Regardless of Sunday's results, a few things have emerged for me this year that I wanted to comment on. [I]Of course, what I say is purely subjective[/I].
1. I appreciate the thoughtfulness of many of the riders. Other than some understandable tension between Uran and Bardet, whenever the riders have spoken on camera, I have been impressed by how articulate, thoughtful, and sportsmanlike they are.
2. Chris Froome seems a genuinely decent human being.
3. Team Sky is an incredibly well-oiled machine. Only AG2R seems to be able to approach them for consistent cohesion in the peleton. Sometimes Astana as well.
4. We really missed both Sagan and Cavendish.
5. In terms of teams, I quite like Sky, Quick Step, AG2R, and BMC (even if the latter was virtually invisible after Richie Porte's crash), but I quite DISlike teams UAE and Bahrain-Merida.
6. Eve though he didn't do very well this year, I quite admire Quintana's quiet tenacity and calmness as a rider.
7. This has probably been one of the more exciting/interesting Tours ever.
Please add your own thoughts and/or agree/disagree with mine.
8. How on earth are Quintana and Chaves the same age?!
Froome also shows he's pretty clever as well as quick and a nice bloke.
A few years ago I'd never have thought I'd be saying this, but... I'll miss Bertie when he's gone.
7. This has probably been one of the more exciting/interesting Tours ever.
Really? A parcours that in my opinion meant lots of long boring stages with very little happening.
1. It's too early to make conclusions (plus, you're stealing my Monday thread!)
2. Froome is a true all rounder, yes he can climb but he can TT, he can descend, he is good in the winds and seems tactically very astute indeed. He's also a genuinely nice guy.
3. That's it, when the race is over I shall post more.
This just goes to show how hard it is to find someone to root for.mrblobby - MemberA few years ago I'd never have thought I'd be saying this, but... I'll miss Bertie when he's gone.
I too had mixed feeling when watching him. His attacking style was welcome.
Dan Martin was probably my highlight thus far. Constantly having a go. recovering from crash/injury. Just generally getting stuck in.
lunge - Member
1. It's too early to make conclusions (plus, you're stealing my Monday thread!)
2. Froome is a true all rounder, yes he can climb but he can TT, he can descend, he is good in the winds and seems tactically very astute indeed. He's also a genuinely nice guy.
3. That's it, when the race is over I shall post more.
Agreed +1
Sorry SR.
It's been exciting for various reasons but it still doesn't feel close for the gc race even though it technically is. I wonder if they should give each team a single dose of testosterone to use as a 'joker'*
*not really of course
I'm more and more put off by the dominance of Sky.
I can't fault them for simply being a more organised and awesomely fit team, and it's not like they're a much spendier outfit than BMC (I think, according to an article I read somewhere it's something like £35m vs £33m annual team budget) but it just seems like they are streets ahead of everybody else, it doesn't really seem sporting to see Froome at the sharp end competing with individual riders from other smaller teams whilst supported by two or three awesomely fit riders such as Landa, Kwaitowski* etc.
*please excuse lazy attempt at spelling.
Edit:
Estimated 2015 team budgets:
Tour de France team budgets (estimated)
Team Sky – €35m
Katusha – €32m
BMC – €28m
Tinkoff – €25m
Astana – €20m
Etixx-Quick Step – €18m
Movistar – €15m
Lotto-Soudal – €14m
LottoNL-Jumbo – €14m
Dimension Data – €13.5m
Orica-BikeExchange – €13m
Giant-Alpecin – €12.5m
Trek-Segafredo – €12m
Ag2r La Mondiale – €12m
Cofidis – €11m
IAM Cycling – €10.5m
FDJ – €10m
Cannondale – €10m
Lampre-Merida – €7m
Direct Energie – €6m
Bora-Argon 18 – €4.5m
Fortuneo-Vital Concept – €3.5m
@ransos - you are always going to get "boring" stages since a large part of France consists of relatively flat terrain and it is after all "Le Tour de France" not "Le Tour de hilly bits". Without such stages you aren't going to have the likes of Cav, Kittel and Greipel in the Tour. Not all team leaders are GC contenders, though some like Sagan come close, ASO need to come up with a course that caters to all the World Tour teams not just the likes of Sky, BMC,
As for Team Sky dominating: well they've been doing it for six years now so the other teams have had plenty of time to work out how to deal with it.
