The Official 98th Tour de France, thread, 2011.

[black & white seagull]

So 10 days in and we have lost 20 riders, is that a record and 8 of those were on stage 9, only a mid mountain stage. I know we tend to lose a few of the high mountains but so many so soon??

I don't know the statistics, but it certainly seems like a hell of a lot compared with previous years.

I wonder what this will mean for the mountain stages - will we get the fearless descents we usually see in the Alps and Pyrenees, or will the riders in general be a little more careful, especially as the memory of Wouter Weylandts' death in the Giro will still be very fresh.

 

[Pantani]

They'll go down super fast as always. They will have no choice, someone will always try and get the jump on the rest on a descent and everybody has to chase. It is a shame Nibali isn't in the Tour he descends like a mad man.

 

[black & white seagull]

It is a shame Nibali isn't in the Tour he descends like a mad man.

I was thinking the same thing. Loved watching him in action in the Giro.

 

[Pantani]

I was thinking the same thing. Loved watching him in action in the Giro.

It was pretty special at times wasn't it? The other GC contenders just couldn't hold his wheel.

 

[Pantani]

This summer's must wear cycling T-shirt:

How cool is that!

 

[mlg57]

Cav wins and takes the green jersey

 

[Pantani]

Superb from Cav. How wet was it at the end? That was ridiculous. On my predictions, I got the winner correct but that was easy and obvious, my prediction of a slow easy day was wildly inaccurate though.

 

[Stat Brother]

I don't know the statistics, but it certainly seems like a hell of a lot compared with previous years.

I wonder what this will mean for the mountain stages - will we get the fearless descents we usually see in the Alps and Pyrenees, or will the riders in general be a little more careful, especially as the memory of Wouter Weylandts' death in the Giro will still be very fresh.

Sorry to bang on about the David Millar book, but I'm at a similar point.
The Vuelta in 2002 was going up a ridiculous climb, only in the race to show the thrills spills and pain.
The riders revolted promised to stick together, esp if it rained.

It rained and the peloton went up it faster than ever, cos 'they couldn't organise a piss up in a brewery'.

 

[Stat Brother]

So all set for tomorrow?
If Bert doesn't want to play and the Schleck's don't go for him, I will not be happy.
Cadel will want to have a pop but, that's asking a lot.
I can't help thinking it's always going to be 'the next stage', for the big boys.

If that's the case Uran, Roche, et al should be having there own battle.

It will be interesting to see how fit Gesink is.

 

[tubaman]

It will be interesting tomorrow. The big boys will have to show what they have got and will Contador look as rested now that he has been forced to change his butcher?

 

[Horton's halftime iceberg]

What a show by Cav, he looks lovely in Green.

Impressed they used Janelle Monae's tightrope as the music over the ITV 4 highlights end titles.

Mountains here we come....

 

[1066familyman]

Always nailed on for Cav today. Great to see him slip into that green jersey too.

For tomorrow ? Agree about finding out how fit Gesink is, and of course how Contador's knee holds up.

It's the first day of the Pyrenees tomorrow and so the Basque boys will be out in force. So I'm going for Sammy Sanchez taking advantage of early caution from the others and attacking big time to try an claw some time back and shake up the GC contenders.

 

[Woodchip]

It was Cav's all the way today.

Tomorrow is the day that's been recommended to be a day for taking a sickie. Sadly it's not a option for me, so will be watching the text commentary from Eurosport and Le Tour.

It's a difficult one to call. The first high mountains stage. It could be a case of Evans pushing early to gain an early lead and demoralise Contador/Schlecks or they could all ride up it together, with Contador going for the usual attack. Hopefully his knee is really hurting, or he crashes into Karpets again and it ruins his chances.

Right, I'm going to go crazy with my prediction tomorrow... All the GC contenders are going to be so busy watching each other someone from the teams that have been hit with injuries will take the win. Based on that I'm going with Christian Vande Velde.

 

[Stoichkov]

All my cards on the table - Contador will tear off on the climb to Luz Ardiden - win the stage and set the foundations for an overall win.

All talk of a bad knee will be quickly forgotten.









<disclaimer>
If this doesn't happen, can I just say that Gadret's abandon may point to the Giro having a long hang-over effect this year hence Contador just not having enough in the tank

 

[black & white seagull]

I'm not working tomorrow, so everything I need to do will be completed by midday, at which point I will plonk my backside on the sofa and not move until the last cyclist has crawled over the finish line.

 

[Pantani]

This.

On to predictions. I am afraid we shall be seeing an anticlimactic day where the GC contenders are just content to mark each other. So I expect the winner to come from someone outside the main contenders. I'm going to go with Damiano Cunego after the way he climbed in the Tour De Suisse.

Forgot some predictions. Voeckler to ride above himself to keep yellow, Cav to win the intermediate sprint of those not in the break, and Hoogerland will get in the break trying to get som KoM points providing he is feeling a bit better.

 

[black & white seagull]

Apparently Geraint is in a breakaway!

 

[black & white seagull]

If Twitter's anything to go by, a lot of the riders are getting a bit narked with this whole 'the Tour starts today' business. Can't blame them really - what do people think they've been doing for the past 1500-odd kilometres...?

 

[black & white seagull]

Shit - Geraint is having problems. Twice within a few hundred yards his back wheel has locked up and has sent him off the road. No harm done, but it's going to screw with his descent. Nightmare.

 

[Pantani]

No great panic for Thomas yet though. If he can't get back to the lead group on his own he can just wait for Chavanel and Kreuziger. They will drag him back up there.