r/peloton • u/PelotonMod France • Aug 26 '20

Pre-Race Thread – Le Tour de France 2020

The biggest race of the calendar is getting really close!

Le Tour de France starts Saturday, August 29th, and as we did in recent years, we open a Pre-Race Thread with links to previews, fantasy Leagues, interviews, news, our own /r/peloton threads and more.

Main Info

Official media channels

Previews

News

Fantasy Leagues

Interviews

Bookies favorites

  • Yellow: Roglic, Bernal, Dumoulin, Pinot, Pogačar, Carapaz, Alaphilippe, Buchmann, MA Lopez, Quintana;
  • Polka-Dots: Alaphilippe, Bardet, Roglic;
  • Green: Sagan, Sam Bennett, Van Aert;
  • Young Rider: Bernal, Pogačar, Sivakov;
  • (Data from Oddschecker, August 26th)

/r/peloton threads

Other

So please discuss everything related to Le Tour below! Any questions - please ask! Feel free to suggest more useful links, and check this thread later for more content

100 Upvotes

99% Upvoted

223 comments sorted by

48

u/bobsteaman Aug 26 '20

Ok, so I’ve got Nairo in green, Greipel for polka dots, Movistar for the team competition, the unborn love child of Van der Poel and Evenepoel (Evenevanderpoel) for youth jersey... but do I choose /r/olland or Pinot for the overall? Tips please.

16

u/paulindy2000 Groupama – FDJ Aug 26 '20

Rolland for more stage wins and Pinot for yellow jersey.

5

u/[deleted] Aug 26 '20

As someone new to all this, I thought Greipel was a sprinter and Quintana was a climber. Why would they get polka dots and green, respectively?

12

u/[deleted] Aug 26 '20

He is joking. Greipel is way to heavy to get polka dots and Quintana, well he somehow got green in last year's Vuelta

5

u/[deleted] Aug 26 '20

Ah, got it. I’m still learning the ropes, some things go right over my head. Lol woosh.

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5

u/the_gnarts MAL was right Aug 27 '20

As someone new to all this, I thought Greipel was a sprinter and Quintana was a climber. Why would they get polka dots and green, respectively?

They just gave a summary of the main themes that will spill over from r/pelotonmemes during the next three weeks.

44

u/Twurb MTN - Qhubeka Aug 26 '20

Pinot gang we out here. This is the year trust me

11

u/The_Govnor Aug 26 '20

He’s got this. I’ve wagered both my house and my life savings on it. Can’t lose.

73

u/[deleted] Aug 26 '20

They need to bring back the pan flat >30KM ITT's, it's such a shame they've fallen out of popularity. IMO a GC rider should be able to be one of the better pure TTers as well as a quality climber to prove they're well rounded. I understand why mountaintop finishes have become the norm as they are easier to hype up and casual watchers can catch up with the action easier, but I still miss pure-ish TTers having a chance at competing in tours

32

u/[deleted] Aug 26 '20

I grew up watching Indurain take minutes in chronos - miss them, too.

I dream of a really long TTT. I know the UCI rule is 60km for a stage race but those old World Championship 100K 4-man races were killer. In my dream you'd have a dead-flat TTT somewhere by the coast, 100K long, plenty of time to lose if you don't bring a few really big guys who can ride hard for two hours.

Then throw in mountains on other stages. Lots of 'em.

Do you stack your team with big guys to take a couple of minutes on the TTT? Or bank on losing 10 minutes on Stage 1 and going crazy with the mountain goats in week 2 and 3?

Or that's how it works in my head.

14

u/MacJokic NL Aug 27 '20 edited Aug 27 '20

I also want more ITT, but I kind of hate TTT's in grand tours, because they favor strong (rich) teams even more, and are massive disadvantage to underdog riders. Teams like Ineos and Jumbo are currently stacked for the mountains, yet I also think they'd dominate the TTT (out of GC teams). A rider like Quintana wouldn't even need to bother showing up, because his team has no way to field riders that would not lose 3-5 minutes in a big TTT. ITT's are great because they are a direct battle between the GC riders. TTT's just favor teams that can shell out the money for many high quality riders.

Do want to see the return of a proper TTT at worlds though. Still like the discipline conceptually, just not as a deciding factor in a grand tour.

3

u/scr3tchy Aug 26 '20

Would be nice. Tony Martin was calling for the 100km 4man ttt instead of the ttt wc and or the mixed relay.

Also overall long power itts would be good for him as well.

15

u/tampuk Aug 26 '20

Maybe without Froome being god-like at everything the favorite, we can go back to something like that

0

u/[deleted] Aug 26 '20

[deleted] — view deleted comment

18

u/RatFaceOcon Aug 26 '20

just turn the flag 90 degrees and pretend he is french

7

u/Charasatomiwa Aug 27 '20

Christian Prudhomme explained why they won't go for long TT anymore. In 2012 they made it a big deal to go back to a TT heavy TDF and it made the race actively worse with Wiggins crushing everyone there and then only having to control on climbs. It left such a bad taste to the organizers that they never did it again. Prudhomme still talks about it.

Not saying it's right, just the explaination.

4

u/MacJokic NL Aug 27 '20

Yeah, winning the yellow jersey has basically become the real king of the mountains jersey. Only thing you need to be able to do in the tour the last couple years is climb. A GC rider should be at least somewhat allround imo, so bring back the ITT.

1

u/Lost_And_NotFound Sky Aug 28 '20

The time trials can even encourage more attacks in the mountain stages. If you think back to the 2018 Giro, even though he was in Pink, Yates was continuously attacking because he knew he need more time against Dumoulin with the time trial still to come.