2. Froome is a true all rounder, yes he can climb but he can TT, he can descend, he is good in the winds and seems tactically very astute indeed. He's also a genuinely nice guy.
Think this is true. He's won high mountain stages, time trials, pinched time on flat stages, been consistent. He's now stopped falling off and his descending has improved significantly. Tactically sound and is usually in the right place at the right time. He's won time trial heavy tours and he's won one with only 13k of ITT. And it looks very much like he's going to have won 4 of them. Seems to be someone that his team want to work for too. And he has mastered every sporting cliche for the post race interview 🙂
Interesting article about team budgets etc.
[url] https://cyclingtips.com/2016/07/can-success-be-bought-in-pro-cycling-a-look-at-team-budgets-and-the-value-equation/ [/url]
Apparently one of Sky's big advantages is that they have developed a lot of riders over time rather than buying them at their peak, so despite *only* spending approx £3mill more than their nearest competition, they haven't had to spend that on riders, so can devote it to 'marginal gains' etc such as a dedicated truck for their washing machines?? 😯
1. It's too early to make conclusions (plus, you're stealing my Monday thread!)
Sorry! I agree, but I am going to be out of internet range for a while, so wanted to get my two pennies' worth in beforehand.
Hopefully this thread can run into next week, and so account for every eventuality.
@13thfloormonk: that is a great link, and illustrates, I think, that winning is NOT simply about money.
1) Uran is a wheelsucker. Nobody likes a wheelsucker. He needed to up his game.
2) The closer it gets, the better Froome comes across. That's a sign of class.
3) Tour needs Sagan more than Sagan needs the tour.
4) Bardet is just class.
@ransos - you are always going to get "boring" stages since a large part of France consists of relatively flat terrain and it is after all "Le Tour de France" not "Le Tour de hilly bits". Without such stages you aren't going to have the likes of Cav, Kittel and Greipel in the Tour. Not all team leaders are GC contenders, though some like Sagan come close, ASO need to come up with a course that caters to all the World Tour teams not just the likes of Sky, BMC,
Thanks for the lesson and all, but I have been watching the TdF for a long time now. In my opinion, this year's parcours was dull in comparison to previous years.
No one likes Aru, not even his own teammates
I like Aru. Not because he is particularly exciting or even that honourable - just because the way he seems to crack and then claw his way back repeatedly. So basically I want to see suffering and then striving to overcome that suffering. Much prefer him to Uran who has basicaly wheel-sucked. I think Bardet should've and could've done more.
No one likes Aru, not even his own teammates
I wanted to say that but completely forgot. Is it an Italian thing or something? I mean, what an utter lack of class to try to attack when Froome had that mechanical the other day. By contrast, I [I]loved[/I] the way Quintana acted like an elder brother, signalling that everyone else should wait.
When Aru looked around and realised that no one was following his lead was a priceless moment.
My main observation is that the main sponsor of the current GC leader have been planning the teams successful return for over a week. And have spent significant money with my company doing so.....well before it was guaranteed, or was it?
Realistically, even when Froome lost the jersey, I don't think many doubted he wouldn't win. Especially with the TT coming up. I like Froom and like Team Sky, they have featured and nurtured some great British talent, and cyclings current popularity has a lot to do with them.
Speculation rather than observation but have Sky/Froome cut it so fine this year as he really feels he's got unfinished business at the Vuelta and the plan has been for him to end the tour still getting stronger rather than weaker? The margins this year don't suggest that the plan has been to peak at the Tour and his attitude during the race doesn't suggest he's lost any desire to train and race.
I go so far as to say it hasn't been a bad tour but not a great one either. Yellow jersey comp has been pretty boring despite the closeness of the times. Bardet, Martin and Aru tried but didn't have the legs. Uran is just happy for a podium. I'd ban power meters, it's far too easy to ride to the numbers now.
Barguil has been a real highlight and been the first truly worthy winner of the Polka Dot jersey in a good while.
Finally I'm not a huge fan of mountain days that end with a downhill and then 20k of main road to the finish, what's the point?
