Tour de France 2018-19

[EddieB]

Surprising that it’s twelve days in and no thread for this year’s TdF.

 

Some of the key sprinters (Cavendish, Kittel and Greipel) have already dropped out. The mixing up of flat, hilly and mountain sections might shake up the field further.

 

An interesting dynamic as the two main challengers are from the same team. Based on his previous efforts and teamwork, Geraint Thomas would be a worthy winner, and Chris Froome has slightly sullied his reputation (better not debate) - but will team orders apply?

 

Could turn out to be a classic.

Edited July 24, 2019 by EddieB

[Joseph_Pestell]

With GT winning stage this afternoon, it gets even more interesting. I think Sky have to go with him.

[Classsix T]

Ritchie Porte out too. I'm not big into cycling but watch these supermen every year in La Tour, consequently I wasn't familiar with the one day Paris-Roubaix, that stage last weekend must be murder!

 

I'd like to see GT get a crack at the title, but Sky have invested heavily in Froomie so I can see they'd be eager to get him back into contention, the mountains might well be his opportunity. A lead is easier to chase than defend, n'est pas?

 

C6T.

[Andy Hayter]

Some of the key sprinters (Cavendish, Kittel and Greipel) have already dropped out. 

 

Not so much dropped out as eliminated for failing to make the cut off time.

 

The CF vs GT race is going to be intriguing - unless of course something untoward happens - let's hope not.

[Mike at C&M]

Could turn out to be a classic.

I would suggest this has already been a classic. Plenty of excellent performances from many riders you may not have expected them from. The obvious one being G

[bimble]

It's a long race and anything can happen, so having both up there is just great for Sky. If one breaks on one of the many climbs to come, the other is in a great position to take advantage. And the Stage 17, 65km road stage with two Cat 1 and a HC climb to the finish...

[Enterprisingwestern]

As there are supposed to be team orders, I can't see GT being allowed to ride away from Froome.

A few days pulling CF back into contention and a winning position, then a unexpected retirement or falling off of performance is my theory, although the problem with that is other riders, such as Doumelin who could benefit from such a situation.

Definitely going to be an interesting few days.

It's tiring me out watching it in this heat, I should have started my training regime earlier!

 

Mike.

[bimble]

If Froome is feeling good there's nothing saying he won't try a solo breakaway, as they did in the Giro... there are still six stages with big climbs (some followed by descents - CF is a good descenter) at the end.

[Butler Henderson]

Seems virtually all sprinters of note bar Sagan are out now. Was expecting a good showing from Adam Yates after the Critérium du Dauphiné but plainly got that prediction wrong.

 

As there are supposed to be team orders, I can't see GT being allowed to ride away from Froome.

A few days pulling CF back into contention and a winning position, then a unexpected retirement or falling off of performance is my theory, although the problem with that is other riders, such as Doumelin who could benefit from such a situation..

 

That's assuming no one attacks CF any worse than the idiot today who obviously had no thought of the consequences to those riding behind CF,

[Re6/6]

Despite all the extra police presence on the top of the Alp d'Huez they seemed to have failed miserably at the spot where Nibali was knocked off. GT said that he nearly came off after running over his wheel. Credit to Nibali for almost getting back to the leading group.

 

Loved GT's response to winning and in yellow too!

[EddieB]

Despite all the extra police presence on the top of the Alp d'Huez they seemed to have failed miserably at the spot where Nibali was knocked off. GT said that he nearly came off after running over his wheel. Credit to Nibali for almost getting back to the leading group.

I hadn't picked up that Nibali has had to drop out having damaged vertebrae in his crash - in which morons with smoke canisters were a contributory factor.  Another imbecile ran out and tried to kick Froome off his bike.  The taunts, splashings and spittings are commonplace.  When will les gensdarmes take appropriate action - arrest and ban these so-called "fans"?

[Re6/6]

Peter Sagan is a real character and one of my favourites. Well done today!

[alfsboy]

iIs great watching it on TV .The scenery is terrific  especially in the Alps .Dont really care who wins .Like Lemans its probably time a Frenchman won it .

[Enterprisingwestern]

IMHO, yesterdays stage wasn't a good advert for the TdF, no breakaways and just one peloton over the finishing line.

Any more like this and we might as well just go straight to Paris!

 

Mike.

[Jonboy]

Is this a consequence of the drop from 9 to 8 riders, giving teams a a slight reluctance to burn through domestics in the early stages?

[Joseph_Pestell]

IMHO, yesterdays stage wasn't a good advert for the TdF, no breakaways and just one peloton over the finishing line.

Any more like this and we might as well just go straight to Paris!

 

Mike.

 

Every grand tour has a mix of stages: sprinters', mountain climbers', breakaways, time trials.

 

Yesterday's was designed for a breakaway but it didn't happen. So a bunch finish always the likely outcome.

[Mallard60022]

If Froome is feeling good there's nothing saying he won't try a solo breakaway, as they did in the Giro... there are still six stages with big climbs (some followed by descents - CF is a good descenter) at the end.

It is my opinion that Sky are keeping CF in the 'pack' as if he makes a breakaway he is vulnerable to the moronic actions of the complete shites that caused Nibble's accident. Sad but inevitable and has killed his chance of a Tour win this time round.

What pi##es me off is the fact that there are other riders who are not 'clean' and just have not been hounded by the mob (both 'officials' and so called 'spectators') .

A. Biker

[jjb1970]

What pi##es me off is the fact that there are other riders who are not 'clean' and just have not been hounded by the mob (both 'officials' and so called 'spectators') .

