Rest day yesterday so everyone seems to have been posting their selfies. The only real news was the departure of Ivan Basso http://singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/basso-out-of-tour
[video]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WaMd6Kqxu1I[/video]
Be interesting to see how that impacts Alberto/Saxo he looked more emotional than Basso during the press conference.

Back to the race


Will it be the day for the French? It could be one where the break could go the distance if it has the legs, but with 5 GC contenders up there again the pace could be raised to try and get that number down.

The second chapter of the 2015 Tour de France starts with the Pyrenees. All the favorites named as such at the Grand Départ in Utrecht are still in contention but instead of the “fabulous four”, a tag that Tejay van Garderen has commented as “irritating”, the race is now about the “Big Five”, like Africa’s greatest animals – lion, leopard, elephant, buffalo and rhino. Chris Froome who was expected by many to be in trouble in the crosswinds, on the cobblestones and in the lead up the two “mur” (Mur de Huy and Mûr de Bretagne), has not only emerged unscathed but he leads the Tour de France even before the first serious climb with an advantage of 12 seconds over Van Garderen, 1.03 over Alberto Contador, 1.59 over Nairo Quintana and 2.22 over Vincenzo Nibali. In that category, the defending champion is the biggest loser of the first chapter but in reality, he isn’t very far down and his chances to contest the yellow jersey remain intact. A second race begins in Pau for someone like Thibaut Pinot, third overall last year and now 8.05 adrift. He wants to win a mountain stage and the polka dot jersey. Both goals are combined as uphill finishes like the newcoming site at La Pierre-Saint-Martin in the col du Soudet. It’s not a big mountain stage yet but the finale is very demanding. It’s the first opportunity for the dark horse contenders to emerge: Rigoberto Uran, Bauke Mollema, Robert Gesink, Andrew Talansky, Romain Bardet and Jean-Christophe Péraud. They’re all looking for answers. Up and coming Alexis Vuillermoz has paved the way in Mûr de Bretagne for climbers to shine. Joaquim Rodriguez already has had his day of glory at the Mur de Huy but racing close to Spain, he’s hungry for more, also for the polka dot jersey like Pinot.

1 (-) Christopher Froome (GBr) Team Sky 31:34:12
2 (+1) Tejay Van Garderen (USA) BMC Racing Team 0:00:12
5 (+2) Alberto Contador (Spa) Tinkoff-Saxo 0:01:03
6 (-) Rigoberto Uran (Col) Etixx – Quick-Step 0:01:18
7 (+5) Alejandro Valverde (Spa) Movistar Team 0:01:50
9 (+7) Nairo Quintana (Col) Movistar Team 0:01:59
13 (-) Vincenzo Nibali (Ita) Astana Pro Team 0:02:22
14 (-6) Warren Barguil (Fra) Team Giant-Alpecin 0:02:43
15 (-4) Robert Gesink (Ned) Team LottoNL-Jumbo 0:02:52
16 (-6) Bauke Mollema (Ned) Trek Factory Racing 0:02:56
17 (-1) Jean-Christophe Peraud (Fra) AG2R La Mondiale 0:03:30
18 (+1) Joaquim Rodriguez (Spa) Team Katusha 0:03:52
19 (-) Andrew Talansky (USA) Cannondale-Garmin Pro Cycling Team 0:04:17
21 (+1) Romain Bardet (Fra) AG2R La Mondiale 0:04:38
29 (-) Thibaut Pinot (Fra) FDJ.fr 0:08:05
36 (-1) Pierre Rolland (Fra) Team Europcar 0:11:43

Some rest day stuff

BMC don’t want to share their pics https://www.flickr.com/photos/bmcproteam/
Live Tracking if you want it
http://betalivetracking.letour.fr/

and more importantly what will Tommy do

Wishing Basso a speedy recovery. Obvious to see him and Contador are great friends seeing how emotional he was.

And now the racing begins! Interested to see if Uran can do anything, he’s been perfectly invisible so far. He had a terrible Giro but looked good toward the last couple of stages, contract year too!

