Tour de France
Comments
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Can you provide examples, Nellie?
erm, i seem to recall Fabian Cancellara seamingly stopping the race every time a Schleck sneezed, or whatever? Or was I imagining it.
Slight exaggeration, Runrig.......and also with the massive difference that Schleck was a podium contender (and possibly even in yellow in the one incident with Cancellara that you recalled).
This is a mile away from a team leader taking advantage of being in yellow to enable his domestiques to catch up......very, very different and unacceptable.
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Steve......please never try to compare professional bike racers with footballers.....in any way!
Well Ian that's a bit rich coming from someone who took every opportunity to belittle the efforts of "footballists" recently. Once again and, for the third time this year, several thousands of residents local to me are virtually imprisoned in their homes
due to a minor bicycle race closing roads here for seven yes seven hours today.0 -
Terrible news today about Chris Boardman's mum.......killed when hit by a car while out cycling at age 70.
Chris is a real family man. Even when he joined his first pro team (Gan) he insisted that his contract allowed him to live at home with his family.
I had always thought of Chris as a boring 'numbers' man until I read a biography. He was a dedicated cyclist and his determination to take the hour record twice (under both sets of rules) must have stemmed from his up-bringing and his mother's influence (she was an accomplished amateur).
Deepest sympathy, Chris.
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A very poignant tribute to CB's mum last night. Terrible news for all the Boardman family and friends.
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Great effort by Pantano to hold off Majka.
Otherwise, no real excitement in the GC......have they all given up?
A few more mountain stages to come though
We watched the last 15K of the stage in the campsite bar here at Les Abrets. Amazing finish, after a very tough stage, the 2 riders were so closely matched. Well done, Pantano. As for the leaders, as you say, Ian, all playing safe. Valverde seemed to be
encouraging Quintana to give it a go, but without any response. We'll be back in the bar for the end of today's stage, what a tough life.....0 -
Is this Tour a bit of a let down. I feel that there are no real characters emerging to capture the public's imagination. Yes Sky ( Froome ) will win the tour but how boring have they been.
No Fire - No decent sustained battles to win stages - Not like the days of Armstrong and Jan Ullrich, each stage a battle for individual supremacy. Then there was Miguel Indurain. Eddy Merckx,and many other great riders who captured the
publics respect and admiration. .K
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I have to agree.
It's a great course and one that provides many opportunities to produce some fireworks......but all we see in the GC are damp squibs.
Not helped, I have to say, by ITV4's commentary. Ned Boulting just spouts whatever comes into his head (no change from his first Tour and the 'Yellow jumper' comment. I feel quite sorry for David Millar having to constantly correct him.
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I have to agree also.
I don't think Sky have been particularly boring, more so the competition, or rather lack of. It's either they have all given up on the GC because they consider Sky so strong. Or Sky have perfected the numbers to such an extent, they just ride tempo and
no one "can" respond and sustain an attack.Movistar have been the biggest dissapointment for me, with Astana and BMC not far behind. I hope I am wrong, but I don't think Quintana has either the legs or the will to fight for a mere podium place which will play in favour of Yates.
Very disappointing, let's hope I am wrong and we see some fireworks in the remaining stages (but just can't see it)
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It is of course Olympic year. Perhaps they are all trying to get away with the minimum required. So it is ending up a bit of a training exercise. I suppose I can see their point. If they end up compromising themselves, it is another 4 year wait, if they
are young enough. Whilst there is a TDF every year.0 -
It is of course Olympic year. Perhaps they are all trying to get away with the minimum required. So it is ending up a bit of a training exercise. I suppose I can see their point. If they end up compromising themselves, it is another 4 year wait, if they
are young enough. Whilst there is a TDF every year.I had exactly the same thought Steve.
I remember thinking the same in 2012 when Wiggins had a similarly unchallenged (except for Froome) ride to Paris.
And without the dominance of one strong team, the individual has a better oportunity to shine. Like a one day classic, only more so, with a bigger prize.
Might not be the "tradition" of cycling, but must be a goal for many in the Pelaton. Having said that, can they beat Sagan for gold?
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It appears that Cav has succumbed to pressure from British Cycling to abandon the Tour.
This says two things to me:
Firstly that Cav has done something very disrespectful and that this reflects badly on him and puts a dark shadow over his stage wins.
Secondly, that British Cycling have not shaken off their 100+ year tradition of shunning road racing. Despite the millions given to them by Murdoch, forcing them to set up a pro team in order to get the funding they craved for their main aims of track cycling, they still cannot commit fully to road cycling. They are pathetic.......and I'm afraid that Cav has been tarnished.
