TdF 2011 (May contain spoilers)

[Phil H]

Someone ought to start a thread.

Looking strange so far on the GC. OK, it doesn't necessarily mean much now but given last year's result, Contadope's time deficit could be significant.

The decision on granting Wiggins et al the same time after the last crash on stage 1 (based upon the stage finish "not being that uphill") seems a bit arbitrary. Today's looking a bit sprinty so the strange distribution of times in the GC (19 riders within 5" of the lead) might stick around a while longer.

One thing I noticed on a recent shorter tour - Europcar seemed to be putting all their rubbish back in their pockets and handing it back to the team car. Now if this could spread to, say, the Dragon ride wouldn't that be good?

[Andrew G]

Teams were putting their rubbish back in their pockets/car on the Dauphine and I saw some doing it on stage 1 of the TdF. I think they'd said on the Dolphin that it was part of a new practice didn't mention whether it would cross over to the TdF. I hope it has and good news, no reason not to stick a gel wrapper in your pocket, argueably uses less effort than flinging it to the roadside.

Sportives are terrible for twats who think they're in a professional race chucking all kinds of rubbish on the floor.

Odd decision to give them the same time with the way the stage ended and Evans wasn't hapy having put in the effort only to see others twiddle over the line ages later to finish 5 seconds down on time in the GC.

TTT - what a joke the Schlecks are. They did a TT and both just sat at the back and got towed all the way by the others with Fab and a couple of others doing huge amounts of work, effectively running a 3 man team at the end to tow the useless Luxes around. I hope one of them doesn't win the Tour as you should be at least be able to ride a bike properly to win the Tour. They can ride it uphill well. They can't time trial or descend, need to be looked after all the time in a bunch, have terrible bike handling abilities, don't know how to change gear - both of them have codsed up gear changes at important moments and shipped chains because they try and drop chainrings and sprockets at the same time whilst putting power through the drivetrain. They then just look bemused as to why the chain jumped off.

[Dan_K]

Andrew - agree the Schlecks are useless and hope Andy doesn't win anything.

Phil - The roadbook actually states prior to the stages which ones apply as "uphill finishes"
This was publicised before the stage but I guess the teams were all a bit panicky and Paul and Phil were their usual knowledgeable selves:
[url]http://inrng.com/2011/07/the-3km-rule-explained/[/url]

I think it's actually left things looking pretty good for Wiggo. All he has to do is mark the others in the mountains and ride well in the TT (which he's ridden before in the Dauphine).
Nobody can match Contador in the mountains but 2 mins is a lot to make up, even for him.
Whatever happens though, it's set up perfectly for brilliant viewing.

[Andrew G]

I think grand tours should have a 50-60k ITT in them as well they way they always used to. They are supposed to find the best alrounder but are so heavily stacked in the favour of climbers.

A few skinny blokes would moan that it's unfair on them but having say 4 or 5 mountain finishes and just a piddly little TT unfair on the more all round riders.

Sadly the TdF has lost a lot of good mountain finishes over the years solely because they want to stick so much rubbish at the finish. It means any mountain finish more or less has to be at a ski resort.

[Phil H]

The Giro manages to have interesting hill finishes and TV coverage.

Re. long TT's well they don't exactly make thrilling TV in the same way that a dozy spectator destroying €50,000 worth of carbon fibre does. Maybe they should import some British white vans and their drivers

[Jon H]

[quote="Andrew G"]TTT - what a joke the Schlecks are.

[quote="Jon Hemming"][quote="Andrew G"]TTT - what a joke the Schlecks are.

[Andrew G]

The tour has had international TV coverage for decades Sean and it still used to have the finishes. It's the vastly bloated PR that they wrap themselves in that causes a large amount of the problem. As Phil says, other grand tours still manage to do it, the tour just likes to revel in being the biggest, but biggest isn't best and they have too much dross hanging on their tails.

A long TT may not be the best TV viewing for a lot of people but then most of the flat stages you normally have in the first week of the overly formulaic tour are boring as hell. You only need to watch the last 10k at most.

I don't argue with the logic in keeping Cancellara on the front for longer turns but expecting your team to have to race two men down against all the other teams is daft, particularly when the reason you have to race light in numbers is because the team's "top men" can't pull their weight. Other teams have their better TT men do long(er) turns but the others do at least do something.

[Toks]

[img]http://d.yimg.com/a/p/sp/getty/52/fullj.c25c0a9292cbe585b91b0e3daaed1b52/c25c0a9292cbe585b91b0e3daaed1b52-getty-_.jpg[/img]

[img]http://d.yimg.com/a/p/sp/getty/fa/fullj.fa18fb849738d0958e2d3524376e8a75/fa18fb849738d0958e2d3524376e8a75-getty-118294847.jpg[/img]

[img]http://d.yimg.com/a/p/sp/getty/64/fullj.81989a74b225767b7cbae86155245e62/81989a74b225767b7cbae86155245e62-getty-_.jpg[/img]

[img]http://d.yimg.com/a/p/sp/getty/96/fullj.c1f8f01f1f45a921c1c5b26dff4843d1/c1f8f01f1f45a921c1c5b26dff4843d1-getty-_.jpg[/img][/quote]

[nick1smith]

OMG What are the DRIVERS doing, just took out 2 of the 5 break away. What a nightmare...............

[Phil H]

Just seen the highlights (we were out riding while the stage was on). Absolutely amazingly bad - even white vans in Surrey don't manage to do that. Hoogerland's statement was extraordinarily forgiving.

That said, even without the intervention of vehicles the riders do seem to be managing to crash a lot thing year (even those not called Schleck). I don't know if it's weather, the roads, nerves or what. Today even made me feel sorry for Vino - which is something I never expected.

[DavidKennett]

[url=http://www.flickr.com/photos/francetvsport/5921834685/in/photostream/]Chute de Johnny Hoogerland[/url]

[img]http://www.nieuwsblad.be/Assets/Images_Upload/2011/07/10/TDF316_CYCLING-TOUR_0710_11.jpg.h513.jpg.767.jpg[/img]

[Jon H]

[quote="DavidKennett"][url=http://www.flickr.com/photos/francetvsport/5921834685/in/photostream/]Chute de Johnny Hoogerland[/url]

[img]http://www.nieuwsblad.be/Assets/Images_Upload/2011/07/10/TDF316_CYCLING-TOUR_0710_11.jpg.h513.jpg.767.jpg[/img]

[nick1smith]

Check out the TAN LINE.............................

[Phil H]

Well, nobody fell off today. At least, not that I've heard.

I've got a sneaking suspicion that Cuddles might just come through this year. I would like both him and Ricky Ponting genetically tested to prove that they are in fact Aussies as Aussies are supposed to be relentlessly positive.

Tomorrow's stage doesn't look like it has anything to offer for a break - unless Shop Steward Spartacus puts his foot down again. Thor must've been made up about that.