Smee, I agree. Which means he'll be overlooked for the Sports Personality thing.

If it really was on 'personality'. I think Brad should get it anyway, his interview at the top of Verbier with ITV was really fun, as were his comments about the race officials when they undid the time gap thing a week before.

Smee – Member

That is by far the most impressive performance I've seen any british sportsman put in in a long time.

Indeed! True grit if ever I saw it. Someone thought he was feigning but he seemed totally gone afterwards

My guess is that Cav will get SPY surely?

Cavendish wont even be close, unless there's a concerted effort from bike forums

Wiggins deserves it far more – Cavendish grabbed his glory from finishing miles behind the actual winner and winning a sprint with the also rans

I mean what's that all about, someone finishes first in a race then a big bunch of people turn up five minutes later and are classified as a "winner"

Bollocks, imo

Chris Hoy & The Olympic cycling team (minus Cav?) got it last year, didn't they? My Guess is that politics would prevent it going to cyclists again… Though Cav deserves it too.

One possible would be Jenson Button, assuming he wins the F1 thing.

Don't pay much attention to SPY really anyway.

I mean what's that all about, someone finishes first in a race then a big bunch of people turn up five minutes later and are classified as a "winner"

When you go on holiday, do you stay under a bridge near the seaside?

[/quote]When you go on holiday, do you stay under a bridge near the seaside?

PMSL!

Let me guess he hates goats as well?

Question – apart from the epic Lemond/Fignon TT on the final day, has anyone ever lost the lead on the last day?

CFH – good question. I thought it was the great 'unwritten' rule? But what a cracker that would be if Lance and Wiggo faffed off down the road when Matador's back is turned?!

apart from the epic Lemond/Fignon TT on the final day, has anyone ever lost the lead on the last day?

I'm fairly sure not.

I thought it was the great 'unwritten' rule? But what a cracker that would be if Lance and Wiggo faffed off down the road when Matador's back is turned?!

Not so much an unwritten rule (though there is a little bit of that) as the fact that on a flat stage you can put your team to work to close down the gaps. Given there will be at least 2 teams chasing anybody who tried to get away it just wouldn't happen.

Not only that, but given that the end of the race is 7 laps of the Champs-Élysées, the riders will be able to see any break-away riders ahead of them, which always gives the chasing pack a bit more of an incentive.

I think there might have been a case a few years back when someone broke early (half a lap to go?) and stole the stage from the sprinters, but I don't recall a case in recent times when the top end of the race order has been changed, other than the mentioned Lemond/Fignon TT. It's just not the done thing.