Well, this is dull
WHAT???
All G has to do now is follow Froome's wheel. He doesn't have to do any domestique duties does he? Easiest thing for Sir Dave to say now is "Well Chris, if you want to win, it's up to you".
Cue 65km breakaway on Stage 17.
Yeah, just read that.
Seems the commisairs are binning those out of the time cut..
Be one of the only times I’ve seen it done in a GT...
But the question has to be asked, are there any French Men in the time cut too ?
No being cynical, nope, just askin for a friend...
Looks like Cavendish might not have made the cut
He was looking like that fairly early on. Was it because he stopped for red lights?
Froome is far too calculating to start a bun fight with Thomas. He just needs to maintain his position and let Thomas blow himself up.
re Quintana comment above, has he ever really done it on the big stage? He’s always talked up by the commentators but then blown away by riders who physiologically are less suited to climbing than him, eg Tom D and GT.
I think it all comes down to a couple of stages really. Mainly that year when he won the white jersey, riding away from the competition completely expressionless as if it were an effortless task. And everyone thought Holy shit, this guy's Yoda!
One of those guys, the legend became bigger than him.
Kittel, Renshaw and Cav all out. None were exactly having vintage tours so I suspect they won't be too upset in truth.
What a great afternoon! I saw the finish on a big screen and then started walking down the mountain - it was only then that I saw Cav and he still had about 17/18km to go 😢
Cue 65km breakaway on Stage 17.
My money is on Froome pulling the trigger on stage 19, for symmetry with the Giro.
Over the Aubisque then descend into Laruns
All G has to do now is follow Froome’s wheel.
Easy!
I love Mr Thomas!
Really sorry for Cav, shame really, was hopefully that a complete tour in his legs would see him coming for his final four stages next year!
What about Egan Bernal,? didn't quite live up to the hype. But he's young (still a neopro) and this must be one hell of a baptism by fire.
You wouldn't want to be Dave would you? A choice of G winning his first or Froome his 5th .
I suspect he goes with natural selection until the last possible minute of needing to bark out an order.
what's the protocol here? say 3/4 up the alpe Froome & G are last sky riders and one punctures and Toms chasing them down (cars stuck further down) Would yellow have priority ?
I'd expect a radio dead spot
Froome was a class act today. He looked like he had the real beating of all the others today and just sat on and closed attacks without going after Thomas and dragging others up. Love Dan Martin too, he's just a crazy attacking nutter...for some reason I've never warmed to Thomas. I hope Froome beats them all senseless tomorrow!
I also thought Froome looked classy today. Had Martin for the last minute break, but delighted for G. And Martin too I’ve never warmed to Dumoulin, not sure why as he always gives honest interviews
And who wouldn’t want to take the most prestigious summit win tomorrow? Froome was saving himself for that and doing all he needed for G to take the stage.
GC will be unchanged tomorrow, but Froome for the win.
Without descending into the whys and wherefores, I've got to say I find Sky's complete supremacy is really starting to take the interest out of the racing for me, when two of them can just so effortlessly reel inn other riders and toy with them the way Froome seemed to be doing, it just removes any sense of sporting spectacle for me.
Why are the other teams so far behind? It always seems to be solitary team leaders with scant support just clinging on while 8 members of team Sky drag everybody up the mountain...
Feeling distinctly 'French' right now...
Well Movistar blew themselves with AV up the road for what reason? Trying to pressure Team Sky? Who have the strongest supporting line up. Kwiatkowski was absolutely magnificent today. When you have a rider like that effectively playing midfield, it lifts the rest of the team. Bernal is human, and so young, but their strength is their depth. And single minded GC focus.
@13thfloormonk, part of the reason is that their budget means they get the very best riders to ride as domestiques. Castroviejo and Kwiatkowski could easily ride GC for some lesser teams, Bernal is the next great GC hope, G has been building up to this for years, Froome is just Froome. Last year they had Landa who looks like the best rider at Movistar and Neive who almost won the stage.
But even as a Sky fan, I do hear what you’re saying.
Well Movistar blew themselves with AV up the road for what reason?
Trying to work out which tine of the trident is the leader. Their tactics seems blurred, as they just don't know who they're backing.
GC will be unchanged tomorrow, but Froome for the win.
I would have thought it possible to lose buckets of time quite easily tomorrow, but hopefully not.
Lacets and the Alpe tomorrow!
Thomas has longed stronger all race so far, but that's just it. So far...
