RACE REPLAY Tour de la Provence 2020 Stage 2 | Aubagne - La Ciotat

[Music] maresco kicks straight down the left-hand side of the road the Hani's trying to come through pass Moresco at the front Barney and Mahesh go shoulder-to-shoulder or is it gonna go it's going to NASA for hearty welcome back to GC and racing a live coverage of the Tour de la Provence today being staged to 175 kilometers from Urbana to la Ciutat we'll be taking you through all the action once again myself Marty MacDonald and also Bernie idle extra special guest for his last day today unfortunately but thanks for coming along again Bernie let's take a look back at what happened on the end of stage one yesterday as you saw in the highlights there at the beginning of the show it did end up in a bunch sprint at the end and it was taken in the end by NASA by Ani of archaea Samsa now he came around Jakub moreto who was leading through the last left hand corner and mareko did hold on for second place but Pascal in corn Bernie was not particularly happy with mareko coming into the final couple of hundred meters know he mentioned something on Twitter reddit next time please leave your hands on the handlebar I mean he's absolutely right and yeah old school yeah he took his hand off the bars to push a rider out of the way which in turn had a knock-on effects to Pascal in corn who wasn't particularly happy very happy on the day though it was that man NASA Varney who of course leads the overall classification of overall and he's now wearing Marty's favorite new jersey is beautiful isn't it the leader's jersey here in Provence it is indeed let's have a look through the stage today so as you say we head out over Albania to Lucille tap along the route pretty brutal start straight out of the blocks up a cat one climber go through the intermediate sprint onto a cat one in - a cat - then we're a long descent down to San si assume mare and we head down to over the cooked Brouillette and then we have a hill top finish this is the profile so you can see what the riders have to tackle today so lots of king of the mountains points on offer for the riders today it was Charlie quarterman after that breakaway yesterday that led the king of the mountains classification but this short punchy climb at the end should open up the general classification let's have a look at the roll out on what's happened so far today we've got a breakaway group they went clear early on in the stage Ernest of CCC Victor LaFave coffee decent sideral but B&B it was Yanis that led over the summit of that first Kingdom Anton's of the deck just ten and a half kilometers covered in the breakaway group really have built a real steady advantage over the peloton heading out to nearly nine minutes onto the first sprint from Bart and Alif a and they've also so far today as well lafha took the second king of the mountains over the called Erlich souped one they over the cook do massage I'm don't think I'm saying that right you're making the fate of an boxer means that Victor LeFay is now the virtual leader of the king of the mountains with 21 points and a we are a the race just inside 50 60 kilometers go 58 before the gap now down to the two minutes and Earth five seconds and I think they're all slightly surprised that the group only comprised of three riders today for the early break because her dimension Martin Marty it was a pretty tough climb out of the blocks today ten kilometers almost the hardest of the whole day in fact and we were expecting quite a few riders to be interested in going up the road to have a chance of stage victory and also for the points on offer in the king of the mountains but we've only got the three oh they had a maximum time gap of over eight minutes but that has tumbled dramatically over the last 40 kilometers and that bernie is mainly down to Astana and de koning quickstep who do we think they're riding for today I mean Astana it's pretty obvious they just actually really increase the speed now to make the race hard for luchenko and yeah well make it hard for the other guys and to bring luchenko to the bottom of the climb and everybody's tired and played the carts for he's a gear and Alexei Lukashenko Gorka is a gear the winner here of the race overall last year so we'll see how they get on at the end of today's stage the current quick step in the same way they haven't gotten out and out sprinter also don't really have an out-and-out climber you mentioned to me earlier Bernie about Remi car Vanya very very strong Frenchman but can you get up the climb with the with the climbers that are here ah it's a it is a steady climb and it seems like to be a bit of a head wind up all the way and as we can see really now if this is actually the same downhill as they're gonna do later on also as a run-up to the last climb to the finish and it is a tricky road really windy and this is I actually see actually the not having the whole palette on going into the yet a flat path before the last climb it's a wolf split in this downhill next time they go down here just a message from true star over on the the year the chat do I have to pronounce everything just say it actually you can't damned if you do any doubt if you don't Arnie my vs. does a fluid French speaker and ask how you say the names properly so we all do our best but hey hope any okay sir on the front leaning out here for the turning quickstep and dicker quickstep as well they've got Ian garrison in there as well the could be today and also some what we've been talking about a lot about mark Hershey for a teen son web and he got up there in the sprint yesterday to me I think he was ninth and I mean he he said top ten in pretty much every race he starts with so now he's definitely also a guide to look for today somebody pointing out in the comments as well that sadek earning quickstep also have the young climb here and drea badge early winner last year in fact of the under-23 ill Lombard ear so be interested to see what he is capable of at the end there's me a big fighters nether because they're a whole host of climbs more climbers here than sprinters yesterday Bharani taking the win of course but there are a whole host of names that you could imagine possibly taking the win at the end of today's race archaea Sam's it will be the most confident of everybody I think partly down to their win in the opening stage yesterday but also by virtue of the fact they've got nairo quintana here amongst their ranks and judging by his only other race races this year of the Colombian national championships is going pretty well because he finished second in the Tantra behind Daniel Martinez of EF Pro Cycling and he managed to put away Eggen Bernal in that time trial as well so whether that's down to a new position and great form or just grateful we'll wait and see at the end of the day yeah it's Q care the right now be look at Nara and you look at now going to are care Sam sick but if you look back over the over the course of his preps overlooked this course of seasons where he took quite a different approach denis in the running to the Tour de France he used to ride flashed a surd and and those sort of races although we kind of may be looking and thinking it's quite an unusual move for him to go to our care Sam sake he has always had a slightly different approach in the lead into the Grand Tours anyway so maybe this is something that you know we said yesterday there are there they looking with massive Bharani a bit like a ragtag bunch real scrappy riders maybe this is is really gonna be this sort of thing that he needs to revitalize possibly I seem to be working for them so far doesn't it two wins already for I care some sick this year at Li from NASA bouhanni and yeah I can't wait see I can't Anna gets on at the end of the day's race you do wonder whether he's slightly disappointed not to be doing the tour Columbia two point one at the man which is offered to you a huge race over there cycling being a huge sport in Columbia but I've no doubt he'll be happy to take the win here too maybe manages it indeed so if you're not with if you joining us on GC and racing for the first time don't forget please subscribe to the channel that always helps and especially on the live broadcast as well give us a thumbs up on the live because that helps with all that internet jiggery-pokery that none of us understand but it's very important so I know lots of you watching so give it give the live coverage a thumbs up if you liked it and don't forget subscribe it's got loads of racing Dan and I going head-to-head this weekend in a competition so we've got to cyclocross races live this weekend so you'll want to watch that and then come back and watch down on demand later on we'll see much we'll see what the numbers say at the end of it well two minutes and 32 seconds the gap now doesn't seem like it's going to be one for the break today again and not unexpected that because it's a race where lots of climbers want to try and take their first win of the season here so they've got two more climbs to go interestingly the final climb to the finish isn't categorized even though it's one of the hardest ones that they're going up today but they had four categorized climbs the last one of those laboulaye is still to be tackled that's a third category 2.4 cage is the official one at eight and a half percent but looking at Strava and other resources we reckon it's a bit longer than that Bernie don't win it's quite a hard climb which comes with 24 K's to go yes we look it up and it's around the eight and a half nine minute effort and especially with the wind today it's like we're the forecasters as straight headwind most of the way up there so I think it will be a little bit more yeah blocked er really to go for a long long run and as we can see like I said before is like it that the punch is absolutely stretched out and next lap it's gonna or next time they come down here it's gonna know there will be nobody waiting anymore it will be all in for the final clock as the nod to connect to accept and more they're on the front of the peloton coffee dese well up there as well Warren bargain French national champion 30 bulky might fancy his chances bit of a kick today yeah me and what certainly another team that have got cards to play because they have winner a Nocona as well son web that we've already talked about have three cards to play will Kirk elderman Sam moment we're not sure how he's going to be going because this is his first race back after a severe injury that he picked up at the Giro d'Italia last year a lot of people in the comments Marty going 40 member business SEP cus now which is a great shout really given how well he was racing at the end of last year rode his heart out didn't he for Primos rubbish all the way through the but three of well ter Spanier and yet still managed to take a stage win from the break his first win outside of the USA i think that was as well so he's already been named on their tour de france team human Bove yzma setting a precedent of sorts by naming their Tour de France team before the start of the year I think it was it's a good move though I mean Bernie it musk you know you can see the guys in here especially early on in the season these are the days when they get there they're sort of opportunities but I suppose if you can then completely tailor your training throughout from this point all the way through to July in terms of making sure that you hit peak form at that time rather than am I gonna get selected and we're not gonna get selected do I need to save something and get those get those opportunities is that a big bonus it is a big bonus and especially also for the team I mean it's the the pressures off there's of the media questions are lessened