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Checking the Eurosport listings it looks like they’re airing them from the start each day 😳
What's the weather like in Tel Aviv and Jerusalem?
I think I'll cope with those ads marginally longer than Watchfinder though.
Yes, the ads don’t show much of Jerusalem and Tel Aviv, do they? 😁 Obviously aiming at a specific demographic.
Simon Yates in Pink.
👏👏👏👏👏👏💥💥💥💥💥💥💥🤪🤪🤪🤪🤪☄️☄️☄️☄️☄️🤪🤪🤪🤪🤪☄️☄️☄️☄️☄️☄️☄️💪💪💪💪💪💪💪💪💪💪💪💪💪💪💪💪
How bloody awesome is that.
Massive Orica fanboi overload here today!
Just watched Simon Yates drop some of the worlds best including Froome! What a ride, Yates looks fresh and right on form, Froome anything but....
Great finish yesterday.
Well that's been a bit better. 
Awesome riding from Yates to take the lead, also very nice (and foolish?) of him to give Chaves the win on the stage. Team spirit in full effect there.
Froome, well he wasn't quite there... but he was certainly at the pointy end. It still makes me laugh with the commentators "Oh Froome is in trouble...." the second he loses the wheel.. No, he's really not. .He's riding to plan/power, give it a minute before deciding he's finished off. However, WTF is up with team Sky this race. When you consider how strong they've been at times pre-Giro, you'd have thought they'd be a bit better in this one. Weak team for a big event, i'm not seeing the logic in it really. I personally think Froome needs a bit more firepower at the sharp end to win this Giro.
Astana looking strong though as a team that's for sure, but everyone else is just a solo, with Pinot, Dumoulin, etc all single entities with no team-mates at all in the last 10km.
Yates is beasting it. And for small guys the Yates brothers can ride strong TTs. I reckon he's got people worried... Serious contender for the GC.
...also very nice (and foolish?) of him to give Chaves the win on the stage.
Not just the bonus seconds, but it looked like he had to slow up to wait for Chaves. But... he'll have a friend for life. Providing Chaves doesn't get his own ambitions being so close to the GC I think he'll return the favour. Swings and roundabouts.
However, WTF is up with team Sky this race.
This is odd. They were like the North Korean army a few weeks ago, trotting along in formation everywhere they went. Now they're all over the place.
I really enjoyed that stage. Good to see Yates at the pointy end, love to see him go into the longer TT with some good time in the bank as well.
I think it was good to allow Chaves the win, he may concede 4 bonus seconds, but in doing so, he is making a bond stronger in a team which seems to have a good atmosphere, and i think it keeps moral up and means Chavez will probably break himself to help Yates and also keep himself high in GC as insurance too.
Great bit of riding, Jack Haig looks strong for them too.
This is odd. They were like the North Korean army a few weeks ago, trotting along in formation everywhere they went. Now they’re all over the place.
I think something drastic is happening in the Sky Camp ATM.
Froomies current investigation has rattled the Board at Sky, and with thier sell/merger plans in negotiations bad news isn’t helping both moral nor budget considerations and the team have been told something.. possible pull of funding and it’s got the Team who control everything into a uncomfortable lack of motivation. But I’ve said this before, wrong time for Froomie to be pulled into the media spotlight so soon after Wiggo.
BMC are seeking funding or a merger, most riders in there know the structure over at Sky... what’s the option on a SkyBMC merger?
Back to the racing: Toms doing well IMO, in fact all the favourites are keeping a tight lid on effort, the Giro is a tough old race and it’s won by least effort expended until an opportune moment of bravery.
I am quite surprised with my predictions so far though 😜😜🤡
Yates was pure class yesterday. Not just his ride, which was amazing, but ensuring Chaves got the stage win. Yes he may ultimately regret those bonus seconds buy very classy. Is there a person in cycling with a bigger smile than Chaves?
Like that video a lot!
Is there a person in cycling with a bigger smile than Chaves?
