The Official 100th Tour de France thread, 2013.

[Stat Brother]

AVV took to the front of his chase, just 10 secs down on a straight road with the back end of the group and support cars clearly visible, and still didn't make it.

Still another cracking day, having watched a little of the highlights I'm glad I watched it live on Eurosport.

 

[1066familyman]

£1 single on Albasini @ 40/1 today. Represented best value when the likes of Voeckler is only 8/1

 

[teaboy]

What odds for a French win tomorrow though?

 

[Stat Brother]

July 13, Stage 14: Saint-Pourçain-sur-Sioule - Lyon 191km

 

[teaboy]

Looks perfect for a breakaway if GC save their legs for the crazy week ahead, or possibly Sagan.

 

[1066familyman]

Here's today's break so far:

talansky a.178grs+00:13:11
bakelants j.42rlt+00:31:29
van garderen t.39bmc+00:38:08
gautier c.54euc+00:43:47
vichot a.79fdj+00:44:25
voigt j.48rlt+00:59:28
albasini m.182oge+01:07:50
burghardt m.33bmc+01:14:44
brutt p.102kat+01:17:53
geschke s.196arg+01:19:34
millar d.176grs+01:21:52
simon j.218soj+01:26:13
rojas j.129mov+01:26:29
bak l.22ltb+01:31:06
trentin m.158opq+01:42:03
erviti i.125mov+01:48:54
kadri b.87alm+01:51:02
garcia echeguibel e.134cof+01:54:45

Pretty strong so likely to stay away unless Canondale decide to chase it down for Sagan.

 

[Horton's halftime iceberg]

Come on Millar one last swan song

 

[Tyrone Biggums]

I'd like to see Rojas pick up a stage win. Always puts in a decent effort in the sprints and besides Sagan is one of the only sprinters who has the ability to ride over the mountains.

 

[1066familyman]

Looks like this break may not be the break of the day after all now...gap coming down and now and hovering between 30 and 50 secs apparently. Maybe everyone waiting for the tv coverage to start? - Vacansoleil have no one in the break at the moment so something has to change in time for new sponsor shop windowing, surely?

Edit: gap back up to 1'20 now

 

[Tyrone Biggums]

**** Trentin the weak prick. Contributed nothing and got the suck win. Albasini so unlucky. Worked his arse off for a galant 2nd.

 

[Tyrone Biggums]

£1 single on Albasini @ 40/1 today. Represented best value when the likes of Voeckler is only 8/1

Consider yourself incredibly unlucky. Done by half a wheel by a guy who contributed almost nothing in the break all day.

 

[Stat Brother]

**** Trentin the weak prick. Contributed nothing and got the suck win. Albasini so unlucky. Worked his arse off for a galant 2nd.

Consider yourself incredibly unlucky. Done by half a wheel by a guy who contributed almost nothing in the break all day.

lol.

One man's weak prick is another's quality ride.
Trentin played the game and won.

Had he touched off Simon with those tactics I doubt I'd be so pleased for him, but as it is he held his nerve, didn't panic, and won his first ever pro race. Chapeau.

 

[Tyrone Biggums]

lol.

One man's weak prick is another's quality ride.
Trentin played the game and won.

Except there was nothing quality about his ride.

200 metre sprint after being a passenger to all the decent riders hard work.

Every dog has its day sure enough, riders who ride like that are dogs in my books though.

And I was hoping Simon would hold on as well, alas not to be.

 

[Stat Brother]

Except there was nothing quality about his ride.

200 metre sprint after being a passenger to all the decent riders hard work.

Every dog has its day sure enough, riders who ride like that are dogs in my books though.

And I was hoping Simon would hold on as well, alas not to be.

What if we take Albasini off his bike and replace him with Dougie Dopez from Saunier Duval?

 

[Tyrone Biggums]

What if we take Albasini off his bike and replace him with Dougie Dopez from Saunier Duval?

It had nothing to do with who Albasini rides for (though I was hoping familyman would collect his 40 quid).

I've always had a great dislike for riders who sit back and do no work in a break away. There's no honour in winning that way imo.

 

[Stat Brother]

It had nothing to do with who Albasini rides for (though I was hoping familyman would collect his 40 quid).

I've always had a great dislike for riders who sit back and do no work in a break away. There's no honour in winning that way imo.

No he did what he had to do to win, and won.

I guess my judgment is slightly clouded having just read Charly Wegelius' excellent account of how he tried and failed to win his only race as a pro.
It's not as simple as Just sitting back then powering to the line and winning.

Trenkin won a stage in at Le Tour, if others feel like they gifted it to him that's their fault, not his.

 

[Tyrone Biggums]

No he did what he had to do to win, and won.

He did. I just hate his type of rider.

When you see Jens V working his tail off only to finally crack, guys like this I can't respect their wins.

I guess my judgment is slightly clouded having just read Charly Wegelius' excellent account of how he tried and failed to win his only race as a pro.
It's not as simple as Just sitting back then powering to the line and winning.

That way is a hell of a lot easier than taking turn after turn pushing the break away train along to the point where the main peleton can't catch them.

Trenkin won a stage in at Le Tour, if others feel like they gifted it to him that's their fault, not his.

No break away would ever succeed if there weren't riders who worked their butts off. When they win we applaud them. When guys like this win, nobody remembers them or takes great joy in their wins.

 

[1066familyman]

Consider yourself incredibly unlucky. Done by half a wheel by a guy who contributed almost nothing in the break all day.

Yep, gutted for Albasini because he worked hard for that stage win and deserved one after the way he rode today and the dom duties he's put in so far this season. I'm with you in that if Albasini hadn't taken it then I wanted Julien Simon to stay away. Trentin did what he had to do though to win it I suppose Knew comedy sprinter Rojas would miss out yet again.

Gutted for myself too but learnt a good lesson about being greedy today too. I always go for big odds that can justify the safety of an each way bet. Today I felt 40/1 wasn't quite enough to justify an eachway because I thought Albasini would win like Simon tried to win it, so I went for the outright win only instead and paid the price. Oh well, same lesson learnt in a certain game today too so at least I got some consistent outcomes

 

[Tyrone Biggums]

Yep, gutted for Albasini because he worked hard for that stage win and deserved one after the way he rode today and the dom duties he's put in so far this season. I'm with you in that if Albasini hadn't taken it then I wanted Julien Simon to stay away. Trentin did what he had to do though to win it I suppose Knew comedy sprinter Rojas would miss out yet again.

Gutted for myself too but learnt a good lesson about being greedy today too. I always go for big odds that can justify the safety of an each way bet. Today I felt 40/1 wasn't quite enough to justify an eachway because I thought Albasini would win like Simon tried to win it, so I went for the outright win only instead and paid the price. Oh well, same lesson learnt in a certain game today too so at least I got some consistent outcomes

It looked like Albasini had dropped back after working so hard during the day.

First thing I thought of when he came back with his last effort was your pound bet!

 

[1066familyman]

Same. I said to the kids that he was now spent ( I think that was at about the 3km to go mark) and wouldn't be winning the stage and that I now hoped Simon would stay away. Then suddenly Simon's caught and Albasini's back in the running and looking good, getting me jumping up and down feeling hopeful for the win.......then Oh well, that's cycling and why we all love watching it so much. This Tour so far has seen some superb racing.