The Official 104th Tour de France thread

[Bozza]

Anybody else getting bored of this years race already?.

I have it on each day but it's as much about the French scenery and the pleasant chit-chat as the racing right now.

I'm certainly getting bored with the predicability of the Kittel wins as there's no one who is able to challenge him currently.

I was willing Bodnar to just manage to stick it out there today - great effort by him.

 

[Stat Brother]

GROENEWEGEN and BOASSON HAGEN are having great tours to be fair, the others, well, they're not even contesting these sprints are they?

Did he punch anyone for his 8th place!?

Boohoo was 8th before 3 others sprinters, that were ahead of him, left the race!

I have it on each day but it's as much about the French scenery and the pleasant chit-chat as the racing right now.

I'm certainly getting bored with the predicability of the Kittel wins as there's no one who is able to challenge him currently.
.

That won't be happening for the next 4 stages.

 

[martin tyler]

Back to the hills tomorrow. Can we expect some of the other GC riders to attempt to attack Froome tomorrow?

 

[Stat Brother]

I have it on each day but it's as much about the French scenery and the pleasant chit-chat as the racing right now.

I'm certainly getting bored with the predicability of the Kittel wins as there's no one who is able to challenge him currently.

I was willing Bodnar to just manage to stick it out there today - great effort by him.

If you had it on all day, you should have played Ned's Lexicon Bingo

[tweet]885053933315657729[/tweet]


Apparently he got all 4 into the commentary.

 

[1066familyman]

Race radios do make a difference but possibly not quite as much as we imagine. Plenty of riders take the ear piece out for example. Riders aren't robots that are told by their DS exactly the moment to attack etc.


Power meters are a different matter I think. There's a reason Froome is always 'looking at stem' .

The biggest problem I think is team size and the strength of one team in particular. When one team has virtually all of it's riders quite capable of being team captain on most of the other teams in the race then we surely have a problem. Given money talks and we probably can't change what teams sign what riders, a move to 7 instead of 9 riders in a race would improve things no end.

 

[Stat Brother]

Race radios do make a difference but possibly not quite as much as we imagine. Plenty of riders take the ear piece out for example. Riders aren't robots that are told by their DS exactly the moment to attack etc.


Power meters are a different matter I think. There's a reason Froome is always 'looking at stem' .

The biggest problem I think is team size and the strength of one team in particular. When one team has virtually all of it's riders quite capable of being team captain on most of the other teams in the race then we surely have a problem. Given money talks and we probably can't change what teams sign what riders, a move to 7 instead of 9 riders in a race would improve things no end.

Having one super strong team isn't anything new.

To me it looks, at the moment, that teams are scared and/or beaten at the startline.
Sky have hardly put their noses on the front, and when they have like the start of Sunday everyone said 'ok'.
Only when AG2R decided to act on their cunning plan, things got interesting, even then everybody soon fell into line after the final descent.

Was it the year before last on a stage when everybody else said 'charge' at the b of bang, and Sky had a shitfit.
(I'm really reaching now) I think Dan Martin won the stage.

The problem isn't just radios, power meters, team sizes etc another problem is the complete lack of renegades prepared to lose everything, for the slightest hope of a win.

The same applies to QuickStep.
Kittel shouldn't have had any team mates left 5 minutes after Bodnar jumped for the line.
Instead everybody else were queuing up to get on the front forcing QS out of the way.

 

[1066familyman]

Very excited by today's stage.

I suspect it will go to GC today (Lord knows the race needs it to!) but there's a list as long as your arm of strong candidates to be in any breaks.

For a bit of added interest...I've gone 50p e/w @ 200/1 on my main man. There was a sign yesterday and today could be THE day!

 

[Bozza]

I'm looking forward to today's stage. I'll make sure I get my dossing out of the way this morning so I can fully focus on this later.

 

[Surf's Up]

I'm looking forward to today's stage. I'll make sure I get my dossing out of the way this morning so I can fully focus on this later.

Me too - bit of dossing, list of jobs around the house to be completed (list supplied by the trouble), bit of a wash and brush up and then... hit the sofa and watch the drama (hopefully) unfold!!

 

[Bozza]

Me too - bit of dossing, list of jobs around the house to be completed (list supplied by the trouble), bit of a wash and brush up and then... hit the sofa and watch the drama (hopefully) unfold!!

Does your list include any of:

- Putting the washing out
- Posting a birthday card
- Hoovering

I can see me saying "well I did get 2 of them done" later.

