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2015 » Tour of Britain (2.HC)
In 2014, the Tour of Britain was awarded HC status, meaning it is now rated in the second-highest possible category for professional men's races. As a result, this race is now on a par with races like the Tour of Qatar, the Tour of California and the Four Days of Dunkirk. Accordingly, we saw more World Tour teams taking part, and this year we will see more than ever before, with BMC, Etixx, IAM, Lotto Soudal, Lotto Jumbo, Movistar, Cannondale Garmin, Sky and Saxo Tinkoff all taking part. The race is further helped again by the removal of the clash with the Worlds. In previous years the last day of the Tour of Britain has taken place on the same day as the Worlds TTT but starting in 2014 the Tour of Britain found a place in the schedule a week earlier, and this year the Worlds have also got later meaning a two week gap. This could well see many Worlds contenders use the Tour of Britain as a final tune up so there could be many stars on display.
If the line up looks good, so does the route. In some ways, this race is starting to take on an element of the Eneco Tour, being as it is a stage race of classics-style routes. The first two stages are fairly similar, on roads I know fairly well through North Wales first and then Lancashire on Day 2. Both days have three categorised climbs, but look fairly tame apart from that. However, there is hardly a flat section of road on these first two stages, and there will be a lot of tired legs. Classics specialists could well come to the fore on these two days. The third day is a little different. It starts in Cockermouth in Cumbria before heading up into Scotland. The first half of this stage is flat before some late climbs that could see opportunists steal time. The first three stages look like a battle between sprint trains and the classics specialists. Stage 4 looks like a full peloton bunch sprint in Blyth ahead of the next day's Queen Stage from Prudhoe to Hartside Fell in Cumbria. This stage has 4 categorised climbs including the Cat 1 summit finish - the highest in the race's history - and with no time trial this year this stage could go a long way towards deciding the overall winner. It also follows two particularly long stages in the preceding days. Stage 6 sees the race return to Stoke-on-Trent again with a stage through the peak district to Nottingham in a stage that resembles the first two, with lots of short sharp climbs. The race then finishes with two stages for the sprinters. Stage 7 should see a full sprint in Ipswich before the final Crit stage in London.
Although not all the team line ups are confirmed, there are plenty of sprint stars as you’d expect from a course that offers plenty for sprinters, we won't be short of sprint stars. Greipel and Cavendish will lock horns, Sky bring Viviani and Swift, and Etixx may also bring the young Colombian star Gaviria. MTN Qhubeka will bring all their fast men in Farrar, Boassen Hagen (who won in 2009 and has 7 stage wins in this race to his name), Ciolek and Van Rensburg. Van Genechten comes looking to add to his excellent season. In terms of other stars, 2014 champ Dylan Van Baarle is back to defend his title, and Lotto Soudal bring some rising talent like De Bie and Sieberg. Taylor Phinney continues his recovery from injury, and new Sky trainee Tao Geoghegan Hart turns out for Team GB. Zdenek Stybar is another big name to make an appearance this year
Stages
Tuesday 6th September - Stage 1 - Beaumaris, Anglesey › Wrexham (177.7k)
Wednesday 7th September - Stage 2 - Clitheroe › Colne (159.3k)
Thursday 8th September - Stage 3 - Cockermouth › Floors Castle, Kelso (216k)
Friday 9th September - Stage 4 - Edinburgh › Blyth (217.4k)
Saturday 10th September - Stage 5 - Prudhoe › Hartside Fell (166.4k)
Sunday 11th September - Stage 6 - Stoke-on-Trent › Nottingham (192.7k)
Monday 12th September - Stage 7 - Fakenham › Ipswich (227.1k)
Tuesday 13th September - Stage 8 - London › London (86.8k)
