The Official 102nd Tour de France, thread.

[Pantani]

Tony Martin's eyebrows

 

[Horton's halftime iceberg]

Wish I could match the radio commentary up to the pictures...

I have watched two stages with Eurosport on the iPad that broadcasts just the roadside noise no commentary and then with Rob and Simon commentating, it works okay, only a slight lag

 

[Stat Brother]

Fantastic stage.

Froome is completely possessed, G was awesome today, a proper ride that epitomises how cycling is such a team sport won by individuals.
Much the same can be said for QuickStep, it's pretty clear the team were going to do everything it could to get Martin in yellow.
I'm really pleased for him and them.
Which 'stepper was it who, on the left, blasted past the entire peloton like it was going backwards in the last pave section, Martin or Stybar?

Nibali wasn't going to get away with it 2 years running, but that certainly wasn't from a lack of effort.

A great days racing.

 

[Stat Brother]

If I were allowed to talk about P&P, [MENTION=12656]Pantani[/MENTION], I'd draw your attention to yesterday.

3 Astana riders on the front hammering into a bend.
P&P bibbling on inanely.
2 Sky riders come out of the bend, looking over their shoulders.
P&P don't notice anything until the replay.

On a completely different subject:-

Isn't it amazing that Sagan is wearing the white jersey, it feels like he's been in the peloton for years

 

[Pogue Mahone]

Isn't it amazing that Sagan is wearing the white jersey, it feels like he's been in the peloton for years

P and P said that...



I have made the incredible error of recording the Tour live, on a series link on ITV4. So I had to listen to them wintering on.

Series link cancelled, new one set up on Eurosport.

 

[Stat Brother]

P and P said that...



I have made the incredible error of recording the Tour live, on a series link on ITV4. So I had to listen to them wintering on.

Series link cancelled, new one set up on Eurosport.

How many times do you think &P said it?

The only problem with Eurosport is K&K aren't much better than P&P.

Throughout the season they have some excellent commentators.
Is it Rob Hatch and someone Stephens?, plus a couple of others.
I just hope anyone of them take over from the dinosaurs at which point ITV will

 

[Pantani]

If I were allowed to talk about P&P, [MENTION=12656]Pantani[/MENTION], I'd draw your attention to yesterday.

3 Astana riders on the front hammering into a bend.
P&P bibbling on inanely.
2 Sky riders come out of the bend, looking over their shoulders.
P&P don't notice anything until the replay.

On a completely different subject:-

Isn't it amazing that Sagan is wearing the white jersey, it feels like he's been in the peloton for years

Don't encourage me. I'm going to complain about them a lot and there is a long way to go yet...

We have not even got to the 'heads of state' part of the race, once we get there they will really go in to cliche overdrive.

Is that Roman Bardet?

 

[Pogue Mahone]

How many times do you think &P said it?

The only problem with Eurosport is K&K aren't much better than P&P.

Throughout the season they have some excellent commentators.
Is it Rob Hatch and someone Stephens?, plus a couple of others.
I just hope anyone of them take over from the dinosaurs at which point ITV will

Matt Stephens.

Magnus is also excellent.

And as I've said before, I go against the grain when it comes to Kirby. I used to dislike him, but he's won me over. He makes me laugh, which is always good, and his knowledge and rider recognition has improved enormously.

I know. It's just me.

 

[Pantani]

How many times do you think &P said it?

The only problem with Eurosport is K&K aren't much better than P&P.

Throughout the season they have some excellent commentators.
Is it Rob Hatch and someone Stephens?, plus a couple of others.
I just hope anyone of them take over from the dinosaurs at which point ITV will

Matt Stephens. Declan Quigley is one of the other commentators, he can be a bit annoying, Dan Lloyd is one of the co-commentators he is pretty good, but Brian Smith is the best they have I think. He has something to do with MTN Qhubeka (sp?) so normally has some sort of insight.

David Millar was magnificent during the Tour of Yorkshire and Dauphine with Ned Boulting. Not sure why ITV did not stick with them, as much as I love Jens Voigt his insights in his second language leave something to be desired too. Magnus Backstedt on Eurosport is a bit crap as well.

Jens has been honouring a domestique everyday on his twitter, but for some reason he has not just chosen G everyday, weird!

 

[Stat Brother]

Don't encourage me. I'm going to complain about them a lot and there is a long way to go yet...

We have not even got to the 'heads of state' part of the race, once we get there they will really go in to cliche overdrive.

Is that Roman Bardet?

I'm just about done with them.
As yet I haven't been able to just stretch out and watch, at that point when advert hoping Eurosport usually ends up as my default setting.

Matt Stephens.

Magnus is also excellent.

And as I've said before, I go against the grain when it comes to Kirby. I used to dislike him, but he's won me over. He makes me laugh, which is always good, and his knowledge and rider recognition has improved enormously.

I know. It's just me.

Kirby gets on my tits for 11 months of the year, so I have to remember how bad it can be, before I embrace him fully for the last 2 weeks.


Yeah Matt Stephens and Big Maggy are both very good co-commentators and team up well with Hatch (plus I'm sure there's another decent commentator).

 

[Pantani]

Matt Stephens.

Magnus is also excellent.

And as I've said before, I go against the grain when it comes to Kirby. I used to dislike him, but he's won me over. He makes me laugh, which is always good, and his knowledge and rider recognition has improved enormously.

I know. It's just me.

Looks like we disagree on commentators...

Maybe if Backstedt would stop going on about 28c tyres and how he was the first person to use them at Paris Roubaix, he would not be quite so irritating.