but at the same time for each rider the pressure comes from himself he still has to be on top of the game it doesn't mean he's because he's on the list it's definitely gonna go to the tour and actually here we see that big roundabout this time they're gonna go all the way around to the left and the next time when they come down it's pretty much straight over straighter with the next round about and been going on the coastline and this is about free Kaazing into the last climb and what impressed me more with sap kiss and especially also his team having the latest jersey working every day at the front and then still being allowed to go and break and winning the stage is we haven't seen in cycling in many years it was an absolute phenomenal performance that day from set curse there's another rider that I've quietly I can see popping up on the comments as well as Eddie Dunbar from young team in your so now I'm a big fan of the Irishman I think he I think he's a really really exciting talent and when you see him ride last year tour Yorkshire which was just he just why don't I sit in the on the front of the breakaway and you were thinking gonna swing off and sit back in a minute but as the the Irishman CCC's look with team in EOS with tear gauge in heart and Pavel civico who's got to be a favorite for this race maybe up month on to my limit is losses today potentially and have a crack tomorrow but for any us they're bringing that next generation through a man Eddie Dunbar has got to be one of those those those riders for the for the future yeah you came close to a stage when at the Giro d'Italia last he already done but I must admit I had a question mark hanging over his name for a couple of years because he was such an incredibly talented junior racer in fact so talented that they were odds on him winning the Tour de France in the next 10 years as he came out of the Junior category which you don't get very much but then didn't really shine tended to sort of always go in the breakaways at any big races he did then was picked up by I think it was Team Sky at the time when he didn't get a contract our team folded I think the year before didn't it so they've offered him something aqua-blue folding before the welter or before the Tour of Britain should I say slightly caught out there on the left-hand side of the road but yeah he really kind of came to the fore last year and started to show everyone how much talent he really does have Eddie Dunbar so top 10 overall in this race I think last year and could well go better this year and of course the other riders you can watch out for today thibaut pinot coming back into racing as a world a bigger do the French run from group Armour fdj it's looking to see the replay there of the riders just going through the middle you can see the gap now forty eight point seven to go one minute and 57 our beautiful Mondrian inspired Jersey the leaders Jersey that we got in the top corner there and those of you that have been around for a while remember La Vie Claire the Jersey that was inspired by by that as well but it is is phenomenon alight now not just going yellow or you know copying something else which just have to try to get you want yeah see if there you know you think if we mention I like it enough they might post me on well I mean Marty lighted so much we did say that if anybody from the organization is listening you'd like to post Marty elitist Jersey he threw up salutely dumbfounded I think but very pleased of it as well also in the comments section maybe we talked to that a GCM Mondrian inspired kit you never know that would be that would be a nice a nice sir take it that one but it's a beautiful day for a gentle by crowd around the South by trot around the South of France isn't it stunning look at it hello the director loves the helicopter shot I just it here's a stunning shot Downey if you get the opportunity come down and taking this by the way we kind of touched on it yesterday a little bit in terms of the the sort of resurgence of the of the European races because we always had it traditionally started parry knees criterium international and then all the races you know rooted they'll saw Long's all those sort of races and there with this one now it's sort of five years in it's it's a sort of rebirth of a lot of this part of the of the world and and tourism and seeing this part such a big part of of these races definitely and it's a torments like back in the day is it was just great to could go out there like today is like I mentioned it yesterday when the Sun is not out it's everywhere in the world it just it looks grim and it's the same area and the day the Sun is out and it just looks like a hundred times better and you just want to go over the holiday the line out here sir - Kirk except here come teams somewhere mark here she you can see they're just on the back of the lead outs here EF education first yes coach cycling yes sorry you can tell that I'm just switching from cross the road though gonna go over that one let's get the newsletter oh there's so many riders as well you get back into the into the road season here's your breakaway group if you're just getting on board with our coverage this breakaway here you of CCC Victor lafay of coffee DS and zero path from B&B going clear very very early on in the stage today this man here is the virtual leader of the king of the mountains classification it's good to see them up here on this one and they're being beat on those KTM bikes coffee dese of course switching to DeRosa this year on the the red DeRosa bikes and the gap has been steadily dropping here two minutes and two seconds here's the time gap with forty seven point one kilometers to go just along the route still to come at 40 kilometers to go so just under four K time we have the intermediate sprint at San Siro mayor and then the coke debris lap with twenty three and a half kilometers to go and then we have this this finishing climb up to the finish today three point four kilometers eight percent is the finish climb and you am gonna look a little bit early on Bernie at the running is it quite a technical run in towards the finish what you think and positioning wise going into that final climb I did it's already the downhill before then it opens up a little bit again and then I mentioned the two roundabouts leading into and it's mostly the last eight hundred meters before it really starts climbing up where for really sharp right hand that followed by a sharp left hand above traffic islands in the middle and an another right-hander and then there in the climb already so but it you have to be at the front really to play a role otherwise here it's just to catch up all the time and you just lose to too much energy to be there and it's like in every race now it's the key not to lose time in the downhill to be positioned well and we also see now will be the cold you grulla kept free only but definitely windy over the top and then passing actually the stick we Paul Ricca so the Tomoko racecourse its and an airport is up there so it's definitely a little bit exposed do you think the Cote debris lack could be there could be that decisis is 23 and 23 and a half kilometers to go any kind of rolls over the top it's not an immediate descent isn't if if anyone's out looking at this today and they they don't want to go into that final climb with someone like he's got a bit of fight he's a bit fiery Lyle XA luchenko or someone like that it might be that that climb might be the best place to try and get away potentially uh yeah or at least fall for them for Astana is just to keep the pace on to make it heart and to make everybody stuff on the wheel and that's what they actually did for the last two years is was not saving any energy it was just like really making it hard for everybody and it worked out really well for them over the years now and today yeah and luchenko is definitely up there for me I also have still the teammate of serial party Tommy eldest laughter he's like who showed really good form last week and in the Saudi tour and I think he could also well he's a good result at the top today you wanna make predictions now then guys well should we do yeah let's do that now I will ask the people at home also to make their predictions for today's stage now you can get involved in the GC as well today is the first of the GC days tomorrow is the one that should decide it finishing as they do at shall arena 2/3 of the way up Mont 1/2 at 1400 and something meters above sea level who did I go for today I did I already say yesterday or not I'm gonna let you go first cuz I haven't actually chosen it you what are you okay I'm going with Alexa Jenko today from Astana for the victory and I said to you Cathy yesterday tonight for the overall I think I've gotta stick with I think I'm gonna go stick with you I think I got to go with that one I think this is a year who's gonna you had a great year last year that epic victory you know on his own told us whis and yeah I think I think it's the year that Hugh steps up right well I am going for go do Davi go do a group armor fdj to take the win just in front of nairo quintana with hugh Karthi and third as your top three for the day okay any time you want this yeah it's too many I mean you mentioned a lot of them and I have to choose somebody else to it's like I I'm actually then going a little bit 4c birkoff and tap for today I need a French ride out there so I go for Peter nuttin sorted Azir and Tommy out this laughter okay that's in the best of Tommy otter for a few years and we and Alexander Jenny's could also be up there as a former winner of this race won a couple of stages here and he actually also holds the Stryver kom for that last climb so it has been used at the Tour de France before but it's also been used a few times at La Marseillaise the one day race that kicks off the season really over here in Europe so that kom was taken back in 2018 probably not gonna go today Bernie is it although on that day it wasn't the final climb but today is a headwind up that climbs it will be interesting to see just how quickly they go up it's been quite swirly the wind today as make as we step when we're headed out of her bones we had the little loop that went over the top of that first cap one climb and then they had ahead a lot of headwind for a while and in kind of swirling we've been kind of keeping an eye on the window like that Bernie likes his weather maps as much as I do but it's been quite swirly and changeable today yes and especially this morning I looked I was like at 7 o'clock it was still like seven K's an hour wind and like gusts and abut normal wind speed was fifty five K's an hour so yeah I think the guys are pretty happy it's only around 2030 case an hour right now and also having a there's is also modern cycling we have another sprint 1k like 100 meters last 600 is going straight up yeah there we go bass goes for a hundred meters to the intermediate sprint so you can see putting it on the climb here nicely done so BMB hotels retail concept presented by KTM is the team they make it nice along so now goes on the attack see robot and you're not caught Victor love fake but behind him so that's the final intermediate sprint of the day done we then have the final categorised climb of the des Victoires leading now in the king of the mountains classification it's a cat 3 climb to come 2.4 kilometers eight and a half percent that's with the twenty-three point five kilometers to go but it's it's quite lumpy through the whole days pretty lumpy but from here kind of up and down rock and rolling up to the the top of this of this next climb back to the front of the peloton Astana coffee D stacker neck Quick Step means you see the yumbo bhisma jerseys just