Tour de France Spoiler thread - VeloNation - Cycling Forums, Bicycle Forums, Community Forums

Posts:2881

07/02/2016 03:01 PM
Cav?!!?! Effie' A!

Posts:1767

07/02/2016 04:57 PM
Nice to see him finally in yellow.

Posts:4499

07/02/2016 07:03 PM
Scrappy finish, just the way he likes it. And not too often you have Sagan, Greipel, Kittel and Cav in one frame. Good for him.

Posts:4209

07/03/2016 08:09 AM
Contador has hit the deck again today....not shaping up to be a good race for AC.

Just say "NO!" to WCP!!!!

Posts:4499

07/03/2016 09:38 AM
From CN feed: "Contador stands and waits for a spare bike with the quiet exasperation of a man who has inadvertently upgraded to Windows 10".

Posts:2881

07/03/2016 09:45 AM
Anyone else try the nbcsn Tour app? It's changed. Still has no commercials and good live stream, But No course profile and map with live tracking Costs 30 bucks for one year rather than a la carte. So get vuelta and PR Sign up is sleazy, they force an opt in to spam and the spam opt out is only done later and is very well hidden.

Posts:2881

07/03/2016 10:45 AM
Why no body guard for Ritchie Porte? Bmc miscue there.

Posts:568

07/03/2016 12:06 PM
what is Contador down by now, 50 seconds? Not a ton of time, but not good after only two days. a disaster for Ritchie Port, 1:45 is not good

Posts:4499

07/03/2016 08:08 PM
Its already down to a 2-way Froome, Quintana battle.

Posts:4209

07/03/2016 08:22 PM
Posted By Frederick Jones on 07/03/2016 10:45 AM Why no body guard for Ritchie Porte? Bmc miscue there. They were driving hard at the front to set up GvA....wasn't gonna matter much anyway. Less than 5k to go and peloton was in full-flight....he was gonna lose gobs of time no matter what happened. As for the NBCsports app, check your package with your tv providr....most have access to the app for free if you have the channel in your package. I had to sign out and then sign back in, but it seemed to work perfectly and no sleazy sign-up.

Just say "NO!" to WCP!!!!

Posts:2881

07/04/2016 05:26 AM
He could have had a new bike in seconds and his teammate endured that very slow wheel change. Might have saved a minute. It's not the nbc sports app, it's the pay extra version with no commercials called nbcsn gold this year that disappoints.

Posts:568

07/04/2016 11:04 AM
wow, that finish was incredible!! Cav gets another stage. Greipel has a premature celebration

Posts:2881

07/04/2016 11:39 AM
Another Wow! Greipel fist pumped but his face showed doubt. Cav's train is really good this year.

Posts:4499

07/04/2016 12:30 PM
Tom Dumoulin (Giant-Alpecin): "These stages don't do anyone a favour. It will be the same again tomorrow. There is absolutely nothing to gain, perhaps tomorrow nobody will ride away. "You get much nicer stages if you make them shorter. I believe that this kind of stage no longer belong in the Tour. Longer than 200 kilometers is so outdated. I do not see the use of it."

Posts:2881

07/04/2016 04:50 PM
I wonder if the lower amount of doping is also at play. A few years back seemed like every stage during the first week stage was ridden flat out. Because they could.

6ix

Posts:485

07/05/2016 09:02 AM
Why is Lotto-Jumbo wearing their standard team kit with yellow jersey in the Tour? I always thought that teams with predominantly yellow jerseys were asked to modify the design for use in the Tour in order to reduce confusion while on the road. Mercatoni Uni and ONCE always did.

Posts:4209

07/05/2016 01:51 PM
They modified the amount of yellow in the jersey and increased the amount of white.....made enough of a difference for ASO to approve. http://www.teamlottojumbo.nl/cycling-news/new-tour-jersey-for-team-lottonljumbo

Just say "NO!" to WCP!!!!

Posts:4209

07/05/2016 01:52 PM
Another boring-ass transfer.....er, stage today. Yawn. Things should get lively tomorrow, though....the Massif Central almost always produces good racing.

Just say "NO!" to WCP!!!!

Posts:1767

07/05/2016 03:15 PM
Transfer..... LOL! I remember a stage back in the Big Mig days that was shortened a ton due to bad weather and the fireworks started from the gun. It was one of the best stages that year. True, Indurain hates the cold and his rivals smelled blood in the water and wanted to gut him right there but the point is longer stages do not equal more exciting racing.

Posts:1767

07/05/2016 03:17 PM
If you didn't follow LUG you missed these gems

6ix

Posts:485

07/05/2016 03:19 PM
Dale...think the stage you're thinking of was to Sestriere in 1996. Berzin was wearing yellow after crushing everyone in the ITT the day before. Stage was shortened to something like 25 miles and Riis (Mr. 60%) went right from the gun. If I recall, he was wearing white knee warmers...not a great look. Indurain and Zulle were both way off the back and it was kinda painful to watch. In particular, it was sad to see Indurain suffering so badly when he had been completely dominant during the past 5 years.

Posts:1767

07/05/2016 03:27 PM
That was the one. Good recall on the details.

Posts:4209

07/05/2016 03:41 PM
You guys should listen to the CyclingNews podcasts from last week.....they had a 3-part recap of the '96 Tour with some great interviews. Very frank questions asked to Riis and some interesting responses. Definitely worth a listen.

Just say "NO!" to WCP!!!!