It was great to read how stoked Porte was for the fight, big fan, hope he goes well at BMC.

http://cyclingtips.com.au/2015/07/porte-on-skys-tour-de-france-gc-rivals-im-going-to-chase-them-for-my-mate-froomey/

I only caught a bit of it on ITV4 last night, Sir Dave was talking about discord with some of the other teams about where he parked his campervan or something? What was that about, Dave seemed to be quite enjoying the fact that the others are getting their panties in a bunch over trivial matters, seems to show they’re a bit rattled full stop.

Yeah, you can tell how good mates they are. The BMC thing is interesting, the reason Denis went there is one of the coaches that’s respected and would be good but TeeJay is number one and as pointed out younger and an established team leader so unless he is off somewhere or not planning to do all the GT’s?? Orica would love to have him but $ & Team are not there yet. Unless somebody is planning to retire elsewhere

Current status of the STW fantasy league after part one of three.

Stage 9 TTT results
1: Team BigR Racing, DS Rob Munro on 300 points
2: Team Team Pie, DS Timidwheeler on 299 points
3: Team Ritchie is on the Porte, DS M Rees on 290 points

In the GC race:
1: Team Durham Dynamo, DS Rich Harper on 2817 points
2: Team The Froome Wagon, DS Paul B on 2597 points
3: Team Alan`s Deep Bath, DS Andy on 2584 points

—

Bring on the hilly days!

Porte has had an amazing year in week long stage races this year, perhaps they’re paying him big money for that and he’ll get a crack at the Vuelta/Giro as leader while TJ ride the Tour? The Tour is always going to be no.1 but TJ can’t do both.

Yep, Dave’s little pap was quite good, made the other teams look a bit childish about moaning to the media instead of coming to see him…

One for the punchy climbers today, could be the possibility of a break whilst all the GC guys peg each other. Maybe this is Pinots stage since he’s dropped out of GC contention?
It’ll be tough and nervous thats for sure.

As for Porte leaving Sky, its a shame but times moving on and hope he goes to Etixx TBH, I’d really like to see them have a proper climber in their ranks, it would add another dimension that I think they are very much lacking. Suspect the BMC deals been done though with his targets as Paris-Nice and such with Giro as his main focus.

I’m off for the rest of the week. Wife is away, ride in the morning, Eurosport app on the TV, sorted.

Really looking forward to today, the first day in the hills, the first chance for the GC guys to stretch their legs and the first day a small break may just get away.

Today predictions from me:
A whole raft of French riders off the front early, well, it is Bastille day isn’t it?
Quintana to try something on the final climb, he has very little to loose and may as well roll the dice.
The stage not to be won by a Frenchman despite them being on the attack all day, Pinot and Rolland will be up there though as they too have little to loose.
Sod it, I’m feeling patriotic, Dan Martin for the win today.

Could go one of two ways.
1) all hell breaks loose, one major contender loses big time, yellow jersey changes hands
2) all the GC riders sit there looking at each other, break stays away, some random Frenchie wins, honour is satisfied for Bastille Day

I’m going with Option 2.

Option 2 sounds about right. However, after week one anything could happen!

Cracking previous, as ever, at The Inner Ring

I’m so excited for today. Have enjoyed the racing so far but I love the mountains. Love seeing the crowds, the drunk Dutch idiots, the writing on the roads, and possibly the devil

As for predictions, I’m going with Option 2 as well. Allez Pinot! (I know this isn’t going to happen but I’m still holding out hope that he’ll do something at some point.)

option 2 too

Not the hardest day but the first real test. Exciting stuff 🙂 Maybe no big GC attacks but I’d expect the pace to be high all day and if anyone’s not got the legs then they’ll be found out pretty quickly.

Can’t really see a break surviving and reckon it’ll be the GC boys contesting the win. Nibali to lose minutes. Maybe Bardet to sneak off to satisfy the Frenchies on their big bay?