moving up on the left of your picture this is your skin getting themselves into position look slightly chenko just moving up on the outside yeah sorry Benny I was just about to say that coffered is probably riding for Hayes's Harada today a very good climber think you want to stay to the world to last year didn't he his brother came close as well be also won the new one day race at Mont Ventoux last year in front of Rowan bar day so he'll know the slopes of tomorrow's finish very well indeed I was not asking Bernie what percentage of the current peloton race in a one-piece kind of skin suit on the road and how many still use the old bib shorts and jersey a day like today most of them actually are in bib shorts and jerseys change it's actually going a bit more old-school again not having the skin suit on every single day and there was times likely when riders did not even ask for bit shorts anymore and really I was I've met the riders and training there were the skin suits and like I just did not order enough bib shorts and jerseys for a row for training so I have to go out let's get to it so you can get one piece winter clothing now can't you you seen that yes I mean that was back you should have cyclocross as they're fleecy skin soon cyclocross but that's an old one we used to you know how one D D saw had wonder no I don't like I've never had a one-piece winter outfit leave my bike anyway brilliant stuff I still have I've got a brand new one though oh yeah they send it over in the comments are quite a few prediction to the stage coming in a few people going for Eddie Dunbar DJ rebelling saying Erin burrow is faster than that cinco so we'll see what they use him Muskaan Driss dev anand's has also been predicted for today's win he's the man that's at the Cadel Evans great ocean road race a couple of weeks ago for the de Koning quickstep squad as I continued and in the coin sir send us your predictions for today's stage and we'll see who gets the most boats and who's right at the end or just moving up on the outside see pavel Civic of just second wheel back here just getting brought through towards the front somewhere I've had a good start to the season as many teams have a lot of teams in the world cycling now I've really got their there years and kick-started them with many victories any one of these teams that are still waiting for that first victory of the season it's the connect quick step very ominous by their presence or mass at the front of this peloton so they want to keep their leaders up towards the front of this one I'll care sound sick nairo quintana you can see just a couple of wheels back now to really jockeying for position now at the front of Kenko a couple of wheels back on the wheel of Fabio Fellini now as the shrine set this one up knee Podell Cobham provence plenty of riders up towards the the front of this one hose econ calvess is the for the man from portugal in there for me Fidelco one Provence so you can't um can't overlook the the smaller teams in this race can you because this is for them any opportunity for the likes of nepo to go up against the world tour teams as this big scalps on offer and on days like this and all the small teams it's just stepping up year by year and just become more professional and it is you know and this is their window it's like nearly racing at her they are racing at home so they they know what's and stack and it's we have Falls of the Ethiopian highly Raquel mulu is like young guy and we'll be good to see him where we can see him or really near the front and like really searching for it so yeah 21 years old if you weren't with us at the top of the program the race today straight up that first climb 10 and a half kilometers the first summit and it was a category 1 climb just a fast majority of the peloton just roll their eyes on a day level and they put a cat one climb straight out the blocks are especially now we were it's February so it's like you know how much that's gonna than how much your lungs are gonna burn and at the same time a Sunni at the start line and start is giving you a you ain't it and you just have to do it and you will cry the next time it's pretty wasn't quite as brutal as many people including us we're expecting at the start today given that three white riders were allowed up the road almost immediately so presumably they went fairly steady in the peloton behind but I can imagine most people were warming up before the start today Bernie uh yeah for sure as like definitely half the peloton and on the turbo in front of the bus and just her yeah that's something else that's changed since I left the sport about eight years ago I did warm up once Rhetor the front stage that finished on a very big climb not on a turbo trainer I actually started going up the climb with J's Hunt and we got to a certain point where we decided we'd better turn round but get to the start on time and just in front I'd seen Julian Dean tackled to the ground by policemen who thought he was just a tourist on the route of the Tour de France and we left into it we didn't help him because we feel he might we might miss the start if we did but I think thankfully Julian Dean did manage to make it back down to the start and manage to explain to the French policeman that he was part of the race one writer who I'm surprised you haven't gone forward today down you know is mass now Fausto messin harder well we'll see we'll see how he gets on in his first year in the world tour now isn't it having come over from the andro knee-jerk athlete team now riding for the CCC team so they'll be hoping to take their first win today but he's up against some stiff opposition which is why I didn't go for it for someone like my Snider bernie is the the difference in the the the step up between when you're with Andrew team like and Rhoni and you're dipping in and out of World Tour races and then the step up is there still a bit of a gap or as you said a moment ago with some of the teams is it is it a lot closer together now it is a lot closer together now but for him he was just a yeah gives it it was time for him I mean what he showed last year in the Giro pretty much over the three weeks and just being out there and breaking just winning stages and but for him it was definitely also a big switch because of the the stress is always getting more like you from the team but especially from himself because he wants to prove I can I can repeat that I can do it year by year that that's what everybody's definitely worth trying to show out there today to it's like I marked him but I'll actually for the same is it then you would choose him today Susan well we'll see might be long Willie and I'm expecting a little bit of action on this the penultimate climb in the last classified climb which they'll be starting reasonably soon as I said the top of it comes at just under 24 kilometers before the finish so in a roundabout well it's a seven kilometers from now they'll be starting that climb you can see it's all getting nervous behind the riders who are leading the peloton copy this and Astana I've been doing the job of bringing the brakes time gap down over the last few kilometers held steady for a little while there hasn't it around two minutes but behind everybody else starting to jostle for position big Ian Stan our yogi there now with beard bring his INEOS teammate up towards the front he looks so imposing with that bear now doesn't it I mean he always is but quite an imposing individual but now with the it's it's someone else I mean it they're going let quite easy at a moment and just waiting now for the real client to start and we can see the team's actually all spreading out a little bit and not giving room on the sides to get past and the bended wash machine is like and you all will see a little bit of a flip on the side that Jumba bhisma is doing a really good job on the right side and we also have seen how fit is taking it on and at this point with Narada sitting in third wheel so interesting move to tell us about the art of positioning Bernie because we talked about positioning being crucial before Sprint's before the starts have climbs etc and I think probably most people think well if you want to be at the front just go to the front at the right time but it's a bit more complicated and difficult than that isn't it it is a lot of timing involved because he at the same time you can get past all the time we will see now he nails on the left side is like there like I said a bit spread out and they know there is being be on there wheel and if BMV does it the right way they wait and wait and wait and when the road gets a bit more or get smaller tightened up and down they parted nails in the right moment it's you don't really have to put in an effort to do so and it's the same way for when he come to a junction then it's sometimes it's enough to do like a 500-meter effort and you you're in the right spot and some other teams take it on free case to go and at the end you just probably lost two riders and wasted the energy actually there's constant fight though isn't it because you can get yourself into the right position and then 30 seconds later find that you've lost 30 places already so you constantly having to try and move up in that washing machine as you describe it because otherwise you're gonna just end up at the back again and not in the right place at all yes especially in the classics and that even today where everybody knows that down hill already now so how tricky it's going to be and the moment when you lose concentration for a second there's at the moment when you're gonna get passed by ten riders and you're like oh how did this happen and then you probably get a little bit nervous and this is also when we sometimes see crashes happening because people overestimating themselves a little bit too much and I'll imagine it must be getting harder and harder because there's so much more information for the riders now isn't there in terms of looking at the geography and the twists and turns of a stage and pinpointing exactly where those turns the important ones are going to come so information that you didn't have 10-15 years ago maybe well I do remember when I am when we first had garments I used to start plotting my own GPX routes of certain races back in 2011 and plot and putting them into my Garmin so for example at the Tour of Denmark where there was a windy day it was headwind for most of the stage I could see exactly on my bike computer where the left-hand turn was coming even though I didn't know the roads at all and it was a tremendously valuable tool for me to make the right effort at the right time to get into the position how many of the riders using that on their head units now are they yes more and more and I mean you can upload the whole cheap yaks and then have to count down now to like 600 metres 500 metres to the left-hander I actually never did it I did it once and it just got more nervous so I always oh is it like old school I like okay remembered like three four points in the race kilometer 50 426 I have to be there and the rest are just they stayed attentive and you were a numbers on the stem kind of man to do it yes or I'm up by my head before trashed you know when we when we're sitting kind of before commentary as well and that's the thing is like dance for dad to say Bernie you're the same sitting looking through this and you and for viewers out there before you come into it you're saying you were sitting just going I remember we came through in the tour and this goes up here and then we swing left here and we go right here and it's just the amount of information you actually retain it as a as a rider over the years it's fascinating to sit and listen to it's crazy when you were with