I really like FDJ, just because of the kit, it's awesome*.
*Yes, I am that fickle.
Froome's a great athlete and a deserved (likely) winner but I doubt I'll ever look back fondly on his period of domination because he makes a riding a bike look so damn ugly.
Same for that stupid looking sitting on the top tube pedalling thing that seems to have gained in popularity recently. It may be effective but it belongs in a circus.
would you have to ban heart rate monitors as well? It's not a mad ideaI'd ban power meters, it's far too easy to ride to the numbers now.
I'm less fussed about HR as it doesn't give you the level of accuracy power does. But hey why not.
I think it is why short uphill sprint finishes are often more exciting now, as you just don't have time to consult your power meter and plan your effort against the others.
I'd like to see a ban on power metres and heart rate monitors at least trialled. It's an easy enough thing to implement and would cost next to nothing so lets give it a go and see if it has a positive effect on the racing.
Power meter hidden out of view like on the track
Get rid of radios first. Tactics on the fly between riders would make for far more exciting racing.
Froome has mentioned in interviews that his periodisation training has been arranged so that he's peaking in the third week rather than earlier in the race and then basically hanging on.
Yeah agreed, no access to power meters during the stage.. racing should be based upon instinct not numbers.
Similarly, reduce the size of teams to 6 or 7 - make it harder for each team to control the race
The best stages are when the main GC riders are attacking each other, with no domestiques to help, with the strongest rider prevailing - hopefully changes can be made to ensure more of these scenarios.
Mountain trains may be effective, but they're incredibly boring, and result in an uneven playing field.
1) I never get tired of watching certain people (Bardet as an example) pedal a bike across stunning scenery. Phinney is similar, proper smooth cadence whether climbing or just smashing it out on the flat. I've been in New York this week with work so only been able to catch up on highlights whilst sat in a bar (you think we have a lot of ad breaks!), so there's often been no sound, yet it's massively therapeutic just watching a group of blokes pedalling bikes.
2) American commentators are clueless on bike racing. Subtitles (in a bar), I'm not sure whether its the translate thing at work or if they really are that utterly useless.
3) I preferred it when they were all on the sauce. There, I've said it. I've been watching the Tour since I was a kid so in the early days for me it was Chippo and Indurain. Then Ulrich and Riis, then Armstrong and Patani. Whilst they were all clearly off their nuts on whatever they were taking, the racing made for awesome viewing. The standard faire these days of Sky (normally) sitting on the front smashing out a tempo whilst a breakaway gets dragged back makes for far less entertainment. To be fair, this year has had a bit of drama with the gaps been so close, but to my mind this has just encouraged everyone in the GC to sit with each other rather than launch crazy attacks. I'm not a huge Contador fan (never have been) but at least he has a dig. Day after day of sitting there staring at powermeters just makes for dull viewing, cliche I know but not exactly exciting is it.
4) Froome is a class above the others. Yes he has the best team around him but even so, Uran and Bardet whilst amazing just seem to be lacking what Froome has. Apart from that one summit finish, he's never looked in trouble and bar his front Pro tri-spoke exploding in the TT I can't see him losing it now (obviously). That said I still can't seem to 'root' for Froome like I would have for Ulrich, Pantani or maybe even Armstrong. There's just something a bit lacking that I can't put my finger on, no idea why.
5) I like Sky, Cannondale, AG2R and BMC. I don't like UAE or Astana. But this is a good thing - the Tour should be a bit of a pantomime, there should be goodies and baddies and Aru/Astana/UAE fit that perfectly. If only there could be some heroics from Sky (Froome with a long range attack for 100k) then you'd have both ends of the spectrum. I've also missed Zakarin not being in it. If ever there was a bloke that's either going to win, or explode from the amount of narcotics in his system, Zakarin is the guy. Proper baddie, he's ace!
6) I love those SuperSix Evo's of Cannondale. Probably my favourite bike in the bunch. Not quite the holy days of the Sagan Sram/Vision version but pretty close.
I like watching the motorcycle chaps push over-enthusiastic supporters off the side of the mountain roads.
I was just thinking watching yesterday's stage, Sky peaked last year and it's gonna be managed decline now.
