Before today a reflection on yesterday and a big contrast.

Joy

Pride

Friendship/Pain
A day for the sprinters, who has enough help left to win?

Stage 7 from Livarot to Fougères is a wonderful visit of rural France the day after riding along the coast of the English Channel. Starting in Normandy, going through the traditional Mayenne province where the Madiot brothers and Jacky Durand, the great personalities of French cycling, hail from, the race will end up in Brittany. The hot bed of French cycling awaits the Tour for three days and three totally different stages. The first one is perfect for the sprinters in Fougères, the second one will suit punchy climbers in Mûr-de-Bretagne and the third one is an atypical team time trial with an uphill finish at Plumelec. There have been very few hills in the first six days of the Tour de France, albeit very few opportunities for pure sprinters. André Greipel has won the only real bunch sprint in Amiens. After missing out on the jostle for positions in Le Havre, the green jersey holder is hungry for more, so are Peter Sagan, Alexander Kristoff, Mark Cavendish, Bryan Coquard and Arnaud Démare. The only sprinter out of the Tour so far is Nacer Bouhanni. Michael Matthews remains in the race but he’s out of contention because of injuries. Fougères is the last occasion for a bunch gallop until seven days later in Rodez in the best case scenario.

With only one point up for grabs in the KOM looks like Daniel TEKLEHAIMANOT (yes I cut and pasted that) will keep it African for another day, and after yesterday he deserves it.

For the overall don’t predict a change apart from the departure of the German. Perhaps a truce for a day, some time to collect thoughts and heal up and count the numbers needed to play in the Team Time Trial (5 and as cleared up by Jens yesterday for the benefit of Orica Michael Matthews just needs to beat the cut off) or what the hell go for it and see if the peleton wants to play 🙂
1. GERMARTIN Tony 114 ETIXX-QUICK STEP 22h 13′ 14”
2. GBRFROOME Christopher 31 TEAM SKY 22h 13′ 26” + 00′ 12”
3. USAVAN GARDEREN Tejay 61 BMC RACING TEAM 22h 13′ 39” + 00′ 25”
4. SVKSAGAN Peter 47 TINKOFF-SAXO 22h 13′ 41” + 00′ 27”
5. FRAGALLOPIN Tony 71 LOTTO-SOUDAL 22h 13′ 52” + 00′ 38”
6. BELVAN AVERMAET Greg 68 BMC RACING TEAM 22h 13′ 54” + 00′ 40”
7. COLURAN URAN Rigoberto 118 ETIXX-QUICK STEP 22h 14′ 00” + 00′ 46”
8. ESPCONTADOR Alberto 41 TINKOFF-SAXO 22h 14′ 02” + 00′ 48”
9. CZESTYBAR Zdenek 116 ETIXX-QUICK STEP 22h 14′ 18” + 01′ 04”
10. GBRTHOMAS Geraint 39 TEAM SKY 22h 14′ 29” + 01′ 15”
11. FRABARGUIL WARREN 82 TEAM GIANT-ALPECIN 22h 14′ 33” + 01′ 19”
12. NEDMOLLEMA Bauke 141 TREK FACTORY RACING 22h 14′ 58” + 01′ 44”
13. ITANIBALI Vincenzo 1 ASTANA PRO TEAM 22h 15′ 04” + 01′ 50”
14. NEDGESINK Robert 131 TEAM LOTTO NL – JUMBO 22h 15′ 05” + 01′ 51”
15. CZEKREUZIGER Roman 44 TINKOFF-SAXO 22h 15′ 17” + 02′ 03”
16. ESPVALVERDE BELMONTE Alejandro 59 MOVISTAR TEAM 22h 15′ 17” + 02′ 03”
17. COLQUINTANA ROJAS Nairo Alexander 51 MOVISTAR TEAM 22h 15′ 22” + 02′ 08”
18. ESPRODRIGUEZ OLIVER Joachim 91 TEAM KATUSHA 22h 15′ 26” + 02′ 12”
19. FRAPÉRAUD Jean-Christophe 11 AG2R LA MONDIALE 22h 15′ 33” + 02′ 19”
20. USATALANSKY Andrew 161 TEAM CANNONDALE-GARMIN 22h 16′ 05” + 02′ 51”

As for the rest of yesterday I gave up and went to bed as it looked all nice and dull and so did the BBC

For 99% of today’s stage I was convinced we were going to have our first “slow news day” at the Tour, apart from some nice news, perhaps, about Daniel Teklepolka-dot’s pioneering efforts.
And then, boom, we lose another race-leader, dozens of riders hit the tarmac (again), Vincenzo Nibali thinks it’s Chris Froome’s fault and throws a water bottle in his direction and a team-mate of the stricken Tony Martin escapes up the road for a famous win.