Posts:2881

07/05/2016 08:11 PM
Dale, those pics are funny!

Posts:4209

07/06/2016 09:23 AM
Sagan just cracked.....GvA looking good for yellow at this point.

Just say "NO!" to WCP!!!!

Posts:4499

07/06/2016 09:47 AM
Its turning into a proper mountain stage. Nice.

Posts:4209

07/06/2016 09:54 AM
GvA is hurting big time.....gutsy ride!

Just say "NO!" to WCP!!!!

Posts:809

07/06/2016 11:05 AM
Regarding those 2 transfer days, I was on vacation (without a bike) so actually watched most of those stages. The castle porn was top notch and that bombed out French village that was never repaired was ghostly. The racing, not so much. We all have to remember that for France, the fact that a "race" is underway is only part of the Tour.

Posts:4209

07/07/2016 11:00 AM
Cav making it look easy....that race was over with 400m to go.

Just say "NO!" to WCP!!!!

Posts:809

07/07/2016 02:04 PM
Impressive sprint. Kittel started to close a little and Cav just kept pouring it on. Sagan's teammates should just stay out of the sprints. He doesn't follow them anyway. Dude was radioing back to see where Sagan was.

Posts:2881

07/07/2016 08:54 PM
And Cav was geared too low but still pulled it off. Just amazing: 1. The best there ever was 2. Cav 3. The Badger That's a stellar career right there, and add rainbow stripes, and serene maturity. Chapeau Mark.

Posts:2881

07/07/2016 08:55 PM
OK, great first week, one of the best. Now let the real racing begin!

Posts:4209

07/07/2016 10:01 PM
Posted By Frederick Jones on 07/07/2016 08:55 PM OK, great first week, one of the best.

Just say "NO!" to WCP!!!!

Posts:2881

07/08/2016 06:39 AM
OK, what wasn't great about it? Terrific sprint finishes, great scenery, decent weather, and except for Alberto's and Porte's rotten luck, the contenders will be at full strength for the real racing to come. What's not to like?

Posts:809

07/08/2016 09:55 AM
peloton=snore

Posts:3180

07/08/2016 09:57 AM
Peloton? Isn't that bunch the grupetto? The race (and yellow jersey) are up the road. Ben

Posts:809

07/08/2016 10:02 AM
Good one, Ben!

Posts:809

07/08/2016 10:16 AM
ok, never seen that before. That's up there with the OGE bus getting stuck at the finish line. Fitting end to a sleeper of a stage.

Posts:809

07/08/2016 10:23 AM
ASO must have been packing up the route for tomorrow since the racing was done.

Posts:3180

07/08/2016 10:31 AM
Once the break past, the Kite so no reason for standing around, so it didn't.

Posts:4499

07/08/2016 10:46 AM
The overall has been a snooze fest so far, huge contrast w Giro. Fortunately the scenery is great and the sidestories are pretty descent.

Posts:447

07/08/2016 11:54 AM
--well I think this race has the potential to be one of the best if Contador recovers and gets back into things. For that to happen he's goiing to have to pull a Landis kind of flier on one of these stages. Dont know if he'll do it on one of these uphill finishes over the next couple of days - I doubt it. But stage 15 has his name on it. 2 big climbs and downhiull to finish. He might just hang back and even lose a little time til then (so that everyone really thinks hes out of it) and then take a stab from a long way back (be cool if Sagan or Nibali went with him too.) Froome will be tired from his big show on the Ventoux and the others by then might be too worried about protecting their leads to risk it and they could let him go. If that happened and Berto got the yellow - it would rank as a tremendous comeback and one of the better tdfs in a long time.

Posts:3180

07/08/2016 12:16 PM
stonz, Contador couldn't have asked for the first real challenge to play out better than it did for his sorry condition. A snooze-fest is just what the doctor ordered. I hope he can survive tomorrow's shark's teeth. Ben

Posts:2881

07/09/2016 09:42 AM
Agreeing with OC. Start racing!

Posts:4499

07/09/2016 09:55 AM
Hard to make a move with so many Skybots around. Relative to Giro team strength is what's suffocating battle for overall. Team sizes need to go down.

Posts:568

07/09/2016 10:08 AM
some BS pulled by Sky, blocking Majka on that 2nd to last climb as they crested the summit, I hope Froome gets more pee thrown in his face this tour...... Froome attacks on the descent? is he trying to show people that he can handle a bike, and is more than a skybot looking at his power meter? total snoozefest so far OC

Posts:2881

07/09/2016 10:14 AM
Got better. Who knew Froome had that in him.

Posts:4499

07/09/2016 10:27 AM
I'll be damned, Froome boy actually impressed with that gutsy downhill attack. Doesn't change notion of team sizes suffocating the races but at least it brought some excitement.

Posts:2881

07/09/2016 06:11 PM
I was referring to Froome punching out an obnoxious Columbian fan :-;

Posts:159

07/10/2016 08:22 AM
Barring a major crash, this Tour is in the books. Let the victory lap around France begin. Maybe the Vuelta will have more exciting GC racing.... Glad to see GvA in yellow for a few days. Always been a fan of the nearly man.

Posts:2881

07/10/2016 07:06 PM
I hope you're wrong but I know you're right. But on the bright side: There are some highlights this year, like the terrific first week sprints. And Froome so far is a lot more likable, less robotic and dorky, more human. And extra points: he punched out a dumbass fan who almost put a flag in his front wheel, and he took yellow with panache. Too bad Porte was so unlucky last week. He looked very good today. And Yates, too. TJ is just out of his league. Who knows who is doping. Maybe TJ isn't and the others are. Or not. Alberto leaving is a bummer, too.