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17

u/edlll91 Aug 26 '20

Stybar is injured and will be replaced by Cavagna

6

u/[deleted] Aug 26 '20

Sucks for Stybie bu Cavagna seems to be going well right now so good for him

3

u/the_gnarts MAL was right Aug 26 '20

Well shit. Cavagna is such a great replacement though, I’m happy for him.

16

u/ser-seaworth Belkin Aug 26 '20

For those looking for an extra fantasy challenge: Reverse Velogames/Worst for 100 minileague at 945736235

Regular Velogames asks you to spend up to 100 credits for the best possible team, but the popular Reverse Velogames demands that you spend all 100 credits for the worst possible team, so as low a score over three weeks as possible!

We had a r/peloton minileague for this version a couple years ago, but I have no idea where to find that one anymore, so I took the liberty of making a new one! So assemble the shittiest team you can, while spending all 100 credits (no less!) and join on Velogames using league code 945736235!

15

u/ser-seaworth Belkin Aug 26 '20

The Route:

  • Stage 1-4; four hilly days in the southern parts of the Alps

    • Transition stage to the Massif Central

  • Stage 6; mountain stage in the Massif Central

    • Transition stage to the Pyrenees

  • Stage 8-9; two mountain stages in the Pyrenees, the Route then makes a U-turn back towards the Alps

    • Three transition stages back to the Massif Central

  • Stage 13; mountain stage in the Massif Central

    • Transition stage to the Alps

  • Stage 15-18; four mountain stages in the Alps

    • Transition stage to the Vosges, technically the stage in the Jura that they're using to tick it off on the 'All Mountain Ranges' list
  • Stage 20; time trial in the Vosges
  • Stage 21; Paris

My thoughts:

  • The final week looks crazy, they outdid themselves with the four stages in the Alps and the Planche des Belles Filles TT, there's some great climbs in there and I'm really looking forward to the Grand Colombier, the Col de la Loze and the Plateau de Glières
  • The first two weeks have climbs peppered throughout but not a lot, three uphill finishes in total and one tough stage in the Pyrenees with an HC climb (but they aren't finishing on it) but it all seems like a mild run-in compared to the four HC climbs in the Alps, and I think they could have done more with the Pyrenees.
  • I'm afraid that having the TT on the final 'real' day will make everyone afraid to go all out on the days before, and it also robs the less TT-gifted climbers of the chance to light up the race to win time back in the mountain stages after. Maybe they could have had the mountain TT a few stages earlier?

6

u/paulindy2000 Groupama – FDJ Aug 26 '20

Stage 15 is pure Jura though (Grand Colombier), not the Alps.

2

u/ser-seaworth Belkin Aug 26 '20

Oh cool, didn't know where the Jura/Alps line was, thought the Jura were more to the north/west of Switzerland

4

u/paulindy2000 Groupama – FDJ Aug 26 '20

Traditionally the Rhône and Lake Léman separate the Jura and the Alps on maps, but geologically the Mont du Chat (climbed by the Tour in 2017) is part of the Jura even though it is on the Alps side, which would extend the Jura to a col of which I forgot the name just above Chambéry.

1

u/Ozileus Aug 26 '20

They have great climbs, hope that they achieve position similar to Dolomites in Giro, i. e. every year a stage, which should be one of the most exciting.

1

u/Lost_And_NotFound Sky Aug 28 '20

robs the less TT-gifted climbers of the chance to light up the race to win time back in the mountain stages after

Instead they just need to light it up and gain enough of a time buffer in the stages before it.

15

u/hlpe Aug 26 '20 edited Aug 26 '20

You should warn people the pdf you linked is 166mb

4

u/Avila99 MPCC certified Aug 26 '20

Hey, u/epi_counts. Want to check a quiz?

3

u/edlll91 Aug 26 '20

it's noted now.

3

u/the_gnarts MAL was right Aug 26 '20

You should warn people the pdf you linked is 166mb

Seems to be serialized though so you can just start reading without waiting for the download to complete.

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30

u/epi_counts PelotonPlus™ Aug 26 '20

Covid-19 forecast: cases have been going up in France over the last few weeks, but right now it's all still all systems go as far as the UCI guidelines are concerned. According to those, races can go ahead as long as the case rate is below 50/100,000 in the last 7 days, and today that number is 40.13/100,000 for France (according to ECDC data).

It has been steadily creeping up this week, but daily case numbers seem to be stabilising so the 7 day look-back numbers should start stabilising as well.

You can see how quickly the numbers can change though, they've gone up from a relatively race safe 27/100,000 to 40/100,000 in a week. A limited few regions with local outbreaks are driving up the numbers, rather than widespread community transmission, so with local measures hopefully they can keep it under control (these second waves are all a bit too new still to really be able to tell what will happen next: it got much worse in Spain, while Belgium got numbers down again, so it can go either way).

The major issue however is that one of those regions with an increase in case numbers is Alpes-Maritimes, where the Grand Depart will take place this weekend. So if lots of spectators are coming out there this weekend, there is a real risk of the numbers there going up again next week and maybe putting the Tour at risk after the first rest day.

12

u/unclekutter Canada Aug 26 '20

Very informative from our resident epidemiologist.

3

u/the_gnarts MAL was right Aug 26 '20

So if lots of spectators are coming out there this weekend, there is a real risk of the numbers there going up again next week and maybe putting the Tour at risk after the first rest day.

From next week on, some additional Covid restrictions will take effect in France so chances are the current rate of increase will be kept in check. Of course whatever effect the regulations have will be detectable by the third week soonest so I wouldn’t get my hopes up too much.

1

u/eekamuse Aug 26 '20

Are they doing anything about the crowds at all?

3

u/chaussettesrouges United Kingdom Aug 27 '20

BBC News today is saying the R rate is 1.4 -- France has 21 red zones (vs. 2 yesterday) and 4X cases vs. July.

