# TdF '13 Stage 8 Predictions Disc *spoilers* Jul6 Castres to Ax 3 Domaines +Pailheres



## PJay (May 28, 2004)

TdF '13 Stage 8 Predictions Disc *spoilers* 

Stage 8: Castres to Ax 3 Domaines.
Skiing the Pyrenees here can be difficult enough. Cycling to the top seems like a killer. Stage 8 takes the riders into the Pyrenees.
Stage 8 looks like 80 miles of warm-up to get ready for Col de Pailheres, a hors categorie climb. Then down, then promptly up to Ax 3 Domaines. The Tour has finished here a few times in recent years.

Getting toward Spain brings the Spaniards out, and getting into Basque territory brings out the enthusiastic Basque fans.

Euskaltel, the all-Basque team, will be fighting for a stage win in front of their fans.

Stage 7 saw the race rally begin to break up, and Stage 8 will be sure to put some variability into the standings, and make some overall, GC winner discussion proceed in earnest.


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## spade2you (May 12, 2009)

I think this one will be a nice race. Today had just enough climbing that the GC guys should be nice and warmed up.


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## PJay (May 28, 2004)

^I agree

Zubeldia, a Basque rider, might be enough of a threat to the GC overall that he might not be given a chance to shoot for a stage win in Basque territory. He could use the enthusiasm of the hometown crowd to begin a move for GC, but he would definitely be a marked man for a few days after that. His teammate Schleck could be his domestique.

Otherwise, the peleton might not be hell-bent to reel in a breakaway with a Basque rider or two looking for hometown glory.

I don't think the eventual overall TdF winner could possibly spring out of the current standings from any father back than 51st place, Cunego. A dark horse surely could win this year, and if that does eventually happen, I bet he is now cruising along in this top 50.

I would be interested to hear anyone's scenarios for a dark horse unexpected overall winner at this point, given the current standings.


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## spade2you (May 12, 2009)

I suppose a breack could get away. This is why we should bring back time bonuses.


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## bballr4567 (Jul 17, 2012)

Ugh, time bonuses. I know why people want them back but as evidenced by the stage lineup this year not having a prologue has been a really good thing. I can see them keeping it up with maybe having an ITT on stage 3-4 from now on. Its been a great change of pace. 

Tomorrow is going to really show the climbers who have the legs ready. I dont think a break is going to get away and I feel that Sky really want to show they are up to the task of leading the TdF. We could see Froome win the stage with Porte coming in second.


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## burgrat (Nov 18, 2005)

Andy Schleck will channel his brother's anger and ride to victory! (ok, I'm a lot drunk right now)

I expect Froome to open a can of whoop-ass. Contador will finish within 15-20 seconds. The rest of the peloton left in shambles.


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## 9W9W (Apr 5, 2012)

burgrat said:


> andy schleck will channel his brother's anger and ride to victory! (ok, i'm a lot drunk right now)
> 
> i expect froome to open a can of whoop-ass. Contador will finish within 15-20 seconds. The rest of the peloton left in shambles.


^this!


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## gusmahler (Apr 7, 2012)

Contador really made a fan out of me at last year's Vuelta. Hopefully he does what he did there and launch attack after attack to try to tire out the Sky train.


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## PJay (May 28, 2004)

what was voeckler trying to do with his break off the front of the peleton? sand bag for later in the race?


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## spade2you (May 12, 2009)

Hmmmmmmmmmmm.


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## burgrat (Nov 18, 2005)

I hope Froome/Porte have a bad day coming, otherwise this one is done. 
I still think Contador will fight until the end.


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## DonMI6 (Apr 8, 2013)

I don't particularly dislike Team Sky, but I feel curiously disappointed after that stage.


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## thechriswebb (Nov 21, 2008)

bballr4567 said:


> We could see Froome win the stage with Porte coming in second.


You win.


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## thechriswebb (Nov 21, 2008)

DonMI6 said:


> I don't particularly dislike Team Sky, but I feel curiously disappointed after that stage.



I understand your feeling. I'm not a Sky hater by any means but I feel a bit disappointed as well.


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## PJay (May 28, 2004)

thechriswebb said:


> You win.


yes - thechriswebb wins the internet for the day.


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## Skewer (Sep 13, 2011)

It is a done deal, Chris Froome is the yellow jersey winner of the 100th Tour de France.


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## MRM1 (Sep 13, 2008)

Skewer said:


> It is a done deal, Chris Froome is the yellow jersey winner of the 100th Tour de France.


Well if thats true and Froome is the anointed winner... Except for some innuendo, cycling lure and climbing Shenanigans will the rest of the tour be kinda dull.


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## QuiQuaeQuod (Jan 24, 2003)

burgrat said:


> I hope Froome/Porte have a bad day coming...


Given tomorrow, and all that follows, Porte was unwise today. 

Quote Q^3 to the Qspouse in the moment Porte decided to gain time: "WTF is he thinking?!?!?!?"


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## bballr4567 (Jul 17, 2012)

Im surprised more didnt call it. We all knew what would happen. 

Was a little shocked to see Porte gain a little time but it showed he still had some legs left as well. Another Sky 1 and 2 for the TdF this year.