Posts:3180

07/10/2016 08:12 PM
A possible bright side ... Quintana. Is he just playing things very smart? I think he believes he is stronger in the third week than Froome. Maybe is just biding his time. If so, he may be riding a very smart Tour. Yes, he did lose a few seconds yesterday, but 23 seconds down after 9 days - he's still in the game. I could well believe his biggest concern now is maybe putting a dent into Froome on Ventoux but more important, surviving the next day. If he can do that, the race might start to swing in his favor (esp if the Sky wall starts to show some cracks). Ben

Posts:4499

07/10/2016 09:19 PM
Quintana is not ready - he showed that yesterday's stage. Taking on water bottle at top of final climb happily thinking the day's hostilities were over. Froome looked back and took his downhill dig. I may be wrong but it very much looked like the end of LeTour right there. Done and dusted.

Posts:3180

07/11/2016 12:01 AM
OC, yes, Quintana screwed up yesterday. Chalk another off the list of things he needs to learn. He is a good student and I'll wager both that he never gets caught again and that someday he might pull the same move on someone else. I don't think that the damage yesterday adds up to any more than those 13 seconds. He's resilient.

Posts:4209

07/11/2016 07:15 AM
Well.....technically it did add up to more than those 13" because Froome got a 10" win bonus. So it was 23".

Just say "NO!" to WCP!!!!

Posts:4209

07/11/2016 07:17 AM
I also think Quintana made a mistake by not attacking yesterday. He only has so many opportunities to take time on Froome (i.e. Summit finishes) and he needs to take advantage of them when he can. Froome still has two TT's ahead of him and he is no slouch in the mountains himself. Although I expected him to take firm control of the race by now, the deck is still very much stacked in his favor.

Just say "NO!" to WCP!!!!

Posts:809

07/11/2016 09:39 AM
Yep, Quintana should have had a lead coming out of the Pyrenees to the "frog-on-a-skateboard". If he doesn't have 2 minutes after Ventoux (and he won't), he has no chance. Hard to blame him though, they were going full blast in the last few Ks yesterday. Martin and Porte attacked the schitt out of that finish. You are what you are in a grand tour and Moviestar is not able to grab control for sky so far. Hope Quintana has been training on his TT bike or he may not even podium.

Posts:568

07/11/2016 11:23 AM
On stage 9 I was wondering about Quintana, was he unwilling, or unable to attack, looks like everyone may have been on the limit. Is he playing it smart, or just can't attack? I guess we'll see in the 3rd week. IMHO, you have to take some risks, gamble a bit, ask Cadel, he finally won one after he took some risks, rolled the dice. Froome gambled and rolled the dice on that descent, caught everybody with their pants down, and it payed off for him

Posts:2881

07/11/2016 06:01 PM
For those lamenting the good ol' days: https://www.facebook.com/Mpora/videos/10153566588747854/ I do believe that's Coppi at the end.

Yo Mike

Posts:338

07/11/2016 09:20 PM
+1 Gonzo Quintana seems like he's racing for second. Have not seen him put pressure on Froome yet. Can he? His lapse at the top of the climb yesterday was really bonehead. It was the perfect place to attack. Props to the frog.

Posts:809

07/12/2016 02:02 PM
Interesting tactical stage today. Big break with big names. 3 Orica riders at the end crossing swords with Sagan chasing everything himself. Sagan seemed to have to sprint twice after opening up and being passed late and still got 2nd. Strange scenes with Chavenel in the break not working and Voeckler chasing alone at the front of the peloton, then Chavenel didn't make the split when the break split with about 25K to go. Nibali honing his form for Rio but didn't make the split either. I'm sure there's relief in the Orica bus tonight, well at least on the Mathews half of the bus.

Posts:809

07/12/2016 02:04 PM
...oh and BMC moved into the team lead, whoopdedo.

Posts:3180

07/12/2016 02:45 PM
I think Sagan achieved an unsplken objective - to take advantage of today's oppurtunity to put a lot of distance points-wise between himself and Cavendish. Cavendish will dro pout after tomrrow and gearup for Rio. (Ben's no-brainer prediction.) Had the field caught and Cavendish won, Sagan might have a green jersey seeking Cavendish hanging around another week and a half. For Sagan, ridding himself of Cavendish could be, in the long run, worth a lot of energy spent. Tomorrow he can let almost any break go up the road (hoping for a big one to soak up all the points), then it that doesn't work, finish within earshot of Cavendish. Except for going kinda fast at the finish if the break doesn't hold, he doesn't need to do any work. Ben

Posts:809

07/12/2016 03:00 PM
I agree, Ben. Though I'm wondering why Cavendish would even make any run at all at the green jersey or to finish the Tour. Riding the Tour is terrible preparation for a track medal, IMO.

Posts:3180

07/12/2016 03:13 PM
He's a little like Sagan and Contador - a competitor to the core. A green jersey to snap Sagan's streak? That's fire in his belly. Rio isn't until next month. Ben

Posts:809

07/12/2016 05:36 PM
Yeah, I can see that too. Wiggins did fine coming out of the Tour. I guess he is targeting the omnium. Sagan owns the green jersey in a similar way that Zabel did.