From yesterdays TM quote he might get some sleep now

It gave me a lot of power and morale today in the race. I hope I can find more sleep in the next nights, or else I won’t see Paris (laughs)

🙁
Not a bad spot for lunch

Looks like it was a good lunch too judging by the empty bottle count 🙂

Great stuff, thanks for stepping into the breach Mike 8) Keep it up if you have the time and motivation, much appreciated.

Ohh cheers again Mike.

Great stage, great place to hold a stage. Most folks that come this way miss out on it in the main because they’re hacking from Le Havre or St Malo and heading to Vannes/Les Sables/La Roch’. If you get the opportunity stop here and check out real French farmland, it’s stunning. It’s stunning and very bumpy, sharp and steep and rolling.
Poncheurs day, one for the French or a Dutch or Belgian.

Hard not to pick an AG2R rider or Europecar, don’t think Cofidis will feature today. A rest day for the guys in Red. So my prediction for a break will be Gastauer or Gudain from AG2R and Tankink or Van Emden from L-Jumbo, Bartas been happy out front from Bora so he’s in it too, then Ladagnous from FDJ. I think this break will stay out and I’m plugging for Ladagnous punting off with 30k to go FTW.

I expect lots of Camenbert and fruity red wine to be scoffed, we’ll be participating in a French stylee 😀

Good stage this .

You are realman and I claim my first ever £5.

I haven’t yet decided if Martin is hard as nails or just daft. He hung around for presentations despite an open fracture. I think that Ettixx photo may become iconic for this four. Bit like the Hoogerland ones of a few years ago.

I also liked the fact that Nibali was tough enough to apologise to Froome – and on camera in interviews. In a race the adrenaline is flowing and you are focused and in fight mode so it is easy to lose your cool. But as with all sports when the game is over you need to leave it behind.

Surely Cav, he’ll struggle without Martin but he has only got this chance before the Mountains and now must be motivated by lack of success and loss of a valued team mate.

Thank you again Mike, I actually got into the office a bit early with view to doing today’s, but you’re doing a cracking job.

Yesterday was plain dull bar the last 1km, I’m gutted for Martin, a classy rider and a shame to see him out of the reckoning. Him not being there will have a real impact on Cav’s sprint train as well, though oddly this could be a positive for Uran’s GC chances.

I’m hoping for a few more fireworks today even though I still think it’ll be a bunch sprint, I’m hoping for a big break and a “will they catch them, will they not” kind of chase. I’ve backed Kristoff for every sprint stage so far and as he’s not delivered yet and I’m going to stick with him for stubbornness sake if nothing else.

And for no other reason than he is nails and still riding with broken ribs, here’s a pic of Greg Henderson.

Looks like it was a good lunch too judging by the empty bottle count

3 bottles of wine and half a loaf of bread, sounds ideal 🙂

A great shame to see TM out, watching him riding himself into the wall in the mountains, ripping the legs off the bunch, is one of my favourite sights in cycling.

I’d love to see a break get away today but I reckon Greipel for the win.

Froome has just tweeted that he won’t be wearing yellow today.

On the day 6 thread someone asked who the top non GC rider is, going by the list above that’d be Mr Sagan would it not?

He had his sights on the yellow jersey in the first week will Tinkoff Saxo see this as their opportunity?

Niiiice

#respectrules

Froome has just tweeted that he won’t be wearing yellow today.

Hat, Froomey, hat.

Good call from Froome, he’ll have it formally at the end of today’s stage anyway (gawd hope I haven’t jinxed that now!!), and definitely the right thing to do.

Am keeping my fingers crossed that Cav can finally get it right, I think the Etixx team are going to want to do something special for Tony especially as well as putting an overall rough week behind them. Delivering Cav perfectly to a first stage win for him this tour would fit the bill nicely.

Nice effort from Froome, a respect for the sport all the way. Nice to also see Sky hopefully doing a good lead in ethics too.

So will this be a quiet one or not?

yesterday was quiet until 2km out, be

nice to have a stage with nice lead out trains, not the mismatch carnage we’ve had, although the Etixx train will miss Tony

Could be one for the breakaway today?

I haven’t yet decided if Martin is hard as nails or just daft.

Hard as nails. 9 times out of 10 you can’t do **** all for a collar bone break anyway. When I done mine they done the X-Ray then told me to come back tomorrow, next day they told me to come back in 2 weeks. That was it cracked in the middle and broken off both ends.

Froome isn’t in yellow not because of respect, but because until the flag drops today without Martin, TM is still technically the leader.

Not saying Froome is disrespectful but at the moment TM has the shortest overall time for the stages completed.

9 times out of 10 you can’t do **** all for a collar bone break anyway.

His was the 1/10? From what I have read/seen it was an open fracture where the bone had come through the skin and the break was complicated requiring immediate surgery. I can only imagine how uncomfortable putting on that winners jersey must have been, not surprised he didn’t do it on the podium.

bravo mr Smith.
Best start to the tour since I’ve been watching it…
Sorry but I’ve been away , but, has no one asked why Tony Martin caused the crash that buggered his shoulder?