cyclists and you see and pictured just popping up from a race and just everybody in the room is like yeah if he was in the races like it at this was there this year and and and know who won the race it's like it's just with a Clint of a picture I have almost no recollection of where I was in any race really there's been times I've been researching something at the Giro d'Italia for commentary purposes found a climb scene whether it's been used before yeah it was a used in 2010 while I was in that race I didn't remember this climb at all you weren't asleep for most of the time worried well did you just have you hit that we just chewing the stem doctor I was suffering a lot generally on any climb so yeah for it the maybe I've so deliberately subconsciously raised all of those painful memories from from my head I got a little message here from her keep Ella Murphy I probably haven't said that right we've got our rider in there from is is it Yakko hernán have I said that right our key for a treat while I'm on the out how's your finish yeah it's the O's in Aires they call Henin and yeah okay right Bernie's pronunciation in the comments out of 10 yeah don't rate mine I get enough grief just from yeah yeah Stan odd we've made okay boys we hand Ian yeah we're good at that we're all right with that looking around in front of your peloton you can see 133 is your time gap coffee dese are up towards front here come here for education first and you can just see the Russian national champion Alexander for last off for Aston eyes got the stripes across the jersey they've gone all out on his national champions Jersey lots of predictions nairo quintana seems to be the real popular pick for today if you are just getting on board here today on GC and racing thanks you company tour de la Provence stage to Evander to the CEO tap this is the second of four stages and move on to is the stage tomorrow up to Catholic arena and don't forget subscribe to channel give us a thumbs up on our live broad today that would be much appreciated you got your three right a leading group yonas clock of CCC Victor lafay of cofidis and serial bath of B&B hotels retail concept those are your a breakaway riders gap were well in excess of eight minutes just before the hundred kilometers ago mark and it's been steadily dropping coffee dese up here we're thinking hey Zeus Harada one rider in in a coffin is who quite a few years ago and what is was yes / Hansen who had he had some great winds up in yeah and their likes of torn Norway and Ashton are before he was with thugs against it he was with sack so wasn't he so he was with the teams like sack so when he when he won up it Noro bike ride oh good set by mark on the front there in the pink now for EF pro cycling a man who will be building steadily for the classics and the cobbles that have to come in April with the Tour of Flanders and Perry Roubaix and they're enjoying a great start to the season EF pro cycling I saw in the comments saying that Magna score is a hundred to one from alanis and rima at the end of March so not bad outside bet you know 20 quid on that one no you never know it might be worth it mud well good won't you never know it's one of those races San Remo where you look at the start list and the odds then you decide that everybody's got a chance of winning that's well he'll sports director will tell you in the morning just over the EF pro cycling riders just having a little bunny hop over the pavement there there you get as they went right just run you through who they've got here Daniel can get Hugh Karthi Magnus courts or even Guerrero Villalobos Sean Bennett and set fan mark is your EF pro cycling team for this one getting towards this final climb of the day of the final categorised climb of the day is a hill top finish Atlas you tap 3.4 kilometers eight percent the next climb the summit of which comes with twenty three and a half kilometers to go it's a 2.4 kilometer and where they've categorized the climb for as you can see they've been rising in that climbing and for quite a while eight and a half percent maximum gradient get up to 391 meter so for Victor Luffy in that breakaway group virtual leader of the King the mountains he'd be looking to try and take their category three points over the top of that one just bring up speed with the other competitions going into today's stay so NASA bouhanni wearing that beautiful Mondrian inspired leaders Jersey was leading the uck of Moresco by four seconds and it's so low at six Charlie quarterman and yo and yeah cobs were up there in fourth and fifth loose llueve I was sixth koromon combo Pierre barbiere whoo coughs veteran Chris lawless all sprinters we expecting a changing of the guard at the top of that one that means bow Hani leading in the points classification ten points to morash goes eight and Charlie quarterman six quarterman leading in the King the mountains going into today just three points though it looked like he was having a bit of trouble early got distanced early on in the stage he is leading in the best young riders competition ahead of ya cops and llueve and some where were leading surface one Teague go there and trick siga Fredo in the team classification it was good to see Charlie Kaufman in the break yesterday and he was he said in interviews and Magnus Baxter was telling me that he's been coaching charlie yeah last couple of seasons which is good for that yes so be very pleased to soon rise up to the World Tour ranks once it's have been such a big season really for quartz man to find his feet can be hard as a as a first-year Pro to settle down into the World Tour ranks often riders have the power which is why they've got the results that are burnt them a place in the world tour but it's just learning the sort of the rules of the road really and it just is a bit faster Bern is there even though not necessarily fast on the clients but it's the run into the climbs that can catch you out when you're not used to it yes it's mostly the running because you will be pretty much on your hands and knees already when you hit the client but I don't want to be a young rider I wouldn't do that I would love to be professional bike rider again and start from scratch but nowadays it's like Charlie Charlie Quartermaine yesterday doing a great job and this is that he every one of them will be measured by the nowadays of Remco been appalled and they they boo gotcha for example yeah like coming up and just dominating the sport and in their first and second year pro and when you come with an a near prone on the line is like the pressure that they are building it up themselves is like it must be men's now back in the day we had time is like don't stress too much and don't burn yourself out too early it's a you have a long career and it's a learning process and learning curve and nowadays it's like somebody will say look at this guy you can win the bike race in the first year you had 19 years to learn the ropes yeah I mean I I had 12 I did the tour 12 times and 21 days finished all of them and never won a stage so that sums up pretty much you know had many chances and it failed do you think is wonder the way that the modern peloton is going in seeing the way that teams and if you mean I remember going back and I think down when we were away on the Baltic Catalunya talking to Neil Stevens the the year that the the Yates brothers were kind of stepping up I think you might have been there and the the your Aviat with you best in the world as a junior and the best in the world as an under-23 and it is it almost as well keeping that fire burning under those riders rather than putting them into a support role and kind of getting into that that rhythm and keeping keeping that winning vibe and keeping that kind of that swagger that the young guys coming in almost have rather than putting them into a support role now for three three years until they're just slightly older it's really hard to say what it's the best what works the best and most of the young guys come up now already like on date they just want to be and Luke just want to go out there and show themselves went bike races they are like we were not that like let's say Aldo when we were kids when we when we told how they are now went through the training and everything they used to do already as juniors and under-20 freeze is so much harder than what we do them they're just used to those efforts and that really hard racing stuff what's your thoughts suppose the teams and riders in the the way that the sport is changing every ride around if I've all got power meters they're looking at that data the coaches can can analyze that data has that been a big part of the of this shift because riders coming through whether you're an amateur rider or a young rider coming up you can see the numbers that the pros are doing and you've got pros as I just mentioned someone like Magnus and Danny Danny Rowe who's making a huge difference to two riders as well with her coaching that that it's made it a lot more so much more scientific but you can also see what the big guys are doing yes I mean in made it not easy out and probably also not fares like but you already know at some point is like okay this is gonna be you will turn professional and you you know probably the better you swap over to another discipline and it's actually also sad to see because sometimes people probably don't get enough time to develop themselves and but that's a it's professional sport I had a love-hate relationship with the power meter because I loved it because I made some pretty big gains once I started training a bit more scientifically with one and when I did start training with one which must have been 2004 or five I think and there wasn't that much data out there from previous pro riders but one of the data points that was out there was an estimation of what Chris balsley done here is our report which was something along the lines of 440 watts a thing which basically meant that we were in completely different zones so his threshold was my vo2 max effort so that that was a bit depressing because I did all the way up until that point as a rider sort of believe that if I kept working hard really kind of dedicated myself to the sport that eventually I could be one of the top riders and then when I actually realized the gold numbers between what I was putting out and what the top rise in the sport would out I think I decided that perhaps even with all the will in the world all the best training all the best nutrition I probably was never gonna be that good and you were a pioneer Dan you got to say that though if you were early power meter take your take her honor 18 seconds is your gap you can see the peloton in the background from our breakaway group and the man on the back the virtual leader in the king of the mountains probably done enough to keep holder they could cease starting to maybe hurt just a little bit on the back of the group this is the final categorised climb of today's stage of them descend down and then they've got a 3.4 kilometer finishing climbers lafay just starts to slip off the back of the group now under the pressure here a siddha bathroom but B&B hotels you only from a CCC and right on the wheel so really now they took that last intermediate sprint so he's looking good in this one we'll see what the actions like on the the front of the peloton are they really gonna try and disintegrate this peloton now are they gonna leave it till that final final climb to really set things up for today Stage two and it's a pretty hard climb I mean we are the first two kilometers is an average of nine percent and which parts nearly 11 percent steep like we have here you know and then it flattens off for the last 800 meters or something and it