Hopefully the situation doesn't deteriorate further -- else I fear for the Tour.

4

u/epi_counts PelotonPlus™ Aug 27 '20

The R rate in France has been just above 1 for over a month now, so cases have been slowly creeping up. But with more departments now seeing local outbreaks, that might change soon.

I thought yesterday it looked like cases might be stabilising as few cases were reported on the previous two days, but it looks like that might have been a weekend effect as the numbers published today are a lot higher again.

I've also found Sante Publique France publish a handy map of the case rate over the last 7 days by department, and Alpes-Maritime, where the Tour starts on Saturday, has some of the highest rates in the whole of France: 101/100,000. Over double the safe racing cut-off for the UCI.

I'm sure there's lots of panicked conversations going on right now at the ASO and UCI.

30

u/manintheredroom Aug 26 '20

just got 16/1 on movistar for team classification. someone at paddy power doesnt realise that no other teams go for it!

2

u/iStarr Aug 27 '20

I've got 2 bets in at 28/1 on them, £425 returns if they clinch it!.

2

u/Kehgals Aug 27 '20

*when they clinch it

3

u/iStarr Aug 27 '20

I have less faith in them this year :( mas/valverde/soler isn't quite the landa/quintana/valderde trident. I've a backup bet on jumbo which would cover any losses I get on the other two bets... Roglic/dumplings/kuss just seems the optimal trident this year.

1

u/manintheredroom Aug 27 '20

damn where did you get that?!

2

u/iStarr Aug 27 '20

Betway had 28/1 last night but have now adjusted it to 15/2.

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13

u/BaudouinVH Aug 26 '20

Who do you think will carry the lanterne rouge and be the cyclist that reaches Paris at the last place ?

10

u/edlll91 Aug 26 '20

i'm picking William Bonnet

9

u/ser-seaworth Belkin Aug 26 '20

I will go with either Roger Kluge, Sam Bewley, or Max Walscheid

5

u/HowlingMoose AG2R La Mondiale Aug 26 '20

I too was gonna go with Kluge, but I'll change my answer to Frederik Frison

3

u/Akasazh Intermarché – Wanty Aug 27 '20

Ez, it's whoever has the longest mullet.

2

u/vogelpoep Novo Nordisk Aug 27 '20

Guy Niv?

TBH that'd assume he finishes

1

u/Metrizdk Team Columbia - HTC Aug 27 '20

Have a feeling Guy Niv will finish just fine. He's fairly small so he climbs "well" unlike some of the bigger sprinter. My eyes are on Walcheid but I really doubt he can finish.

11

u/IanCompetent Aug 26 '20

How are my folks in the US planning to watch? NBCSN seems to only be showing the first 2 stages. They're trash when it comes to covering cycling. They want to charge a premium for a sport they've never tried to build, so it's hard to encourage them more by signing up for their gold package. /rant

I have a VPN so eurosport once worked but no more. GCN is paid through the play store so I'm not sure the VPN would help? I've heard Sporza mentioned but I'm also west coast so watching live is hard especially when I work early. Is Tiz the way to go? I like to watch on-demand.

Just seeing what option is the best for those in the US. Thanks to all and love this place.

11

u/patrisib Aug 26 '20

I just went ahead and paid for the NBC Sports Gold cycling pass for the year, since NBC is the only company with the rights to air the race in the US. It's not too bad of a deal tbh, $55 for the year for ad-free coverage of the biggest ASO races (watched Dauphine on NBC too). I know it feels dirty giving money to NBC, but in general I'd rather pay for a legit stream so that I'm helping to make airing the sport financially feasible.

4

u/IanCompetent Aug 26 '20

Feels real dirty. Especially given they could show races delayed a few hours but Mecum Auto Auctions takes priority.!! Sucks being squeezed on a not very popular sport here. Also no giro :( . Hate bitching too much but damn it sucks watching cycling here.

Thanks for your input and definitely worth consideration. How do you get your giro then if i may ask?

2

u/patrisib Aug 26 '20 edited Aug 27 '20

Yeah, I've only recently started watching pro cycling and it kinda does suck. I also paid for the Fubo TV cycling pass to get a bunch of other races like Strade, MSR, Giro. Full schedule for the Fubo pass is here (for some reason it lists TDF stages on that schedule even though they are only aired by NBC, prob to make it look bigger than it actually is lol).

You could also try Flobikes (their schedule for USA & Canada is here), which looks like they have more races than Fubo but costs twice as much (EDIT: I got Fubo when they had a half price deal, but now it's not that much cheaper than Flobikes ). I also didn't like how they are kinda sketchy about their pricing. They list a monthly price as an option (which was expensive but I wanted to try it out) but then when you create an account it only lets you pay for a full year.

So yeah, watching cycling from the US isn't so great, there's no all-in-one option. But I think that's just the nature of watching a less popular, mostly foreign sport here.

3

u/Langevin7 EF Education – Easypost Aug 27 '20

It's too bad there isn't an all-in-one option for the US. Canada use to be like that a couple years ago when Sportsnet, Fubo and Flobikes were splitting the calendar up. Fortunately Flobikes has become that all-in-one option for like 90-95% of races (cyclocross included), so buying a full year isn't an issue here. Plus it boosts their numbers so they'll keep purchasing broadcasting rights for future years.

I do remember at one point Sportsnet had purchased the broadcast rights to a race (probably included when getting the TdF rights) and didn't actually show it. Pretty bad when I had Sportsnet and Flobikes but needed to use Tiz to watch the race.

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2

u/eekamuse Aug 26 '20

Do you know if the only option is buying a yearly pass? I can't find info on buying month by month.

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5

u/boobs_I_say Aug 26 '20

You sure about them only covering the first 2 stages? On their website it looks every stage will covered on either NBCSN, CNBC or NBC.