Yep commissaires seem to have made the call on yellow, but clearly the right decision all round.
http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/froome-confirms-he-will-not-wear-the-tour-de-france-yellow-jersey

Froome isn’t in yellow not because of respect, but because until the flag drops today without Martin, TM is still technically the leader.

Not sure that’s right. Don’t you have to sign on before the start of each stage? If you don’t sign on you are deemed to have withdrawn, which is when TM would loose his status as leader?

😯 Would have thought it’d be much more bleedy!!

From cycling news…

“Unfortunately, the collarbone is a lateral fracture,” team doctor Helge Riepenhof said. “The collarbone is in lots of pieces, so it was a major impact. One of the pieces came through the skin, which means it’s an open fracture. Therefore, even if it was Tony’s wish to start tomorrow, I have to say he is not allowed to.

“Riders always want to race. Tony especially. He’s shown in the last years that even with broken bones that he will race if possible. But this is a medical situation where this is impossible. He needs surgery straightaway, and that is why we are going to the hospital now. We will fix the collarbone there. He is already on antibiotics. It’s a serious injury, and that is why we can’t risk anything and why he cannot be at the start tomorrow.”

Not sure I’d be hanging around for the podium if I had a bit of collarbone poking out of my skin.

Not sure I’d be hanging around for the podium if I had a bit of collarbone poking out of my skin

That’s because you aren’t Tony Martin.

Nails, the lot of them.

Nails, the lot of them.

Indeed. I was feeling queasy just reading the description of the injury!

So what became of the spat between Froome and Nibali? Caught on video?

On the Tony Martin hard-As-Nails front, from the Tour of The Basque (last year?)…

Surprised that Nibbles wasn’t penalised for throwing that bidon at Froome 8)

Froome isn’t in yellow not because of respect, but because until the flag drops today without Martin, TM is still technically the leader.

Could be both, it’s common for the new leader to opt not to wear the jersey if they got it as a result of the previous leader being forced to withdraw. Although the fact it was in the finial km and he finished to get the leaders time and took the jersey makes it a little more complicated.

Froome could have told the organisers he wasn’t wearing it and they’ve interpreted the rules to suit to avoid ire from the sponsors, or they might have told Froome first and he’s agreed.

On the Tony Martin hard-As-Nails front, from the Tour of The Basque (last year?)…

Beetrootjuice and a sneeky on the bike piss?

Froome could have told the organisers he wasn’t wearing it and they’ve interpreted the rules to suit to avoid ire from the sponsors, or they might have told Froome first and he’s agreed.

Either way at least we won’t have to see another yellow jersey binning it today and finishing with broken bones

I don’t know if the Nibali/Froome spat was caught on camera as I think it happened whilst most were concentrating on Tony Martin.

Slightly more worringly – http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/othersports/cycling/tour-de-france/11730282/Tour-de-France-2015-Racism-row-ruins-African-teams-landmark-success.html

This happens every year, someone breaks something important but still carries on somehow.

And every year I feel utterly ashamed of the all excuses I’ve used over the last 11 months when I’ve not felt like going out. These guys are properly awesome.

Insta-ban for racist abuse, 2 years minimum IMO. Skim read (I’m supposed to be at work…) but doesn’t appear to have been at the Tour? Not that it matters but why hasn’t it been reporters earlier if it’s happened at other races, this shit should be dealt with swiftly and with a strong hand.

Telegraph mixing stories for a headline again – they’re getting worse.

On the Tony Martin hard-As-Nails front, from the Tour of The Basque (last year?)…

thats because he uses grip tape on his TT saddle so he doesn’t lose his position 😯 😆

My mistake: I read the piece early this AM and didn’t spot that the recent slur was on the Tour of Austria.

The DT reverts to type later with ” becoming the first black African to wear a leader’s jersey ” which while true (Daryl Impey and Robbie Hunter have worn yellow and white respectfully) they could have said “becoming the first African rider to wear the KOM jersey”

On the Tony Martin hard-As-Nails front, from the Tour of The Basque (last year?).

IIRC at the time the photo was taken TM was using a red compound to try and provide stability on the saddle. The fact it was red just added more myths to the legend. He since uses grip tape as posted which is a nice way to make an expensive skinsuit single use

Awww… spoilsport!

Great TDF so far and thanks again Mike for starting the Stage thread 😀

I don’t want to drag this thread downhill but I’ve been pleasantly surprised with has well Froome is coming across lately. I think SKY encouraging Ms. Cound/ Froome to take a bit of a back seat has helped as has letting him just get on with things away from the Wiggins storm. I am almost on the verge of starting to root for him 😯 😀