Posts:4209

07/12/2016 09:17 PM
I think Cav would have dropped out on the rest day if he had not had the green jersey. But I don't think he wanted to quit in the jersey so he rode today...having done that (at a pretty casual pace), he'll stick around for tomorrow's oh-so-sprinter-friendly course and try and nab his 4th stage. Sagan will keep green and Cav drops out after tomorrow. No way he climbs Ventoux.

Just say "NO!" to WCP!!!!

Posts:568

07/13/2016 09:14 AM
apparently Cav is looking for a win today at Montpellier, maybe he's going to hunt for one more stage, then it's Rio time

Posts:4209

07/13/2016 09:23 AM
Ouch...nasty body surf by Majka on the asphalt!

Just say "NO!" to WCP!!!!

Posts:809

07/13/2016 10:23 AM
that was a race! No rest for the weary.

Posts:568

07/13/2016 10:24 AM
kind of like the way this Froome guy is riding, hardly recognize him, dude is being ruthless, took a few more seconds today, I always wondered if the guy had any cajones, he's showing it in this tour, sticking it to his rivals

Posts:3180

07/13/2016 10:42 AM
After all the work Sagan put in yesterday for his second, he does it again for a win. The WC jersey hasn't been shown this well in my memory. If he just rides for the time cut tomorrow and Friday, I won't complain. Ben

Posts:809

07/13/2016 10:43 AM
my jaw was on the floor. Perfect move, 2 Tinkoff (not just any Tinkoff either), 2 Sky. Cav off the back takes out one sprint team. Other sprint teams in disarray. Quintana might have the last laugh since Froome only got 12 secs and used some energy, but it was only about 13km so it really wasn't that long in duration. We'll see. It all adds up. Definitely a psychological blow.

Posts:4209

07/13/2016 10:47 AM
Well schitt.....who picked Froome for 2nd today?!?!?!? Great stage....nice to see some exciting racing on a day when it looked like a predictable finish.

Just say "NO!" to WCP!!!!

Posts:2881

07/13/2016 10:55 AM
Froome made the Badger smile, that's for sure. Really liking this year's Froome. Sagan is a beast, with brains! Best stage yet, wow. More crosswinds tomorrow.

Posts:568

07/13/2016 11:19 AM
could be a shortened stage on Thursday due to high winds, the wait and see game could bite Quintana in the rear end, because you know Froome will take more time in the TT

Posts:2881

07/13/2016 11:53 AM
just occurred to me: If Contador was a GC contender this year, Tinkoff would not have gone with Froome.

Posts:809

07/13/2016 12:56 PM
LSD, I was thinking the same thing as I was watching that. Ventoux is shortened by 6K. A done deal.

Posts:3180

07/13/2016 02:15 PM
The shortened version: Vento.

SideBySide

Posts:444

07/13/2016 02:30 PM
I would not have believed it. Froome is making this interesting, if only to see what he may do.

Posts:4499

07/13/2016 03:00 PM
The fact that Sky has an iron grip on race seems to be liberating for Froome. As he said "why the hell not?" (OK he just said "why not?") Kudos to Froome dawg for trying but these kind of movies require at least two actors to be truly exciting. Come on Quintana, WTF?!? http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/quintana-and-movistar-blast-tour-de-france-organisers-for-dangerous-stage-11/

Posts:809

07/13/2016 04:47 PM
I remember from racing that when the racing stops, if things didn't go according to plan, you have to be ready with your excuse. Hanging out in the parking lot and listening to the excuses was always interesting. I'm sure ASO is quite pleased with the course design for today's stage and has no intention of running the race on the freeway so the riders have more time to eat and drink. Frustration at Movistar seems to be boiling over a bit.

smokey52

Posts:493

07/13/2016 08:42 PM
Thursday is Bastille Day. Maybe some French rider will be extra motivated.

Posts:4499

07/14/2016 10:02 AM
OK, WTF was this again?!? What a farce.

Posts:4209

07/14/2016 10:11 AM
What a total schittt-show.....holy fook. But Phil was actually right about something - you cannot advance on the course without a bike. New GC just out - Froome now down 53". That is crap.

Just say "NO!" to WCP!!!!

Posts:809

07/14/2016 10:19 AM
Nothing good will come of this. This incident has been a long time coming in the Tour.

Posts:4209

07/14/2016 10:25 AM
I don't believe there is any mechanism for the organizers to do anything about this.....since it was a summit finish, there is no 3K rule in effect. Unless they just decree that post-race that the race was neutralized at the time of the crash, I don;t see how they can reverse what happened on the road.

Just say "NO!" to WCP!!!!

Posts:447

07/14/2016 10:53 AM
as much as it may suck I think the finishing times are going to stick. I dont see how you can neutralize that crash for froome, mollema and porte - while being fair to the other riders busting it up the hill. I'd object if I were quintana, Aru, etc.

Posts:4209

07/14/2016 10:53 AM
Froome just tweeted that he is still in yellow.....no official GC yet, however.

Just say "NO!" to WCP!!!!

Posts:447

07/14/2016 11:00 AM
if true that Froome is still in yellow I would expect holy hell from the others - esp the movistar guys and Yates. Crashes happen it is part of racing.

Posts:568

07/14/2016 11:03 AM
total BS, does anybody think Sky would have any simpathy for anyone else? I don't think so...... What a schitt show for sure, ASO needs to get a handle on things, what a sight, Froome running to the finish line Agreed OC, Quintana is looking more and more like a whiney bitch to me......Too dangerous? Froome did not seem to have a problem on stage 11

Posts:1767

07/14/2016 11:15 AM
..um... isn't a bike race supposed to include a bike? Dayum!