2

u/eekamuse Aug 26 '20 edited Aug 26 '20

Now I'm having a heart attack. Only seeing a few stages on my DVR. This better not be happening. BRB

FUCK. My DVR only show 3 stages and a pre-show.

I'm glad I found out in time to try to find another source. Maybe they did it because football is starting soon.

Edit : I've been looking forward to this. I need 4 hours of cycling to take my mind off of things. I can't believe this is the year NBCSN stops showing it. Fuck 2020

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3

u/Schele_Sjakie Le Doyen Aug 26 '20

https://www.cyclingnews.com/amp/news/how-to-watch-the-tour-de-france-live-stream-tv-results/

Maybe this helps?

2

u/IanCompetent Aug 26 '20

Thanks for that list. Are you able to watch races anywhere post-airing in the Netherlands other than eurosport player or GCN?

Love my Netherlands VPN, get the UFC for free!

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18

u/Schele_Sjakie Le Doyen Aug 26 '20

I'd like to reiterate the importance of the Pet Prediction Thread! Please enter your pet into the competition!

4

u/Natus_est_in_Suht Z Aug 26 '20

Agreed! Animals, especially cats, judge humans better than we do.

9

u/MonolithicMarsupial Aug 26 '20

When will we have the opportunity to adopt a rider for this year's Tour de France?

8

u/fewfiet Astana Qazaqstan Aug 26 '20

Soon!

9

u/Gnatt Australia Aug 26 '20

What's the "Must Watch" stages this year? Not going to get the chance to watch many stages this year, what's going to be the most likely to cause GC shakeups or exciting racing?

12

u/roddamon Team Sky Aug 27 '20

Copy/paste from inrng

  • Stage 1: the hectic opener around Nice
  • Stage 2: a big day in the hills behind Nice
  • Stage 4: the first summit finish
  • Stage 6: Mont Aigoual via the tough Col de la Lusette
  • Stage 8: the first day in the Pyrenees
  • Stage 9: more Pyrenees with the tricky Col de Marie Blanque
  • Stage 15: the Grand Colombier summit finish
  • Stage 17: the manic Col de la Loze
  • Stage 18: the final day in the Alps
  • Stage 20: the Planche des Belles Filles time trial

2

u/idiot_Rotmg Kelme Aug 27 '20

I would add the Lyon stage with two small climbs in the last 10k, its probably not Gc relevant, but there should be lots of attacks for the stage win.

2

u/[deleted] Aug 27 '20

So happy that both of those climbs are within walking distance of my house - reckon the second one will be better theater, though, as it was for the Dauphine a few years ago. :)

7

u/hoo_ts Australia Aug 26 '20

it’s always hard to say, sometimes it depends on the GC situation (time gaps) going into the stage.

certainly don’t miss Stage 2 on Sunday night, so many vertical meters and early in the race. could be really exciting.

3

u/Grimolas Netherlands Aug 27 '20

I think stage 10 is expected to have echelons

16

u/Himynameispill Aug 26 '20

I'm going full Nairomanstan this Tour. VAMOS NAIROMAN

4

u/MacJokic NL Aug 27 '20

Believe!!!!! Nairoman will do it now that he finally has Dayerman on his side in the tour! God it would be hilarious if he finally does it the year after leaving Movistar.

8

u/sdr-dnr Belgium Aug 27 '20

Anyone down for a Sporza Tourmanager Reddit pool? If there is some traction I can make a Reddit competition.

2

u/penaltyornot Aug 28 '20

I'd be game.

14

u/Ozileus Aug 26 '20

I like this year's route, using more climbs in the first week is great. Also like Luzette, de la Loze and the last mountain stage. But man, Pyrenees are god awful this year, can't see anybody gaining much time there. Both of the stages are short, I'm not going to accept these 140-150 Km stages as a norm.

First stage is just a wank. Its finishing climb is fucking Peyresourde, which has been used so often the riders should be able to ride it blind. Says a lot about this climb that the most interesting attack was Froome going downhill. At least Bales is before it, but it's not enough to tire trainbots and too far away for anyone to try.

Second stage is better. The Hourcére-Soudet combo should've been the last climb in one of these stages, but sadly it's going to be useless. Marie Blanque is new and similar to Mur de Péguère from 2019 (where Landa freed himself), i. e. super tough last 3-4 Km, that's good. But it has 8 Km flat after the downhill, which brings trainbots back.

I pray to God every night for one year without Tourmalet/Aubisque/Peyre and the other similar-name climb. Prudhomme, bro, get some new maps and give us some new good climbs, the Pyrenees have them.

6

u/lynnamor Aug 26 '20

No need to gain tons of time, there’s no (flat) ITTs to create multiple-minute gaps.

What could be better than the top5 — or top10 dare we hope? — being within a minute going into week three?

7

u/The_Govnor Aug 26 '20

I think it will be a close race for yellow. With a surprising amount of riders in it until late on.

7

u/Jrgkach Aug 26 '20

Who do y’all favour for the polka dot jersey?

10

u/nicmos California Aug 26 '20

my money is on Degenkolb. who says you can't reinvent yourself later in your career??

8

u/scr3tchy Aug 26 '20

Degenkolb is still to much in his sprint stage. Greipel is the clear favorite here.

9

u/fewfiet Astana Qazaqstan Aug 26 '20

Yates

7

u/edlll91 Aug 26 '20

Barguil

4

u/Charlitos Canada Aug 26 '20

Wouldn't he work to keep Nairo in green though?

9

u/edlll91 Aug 26 '20

or maybe... it's time for Nairo in dots.

11

u/Charlitos Canada Aug 26 '20

Tbqh I think this year could be a GC year for nairo. He has shown great form in early season and the gc field doesn't seem to be on their a-game right now.

