Tour de france

[kermit16]

I waited a while to post updates on results of today’s stage because I suspected there might be penalties assessed to either Gaviria or Greipel for their closing sprint antics ! As it turns out their second and third place finishes were relinquished and Peter Sagan was moved forward to second place.
In the main Yellow Jersey race, Dan Martin lost over a minute. Greg Van Avermaet was once again allowed to easily gain a 1 second bonus point to increase his lead to 7 seconds over Geraint Thomas which clearly shows that nobody fear Avermaet to win this year’s Tour. Froome moves up to 12 place but we all know the Mountain stages are coming up next week and the real race will begin in earnest. I remain concerned that Chris Froome’s participating in the Giro might be a factor in this Tour De France.
Tomorrow is going to be a tough day as the cobblestones are the order of the day. I believe there are 15 different sections and they are always treacherous! I expect survival is the plan for all the main CG contenders and I wouldn’t be surprised IF there are lots of Falls. For the main competitors it’s not about winning tomorrow’s stage, it’s all about staying upright !

 

[rolltide]

for those who enjoy watching these fellas taking tumbles, tomorrow's 9th stage is a must-see event. they probably went a little overboard with the cobbles this year but it will make for some interesting viewing. 15 cobble stretches covering about 15 miles....

 

[Uscsilb24]

Kermit, any thoughts on outright winner based on odds below?

Froome +150
Porte +500
Thomas +800
Nibali +900
Landa +1200
Quintana +1400
Fuglsang +1400

 

[kermit16]

Kermit, any thoughts on outright winner based on odds below?

Froome +150
Porte +500
Thomas +800
Nibali +900
Landa +1200
Quintana +1400
Fuglsang +1400

With stage 9 coming up and the dreaded cobblestones, I’d sure like to be able to see the results of tomorrow’s stage before I answer. However I’m sure the odds would change drastically IF any of these favorites should take a fall. We must remember that Chris Froome was taken out of the Tour De France
In 2014 due to several falls so i think the +800 on Geraint Thomas might be worth a wager. I’m not saying he’s the favorite but IF Froome should happen to take a fall, Thomas would actually have the lead amongst the real contenders going into the Mountain stages after Monday’s rest day. IF Chris Froome is out of the race either because of a fall OR being out of form, Thomas would be Team Sky’s main Man and Team Sky is a pretty awesome team in the mountains ! Richie Porte is also,well positioned. G L

 

[Ricboff]

Movistar has to make a call soon, whom will the team back as GC leader? They should be strong in the mountains. Landa a year ago looked effortless at times, he was held back by Sky to protect Froome. Will Movistar do the same if Quintana struggles (which he did a yr ago and is already nearly 2 minutes off)? good grief if they do- but I dont think they will. They will let the mountains decide whether its Quintana or Landa.

The last rider to win the Giro and Tour de France in the same yr? 1998 , Pantini - TWENTY YEARS AGO. In addition, unlike a yr ago Froome likely will NOT have the lead headed to the mountains come Tuesday- he is behind: Landa, Porte, and nearly a minute behind his own teammate . He's also 33 (peak age is approx 27, most agree)Despite all this he is +150 to win? The books in respect mode.

Team Sky has its doubts as seen with the freedom Thomas has been given. . Thomas is a very strong rider, in form and could be a GC rider on a team not named Team Sky. Here's the big question; IF Froome struggles in the mountains do they call Thomas back to support him (as they did with Landa a yr ago)? I say no. ........ This is wide open. Cut check for Froome he may regret the efforts at The Giro, esp at his age

no respect given to Uran?He's in great shape on the leaderboard! a beast in the mountains . Not a strong TT so he needs the lead after the mountains, imo. He was on the final podium a yr ago

 

[Ricboff]

Just an interesting local happening here. Seattle to Portland bike ride starts tomorrow leaving Seattle with 10,000 riders ! They will all be,staying in Centralia, Washington Saturday as a halfway stop. Then Sunday they head to their destination in Portland, Oregon. The bikers come right through Vader, Wa where I reside with it’s 621 population. Just seems weird that this tiny town will have about 10,000 bike riders who come from all over the world !

that's cool. Did a google distance and portland to seattle is 325 km. Two day event, so that's back-to-back century rides...... strong riders!!!

