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Not sure I fancy either of these 3 to stay away from the break behind.
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*any
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For any of these three to stay away on the final climb, the rider will have to attack and go into bury-mode, which is that high-intensity suffering speed, and we've seen it often how they eventually just hit the wall unless they're a really good climber. Preidler looks tired already, Vanmarcke just won't have the cadence, and Kwiatkowski doesn't have the experience, I don't think, but he looks the most comfortable of the three.
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Preidler cracking. As this scenario plays out, there may be an opportunity to get a better price on Purito as he has shown he can light it up in this Tour when on the Mur de Huy earlier.
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Lets go Bardet, make my day!
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Meintjes being played here, thinking the move is on and following the ALM rider, that'll cost him later. Bardet going way too early, Fuglsang working way too hard.
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If the peloton can ramp it up, it's still with them ever so slightly, these breakaway riders are going very early, with 55 kms remaining and such a tough climb to finish.
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Don't like Fuglsang here at all, certainly not at 2/1, but will pay him the respect of not laying him, for now.
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Pace ever so slightly coming on in the peloton, still with them unless a breakaway rider puts on the hurt.
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Vanmarcke and Kwiatkowski -- caught!
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Purito at 5/1 a good value saver now, I would suggest. The break just not coming that hard.
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Bardet the scintillating young climber, but Purito is the wily experienced campaigner -- is my thinking.
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Rodriguez may well be bluffing but he doesn't look good to me.
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I agree he doesn't look exceptional, but he is smart in a cunning way, has done no work, may find the good sensations still for bury-mode on the final climb, and at 5/1 was good value to cover contingency.
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I like Vanmarcke, probably my favourite rider from the Belgians with Boonen, but has done nothing all season, nothing absolutely on the Cobbles, and here he is in the Pyrenees -- pity he cannot win!
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Turning himself into the next Vandenbrouck :P
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...Riding into a Top-5 finish on GC then;-)
Okay, so looks like the peloton and the GC trains will come hard on the final climb -- that was expected -- but how much time do they require by the start of the 15.8 at 7.9%, taking into account that there will be accelerations between the suitable candidates in the breakaway and then bury-mode by one of them or more? It's just too tough to work out without precise sectional times. |
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Meintjes crashes -- inexperienced rider being pushed too hard!
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amazing how skys challengers have keeled over and just let them control @ their pace.
Surely they should try and put froome under severe pressure especially on these slippery /tricky descent. |
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CJ -- how is Fuglsang still favourite for the stage win please mate?
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I have no pictures of the front group. Watching the descent from the back of the peleton Moto. Pretty much a pick em with Fuglsang and J-Rod atm.
Seems to be name picking than anything else. |
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Want to smash his price, but don't want to walk into a trap, however I just can't see that there is a trap with him on this finish. Not when it is this steep, and yes he has changed a little in AST to domestique for Nibali -- we saw that in Suisse and Romandie, but it just feels too easy, sadly.
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Fuglsang doing a lot of work on the front for my liking.
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Okay, it's with the break, but still requires bury-mode. The candidates for mine are: Purito, Bardet, and Gorka Izagirre. Fuglsang has been given the role of leader by the team, apparently. He'll be out to impress, but just too many much better riders in my view.
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Lightning. Might end up finishing without TV pictures here.
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Get everything ready just in case with your bets then mate.
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No surprise to see Kwiatkowski and Vanmarcke stretch away a little on the flat -- two strong TT riders.
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Kwiatkowski would need a minumu of 3 mins, but probably 4 to the attacking climbers following.
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Only 1.40 secs at the moment...
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...by the start of the final climb, that is.
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If the rain is this bad its advantage Kwia. Will slow them all down.
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Im all over Bardet with 10€ at @220 already made some savers on Fulglsang and Purito, but Purito doesnt seem good to me. I still think this is for Fulglsang or Bardet.
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Can't see Kwiatkowski finding endless high-intensity cadence with chasers attacking -- think he will hit the wall!
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No way Kwia wins this, its too much of a climb for him
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The thing with Kwiatkowski is that not even he knows what sort of rider he is yet -- yes a versatile puncheur with a strong engine, but perhaps he might also be a climber, one day. They've talked about challenging him for the GC, but it's true he has not been a climber in the past, and is to be resisted. Doing it hard on the front though, just now!
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Vanmarcke has cracked as expected!
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Cherel following the script -- giving Bardet every chance here. Purito being smart in just behind, Fuglsang not exactly comfortable.
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What's Kwiatkowski's gap?
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1:30 latest time check
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FUlglsang attacks, Bardet and Purito follow
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