is definitely we see their suffer face on and probably Yanis actually has a chance to still get to K on point you know can they hang on the summit's of this is a couple of kilometres now from the top of this one see some riders starting to drift off the back of the peloton still a lot of those pink jerseys from EF Pro Cycling right in the centre of the group so they'll be looking to try and set this one up it's Errol bar still pressing on the front you and it's looking comfortable in second wheel as the Phaedrus right back to the group about to catch in the police motorbikes just getting they're having a little look around the front of the peloton here so plenty of some web jerseys along with the nepo Delco on Provence jerseys 82 armondi ah here comes warren boggy in that trickle or jersey just moving up trans we'll see how that evolves exciting days Nick kind of looking at how that Warren bargain nairo quintana kind of dynamic it could play out yeah especially nasib one he was like had to finish yesterday saying it's like it was great to see warren and my teammates all putting the elbows out and just trying to do yeah put me in the better perfect position unknown they did what knew just saw God do David go do moving up number 62 Darius just moving up there he's got his teammate right on the wheel reading mole up right behind him Robert Hess Inc their number 91 from yama bhisma my pick of the day alexia chenko yeah number two as Groupama fdj just trying to gather the riders towards the front of this one let's have a little look down through the the peloton here so for a young boy bhisma fans 94 is set cus the helicopter here just having a little glance around to the peloton just trying to pick out a few riders God who moved up quite quite nicely there Denis jumped up towards the front yeah it didn't look hard for him to make his way to the front did it but I doesn't look to me like they're going particularly hard on decline given that they've only taken five seconds out of the breakaway that's been out there all day long which I'm surprised about actually because I thought they'd like to go hard just to reduce the parrot on a bit just to make it a bit more safe going into that final climb because as we've already talked about as Bernie did his homework this morning it's quite a technical running to that final climb today with along the seafront couple of sharp corners before they get to the start of it so positioning really is going to be crucial coming into that last five case yeah but I think what we see here is now it's like it is windy we don't see the trees really moving but it's I think that have a block headwind and so if you put you guys at the front you you race two riders and you don't really make it hard enough for the guys too soft on the wheel and so I think everybody's waiting told ya you nearly come to the top and then we come through where the feet zone was before and this is hopefully where all the positioning will happening this rail stardom nation here we go the attacks are starting on the climb here just they see one kilometer to going out to the king and a mountains point and going if it is that's making the move off the fronts and Sean Bennett in there for EF so I get to see him making the move but one rider in there for CCC Israel startup nation riders this is what we need a little bit of action as ionut dances across to the right-hand side of the road now makes his move as Bernie said he want the king of the mountains points at the top of this one we're inside the one kilometer to go now to the summit took the first to climb of the day and if he wants this king the mountains title with two days to go this getting and picking up as many points as he can in this one is super important now some web start to attack me Robert hair sink just moving up on the outside so riders now starting to make their moves on this final categorised climb of the day they said we've got a summit hill up to the finish so good move this chasing group well being chased down by his teammate brother looks at things hopefully they doesn't take his king of the mountains points away from him at the top yeah you reckon there's still kilometer to go Marty out on my ear on my sheet it said that the top was going to come at twenty three point nine kilometers to go but 500 meters there to the top to seem the sign there so he might just about hang on for this one mic - indeed I'm a little look back at that chasing group so knee pose Delco on Provence two riders in there for them it's yumbo bhisma that are doing the work on the front of the peloton your honors course is about five hundred meters to go towards the the summit of this for maximum points the peloton just gets dragged back up to that group one somewhere jersey in they're not quite in focus just yet from the helicopter shot will you make out who that is but it's definitely starting light up on the back end here of stage two of two de la Provence another big attack coming now from the peloton just thinking actually after you mentioned in Marti that we haven't talked too much about Robert K sinc of T myung-bo Vesna I've been focused on set curse who was one of the revelations late last year but I think is a great climb in his own right but it does tend now to work more for other people in the team he does for himself but given that they haven't got their a team here with the likes of raw glitch and the other big climbs that they've got in that team then you might have a chance he might do indeed so yonas cork goes over the top of the final kom of the day and takes maximum points there as the peloton pretty much coming back together it's Roman combo that that takes second he was in the breakaway group yesterday was Roman combo this is the point Burnley as well where the teams that want to try to win today's stage are going to have to be careful aren't they because we don't have a descent straight after this climb they've got a plateau here for a few kilometers before they descend down and it's not long until the final climb of the day so this is the point at which a couple of attacks could go up the road and actually gain a little bit of time if people don't start riding behind immediately yeah I think it will store again we have we will have a big left-hander on top now and the wind will change completely direction and then we as the road we have seen before it's been in and out all the time and not really widely on the top on the plateau but it will be enough for the teams to block the road than the left and ride and this is always a really dangerous point for for the teams if they get past on one side and this is a it's kind of an interesting one till they really hit the downhill we see also Peter Sarah now like really moving up history dives down on the inside so they got to keep the pressure now over the top of this one and mulu highly michael is up there for nepo Delco won and he was a rider you were picking out earlier he looks like he's quite close towards the front a couple of riders back just in the front of that next group I mean we definitely know who's gonna be in the break tomorrow that will attack at the start is combo or yawners cough they will definitely go for the moment Jersey tomorrow and that'll be interesting EF who three riders lined out so this little breakaway just off the front and it's not quite getting established here if looking to try and set this one up Peter Sarah looking good 22.2 km/h really battling into this headwind so this little trio of leaders just trying to clip off the front hit persisting with this effort I think it's Walt Bartow isn't it Oh si si si well it's the card at the back now doesn't it you can see that they've made their effort on the climb but the pace has continued to be high over the top with those attacks off the front and the barriers who've been suffering on the climb probably suffering even more now just to keep up on the flat but all still together the whole race in fact now together pretty much barring any risers that were dropped on that previous climb we did in fact have one rider that's abandoned today's race that being Martinez built of team's Sun wave due to a crash and not sure of anybody else was involved in that one but he's no longer a part of the race not so here come group Armour FDJ just moving up yep on the front here comes jumbo bhisma in the yellow Bobby Starr moving through and more be stopped the team for them they've got in this one he say gaps collect this printer you home on your own yeah Cubs Lewis Massa past you Mora Edward Portis and David vieja that's the that's team movi start that era is in this race coffee'd is trying to get back up towards the front but it's EF pro cycling that have got the front looking serious now as they try and line this one up and climb up to the finish is it out of the realms of matters someone like Magnus caught he can climb really well can't see on his dare remember that stage that he won at Perry nice last year was it I think it was in pennies last year and he was very very strong from the breakaway there it's slightly different isn't it when you come into it in one bunch and you have got pure climbers but it isn't that long at the end so the ones that you get a lot of rides don't like Greg Vanover mark who's a great climber when there's only one or two climbs on a day he can't produce it back-to-back on on day after day at a Grand Tour but on one he's very very good in Magnus court I would say he's along those lines really got a very fast finish but in one effort of around ten minutes he'd be very good as well yeah with him you never know he won the stage last year one of the hardest stages in Perry nice where everybody said it's gonna be way too hard for the sprinters and he proved us wrong again and he has to he has these days and I've seen him in thinking too of York shoal so two-and-a-half K's up and he definitely can produce some lactate and dollar rate lactate we are seeing kind of an evolution of a lot of riders sprinters as they now come through archaea Sam ting up towards the front and a lot of the sprinters and we saw Viviani last year getting into breaks and an Andre Greipel always said it when he was in the breaks in in the Spring Classics you've got to be so much more than a sprinter now yes pure sprinters it's like you you don't really have a good time in protype peloton anymore you don't enjoy yourself too much it before you can't get dropped over a motorway bridge anymore Kenyan in some of these races I wonder if Warren Warren barky was in the wind a little bit then and he wasn't right on the front of the peloton but he was certainly at the head of his team are care Sam stick now slotting into second position which made me wonder if they're all out for nairo quintana today I was gonna say earlier on actually that it could be quite a big race for him this one Warren bog you I know that sounds strange it's not the biggest race by far that he'll be tackling this year but after what was a reason we disappointing season for him last year compared to when he was with team Sun Webb often well everyone runs on confidence these days don't there and win at the start of the season doesn't mean you're not going to be going well later on in the season in fact quite the contrary to that really most people who win the Tour de France these days seem to be winning from quite early on even even February sometimes yes but female we can for me it's clear that he's in the help of role today and Maxime won't fall in front of him and then on their Wheeless we know in a corner with nairo quintana so I think he did deftly go for the he rode and and of course an Akula also could play a role it sir we could mention probably had too many riders here too could play a role but