A nice stage after a rest day and one for the sprinters. Or will it be…?
There’s a small uncategorised climb about 7k from the finish but the most important part of the course is the last k in which there are 3 turns. The road isn’t narrow but it’s not a big wide boulevard either. Hit the first turn with 3 teammates ahead and you’ll probably win the stage.
There’s a couple of reasons to remember this finish and a very similar route. One is that Cav won here from Sagan in 2013. The other is that though that stage started in Tours, the route is the same for the last third and the countryside and roads are very similar. On that day in 2013, Mollema was 3rd and Contador was in the top 10. The reason? Wind! Crosswinds to be exact and as it’s the prevailing direction for the area, anything above a light breeze will be reason for a nervous peloton. At the moment the forecast is for a warm 30° top temp with a chance of showers in the last couple of hours. The wind direction is looking like it will be good for echelons but at the moment it’s a moderate 14kph. Not enough to blow it apart but maybe just enough to have some teams trying.
It’s hard to see a break even bothering so it comes down to those with the strongest teams and lead outs. That probably makes Philipsen favourite with Matti looking like he’s found the form to lead him out. Wanty meanwhile will have to make a decision because freelancing will be tough. Uno with a hopefully improved Wærenskjold and a strong back up could give Kristoff a great chance today. Astana have looked good until the last k so they’ll need to get it right with this finish for Cav. All four (Bini or Gerben) are good in the crosswinds so that won’t hurt their chances. The likes of Groany and De Lie would benefit from some drama and splits as a smaller peloton fighting for the win will make up somewhat for their weaker lead outs.
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...
We will notify you by email if we need you to do a secret entry.
Head over to the spreadsheet to check how you fared. Any issues, please email us on... WendyHellfreezes@over.com