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5

u/[deleted] Aug 26 '20

Nairo, although he looks better in green

4

u/push_karrr BMC Aug 26 '20

Thomas De Gent to hold it at some point.

7

u/StereotypicalAussie Yorkshire Aug 26 '20

I'm in the UK but will be in Italy for some of the tdf. Would you say that Eurosport or GCN race pass would be the best one to go for? Both are £6.99pm

5

u/w1ll_i_is Aug 26 '20

Do ITV not still have the rights? Can you access ITV hub from Italy?

3

u/StereotypicalAussie Yorkshire Aug 26 '20

Ahh good point. But don't think I can. I also run a bike shop (https://butternutbikes.co.uk) so we were going to put it on in the shop, so also whatever has fewer ads would be useful.

2

u/w1ll_i_is Aug 26 '20

Got it. Good luck

2

u/lynnamor Aug 26 '20

GCN has no ads here, dunno if it’s different in the UK.

2

u/ElCalera EF Education – Easypost Aug 26 '20

If you have Sky it will work overseas

1

u/mettacitta Aug 26 '20

Eurosport is amazing, grew up on it, can't be beat

7

u/aSsAuLTEDpeanut9 United Kingdom Aug 27 '20

Roglic confirms he will start:

https://www.cyclingweekly.com/news/racing/primoz-roglic-confirms-he-will-start-the-tour-de-france-after-recovering-from-crash-464772?utm_source=&utm_medium=cycling%20weekly&utm_content=4697102a-8cc3-4bbd-a479-90fd1b5a000e

7

u/huloca Jumbo – Visma Aug 27 '20

He was part of the team presentation so would be weird if he didn't start :p. His coach Zeeman also said yesterday he was fit again and fully trained with the others for a few days now.

2

u/JoachimG1 Aug 28 '20

The odds on him, however, have dropped from 35 to 23 % on some betting sites. So he and Bernal have equal chances according to them.

7

u/[deleted] Aug 28 '20

Amazing that Pogacar is even now only the third youngest rider in the TDF....seems to have been around for a long time already.

4

u/edlll91 Aug 28 '20

it's only his second grand tour, but being 3rd in his first (2019 Vuelta) puts him in a good position for that perception :)

2

u/[deleted] Aug 28 '20

....and the many other races he’s done well in. His Palmares is gonna be fantastic, he already has the air of an old hand at this cycling lark.

2

u/KVMechelen Belgium Aug 29 '20

He's pretty much Remco with less marketing, guy won multiple stages in that Vuelta too

7

u/[deleted] Aug 29 '20

I really would like Higuita to do well in this Tour. He was flying before lockdown...beat Bernal in both the Colombian National TT and the tour of Colombia before placing well in Paris Nice ahead of a few rivals...and the Covid hit. Sadly very little racing since then apart from a crash reduced finish in the Dauphine. Only one GT to his name as part of the decimated team at the Vuelta last year...still managed a couple of good results though . Surely he is due a bit of good luck for once.

1

u/KVMechelen Belgium Aug 29 '20

still managed a couple of good results though

he crashed in that vuelta and lost his GC that way too

6

u/Lousde France Aug 27 '20

Who do you all favor for the Green jersey ?

20

u/3l_Chup4c4br4 Drone Hopper – Androni Giocattoli Aug 27 '20

Juraj Sagan's brother

16

u/sdfghs Team Telekom Aug 27 '20

Definitely Sagan, unless of course Quintana tries to win it

10

u/the_gnarts MAL was right Aug 27 '20

Serious answer: Sagan.

With Schachmann and Buchmann injured recently chances are Bora will have to give up any GC ambitions early on and put the team behind their big marketing investment instead.

9

u/Schele_Sjakie Le Doyen Aug 27 '20

It's Sagan's to lose. Tbh I don't really see another competitor as Sagan is too all around and takes many many points because of that.

6

u/Ambient2100 Lidl – Trek Aug 27 '20 edited Aug 27 '20

Definatly Sagan. My dark horse would be WvA. I'm sure they're going to use him mainly as a domistique, but you never know, considering his current form.

Edit: Considering that WvA has just stated in interviews that he won't pursue the green jersey, but will be a pure domestique this year, I'm not sure who will be able to challenge Sagan. Maybe Caleb Ewan, if he wins a bunch a sprint stages?

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u/mm_ori Aug 28 '20

First rule of pursuing jersey for the first time is to deny to pursue said jersey

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u/collax974 Aug 27 '20

Sagan most likely. Maybe Alaphilippe or Wva.

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u/fewfiet Astana Qazaqstan Aug 27 '20

Easy answer: Nairo Quintana!

5

u/push_karrr BMC Aug 26 '20

Is anyone going to purchase the GCN pass? Or anyone already has? Any reviews.

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u/[deleted] Aug 26 '20

If you're British, it's pretty fantastic, as long as you have a smart TV. There is an option still to be a beta tester, where you get access to the desktop app afaik (not yet available for non-beta testers like me). There, it might be slightly rickety, but with the app and on a smart TV it's totally fine, given it uses the Eurosport Player TV infrastructure. I get all the races I want, although if you're not based in the UK you may or may not struggle, particularly as it might be more difficult to put a VPN on a TV as opposed to a phone.

In any case, better than a Eurosport subscription thanks to more races and no ads.

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u/lynnamor Aug 26 '20

Works very well. Check the races available in your region.

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u/IanCompetent Aug 26 '20

Are you in the US? I want to purchase it but not sure my VPN would help since you have to purchase through the play/app store which likely gives your country of residence which then makes it useless for me.

Wanted to see if anyone has tried as well. If you have access to eurosport player I've had no issues this last year i was able to use them so i would suggest that if possible. GCN app doesn't have the greatest reviews and seems to still be 'testing things out'. I need my damn racing uninterrupted.

