25.3k ITT that’s not too technical which will favour the specialists. There’s a fair bit of false flat in the first half of the course that will help the power men. The only exception is 1.6k climb starting about 10k in. The first k is 7% and the last 1/2 mile eases slightly to around 5.5%. After some more false flat before the descent which is about 4k on a winding road. Then it’s pretty much a flat run in over 7k to the finish. There’s a couple of sharp turns and a bend just before the finish line.
A good course that suits the specialists but with the climb, gives to climbers a chance to claw some time back. It means that the GC riders that can TT have an advantage and that makes Remco the odds on favourite in my book. Pog and Vingo should also be happy but it looked to me that Pog made more time on the descent of the Galibier when it was less technical. Whether that speaks to Pog being in great form or Jonas not quite right, is a question that should be answered here.
I imagine with Wout we will get a better understanding of his form too. Of the GC riders not mentioned so far, Rog stands out but he hasn’t looked great so far. Then there’s the UAE trio though Adam doesn’t seem as interested in GC as Almeida and Ayuso. Simon also was a disappointment on stage 4 but he’s TT’d well over the last couple of years. Then there’s Jorgensen, Gee and Carlos. Of the specialists only Kung stands out. Bissegger has never really kicked on. Lazkano, Armirail and maybe Vauquelin can get into the top 10 though it will be tough. Maybe G will be motivated by Cav to turn back the clock too…
Here's your start list.
In this game, only the race results matter. You're not committed to keeping the same riders throughout the series, you make fresh picks before every race. Our overall competition is just the sum of individual race scores. You're eligible for the overall even if you miss some races.
Pick 4 riders for the upcoming race. The order of your picks doesn't matter. All of your riders can score.
Riders score points down to 10th place. Less popular riders score more points than heavily-picked favourites. See below for scoring details.
The strict entry deadline is the official start time of the race, the neutralized roll-out or Départ Fictif. Be warned - if your post is timestamped one minute late your entry won't count! So do remember that there's no disadvantage to getting an entry in early, even the day before, because you may always change your picks up until the deadline. Feel free to rethink your picks when it emerges which riders are more or less popular with other players. If you make changes, post your revised 4 picks in a reply to your original post.
The last 3 races will be secret entry between the top contenders… To avoid defensive picking.
When we say top contenders we leave the number open because who knows how many will be within striking distance...
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Head over to the spreadsheet to check how you fared. Any issues, please email us on... WendyHellfreezes@over.com