Tour of Britain Previous Winners
2014 | VAN BAARLE Dylan
2013 | WIGGINS Bradley
2012 | HAAS Nathan
2011 | BOOM Lars
2010 | ALBASINI Michael
2009 | BOASSON HAGEN Edvald
2008 | LEQUATRE Geoffroy
2007 | FEILLU Romain
2006 | PEDERSEN Martin
2005 | NUYENS Nick
Tour of Britain 2014
1.VAN BAARLE Dylan 32:22:50
2.KWIATKOWSKI Michal 0:10
3.WIGGINS Bradley 0:22
4.ZARDINI Edoardo 0:37
5.ROCHE Nicolas 0:42
6.IZAGIRRE Ion 0:46
7.CHAVANEL Sylvain 0:50
8.DOWSETT Alex 0:54
9.BáRTA Jan 1:09
10.TEUNS Dylan 1:10
Startlist
http://www.procyclingstats.com/race.php?id=150762&c=3
Stage 1 » Beaumaris, Anglesey › Wrexham (177.7k) - Sunday 6th Sept
Map
Profile
Last kms
The route from beautiful Beaumaris for Stage 1 takes the riders through the flat countryside of Angelsey first of all, then to the sharp slopes of Snowdonia. Cat 1 Llanberis Pass is the hardest of several walls, but comes too early in the stage to be selective. There are further Cat 2 climbs at Nant-y-Glyn and Bwlch, both of which I know from experience are hard climbs, and there are also several uncategorised lumps, but the last, at Mold, is still almost 20km from the line. This should end in a bunch sprint, possibly with reduced numbers and the hard overall nature of the stage might mean a classics type rider could pinch the day at the finish in Wrexham.
Stage 2 » Clitheroe › Colne (159.3k) - Monday 7th Sept
Map
Profile
Last kms
A similar looking stage to yesterday, and again one that sprinters will have their eye on, but the climbs are possibly more strategically placed and classics specialists could make use of these to deny those looking for a bunch sprint. The riders will hit the Cat 1 Nick O'Pendle immediately. There are further uncategorised climbs as they meander through the beautiful fells of the Forest of Bowland. Some of these climbs are very steep but most are mercifully short. The difference between this stage and yesterday's Welsh romp is that the climbs come later in the day. There is the Cat 1 Bleara Moor with 60kms to go, immediately followed by the Cat 2 Pendle Big End with 36km remaining. The riders descend back into Clitheroe and then the next 16km across to Higham have a real saw-toothed profile. When they hit Higham there is 11km to go and even here there is a fast descent before a climb up into Colne. The final kilometre sees a ramp of roughly 5.5%. Unlike yesterday, this is unlikely to end in a full bunch sprint.
Stage 3 » Cockermouth › Floors Castle, Kelso (216k) - Tuesday 8th Sept
Map
Profile
Last kms
The run from Cockermouth to Carlisle and into Scotland is fairly flat and they don't hit the first categorised climb until 130km. Then there are 3 x Cat 2 climbs in roughly 50km in the Wauchope, Winton Hill and Dingleton climbs. There are also 3 other unclassified climbs. The Dingleton climb comes with 25km to go but looks a good place to attack as most of the remainder of the route is downhill as they cross the River Tweed, past the remains of Kelso Abbey, and over a short cobbled section before the finish in the grounds of Floors Castle. If the sprinters can hang on over the late climbs it could come back together for another sprint.
Stage 4 » Edinburgh › Blyth (217.4k) - Wednesday 9th Sept
Map
Profile
Last kms
Starting in Edinburgh they come back over the border into England on this stage that again has three categorised climbs, although this time the climbs are too easy and too early for them to really enable any realistic stage-winning attacks. The highest climb is the Cat 2 Redstone Rigg climb, but this is only after 45km. As the riders head towards Northumbria there are two further Cat 3 climbs at Ford and Alnwick, but they should pose no problems for anyone. Looking at the profile as the race moves Southwards down the East Coast, the best chance of this not finishing in a full peleton bunch sprint is probably the prospect of crosswinds coming off the North Sea but in reality we should see a fast and exciting bunch finish in Blyth.