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It appears that Cav has succumbed to pressure from British Cycling to abandon the Tour.
This says two things to me:
Firstly that Cav has done something very disrespectful and that this reflects badly on him and puts a dark shadow over his stage wins.
Secondly, that British Cycling have not shaken off their 100+ year tradition of shunning road racing. Despite the millions given to them by Murdoch, forcing them to set up a pro team in order to get the funding they craved for their main aims of track cycling,
they still cannot commit fully to road cycling. They are pathetic.......and I'm afraid that Cav has been tarnished.Write your comments here...I predicted that Cav would abandon the TDF earlier on this thread.
How disrespectful to his fans and the organisation of the TDF.
I would suspend him from ever competing in Le Tour for at least five years.
K
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It is just an unfortunate by product of having the Olympics ( a once in 4 year event) so close to the Olympics. Whilst I would have enjoyed seeing him battle it out in Paris he has to do what he thinks best for his chances. The TDF is at the end of the day
a commercial enterprise and MC has given them good value for money with his four stage wins. If they were to stop him competing next year, they would be depriving the folk who turn up to watch, of seeing a world class cyclist perform and perhaps exceed Merckx
total of 34 stage wins.0 -
We were lucky enough to go and watch Cav and lots of other GB Olympic hopefuls live at Manchester velodrome on 2nd January this year. It was always his goal for the year to try and get the one item missing from his tally of achievements, an Olympic medal,
preferably Gold. He started as a track cyclist, all his training this year has been about preparing for the Olympics. Dimension Data knew this when he joined. But he has won four stages, and worn the Yellow jersey for them in the Tour, so I would think he
has more than delivered on his membership of DD, a relatively new team. He could still have a few more TdeF rides in him, but I doubt he will make the cut for the Olympics again. I am surprised he carried on as long into this Tour. I for one wish him all the
best, and fingers crossed that he gets a medal in Rio.0 -
Runrig said: two weeks ago...
Once Sagan has an unsurpassable lead in the points competition, the only reason Cav would stay in the TdF would be for a win on the Champs-Elysee. But he has a few of those already, he does not have an Olympic medal. If he thinks murdering himself over the alps will damage that chance he will retire before Ventoux.And a few die-hards will think that dissrespectful, so what?
Okay, so it took until Berne for Sagan to amass the unasailable lead for the Green Jersey. If Cav had won yesterday he would have taken his chances in Paris, but it was a big ask and now he concentrates on Rio.
Come on guys, the TdF is the biggest race in cycling (and I am a big fan), but it is NOT the ONLY race in cycling. Cav wants an Olympic gold on his Palmares and I respect him for that.
The ACO won't sanction him for it, they need Cav in the TdF for the next two years to ensure cycling history still has a chance of being re-written.
And I am sure Bernard and Eddie would agree.
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Well, I do agree that ASO won't block his entry in future Tours. They are a commercial organisation, in it for the money, not for the history and tradition.
They regularly make courses more suited to the riders that they're trying to court. They did it in the past, to encourage cycling as a sport in the USA (Andy Hampsen, Greg Lemond and a certain Mr Armstrong). They even contemplated having stages in the US!
Their current target appears to be the UK, with courses designed for Brit contenders (2012 with all its time trialling and lack of mountains, being a good example).
So no, Cav will not be banned because he's a 'good earner' for ASO. But yes, traditionalists will rightly believe that he has disrespected the sport and the event that has made him a millionaire.
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It has to evolve as a race though, no matter how much traditionalists might wish it unchanged. It has done down the decades one way or another, be it in terms of equipment, health and safety, how the teams are set up, how the funding is gained, etc.....
Sport of most kind is now very big business and millions of spectators world wide are happy to see their own countrymen doing well, this is just an extension of that really. I for one am perfectly happy to have had all the Sky funding for British Cycling,
in all its many forms, and despite it almost totally ignoring a Women's Sky team. It has raised cycling's profile, encouraged a bit more participation and brought some top class, free to view sport to this island.0 -
K, could I suggest you troll somewhere else please?
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Froome's performance today was exceptional.......especially after the efforts he's put in so far in the Tour.
I really do hope that he is an exceptional athlete......and that his team are not simply exceptional in other 'activities'.
(I did note that Porte's comeback in one of the mountain stages last year, after he had been blown out once, was rather unbelievable. He was with Sky then).
Assuming everything is bona fide.......well done Chris. The Tour is yours for the taking.
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Froome was emphatic today. Only thing that could stop him now would be a crash with a motorbike... oh wait a minute...
It really is a race for second place, but what a race?
As for Froome? a darn sight more likely to be clean, than many a succesful cyclist of the 70's & 80's !
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