I don't think we'll see the same dominance on the road again and they royally cocked up with their handling of the TUE story, so the sheen is well and truly off. As I think someone pointed out the other day, Froome being in yellow isn't even making the evening news bulletins AFAIK.
No overall observations on the racing from me at least until the TT is done.
I will say I'll be glad not to have to watch any more post-race interviews with Froome. Don't care how decent a human being he is or isn't, he's way too full of dull platitudes.
Kwiatkowski has been utterly epic.
This is where SKY really have the advantage, they have so much talent, when some of it misfires (Henao), there's a good chance someone else will have epic form to compensate.
We saw similar last year from Poels when other members of the team were under-performing.
Agree with @dragon, stages with long valley descents are such a waste of a stage. Have always thought so, and have seen nothing this tour to change my mind.
3) I preferred it when they were all on the sauce.
Did this also co-incide with no power meters? Genuine question.
the Tour should be a bit of a pantomime
Agreed, I've been saying this for years. See also the pantomime villain-eque treatment of Aru because A) he's not as pretty as some of the others and B) he had the temerity to attack when the leader of the strongest team in the race momentarily cocked up his gears 🙄
Did this also co-incide with no power meters? Genuine question.
It's a fair question. I don't remember being so aware of team tactics during the Indurain/Armstrong years so maybe that also played a bigger part too - if you don't have a team to rely on, do you attack more?
It's probably a combination of all three things and whilst I don't advocate them all getting back on the narcotics (or stronger drugs in Nibali's case), I think dropping team numbers to 7 and banning powermeters would help considerably. Or introduce some sort of cap to spending on riders, so that you don't end up with a team full of potential tour winners riding for one bloke. Problem with that of course is that cycling is notorious for paying riders badly (with a few exceptions) and you'd just end up dropping the average wage which seems unfair. It would however mean that Bouhanni would be in a team of one and hopefully gets shelled out on the first stage...
I can't dislike Aru - he's not the full on villain like Nibali (who I can't stand), he just seems a bit like a dense sidekick, one who is playing at being the bad guy but failing.
I don't remember being so aware of team tactics during the Indurain/Armstrong years so maybe that also played a bigger part too - if you don't have a team to rely on, do you attack more?
It's always been this way. Armstrong and the US Postal train was the usual tactic in the mountains. And Banesto mobbing the front of a climb for Indurain...
[img] 
[/img]
All setting a fast but steady pace to get a GC rider to the top as quickly as possible while discourage attacks from those pesky climbers.
That said I still can't seem to 'root' for Froome like I would have for
I can. If I were a pro racer I'd want to be like him. Good, clever and a nice bloke.
Dullest tour for a while for me, lack of mountain top finishes and no Corsica or Yorkshire !
Froome has been impressive, a professional sportsman getting job done, ditto Sky.
Tour has really missed Sagan, Cav and Geraint T
I have warmed to Bardet again this year, in 2016 there was an interesting piece on him on French TV training wirh Clermont Rugby coach and doing some vtt in the winter. AG2R need to get thejr act / sponsorship together as I think he will be a GC contender again.
It's been interesting to watch and gutted for George Bennet who was having a stormer. Whilst in our house Bertie is referred to as 'fxn cheat' at least he tries. Notable mentions to:
- Bardet for a stronger ride
- Barguil for honouring the polka dot jersey and going for stage wins
- my mate for describing Aru as the Italian Gargoyle
- that gendarme on the motorbike for straightarming that guy into the gutter , chapeau !
- Froome and sky esp kwiatowski for his to he death effort on the Izoard
I also saw a stage which was pretty cool
No one likes Aru,
I went right off him when I found out he'd had his nostrils 'rebored' so he could get more air in - seems like surgical doping to me
Interesting points re: previous team tactics, honestly didn't pay enough attention/was too young in the past so didn't know it was an old tactic.
Can't really hold it against Sky if they have in fact brought good riders up from the little leagues as the article I linked above seems to suggest, it's not like they've pulled a Man City or a Chelsea and just bought superstars.
Also not likely to do pro cycling any good if you scare big money sponsors away by telling them they're not allowed to win as much! 😀
Still like the idea of banning power meters and radios though, or could they give them radios but limit them for safety chat (they can monitor radio chat in F1 can't they?).
