16-09-2020, 23:17
In themaclad's absence tonight, here is my take on today's stage. My prediction of two races in one looked like coming true when Carapaz stretched out a strong lead, but as soon as he was caught with 3kms to go by the GC heavyweights, it turned into a real slog between the main contenders.
Lopez won with a magnificent performance which raised him into 3rd place overall, but Roglic extended his lead to 57 seconds by battling away from Pogacar in the final stretch. Porte, Yates, Uran and Landa are all within 3m30s of Roglic.
Movistar lead the team race without being too prominent. They are led by the 40 year-old Alejandro Valverde who has now sneaked up to 10th overall. Jumbo Visma are around 30 minutes behind in 2nd place, ahead of EF Pro Cycling who are a further 33 minutes behind.
The Youth prize is between Pogacar and Mas with only 3 minutes between them. The 3rd placed rider is over 80 minutes behind Mas.
The leading climber is Pogacar (how many jerseys does he want?) on 66 points. Roglic has 63 points and Lopez is on 51. There are five riders in the 30s and still plenty of points to be won.
The top sprinter is still Bennett with a 47 point lead over Sagan and a 60 point lead over Trentin.
In total 25 riders have fallen by the wayside, the latest being Bernal not starting today and Nieve dropping out during the stage.
Tomorrow's stage is even longer with 5 climbs, but for me the many downhill stretches and the downhill finish are tailor-made for Alaphillipe if he can get over the final climb in contention, with Yates and Porte aiming to be there or thereabouts too. Of course it all depends on the top men's powers of recovery after today's exertions.
Lopez won with a magnificent performance which raised him into 3rd place overall, but Roglic extended his lead to 57 seconds by battling away from Pogacar in the final stretch. Porte, Yates, Uran and Landa are all within 3m30s of Roglic.
Movistar lead the team race without being too prominent. They are led by the 40 year-old Alejandro Valverde who has now sneaked up to 10th overall. Jumbo Visma are around 30 minutes behind in 2nd place, ahead of EF Pro Cycling who are a further 33 minutes behind.
The Youth prize is between Pogacar and Mas with only 3 minutes between them. The 3rd placed rider is over 80 minutes behind Mas.
The leading climber is Pogacar (how many jerseys does he want?) on 66 points. Roglic has 63 points and Lopez is on 51. There are five riders in the 30s and still plenty of points to be won.
The top sprinter is still Bennett with a 47 point lead over Sagan and a 60 point lead over Trentin.
In total 25 riders have fallen by the wayside, the latest being Bernal not starting today and Nieve dropping out during the stage.
Tomorrow's stage is even longer with 5 climbs, but for me the many downhill stretches and the downhill finish are tailor-made for Alaphillipe if he can get over the final climb in contention, with Yates and Porte aiming to be there or thereabouts too. Of course it all depends on the top men's powers of recovery after today's exertions.
Cabbage is still good for you