The Official, 103rd Tour de France, thread

[pb21]

Tough conditions for a TT!

 

[Pantani]

Did you see Kelderman earlier? He virtually got blown off the road.

 

[Triggaaar]

Commentator saying that something was thrown at Porte. Pretty sure it wasn't, wind just took someone's flag.

 

[pb21]

Yep, getting blown all over the place in the crosswinds! The sections that are straight into the wind must be horrible.

 

[Pantani]

Well that's that then. Froome wins the Tour as long as he stays on his bike.

 

[severnside gull]

Commentator saying that something was thrown at Porte. Pretty sure it wasn't, wind just took someone's flag.

Not having a lot of joy is he?

 

[pb21]

Froome's to lose now, and I can't see that happening unless a fan takes him out again.

The others will be racing and marking for the podium and other positions.

 

[severnside gull]

Well that's that then. Froome wins the Tour as long as he stays on his bike.

Not a little irony in that statement after yesterday

 

[Indurain's Lungs]

Not a little irony in that statement after yesterday

Froome running away with it!

What price Adam Yates as the next British grand tour winner?

 

[Indurain's Lungs]

Wow! How did alaphillipe get away with this one?!

 

[Stat Brother]

1 Tom Dumoulin (Ned) Team Giant-Alpecin 0:50:15
2 Christopher Froome (GBr) Team Sky 0:01:03
3 Nelson Oliveira (Por) Movistar Team 0:01:31
4 Jerome Coppel (Fra) IAM Cycling 0:01:35
5 Rohan Dennis (Aus) BMC Racing Team 0:01:41
6 Bauke Mollema (Ned) Trek-Segafredo 0:01:54
7 Geraint Thomas (GBr) Team Sky 0:02:00
8 Jon Izaguirre (Spa) Movistar Team 0:02:02
9 Tony Martin (Ger) Etixx - Quick-Step 0:02:05
10 Stephen Cummings (GBr) Dimension Data 0:02:24

General Classification after stage 13

1 Christopher Froome (GBr) Team Sky 58:02:51
2 Bauke Mollema (Ned) Trek-Segafredo 0:01:47
3 Adam Yates (GBr) Orica-BikeExchange 0:02:45
4 Nairo Quintana (Col) Movistar Team 0:02:59
5 Alejandro Valverde (Spa) Movistar Team 0:03:17
6 Tejay Van Garderen (USA) BMC Racing Team 0:03:19
7 Romain Bardet (Fra) AG2R La Mondiale 0:04:04
8 Richie Porte (Aus) BMC Racing Team 0:04:27
9 Daniel Martin (Irl) Etixx - Quick-Step 0:05:03
10 Fabio Aru (Ita) Astana Pro Team 0:05:16

 

[RandyWanger]

I still maintain that ITVs coverage is shit. Sadly I can't watch it live and on my Samsung TV the ITV hub app doesn't allow a full reply so I'm having to resort to watching their 'highlights' show. Just caught up with Stage 12 (Thursdays) as they've only just uploaded it. They started the show showing who won, pretty much missed all the action, then when the carnage unfolded it was obvious the result. Grumble grumble. Typical French organisation though, chaos. Shame on the 'fans' for booing Froome.

 

[Indurain's Lungs]

I still maintain that ITVs coverage is shit. Sadly I can't watch it live and on my Samsung TV the ITV hub app doesn't allow a full reply so I'm having to resort to watching their 'highlights' show. Just caught up with Stage 12 (Thursdays) as they've only just uploaded it. They started the show showing who won, pretty much missed all the action, then when the carnage unfolded it was obvious the result. Grumble grumble. Typical French organisation though, chaos. Shame on the 'fans' for booing Froome.

Their live coverage is pretty good but, perhaps, the highlights package is trying to grab the "general" viewer where euros port are a little more specialist.

 

[RandyWanger]

I can't get Eurosport. Not without paying. And I spend way too much money on bikes and bike parts.

 

[Stat Brother]

Stage 14: Montélimar - Villars-les-Dombes Parc des Oiseaux, 208 km

There can only be one reason why Cav, et al, stayed for the last 2 days, and that's for this stage.
Even though the stage has 'transitional day break away win' written all over it.



1 - Kittel
2 - Cav.
3 - Greipel

(a pretty uninspired selection)

 

[1066familyman]

Wow! How did alaphillipe get away with this one?!

Blimey!

Looks like he overcooked a descent from that pic, rather than crosswind damage. Must have really been going for it as he's usually a superb descender. Perhaps it was the wind that caused the crash though.

I had heard he'd crashed but managed to finish ok. Unlike Edward Theuns who went to hospital and is now a DNS Fractured T12 vertebra and will need surgery. Here's wishing him a speedy recovery

 

[Indurain's Lungs]

Blimey!

Looks like he overcooked a descent from that pic, rather than crosswind damage. Must have really been going for it as he's usually a superb descender. Perhaps it was the wind that caused the crash though.

I had heard he'd crashed but managed to finish ok. Unlike Edward Theuns who went to hospital and is now a DNS Fractured T12 vertebra and will need surgery. Here's wishing him a speedy recovery

Combination I imagine. Controlling a gust with that much carbon in your wheels and a twitchy TT bike is pretty difficult.

 

[1066familyman]

Combination I imagine. Controlling a gust with that much carbon in your wheels and a twitchy TT bike is pretty difficult.

I can imagine. I saw Kelderman getting twitchy on his bike with disc wheel at the back and tri spoke front.

I've eaten too many pies, ride an ali alloy to work with nothing deep rim about the wheels and I get scared sometimes from crosswinds whistling up out of side roads.

On one of their bike set ups in that TT today I would probably be guaranteed straight off at the first gust that came my way

 

[Indurain's Lungs]

I can imagine. I saw Kelderman getting twitchy on his bike with disc wheel at the back and tri spoke front.

I've eaten too many pies, ride an ali alloy to work with nothing deep rim about the wheels and I get scared sometimes from crosswinds whistling up out of side roads.

On one of their bike set ups in that TT today I would probably be guaranteed straight off at the first gust that came my way

The tri spokes are notoriously twitchy (though I haven't ridden one), which is why most went for something much lower profile. I think dumoulin had a 50mm rim on - very small by modern TT standards. The new, wider rim shapes are much better in crosswinds but the gusting is a real problem - especially as you can get lift with it as well (probably what did for Gerrans yesterday).

There are clips around of early attempted to use double discs on the road - I think there's a famous tour clip where he heads off the start ramp, gets to the first corner, tries to turn and just goes straight on!

 

[Bold Seagull]

Was Kittel complaining about how dark it is inside Cav's pocket!?