Re: Tour de France Chat : Thu Jul 18, 2013 10:58 am  

Attacks from the off. Good decision to take today off work.

Re: Tour de France Chat : Thu Jul 18, 2013 12:15 pm  

Just seen some images of the state of the road on the descent of Col de Sarenne.

Could be fun playing dodge the pothole...

Re: Tour de France Chat : Thu Jul 18, 2013 2:15 pm  

New tarmac on some of those hairpins. And it's just starting to rain. That could be fun. The GC contenders are going down now.

Re: Tour de France Chat : Fri Jul 19, 2013 2:32 pm  

Sagan on the Alpe d'Huez

Sagan on the Alpe d'Huez

Re: Tour de France Chat : Fri Jul 19, 2013 2:35 pm  

Also

Also

Re: Tour de France Chat : Sat Jul 20, 2013 6:04 pm  

Respect to Froome.
TdF winner 2013.

He'd have won it last year if he hadn't had to have carried Bradders.

Re: Tour de France Chat : Sat Jul 20, 2013 7:06 pm  

So they made this year's route more mountaineous to curb the advantage the time triallers had last year.

In response, Team Sky have bossed the race again albeit in a different way.

What are they going to do next year, make them ride with weighted backpacks on?

Re: Tour de France Chat : Sun Jul 21, 2013 6:38 am  

Best Tdf for many a year.

I don't think Team Sky bossed it in quite the same way as they did last year but Froome has been immense. Contador on the other hand doesn't look the same without his beef.

Re: Tour de France Chat : Mon Jul 22, 2013 10:41 am  

Haggis Fax wrote:

Normally I'd agree with you. You do know the finish in Paris has been moved closer to l'Arc de Triomphe? Uphill finish, longer to go after the final corner. On this years form I don't fancy him.

Nice bet on Kittel yesterday whose odds were ludicrously generous considering Cav has not beaten him in a sprint where Kittel has been 'there' for a long time.

So.....what is going on with Cav? Moves from Sky who didn't support him (4 wins in 2012) to a team where he is the main man (2 wins). What is the difference?

Is he unwell? Injured? Or has 'his time' passed?

Re: Tour de France Chat : Mon Jul 22, 2013 12:11 pm  

I think the competition around him (particularly Kittel and Sagan) is getting better and he's standing still slightly rather than necessarily declining.

He also had at Sky arguably the best lead out train in the peleton at that time to deliver him into perfect position to attack.

He'll still nick a couple of stage wins a year, but he's not head and shoulders above the others like he has been.