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## dnice (Jul 12, 2012)

i thoroughly enjoyed today's stage. quintana electrified the proceedings and gave me hope. rolland's fight back and belkin's tenacity. but, like a bad horror movie, you could sense it coming. the irrepresible sky train, like a zombie killing all in it's wake. froome is impressive, no doubt, but porte perhaps even moreso, given all the donkey work he does at the front. i hope sky give him the team lead at a vuelta or giro one day, because, barring illness, lack of motivation, froome's gonna own the tour for a couple years.

also, phil and paul are treasures. "it's been decanted now".."he was born at 2000 meters and climbed to 3000 meters"


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## DIRT BOY (Aug 22, 2002)

burgrat said:


> I hope Froome/Porte have a bad day coming, otherwise this one is done.
> I still think Contador will fight until the end.


You might be right! Bad day or busted.


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## albert owen (Jul 7, 2008)

I dislike Sky but like Froome. He is a warrior like Contador and doesn't depend on Sky's race killing tactics. It seems that he is far and away the best man in this year's race and so, despite everyone's hopes for an exciting Tour after last year's bore, this one looks to be done and dusted - both for the Yellow and Green Jerseys.


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## ManBehindTheCurtain (Apr 28, 2002)

There is some very, very serious turning a donkey into a race horse b.s. going on here.

It does not feel clean, it does not smell clean, it sure as heck doesn't LOOK clean.


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## LostViking (Jul 18, 2008)

Saxo-fan here - but barring any revelations, Sky was the better team today and Conti will have to fight very hard to gain back some time and make a race out of this - would be a pity if 2013 is repeat of 2012's Tour de Yawn. If Froome is fated to win this, let it be a battle and not a procession.

Quintana - the new "killer" of the peloton - there's a yellow jersey in this 23 year-old's future.


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## thechriswebb (Nov 21, 2008)

ManBehindTheCurtain said:


> There is some very, very serious turning a donkey into a race horse b.s. going on here.
> 
> It does not feel clean, it does not smell clean, it sure as heck doesn't LOOK clean.


I'm thinking of Wiggins' self-defense last year when he said "I'm not some sh!t rider who has come from nowhere." Suspicions aside, he is correct and was an Olympic medalist and world class time trialist before he became a GC rider. I was very familiar with Wiggins well before his standout performance in 2009. Where in the world did Chris Froome come from? Until his breakout performance in the Vuelta, I had never heard of him. At the age of 26, one year after joining Sky, he suddenly became a Grand Tour favorite and in less than two years has replaced Alberto Contador as the biggest favorite to win Grand Tours.


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## r.shoemaker78 (Feb 23, 2012)

I would love to think Sky is racing clean but my gut is telling me otherwise. I saw a lot of great climbers that by all stats seem to be riding cleaner than in the past get dumped with relative ease. Froome's number are off the charts right now.


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## bballr4567 (Jul 17, 2012)

Froome hasn't had to push at all this whole week aside from today. Sky just had an insane pace today working even before the first climb IIRC. The last 15km before the climb they were averaging 475 watts.


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## B05 (Jul 31, 2011)

I've been saying this for a long time: Froome's been on that special juice since last year.

This guy's been going 100% since the start of the year. Hell, this guy still went for the Vuelta last year after racing a boat load last year.

Porte's looking like Froome last year too. I was in awe on how he took 2nd(!) today like he didn't pace Froome all the way to the top. 

It's red flags everywhere. If they go like this from now on +10 mins isn't even impossible.


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## 55x11 (Apr 24, 2006)

where is the power data you are quoting? I'd love to see it


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## spookyload (Jan 30, 2004)

And not to burst the Quintana bubble, but he was excluded from the Giro due to doping allegations. I know this because he was on my Fantasy Giro team. Edit: disregard, that was Rujano


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## spookyload (Jan 30, 2004)

If you look at Froome before the end of August 2011, what had he done in cycling? I mean when he started out in South Africa, he'd get dropped from the peloton in 100km flat races. Whereas his peers were winning these races and in some cases lapping the field in doing so. 
Froome has become the world's best climber and what a top 5 TT-er? Yet 3 years ago in the Giro he was finishing in the autobus and even got kicked out of the Giro for cheating. Prior to his Vuelta 2011 breakout, Sky had offered him a new contract worth about £100k then BOOM the Vuelta happens and Froome gets a new and improved offer.


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## QuiQuaeQuod (Jan 24, 2003)

r.shoemaker78 said:


> I would love to think Sky is racing clean but my gut is telling me otherwise.


One day like that has happened many many times.

The key is the day after. If they both are THAT much stronger than the rest today, then I will be with you. If they suffer, hang on or lose a bit of time, I'll chalk it up as a "normal" good day.


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## love4himies (Jun 12, 2012)

QuiQuaeQuod said:


> One day like that has happened many many times.
> 
> The key is the day after. If they both are THAT much stronger than the rest today, then I will be with you. If they suffer, hang on or lose a bit of time, I'll chalk it up as a "normal" good day.


That's what I'll be watching for today. I am all for innocent until proven guilty, but yesterday watching Froome & Porte my first instinct was they have doped or it's just their day. If they can keep up that kind of pace and look as good as they did yesterday for the rest of the race, I'll be leaning towards doping.

Of course that could be my jealousy because of Ryder's poor performance yesterday.


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