Hmmm, in a ‘normal’ tour I’d say yeah, option 2, but after the mental first week there are plenty of GC contenders with strong climbing teams intact who are desperately in need of some time and a morale boost.

I can’t see them all just sitting in eyeballing Froome, especially as they’ll be riding on rested legs today.

If I was Dave Brailsford I’d be watching Astana and Movistar like a hawk and FDJ and Katusha only a little less intently.

Doesn’t mean it’ll work of course but there are plenty of people with plenty to gain by having a go.

Oh and yeah Voelkler will out in front chewing his face off at some point.

Tradition innit?

final climb profiles,

I dont think we’ll see much today. Quintana and Contador will try to keep powder dry for bigger days to come. A break could go and survive up the final climb. Sky wont mind losing yellow as long as the main players are in the bunch so they wont want to chase.

Bardet for the win.

I have already seen the Devil once but unfortunately they just flew past with the camera, no mention.

I’m going for a break away win today, probably won by a Frenchman 😉

Not expecting much today but if no GC contender even tries it then it’d feel like a missed opportunity. As such I’m going to go nuts and say that, since attack is the best form of defense, TJ and Froome to go opff the front on the tick up in the middle and take another 30 seconds…

Didn’t deliberately they stop giving the Didier the Devil any air time when he started being sponsored?

Curious story about Froome’s training data being hacked here.

Berties warm up

They did ^^ Didi indeed got snubbed by Tele2&3 for the sponsorship element, but hey not too sure why cos’ the guys got to make a living hasn’t he.
Good to see him on the screen, feels right IMO. One of the most liked and courteous of spectators IMO. Way better than the nobs with cameras anyhoo’s.

Pah.
1 point off a stage win. I blame Jack Bauer.

Hmmm interesting, I thought time bonuses were finished with after stage 8, apparently it’s every road stage! This changes everything!!

Just checked the Velogames league and it appears I am the lanterne rouge, this is what happens when you pick 3 Frenchmen in your team I guess. With this in mind, I am hoping for a breakaway containing Rolland, Peraud and Pinot to stay away. If Hansen and Dumoulin can be in said breakaway as well then all the better.

If Hansen and Dumoulin can be in said breakaway as well then all the better.

I’d be impressed in Dumoulin makes the breakaway 🙂 (link)

Oh FFS, OK, well in that case it’s either Hesdejal, Thomas or Kristoff in the break then, a climber who comes good later in a race, Sky’s super domestique who’ll be looking after Froome and a sprinter who can’t climb.No chance then, brilliant.

You’re not that far behind me, with Froome, Quintana and Nibali I’m hoping my fantasy fortunes are going to improve at least a little 😆

Contador FTW today. (He always does well after a rest day)

mrblobby – Member

Curious story about Froome’s training data being hacked here.

Apparently somebody got hold of the data and overlayed it onto the TV coverage with quite interesting results. Unfortunately Sky’s lawyers appear to have killed it.

The first rest day of the Tour de France produced, as usual, some off-the-bike stories, but in 6 years of covering the…

Posted by The Science of Sport on Monday, July 13, 2015

(you don’t need facebook to read it)

Nearly 15 mins for Van Bilsen and Fedrigo. I thought some other french would have tried to get across to them by now.

Also, some people really don’t like Motorhomes, do they?

http://www.cyclingnews.com/blogs/marc-madiot/marc-madiot-blog-motorhome-go-home/

I’m tempted to agree with him. I like his dig at Porte, genius.

It’s nothing to do with motorhomes, as such, it’s to do with rich teams being able to buy an advantage over poorer teams. The sport is supposedly about the best rider, not who can throw most money at a race.

And, yes, I’m aware that it’s not been a Corinthian sport for a long time, if ever! 😉

after the motorhome ban there were a lot of posts from riders showning things like mattresses on the floor, not exactly the best prep for winning a grand tour.

retro83, thanks for that. Shall see if I can find the video, sounds fascinating.