2018 Tour De France (Spoilers)

Now we have something / quite-a-lot to discuss and celebrate.
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Brucey
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Re: 2018 Tour De France (Spoilers)

Post by Brucey »

there will doubtless be a bit of shake-up yet in the pyrenees, (and short stages lead to attacking riding, shame we have lost Nibali). Realistically any of the top ten GC riders could pull an attack off that might (between actual gains on the day and potential weakening of Sky riders for the following day) put someone who can climb into the top three. Note that the sky riders have twice as much to lose as usual, so arguably cannot bluff in the same way as usual when someone attacks; they are more than usually bound to chase every attack down, and as we get closer to the last chance saloon, those riders who have so far bided their time may choose to attack strongly in the Pyrenees.

However it is most likely that the race may yet be settled by the final time trial. 31 hilly kilometres is enough that a good rider, on a good day , might expect to pull ~1min over his competitors, nearer 2mins on those who are not such good TT riders, even if they can climb. Thus between past performance and recent form, any of TdM, G or CF could pull away from the others by about that amount. It ain't over until its over....

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NATURAL ANKLING
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Re: 2018 Tour De France (Spoilers)

Post by NATURAL ANKLING »

Hi,
On live today TDF itv4 a women track rider taken to the road?
She was talking about food and metering energy and that old fable using fat not carbs............from the body...different training too.
Be interesting to know what we don't know, sky are into this with froome and if you now look at the leaders........they are all the stature............climbers are nowhere............
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Re: 2018 Tour De France (Spoilers)

Post by mjr »

NATURAL ANKLING wrote:On live today TDF itv4 a women track rider taken to the road?

Dani Rowe (née King), Waowdeals UCIWWT pro cyclist and Team Sky Luke Rowe's sister-in-law, with her husband, Matt Rowe.
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foxyrider
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Re: 2018 Tour De France (Spoilers)

Post by foxyrider »

NATURAL ANKLING wrote:Hi,
On live today TDF itv4 a women track rider taken to the road?
She was talking about food and metering energy and that old fable using fat not carbs............from the body...different training too.
Be interesting to know what we don't know, sky are into this with froome and if you now look at the leaders........they are all the stature............climbers are nowhere............

The pure climbers like Quintana don't have the body mass to make the most of going uphill fast by going down equally fast. But it's hardly a new thing. For many years the GC contenders have been winning mountain stages ahead of their more specialist brethren.
As we've seen with the sprinters this year, if you are in too much of a niche your chances of overall success or even just finishing, are severely affected. OTOH more all round riders pepper the top 10, Sagan is well up each day, the GC heavy hitters aren't exactly heavy these days so they can climb well too.

As for feed strategies - Sky's use of the latest SIS B1 stuff does seem to have good effect - I'll be trying it myself soon as I can afford it, it's got to work better than the bits of cold potato and jaffa cakes you get on UK sportives!
Convention? what's that then?
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Cyril Haearn
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Re: 2018 Tour De France (Spoilers)

Post by Cyril Haearn »

GT rode the TdF in 2007, he came 140th out of 141 finishers, this year he is going to win
What a shame he did not win the Laterne Rouge, he could have been the first rider to be first and last
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Re: 2018 Tour De France (Spoilers)

Post by Richard Fairhurst »

Richard Fairhurst wrote:


It was certainly an... impressive recovery? But Moscon is the last person I'd listen to - disqualified last year for an overly sticky bottle, racially abused Kevin Reza, then followed that up by deliberately knocking Reza's team-mate Sebastien Reichenbach off. A very nasty piece of work.


And now he’s been disqualified from the Tour for punching a Fortuneo-Samsic rider in the first kilometre this morning.
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Brucey
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Re: 2018 Tour De France (Spoilers)

Post by Brucey »

I don't know anything about the incident that saw Moscon out of the race, but I do think that he may have spoken out about the Bardet thing because he already felt he had nothing to lose with the commissaires; his copy-book was already blotted, if you like. They always have discretion in any matters; could be that the incident wouldn't have resulted in automatic expulsion from the race, except for him....?