Stage 5 » Prudhoe › Hartside Fell (166.4k) - Thurs 10th Sept
Map
Profile
Last kms
A relatively short stage at 166km, and one with plenty of climbing and the highest summit finish in the Tour of Britain's 10 year history at Hartside. There are 2x Cat 1s and 2x Cat 3s on this stage that starts in Northumbria and traces the route of Hadrian's wall before finishing in the Pennines at Hartside Fell. There are also plenty of uncategorised lumps as well. They start climbing almost immediately out of Hexham, before taking on the first Cat 3 at Haydon Bridge. Little of this stage is flat, but there should be a fast finish, as the climb up Hartside Fell is the biggest opportunity to make time on this race. There is an intermediate sprint with 23km to go before a short climb out of Penrith, a quick descent and then they are onto the climb. Hartside Fell is classified as a Cat 1, it is 8km at about 5.5%. Although this climb by itself would not cause too many problems normally, it comes at the end of a hard stage, and following two long stages the previous two days and this should be enough to see some decent gaps form.
Stage 6 » Stoke-on-Trent › Nottingham (192.7k) - Friday 11th Sept
Map
Profile
Last kms
Another stage of very short, hard climbs but most of the tough stuff is in the earlier part of the stage. There are only three categorised climbs on this stage, all Cat 2s, but some of the unclassified lumps are also exceedingly hard. Gun Hill, which comes on the initial stages of the section has ramps up to 25% and once made Mark Cavendish cry on a training ride. There are several further unclassified climbs that are very hard, including the hills around Castleton. Luckily for the peleton they descend rather than climb the devilish Winnatt's Pass which made my brother throw up on a recent ride there. They then take on the three Cat 2 climbs at Millstone Edge, Beeley Moor and Cromford Edge but the last 50kms or so are a lot flatter, and despite the tough nature of the stage overall, this should come back together to some extent and we could see another bunch sprint in Nottingham.
Stage 7 » Fakenham › Ipswich (227.1k) - Sat 12th Sept
Map
Profile
Last kms
A very long flat looking stage that meanders through East Anglia from Fakenham to Ipswich and will almost definitely end in a bunch sprint.
Stage 8 » London › London (86.8k) - Sunday 13th Sept
Map
Profile
Last kms
A crit stage through London that sees 14 laps of 6.2km and includes the sights of Regent Street St James, Piccadilly Circus, Trafalgar Square, the Strand and Whitehall to finish the week and another inevitable bunch sprint.
Very difficult to pick an overall winner at this stage, with not all team lineups announced. Climbing may well be more important than normal with the record summit finish on Stage 5, but overall you will need a rider that has ability in the Northern Classics.
In 2014, the Tour of Britain was awarded HC status, meaning it is now rated in the second-highest possible category for professional men's races. As a result, this race is now on a par with races like the Tour of Qatar, the Tour of California and the Four Days of Dunkirk. Accordingly, we saw more World Tour teams taking part, and this year we will see more than ever before, with BMC, Etixx, IAM, Lotto Soudal, Lotto Jumbo, Movistar, Cannondale Garmin, Sky and Saxo Tinkoff all taking part. The race is further helped again by the removal of the clash with the Worlds. In previous years the last day of the Tour of Britain has taken place on the same day as the Worlds TTT but starting in 2014 the Tour of Britain found a place in the schedule a week earlier, and this year the Worlds have also got later meaning a two week gap. This could well see many Worlds contenders use the Tour of Britain as a final tune up so there could be many stars on display.
If the line up looks good, so does the route. In some ways, this race is starting to take on an element of the Eneco Tour, being as it is a stage race of classics-style routes. The first two stages are fairly similar, on roads I know fairly well through North Wales first and then Lancashire on Day 2. Both days have three categorised climbs, but look fairly tame apart from that. However, there is hardly a flat section of road on these first two stages, and there will be a lot of tired legs. Classics specialists could well come to the fore on these two days. The third day is a little different. It starts in Cockermouth in Cumbria before heading up into Scotland. The first half of this stage is flat before some late climbs that could see opportunists steal time. The first three stages look like a battle between sprint trains and the classics specialists. Stage 4 looks like a full peloton bunch sprint in Blyth ahead of the next day's Queen Stage from Prudhoe to Hartside Fell in Cumbria. This stage has 4 categorised climbs including the Cat 1 summit finish - the highest in the race's history - and with no time trial this year this stage could go a long way towards deciding the overall winner. It also follows two particularly long stages in the preceding days. Stage 6 sees the race return to Stoke-on-Trent again with a stage through the peak district to Nottingham in a stage that resembles the first two, with lots of short sharp climbs. The race then finishes with two stages for the sprinters. Stage 7 should see a full sprint in Ipswich before the final Crit stage in London.