Posts:447

07/14/2016 11:24 AM
And...they neutralized it. Seems wrong to me. I know it was fan interference, but this happens historically, the musette with LA, Guerini's fan knock down..... those guys got up and kept going and won. So Froome didnt get back up and win. Tough titty I say. - I suspect Froome could have overcome the 53 second deficit on GC that he would have had by the way he is riding.

Posts:3180

07/14/2016 11:24 AM
Looks to me like yet another case where keeping the motos further from the riders might have prevented this. No, it wouldn't have prevented the moto from being stopped. But Porte would probably have been able to get around it or at least stop without crashing into it. As it happened, there was no outcome possible where ASO gets to come off looking good. Ben

Posts:4209

07/14/2016 11:42 AM
The problem with keeping the motos further ahead is that the crowd then just spills back into the road and potentially block the riders. I can't begin to describe how packed ventoux is on race day....it is just insane. And everyone wants to see so they keep leaning into the road. Hell, I almost got clipped by a team car's mirror when I was there in 2009. I don't know the answer...more barriers? OK, but you just move the problem down the hill. RUn barriers all the wya to 3K and you still have the potential issue 4K down the road. More gendarmes? That is a lot of manpower. I don't know....

Just say "NO!" to WCP!!!!

Posts:4499

07/14/2016 11:48 AM
The problem was not the moto, the problem was all the spectators that had been camping up top of Ventoux for a week coming down the hill to the new finish and nothing in place to keep them back. So this is what cycling's premier event looks like?!? Just when they were putting the final nails in the coffin that is Quintana. Dude should perhaps actually ride some races as Tour prep.

Posts:568

07/14/2016 11:57 AM
OK, I take back what I said, it was a good decision, Froome should not lose the yellow jersey in that manner. TT tommorrow!! You know Froome is gonna bring it, big time, the Quintana tears will be falling...... "Just when they were putting the final nails in the coffin that is Quintana. Dude should perhaps actually ride some races as Tour prep." ha ha ha OC, I got a feeling the "Program" in Columbia is a good one, plus no laws, controls, etc....

Posts:809

07/14/2016 12:13 PM
They may have to patrol the access to the final climb and limit the number of people on the climb. More is not always better. In Quintana's defense, it was 4 against 1 (or 2 if you count Valverde). I don't fault Quintana's tactics today. He just didn't have it. He will probably question Route du Sud vs Dauphine. He did win Romandie, no?

Posts:4499

07/14/2016 12:15 PM
Posted By Cosmic Kid on 07/12/2016 09:17 PM Sagan will keep green and Cav drops out after tomorrow. No way he climbs Ventoux. OK, you can argue he didn't actually climb Ventoux all the way :-)

Yo Mike

Posts:338

07/14/2016 12:22 PM
This is nucking futts. Spectators are WAY out of hand. Pro cycling may be the only sport where one can get that close to the action, but in our pathologically self-absorbed society, cretins are not content to merely spectate. Make 'examples' out of the most obnoxious: visibly, and forcefully, if necessary, and the others may then behave.

Posts:809

07/14/2016 12:34 PM
Maybe in some way this can all be blamed on pokemon. I was almost taken out by a wobbly oncoming millennial cyclist on the bike path staring at phone this am.

Posts:4209

07/14/2016 01:03 PM
CP is channeling his inner Taylor Phinney.... Taylor Phinney ‏@taylorphinney 3h3 hours ago Someone found a Pokemon up on Ventoux #TDF2016

Just say "NO!" to WCP!!!!

SideBySide

Posts:444

07/14/2016 02:10 PM
They just don't seem to care about rider safety. We had a pack of about 10 Pokemon zombies walk onto the path without even looking at ~10:00 PM.

Posts:568

07/14/2016 02:18 PM
ha ha ha, watched three young folks just walk right out into traffic the other day, this thing is so crazy

Posts:809

07/14/2016 03:37 PM
Good explanation by inrng. Could have been a stalled motorbike and not necessarily the crowds. Also Froome can run without his bike, he just has to finish with a bike. http://inrng.com/2016/07/the-running-man/

Posts:4499

07/14/2016 03:55 PM
There's still a couple problems with decisions. 1. They gave Froome and Porte same time as Mollema. Fine but this was entirely dependent on Mollema getting on with it which was unpredictable. Nor is that part of rules quoted. 2. The jury also ruled that Quintana, Alejandro Valverde (Movistar) and Tejay van Garderen (BMC Racing) would receive the same time as Yates and others chasers who had crossed the line 19 seconds behind Mollema. That saved Quintana who came in further behind. What was that based on? Trek is appealing. And as Mollema said, what if it was only him who crashed? Different decisions? It remains a farce no matter what they do or decide.

Posts:2881

07/14/2016 04:06 PM
ASO should give back the 250 swiss francs they fined Froome a few stages back for punching at jerk fan who was waving a flag near his front wheel. Is running uphill in bike shoes a good prep for a TT the next day?

Posts:4209

07/14/2016 05:28 PM
OC, I think they took the times and splits at the time of the accident (1K). Both Brailsford and CyclingNews stated this.

Just say "NO!" to WCP!!!!