See also the pantomime villain-eque treatment of Aru because A) he's not as pretty as some of the others and B) he had the temerity to attack when the leader of the strongest team in the race momentarily cocked up his gears
I also suspect him being an arsehole didn't help either. Even his own team mates don't like him.
I can. If I were a pro racer I'd want to be like him. Good, clever and a nice bloke.
And rides a bike like a robot pushing a shopping trolley through gravel.
If I was out on the bike working my way up a local hill and my inner child conjured up a mental image to inspire me I can guarantee that despite him being the most effective GC rider of his generation it wouldn't be Froome.
Did this also co-incide with no power meters? Genuine question.
I think Power meters used in races (rather than training) is only really something that's come in during the last 10 years or less. From a quick trawl of images on the internet it seems 2009 a few risers were by 2010 then the majority of riders were using them.
I went right off him when I found out he'd had his nostrils 'rebored' so he could get more air in - seems like surgical doping to me
Is this true?
If so, I like him more now.
I've not seen one post on here pining for Phil and Paul to come back to ITV. Well done Ned and David. Far more engaging and insightful if not a little verbose at times.
I might be in the minority but I miss a TTT.
Watch out for Roglic and Benoot in years to come.
You couldn't move in the peloton for disc brakes.
Sky have gotten better over the years at varying tactics but still aren't great. Putting Landa up the road yesterday was a good move but they still work too hard on the first half of stages. Still a bit one dimensional but it clearly works.
I can. If I were a pro racer I'd want to be like him. Good, clever and a nice bloke.
Hmmm, nope not for me - I don't doubt he's a nice bloke and an unbelievable cyclist but I just struggle to get behind him. Maybe it's because he's never been an underdog (bar the year when he could have clearly trounced Wiggins) or maybe the way in which he (or rather Sky) win the tour just means I struggle to support him. I'd much rather see Bardet win this year, or Barguil or someone else. Had high hopes for Porte but obviously not to be. And credit to Froome, I don't think Porte can match him even when he's on top form.
MrBlobby - did Indurain and Armstrong have a team of potential tour winners supporting them though? In the same vein as Landa, Kwiato, Kiryienka, Henao (not this year obvs!), Nieve and Thomas? Genuine question as I was too young to remember fully, apart from big George for US Postal (and I'm not sure he could have ever been a potential contender for the GC?).
EDIT: I've just had a look and yeah, maybe postal did have similar talent - Landis, Hamilton, Levi...
Well done Ned and David. Far more engaging and insightful if not a little verbose at times.
Agreed.
Both annoy me mildly in their own right, but they work great together and I think Ned has found his niche.
Dave sounds genuinely excited when it all kicks off on a climb or whatever.
Postal definitely employed similar tactics to sky. The fact that Sky look tactically similar to the dopest* team in modern tour history is what makes them the pantomime villains for many non English speaking fans.
* Not meant in a hip hop type of way.
I've enjoyed the second half of the tour... even though after the race nothing much seems to have changed each day, there seems to have been lots of promise and possibilities.
I like the idea of binning the power meters, HRM's, and/or radios. Any of these will re-introduce uncertainty for the riders and likely result in more opportunities being taken / missed
The fact that Sky look tactically similar [s]to the dopest* team in modern tour history[/s]
... to any other dominant team in a GT since the dawn of time 🙂 (well in the modern era of GT anyway)
Those of you advocating no radios & power meters (which isn't gonna happen), do you really think they've had a big negative impact on this tour?
To my eye it's been quite different to recent TDFs, with the racing more attacky and Sky much less dominant.
My feeling is the atypical parcours this year has spiced things up nicely, and the racing for GC is nice and closely matched.
When I listen to Froome'a interviews post race, I'm always reminded of Kelly Slater's (12x surfing world champion) post-heat interviews. Clearly not just very talented but with the intellience to critically analyse events. Both slightly robotic but if that's what it takes to be the best...
So 12 TdF yellow yerseys?
Froome'a interviews post race
I'd add that he also takes an awful lot of crap from the media in good grace (more than can be said for potty mouthed Wiggins and Brailsford.)