here's what I talk about is like the road is a big winding in and out and it's we can see the shifts and the teams can't really control getting past all the time so we it's you never really know we're gonna end up and it's a wool a bit take a little bit more than until somebody some team really takes it on for the downhill on this sweeping descents Julian antommarchi just on the the back of the the group here so we've got a long run in towards the foot of the final climb of the day a lot of this through different parts of this course there's been a couple of loops that we've done throughout today's route down towards the finish to me guys it almost is like Warren Barr guilt from when he moved almost seemed like he didn't cope with the pressure of being that out-and-out leader himself and having nairo in this in the team now is something that that is only gonna help him yeah I mean it's my fame in he also it's like he's a really open guy and I think what thoughts wouldn't say like enjoys life but it's he's not the robot we always think about when we think about cyclists he just is with him you always have a good laugh in the peloton doesn't matter if he's in good form or bad form is just out there to have a good laugh I certainly working for somebody else's needs now on the front Warren Bargh you there in the blue white and red trickle or Jersey as French national champion I'm surprised at that I'm not surprised that he's working for cantata but I'm surprised that he's doing his job this early on the flat effectively over the top of this penultimate climb of the day rather than saving him for the early parts of the final climb of the day quite interesting see thibaut pinot moving up as well you can see for group armor FDJ yes now it's all about the pretty much the safety aspect hit that palate on at the front and not being called behind the crash or actually being in a crash and this is what they're all doing right now and mmm Daffy Lee a guy like Peter D boy he has in his mind it's like it's not only to the litter boxes the races they're coming up and stay safe and just the train probably wind you never know that first thing is theft leader the safety for the big goal coming Naito Quintana if you were wanting to try and pick him out from the aerial shot he's wearing 143 in the red for okay Sam sake you know a lot of you big fans of nairo Pascal in corn well up towards the front forwards in the work here for young boy bhisma and another big move just on the left there of the peloton fast almost Nider just coming through there for ccc so this lead out of starting to get into full flight in it to this final climb and a young bogeys ma all lined out on the right there yeah looked like they would bring a set push up the right-hand side of the peloton their independent left-hand side of our screens may be interested to see what the American rider it can do today as we keep mentioning a fantastic into last season so we'll start the day as one of the favorites and again tomorrow where they finish up to shall Irina two-thirds of the way up month on - but don't be fooled by the fact that the perotin is all across the road at the moment this is very very fast right now and there's can be a lot of stress burning the peloton at this point it it's very hard to see on TV how much stress there is in terms of positioning before this final descent etc but there'll be a few nervous people out there at the moment especially there all of the sports directors team pensioners watching the same race at over it is like why the guys are not together this is the the thing here where we see is like Jamba bhisma got to the front but I also just managed to be there with Free Riders and then the first ride actually swung off and also in Nia's was like really being everywhere and we see the Istana has two guys somewhere and then another twosome well so it it's a and at the same time the könig is I haven't seen it all that moment days like this is a sport directed I'm glad you mentioned it on this when it's really twisty and you've got you know the listening to the radio your your adrenaline all day in the in the car behind especially depending on where you are in the convoy in a way that you can actually see the race you're at at the heightened level as well it's it's it's right up there I just have to line a dark room someday you'd imagine most of the sports directors have got GC and racing going on in the car behind to try and watch what's going on you'd hope so if it's not blocked in France I don't know about that one oh that is very true yes that is very true it's not of a drug problem of the signal where there the cars is like when he when you talk to a sports directors on things oh but how was it today is like no TV radio in and out so we had no clue what's going on no say that Li you can see all lined out here and it looks like me new Podell go on Provence may be using a little bit of local knowledge here to at the front on this descent I just hoped it everybody comes down and stay safe that's a all said to the guys remember it's February yeah we've nothing human in Belgium yet so does that don't do it do that does the season start when you see cobbles it's that to keep telling you dissing everything go you know when he when you come to town and those like to recite pasilla season start and come on guys and then you come to the first European European racing starts now and then you come to the opening weekend what I call them now and it's like guys now go get a racing stunt it's like when you midway through the Tour de France and somebody tells you that this is when the real race begins and you're absolutely stuffed already we're certainly fast down this descend anyways in ten and a half kilometers to go they're gonna tick down very very quickly at this speed I want to go riding around this neck of the woods it looks absolutely stunning on a bright February day but you're right Marty that Nippo Delco want provence tea using the local knowledge to good effect here I think at the front and I think one of the riders might be off the front at the moment yeah taking off on this descent maybe trying to put a little bit of time into everyone on this as they run in towards the the foot of the final climb of the day and that till still time get your eye on a lot of chat going on the on Facebook and YouTube get your predictions going amongst yourselves lists your tap is the final climb 3.4 kilometres 8% goes up to 340 meters does this final climb we're starting to see a few gaps now on this descents as a few riders just try to clip off and make the difference these final climbs over that especially over the course of the last couple of seasons and races I've always been to and commentate later like tour of the Alps and races like we've got today 3.4 kilometer seems very much now the sort is such a great length of finishing cly because if you look at a big mountain stage we've got two riders off the front here from the local team about that 3k you can hit it right from the bottom yes you can if you're really strong yeah then yours or wake up in the morning you see okay there's a cat wanted to start on like that and for the rest it's like it is a eight and a half nine minute effort and that's pretty much flat out so it is a long way up there still though though it's it's a really hard effort ten minutes isn't it it's not like a vo2 max style effort and it's not a threshold when you do go anaerobic on this kind of finish it does suit a special kind of rider that's nipper I think you're right Marty those long climbs everybody knows what's our power-to-weight they need to do to be up there and so you very rarely get any attacks because if you go above that you're gonna go anaerobic and then pay for it later on the climb whereas you have got a chance of going very hard and very deep on a climb of this link at the finish today and managing to hold on if like you say you're very strong indeed got a decent gap they've been well actually have seen the peds don't come into view it's 48 about three seconds actually at that speed isn't it but two riders managing to get some daylight between themselves and the peloton behind being led by EF pro cycling who let's remind you I have got tout can get the Estonian and Hugh Kathy the Brit that we think they're riding for today I'm gonna stick my neck out say that I think one of the riders off the front is a Valdis syska vicious I'm not I'm sure not saying that right but I think he's one of the tallest riders in the team because of quite a lot of riders to a fairly my sort height and but he could be one of the riders that's often front him and hose he gone salvus I got corrected by one of our Portuguese viewers and our apologies for completely getting that one wrong earlier how's it going out the gone service thank you for correcting me on that one they're both quite both quite tall those two will give see if we actually get a close-up as we get down as we said EF pro cycling on the frontier in those pink jerseys I think it's Zeppelin marker with Magnus court Neilson Magnus court sure yeah we've dropped that one isn't he just to make our life a lot easier for us that's always good you know right right in the back here the the Road furniture that's really gonna hurt at this point in the race when they come out onto the flat and everyone accelerates at the front if you're at the back of 150 man peloton and you see the riders coming out of that corner to your right accelerating and still breaking into it you know it's gonna hurt a lot when you eventually start getting backed back up to speed because they'll be going at 60 K to an hour on the flat if the wind is not in their faces on the run into this final climb possibly even more than that I mean before you go over to well before Brits go over to Europe you often foretold that you'd be riding at 55 Kay's now on the flat and I personally didn't really believe them I thought it's impossible to do that for any extended period of time but it really is that fast Bernie isn't it on the lead up to a sprint now you must be averaging 60 K is now on a flat day for the last three or four kilometers yes and what back in the day you know was like one or two trains just lined up and a bit of track racing and then you could still communicate and is like okay we don't have to go all in right now which is Thursday at the front and we're all happy and try to you stay in your position I stay in mine and our trains are safe and now it's that we see like six to eight trains lining up and it's just like you can't communicate with all of them so somebody is always going to overtake you and this is when most of the teams actually run short on the riders till till the end and we're right it's a sea ski rich and I think I saw Chris Nilan sand I've seen him before already I mean yeah I'm surprised yeah but he also has a she lay on and means like probably he's not the healthiest at the moment and saving himself he's quite intriguing as a rider Chris Nilan so I think is he has moments of brilliance isn't in fact he was the guy that attacked on the pods that sets up vincenzo nibblies attacked when he won the race a couple of years ago at which point you think well if he's capable of doing that he's capable of taking some very big race wins haven't really come his way thus far but we'll wait and see what happens this year it was ivalice and Julia now far as I was literally about stage eel in our forest that's the O so was I yeah just picking him out and if Aldous knows the man on the descent looking good here does help when you get a bit of motor pacing when you're off the fun doesn't it TV camera very close to these two riders so they'll be out of the wind more certainly would be otherwise but some of the bikes