Tour de france

[Ricboff]

GREAT feel play with young Bernal from the get go, kermit.he's proving to be a heck of a talent.......routing for ya. Was hoping to make a play after this stage, but going to pass entirely on the 2019 Tour de France........tee time tomorrow , i'll miss it all. GL!!!!!!

..............


“It was Geraint’s decision,” Bernal said of his attack. “He asked me to attack to try to move the race and tried to come with me but when he saw the other guys on his wheel he just stayed with them. But I attacked because he asked me to attack.”
Bernal’s first real acceleration of this Tour quickly left the other main contenders in his wake, yet as he opened up a lead it was Thomas who led the pursuit as his 22-year-old teammate crossed the top of the Galibier.
When Thomas’s tactics were queried, Bernal said: “We need to gain time on Alaphilippe. I don’t care what happens with G[eraint]. You never know how the other guys are and if you try to do the race hard Alaphilippe can be dropped and it’s on … I think that we did a really good race today."


Thomas described his chase as “a little dig”, but there was little doubt his move pulled Ineos’s rivals along in his wake and affected Bernal’s lead. “We wanted a hard pace but unfortunately we ran out of guys, and it didn’t seem quite hard enough so the call was made for Egan to jump,” Thomas said of the long haul to the top of the final climb. “Hopefully that would kick it off – but it didn’t really.”
There is no question, however, that if Thomas had not given chase Bernal’s advantage at the finish might have been greater than 32sec and he might also have taken more time from a struggling Alaphilippe. “I had a little dig to just see what would happen,” Thomas said. “They obviously followed me over the top [of the Galibier] but I think it was a good day for Egan gaining some time.”

 

[kermit16]

I simply don’t agree that Bernal would have been given a free getaway If Thomas didn’t attack. There’s no way that Pinot and Alaphilippe could allow Bernal to escape without a chase. I believe we all know how impressive Alaphilippe descending skills are and I think we might have seen Alaphilippe put some time on Thomas but Because of Geraint’s attack he was spending most of the descent playing catch-up. I applaud Team Ineos tatics today as their 2 riders are now positioned well for the final 2 stages !

 

[kermit16]

5 Dimes odds are Bernal +135, Pinot +295, Thomas +350. I mentioned a few days back that these last 3 stages are so brutal that I see young legs prevailing! Bernal at 22 years will be the youngest ever should he win ! I really have been wagering and watching the Tour De France for many years now BUT I think the 3 stages back to back to back are toughest I can ever recall. Stages 18,19 and 20 are so difficult and then we add in the heat wave.
WOW !

 

[Ricboff]

quotes after stage 18;

Nairo Quintana (Movistar) - Stage 18 winner

"This win reflects the amount of work I've put in to be ready for this type of performance. It was a really grand day for me, and it was within the team strategy. We wanted to put ourselves in the right position for winning the stage and for Mikel Landa to improve his GC position. So it's a fantastic day for me, my family and for the team, for my teammates and for the country.

happy for him......(<)<



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Geraint Thomas (Team Ineos) - Third on GC behind Egan Bernal

"We wanted it to be hard, but the pace wasn’t there. The call was made for Egan to go and hopefully that would kick if off a bit, but it didn’t really – Mas just started riding his tempo. That’s when I went as well, just to test. But at least Egan gained some time on everyone else.
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"I was feeling pretty good today. Two big days to come now. We kind of knew that today wouldn’t be a huge difference, but it's certainly going to put some fatigue in everyone for the next two day



Egan Bernal (Team Ineos) - Moved up to second on GC

"I felt good, and I'm happy that in the end we’ve gained time on Julian Alaphilippe. That was our number one goal. G [Geraint Thomas] told me to attack and make that jump, and he said that then he'd try. We're a team, and everything we do is because the directeur sportif in the car tells us to do."



Steven Kruijswijk (Jumbo-Visma) - Fourth overall

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"[Thomas' attack after Bernal] was [Team Inbeos'] plan. It was a good surprise, and if it works it works. He didn't put the attack of Bernal in danger, because he was already out of sight a bit. If he could have come across it was a really good plan, but it didn't work out."


Pinot

"It's an average assessment. I was not on a great day. Those days, you just have to get through them, and that's what I did," Pinot told reporters in Valloire.

"The objective was to follow the top guys. I didn't succeed in following Egan Bernal, who was very strong today. Thomas also made a big attack, but I was able to close that down before the summit.

"Now it's time for two summit finishes, where more things should happen and where I hope, above all, to have better sensations," Pinot said.


Alaphilippe

"I took risks on the descent. It was very technical but I had to stay calm and I recuperated a dozen seconds or so at the top. I stayed concentrated on each corner and followed the moto. I just stayed on the limit. Then I stayed ahead after I caught the group because I like to descend like that."
"Of course, I'm aware I'm getting a lot of attention but I don't feel pressure – I am used to having pressure and that motivates me but I'm aware that something is happening with all the eyes of the public on the Tour at the moment. I see it in the peloton and by the roads and with the press – the messages that I get and craziness of guys shouting. I hope it lasts to the end. We all dream of that. But I'm still a realist – today was a big step, but there is still tomorrow and the next day but my discourse is not changing – day by day and I'm proud of what I've done. I've given everything."