Looking at the GC time gaps you'd think it's been a thrilling race.
did Indurain and Armstrong have a team of potential tour winners supporting them though?
Armstrong definitely did even more so than Sky IMO. Armstrong over the years had support from the likes of Reberto Heras, Tyler Hamilton, Christian Vande Velde, Floyd Landis, Levi Leiphiemer, José Azevedo, then later on Paolo Savoldelli and Ivan Basso.
Indurain and Banesto I'm not so sure of but they did have Jean-François Bernard and Pedro Delgado.
Here's Eddi Merckx' view:
I’ve followed all the stages, but they weren’t really very interesting. It was not a great tour, there hasn’t been much drama. Many stages were quite boring. I often watched the start then went and did something else. I didn’t just spend hours watching television.
Something has to be done about these long and flat stages. Almost nothing happens: there’s an escape that is taken in the final kilometers. There were too many stages where you knew in advance that nothing would happen.
I was still expecting some [kind of battle] in the mountains. Froome always rode defensively, defended himself very well and could count on a very strong team. So nothing happened in this Tour. Many team leaders have done nothing but wait. Froome himself has never attacked. He will win the Tour, and has defended well, but he didn’t do anything exceptional. There was just no one to beat him. He deserves to win. Of course, we still have to wait for the time trial, but I don’t see who can still beat him.
I think it is fair to say that this Tour Sky have perfected the cycling equivalent of Catenaccio. I think the way to beat it, is to have a few cards to play, so Sky are made to mark more than one rider. If Fulsang hadn't crashed then the double of Fulsang and Aru might have been able to work it, as they did at the Dauphine.
he didn’t do anything exceptional
Except get back onto the group on that day he broke a spoke.
He did try a few attacks, they were just matched. He couldn't get away. To comapre with other sports, it's perfectly possible to have a tense exciting 1-0 football match.
Great last 5k's racing.
Froome gives interviews in French every day. Respect.
I was never a Froome fan, as other have said he was a bit of a charisma vacuum. Rides like an octopus falling out of a tree, etc, etc.
But I've really warmed to him, he seems like a genuinely good bloke, very few in the peloton have a bad word to say about him and he seems to have real tactical nous as well.
Sure he hasn't really attacked, by then why should he? He's already winning!
Bardet has also been excellent, descends like a maniac
Barguil is the best polka dot winner in years.
I look forward to seeing what they can do in future tours
Sagan has been missed, lack of summit wheelies has been a real let down.
Another quite exciting thing about this tour has been the finishes at the bottom of descents - so the descending has been important and the rides have gone for it - or so it looks to me.
Merckx basically nails it (ransos's post above).
Froome is the best.
The Tour has been a bit boring.
It is...not sure that description applies to this years tour. The big surprise for me this year is that I've warmed to Froome, I think he's done a good job.it's perfectly possible to have a tense exciting 1-0 football match.
When Froome lost the yellow jersey (to Aru) I enjoyed seeing Sky and Froome ride a different race. But Aru gave it up in a day, so it was over too quickly.
Somehow, we need Froome to be 1 minute behind the leader, so he rides in a different way. Then we would have a very different race, and I think Froome would get it done it done this way too.
"Kepi", maybe ? 😀 (don't suppose there's a pic or vid of it ?)- that gendarme on the motorbike for straightarming that guy into the gutter , chapeau !
Aru looks like Ed Miliband
Cycling observations can wait until I have something worth saying
Perhaps more costal windy stages and more mountain top finishes on long climbs. And TTs have their place - can we have the AdH one back?
I have enjoyed seeing some non-sky brits in the mix Dan Martin and Simon Yates.
I would have liked it if Kittel and Cavendish were still in the green jersey chase, that aussie chap's nice and all, but he's just sort of the default winner now the real contenders have crashed out.
Uran is a wheelsucker. Nobody likes a wheelsucker. He needed to up his game.
I haven't seen today's highlights so don't know how close the GC will be going into the TT, but I sort of want Uran to upset the apple cart a bit, his wheelsucking is tactical, he has to do it because he lacks the team support, if he were to get closer today and even overhaul Froome in the TT tomorrow (big 'if' really, but why not) he'd be the ultimate "bad guy" for next years tour... Baddies make it more interesting.