though in this situation the riders going the wrong way through there Peter Surrey maybe didn't want to do any more work so get off the front just do another lap no but it's 68 case to go now as well but I have to admit the camera motorbike actually was pretty fair to the rider in in what we have seen in the last two days now and it now they got a super close because of the roundabouts and everything and sometimes they also can't fly it or just disappear too that's why 6.1 K to go beautiful shot there great day for a pet load down on the beach as that the ride is running towards the the final climb can it be a day for new Podell kalam Provence it'll be a big victory for them against the might of the the World Tour teams but they're a team that have been around for for many many years down here this the sort of Delco on Provence team it sounds like the teams from acts on Provence as well did you nearly got hit by a pitch and maybe there's nothing there's that's a story to tell isn't it when I was running into that final climb got hit by a pigeon I was there when Miguel de l'arche weirwood managed to get him in the break in the world turned and next moment he's on the side of the road and just lying down we're like 13 guys up the road and we missed it and it's like what happened a bird flew in my from really just from and it really just flipped over the top EF yum Bob is murti many offs could be familes have caught Eddy Dunbar he's a lot of your pick today is the the Irishman and you'd see their yellow jerseys up there they're leading in to the foot of this final climb of the day so three point four kilometres is the still just to break away riders if our the city of vicious if we've got any viewers that can just let us know if we've pronounced and that completely wrong actually we only act and coming really to the crunch time or crash off secure which there and this is the right hand above the traffic island and left and right again and this is where pretty much this is the bottom of the climber we've just seen this is gear it just slips off there Oh yep Wow slides out there and on that section Julia now Ferris isn't on his own now as we start to climb up towards the finish just freak one that one wasn't it almost look like diesel diesel slip nothing of any note on the road it was the green painting on for crossing there I think and we I think we have seen another crash there oh it was probably still somebody got caught up because she spirit wasn't back on his bike properly yet she's getting himself going and as riders drop off the back that I've done the work to try and set this up for their team leaders and this one they were concentrating just on their this Ignatius Colonel Valois but Julian al forests just off the front there's the peloton just appearing in the background ten seconds is your gap with four point two kilometers to go niebo doko on Provence is your team could it be one for the local boys here today it would be great to see but when the climb proper really starts to bite the Astana have done a huge amount of work so far in at this stage today to try and set this up we think for Alexei luchenko or God created siggy day the man wearing number one I think now Faris wouldn't he would have liked the firepower of Cisco Vicious a little bit longer here yeah Julian alphas is out there for a really really long time I mean I think back in 2008 or even before he won stage in the first agent in an artery article something took the leaders Jersey when in the breakaway never saw him again and he's most of his career thinking very covetous they can begin to say the aerial shot they're now 15 seconds just holding this one still plenty of the climb to go we're gonna needed a bit more time on this that's on this final climb has a glance back over the shoulder Aston Arthur at the team that are on the front the climb starting to bite now the up here 8% is the average gradient of this one watch out for those rails gets a bit small and tighter after there is a really nice road actually and it's just one of the that just the common scenery down in in the hormones when you go up the the climbs and it's we used to have training camps and when I was in ft+ there there was absolutely amazing sceneries quiet and really good for training beautiful date here they come the attacks they're starting to move up now the pressure is on Aston art the chenko their third wheel with the the yellow young bovis mow Jersey right behind them and set course that's up there and then you've got so plenty of those pink jerseys job done now as the Russian national champion Alexander Vlasov leading out here for Alexei luchenko right on the wheel here comes Eddie Dunbar just on the right view picture Magnus court in the pink jersey Hugh Karthi also up there and I think that might be bad Joe Lee in the white and blue of the kerning quick stepping around about 5th place there's the young rider who's making his West first season as a pro tour a well - a rider here paddock earning quickstep so he's done well to position himself up there I'll be very interested see what he's capable of doing today because he was very good in the amateur and under-23 ranks as a climber but starting to bunch up here at the moment the pace up was he not super hard there from blasts off riding on the front full at chenko at the moment a Hugh Karthi also very well positioned calm before the storm really three point one case to go nobody willing to make a huge effort right now but so haters Harada they're being brought up form a Spanish champion of team Cofidis now in third wheel so the CCC man here has some weaker polluter that's now on the front for CCC under the set up as a glance back of the shoulder will Kok alderman not a Quintana Hill there will co Kettleman from team some web data has a glance back over the shoulder coffee out of the saddle on the left of your picture with polluter leading out here like Genco poised and ready this pots of evo right on the wheel of Kreutz occur thibaut pinot out of the saddle for Groupama FDJ you mentioned just behind ya it seems like he's back is like we are already the riders a really do getting dropped at it in the back and he's put his suffer face on and his but I'm actually really impressed by the polluter he's like great effort there and it still looked really comfortable there but good show that was it that was the effort there's Robert hare synchrony very much I forties not suffering her own I can turn it took a quick swig of his water bottle a few moments ago we did generally a sign that he's nowhere near his limit so far which is to be expected can be a psychological thing for the riders behind can I'm finding it so easy I can still take a long drink in the middle of this climb but it's will coke alderman who's the first of the big names to make a move two and a half kilometers to go Astana though straight onto the back wheel of the Dutchman from Team Sun Webb here but he was some early they don't want to let go too far up the road will coke alderman very good climber he is indeed the swing right rounder through that section now the coffered Eastman yes / Hansen it just drags the group back up blasts off yeah with the Jenko Quintana curse Karthi civic of looks like from that helicopter shots actually her are as a bit strutting there of a sitter stay on the wheel off civic offer but you coffee your your gasps is up there my man for the overall your man is looking really really comfortable yeah I delete junk up for the stage car thief the overall your Titan remember who I went for that I think I went to David go dude who you can see lurking there waiting to attack and take the stage win we do have an attack again performing very well here today are the Nippo Delco 1 Provence team and it's them that's on the attack again with one of the riders from EF pro cycling on the wheel are indeed close flaps off that just closes the gap down out for Astana so maybe he's been given the whoa Olson now being given the nod to maybe go for this one back I think we have guru for the Fisher so the national champions Jersey the not the full celebration like the national champion of Kazakhstan but now just clipping off the Front's Magnus court there number 53 just roll in a big gear his Magnus court just going for the big gear approach up here Bernie oh yeah I mean it's probably also not realesed around so it hurts anyway great to see Sam oh man also up there for Team Sun whip as we keep mentioning he has not raced since last year's Giro d'Italia but he's obviously been training very hard cause he's still up there in the mix down to what 30 or 40 riders at the front of the race buying this man who's now off the front on his own Alexandra Vlasov sitting in 78 position and GC but almost everybody's at 10 seconds to nasib you Arnie who will not be a part of this group and that's quite a big gap that's a good move now find the national champion as we said a decent length of climb this finishing 13.4 kilometers in length so he said probably given the knot here Latino could just sit back and watch everybody as this Civic of now making the move it looks like that style of the INEOS rider got to pick him out they really came to prominence last year in the tour of the outseam tear gagging hearts and as an elite rider cause such a talented rider under-23 races such as Tour de l'avenir serve laughs off just knocking out the tempo here Farah Aston are looking good at the front I'd I think he's gonna get some company pretty soon too Russians up the road them Vlasov is really also impressive for the last two three years now and just constantly coming up and special in the long climb Stewart but we can see just keeps going yeah it's a decent gap and try count in my head I think that's in the region of 12 or 13 seconds that he's managed to eke out already over the last few hundred meters and they'll have a few hundred meters time he's gonna see the flam Rouge the red kite that marks one kilometer to go they're gonna have to start the chase sooner rather than later if they want to get this man back before the finish today blasts off who we thought was riding for his team leader at the Astana team litvenko who's up there towards the front and policing things in fact Astana I've got to rise towards the front and they're not gonna be chasing so this gap is going to go up nobody willing to do the work behind yeah we just started just as lych as I said he might get some company that the pressure just went straight off the front of the peloton and they're letting them do it here come on go do here we go so the attacks now from a group of FTJ look at the way they're nicely a past Inara marking this one 14 seconds is your tie gap blasts off looks like he's riding away to victory a civic off goes again here for any US yeah but a Stannis straight onto the back wheel of the Russian rider who's now pulled over to the side of the road so again they're stalling here and it's 20 seconds the gap up two blasts of the Russian national champion who's leading this race and I think he's gonna take I'm putting myself on the line here but I've kind of figured he might take the stage win today blasts off 20 seconds a big gap to try and close for anybody even nairo quintana at this point and they're gonna be disappointed aren't there chaos am sick that they weren't able to be up there with cantando today to try and help him take the stage win no one really going for this one at the moment is the team somewhere Jersey that's trying to close this one down Sam on the front for a team somewhere if pretty much left it bit late you can see the size of this peloton now is it splinters under the pressure of the Russian national champion who's just at the top of your picture 20 seconds is the time gap that