While the stage was underway I was thinking he didn't really look like Chaves but there was no mistaking him afterwards. Brilliant team effort, superb final charge by Yates. Maybe they could be the Quickstep of the Grand Tours?
I'm really please for Yates. I quite like the Yates Bros. anyway, but to see Simon doing this well and with such a sportsmanlike demeanour is fantastic. May he maintain his performance level and his class for a long time.
Enjoyed yesterdays highlights, the enthusiasm of the post racer interviewer is great too. Love watching a proper summit finish. Class riding from Yates.
not only great sportsmanship from Yates but also the right thing to do, with Chaves being up the road enabled Yates to sit in and bide his time and hit them hard (but there might have been a bit of not wanting to have to defend the pink jersey this early in the race going on behind much like last year up etna). I'm sure teams will test Mitchelton Scotts resolve/mettle in the coming days it's new territory for them after all.
I think something drastic is happening in the Sky Camp ATM.
Or Froome's gone in undercooked like with the Tour last year. And the main priority is still the Tour so the likes of Kwiato, Thomas, Moscon are being saved for that. And Landa, who's a brilliant rider in his own right, but was a superb climbing domestique has left.
What's kind of interesting and goes a little against your insider speculation, is the way Sky's recruited some of the best young riders out there, notably Bernal, Sivakov and Halvorsen. The first two look like the real deal and Bernal in particular has been really impressive so far this season. Maybe a little young for a crack at a grand tour, but it'd be interesting to see if he gets thrown in for experience if Froome does end up suspended for the Tour or the Vuelta. He looks like the future. Oddly Froome being suspended might make for a more interesting season.
It's interesting, Froome's status as undisputed leader has effectively blocked anyone else coming through at Sky. Landa was unlucky with the Giro in the last two years - illness then a crash - but with Froome targeting the Tour and the Vuelta and now the Giro, there's no GT leader opportunity for anyone else in the team.
Anyway, Yates looked amazing yesterday, but it's early days yet and in the past I seem to remember a couple of sterling performances being followed by a slump - though that might have been his brother, it must help there being two of him...
Here's hoping he holds it together though.
I'm not sure the first week is really an indication of who is going to win unless someone is in super-dominant form. Froome lost time because he crashed and because of the pinch-point delays in Stage 4 (?).
It's very early days.
As for Team Sky... who knows.. maybe they're saving themselves for the big mountains.
As for Team Sky… who knows.. maybe they’re saving themselves for the big mountains.
Could be. Dumoulin is likely to lose time on the biggest climbs, but Yates won’t, and don’t forget Chaves was talked of as being a grand tour winner a little while ago. They are both proper climbers and there’s only one more TT in the race where Froome (and Dumoulin) can gain masses of time vs them. I wouldn’t expect Froome to be happy about losing time to them.
It’s interesting, Froome’s status as undisputed leader has effectively blocked anyone else coming through at Sky. Landa was unlucky with the Giro in the last two years – illness then a crash – but with Froome targeting the Tour and the Vuelta and now the Giro, there’s no GT leader opportunity for anyone else in the team
But realistically they know this before coming into the team anyway. They'll be told, you have a chance of leading for XYZ but not ABC, so they'll be more than aware of their position in the pecking order.
Great video...and a class ride by Yates
But realistically they know this before coming into the team anyway. They’ll be told, you have a chance of leading for XYZ but not ABC, so they’ll be more than aware of their position in the pecking order.
That's true, but it doesn't actually make any difference to the situation. The reality with Sky is that riders who'd be GC leaders in most teams are riding as domestiques because hey, it's a job, they're a good team to work for and money talks up to a point. Finite career, good pay, ambition versus financial gain.
Landa's kind of the exception because he was brought in specifically to lead at the Giro, he was a bit unlucky with how that panned out. It'll be interesting to watch how Bernal develops there, I think he's team leader at the Tour of California starting this weekend, which suggests he's being taken seriously as a not too far in the future GC prospect.