Bardet has been a pleasure to watch, and I like him too, his condemnation of the French fans Booing Froome the other day confirmed that impression for me...
Barguille's face coming over the line yesterday was great, seeing someone that genuinely happy is just nice...
Worst thing by far has been the UCI, inconsistent application of their own rules for things like taking bottles at the wrong time or turning a blind eye to fisticuffs after the line and their treatment of Sagan have yet again reinforced the negative image they have, and again if you wanted pantomime, having it presided over by bungling, corrupt old men adds to that aspect, but for me they're still a real lowlight.
UCI, inconsistent application of their own rules
Every year. Part of what makes the tour special.
I would have liked it if Kittel and Cavendish were still in the green jersey chase, that aussie chap's nice and all, but he's just sort of the default winner now the real contenders have crashed out.
I agree completely, but much to the credit of Matthews, he himself acknowledged that he would have rather taken the green in a proper battle than under the current circumstances.
Bardet has been a pleasure to watch, and I like him too, his condemnation of the French fans Booing Froome the other day confirmed that impression for me...Barguille's face coming over the line yesterday was great, seeing someone that genuinely happy is just nice...
'Yes' to both of these statements. That overwhelming sense of good sportsmanship is what has made this tour a pleasure to share with my kids.
Been some exciting racing (mainly ag2r trying to make stuff happen) but not so many exciting finishes to stages. More mtn top finishes please!
Great to see G win a stage and get yellow.
Enjoyed todays win also.
My observation is that Dan Martin is nails! And someone earlier wrote Kelly Slater is robotic .... erm no .... he did not compete for years (when he was winning)as he felt the judges could not truly progressively assess his style / ability. I do appreciate he is now getting older and maybe "slowing down" but robotic is harsh.
Can they not have outriders on proper electric motorbikes who would chaperone the leaders up the mountains and barge all the stupid ****wits out of the way.
Those idiots should show the riders just a bit of respect.
It's been a great tour to watch this year. Agree with many of the observations.
Froome is a class above - but it's hard to watch him ride a bike. He defines the word "ungainly".
Bardet could do more - I'd really love to see him push Froome more
Landa and Kwiato have been superb lieutenants for Froome
Been great to see Barguil - BAR-GHEE - do so well - I like team Sunweb
Bling Matthews - is a shame Kittel crashed out- - the battle for green would have been something
Not a fan of Astana - but do like Fulsang (sp?) - hope he moves teams
Dan Martin has battled hard
It's a pity Bertie has not so well. I like his style
Wish Porte well - the tour is poorer without him
It's been a dramatic tour - and it's not over yet.
But Sunday I shall be lost without daily fix - look forward to La Vuelta
I think it is time to drop the respective yellow jersey bollocks. Dan Martin should win simply for getting up from his awful crash and fighting on. Yet Froome was able to hold up his hand and stop the race.
I think it is time to drop the respective yellow jersey bollocks. Dan Martin should win simply for getting up from his awful crash and fighting on. Yet Froome was able to hold up his hand and stop the race.
Just a different scenario. On that descent the race was well and truly on. Had Porte collected Froome instead of Dan Martin they would not have waited. Like Froome's wheel swap and chase of a rampaging AG2R, no one was waiting. Aru incident was different. Had Aru attacked a few seconds earlier and been up the road then no one would have stopped. And it's not specifically yellow either, the same rules would have applied had any of the GC contenders had a similar incident. The riders themselves see it as the honourable thing to do so who are we to disagree.
Was interesting to hear Dan Martin say after the broken wheel stage that he was happy to see Froome get back on as that wouldn't have been the right way to lose a Tour.
[quote=cookeaa ]I would have liked it if Kittel and Cavendish were still in the green jersey chase, that aussie chap's nice and all, but he's just sort of the default winner now the real contenders have crashed out.
and Sagan so the competition was over a week ago? 😈
Not that Matthews wasn't a real contender (in the absence of Sagan). I'm not sure how Cav would have affected things, but likely not at all given his form. Quite apart from not wanting to see riders crash out, especially those contributing to the race, it was a shame not to have a fight for the green with Kittel though - it would certainly have changed the way today's stage was run.