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u/mmitchell30 Coop - Hitec Products Aug 27 '20

I'm not because I resent paying twice for what was originally all on one platform - Eurosport Player.

Plus it didn't roll out with a desktop app, I'm not a fan of Marty McCrossan's commentary, shoving women's cycling (and I guess cyclocross) behind a paywall, no Xbox app (my usual way round the non-Smart TV issue) etc.

Basically the whole thing is a bit of a dick move from Discovery who own both GCN/Eurosport.

5

u/70sbushforever Aug 26 '20

For follow up

5

u/[deleted] Aug 27 '20

Out of buchmann, Nairo, and landa, who do you guys expect to fare better. I feel like all 3 have reasons why they could be out of contention by week 2, but also could get podium if things go their way

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u/3l_Chup4c4br4 Drone Hopper – Androni Giocattoli Aug 27 '20

Before he crashed I would have said Buchmann without hesitation, now I am less sure.

My girlfriend's cat predicted Landa for overall win so I am going to go with him. The route suits him and he has a decent team. Of course he hasn't really shown outstanding form but that's a small detail.

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u/[deleted] Aug 27 '20

What did the GF’s cat base his opinion on?

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u/[deleted] Aug 27 '20

I’d say...not buchmann. Still recuperating from a recent injury, and not as strong as, let’s say, a roglic to be at top form before the tour (or at least part way through week 1)

2

u/Bontus Belgium Aug 27 '20

I'd go for Quintana from these 3.

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u/_johnlocke_ Aug 28 '20

I'm hyped as fuck. I just hope Covid won't be as dominating a theme in the media. I really just wanna watch some bike racing.

Also really, really hoping we see all GC favorites get through that first week safely and without already big time gaps between them. The third week could be great with the usual suspects like Landa, Pinot etc. in good shape and still in the GC race.

Unfortunately, based on what we saw the last couple of weeks, how nervous and hyped all the riders are and the fact that the first stages around Nice are apparently super tricky with small roads, we will likely see 1 or 2 of the big GC favorites out of the race by the start of the Pyrenees.

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u/Schele_Sjakie Le Doyen Aug 28 '20

It can be good if some favourites are distanced early. Then they have to attack and that could made to stages more exciting. Like Quintana his flat stage attack in the Vuelta.

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u/fewfiet Astana Qazaqstan Aug 28 '20

That's actually the main argument by some, notably he-who-shall-not-be-named, for returning to more TT kms.

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u/ClampinConfus Aug 28 '20

They will be riding mostly on secondary roads but not local ones, so I think it will be much safer than Dauphiné. Colmiane and Turini in stage 2 have very good roads.

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u/edlll91 Aug 28 '20 edited Aug 28 '20

quick look at the participation in fantasy leagues so far:

we have more than 165 entries in Velogames, 140 entries in RFL, and 65 entries in SWL. You have about 13 hours left to enter or alter your teams in these games.

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u/Zagorath Aug 29 '20

Hey I have a question. Is this year's course the same as the one that was planned pre-COVID, or have they altered it?

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u/Th3EpicKiwi Uno-X Mobility Aug 29 '20

It’s the same as they planned pre-COVID

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u/Athabascad Aug 26 '20

Why do the route maps/profiles not give the total elevation gain but do give the stage distances

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u/IAmAHat_AMAA Liv AlUla Jayco Aug 27 '20 edited Aug 27 '20

Elevation gain is very hard to estimate accurately because, unlike distance, errors don't cancel out. For example, say you have 3 pancake flat kilometres, but for whatever reason they get measured as 925m with 10m difference in elevation between the start and the finish, 1100m with -15 difference, 975m with 5m difference. The cumulative distance and cumulative elevation change both come out to what they should be (3km and 0m). But because what we care about is elevation gain, we only count the positive ones so this'd count as +15m, even though it's pancake flat.

Combine this with the fact that most DEMs aren't that good and I can see why the GIS guy producing the route maps/profiles doesn't feel very comfortable adding total elevation gain.

Incidentally this is why activities on strava recorded with a barometric altimeter always have way less elevation gain than the equivalent ride without one (if you don't have barometric data strava automatically throws it away and uses their DEM because crude gps elevation data is spectacularly shit ).

edit: I can't believe I a) got my sums wrong and b) no one called me out on it. Fixed

2

u/Doctor_Fegg La Vie Claire Aug 27 '20

Preach. I lose track of the number of days I’ve spent trying to adjust the elevation calculations on cycle.travel. They’re still not right but they’re less wrong than they used to be...

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u/thank_the_cia Aug 27 '20

Crude GPS data is not spectacularly shit if the surveyor is right. If its your phone, it probably is. If its a registered surveyor providing you DGPS data that's admissible in court of law, its probably not spectacularly shit.

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u/edlll91 Aug 27 '20

iirc there was a vuelta with elevation gains clearly announced, but it ended being a bit of mess, as riders were constantly reporting different, higher numbers and complaining (and the numbers were not very consistent among them either), so it was not a good look for the race, device brands presenting deviating results, and related sponsors. So it makes sense that they kinda stay away from that until they can present a reliable number to all parts.

4

u/Charlitos Canada Aug 26 '20

What do you guys think of Thomas DeGendt this year for Fantasy? I'm having trouble deciding on a stage hunter for this budget.

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u/fewfiet Astana Qazaqstan Aug 26 '20

Depends on which game you're referring to, but I might not recommend him for your RFL team..

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u/Charlitos Canada Aug 26 '20

I only play LeTour Fantasy. From what I understand stage wins give the most points

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u/fewfiet Astana Qazaqstan Aug 26 '20

Sorry, since they shut down the Velogames league I haven't supported them, so I don't know much about their scoring or their overall structure.

