Final Battle For The Spots Thursday: Who Do Ya Like?
by ursula on Jul 20, 2010 12:25 PM EDT
in Tour de France
Email
Print
Txirla here, the San Sebastian bivalve; ursula is too excited to type right now and asked me to do this last interactive power poll for you humans. We got one final day in the Pyrenees and four climbs to go. In the poll below you can see how many points each rider currently has. Who can win? Is Charteau fading too much? Casar and Moreau have the strength to win it? Could Voeckler take the honors if his teammate doesn't have the legs? How about Pineau? Could he rise from the dead to earn the spots? Below are the climbs:
- 1st climb is the tiny 4th Cat Cote de Renoir. 3-2-1 points for the 1st three over the top. Yeah it might seem silly even listing this one but the KOM race is so close that something like this might make the difference. This comes just 13.5 km into the race so it should be a wide open battle, probably before the break establishes itself. Next we see the Big Climbs:
- 2nd climb: Col de Marie-Blanque, Cat 1. 15 points up for grabs 56.5 km from the start. 15, 13, 11, 9, 8, 7, 6, and 5 points for the first eight riders.
- 3rd climb: Col du Soulor, also Cat 1 and 15 points. 117.5 km from the start. Definitely you need to be in a break to get max points. Again, 15, 13, 11, 9, 8, 7, 6, and 5 points for the first eight riders.
- 4th and last the HC Col du Tourmalet: Double points here so unless Moreau, Cunego and/or Casar don't contest the first climbs and Charteau does, the KOM title will be still up for grabs here. 40, 36, 32, 28, 24, 20, 16, 14, 12, and 10 points for the first 10 riders to crest the hill. My guess is that if the GC battle doesn't take the main points here by having overtaken the break, the GC guys will be close enough to take the lesser points so any KOM hopeful will need to be in the break to get points here. Andy, Bert, and Samu, if they win the stage could get into 3rd place on this climb but they are very unlikely to win the spots in Paris. (Samu can't win it; the other two would have to win all the climbs and have the top three do nothing.)
Who do you like? And who will get the top three places for VDS points? 11 days till San Seb! See you there!
39 comments
|
0 recs |
Do you like this story?
Comments
Charteau can hang on I think
He just needs to mark Moreau
ugh and just typos tomorrow, tech supporrttttt
by whistlingmountain on Jul 20, 2010 12:42 PM EDT up reply actions
The Tongue!
Really rooting for him anyway. In all the years we’ve been watching him, I can’t think of anything he’s ever actually won. And it’s odd because he’s never been a wheelsucker and he has or had a bit of a finishing burst.
And he’s less than a year younger than I am, so solidarity.
Dauphine, twice
Badger, badger, badger, badger, badger, badger...
by TheFigurehead on Jul 20, 2010 12:46 PM EDT up reply actions
Ah yes
forgot about that. And come to think of it, he won a TDF prologue once, around ten years ago.
Still though…
by Mr 60 Percent on Jul 20, 2010 12:51 PM EDT up reply actions
Moreau was an absolute beast coming up the tourmalet today – looked fantastic, giving it everything he had.
by yeehoo on Jul 20, 2010 5:22 PM EDT via mobile up reply actions
Well
the point difference isn’t great considering what’s left. If Moreau is stronger, it’s his.
"Good thing I never said out loud that I was pulling for France, before this all started." -Mark Blacknell
by Chris Fontecchio on Jul 20, 2010 6:30 PM EDT up reply actions
On the other hand
Moreau would need to make it to the line near the front… Hm.
"Good thing I never said out loud that I was pulling for France, before this all started." -Mark Blacknell
by Chris Fontecchio on Jul 20, 2010 6:30 PM EDT up reply actions
The way it's been going though
Is that Charteau might not be good for more than contesting Marie Blanque. To me he’s running on fumes. Maybe the rest day will rejuvinate him enough but I see Moreau getting in the break and taking it far-both getting more points on the first two climbs then leaving Charteau in the dust on the third climb. Odds are Moreau can’t hold out for the last climb though. Still I can see that scenario netting Moreau the extra 16 points he needs-beyong whatever Charteau gets. It will be close though.
Cunego and Casar would have to finish before the GC crowd though. That’s also possible because I think Saxo will have to drive the peloton and if so said peloton will arrive at the Tourmalet a little late. (If Astana does the driving though, C&C won’t make it.) Still, if either C or C make it to the line ahead of the GC crowd then they get 40 points that Charteau won’t get any of and that places them needing only 5 more points (if Cunego) or 11 more points (Casar) than Charteau in the first three climbs. Given that a) they are better climbers than Charteau, and b) there should be a bunch of riders in the break to act as possible buffers between them and Charteau I can easily see C or C making up that difference. If they want it.
Moreau is also 317 years old
and was in the break all day today on what was arguably one of the hardest stages in years. If he manages to stay at the front tomorrow to siphon up the points on both the Marie-Blanc and Soulor I’m calling bullshit.
Maybe so, but he's still more believeable than Vino
by Mr 60 Percent on Jul 20, 2010 8:50 PM EDT up reply actions
Yeah, I don't buy that he can perform at peak for the entire day
Maybe he gets in the break, but he’s been very active in this tour so far, and i doubt whether he can attack at will at his age just 48 hours after a long hard drag like today. He could, but I’m not sure he’s a favorite for the jersey. Charteau basically just needs to give it everything to make it up to Soulor with the leaders, the Tourmalet will be taken by the GC guys, and none of those guys can feasibly get to 148 if a break gets away (which how wouldn’t one go?).
