The Official, 103rd Tour de France, thread

[Stat Brother]

I do love it when Le Tour and other major sports (esp Grand Prix) cross swords.

This afternoon I could go out and spend £10,000 on Froome's exact bike.
A further £1000 on everything else CF has at his disposal.
I could then hope across the channel and the day after ride the exact route, while comparing our times.

I could bring that £11,000 spend down to about £3,000 by downsizing on spec.
I could not bother at all and just grab a bike out of the shed.


Anyone fancy a game of tennis next Monday?
Or a drive round Silverstone?
I'm guessing nobody wants to follow their hero's and play at Wembley?

 

[Hillian1]

I do love it when Le Tour and other major sports (esp Grand Prix) cross swords.

This afternoon I could go out and spend £10,000 on Froome's exact bike.
A further £1000 on everything else CF has at his disposal.
I could then hope across the channel and the day after ride the exact route, while comparing our times.

I could bring that £11,000 spend down to about £3,000 by downsizing on spec.
I could not bother at all and just grab a bike out of the shed.


Anyone fancy a game of tennis next Monday?
Or a drive round Silverstone?
I'm guessing nobody wants to follow their hero's and play at Wembley?

So you're comparing purpose built sporting arenas with public roads, bit bizarre, even by your standards.

 

[Stat Brother]

Will the French be putting nails out for Froome?

I think (hope) they might be a bit better behaved this year.
Froome has done nothing to be questioned.
He handled himself fantastically, last year, there was an awful lot of backlash about the behaviour.

But crucially CF may well be challenged by 1 or 2 Frenchies.
That's not to say the abuse won't be partisan but having French riders looking at the podium is another one of those little steps towards vindicating CF's cleanliness.

 

[Stat Brother]

So you're comparing purpose built sporting arenas with public roads, bit bizarre, even by your standards.

As usual I'm enjoying the free accessibility of professional cycling,

 

[Triggaaar]

I think (hope) they might be a bit better behaved this year.
Froome has done nothing to be questioned.

Yes, but we voted to leave the EU.

But crucially CF may well be challenged by 1 or 2 Frenchies.

Uh oh.

 

[Bold Seagull]

Cracking win by Cav!

Amazed my man Groenewegen stayed on his bike after literally riding over the fallen Katusha rider going down right in front of him. Pleased he was up there but not convinced by his lead out train which was non existent. Hope everyone is ok from that crash.

Sagan looking in fine form as per usual.

Nice to see Dan McLay up there as well.

Wow! Just caught up with the highlights after a camping weekend. What a performance, to come around Sagan with Kittel leading out Griepel was just awesome. That was impressive.

 

[Stat Brother]

Uh oh.

Yeah note I did say 'partisan' abuse, this time.
Probably not media driven, unfounded PED, abuse.

 

[Triggaaar]

Yeah note I did say 'partisan' abuse, this time.

I've no problem with them cheering on their own etc, but throwing piss and nails is obviously unacceptable.

 

[Hillian1]

As usual I'm enjoying the free accessibility of professional cycling,

Your comparing apples with oranges.

I'd love to see you go out and ride the exact same route the next day, dodging all those, you know, cars and lorries and stuff.

 

[Stat Brother]

I've no problem with them cheering on their own etc, but throwing piss and nails is obviously unacceptable.

Yeah that was very much unsubstantiated media and the 'experts' on Twitter stirring the pot, which unsurprisingly (when it comes to PED's and cycling) is pretty close to the boil already.

As said CF handled it as well as possible.
He was extensively tested afterwards.
Many of the ex pros calling him our weren't happy when that dragged the spotlight onto themselves.

So assuming, like last year, a fairly consistent race is ridden, with the added bonus of a Frenchie or two at the pointy end, all should be better.
Plus there's no fans powder keg a la Alpe D'Huez.

Who could possibly get upset looking at this:-

 

[1066familyman]

Nice rest day for Contador today with just a one man break up the road and a nailed on sprint. Hopefully no more crashes.