On the other hand it might be black and white; if it were however, I'd expect there to be some video evidence doing the rounds. Is there any?

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Re: 2018 Tour De France (Spoilers)

Post by Richard Fairhurst »

There's a video clip doing the rounds on Twitter:

https://twitter.com/Eurosport_UK/status ... 7524469760

As for extenuating circumstances - I think it was mentioned somewhere that the Fortuneo rider obstructed him while the breakaway was forming. Possibly unsporting but the sort of thing that happens a thousand times per stage, and arguably not deserving of a punch in the head!

That said, I guess Sky being down a domestique will make the playing field a little more level in the next few days...
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NATURAL ANKLING
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Re: 2018 Tour De France (Spoilers)

Post by NATURAL ANKLING »

Hi,
The media is still over hyping G / Froomey battle.
But we know its not that at all.

The rest of the race is going to be real hot and electric with those climbs and a hilly TT...............

A hand to the head gets expulsion in most sports.

On highlights, you get all the juicy bits.
Cav was seen finishing and went for camera man but missed and fell into a support staff....................he says pre ride he has calmed down.....not yet.............
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thirdcrank
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Re: 2018 Tour De France (Spoilers)

Post by thirdcrank »

French TV footage of the assault was shown on yesterday's highlights programme, as were Sir David B's strong condemnation of the perpetrator and his frank apology for his rider's conduct. He said he would deal with the team disciplinary matters after the race. There was also an apology from Moscon himself, squirming in the Sky team bus and looking as though he wished the floor would open and swallow him up.
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Re: 2018 Tour De France (Spoilers)

Post by geocycle »

Looks like the french police have just sprayed the peloton with mace! Or maybe tear gas. Oh and we have had the usual rustic chicane. You couldn't make it up!
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Re: 2018 Tour De France (Spoilers)

Post by mjr »

NATURAL ANKLING wrote:On highlights, you get all the juicy bits.
Cav was seen finishing and went for camera man but missed and fell into a support staff....................he says pre ride he has calmed down.....not yet.............

As Cav was crossing the finish line out of time, the camera operator moved towards Cav's path. Cav appeared to brace for impact more than "went for" him IMO. The withering look he gave the camera as he looked back was quite something. He didn't actually fall.
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Re: 2018 Tour De France (Spoilers)

Post by Cyril Haearn »

geocycle wrote:Looks like the french police have just sprayed the peloton with mace! Or maybe tear gas. Oh and we have had the usual rustic chicane. You couldn't make it up!

No need to make it up
The farmers do like to protest
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Re: 2018 Tour De France (Spoilers)

Post by Brucey »

you would have to say that if you wanted to make your team 'stronger' in this race then weakening the sky team would be an excellent way of doing it. Provoking someone with a notoriously short fuse, like Moscon, into getting himself chucked off the race would not be difficult. It wouldn't surprise me if Brailsford saw this coming and specifically ordered his riders not to retaliate to such provocation; hence his annoyance at this turn of events, which blunts his narrative about the poor standards of fan behaviour.

I have to say it , but I thought that Brailsford looked somewhat rattled in the interview he gave yesterday, and his usually rather measured responses were (for him) unusually emotive. CB said he would have been better off keeping quiet and I think he has a point. Pruhomme later rather pointedly mentioned that the rather dominant Peter Sagan isn't French and yet isn't the victim of bad (French) fan behaviour....

Still an intriguing race; I shall keep watching. I just hope that one of the top three doesn't have an accident or a really bad day; either would not make for good viewing.

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Re: 2018 Tour De France (Spoilers)

Post by NATURAL ANKLING »

Hi,
One of those racing days down and CB has written off Froomey.
As said..maybe I said, a lot can still happen.
Look at yesterday, one goes over a wall where a rider died in past IIRC.
The leader of stage falls Yates, the winner who passes was mentioned on easing off confirmed by the winner post ride.
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