Posts:4209

07/14/2016 05:34 PM
Quote from Cycling News.... Race officials later reinstated the gaps the trio had on their rivals at the time of the incident

Just say "NO!" to WCP!!!!

Posts:4499

07/14/2016 06:36 PM
Posted By Cosmic Kid on 07/14/2016 05:28 PM OC, I think they took the times and splits at the time of the accident (1K). Both Brailsford and CyclingNews stated this. don't think so (Cyclingnews often has a lot of writeup that is just plain wrong and this is even contradicted by standings they provide in main article). Below is what I read. And then came the controversy. The jury ruled that the time differences taken at the line would stand, not at the point of the accident. Mollema crossed at 5:05 behind winner Thomas de Gendt, and the jury ruled to give Froome and Porte the same time even though they finished much further back. The jury also ruled that Quintana, Alejandro Valverde (Movistar) and Tejay van Garderen (BMC Racing) would receive the same time as Yates and others chasers who had crossed the line 19 seconds behind Mollema. That saved Quintana about 20 seconds. Read more at http://velonews.competitor.com/2016/07/tour-de-france/explainer-what-led-to-that-crazy-crash-on-ventoux_414741#MiE8tDfXWgEgM84X.99

Posts:4209

07/14/2016 09:49 PM
Just re-watched the coverage....you are correct....Mollema crossed the line @ 5:05 after De Gendt, so that is the time gap they assigned to Froome and Porte.

Just say "NO!" to WCP!!!!

Posts:568

07/15/2016 09:20 AM
any predictions in the TT today? How much time do you think Quintana will lose to Froome? How will Adam Yates fare?

Posts:3180

07/15/2016 09:31 AM
This is where we get to see if Quintana's heart is still in this. He hasn't been riding badly this Tour. Staying at the front, often with little help form teammates, staying out of the wind and basically riding smart. Except for his lapse at the top of the final climb on the first mountain stage.) Yesterday,his strength should have kicked in a few kilometers after the shortened finish. Today he HAS to finish withing 90 seconds of Froome. Withing 30 seconds and maybe Quintana will come to life this next week and show us something. (I'm hoping!) Sadly (for me), I fear a Froome by two minutes over anyone who matters. He's simply on. Ben

Posts:568

07/15/2016 09:38 AM
Ben, if Froome puts two minutes into his rivals, that will be huge!! Sure, lots of mountains to come, as Quintana keeps saying, but two minutes will be hard to make up with how Froome is riding.

Posts:4499

07/15/2016 10:38 AM
A good day for the Orange Crush. Another bad day for Quintana. And what about rumours of a moto pull yesterday?

Posts:3180

07/15/2016 10:44 AM
OC, I call it a tough day for Quintana, not a bad day. 5'5" and 128 pounds. Finishing 3 minutes offa world class best and 2 off an on fire Froome bad in real wind? Give the little guy a break! (May well end his chances this Tour but it isn't like he didn't show up.) Ben

Posts:568

07/15/2016 10:59 AM
I don't know, this is looking more and more like a race for second place................Froome brought his "A" game this year, still a long way to go for sure, but Quintana better start lighting it up before he's five minutes down before the big climbs in the 3rd week OC, Moto Pull? whoa, had not heard that one, I'm surprised there was no word of Aru's sticky bottle

Posts:1767

07/15/2016 11:00 AM
Posted By Orange Crush on 07/15/2016 10:38 AM A good day for the Orange Crush. Another bad day for Quintana. And what about rumours of a moto pull yesterday? Not a rumor-- he grabbed hold of the Mavic spare wheel moto and held on. http://stevetilford.com/2016/07/15/bazaar-tour-stage-mt-ventoux-froome-runningquintana-getting-a-lift/screen-shot-2016-07-15-at-8-08-12-am-copy/

Posts:809

07/15/2016 11:52 AM
Can Mollema catch Froome? LOL. But seriously, that was a great TT by the pair of Dutchmen today. Tough day for France. Uncertainty ahead. I'm a little miffed why photographers were clicking away during the moments of silence. The jersey presentations were an appropriate touch.

Posts:4209

07/15/2016 12:42 PM
I'm not too bent out of shape about Quintana grabbing the moto....it was a complete schitt-show at that point, highly congested and mass chaos. It looks to me that he as doing it as a defensive move to protect himself from the moto's movements as much as anything else. Hardly the level of what Nibali did in the Vuelta....

Just say "NO!" to WCP!!!!

Posts:1767

07/15/2016 12:48 PM
Agree... the wheel grab was just part of the chaos of the day. I don't agree with Tilford that he ought to get booted from the tour. What Nib's did was boot worthy. The Tour need to get their crap together... this has become a clown show with the motor, cars, fans and horrible finishing sections.