 

[Ricboff]

Thomas and Froome at the 2016 Tour de France. Thomas was Froome's right arm, injury took him out a yr ago...Landa and Kwitatkowski were critical a yr ago in the mountains setting a crazy pace


stages 10,11 and especially 12 will answer a shit load of questions

 

[Ricboff]

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Chris Froome Retweeted
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Team Sky‏Verified account @TeamSky<small class="time" style="font-size: 14px; color: rgb(101, 119, 134); margin-right: 5px; white-space: nowrap;"> 7h7 hours ago</small><button class="ProfileTweet-actionButton u-textUserColorHover dropdown-toggle js-dropdown-toggle" type="button" aria-haspopup="true" style="color: rgb(101, 119, 134); font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1; font-family: inherit; margin: 0px; overflow: visible; cursor: pointer; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; border-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; padding: 2px 9px; transition: box-shadow 0.15s ease-in-out; position: relative;">More
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Ready to attack the #TDF2018 cobbles: @chrisfroome’s @Pinarello_com DOGMA K10

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[Ricboff]

[h=1]Movistar taking ‘all for one’ tactic on cobbles[/h]
[FONT=&quot]Riders like Nairo Quintana and Mikel Landa can turn mountains into molehills. It’s the fist-sized stones of the jutting pavé of northern France that becomes their Mount Everest.[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Everyone inside the Movistar team bus realizes that Sunday’s stage across 15 sectors of cobblestones will be a determining factor on how the rest of the Tour de France unfolds.[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]The mantra: save the day.[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]“The plan? To try to save the day as best as possible,” said Alejandro Valverde. “It’s going to be a crazy day. It’s going to be complicated. I believe that all the GC riders will be looking for this, to save the day, not to try to take time. It’s all about not losing time.”[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Movistar is taking a one-for-all, all-for-one approach to the stage. With three legitimate GC options in Valverde, Landa, and Quintana, the team wants to keep all three cards in play moving ahead to the promised land of the climbs of the Alps and Pyrénées.[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]First, the climbers must endure their cycling version of purgatory.[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]“The idea is to try to stay together as a group and protect each other,” said Movistar sport director José Luis Arrieta. “For us, this is the worst day of the Tour and the day that is the biggest disadvantage to us. Nairo and Landa weigh little more than 60kg. We are ready for the challenge with the goal of saving the day.”

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[FONT=&quot]“It’s three-quarters of a real Paris-Roubaix. I’ve done eight, so I am used to racing over the pavé. We have a few experts on the team for this type of terrain.”[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]In fact, Movistar was so worried about this stage and the overall challenges of the first nine days that it brought riders like Rojas, Bennati and Erviti and left home some climbing firepower, like Winner Anacona. With one fewer roster spot, Movistar brought brawn over bite.[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]“So far, we are going well,” Rojas said. “We have Mikel and Alejandro positioned nicely on GC, and we have Nairo very close to Froome, who is the rider of reference. We still have the whole Tour ahead of us. Nairo is showing that he’s good form, and we are confident that he’ll be there in the mountains even if he lost a bit of time on the first day.”

The Big 3[/FONT]

 

[Ricboff]

Porte crashes out.. Deja vu. OUT of the 2018 Tour de France..............Dumoulin punctures another tire

 

[Ricboff]

Bardet punctures in the cobbles, gotta get back to the peloton

Steve Horne :
“It is scorching on the pavé today with a less than zero chance of rain so no prospect of Froome sliding out. Just a matter of getting tyre pressures just right, so the rims kiss the cobbles – and then going hell for leather.”

 

[Ricboff]

if nothing changes this is a dream for Movistar. They are hangign in there!!!!.....peloton has split. Quintana and Landa are with Thomas and Froome in the first group.

bardet has battled back!!!!!

 

[Ricboff]

movistar now leads the peloton!!..haha...... the Big 3 having a great day! Hang on!!!!!!!

peloton closing fast under 40 km.

 

[Ricboff]

Landa fading , damn

Kwiatkowski crashes, would be a huge loss for Team Sky

 

[Ricboff]

Landa crashes, fuck........Quintana needs Landa in the mountains. In a flash of 10 minutes its become a nightmare for Movistar

Bardet gets another puncture and is yet closing on the lead yellow group, just a beast

 

[Ricboff]

....and Uran goes down

shit show

 

[kermit16]

Yes today is turning out to be a huge day in the Tour as expected.

 

[Ricboff]

INCREDIBLE if Van Avermaet can hold on.....under 5 km ......peloton desperately trying to chase them down

 

[Ricboff]

another puncture for Bardet......unreal.

 

[kermit16]

The 3 leaders will not be caught but watch out for the time gaps behind them.