 

[Surf's Up]

Does your list include any of:

- Putting the washing out
- Posting a birthday card
- Hoovering


I can see me saying "well I did get 2 of them done" later.

Indeed!! My list includes:

1. Load up dishwasher, post breakfast, and start up
2. Give kitchen floor a quick burst of "Flash"!
3. Book a boiler/gas fire maintenance/service appointment
4. Deadhead flowers in the garden
5. Put a whites wash in the machine

and I can see me saying "well....I've filled the dishwasher"!!

 

[Stat Brother]

Indeed!! My list includes:

1. Load up dishwasher, post breakfast, and start up
2. Give kitchen floor a quick burst of "Flash"!
3. Book a boiler/gas fire maintenance/service appointment
4. Deadhead flowers in the garden
5. Put a whites wash in the machine

and I can see me saying "well....I've filled the dishwasher"!!

Adverts people - adverts.

God's invention for housework.

 

[Fitzcarraldo]

Race radios do make a difference but possibly not quite as much as we imagine. Plenty of riders take the ear piece out for example. Riders aren't robots that are told by their DS exactly the moment to attack etc.


Power meters are a different matter I think. There's a reason Froome is always 'looking at stem' .

The biggest problem I think is team size and the strength of one team in particular. When one team has virtually all of it's riders quite capable of being team captain on most of the other teams in the race then we surely have a problem. Given money talks and we probably can't change what teams sign what riders, a move to 7 instead of 9 riders in a race would improve things no end.

I agree with this. There was interesting segment in one of the earlier ITV4 Highlights about this where it showed a highlight from a previous race and Contador attacked putting his power up to 500kpw whilst the group he was in was pushing circa 350kpw. They knew he couldn't keep up the sustained effort so didn't respond. Contador blew himself out and they caught up a little bit later no extra effort required. Boardman reckoned that it should be same as on the track where they aren't allowed to see the data as they are riding (I think?). I thought that made sense.

I have enjoyed this tour, largely due to the spectacle of the stage on Sunday and the quality of the ITV4 coverage. But I also agree with William Fortheringham who tweeted out asking why there were so many humdrum sprinter stages when this is first tour to go live on TV for the whole of every stage.

 

[Stat Brother]

I agree with this. There was interesting segment in one of the earlier ITV4 Highlights about this where it showed a highlight from a previous race and Contador attacked putting his power up to 500kpw whilst the group he was in was pushing circa 350kpw. They knew he couldn't keep up the sustained effort so didn't respond. Contador blew himself out and they caught up a little bit later no extra effort required. Boardman reckoned that it should be same as on the track where they aren't allowed to see the data as they are riding (I think?). I thought that made sense.

I have enjoyed this tour, largely due to the spectacle of the stage on Sunday and the quality of the ITV4 coverage. But I also agree with William Fortheringham who tweeted out asking why there were so many hum-drum sprinter stages when this is first tour to go live on TV for the whole of every stage.

It's a different sport now.
All power meters do is tell the rider what they should already know.

We can't have it both ways, we can't demand superhuman up hill attacks and a clean sport.

That's why Froome has turned himself from a less than average descender to one of the worlds best.
Riders can no longer ride away from each other going up hill, it's attrition, one timely attack and hope it sticks.

Gone are the days of a high tempo followed by 3 or 4 massive digs, and bingo solo to the line.
As said last night teams and riders now need to be considerably smarter, and think outside the box, if they can hold the base line.

 

[1066familyman]

Following Porte's crash, De Marchi is a really good candidate for a win from a break now. A bit surprised to see him quite so active today though. Tomorrow seems to suit him perfectly. I'd have thought Roche would have been BMC's better bet for today.

 

[Bozza]

Following Porte's crash, De Marchi is a really good candidate for a win from a break now. A bit surprised to see him quite so active today though. Tomorrow seems to suit him perfectly. I'd have thought Roche would have been BMC's better bet for today.

Blimey - it's on TV already. That's today written off for me then.

 

[1066familyman]

Blimey - it's on TV already. That's today written off for me then.

You're missing the best bit. Break trying to form is always one of my biggest highlights.

ITV4 was on from 9.45. Flag dropped about 10am.

So far it's just the intermediate sprint break up the road. I don't think Kittel will be sprinting up airstrips today somehow

 

[Bozza]

You're missing the best bit. Break trying to form is always one of my biggest highlights.

ITV4 was on from 9.45. Flag dropped about 10am.

I'm all over it now, just as the break went.

 

[1066familyman]

damp squib

noun BRITISH

a situation or event which is much less impressive than expected.

 

[Bold Seagull]

.
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wow!!!!