A. Biker

Sanctimonious fits of selective rage and supercilious sneering towards those who have been caught or been under suspicion whilst wilfully ignoring the fact that those riders were basically either a bit stupid or unlucky in a sport where it is rampant is an ancient tradition of cycling. One of the things I found amusing about the Armstrong debacle was that the most vicious critics of Armstrong after his fall tended to be the same people who'd been in wilful denial in the face of a mountain of evidence for years and had acted like attack dogs against journalists like David Walsh and Pierre Ballester. A good example was Bernard Hinault's attack on Froome recently, heaven forbid that there was ever any drugs in Bernie's day or that he might have failed to notice Armstrong's chemically enhanced brilliance.

Edited July 21, 2018 by jjb1970

[alfsboy]

A young friend of my eldest daughter had won a few races  in the UK and was to spend  a summer  around 1998 -2000 or so  with a French or Belgian  domestique team  training . He was expected to take the full panalopy of drugs from day one .He went home after a few weeks  so that sums it all up really .He said you cannot race on  even close to equal terms unless you dope up the rest .

[Andy Hayter]

It is my opinion that Sky are keeping CF in the 'pack' as if he makes a breakaway he is vulnerable to the moronic actions of the complete shites that caused Nibble's accident. Sad but inevitable and has killed his chance of a Tour win this time round.

 

 

Not sure I agree with this statement.  I think Sky are adopting exactly the same tactics that they have done for perhaps 10 years.

 

It is perhaps a boring and certainly very calculating strategy that says you don't have to win stages but you do need your lead cyclist to get a consistently good time every single day.  If they also have a speciality and can knock out a win or two so much the better, but it is not essential to win stages.  Stages are won by different people nearly every day.  So today they gain 1 minute and tomorrow they lose 5 minutes.  But coming in the second or third group every day means you lose  some seconds or even minutes against the stage winner, but overall have the best time through that consistency.

 

The difference this year is that the man to beat is in the same team as CF and is part of the same tactics.  

 

On the issue of drugs, in France much of the antagonism against Frome has been generated by Hinault - which is a bit rich coming from the cyclist who refused to be tested during his glory days.

[Mallard60022]

Not sure I agree with this statement.  I think Sky are adopting exactly the same tactics that they have done for perhaps 10 years.

 

It is perhaps a boring and certainly very calculating strategy that says you don't have to win stages but you do need your lead cyclist to get a consistently good time every single day.  If they also have a speciality and can knock out a win or two so much the better, but it is not essential to win stages.  Stages are won by different people nearly every day.  So today they gain 1 minute and tomorrow they lose 5 minutes.  But coming in the second or third group every day means you lose  some seconds or even minutes against the stage winner, but overall have the best time through that consistency.

 

The difference this year is that the man to beat is in the same team as CF and is part of the same tactics.  

 

 

Oh yes, I am sure you are actually correct. I'm still trying to get my head around the team tactics situation but it does make for intersting 'racing'. 

Phil

Edited July 21, 2018 by Mallard60022

[Andy Hayter]

Of course different teams will have different tactics.

 

There were perhaps 6 teams with a realistic chance of generating an overall winner or a winning team. 

Other teams will have been looking to win the green jersey - Sagan and Cavendish for example. 

Still other the king of the mountains and

a few of the "also present" teams would be happy to nail a stage win or two.

 

Then overlay personal ambitions (probably approved by the teams in question beforehand):

A Frenchman to win on 14/7

Fred to win stage 7 because it goes through the village where he was born/married etc.

 

It is the collision of these disparate and sometimes desperate strategies that makes the race interesting.

[BoD]

It is interesting that next Saturday's stage is a tIme trial leaving no opportunity to catch up afterwards. I feel whoever wins will need a good gap over Dumoulin going into the trial - unless they can wear him out in the mountains first.

[Mallard60022]

Of course different teams will have different tactics.

 

There were perhaps 6 teams with a realistic chance of generating an overall winner or a winning team. 

Other teams will have been looking to win the green jersey - Sagan and Cavendish for example. 

Still other the king of the mountains and

a few of the "also present" teams would be happy to nail a stage win or two.

 

Then overlay personal ambitions (probably approved by the teams in question beforehand):

A Frenchman to win on 14/7

Fred to win stage 7 because it goes through the village where he was born/married etc.

 

It is the collision of these disparate and sometimes desperate strategies that makes the race interesting.

I was listening to the chat with a couple of guests on the commentary tem (Friday?) and a lass was talking about nutrition and how that differed depending on what the competition/ride was. Wiggo mentioned that Sky are really into the science of nutritional science and that was probably how they got Froome into the Giro positions, especially the real break aways that seemed so amazing. He talked about something like feeding so that the energy levels were just right for bursts of extreme effort and then having the 'tank empty just at the finish (I think it was?) There was also talk about body weight and how Thomas has become a lightweight in the last couple of years, but obviously hugely powerful and capable of long endurance. Fascinating stuff.

P

[Enterprisingwestern]

I was listening to the chat with a couple of guests on the commentary tem (Friday?) and a lass was talking about nutrition and how that differed depending on what the competition/ride was. Wiggo mentioned that Sky are really into the science of nutritional science and that was probably how they got Froome into the Giro positions, especially the real break aways that seemed so amazing. He talked about something like feeding so that the energy levels were just right for bursts of extreme effort and then having the 'tank empty just at the finish (I think it was?) There was also talk about body weight and how Thomas has become a lightweight in the last couple of years, but obviously hugely powerful and capable of long endurance. Fascinating stuff.

P

 

I'd noticed that GT had lost a bit of timber lately, but seeing him stood standing on the podium with his giant feet makes me smile!

 

Mike.