Tomorrow could be interesting though if GC decide to race it fairly hard to test him out. Tinkoff will have to control things too with Sagan in yellow. Could get very messy!

 

[Stat Brother]

Nice rest day for Contador today with just a one man break up the road and a nailed on sprint. Hopefully no more crashes.

Tomorrow could be interesting though if GC decide to race it fairly hard to test him out. Tinkoff will have to control things too with Sagan in yellow. Could get very messy!

I wasn't expecting this sedate 'racing' on day 3.

I wish I'd saved scone baking until this afternoon.

 

[banjo]

 

[hans kraay fan club]

I do love it when Le Tour and other major sports (esp Grand Prix) cross swords.

This afternoon I could go out and spend £10,000 on Froome's exact bike.
A further £1000 on everything else CF has at his disposal.
I could then hope across the channel and the day after ride the exact route, while comparing our times.

I could bring that £11,000 spend down to about £3,000 by downsizing on spec.
I could not bother at all and just grab a bike out of the shed.


Anyone fancy a game of tennis next Monday?
Or a drive round Silverstone?
I'm guessing nobody wants to follow their hero's and play at Wembley?

Nicely picked examples.

You could however, go and swim lengths of the London Olympic pool tomorrow, if you wish. It will cost you £4.95 though. http://www.londonaquaticscentre.org/swimming

For a similar figure you can run round the Crystal Palace National Sports Centre track, that hundreds of world record holders and international stars have raced on. (Sorry - can't offer you the Olympic track, thanks to West Ham)

Or if that's too steep for you, you could jog round the marathon course....

 

[Badger]

You've got to love a Cav interview

 

[1066familyman]

And it's Cav again!

Cracking sprint. Cockhard knows this finish well and it showed. Good result for him.

I'm liking young Dylan's thinking... take Kittel's wheel and what could possibly go wrong. Er... just the slightest uphill drag perhaps Nice lead out work today though from Lotto Jumbo and Dylan is gaining great experience.

Another nice top ten placing for Dan McLay as well. Theuns impressing here too.

Very nice to see such a quality mix of young and established top sprinters all here.

 

[Stat Brother]

Fantastic riding by Cav, proper legend.





Hey [MENTION=588]8ace[/MENTION] welcome to - Betting with Stat.

Brain Cockhard sneaked a cheeky third place today @ 20/1.

 

[Stat Brother]

Nicely picked examples.

You could however, go and swim lengths of the London Olympic pool tomorrow, if you wish. It will cost you £4.95 though. http://www.londonaquaticscentre.org/swimming

For a similar figure you can run round the Crystal Palace National Sports Centre track, that hundreds of world record holders and international stars have raced on. (Sorry - can't offer you the Olympic track, thanks to West Ham)

Or if that's too steep for you, you could jog round the marathon course....

Of course you are correct.


Full disclosure to my train of thought, is that it's one I always have when Le Tour & Grand Prix's are up against each other.
So much so in fact that post was originally going on that thread until I 'woke up' in time to remember that would be very poor form.

 

[1066familyman]

Fantastic riding by Cav, proper legend.





Hey [MENTION=588]8ace[/MENTION] welcome to - Betting with Stat.

Brain Cockhard sneaked a cheeky third place today @ 20/1.

But not only did you fail to back him, you didn't even have the decency to mention him in your stage preview

 

[Stat Brother]

But not only did you fail to back him, you didn't even have the decency to mention him in your stage preview

TBH after the first stage I was beginning to think I'd over played my hand.
He pretty much finished where he should have done within the sprinters, but his team did nothing to alter that.

All the time he was 20/1 I felt (and said) at some point he'd cover that bet, I just can't afford to chase losses for 8 stages in order to break even on the Champs.

As it stands if the value is still there that'll still be my second bet of the tour.
Judging by your fantasy team you already have an idea as to what my first bet will be.

But you're right the sprinters, young and old, are looking great, esp when you consider who's missing as well.