 

[Ricboff]

stage 19....contenders running out of time.

 

[kermit16]

Stage 19 has begun and it’s going to be a classic battle for the yellow Jersey !

 

[kermit16]

Pinot is having some big medical problems and has fell well off the back of peleton!

 

[kermit16]

Pinot has abandoned the race ! WOW ! This changes everything as he certainly was one of the main favorites to win this race ! Now it’s everyone concentrating on race leader Alaphilippe!

 

[kermit16]

Bernal is closing in on the yellow Jersey now as Alaphilippe is cracking on final km of biggest climb !

 

[kermit16]

Holy S—7 ! Hail has stopped the stage because of hail blocking road down around the steep descent ! They will take the time taken at the top of the highest peak in this year’s Tour. Egan Bernal is now the leader of the Tour De France ! I will update final standings once all is settled. As I’ve heard over TV coverage, this has NEVER happened before but after seeing the road below it was 100% the correct call !

 

[kermit16]

No official times given yet but Egan Bernal is now the new leader of the Tour. Alaphilippe is in second place, with Thomas in third place. I think Alaphilippe is very fortunate to be where he is in the standings. All the whining about how unfair thiis was for Alaphilippe is ridiculous as anyone who
Was watching him struggling would realize he would have lost tons of time on the last climb ! JMHO

 

[kermit16]

Provisional standings are out :
1. Egan Bernal
2. Julian Alaphilippe + 45 sec
3. Geraint Thomas + 1 min 03 sec
4. Steven Kruijswijk + 1:15
5. Emanuel Buchmann + 1:42

 

[kermit16]

There’s been more weather related changes for tomorrow’s stage 20. Due to more landslides etc, the course has been shortened from 130 km to 59 km.
It’s now very apparent that Egan Bernal will almost certainly win this year’s Tour. I’m happy to cash my win ticket on Bernal but very disappointing how this is ending ! This has been the most exciting Tour competitive wise in many years and such a shame to see it happen this way. Also such a disastrously day for the French who saw Pinot withdraw today due to injury and of course Alaphilippe cracking on today’s brutal climb. However it was clear that Bernal was the best in this year’s Tour !

 

[kermit16]

Bernal is now,-1160 to win the Tour ! We might be seeing the new face of cycling as he’s only 22 years old. His only weakness is the time trial which I’m sure he will be working on. Awesome talent !

 

[kermit16]

Stage 20 has just started ! It’s been shortened because of the weather concerns but it still has a brutally long mountain top finish to climb before Egan Bernal can feel secure as this year’s winner. GL

 

[kermit16]

The final climb up Val Thorens has begun and it’s the final mountain top finish in this year’s Tour. I’m quite sure nobody has the legs to overtake young Egan Bernal but this year’s Tour has been nothing but surprising!

 

[kermit16]

Vincenzo Nibali won today’s stage up the brutal mountain top finish of Val Thorens ! I’m so glad to see this 34 year old legend get to show his climbing prowess. Egan Bernal finished comfortably near the front alongside his Teammate Geraint Thomas. Not surprisingly Alaphilippe finished over 3 minutes back to lose his 2 nd place podium position and fell to 5 th. It is just a formality for Bernal to win this year’s Tour De France. Geraint Thomas will finish 2 nd. Steven Kruijswijk will finish 3 rd. I think this year’s Tour was one of the most exciting I have seen in many years. We can thank Julian Alaphilippe for making this race so exciting! What’s ironic is that for all the drama about how much weaker this year’s Team Ineos was, they will finish 1 and 2 in this year’s Tour with third place going to their former Teammate Steven Kruijswijk. The unfortunate injury to Thibaut Pinot yesterday pretty much sealed the gloom for the enthusiastic French fans. I certainly thought Pinot would give the closing 2 mountain stages a go but in retrospect I don’t see any way anyone could have beat Egan Bernal.

 

[kermit16]

Tomorrow is the celebrations largely for the winners in the different classifications as they march into Paris in the Champ Elysees. You will see Egan Bernal drinking Champagne ( he is 22 so it’s legal ). Also there will be celebrating the Green Jersey winner Peter Sagan who now has won his seventh for best sprinter. Then the polka Dot Jersey winner for scoring the most points for mountain top summits won by Romain Bardet. I believe Egan Bernal also won the white Jersey awarded to best Young Rider !
However tomorrow is actually the prize stage for the sprinters! We will have a race after all and it’s very competitive with the finish in the shadows of the Eiffel Tower. I will give my pick later but it’s a circus at finish line !

 

[kermit16]

My pick for tomorrow’s is a pure strong sprinter Dylan Groenewegen ! I picked the winner on the Champs-elysees last year so why not go for 2 in a row !

 

[kermit16]

Today’s stage 21 will be the culmination of a really spectacular Tour ! Lots of twists and turns Throughout thanks to Julian Alaphilippe who surprised all the experts by wearing the leaders yellow Jersey right up to the final 2 days in the Alps ! However that’s when the wheels came off his great Tour and he simply could not match the climbing prowess of young Egan Bernal.
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