2019 Tour de France: Spoilers!

[Debs]

Three more DNFs today; Philipsen, Nizzolo, and Rohan Dennis. Shame about Dennis; the TT might have been right up his street had he been heathy.

Nizzolo was one of those who got knobled in the crash yesterday, obviously still ailing.

+1 Simon Yates brilliant win!

Also i'm pleased to see Trek-Segafredo have re-taken the 1st Team Award back from Movistar [the wearing of the yellow number bibs].
No doubt the Trek-Segafredo team will also swop red helmets for yellow too

The Team Award is one that seems to be overlooked, AGR2 have climbed into 2nd place above Movistar, and times are getting closer all round so it's quite likely those bright yellow number bibs will move around from one team to another in the remaining days of this tour

[Postboxer]

On the ITV highlights they did not know why Rohan Dennis had abandoned, neither do his team, there's a report on the BBC site too.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/cycling/49039055

[Cyril Haearn]

I had never read of him until he apparently retired for no reason
I suspect he just has a good PR advisor

[Brucey]

I had never read of him until he apparently retired for no reason
I suspect he just has a good PR advisor

Dennis is a TT specialist; former hour record holder and is 2018 world TT champion. One of his major goals for this season would have been to win the individual TT in the TdF, and he has been sitting quietly in the peloton, saving himself in readiness for the TT stage. He was (along with Wout van Aert) G's top pick for the TT stage, until G was told that he'd packed.

I think there has been a catastrophe of some kind, either personal and/or in some aspect of the way he has been interacting with his team. In any event I do not think this is remotely positive for his career.

cheers

[NATURAL ANKLING]

Hi,
I thought Simon was supporting his brother.
Well Adam is on the GC list.
I'm assuming that The trio of finishes were all climbers?
Yates showing his form will we see him another day for stage one.
Sorry I'm on way one day behind.

[Brucey]

as I write this the ladies are road racing around the same course as will be used by the TdF in the TT later on. Good parts of it have been resurfaced but one thing I note is that the course is kind of twisty in places; anyone running tyres that aim at the lowest Crr by sacrificing grip may be in trouble, even in the dry. I can see riders having trouble in the corners on full-blown TT bikes.

cheers

[pjclinch]

as I write this the ladies are road racing around the same course as will be used by the TdF in the TT later on...

And chapeau to Marianne Vos for another storming power climb to take the race. She seems to be getting back to old form, which is probably not good news for the rest of the women's pro peloton.

Pete.

[NATURAL ANKLING]

Hi,
Just like in womens tennis they need more competition at the top, or more numbers cycling?

[pjclinch]

Just like in womens tennis they need more competition at the top, or more numbers cycling?

There's no obvious lack of competition at the top, but Vos on form without a huge climb in her way is, I imagine, a bit like one of the blokes that isn't a pure sprinter realising their push to the line will also involve Alaphillipe or Sagan. Not unbeatable, but the odds aren't so hot...

Pete.

[Brucey]

something you don't see every day; Tony Martin taking it easy in a TT. His role this year is 'domestique' and he isn't even trying to set a fast time. 'Very professional' according to David Millar but I'm not sure everyone will see it that way...?

cheers

[Audax67]

Flog your guts out on the TT today and fetch the bottles tomorrow has to stick in the gorge sooner or later.

[Brucey]

Flog your guts out on the TT today and fetch the bottles tomorrow has to stick in the gorge sooner or later.

No kidding. I guess things are a bit different with 8-man teams but even so it might be that there are unreasonable expectations made of some riders. I wonder if that is what the problem was with Rohan Dennis?

It seems my fears about the corners may have not been without substance; Stefan Kung has apparently come to grief, but has remounted and is continuing; remarkably he is presently 6th at the second checkpoint.

Steve Cummings describes the course as 'technical and tricky' in places, making special mention of the technical parts of the descents, for which he says 'you need big cojones'. He also reckons the course will suit G nicely; we shall see. G (and others) fancies WvA for the win.....

cheers

[Brucey]

More corner trouble; Wout van Aert has just crashed near the finish (he appears to have clipped a barrier on the inside of a corner, possibly with his arm or his hip) and his challenge for this stage (if not the whole tour) is over; he's lying on the ground receiving treatment/ waiting for the ambulance; lets hope he isn't really seriously injured. He fell really awkwardly and suddenly, almost as if something on the barriers snagged him and dragged him down.

Thomas de Gendt has just done a stonking ride; he looked like he was turning himself inside out doing it, but he was 16" faster than the previous fastest.

[Audax67]

Shame. WvA was one of the best to watch.

Francetvinfo.fr has a gift for losing the video feed at the best bits. They lost it at 300 metres from the finish yesterday. So did I.

[Brucey]

G rode brilliantly but Alaphillipe was even better; I don't think many people saw that coming!

De Gendt's time was good enough for third on the stage in the end. Uran must be gutted. Porte, Mas, and Pinot did better than most folk expected them to.

cheers