Posts:159

07/17/2016 04:34 PM
A few thoughts going into the final week of the Tour... 1. As far as the GC is concerned, this year has been a snooze-fest for the me, aside from just a couple ill-fated attacks. Froome's tactics seem to have gotten a little better, so that's good for him. Basically the same thing we saw from Lance/Postal/Disco. In Sky's defense however, it's the best way to win and that's what they're being paid to do, so I guess it depends on which side of the fence you're on. Nothing personal against them, I would say the same regarding any team riding/dominating like this. In any sport IMHO too much of one person/team isn't good. 2. I'm not sure if the other GC contenders are afraid to attack, or maybe realize they're just not strong enough to overpower the Sky juggernaut (i.e. Quintana). After the first ten days or so, they seem content to just join in with the procession/victory lap to Paris, and the burden is on them to take the race from Sky but they seemingly cannot deliver on that one. Seems like literally the rest of the road racing world is powerless against this team - in the Tour. 3. I have also wondered how a rider who for the first part of his career was a good domestique, but not a GC guy or even a "super" domestique, all of a sudden can out climb everyone and can out TT almost everyone. I understand he hasn't tested positive, so it's all guessing from me at this point, and I'm not really accusing him - just doesn't add up to me. The old saying comes to mind about turning a workhorse into a thoroughbred. But until something turns up..... 4. Between the green/white/polka dot jersey's and watching to see if the break of the day will stay away, it hasn't been a bad Tour to watch. From an entertainment point of view it would be even nicer to see a "real" GC battle like the last several Giro's and Vuelta's. Understand we may never again see the epic stuff of the doped up generations, but anything more than what we get from the Wiggins/Froome/Sky bunch would be an improvement. Feel free to disagree if you want. Just my $0.02

smokey52

Posts:493

07/17/2016 05:46 PM
Red Tornado, wrt #3: It might be that with fewer dopers, somebody with natural talent and a strong work ethic can rise to the occasion. or not. It's so easy to be jaded.

Posts:159

07/18/2016 10:16 AM
Valid point, and could be what's actually happening. We'll probably never know though. Unfortunately, I will most likely continue to be a little skeptical.

Posts:4499

07/18/2016 02:26 PM
Between Sky's team dominance and Froome's magical transformation I continue to have my doubts. In an interview in L’Equipe, three-time winner Greg LeMond said there is “nothing worse than doubt.” After raising doubts about motors in the peloton, he also had a go at Sky, saying this: “Froome turns the legs so fast that it’s contrary to the laws of physiology. What annoys me is to hear certain trainers say it’s all science fiction, which is disinformation. Others make us believe that they are ahead in science. These famous marginal gains of Team Sky? What a load of bollocks. There are no new training methods; it’s false. In this area, miracles don’t exist.” Read more at http://velonews.competitor.com/2016/07/tour-de-france/tour-notebook-reading-olegs-mind-lemonds-sky-doubts_415091#Su1iH14QJWdgkVXe.99

Posts:3180

07/19/2016 12:46 AM
What Quintana must be thinking - "That wind!" This was supposed to be an excellent Tour for Quintana, fitting his body type and racing style. But trying to shoehorn a 5'5" 128 pound body into a race that is cursed (for him anyway) with cross-winds that have the flags out straight is a tough one. Then to have the last 1500' of Mt Ventoux taken away ... Of course, it is entirely likely that he would have simply been blown away had they gone to the top. He has done an impressive job of keeping himself where he needs to be. Practically every camera shot shows him right behind Froome, out of the wind, very close to the front and spared the yo-yoing. And this whether or not his teammated are there supporting him. I do think he should have stayed in Europe, racing and keeping good race speed. I think the month off competition cost him the abilty to make any time on Froome the first week. Maybe he could not have anyway, but with hindsight we now know in the second week it wasn't going to happen. I hope he can pull something out of the bag these coming days. He is so much fun to watch when he does! Ben

Posts:447

07/19/2016 07:22 AM
eye-opener for me this tour - Tony Martin riding at the front of the "break" all day at 30+mph into the wind on stage 16. On his regular road bike. Seriously - has anyone here tried to ride at 30mph for an extended period of time? Talk about non-physiologic. The whole thing is a show guys...

Posts:4209

07/19/2016 12:07 PM
Not his regular road bike....Venge Vias aero road bike, arguably the most aero frame out there. /sarcasm

Just say "NO!" to WCP!!!!

Posts:2881

07/19/2016 03:33 PM
Cav's out. Who do you like for Paris?

Posts:4499

07/19/2016 07:40 PM
The boulevard in Paris is wide enough that even Ettix should be able to get a sprint train going: Kittel. Or maybe it is wide enough for Greipel not to fear crashing. I would really like to see Groenewegen, that French mini rocket or Sagan though.

Posts:2881

07/20/2016 09:16 AM
See ya TJ, right on schedule, alas. If Porte had someone with him when he had the mechanical in the first week, his bike change would have taken seconds instead of minutes. the podium might come out different.

Posts:4499

07/20/2016 10:06 AM
40kph average on a mountain stage. Sky till left w 6 riders at base of final climb. We're back to THOSE days.

Posts:2881

07/20/2016 10:08 AM
yes. Beyond belief.

Posts:4209

07/20/2016 11:07 AM
Posted By Frederick Jones on 07/20/2016 09:16 AM See ya TJ, right on schedule, alas. If Porte had someone with him when he had the mechanical in the first week, his bike change would have taken seconds instead of minutes. the podium might come out different. He would have lost well over a minute, no matter what. race was in full-flight when he flatted (due to BMC, ironically). No way he was ever catching back on at that point, no matter how fast he got a bike / wheel. This Tour has sucked....boring as hell.

Just say "NO!" to WCP!!!!

Posts:2881

07/20/2016 11:47 AM
Agree. He was off the back. How long did Porte wait for a wheel? Painfully slow change. That's the time gap I mean.