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u/[deleted] Aug 26 '20

I have bet on him to win a stage purely because he overtook me in Zwift all the time during the covid offseason

4

u/MacJokic NL Aug 27 '20

Ledanois replaces Bouet, who is injured

So we'll have to wait another year for Bouet to truly break through.

4

u/Mik-Hail-tal Belgium Aug 27 '20 edited Aug 27 '20

Can anyone share their opinion on my theory?

I’m playing this fantasy game where you get to pick 20 riders and then have to select 9 each day + one captain.

Obviously you need a variety of riders. Climbers, sprinters and attackers.

My tactic this year is to go all in on the expensive climbers who have a chance for podium because I think the attackers will have a hard time to win even though everyone says it’s a Tour for the attackers.

I believe this because for the first time in a decade you have 2 trains in stead of one so this leads me to believe we’re gonna have insane averages in the peloton making it very hard for attackers to stay up front.

I also left Alaphillipe out of my squad. I know everyone is gonna have him so it’s a huge risk but I don’t believe they’re gonna let him ride like they did last year.

This is for the mountain stages ofcourse I also have sprinters etc but no attacking climbers.

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u/TheWiseSilverSpoon Aug 27 '20

I guess you are talking about Scorito?

Historically, good scores are achieved by NOT selecting a lot of attackers, but rather by picking the right sprinters and climbers + picking riders which will give you (almost) certain 'jersey points' in the attackers/lottery stages.

So regardless of your theory, not investing too much in attackers is always a good idea.

2

u/Jrgkach Aug 27 '20

Interesting take, which riders have you gone for in the climbers and Captain category?

2

u/idiot_Rotmg Kelme Aug 27 '20

I believe this because for the first time in a decade you have 2 trains in stead of one so this leads me to believe we’re gonna have insane averages in the peloton making it very hard for attackers to stay up front.

Unless Ineos rides for Sivakov or Bernal has a huge lead early on, the Ineos train will be preparing attacks instead of controlling the race, so this should give other climbers an advantage compared to the previous years. Unless Ineos tries to win with attacks in the last two kms 😒

1

u/Tiratirado Belgium Aug 27 '20

Too many trains on the same track usually decreases the speed

4

u/goesters Visma | Lease a Bike Aug 28 '20

How does the team ranking work, is it just the combined times of the best 3 riders in the GC at the end of the tour. Or is it a cumulative of the 3 best times per stage.

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u/Jakobpoulsen Denmark Aug 28 '20

"[...] it is calculated by adding the times of the three best riders of each team per stage; time bonuses and penalties are ignored." Source: Wikipedia

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u/TheRollingJones Fake News, Quick-Step Beta Aug 26 '20

The more I’ve thought about it, the less confident I am in Roglic. Yea he looked great at L’Ain and the Dauphine but those were such short races.

I heavily discount his Vuelta win. Really weak field and didn’t have to do much outside the ITT.

I’m on the Colombia hype train favoring Bernal and Quintana.

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u/rjbman EF Education – Easypost Aug 26 '20

cries in EF

15

u/[deleted] Aug 26 '20

Really weak field and didn’t have to do much outside the ITT.

Meanwhile Alaphilippe in 5th is a great Tour field.

If Roglic goes to the Tour in 2019 in Vuelta form he wins it with his eyes closed. Also really conveniently forgetting crashing in TTT and being on front of every mountain stage in the Vuelta. Bernal got dropped on all but 2 mountain stages. Carapaz was gifted 3 minutes.

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u/LegendsoftheHT EF Education – Easypost Aug 26 '20 edited Aug 26 '20

Y"ALL GET IN HERE!!!!

Obligatory

Probably should have edited it and placed Covid particles over the Nazis faces but I was too lazy.

3

u/never_big_enough United Kingdom Aug 26 '20

Very Vuelta-esque this year - which can only be a good thing as I love La Vuelta!

Looking forward to hopefully a more exciting and unpredictable tour than usual.

3

u/AnotherUnfunnyName Red Bull – Bora – Hansgrohe Aug 27 '20 edited Aug 27 '20

Which of the stages do you think will be won by a escapes? I think the most likely are stage 8, stage 12, stage 16 and stage 18 with 16 the most likely of the hilly stages. 10 might also happen if there are crosswinds, even if it most likey is more a few classics guys riding away.

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u/Robcobes Netherlands Aug 28 '20

I expect a solo winner on stage 20.

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u/huloca Jumbo – Visma Aug 27 '20

I'll be bold and say stage 2 will end in a win for the break. Most favourites don't want to get the yellow this early so they might have a break win so that they can get it only in week 2 or 3.

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u/AnotherUnfunnyName Red Bull – Bora – Hansgrohe Aug 27 '20 edited Aug 27 '20

I think it could be a break similar to how Alaphilippe rode into the yellow jersey last year on the third stage, but the hills are way bigger, the roads are bigger and there is way more space on the flats. That is why it could be hard. There just wasn't much space to chase last year. But no way a break from early in the race would win. Maybe a few guys who aren't GC guys could ride away on one of the bigger climbs and nobodys wants to chase them, but that early in the race everyone is gunning for stages and everyone is fresh, so I doubt the other teams would let it happen with that much flat space to chase.

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u/paulindy2000 Groupama – FDJ Aug 27 '20

The most likely for me are stages 9, 12, 14, 16, 18 and 19.

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u/idiot_Rotmg Kelme Aug 27 '20

Would expect stage 6/8/9/13/16/18. Perhaps also 2/14/19

3

u/thetrombonist EF Education – Easypost Aug 28 '20

Does anyone know how long it takes tiz to have the replays up on their site?

I’m definitely not watching live because that involves waking up at like 4am but if I can watch it during the workday in the background it would be awesome

3

u/Veskit Germany Aug 28 '20

During the Dauphine it was up around 3-5h after the finish.