The reality with Sky is that riders who’d be GC leaders in most teams are riding as domestiques because hey, it’s a job,
This gets trotted out a lot and I’m yet to be convinced of the truth of it. Few of them shine once they leave Sky. Yes, they can win the tour of Albania, or wherever, but they’re always outclassed when the big guns turn up. How many ex-Sky riders have won a grand tour?
How many ex-Sky riders have won a grand tour?
well, yeah but how many non-sky riders of any variety have won a grand tour recently
Froome is an ex Sky domestique.
well, yeah but how many non-sky riders of any variety have won a grand tour recently
Dumoulin, Quintana, Aru, Nibali, Contador. Even Horner and Hesjedal managed it. All since 2012 - quite a variety considering the TdF is Sky dominated.
@ IdleJon - yeah, more than I'd thought. Guess which two I forgot ? 😉
You can’t have forgotten about Horner’s win surely? At the age of 76 and not drug assisted? 😂
If Froome can hang on to the leaders by his fingertips then we could still see an eventful last week. It's now more than just Froome vs TomDum too, with Yates a genuine contender, and a few others who could get in the mix, so it could get messy, which'll help Froome (if he can find some form).
You can’t have forgotten about Horner’s win surely? At the age of 76 and not drug assisted
I can't bring myself to believe he was clean but it was a fantastic spectacle.
The reality with Sky is that riders who’d be GC leaders in most teams are riding as domestiques
Cycling history is littered with riders who were good GT domestiques, moved to another (often smaller) team to be a leader and bombed or at least didn't win. It's a common career path.
This gets trotted out a lot and I’m yet to be convinced of the truth of it. Few of them shine once they leave Sky. Yes, they can win the tour of Albania, or wherever, but they’re always outclassed when the big guns turn up. How many ex-Sky riders have won a grand tour?
Being a team leader isn't the same as winning a GT - there are only three GT winners a year obviously, so by that yardstick, most team leaders are failures. The two obvious high calibre ex-Sky riders would be Landa and Porte, I don't think you can argue that they're not class riders? Sure, there are questions over Porte's head when the going gets tough, but he's definitely there or there abouts no? If Thomas had moved on, he'd be in contention as a leader at quite a few teams.
Maybe what I should have said is that Sky can afford to pay for very high quality domestiques. Fair?
blimey, either froome's poorly or he's left the turbo tyre on his back wheel !
Well Froome needs to find some form out there somewhere or he might be better off heading somewhere nice after the next rest day!!
that was some final kilometre, for a 5% hill
I wanted the break to stay away, but when Carapaz span off the front it looked like might even pull a wheelie he powered off so quickly..
Glad Sky didn’t last long on the front, they tried thier old tactics of the rolling roadblock but they were blown to bits in the end. Good to see Froomie in trouble every now and again, didn’t really see Aru but he seemed happy enough at the finish.
Long old stage that.
Tomorrow looks like a cracker!
Yeah, that’s “bumpy”
🤪🤯
when Carapaz span off the front it looked like might even pull a wheelie he powered off so quickly..
Yeah, very impressive. Surprised that they got back to within 7 seconds; thought he'd be maybe 20 up
Do you think Froome is deliberately not going for wins /jersey to avoid the media? That said he doesn't look at all comfortable. Great that Yates is still there but 16s ahead of dumoulin looks very fragile. On that subject commentators said dumoulin. Had only raced 12 days prior to tour? Very strange to then come to a Giro and be a contender?
Do you think Froome is deliberately not going for wins /jersey to avoid the media?
Nah, he rode like shit today (they kept replaying bits of footage of him wobbling & banging into folk as well as his fall) and I thought he looked rough on the line. May still come good but I think tomorrow will be a big day for him.
He certainly looks rough but he's a tough cookie. If he can hang in there then don't write him off yet. As said, tomorrow is another day.
Nothing will stop me wanting Esteban Chavez to win this bike race.