Posts:809

07/20/2016 11:53 AM
I'm with LSD. It wouldn't have taken a minute to trade a bike with someone who is right with him. That would have put him within attacking distance of the podium. Now he has to hope that 2 of 3 guys crack in the last 3 stages (Mollema, Yates, Quintana). Still, BMC has been playing a game of odds based on the information they have going in. They signed the best possible guy this year but had no guarantee that he could ride 3 weeks at the top. They've won a stage and had yellow and have a shot at top 5. B+ for them given their expectations. Would have been grade A for most of the other teams in the race. effing gorgeous day in the Alps. Postcard.

thinline

Posts:323

07/20/2016 12:10 PM
Bore de France?

Posts:447

07/20/2016 12:21 PM
extreme movistar disappointment. Also note that Nibali put the hurt on the whole GC group up the last mountain. No mistaking who has real tdf-winning legs in that group. (hint: it aint Nairo and it aint Fabio)

Spud

Posts:525

07/20/2016 01:12 PM
I have to admit, I haven't watched one stage of this race. I have seen a few highlights. Not sure why the lack of interest for me this year.

Posts:159

07/20/2016 02:24 PM
Posted By Stefan Eckardt on 07/10/2016 08:22 AM Barring a major crash, this Tour is in the books. Let the victory lap around France begin. Maybe the Vuelta will have more exciting GC racing.... Glad to see GvA in yellow for a few days. Always been a fan of the nearly man. I called it early (page 3) in this thread. Shades of Postal/Disco & may even the Big Mig days. Sky is on another level either because they bought all the talent or they have made the best "preparations"......... Agree with several of you other guys (OC, LSD, Thinline, Stronz, Spud) about this Tour.

Posts:4499

07/20/2016 02:40 PM
All that is left to experience is watch Mollema tumble off the podium a la Dumoulin in Vuelta and Kruijswijk in Giro. The first signs were there today. LOL!

Posts:447

07/20/2016 03:07 PM
Its been said before here (and elsewhere) strictly from a sporting perspective the Giro and Vuelta are usually far more interesting. Maybe the next three days will turn things around, but really - racing 3 weeks just to have 3 days of racing that are truly exciting - earns a big fat MEH

Posts:4209

07/20/2016 04:13 PM
Did we get 3 days of exciting racing? I must have missed them.... /sarcasm

Just say "NO!" to WCP!!!!

Posts:4499

07/20/2016 04:42 PM
Posted By Cosmic Kid on 07/20/2016 04:13 PM Did we get 3 days of exciting racing? I must have missed them.... /sarcasm I think Stronz is referring to tomorrow, Fri and Sat. Bahahaha!

Posts:159

07/21/2016 08:49 AM
Did you see Froome bridging up to Porte on the final push before the finish? I don't know if a juiced Lance/Pantani/Virenque could have reeled him in any faster. I really want to believe these guys are riding clean, and I'm sure some of them are, but to be that much better than everyone else. Just makes me a little skeptical....... He did look a little tired though, so I guess he's human after all. After some thought I've come to the conclusion that you can't really knock the way Sky/Froome have raced as they're doing what they need to do to win, just the disparity between them and the rest of the TdF participants is stunning.

Posts:568

07/21/2016 10:59 AM
Froome and Sky are in a class all their own this year, made this Tour a snooze, but, there have been a few moments that were fun to watch, seeing Froome pull some new tricks out of the bag was one I have grown more skeptical, the micro dosing of EPO made a ton of sense, let's see "you took some guys from track racing, and now they are world class climbers?" Sure..................and, we all know where Brailsford came from, has anybody forgot his past?

Posts:4499

07/22/2016 10:30 AM
Posted By Orange Crush on 07/20/2016 02:40 PM All that is left to experience is watch Mollema tumble off the podium a la Dumoulin in Vuelta and Kruijswijk in Giro. The first signs were there today. LOL! Done and done. Dang though, Dumoulin missing Ole games due to crash.

Posts:4209

07/22/2016 10:32 AM
Well, we don't know for sure yet about Dumoulin....depends on how bad the injury (break?) is. He could get on his trainer fairly quickly and not miss much time. Bummer about Mollema....thought he had a decent shot at a podium spot.

Just say "NO!" to WCP!!!!

Posts:4499

07/22/2016 10:41 AM
Broken wrist suspected.

Posts:4209

07/22/2016 11:01 AM
Somebody cue up the "mechanical doping" suspicions....when Froome goes down, Nibali goes down right behind him. Watch Nibali's rear wheel after he hits the deck.....keeps spinning at what appears to be a constant speed. The conspiracy nuts are gonna have a field day, especially since it is linked to Astana / Vino.

Just say "NO!" to WCP!!!!

Posts:4499

07/22/2016 11:53 AM
Doesn't make any sense. It was a downhill crash, last spot you'd be using mechanical assistance. But yeah, anything that spins is suspect, LOL.

Posts:3180

07/22/2016 03:05 PM
Is that the secret to Nibali's incredible downhill speed? That's what I needed when I raced. I, to misquote Mohammad Ali, could "sting (climb) like a bee but (descended) like a butterfly". Ben

Posts:2881

07/23/2016 11:24 AM
Geez Sky is crazy strong.

Posts:447

07/26/2016 10:17 AM
looking forward to the vuelta - these tdf's where everyone is racing for 2nd and 3rd are distinctly unsatisfying. Declaring sky as a super strong team is just bleh.... liked froome's downhill attack and thats about it. The Ventoux $4it show was a cruel disappointment for what should have been a big showdown. Just never felt the race took shape. Wanted Aru to do something special - but that fizzled. Hats off to Froome - just super suspicious of this kind of dominance.