knowing they were chasing Rolland

real sportsmanship.. good thing he's going to stop riding, he is and always was a douche


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## Rick Draper (Jan 17, 2012)

Evans has tweeted a picture of one of the tacks.


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## Marc (Jan 23, 2005)

Rick Draper said:


> Evans has tweeted a picture of one of the tacks.


Pic from RSNT:


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## EuroSVT (Sep 15, 2011)

I think d*ck of the day is tied between Rolland & Teejay. I'll give Hincapie some slack because as soon as he got off his bike somebody shoved a mic in his face.

Actually d*ck of the day goes to the nail tossers...but that went without saying.


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