- cross-posted to:
- cyclisme@sh.itjust.works
- cross-posted to:
- cyclisme@sh.itjust.works
After the Marseillaise and the Star of Bessèges, we stay on the French Mediterranean border with the Tour of (the) Provence (the ‘the’ is there because ‘the Provence’ is the name of the newspaper which sponsors the race). It is again a class 1 race, but the startlist gets a bit better, and the 3 foreign WT Ineos, EF and Lidl-Trek will be there. Does it mean that the party is over for Pro Teams and Contis?
This year the format is still reduced to 3 stages but mountain comes back, with the final climb of the Mountain of Lure on stage 2 (on Saturday). It is not a very steep climb but it is long.
General Map
Stages
Weather forecast for stage 3 (last one):
Light wind from North-North-West, no rain, around 10°C
I suppose that Ineos will try to create echelons in the last 50 km to bring Rodriguez🇪🇸 and/or Rivera🇨🇴 to GC victory by dropping Ricitello🇺🇸.
They lead the peloton on the first day; today of course they were the strongest in the climb; I imagine they have the manpower to do it; they usually have the know-how (although I am not sure the riders present here have it). But the forecasted wind seems weak after 14:00, 10 to 20km/h – which is unusual for the area; also it looks too much in the axis of the route: it presents either as a front wind or as a tail wind, with little angle.
Anyway, I suppose that Décathlon will be nervous about protecting Ricitello🇺🇸 in the whole last 50 km.
I am very disappointed that Ineos didn’t try anything at all. Especially considering that Decathlon was making things easy for them by staying at the front all the time, and helping or leading the chase, therefore wearing their riders.
Otherwise, yet another victory for a breakaway. Even, a breakaway within the breakaway. And both the peloton and the rest of the breakaway wasted the effort they had made during the whole stage, by not willing to finish the job. 😒
A special note to the Lidl rider in the breakaway (OOmen🇳🇱) after Laurance (🇫🇷 Ineos) and Årnes (🇳🇴 Roubaix) skedaddled: he pretended several times not to see that the other Roubaix guy just before him would of course not relay the chase.
Müller (🇩🇪 Unibet) came first in the peloton sprint (for nothing), before Vacek (🇨🇿 Lidl-trek) and Turgis (🇫🇷 Total).
The breakaway sprint for 2nd place was won by M. Jarnet (🇫🇷 Roubaix) before Manzin (🇫🇷 Total and Loulergue (🇫🇷 FDJ). Roubaix therefore managed to get on the podium once more, despite Årnes🇳🇴 having been lost by Laurance🇫🇷!!!
S. Carr (🇬🇧 Cofidis) managed to finish the stage inside the breakaway; not even as the last of the breakaway, quite an achievement for him. By not relaying in 20 km or so…
EF did lead the chase often. For nothing.
Ineos again: August🇺🇸 managed to slip from 6th to 7th in GC because of ranking in the peloton at the finish. And it’s not like Daumas (🇫🇷 FDJ), finishing 53th today, looks like he attempted hard to grab his place… They really didn’t care about GC.