watched for the first time last year on paternity leave, awake at odd times of day really got into it but I have also spent many days watching test cricket (nothing like a test match and a bike to build or dismantle, what a day!)

transfixed here since 1987…………genius matched with pure toughness………

giro, etc, all good…

Yup super exciting been watching since about 1992 absolutely love it which is why I get passionate about people posting on here without putting "spoiler" as there is nothign crapper than watching an hour highlight stage when you know who the winner is! It just sucks. Wait until the mountains especially after last years excitements!
My predications:
Contador to win, Wiggo to not feature anywhere near as last year and finish top 10 (not got the surprise element this year and he'll be marked) Cav won't win green (despite desperately wanting him to as i like him) G (thomaS) to carry on impressing people and storming!

I thought it was boring until probably last year, when I thought I'd give it a chance and follow it. Brilliant 🙂

My heart was in my mouth today after watching 4 hours of riding waiting for the inevitable climax to arrive!

Yep love the tour great with the
brits going well so far.Will be
flying the union colours on the
tourmalet as am lucky enough to
be off to the pyrenee's next week.

Wiggo didn't have the element of suprise after the first mountain stage and they did gang up on him last year towards the end…

Anyway, like a lot of sports, once you start to understand more about the tactics and things that aren't obvious to the casual observer, it gets better and better. My wife's completely hooked (though admittedly she has been for a while and she is into sports generally).

i've been watching the full coverage all week (off work injured atm). has all been really good so far apart from yesterday, which was a bit boring and more reminiscent of typical week 1 stages.

The big question i have at the moment is why was wiggo wearing a skin suit yesterday? Surely he would need to take on some food at some point other than the feed station, seems a bit wrong for him to rely on his domestiques to carry gels etc for him.

I usually record the live stages on Europort HD and watch them back in the evening. I couldn't watch a whole flat stage at normal speed though so once I've caught up with events from the commentary at the start of the race I just watch it at 6-30x speed and stop if I see a crash or something :p I still often find I fall asleep though but the final 15km is usually worth watching in it's entirety. Mountain stages are different though and usually pretty engrossing once the attacks start.

My armchair predictions ….. its wide open I'm not ruling anyone out until Monday

If Thomas and Wiggo can ride together at the front in the mountains it puts them in a strong position. If.

I don't think Thomas is really a GC rider (at least not yet) – just look at his build – he's more of a Cancellara than a Contador.

G's doing amazing, I'm assuming he's had the go ahead to see how he can to in these early stages before having to help out Wiggins, (although majorly frustrated at the lack of coverage he's getting from the press). Would be great if he went for the yellow to wear it at least for one day! If Wiggins was to pull out for some reason would Team Sky promote G or does it not work like that?

pjt201

Wiggins was resting. He's not contending sprint stages so all he needs to do is stay in the bunch and avoid mishap. Most GC contenders will finish in the bunch and get the same time. If he rests on the sprints then he'll be more prepared come the hills this weekend. Skinsuit may have helped make things easier.

Otherwise, maybe his other kit was just in the wash.

Oh and G is having an amazing ride, I'm hoping he can keep it up in the mountains, looks like a contender for the white at the minute and yellow in a few years.

You shoudn't know that.

The 1/2 hour Tour coverage on the new Channel with it's lousy reception.

You mean the bogtrotter? 🙂

Eurosport HD is great – seems to have been added free by Virgin with whatever TV package I'm on.

Thomas is an unknown quantity as a climber, more or less. There again, this time last year, so was Wiggins. Nearly.

There will some fireworks Saturday for sure – Contador will want the time that Vino got on him back straight away, and he won't mind putting some pressure on Evans at the same time. Wiggins can probably make do with shadowing Evans, who will defend steadily as is his style.

Nothing against GT, he's a great rider, especially on the flat (which Paris-Roubaix is) but I'm talking when it hits the big mountains when the group of 20 or less forms (inc. all the in-form GC contenders), he'll be gone by then…