"You know if there's any contact at all Cristiano Ronaldo's gonna go down...maybe even just a puff of wind"
And as I was reminded just now, tomorrow's a rest day.
Maybe he’ll freshen up by Thursday and feel frisky.
If he marks Moreau all the way to the finish line, Charteau should have it won
Fifteen points is enough, if he finishes one place behind Moreau on every climb he wins by six. Nobody else is close enough unless they get into the breakaway AND take points on the final climb, which is a difficult combination that the GC guys obviously won’t even try, and the KOM guys will have a hard time holding anybody off on the final climb.
http://www.bah.net/
by dees ees en drama on Jul 20, 2010 1:34 PM EDT reply actions
All Charteau needs to do is stick on Moreau's wheel
he can finish second on each climb to Moreau, even drop a third twice at worst, and still win the classification. It would be an amazing win for him, I never really heard anything of him until this race.
"You know if there's any contact at all Cristiano Ronaldo's gonna go down...maybe even just a puff of wind"
He'll be world famous
all around France!
Robert Gesink on the difference between football and cycling: "For us it's a lot harder to get yellow"
Looking at the KOM classification
France is 1st, 2nd, 4th, 5th and 6th.
If Cunego wins the KOM, will he get booed off of the podium in Paris?
http://www.bah.net/
by dees ees en drama on Jul 20, 2010 4:32 PM EDT up reply actions
Worse
Hinault will throw him off the podium.
"You know if there's any contact at all Cristiano Ronaldo's gonna go down...maybe even just a puff of wind"
Similar to the sprint today
Cunego looked like he had been told not to sprint. Maybe he didn’t do enough work? Maybe he took a little payment? Who knows, but that was a half-fast effort, if you know what i’m saying.
Vlaanderens Mooiste
hahaha...
that’s funny…half-fast
http://www.bah.net/
by dees ees en drama on Jul 20, 2010 7:06 PM EDT up reply actions
Mmm Txirla...
May you meet a nice pan of hot olive oil and garlic soon, with white wine and parsley standing by.
"Good thing I never said out loud that I was pulling for France, before this all started." -Mark Blacknell
by Chris Fontecchio on Jul 20, 2010 6:40 PM EDT reply actions
Would be great for Moreau but I have got to go with Charteau
as agl said all he has to do is mark Moreau and he wins. I think there is no chance for the break to still be alive on the Tourmalet and yes they should be in the break. Two man battle and the French will win another prize.
Vamos Alberto!
Quitter's People United member # 42
Don't take this as a slight on anyone who is following the KOM closely...
but for me, the competition has lost virtually any and all appeal.
Most of the guys competing for Green can at least sprint pretty well. However in your KOM contenders, you don’t have anyone you’d mark as a good climber.
I know this goes back to the Virenque days but to me the KOM has become nothing more than the suicide breakaway jersey….on mountain stages.
It would be nice if the competition were structured in such a way where perhaps the men who really are excellent climbers, but too poor at TT’ing to contend for the GC, would be involved in this competition…..think of riders like Mosquera for example.
Anyway, just lamenting the KOM :-)
yeah
I’ve had the same impression for years, but this time at least it’s competitive. And someone said in one of the chats that maybe we should just adjust our expectations and accept it for what it is.
The Mosqueras… check out the prize money. Winning the KOM isn’t worth as much as a minor placing in the overall GC.
"Good thing I never said out loud that I was pulling for France, before this all started." -Mark Blacknell
by Chris Fontecchio on Jul 21, 2010 1:57 AM EDT up reply actions
Not really disagreeing with you but in defence of this years two main protagonists
They have made it a competiton. By station des rousses Charteau had 5 points, Moreau none.
Since then (when the real mountains started) one or other of them (and for minor placings sometimes both) has ridden first over the Colombiere, Madeleine, Aspin, Tourmalet, Aubisque, and been top three over Aravis, Saises, Peyresourde, scored points at Pailheres, and on the road to Morzine and Mende. (And both riders finished with Schleck and Contador at Morzine). Not too shabby.
+1
The polka dot guys have been leading breaks over all the top mountains …. the competition is working how it should work.
I’d like to see Mosquera try and win KOM (is he in the Tour?) Not sure he could.
As I have said a few times, there are lots of riders / teams that wish they were good enough to win the KOM. Pineau and Charteau (and now Moreau) have had terrific Tours competing for spots
And the prize money for KOM is a more than every placing but the top 4 GC.
moo
I think the problem
in some part is that the competition is misnamed.
It’s really the points jersey for aggressive riders in hilly days. The competition makes hilly stages much more exciting by encouraging early break-aways.
Long live the KOM/
moo
Just adding...
…there’s no particularly great reason the really good climbers can’t chase this. They’re just not chasing it because they’re being used as GC support.
old age and treachery!
voted moreau, but have to wonder what if brice feillu had rode this tour? naturally he was on my vds like some many other dns & dnfs
"Race radios in Cat 4?"
I miss Soler..
"How strange it was to see men doing something beautiful. Something pointless and elegant." Tim Winton, 'Breath'
Comments For This Post Are Closed
Secondary Sidebar
User Tools
Related FanPosts on Podium Cafe
FanPosts
Community blog posts and discussion.
Recommended FanPosts
Recent FanPosts
Celebrate the Giro d'Italia at Podium Cafe!
Check our Giro Section for race updates, on-the-scene reports, and other hijinx.
Featured Stories
FanShots
Quick hits of video, photos, quotes, chats, links and lists that you find around the web.
Recent FanShots