Although not all the team line ups are confirmed, there are plenty of sprint stars as you’d expect from a course that offers plenty for sprinters, we won't be short of sprint stars. Greipel and Cavendish will lock horns, Sky bring Viviani and Swift, and Etixx may also bring the young Colombian star Gaviria. MTN Qhubeka will bring all their fast men in Farrar, Boassen Hagen (who won in 2009 and has 7 stage wins in this race to his name), Ciolek and Van Rensburg. Van Genechten comes looking to add to his excellent season. In terms of other stars, 2014 champ Dylan Van Baarle is back to defend his title, and Lotto Soudal bring some rising talent like De Bie and Sieberg. Taylor Phinney continues his recovery from injury, and new Sky trainee Tao Geoghegan Hart turns out for Team GB. Zdenek Stybar is another big name to make an appearance this year
Stages
Tuesday 6th September - Stage 1 - Beaumaris, Anglesey › Wrexham (177.7k)
Wednesday 7th September - Stage 2 - Clitheroe › Colne (159.3k)
Thursday 8th September - Stage 3 - Cockermouth › Floors Castle, Kelso (216k)
Friday 9th September - Stage 4 - Edinburgh › Blyth (217.4k)
Saturday 10th September - Stage 5 - Prudhoe › Hartside Fell (166.4k)
Sunday 11th September - Stage 6 - Stoke-on-Trent › Nottingham (192.7k)
Monday 12th September - Stage 7 - Fakenham › Ipswich (227.1k)
Tuesday 13th September - Stage 8 - London › London (86.8k)
Tour of Britain Previous Winners
2014 | VAN BAARLE Dylan
2013 | WIGGINS Bradley
2012 | HAAS Nathan
2011 | BOOM Lars
2010 | ALBASINI Michael
2009 | BOASSON HAGEN Edvald
2008 | LEQUATRE Geoffroy
2007 | FEILLU Romain
2006 | PEDERSEN Martin
2005 | NUYENS Nick
Tour of Britain 2014
1.VAN BAARLE Dylan 32:22:50
2.KWIATKOWSKI Michal 0:10
3.WIGGINS Bradley 0:22
4.ZARDINI Edoardo 0:37
5.ROCHE Nicolas 0:42
6.IZAGIRRE Ion 0:46
7.CHAVANEL Sylvain 0:50
8.DOWSETT Alex 0:54
9.BáRTA Jan 1:09
10.TEUNS Dylan 1:10
Startlist
http://www.procyclingstats.com/race.php?id=150762&c=3
Stage 1 » Beaumaris, Anglesey › Wrexham (177.7k) - Sunday 6th Sept
Map
Profile
Last kms
The route from beautiful Beaumaris for Stage 1 takes the riders through the flat countryside of Angelsey first of all, then to the sharp slopes of Snowdonia. Cat 1 Llanberis Pass is the hardest of several walls, but comes too early in the stage to be selective. There are further Cat 2 climbs at Nant-y-Glyn and Bwlch, both of which I know from experience are hard climbs, and there are also several uncategorised lumps, but the last, at Mold, is still almost 20km from the line. This should end in a bunch sprint, possibly with reduced numbers and the hard overall nature of the stage might mean a classics type rider could pinch the day at the finish in Wrexham.
Stage 2 » Clitheroe › Colne (159.3k) - Monday 7th Sept
Map
Profile
Last kms
A similar looking stage to yesterday, and again one that sprinters will have their eye on, but the climbs are possibly more strategically placed and classics specialists could make use of these to deny those looking for a bunch sprint. The riders will hit the Cat 1 Nick O'Pendle immediately. There are further uncategorised climbs as they meander through the beautiful fells of the Forest of Bowland. Some of these climbs are very steep but most are mercifully short. The difference between this stage and yesterday's Welsh romp is that the climbs come later in the day. There is the Cat 1 Bleara Moor with 60kms to go, immediately followed by the Cat 2 Pendle Big End with 36km remaining. The riders descend back into Clitheroe and then the next 16km across to Higham have a real saw-toothed profile. When they hit Higham there is 11km to go and even here there is a fast descent before a climb up into Colne. The final kilometre sees a ramp of roughly 5.5%. Unlike yesterday, this is unlikely to end in a full bunch sprint.
