It’ll be yet another chance for the sprinters at the Tour de France with Stage 11 taking the riders over 203.5 kilometres from Eymet to Pau. Join The Roar for live coverage from 11pm (AEST).
The Tour has had more flat days than many recent editions early on, and today is no different. It’s been Marcel Kittel dominating so far, despite not having the greatest lead outs.
He has won four of the first ten stage and no one has been able to hold a candle to him. In fact, the only other sprinter who has won a stage is the now eliminated Arnaud Demare, who failed to make the time cut on Stage 9.
Of course, it’s not just the Frenchman who is out of the race. He is also joined on the sidelines by the disqualified Peter Sagan, as well as Mark Cavendish who crashed out.
Even with that being said, Michael Matthews, Nacer Bouhanni, Sonny Colbrelli and Kittel’s German counterpart Andre Greipel are all still in the race and struggling to get near the man with four stage wins.
Today’s route kicks off in Eymet and tracks south, not quite on the coast down to Pau. The peloton are probably just far enough inland to avoid coastal crosswinds which have so often caused havoc during the second week of the Tour de France.
The interesting thing about this year’s Tour de France is that breakaway’s have simply not been allowed to go. It’s a mixture of poor riding from those making the move and the peloton keeping the pace high, but it’s worth noting today could be considered a transitional stage by the peloton.
That meaning, a breakaway may be given freedom. Then again, Marcel Kittel is on fire and I can’t see that being the order given to Quick Step.
It’s pancake flat for the first 142 kilometres, before they reach the intermediate sprint in Aire-Sur-L’Adour. That means there will be only 60 kilometres left on the day, and with the green jersey all but decided it will be interesting to see if Kittel bothers to go for the points.
The Category 4 Côte d’Aire-sur-l’Adour will be climbed directly afterwards, with the race then going up a 40 kilometre false flat that will be a leg burner.
It’ll then be a sharp drop off to the finish line, which has a slightly technical run in. A 90 degree turn to the left one kilometre out, then three corners in the final kilometre before a 500-metre straight-ahead sprint.
Prediction
Kittel. Seriously, it’s absolutely impossible to tip against the German right now. When he burst onto the scene a few years ago, you knew he was capable of this sort of performance.
Sure, a lot of sprinters have been ruled out of the race, but Andre Greipel has been blown off the road by him.
Kittel to make it five from eleven stages.
Be sure to join The Roar for live coverage of Stage 11 at the Tour de France from 11pm (AEST) and don’t forget to add your own comments throughout the course of the coverage.
Scott Pryde
Expert
Thanks for joining me this evening on The Roar for our live coverage of the Tour de France as Marcel Kittel won yet another stage. Brendon Vella will be live with Stage 12 this evening from 9pm (AEST). Be sure to join him then. Bye for now.
Scott Pryde
Expert
GENERAL CLASSIFICIATION 1. Chris Froome (Sky) @ 47:01:55 2. Fabio Aru (Astana) + 0:18 3. Romain Bardet (Ag2r) + 0:51 4. Rigoberto Uran (Cannondale) + 0:55 5. Jakob Fgulsang (Astana) + 1:37 6. Daniel Martin (Quickstep) + 1:44 7. Simon Yates (Orica) + 2:02 8. Nairo Quintana (Movistar) + 2:13 9. Mikel Landa (Astana) + 3:06 10. George Bennett (Lotto Jumbo) + 3:53
Scott Pryde
Expert
TOP TEN 1. Marcel Kittel (QuickStep) @ 4:34:27 2. Dylan Groenwegen (Lotto Jumbo) + 0:00 3. Edvald Boasson Hagen (Dimension Data) + 0:00 4. Michael Matthews (Sunweb) + 0:00 5. Daniel McLay (Fortuneo) + 0:00 6. Davide Cimolai (FDJ) + 0:00 7. Andre Greipel (Lotto-Soudal) + 0:00 8. Nacer Bouhanni (Cofidis) + 0:00 9. Ben Swift (UAE) + 0:00 10. Danilo Wyss (BMC) + 0:00
Scott Pryde
Expert
MARCEL KITTEL WINS STAGE 11! HE HAS 5 Bodnar desperately trying to hold off the peloton, but he is going to be caught just a couple of hundred metres out. What an effort from the Bora rider. Sabitini leading out for Quick Step as they past Bodnar. Kittel is nowhere to be seen and Boasson Hagen is going to go out of the wheel of Sabitini. He leads down the straight, with Matthews and Groenwegen. Kittel coming from nowhere and it's going to be the green jersey wearer again. He has won by the smallest of margins! Groenewegen comes through in second with Boasson Hagen third. Matthews and McLay round out the top five. Again, Greipel and Bouhanni well done. Marcel Kittel is a freak. he has 5 stage wins from 6 sprint finishes.
Scott Pryde
Expert
Here comes Sunweb and Dimension Data. Bodnar through the tight left hander and the peloton also get through there. Inside 1km to go.
Scott Pryde
Expert
Bodnar still holding 100 metres or so, but he will be caught. 1.5km to go and it's Quick Step in control.
Scott Pryde
Expert
Dimension Data starting to get their lead out together. 2km to go.
Scott Pryde
Expert
3km to go and the gap is 13 seconds. Bodnar should be caught now. At the front it's Quick Step working through Stybar. Lotto Jumbo and Katusha fanning out across the road to try and get to the front.
Scott Pryde
Expert
Bodnar into some technical sections on the run in to Pau now, but the gap is down to just 17 seconds with 4km to go.
Scott Pryde
Expert
Lotto Jumbo and Lotto Soudal also trying to get to the front now.
Scott Pryde
Expert
Bodnar is really going into the red zone now. 5.5 km to go for Bodnar and he holds 23 seconds.
Scott Pryde
Expert
Sunweb now getting organised on the right hand side of the road, Quickstep through the middle. Katusha in between them for Kristoff, and it also looks like Bora are hanging off, but sitting near the front nonetheless.
Scott Pryde
Expert
7km to go and the gap is still 32 seconds. Quick Step trying to do most of the work now, and it shows with ten seconds coming off that gap in the last 2km.
Scott Pryde
Expert
Tony Martin to the front for Katusha now.
Scott Pryde
Expert
11km to go now for Bodnar and he is still holding 40 seconds. Slight downhill and he is hitting speeds in excess of 70 km/h.
Scott Pryde
Expert
Sunweb now coming to the front for the first time since the intermediate sprint.
Scott Pryde
Expert
Quick Step doing all the work now at the front of the peloton.
Scott Pryde
Expert
Bodnar is doing everything in his power to hold off the rest of the peloton here. The gap is 50 seconds with 15km to go.
Scott Pryde
Expert
Good ride from Pantano. Contador is back in the bunch.
Scott Pryde
Expert
Contador is going to struggle to get back on here. He is approximately 500 metres behind the raging peloton, who are now holding Bodnar at 45 seconds. Vermonte and Bak the men setting the tempo for Quick Step and Lotto-Soudal respectively.