Bernie the kid underestimate a blast-off here for bomb to tomorrow the overall in this one potentially would you say I mean he will also that's her 22nd serve either looks of it it will be 25 had to finish and keep what impresses me too is like Aaron Burr or his team made is marking all the other riders himself single-handedly and probably could alter one of this state and yeah Astana is definitely having a good day today well we talked about the fact that it's a headwind for most of this finishing climb Bernie and that I think is affecting the group behind nobody wants to sit on the front as a leader it's going to try and do something in the overall in this race use all their energy when you get so much protection from the wind behind so they're all looking at each other which is allowed that man of just time child his way to the top yes and he did a perfect move when you have a gap and then when now we actually will see you Caffey actually helping coordinate to set up a sprint but it's that is too late too late it is indeed that day is gonna belong to the 23 year old Russian Alexander Vlasov here for Aston are 50 meters to go now up towards the line here on stage 2 of Tour de la Provence the day belongs to this man we were looking at his teammate but Alexander Vlasov takes the stage Domenico pots of Eva and Warren bar Gil are your riders here that are just drifting off the back as Wilko Kellerman leads out Alexei Lukashenko Erin burrow is up there Hugh Carter here comes Eddie Dunbar thibaut pinot the sprint style of thibaut pinot but Wilco Kellerman leading out as a chenko looks to try make it 1 and 2 here for Aston our Kelderman and luchenko lining out there's that Reb you can find you up there as well but Julia Pacioli a great ride from him in his first pro race what a victory but you can see the wind is really blowing up there and you can see the flags on the left pointing down the course I really didn't think do you think that played a big part in the outcome of today's race I'm taking nothing away from blastoff he had to be very strong to be able to do that but it does put people off from attacking it's much easier to chase tap attacks down when you've got a headwind like that and I think that meant sort of checkmate really in the groove behind yes so what is but weird was weird to see we still saw a few team mates actually around there cappy's and they all crossed the line at the same time I was like not really seen a sacrifice to bring the flush of back for certain teams that was yeah that will definitely be some different opinions in the dinner table tonight yeah good move then as Bernie said it's his teammate it was just the two teammates on the front they played that one absolutely perfectly there's your man wearing number one goal key to get it there as they line out on the top that was a great finishing client wasn't it enjoyed that one I got I got second today Oh God you know go for that one I think any of us would have would have picked blast off for this yeah I was gonna say blast off and I just wanted to go do it last minute I think my guess is still on the road yeah well yeah it's good finish to the stage we'll see what the top ten is but as you said Marty um you wouldn't put it past blasts off taking the overall given how well he was climbing there it's the big one tomorrow though they go up Mont Ventoux not all the way to the top but there's still snow there but rather to shall Irina which is about seven kilometers from the very peak of Mont Ventoux is a much longer climb than we've seen today so we will see attacks and we'll see otherwise trying to take the time gap back from this man tomorrow but it's gonna be tough a tough task for them I think it's good it's gonna be good you we're talking about the one date you mentioned the one day race up mum Vaughn to that that's that's a that's a good addition to the calendar that one day we I think we need more what single day races in in the mountains yeah that get many of them really do you I'm not sure how much of a success that race was last year for the organization but we'll see how it goes this year well Carolyn looking strong as few people mentioned great to see Sam omen also up there the Dutchman from Team Sun whip very impressed by badger Lee though he's top five there at the finish line today no Eric just stopped there I think making it into the top ten tonight nairo quintana potentially it's an interesting chinstrap on his helmet they don't always see the pros with the padding beyond they're on on your helmet a little bit of electrical tape something like that you know it was on for color-coordinated though you got got you've got given that it marks the first win for the Astana team this year obviously a fantastic season in 2019 which means that we only have team in US and CCC who were yet to get themselves off the mark in a victories point of view so far in 2020 I'm sure it won't be long before we see both of those teams take their first victory but can affect their team morale in some ways can't do it perhaps less so for Team in us because of the bigger fish to fry later on in the season but it's tough I mean we're talking about it now people start talking about it when you haven't had a win at the start of the season it becomes more pressure for you coming into February if you haven't got one by March people really start talking uh yeah I mean it's it's great and especially when you have like of team in these hasn't won a stage race this year oh let's let's start something here is like now over the in in other teams of course I was in ntt last year and we or the manager data we kept we kept doing everything to perfection we just could not deliver is like missed out on so many opportunities and it was just like you you just rethink everything and try to make it better the next time and yeah sometimes it just isn't doesn't happen yeah I saw actually diets data had to accept on wins last year seven wins a year before they've already got five so far by mid-february this year certainly not a state win by him max Walsh artists in Langkawi last stage so happy for him and we also have seen Dominic ouput savvy boy he was just like a 10 second shy of the first first riders over at the top today yeah this report touched on seeing even seeing Domenico pots of evil back racing is is you know it's something really really special after the crash that he thought was you know and career-ending and pretty serious for forgetting quality of life back potentially yes that for sure but I know Dominic Dominic often severe [Music] you have taken the lead in the last meter the last kilometres of the race what has made the difference for you compared to to the other guys I see some guys start to attack and I wants to protect our little roots anco to stay humans a wheel and I decide to go along that's why he stay on the real easy on the wheels and I go full gust to do my best I have seen that series 9 no one behind me and I go for gas it's so first picture in the race and as a professional is it special probably to you yes it's a very nice race with a lot of strong teams and I'm very very happy with happy with my performance and I think that you dream about the Tour de France that's right someone sang Rancheria and what could we expect to you for the next day's here in the toda la Provence position is GC because you take the lead at the general ranking so I think you should be proud to know so far so we try to protect our positions thank you very much like the congratulation understandably pretty pleased with himself today Alexander vassal taking the team's first win for 2020 we'll wait and see how well they can defend that tomorrow I did notice I use your top 10 then vas off taking it from Wilco killed when he sprinted across the line first at the next group blue 10 code in third place court Nielson great ride from Baggio Lee just ahead of Dunbar Pino up there good to see a go do my pick in 10th Quintana in 8th and orally impaired a pimp in 9th place gonna get the top 18 Sept 1 lucky number 13 isn't even filled so far Hugh caffee having the set of the 1500 meters behind him sep curse back in 18th position which I think was the highest place rider for Team you move is metadata they'll be slightly disappointed yeah I notice there wasn't much in the way of congratulations from Alexi luchenko two blasts off at the end our guns that dust after the general classification 28 seconds of difference quite a big gap isn't it I'm not sure if he'd already seen him before we saw him come back to flash off or whether he just wasn't very pleased that his teammate had taken the win instead of him yes a strange one isn't it he never know sometimes whether that's the situation at 34 seconds separating that top tenth no go do dahm bar and we'll see if that beat God who gets the nod for a group on my fdj tomorrow hmm well you did have Pino just in front him but they can play two cards tomorrow at least can't they but then a Stan have got two cards to play themselves with lenko City in third place overall welcome back to the studio so yeah look Janko can just cover any of the attacks from people in the top ten and know that apart from Wilker Kelderman he's going to be the best place of the GC because he's picked up a couple of bonus seconds there on the finish line today which puts him ahead of everybody else in that general classification so they're in a strong position as Donna now yeah deaf women they also showed that there were the strongest all the way today and already helping yesterday just to be to be there and at the same time go dude sounds good you could play a second card good do should have played the card today and helped deboned not losing time yeah do you think potentially looking at that final climb today that they were mindful of vom to tomorrow maybe because away because of where we are in the season just may be mindful just keeping a little bit in R in reserve for tomorrow just think that headwind was just really playing a factor ah definitely everything played a factor but 28 seconds is is actually a lot and this uh they could have capped it actually with a few sacrifices they could have got it down to 15 seconds what changes everything for tomorrow and of course that everything also can change in a moment too but I would definitely have gone in for a real real pull to bring them back mmm definitely one not to miss I think the month on to stage tomorrow so you can watch that but Marci as you mentioned at the start of the day show is commentating on the next round of the atheist cross I think that's right tomorrow we've got T we've got the we got middle Kirk and host this weekend so they're two to sort of final races in series you got one more and race next week from lurvin as well so yeah big weekend of cyclocross it's kind of winding down now which is a sad time so so you can fill your boots here on GC and racing if you're into your son cross and your road racing thanks to all you who've joined us for our live coverage here or the Tour de la Provence stage two we're back with more tomorrow arrow also like say thank you to Bernie for joining us for the past two days heading home early tomorrow morning so he won't gun the coverage that will be back to bring you stage 3 so we hope to see you then you you

Channel: GCN Racing

Views: 77,194

Keywords: GCN Racing, Bike racing, pro cycling, cycle racing, road racing, live pro cycling, gcn global cycling network, gcn racing, bike racing, watch cycling, tour de la provence, france, provence, breakaway, GCN, Global Cycling Network, Sports, Cycling, Bike, Bikes, 2019, race, result, results, highlights, live, mens, elite, livestream, ភ, ។, ធ, ୲, ፕ6, ළ, Խ

Id: SQx_TyRSmsE

Length: 99min 29sec (5969 seconds)

Published: Fri Feb 14 2020