VeloHuman

Tag: Stage 17

  • Tour de France 2014: Stage 17 Preview

    Tour de France 2014: Stage 17 Preview

    Stage 17 Profile

    Stage 17: Saint-Gaudens › Saint-Lary Pla d’Adet – 124.5 km

    A hard first day in the Pyrenees (won by VeloHuman’s top Stage Favorite, Michael Rogers) dealt serious blows to the podium hopes of a number of riders in this race, but things won’t get any easier on Stage 17. The steak knife-esque profile throws three Category 1 climbs (the second one is particularly brutal, 13.2 km at a 7% gradient) and some tricky descents at the peloton before culiminating in an HC-rated finale, a 10.2 kilometer, 8.3% ascent to Pla d’Adet. The early slopes of this last climb are particularly harsh, with sections hovering around 10%. Overall, Stage 17 is a short one at only 124.5 kilometers, but there will be more than enough challenges on the menu to wear down even the climbing specialists.

    At least in terms of stage glory, it could be another day for the breakaway. There is still one more brutal day in the Pyrenees to come, and the GC types may not be that interested in doing any chasing if a big group gets up the road. A constantly up-and-down profile and some positively serpentine roads in the second half of the day will further help the cause of those in the early move. Still, the final climb will be a very harsh test, and even if the survivors of the break have a nice gap at the foot of it, it will be a challenge holding on to the top. Whatever the scenario, an abundance of uphill power will be a prerequisite for success on Stage 17.

    With three Cat. 1s and an HC-rated summit finish up for grabs, this stage will be pivotal for those hunting the polka dot jersey. Rafal Majka and Joaquim Rodriguez cannot afford to miss the breakaway. Both kept their powder dry on the very long road to Bagnères-de-Luchon, knowing that this battleground was ahead. Majka proved to be the strongest on Stage 14 and generally looks to be more on-form rider at the moment. He is a true all-round talent, with the uphill ability to handle the steep stuff, the endurance to spend the day out front, and a decent kick, too. Still, Purito is improving every day, and the irregular slope of the final climb is just the sort of challenge he enjoys when he is at his best. Should Majka and Rodriguez both be there at the end of the day, we should be in for an entertaining spectacle. Tinkoff-Saxo has an in-form Nicolas Roche and an obviously strong Michael Rogers as other long-range options, while Katusha could try to put Simon Spilak or Yuri Trofimov up the road as well.

    Sky has a lot of options for an attempt at breakaway success: Mikel Nieve is a terrific climber who could attempt the long one here, with David Lopez, Vasil Kiryienka, and Geraint Thomas as nice alternatives. As much of an uphill talent as he is when he’s at his best, Richie Porte at least deserves a mention, in case he recovers from his ailments enough to give this a go. Cannondale’s Alessandro De Marchi has put in some brave long-distance efforts so far and this will be another opportunity to get out front. Lampre-Merida’s Chris Horner is free to go on the move now that Rui Costa is out of the race. It’s hard to say where he is right now in terms of form, but on peak ability he’s obviously a very dangerous rider. Teammate Jose Serpa could also try to get involved in the break, having flashed some nice form on Stage 16. Europcar had a very disappointing first day in the Pyrenees, missing out on the victory despite having two riders in the lead group on the road in the last 10 kilometers, and also seeing Pierre Rolland tumble out of the Top 10 on GC. It’s almost a certainty that they will try to get into the early move on Stage 17, with Rolland now far enough down on the overall leaderboard that he may be given some room. Cyril Gautier and Tommy Voeckler will find this profile to be very challenging but they may give it a shot anyway. Lotto’s Jurgen Van Den Broeck and Trek’s Frank Schleck both lost a lot of time on Stage 16 and could also hope to get up the road to pull back into contention for the GC Top 10. Brice Feillu, Christophe Riblon, Blel Kadri, Steven Kruijswijk, Giovanni Visconti, John Gadret, and Tony Martin are other strong talents who might try to go for this one from afar.

    Should the pack make the effort to reel any early attackers back in, Stage 17 will probably come down to a battle royale among the General Classification’s very best climbers on the final slope. The tough uphill tests in the middle of the day will do their damage and could see some contenders fall away, and some tricky descending could contribute to gaps as well, but even if a sizable group reaches the foot of the last climb, it will get blown apart on the vicious gradients. It’s hard to see past Astana’s Vincenzo Nibali on a brutal finishing climb like this. He’s looked bulletproof in this race, and that’s not likely to change here. FDJ’s Thibaut Pinot has emerged as one of the few riders who might have a chance to engage him uphill. With his huge advantage on the leaderboard, Nibali may give Pinot a chance to get up the road towards the end of the day, and the young Frenchman is on the form of his life; he’ll jump at any opportunity to land a result. Movistar’s Alejandro Valverde might also have a shot: if he can hang on at the head of affairs all the way to the top of the final climb, things do flatten out for the final 200 meters, and Valverde is the best sprinter among the top GC men.