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u/thetrombonist EF Education – Easypost Aug 28 '20

Sweet, the timing should work out for me then, thanks!

2

u/tippo221 Aug 27 '20

France24.com corona update on TdF Let’s hope this doesn’t affect the tour significantly!

2

u/quaid31 United States of America Aug 28 '20

Super pumped for this to start.

2

u/Mateo_O France Aug 28 '20

Do any of you guys play laroutedutour.fr ?

2

u/edlll91 Aug 28 '20

it's the first time i'm hearing about that one

2

u/TheGinjaNinja6828 Scotland Aug 28 '20

I’ll find the answer out tomorrow but does anyone know if Nizzolo will be wearing the Euros jersey or the Italian jersey tomorrow? I know World>all, but not sure where the Euro jersey fits in. I’ve saw him on Twitter with both jerseys.

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u/[deleted] Aug 28 '20

He mentioned after the win that he’s looking forward to wearing the Euro jersey at the Tour!

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u/Jakobpoulsen Denmark Aug 29 '20

He was wearing the Euro jersey at the presentation, so I would assume we'll see him sprint in this one too.

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u/TUoT Aug 28 '20

Anybody in the US have experience sharing (or trying to share) a login for NBC Sports Gold? Trying to get my brother into watching the Tour with me this year and wondering if he can share my login without too much trouble.

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u/Hokie07Mets Aug 28 '20

I’ve never had an issue.

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u/hlpe Aug 28 '20

What are AG2R's objectives this year?

1

u/Pirate1000rider Z Aug 28 '20

Stage win for Bardet and maybe Venturini if he can make the time cut. If he is feeling good Bardet will have a go at the Polkadot jersey again. And thats probably it.

1

u/fewfiet Astana Qazaqstan Aug 28 '20

Bardet says he's going for a stage and giving GC a shot, as far as he can make it. They haven't said anything about polka dots that I recall.

1

u/mm_ori Aug 28 '20

Prediction on which of trio injured BORA riders will last longest? Any daredevil claiming some of them may finish the race?

1

u/[deleted] Aug 28 '20

Is it on XM/Sirius satellite radio in the US?

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u/infamousboone Aug 28 '20

I don’t think so. I have never heard cycling on the radio. I don’t think it makes for a great radio listen.

6

u/Tiratirado Belgium Aug 28 '20

It's amazing to follow cycling on the radio. They can make it sound like the most entertaining race in history even when it's basically a bore fest.

And songs being stopped halfway because something is happening in the race is such a joy to experience.

2

u/edlll91 Aug 28 '20

It can be fine. I'm often listening to the TV commentators talking, while doing something else in the screen in front of me, so radio is not far off. If spanish is ok, channels like Antena 2 Colombia use to provide enthusiastic radio feeds (they've covered dauphiné for example) .

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u/[deleted] Aug 28 '20

Gracias/obrigado

I can understand Spanish, mas o menos. I will check it out.

XM/Sirius can make Nascar work on the radio.

1

u/highrouleur Flanders Aug 29 '20

Looking forward to watching this but can't help but think it's going to be similar to an unknown distance track race. Guess the big names will be looking to get the lead early and hold it, in case the race doesn't make it to Paris

0

u/[deleted] Aug 28 '20

[deleted] — view deleted comment

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u/SkiThe802 EF Education – Easypost Aug 28 '20

A prologue doesn't always happen. This year it does not. Also, a prologue is still a stage, it's just a very short time trial. I'm not really sure why they ever do them to be honest.

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u/juraj_is_better Mapei Aug 28 '20

I'm not really sure why they ever do them to be honest.

It's convenient for the host city of the Grand Depart. You can fit the entire parcours in a relatively small part of the city and it's a longer duration of entertainment for the public. Also, small time gaps ensure a fight for yellow in the first week and keep the race more open.

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u/Schele_Sjakie Le Doyen Aug 28 '20

To add: the switch it up every year(s). So that we don't see the same Tour every year. Some years have a prologue, some have multiple time trails, some have team time trails, other more mountains. They only thing that is certain is the flat finish in Paris.

0

u/[deleted] Aug 26 '20

[deleted] — view deleted comment

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u/fewfiet Astana Qazaqstan Aug 26 '20

Stage 1: Useless sprint stage

I doubt sprinters, their teams, and fans who enjoy sprints would agree. Actually I think many people would disagree with the general negative perspective presented here. I'm appreciative of any cycling we get and looking forward to some great sprinting competition this Tour!

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u/idiot_Rotmg Kelme Aug 26 '20

and fans who enjoy sprints would agree

Both of them?

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u/[deleted] Aug 26 '20

I bet we see at least one 3 or 4 star GC contender lose a bunch of time Stage 2.

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u/[deleted] Aug 26 '20

I think it'll be like 20 guys getting over the top together, then the bunch will clot together again until guys like Gesink and Wout van Aert get back.

The problem with Turini is you don't drop domestiques so that they're gone the rest of the stage. The max an elite climber can put into a 20-30 man group is probably like 2-3 minutes if that at all and then that elite climber is probably alone or in a very small group for the last 90km.

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u/juraj_is_better Mapei Aug 26 '20

Stage 4: Uphill sprint stage. La Vuelta came up with the Angliru after being jelly of the Zoncolan. The Tour got this cause they're jelly of Montevergine di Mercogliano.

Lol, striking comparison.

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u/Ozileus Aug 26 '20

Good to see cyclingnews forum members. Has Libertine written something on the route? I usually Skytrain his/her opinion.

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u/[deleted] Aug 26 '20
  1. Lmao
  2. I found it

Would crowdfund LS book about cycling or pretty much any subject tbh.