 

[Stat Brother]

Matt Stephens. Declan Quigley is one of the other commentators, he can be a bit annoying, Dan Lloyd is one of the co-commentators he is pretty good, but Brian Smith is the best they have I think. He has something to do with MTN Qhubeka (sp?) so normally has some sort of insight.

David Millar was magnificent during the Tour of Yorkshire and Dauphine with Ned Boulting. Not sure why ITV did not stick with them, as much as I love Jens Voigt his insights in his second language leave something to be desired too. Magnus Backstedt on Eurosport is a bit crap as well.

Jens has been honouring a domestique everyday on his twitter, but for some reason he has not just chosen G everyday, weird!

P&P are contracted to ITV.
I have a gut feeling that's until 2017 (god I hope I'm wrong).
I seem to remember they signed on till 2017 moments before Lance broke and P was looking stupid all over the news.
(I hope I'm so unbelievably wrong)

 

[Stat Brother]

Looks like we disagree on commentators...

Maybe if Backstedt would stop going on about 28c tyres and how he was the first person to use them at Paris Roubaix, he would not be quite so irritating.

I do like a nice reserved, laid back, voice chipping in.

You realise that's going to now be buried in the back of my brain, and in x months time I'm going to be screaming about Maggy and his bloody tyres, and it'll all be your fault.

 

[Pantani]

P&P are contracted to ITV.
I have a gut feeling that's until 2017 (god I hope I'm wrong).
I seem to remember they signed on till 2017 moments before Lance broke and P was looking stupid all over the news.
(I hope I'm so unbelievably wrong)

The way they talk it sounds more like they are contracted to SBS in Australia, and the Amgen Tour of California, of course. I really could not give less of a **** about how well Mick Rogers is doing on any given day, but you can bet your bottom dollar they will tell me.

 

[Pantani]

I do like a nice reserved, laid back, voice chipping in.

You realise that's going to now be buried in the back of my brain, and in x months time I'm going to be screaming about Maggy and his bloody tyres, and it'll all be your fault.

Sorry, I do get too worked up about commentators. I think my favourite races are those midweek semi classics in Belgium that Eurosport don't show, just because all I can get is some Flemish commentary I cannot understand.

 

[Stat Brother]

Stage 4 result:-

1 Tony Martin (Ger) Etixx - Quick-Step 5:28:58
2 John Degenkolb (Ger) Team Giant-Alpecin 0:00:03
3 Peter Sagan (Svk) Tinkoff-Saxo
4 Greg Van Avermaet (Bel) BMC Racing Team
5 Edvald Boasson Hagen (Nor) MTN - Qhubeka
6 Nacer Bouhanni (Fra) Cofidis, Solutions Credits
7 Jacopo Guarnieri (Ita) Team Katusha
8 Tony Gallopin (Fra) Lotto Soudal
9 Zdenek Stybar (Cze) Etixx - Quick-Step
10 Bryan Coquard (Fra) Team Europcar
11 Alejandro Valverde (Spa) Movistar Team
12 Mark Cavendish (GBr) Etixx - Quick-Step

Special mention for:-

191 Alex Dowsett (GBr) Movistar Team 0:26:04

On his own and last.

General classification after stage 4

1 Tony Martin (Ger) Etixx - Quick-Step 12:40:26
2 Christopher Froome (GBr) Team Sky 0:00:12
3 Tejay Van Garderen (USA) BMC Racing Team 0:00:25
4 Tony Gallopin (Fra) Lotto Soudal 0:00:38
5 Peter Sagan (Svk) Tinkoff-Saxo 0:00:39
6 Greg Van Avermaet (Bel) BMC Racing Team 0:00:40
7 Rigoberto Uran (Col) Etixx - Quick-Step 0:00:46
8 Alberto Contador (Spa) Tinkoff-Saxo 0:00:48
9 Geraint Thomas (GBr) Team Sky 0:01:15
10 Zdenek Stybar (Cze) Etixx - Quick-Step 0:01:16
11 Warren Barguil (Fra) Team Giant-Alpecin 0:01:19

 

[Bold Seagull]

Special mention for:-

191 Alex Dowsett (GBr) Movistar Team 0:26:04

On his own and last.

It was a nasty fall and bashed his elbow up good and proper. That must have been agony on those cobbled sections.

 

[Pantani]

Contenders (extremely loose definition) GC:

Froome
TJVG +0:13
Uran +0:34
Contador +0:36
Barguil +1:07
Mollema +1:32
Nibali +1:38
Valverde +1:51
Quintana +1:56
Rodriguez +2:00
Peraud +2:07
Talansky +2:39
Bardet +2:54
Pinot +6:18
Rolland +10:02

I only really put the last two in as I like laughing at the next great french hopes.

 

[1066familyman]

Now that's the kind of stuff that fairy tales are made of!

Absolutely brilliant stuff from Tony Martin So pleased for the bloke, no one deserves that more than he does.

Nice work by Cav too. Won't silence those who always want to criticise him mind.

Another fantastic days racing. It's the Tour that just keeps on giving.

 

[Pantani]

Now that's the kind of stuff that fairy tales are made of!

Absolutely brilliant stuff from Tony Martin So pleased for the bloke, no one deserves that more than he does.

Nice work by Cav too. Won't silence those who always want to criticise him mind.

Another fantastic days racing. It's the Tour that just keeps on giving.

Sorry 1066, I missed your top 10 tip off the list of contenders:

Valls +29:15