    A bit further down on the leaderboard, Leopold Konig is not going to trouble any of the top GC contenders, and he has looked particularly strong recently, hanging with the podium favorites on Stage 16. He came close to a stage win when he put in a late attack on the last climb of Stage 13, and he could try to go just that little bit further to victory here. Romain Bardet lost a lot of time on Stage 16 and he may try to claw back some seconds, but he’ll need to recover his form quickly: he did not look good on the Port de Balès. Teammate Jean-Christophe Peraud looks considerably stronger right now. Belkin’s Laurens Ten Dam is one other rider to watch; at 11:12 off the lead, he’s no threat to the anyone in the Top 5 if he should decide to strike ahead for glory late on Stage 17. He appears to be a lot stronger than teammate Bauke Mollema right now.

    VeloHuman Stage Favorites

    1. Rafal Majka | 2. Vincenzo Nibali | 3. Joaquim Rodriguez

    Be sure follow @VeloHuman on Twitter for live commentary on this and every stage of the 2014 Tour de France! The next preview will be up after the conclusion of Stage 17, so stay tuned. In case you missed it, the overall Tour de France preview can be found here.

    -Dane Cash

  • Giro d’Italia 2014: Stage 17 Preview

    Giro d’Italia 2014: Stage 17 Preview

    Stage 17 Profile

    Stage 17: Sarnonico > Vittorio Veneto – 208 km

    The riders who managed to survive the brutal sixteenth stage that put Nairo Quintana into the pink jersey will have an easier day on Stage 17, but this one is tougher than it looks. 208 total kilometers with an undulating profile, the journey from Sarnonico to Vittorio Veneto could end in a sprint finale, but both early breakers and late attackers will also like their odds.

    There are three categorized climbs (all Category 4) and a number of uncategorized bumps on the day. None of them are particularly long, but the Muro di Ca’ del Poggio, the third Cat 4, is quite a steep affair. Though short at 1.2 kilometers, it averages 12.2%. It is crested with 20 kilometers left on the stage. The climb is followed by a similarly steep descent. The finish is yet another tricky affair, with back-to-back sharp left-handers between the 750-m-to-go mark and the 450-m-to-go mark, before a straightaway opens up to the line.

    With a rolling profile and a vicious late ascent, the sprinters’ teams will have their work cut out for them in trying to control the race. Constant ups and downs will benefit early escapees. Even if the day’s main break is caught, the final bump in the road could see attacks from the punchier riders in the peloton. However, after the debacle on Stage 13 (in which a total lack of organization among the sprinter squads allowed a breakaway to take the victory), the likes of Giant-Shimano, Cannondale, Trek, and FDJ should be motivated to drill a high pace and shut down the hopes of anyone hoping to win off the front. As with most rolling, breakaway-friendly stages, this one is extremely tough to call.

    Even if the peloton does manage to reel in any attackers, it’s not a guarantee that all the familiar names will have survived the day’s challenges. Nacer Bouhanni is the big favorite for sprint finishes in this Giro, especially on another technical final few hundred meters, but he may not hung on through the difficult journey with the pack. Giacomo Nizzolo may have slightly better odds, as he has shown an ability to hang on through some tough days in his young career, but he’s still a question mark. The same is true for Luka Mezgec, who can at least rely on one of the most dedicated support squads to help him reach the finish in a good position. Cannondale’s Elia Viviani, as usual, is also a strong candidate for a sprint, if he survives. Garmin’s Tyler Farrar and Lampre’s Roberto Ferrari are other outsiders among the pure sprinters. Sky’s Ben Swift, now that his teammate Edvald Boasson Hagen and Orica-GreenEdge’s Michael Matthews are both out of the race, becomes a big favorite in the event of a reduced sprint. He’s climbing beautifully at the moment (he beat Franco Pellizotti to the top of the Val Martello climb by over two minutes) but he’s also quite fast. Bardiani-CSF’s Enrico Battaglin and Sonny Colbrelli, Garmin-Sharp’s Nathan Haas, and Giant-Shimano’s Simon Geschke also become much more attractive options if the bunch has been whittled down by the day’s climbing. It wouldn’t be a complete surprise to see Wilco Kelderman or Cadel Evans try to get involved if the group is small enough.

    Riders like Cannondale’s Moreno Moser and Oscar Gatto, Neri Sottoli’s Simone Ponzi, Astana’s Enrico Gasparotto, and even Lampre’s Diego Ulissi and Katusha’s Daniel Moreno could try to enliven Stage 17 on the final climb.

    It will be a vicious battle to get into the morning breakaway. Some of the tougher names listed above could try their luck; other riders who could be hoping to hang out front for a long one include Katusha’s Luca Paolini, Trek’s Fabio Felline, Bardiani-CSF’s Enrico Barbin and Edoardo Zardini (their squad really does have a wealth of options for the variety of potential scenarios on Stage 17), and Lotto Belisol’s Adam Hanson. It’s always a crapshoot predicting who will make it into the big move, but whoever does get into the morning break will be in a great position for the stage win, especially if the sprint trains fail to organize properly.

    VeloHuman Stage Favorites

    1. Nacer Bouhanni | 2. Giacomo Nizzolo | 3. Ben Swift

    The GC action will heat up again on Stage 18; keep an eye out for the preview a few hours after Stage 17. In case you missed it, the overall Giro d’Italia preview can be found here. Also, be sure to follow @VeloHuman on Twitter for more analysis during the race.

    -Dane Cash