Stage 3 » Cockermouth › Floors Castle, Kelso (216k) - Tuesday 8th Sept
Map
Profile
Last kms
The run from Cockermouth to Carlisle and into Scotland is fairly flat and they don't hit the first categorised climb until 130km. Then there are 3 x Cat 2 climbs in roughly 50km in the Wauchope, Winton Hill and Dingleton climbs. There are also 3 other unclassified climbs. The Dingleton climb comes with 25km to go but looks a good place to attack as most of the remainder of the route is downhill as they cross the River Tweed, past the remains of Kelso Abbey, and over a short cobbled section before the finish in the grounds of Floors Castle. If the sprinters can hang on over the late climbs it could come back together for another sprint.
Stage 4 » Edinburgh › Blyth (217.4k) - Wednesday 9th Sept
Map
Profile
Last kms
Starting in Edinburgh they come back over the border into England on this stage that again has three categorised climbs, although this time the climbs are too easy and too early for them to really enable any realistic stage-winning attacks. The highest climb is the Cat 2 Redstone Rigg climb, but this is only after 45km. As the riders head towards Northumbria there are two further Cat 3 climbs at Ford and Alnwick, but they should pose no problems for anyone. Looking at the profile as the race moves Southwards down the East Coast, the best chance of this not finishing in a full peleton bunch sprint is probably the prospect of crosswinds coming off the North Sea but in reality we should see a fast and exciting bunch finish in Blyth.
Stage 5 » Prudhoe › Hartside Fell (166.4k) - Thurs 10th Sept
Map
Profile
Last kms
A relatively short stage at 166km, and one with plenty of climbing and the highest summit finish in the Tour of Britain's 10 year history at Hartside. There are 2x Cat 1s and 2x Cat 3s on this stage that starts in Northumbria and traces the route of Hadrian's wall before finishing in the Pennines at Hartside Fell. There are also plenty of uncategorised lumps as well. They start climbing almost immediately out of Hexham, before taking on the first Cat 3 at Haydon Bridge. Little of this stage is flat, but there should be a fast finish, as the climb up Hartside Fell is the biggest opportunity to make time on this race. There is an intermediate sprint with 23km to go before a short climb out of Penrith, a quick descent and then they are onto the climb. Hartside Fell is classified as a Cat 1, it is 8km at about 5.5%. Although this climb by itself would not cause too many problems normally, it comes at the end of a hard stage, and following two long stages the previous two days and this should be enough to see some decent gaps form.
Stage 6 » Stoke-on-Trent › Nottingham (192.7k) - Friday 11th Sept
Map
Profile
Last kms
Another stage of very short, hard climbs but most of the tough stuff is in the earlier part of the stage. There are only three categorised climbs on this stage, all Cat 2s, but some of the unclassified lumps are also exceedingly hard. Gun Hill, which comes on the initial stages of the section has ramps up to 25% and once made Mark Cavendish cry on a training ride. There are several further unclassified climbs that are very hard, including the hills around Castleton. Luckily for the peleton they descend rather than climb the devilish Winnatt's Pass which made my brother throw up on a recent ride there. They then take on the three Cat 2 climbs at Millstone Edge, Beeley Moor and Cromford Edge but the last 50kms or so are a lot flatter, and despite the tough nature of the stage overall, this should come back together to some extent and we could see another bunch sprint in Nottingham.
Stage 7 » Fakenham › Ipswich (227.1k) - Sat 12th Sept
Map
Profile
Last kms
A very long flat looking stage that meanders through East Anglia from Fakenham to Ipswich and will almost definitely end in a bunch sprint.
