Stage 4 TTT Report 2013 Tour De France team time trial in Nice

 

Stage 4 Report

25k team time trial, Nice – Nice

Flat

Weather: Sunny, dry, light wind

Intermediate time check at km 13.

The Promenade des Anglais in Nice hosts the stage 4 TTT

The teams will be leaving the start gate in four-minute intervals.

Team Argos Shimano (ARG) start first. They cross the intermediate time check (INT) at 13:58:16. They set the first finishing time at 27:43.

Omega Pharma-Quickstep (OPQ), the reigning World Team Time Trial Champions, are next on the flat course, with their young white jersey leader, Michal Kwiatkowski. They set a better intermediate time check at km13 of 13:16.14, for an average speed of 58.8 kph. Tony Martin is finding the strength to work through his pain. They finish with a time of 25:57.01 (which I calculate to be a solid 57.8 kph). That sets the new lead and beats Argos by 1:47. It is also a new Tour De France TTT world record pace. They have a good shot at holding this lead for a long time today.

Omega Pharma set the early time to beat

Lotto, Cannondale, and the wildcard invitee, Cofidis are on the road now. Next, the French FDJ team roll down the start ramp.

Belkin leaves the start house, followed by Garmin Sharp.

Lotto’s finish time is 26:13, for second best right now. That is a very good time for the Belgian team.

Belkin’s INT time is currently 4^th best, at 13:32.15, 16 seconds off of OPQ’s pace.

Cannondale finish in 26:30, the new 3^rd-best time. They had dropped the young American Ted King early, as a result of the separated shoulder he suffered in a stage 1 crash.

Euskaltel, led by Igor Anton, then Chris Froome’s Team Sky, and Joaquin Rodriguez’s Katusha have started their rides. Click "read more" to continue...

Stage 4 Preview 2013 Tour De France Team Time Trial, Nice

 

25k flat TTT – Nice

The team time trial route map in Nice

Stage 4 on Tuesday brings the peloton back to the French mainland for the 25k team time trial. The roads are big and flat, with just nine 90-degree corners to navigate, and none in the last 2km. Team Sky and Omega Pharma-Quickstep would be my first two picks—except for all the injuries those two teams have sustained in the first three stages. Key men for this discipline are riding hurt, like Tony Martin and Niki Terpstra for Omega Pharma, and for Team Sky, Ian Stannard and Geraint Thomas—the latter riding with a fractured pelvis—and Mark Cavendish is reportedly riding with a bronchial infection.

The strength and depth of those teams could still be enough to net them high finishes, as both still have several top TT talents remaining. The handicaps Sky and Omega are suffering as a result of crashes and illness put them on a more level footing with a few other teams. I am looking at Garmin, Movistar, and Orica GreenEdge to potentially grab high placings. Just behind them I would mention Radioshack, BMC, Saxo-Tinkoff, and Astana.

Stage 4 team time trial profile

All those teams could produce strong results in the TTT.  Despite it all, I am still picking Omega Pharma for the win. They are much the same OPQ squad that won the Tirreno Adriatico TTT in March, and was second at the 2012 Vuelta a España TTT. With riders as strong against the clock as Sylvain Chavanel (French National TT Champ), Michal Kwiatkowski, and Peter Velits, Omega Pharma can win even without Tony Martin’s giant engine.  Additionally, even an injured Tony Martin might surprise us with a heroic ride tomorrow.

If Omega does win, I was thinking they would probably try to put Chavanel in front as they cross the line, to take the yellow jersey; but I guess if Kwiatkowski is with the first finishing five, then he would take the race lead since he is currently placed higher than Chavanel in the overall standings. 

Stage 3 Report and Results Tour de France 2013

145.5k from Ajaccio to Calvi

Rolling

Weather: sunny, dry, with temps around 80 f. (mid 20’s c);

light wind;

To the action:

Lieuwe Westra (VCD) escapes as soon as the flag drops.

5-man break group forms: Cyril Gautier (EUC), Simon Clarke (OGE), Lieuwe Westra (VCD), Sébastien Minard (ALM), and Alexis Vuillermoz (SOJ);

*Andrey Kashechkin of Astana is the first rider to abandon the 2013 Tour de France.

Km 12: KOM 1 cat-4 Col de San Bastiano (3.4k at 4.6%):

1.    Simon Clarke

Clarke outsprinted Vuillermoz for the 1 point on the first KOM.

-125k: The 5 escapees have a lead of 4:20 on the peloton;

-117k: INT Sprint (Sagone):

1. Minard 2. Westra 3. Gautier 4. Vuillermoz 5. Clarke 6. Kittel 7. Greipel 8. Cav 9. Kristoff 10. Sagan 11. Boeckmans 12. Veelers 13. Sabatini 14. Henderson 15. Bodnar

 CLICK "Read more" to continue reading this post:

Stage 3 Preview 2013 Tour de France

 

Stage 3 goes up Corsica's west coast

Monday’s stage 3 from Ajaccio to Calvi is a short, twisting, turning, up-and-down roller with no real flat sections. It is a great stage for an escape to succeed. Despite my prediction, most of the sprinters were unable to keep up with stage 2’s fast pace over the cat-2 Col de Vizzavona, and tomorrow will be more of the same. It will be difficult again for the sprinters to stay with a high pace, and as the profile shows, the course may be too short for the sprinters’ teams to organize a successful chase of the break. The last climb is the toughest of the stage’s four climbs. The measured climb is a 3.3k-long category-2 with an average gradient over 8%. From the top, it is a fast 13k down to the finish in Calvi.

 

Classics contenders and good rolleurs will again like the look of stage 3. It is also another good stage for Peter Sagan to take the green jersey. I would look out for Francesco Gavazzi, Philippe Gilbert, Michael Albasini, Tony Gallopin, Simon Gerrans, Arthur Vichot, Andrey Amador, Jon Izagirre and Julien Simon among others. Another guy who can tear up a stage like tomorrow’s is Cadel Evans. There is a decent chance that we could see the top GC men race for the win if someone gets frisky. My dark-horse pick is Jonathan Hivert of Sojasun, but smart money is on Sagan.

Stage 3 Profile

Stage 2 Report and Results 2013 Tour de France

156k from Bastia to Ajaccio

medium mountains; flat finish

Weather: sunny, dry, with temps in the mid to upper 70’s f. (mid 20’s c); very light wind;

Birthdays: Sylvain Chavanel (34) and Marcus Burghardt (30).

15 riders required medical attention from stage one crashes, but all 198 riders made the start today, including Omega Pharma’s time trial master, Tony Martin, who endured a concussion, a bruised lung, and bruises and abrasions to his hip, knee, shoulder and back.

Kristoff in green, Lobato in polka dots and Kittel in yellow for stage 2

Soon after the start, 4 riders escape: Lars Boom (BEL-also in break yesterday), Blel Kadri (ALM), David Veilleux (EUC), and Ruben Perez (EUS);

followed soon by Julien Simon (SOJ), who tries to bridge the gap to the leaders who are quickly 2:00 up the road;

Simon gives up the chase and is picked up by the peloton; Click "read more" to...um, read more.