Froome has a habit of peaking towards the end of a Grand Tour.
part of the reason is that their budget
it also seems that because of the strength in depth the reduction to 8 riders helps them more. they are slowly strangling grand tours like they do stages. Theres never a police outrider when you need one.
Either of them could win it based on today. Gs got over a minute so it would be mad to throw that away. Sky have the depth to support two GC riders for the next two weeks. I suspect they'll play it safe and keep both in the running. The others are going to have to chase G now if he attacks. Froome can sit in and counter. If a contender attacks they can work together.
Given their tactic is to ride it to power and neutralise until the last climb then go all in and attack the two might just duke it out from a 2up break at this point when they are clear.
If something goes wrong, G will ride for Froome. Not because he isn't as good a rider but because he's a professional. Same as Froome, rode for Wiggins when it was asked. But if they can get both on the podium I can't see G sitting up for Froome to ride past him.
Would love to see G take it to Paris. Been a fan for a long time. Seems like a nice guy with a good sense of humour. Remember watching the tour videos him and Eddie did back in the early sky days when they were practically kids.
Froomey playing cat and mouse all very entertaining.
I thinking (hoping) that Froome will attack on alpe d huez tomorrow but will G have team orders to assist Froome? If I was G I'd sit on Froomes wheel all day. I think G looks in better form than Froome.
Just to say that I absolutely love the racing today and I think you shouldn't be writing off Dumoulin or Nibali just yet.
when two of them can just so effortlessly reel inn other riders and toy with them the way Froome seemed to be doing, it just removes any sense of sporting spectacle for me.
Not for me. I thought it was marvellous seeing G and Froome taking the piss with the creeps that have been making insinuations and advising Froome not to race for the past 9 months (Dan Martin excepted)
Froome has a habit of peaking towards the end of a Grand Tour.
Its not so much peaking. I think its a case of being able to hold his normal form after everyone else has stopped being able to hold theirs
I think tomorrow could be interesting. The Sky train worked hard today and it is a long testing day tomorrow. There could be some winners and losers but it is still a long way to Paris. The other teams need to believe and attack with some panache and remember Froome is human as he showed when Bardet took time of him last year and he could/should have lost much more.
I think Froome did everything he needed to to set G up for the win and maillot jaune. Neither of them have the attitude of Wiggins. I like them both and the last week could be crushing for the other teams. G gave an honest interview after the race.
I also like to think what other GC riders could do in the Sky machine. I don’t think any of the current crop are more talented than Wiggins, but Sky show that GT racing is a team sport. They are by far and away the strongest team. Just Look at the calibration of riders who have left! At least three current GC contenders have served their time. They may have done better at Sky in other tours, but Froome is there at the moment.
part of the reason is that their budget means they get the very best riders to ride as domestiques
I think Cycling Weekly did an article showing that Sky's budget really wasn't that much bigger than their rivals, BMC I think were relatively close. Suggested that Sky were better at picking young talent (academy style?) and then spending the money they didn't spend on big name riders on 'marginal gains' type stuff.
I don't judge them for it really (although I think the whole green/whitewash thing with the lovely cute Orca on the back of their tops is insulting our collective intelligences a little, it's still Murdoch!) I just can't get very excited by seeing Froome yet again effortlessly dropping the people who are supposed to be his closest rivals.
I'm excited for today's stage but only for the scenery, I predict another flurry of interesting attacks all slowly getting mopped up by an impassive wall of Sky riders...
Edit: Lol, I stand corrected
Froome suggesting a salary cap would be akin to communism...
A fabulous ride by Cav, time to celebrate an awesome rider who has both spirit and respect.
Mark over the line with the broom waggon 20mtrs chasing his tail.
Well done that man.
1999 and now. Great piece by Millar on Cav's finish yesterday https://chpt3.com/blogs/journal/well-done-mark
I think Cycling Weekly did an article showing that Sky’s budget really wasn’t that much bigger than their rivals, BMC I think were relatively close.
and I think BMC have been the only ones with a real clear plan and team working until Porte cracked. the rest don't seem to be able to organise a doping session in a pharmacy.
@bikebuoy
Mark over the line with the broom waggon 20mtrs chasing his tail.
I wonder if the guys in the broom wagon said: "Chapeau. We know who you are, we won't pass you" Maybe Prudhomme, who likes Cav, had a word.
Will Cav ride a GT again? Possibly, there's a saying: don't quit in the evening, sleep on it and see how you feel in the morning.