Stage 8 » London › London (86.8k) - Sunday 13th Sept
Map
Profile
Last kms
A crit stage through London that sees 14 laps of 6.2km and includes the sights of Regent Street St James, Piccadilly Circus, Trafalgar Square, the Strand and Whitehall to finish the week and another inevitable bunch sprint.
Very difficult to pick an overall winner at this stage, with not all team lineups announced. Climbing may well be more important than normal with the record summit finish on Stage 5, but overall you will need a rider that has ability in the Northern Classics.
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Replies: 19
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No market up and it starts today. Surely the purpose of an exchange, where you rely upon your customers to set the market and maintain it, by placing bets, you need time in advance for the customers to place those bets? It's also live on the ITV platform and I beleive Eurosport are doing highlights.
No doubt it will probably appear after stage 1. Is Betfair becoming like the public sector and being cut to the bone by government cuts to the point it can'y operate an adeqaute service? |
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unfortunately the innovative ahead of its time exchange we all used to love is long gone...
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They could put the market up but I doubt there would be much / any money in it anyway while the Vuelta is on
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Absolute joke performance by Betfair on this. I emailed them, spoke to live chat and then lambasted them on twitter before I finally got a response saying they would have markets up "as soon as possible". Pathetic display.
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Lovely thread, MC.
Having a tough time getting prices, and there is not much action on here, which wasn't helped by BF being late in putting up the market, and then only with all your prodding. Wiggins looks motivated and as we can see he has won it previously in 2013. The absence of an ITT is against him though, however there was a stage in 2013 (stage 6) with an uphill finish which was similar to this year's stage 5, and that formed some GC gaps. Ben Swift might be one to watch, especially in such a strong team. Pim Ligthart might surprise at big odds. King Kung might be missing the ITT, also. Zdenek Stybar would be my pick -- he is coming in fresh after showing strong form in his home tour of Czech, and his characteristics should match-up to the parcours on offer here. Back when you can actually have a bet. For the time being we might have put up our paper bets -- mine is in bold.  Good luck to all, SP |
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Fancy a decent time trialler to come through and win today, there are a number of climbs in the second half of the stage and an attack on the final climb today could stay away with the descent into Kelso helping keep the pursuers at bay. Not a lot of prices about but I think Stefan "King" Kung (80/1) who attacked yesterday might try again or possibly his BMC teammate Taylor Phinney (50/1).
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ha, I've taken those two as well. Dowsett a bit shorter but also fits the bill. The smaller size of teams, the narrow, twisting and up and down nature of the roads helps the scenario you mention mc. Makes for some exciting racing I reckon. The climbs for stage 3 aren't as hard as yesterday so I wouldn't totally rule out Cav and Viviani.
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Strangely I was cing on here to say I'd also backed Dowsett
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That didnt quite pan out how I expected yesterday, and if that stage ended in a bunch sprint it is difficult to see how today's stage can be anything but. It seems that even with 6 men teams, there are just too many strong teams who have got a vested interest in a sprint finish. Weird to see Greipel leading out Debusschere yesterday. Viviani has won two stages already, and to be honest it is very difficult to pick a winner from the three main men. No bet for me.
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Gaviria wins wow he was 80/1 this morning, outdid Greipel in that sprint
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Inxausti 16/1 and Kruijswijk 22/1 win only and Tao Geogheghan Hart each way 40/1
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Actually had Wouter Poels on the shortlist, but thought he is too much of a domestique to be given his chance here, and went with Swift instead. Now, seeing how forward Poels is, and the fact that he is being given his opportunity by the team after all the devoted hard work in the Tour, I think he might win today, stage 5, and win the race also. 2/1 for stage and GC for loose change.
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Tao Geoghegan Hart crashes 3km out and was right in contention. He and Peters both looked good so far in this race, good acquisitions for Sky.
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Poels wins
Boassen Hagen 2nd Think Inxausti 3rd & Krusijswijk 6th |
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The route
Stage six is by far the toughest of this year’s race. While not the longest, 192 kilometres over the up-down-up-down terrain of the Peak District is going to split the peloton into several groups. This region always tends to make or break the race. There are three categorised climbs – Millstone Edge (KM83.7), Beeley Moor (KM120.9) and Cromford Hill (KM137), but the organisers could have added plenty more if they had wished. One domestic pro told Cycling Weekly today: “If I get through tomorrow OK, that’s one to tell the grandchildren.” The first challenge One of those uncategorised climbs is Gun Hill, which the riders reach the top of after 18.7 kilometres. A regular in the modern and old editions of the Tour of Britain, it was where Bradley Wiggins famously turned around in the road to wait for then team-mate Mark Cavendish in the 2012 race. There won’t be live TV coverage at this point; if you’re local, why not ride out to it? Read more at http://www.cyclingweekly.co.uk/racing/tour-of-britain/six-reasons-why-you-cannot-miss-fridays-tour-of-britain-stage-191095#yhRSrfYfy7AKptEI.99 This area of the Peak District is my regular training grounds. Initial impression it sounds really challenging truth is I was really dissapointed on closer inspection . Its billed as being tough it aint what it could have been. This stage could have been a killer. Gun Hill , Winnatts Pass sounds wonderfull but in reality they are approaching the peak of 2 tough climbs from the relatively easy sides. If Cav cried climbing Gun Hill it certainly was the reverse approach of tommorrows route. From Castleton thro to KOM climb @ Cromford there are @ least 5 climbs with gradients of 20% up to 25% plus in places. How many do they touch ? 1 Winnatss Pass (descent) whilst that is dissapointing the scenery is stunning. If theyd climbed Gun Hill /Winnats Pass/Castleton Bargate/Stanton In The Peak/Rowsley Bar/Bank Road/Riber Hill/ Tansley Moor then thats tough. That said still will not take away from the sheer enjoyment seeing Tour De France Winners/Olympic and World Champions tackle my favourite regular climb of Beely Moor . Yes I like the pros shy away from the leg breakers that are on the doorstep. |
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Winnatts Pass made my brother throw up, horrendous climb. It's an awful climb to do in a car never mind on a bike, but then they are descending into Castleton rather than climbing out of it. Strange they bottle the proper climbs. They did it a couple of years ago when the race came through South Lancs/North Mersey & finished at Knowsley Safari Park. They could have done Parbold Hill and Shaley Brow. That would have been a serious test. Instead they did a couple of small climbs and skirted round the fun stuff. Still, should be good tomorrow, just a shame it isn't Nottingham to Stoke then we could have seen these tests near the end.
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Stage six of the Aviva Tour of Britain was so frantic that riders declared it one of the toughest day’s racing of their career.
The stage from Stoke to Nottingham traversed the Peak District hills and the terrain, crosswinds and perpetual attacking immediately fractured the race, the grupetto finishing more than 40 minutes in arrears. One of the riders targeting Boasson Hagen’s yellow jersey was Steven Kruijswijk, who was 38 seconds adrift prior to the stage. The LottoNL Jumbo rider finished seventh in this year’s Giro d’Italia and he likened the stage to that of a Grand Tour one. “If I see the numbers on my power meter it was one of the hardest stages this year. I’d compare it to a Tour [de France] mountain stage with four or five big climbs in it. All day it was up and down,” he told Cycling Weekly. “Right from the start, we turned to the right and we had crosswinds. It was attack after attack. “Everyone was on the limit. After 120k everybody was looking at each other saying ‘we have to do another 70k’.” Christian Rasmus Quaade, riding for his Cult Energy teammate Rasmus Guldhammer who was in third place 30 seconds back before the stage, spoke in similar tones. “I think it was one of the hardest stages I’ve ever done in my full career,” he said. The Great Britain team had two riders in the front group: Tao Geoghegan Hart and recent Team Sky recruit Alex Peters. “Tao was telling me his TSS [Training Stress Score] was 450 and that is off the scale,” Peters explained. “It was an insane day; how he’s going to recover!? “It was the hardest stage. The pace was driven by attacks and Sky were pacing it. There was a lot of attacking because everyone had a lot to gain so they were taking the opportunity to attack, attack, attack.” Good job they didnt take em to the tough climbs  .Welcome to Derbyshire Tour Of Britain |
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Peters and Hart are going to be incredible for Sky
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And Izaguirre and Landa. Some team they have all of a sudden...
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